THE SECRET of the MIRACULOUS MIHRAJ ( Part – 3 )

This heaven is created of raw silver, or, according to a different narration, from white pearl. The name of this Heaven is Zahir. Its gate was of Light and the lock to the gate was of Light and written upon it were the words, ?La ilaha illallah, Muhammedur Rasulullah.? The angel guarding the gate to this Heaven was the angel Salsa?il. After we had knocked on the gate and had answered the same questions as before, we were admitted and the gates were opened to us. I beheld the angel in charge, Salsa?il. He was responsible for all that happened here. Under his command were four hundred thousand angels, and each one of these angels commanded another four hundred thousand angelic lieutenants. These angels praised the Lord in the following words:

Subhana khaliq-iz-zulumati wa-n-nur,

Subhana khaliq-ish-shamsi wa-l-qamar-il-munir,

Subhana-r-rafi?-il-?ala.

(Praise be to the Creator of darkness and light,

Praise be to the Creator of the sun and the shining moon;

Praise be to the Highest of the High.)?

Among these angels I noticed a special group; some of them stood in Qiyam, some were prostrated in Sajda, their gaze unswerving from the place of their prostration, so rapt were they in devotion. Another party of those in Sajda were so entranced that they remained gazing at their noses. The Tasbih of these three groups of angels was this:

Subbuhun quddus, Rabbun-ar-Rahman-ar-Rahim

illadhi la ilaha illa huwa.

(Glorified be our Lord, the All-Holy, the All-Compassionate,

the All-Merciful, besides whom there is no other god.)?

I then asked Jibreel, ?Is this their form of worship?? Jibreel replied, ?Ever since they were created, they have remained in this pose of humility. Make supplication for your nation that they, too, might be given this form of worship.? I prayed and asked this for my nation, and my nation, too, was given this attitude of humility during their prayer.?

?Then I met the Prophets Idris and Nuh. I gave them Salams and they replied reverentially, saying, ?Greetings to you, oh righteous brother, oh righteous Prophet of Allah (Sal)!? and they gave me glad tidings of many good things to come. This was the Tasbih of Idris:

Subhana-l-mujibi-s-sa?ilin,

Subhana qabzi-l-jabbarin,

Subhana-lladhi ?ala fa la yablughu ?uluwwahu ahad.

(Glorified be He who answers those who ask of Him,

Praised be He who constrains the tyrants,

Praised be He whose lofty height none can reach but He.)?

The Tasbih of the Prophet Nuh was this:

Subhana-l-Hayyi-l-Halim,

Subhana-l-Haqqi-l-Karim,

Subhana-l-Azizi-l-Hakim.

(Glory be to God, the Living and Gentle,

Glory to God, the True and Munificent,

Glory to God, the Powerful and Wise.)?

Thereafter, I saw Maryam, the mother of Isa, and the mother of Musa, Buhayyid, and the wife of Fir awn, Asiya  may Allah be well pleased with them. They all came to greet me. Maryam, the mother of Isa, had seventy thousand mansions, all made of white pearls. The mother of Musa had seventy thousand mansions all made of green emeralds. Finally, Asiya had seventy thousand mansions made of red corals.?

?After this, I came to a great sea the water of which was white with snow. ?What sea is this?? I asked. Jibreel told me, ?This sea is called the ?Sea of Snow?.? After we had passed by there, we came to the sun.?

According to one narration, the size of the sun was one hundred and sixty times the size of the earth. According to Ibn ?Abbas, the sun is as great as a distance of seventy years? wayfaring.

After Allah Almighty had created the Sun, He created a boat of pure gold in which He placed a throne of red ruby. This throne stands on three hundred and sixty legs and an angel holds on to each one of them. In this way they place the Sun in this boat and every day three hundred and sixty angels guide the sun-boat from east to west, and every night they guide it back from west to east. Then these angels engage in worship and the following day, another three hundred sixty angels come and perform this duty, and so it will go on until the Day of Resurrection. Every group of angels will only perform this duty once. In the Holy Qur?an this verse refers to the movement of the sun:

The learned commentators, may Allah have Mercy on them, have said that the sun comes to rest beneath the Divine Throne. The angels take the sun to its place beneath the Throne every night where it bows and prostrates itself before the Almighty Lord. Thus it will continue until the Day of Judgement is nigh. Then a Divine Command will be heard, ?Let the Sun stop in the west, and let it rise from there!

(A detailed interpretation of this vision is given in the work entitled ?Ara?is-i-Salabi?.)

Thereafter, Jibreel intoned the Adhan and Iqama, and I led all the angels and inhabitants of the fourth heaven in a prayer of two Rak?ats. Then we proceeded to ascend to

Allah Almighty created this heaven from red gold and its name is Safiya. The keeper of the gate is called Kalqa?il. As before, we requested entry at its gates. After a set exchange of certain questions and answers, the gates opened and we entered. Upon entering, I beheld the guardian of this heaven seated upon a throne of light. I greeted him, and he returned my Salams with much respectfulness. Five hundred thousand angels are at his service, and each one of these has another five hundred thousand attendants at his disposal. They are constantly engaged in glorification of the Lord, and their Tasbih is this:

Quddusun quddus Rabb-ul-arbab,

Subhana Rabbina-l-?ala-l-?azham,

Quddusun Rabb-ul-malaikati wa-r-ruh

(Holy, Holy, the Lord of All Lords!

Glory to our Lord, the Lofty, the Majestic!

All-Holy the Lord of the angels and the spirit.)?

Having passed by these angels, I came upon another flock, and Allah alone knows their number. These were seated in an attitude of perfect devotion in the posture of Qa?da, never raising their gaze from their knees as they recited this Tasbih:

Subhana Dhi-l-fadhli-l-akbar

Subhana-l-?adl illadhi la yajur.

(Praise be to the Possessor of Greatest Grace.

Praise be to the Perfectly Just One who wrongs none.)?

I turned to Jibreel and asked, ?Is that their form of worship?? He replied, ?Yes, since the day they were created, they have busied themselves with their devotion. Entreat your Lord that He might grant your nation this form of worship as well.? I prayed for this and the Qa?da (kneeling position) was thus included in our ritual prayer.?

?We passed on and met the Prophets Isma?il, Ishaq, Ya?qub, Lut and Harun. I gave them my greetings and they replied, ?Welcome to you, oh righteous son, our upright brother and truthful Prophet!? They greeted me with full honours and and gave good tidings of great good things to be.

?Their glorification was the following:

Subhana man la yasifu-l-wasifuna ?azhmatahu wa muntahahu

Subhana man hada?at lahu-r-riqab wa dhallat lahu-s-sifaq.

(Glory to Him before the Extremity of whose Majesty all attempts

at description must pale,

Glory to Him before whom princes bow their heads and the

brazen are humbled).?

Having passed by, we came to a sea the expanse of which is known to Allah Almighty alone, and no but He can say aught about it. I asked, ?What is this sea?? Jibreel answered, ?This sea is called the ?Bahru-n-Niqam?, the Sea of Vengeance. From here descended the waters of the flood of Nuh.?

We passed on and Jibreel called the Adhan and the Iqama, and I led all the inhabitants and angels of the fifth heaven in a prayer of two Rak?ats. After this we ascended to

Allah Almighty has created this heaven from a yellow gem and has called it Khalisa. Its guardian is Samkha?il. We came to its gates and requested their opening; the customary question and answering took place and the gates opened for us. As we entered, I beheld the angel Samkha?il. He had six hundred thousand angels at his command, and each of these had another six hundred thousand helpers under him. All were engaged in glorification of the Lord, chanting these words:

Subhana-l-Karim, subhana-n-Nur-ul-mubin,

Subhana-lladhi huwa ilahu man fi-s-samawati wa ilahu man fi-l-ard.

(Glory be to the Munificent, Glory to the Unmistakable Light,

Glory to Him who is God of all that is in the heavens and on the earth.)?

I greeted the angel Samkha?il and he returned my greetings with full appreciation and ceremony. Then he made this supplication: ?May the Almighty bless your good works, your works of sanctity and the light within your heart!? to which I rejoined, ?Amin!

Then we passed on until we came upon a group of angels who are called the Cherubim (Karubiyun). Only Allah knows their number. Their chief is a great angel who is given seventy thousand angels in attendance. Each of these helpers had another seventy thousand angels to serve him. With loud voices, they are continuously chanting Tasbih and Tahlil. Passing by them, I met my brother, the Prophet Musa. I greeted him and he rose in response and kissed me between the eyes. Then he spoke and said, ?Praise be to Allah who has sent you and shown you to me. The Lord has given me tidings of the great miracles about to be performed. Tonight, you are to be honoured by meeting and conversing with the Lord of the Universe. However, do not forget your weak nation. Whatever bliss you are granted, ask also of it for your nation. Should anything be made obligatory on them, ask for it to be reduced to a minimum.

The glorification of Musa was this:

Subhana-l-Hadi man yasha?u. Subhana-l-Mudillu man yasha?u;

Subhana-l-Ghaffur-ur-Rahim.

Glory to Him who leads astray whom He will;

Glory to the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.)?

As we took leave of Musa, he began to weep. I asked him why he wept, and he said, ?I weep because a Prophet has appeared after me who will lead many more people of his nation into paradise than I will lead of mine.

Passing on, we reached the angel Mikha?il who was seated upon a tremendous throne. In front of him was a great set of scales. Each scale of the balance was so great that it might have contained all the heavens and earths. A great many scrolls of paper were stacked in front of him. I went up to him and gave him my Salams. He received my greetings and rose to greet me in return. Then he made this supplication on my behalf: ?May Allah increase your powers of sanctity and your bliss,? to which I replied, ?Amin!? He then gave me these joyous tidings, ?No nation has ever before received such goodness and munificence as the blessings with which your nation will be favoured. Therefore their scales weigh heavier than those of all other nations. Happy is the man who follows you with love, and woe upon the man who turns against you and rebels.

There were so many angels surrounding Mikha?il that Allah alone can know their number. They all spoke to me and said, We are all subservient to your command, and we constantly recite Salawat upon you. From twenty-five thousand years before the creation of Adam until this very moment, there has been one particular angel responsible for the delivery of every single drop of rain or snow. For all the growing plants and fruits and crops, there is an angel assigned to every single one of them, and he performs his duty perfectly. Having performed his duty once, he does not repeat his chore again until the Day of Judgement. From this you can gauge the immense number of angels that are created.?

The Tasbih of these angels is this:

Subhana Rabbi kulli mu?minin wa kafirin,

Subhana man tada?u min haybatihi ma fi butuniha-l-hawamil.

(Glory be to the Lord of every believer and every infidel;

Glory to Him, from awe of whom pregnant women bring forth what is in their wombs.)?

The glorification of the angel Mikha?il is this:

Subhana-Rabbi-l-?ala

(Glory be to the Highest Lord)?

According to one narration he (Sal) is to have said: ?If a person perseveres along his life in reciting this Tasbih, ?Subhana Rabbi-l-?Ala?, when his time to die has come, the angel Mikha?il will send the Angel of Mercy to him with a gift. He who is visited in his grave by the Angel of Mercy is made safe from the punishment of the grave.?

On account of this vision, the Holy Prophet (Sal) included this Tasbih in his Sunna, since Muslims recite this phrase in every Sajda, so that they may ultimately reach to this felicity.

The Holy Prophet (Sal) then continued:

After this we reached a luminous green sea where there was a multitude of angels – Allah Almighty alone knows their number ? and their Tasbih was this:

Subhana-l-Qadiri-l-Muqtadir,

Subhana-l-Karimi-l-Akram,

Subhana-l-Jalili-l-?Azhim.

(Glory be to the Mighty, the All-Powerful;

Glory to the Most Generous of the Generous,

Glory to the Glorious, the Illustrious.)?

I then asked, ?What sea is this?? and Jibreel told me, ?The name of this sea is ?Bahr-ul-Akhdar?, the Green Sea.? Then Jibreel recited the Adhan and Iqama, and I led the angels and inhabitants of the sixth heaven in a prayer of two Rak?ats. Then we rose up to

This Heaven Allah Almighty has created from Light. Its name is Ghariba and the name of its guardian angel is Afra?il. Jibreel requested entry at the keeper of the gates as he had done before, and after a succession of questions and answers, the gates swung open and we were admitted. I beheld Afra?il and the seven hundred thousand angels under his command. Each one of these had in turn seven hundred thousand helpers, and their glorification was this:

Subhana-lladhi sataha-s-samawati wa rafa?aha,

Subhana-lladhi basata-l-arda wa farashaha,

Subhana-lladhi atla?a-l-kawakiba wa azharaha,

Subhana-lladhi arsa-l-jibala wa haya?ha.

(Glory be to Him who has fashioned the skies as a roof and raised them aloft;

Glory to Him who has flattened the earth and fitted it accordingly;

Glory to Him who brought forth the stars and made them to be adornments;

Glory to Him who has set up the mountains and fixed them in their places.)?

I greeted Afra?il and he received my greetings with pleasure. He gave me glad tidings of many spiritual gifts of grace and much reward for accepted good works.?

Above the gate to this heaven were written these words: La ilaha ill-Allah, Muhammed-ur-Rasulullah, wa Abu Bakr as-Siddiq.

There I beheld an angel whose head was at a level with the Throne, while his feet were placed firmly on the earth. He was so great that he might have swallowed up all the seven layers of heaven with one gulp, had Allah Almighty permitted him to do so. The Tasbih of this tremendous angel was this:

Subhana-l-muhtajibi bi jalalihi,

Subhana-l-musawwiri fi-l-arhami ma yasha?u.

(Glory be to Him who is veiled by His Majesty,

Glory be to Him who forms in the womb

Whatever He wills.)?

Then I saw an angel with seven hundred thousand heads, and each of these heads bore seven hundred thousand faces. On every single face there were seven hundred thousand mouths, and in every single mouth there were seven hundred thousand tongues and with each tongue he speaks seven hundred thousand different languages. This angel also has seven hundred thousand wings. Every day, this angel plunges seven hundred times into the Ocean of Light, which is in Paradise, and each time he comes up out of the water, he shakes himself. From every drop of light that flies off him, the Almighty creates an angel, which glorifies the Lord as follows:

Subhanaka ma ?azhama sha?nuka,

Subhanaka ma ?azhama makanuka,

Subhanaka sayyidi ma arhamaka bi khalqika.

(Be Thou glorified, how immense is Thy dignity!

Glory be to Thee, how high is Thy station!

Glory to Thee, my Lord, how great Thy Mercy

on Thine creation!)?

After passing by this one, I beheld another angel, seated upon a throne. His head was beneath the Divine Throne, and his feet reached to the bottom of the earth. He was so great, that he could have swallowed up the world and what is within it in a single gulp. The tip of one of his wings touched the west, whereas the other touched to the east. Seven hundred thousand angels were at his service, and each one of these commanded another seven hundred thousand angels. ?Who is this?? I asked the angel Jibreel. ?This is Israfil,? he told me. I went up to him and gave him Salams and he received them well and gave me great good tidings. His Tasbih was this:

Subhana-s-sami?-ul-?alim,

Subhana-l-muhtajibi ?an khalqihi,

Subhana Rabbina wa ta?ala.

(Glory be to Him, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing,

Glory be to Him who is veiled from His Creation,

Glorified and exalted be He, our Lord Almighty.)?

After this, I came upon a person all drowned in Light. He was seated upon a throne in an attitude of awesome dignity, and before him was a multitude of little children. I asked Jibreel who was this person of such light, majesty and awe, and who were all the children with him. The angel answered me, ?This is your great grandfather Ibrahim. He loves you and the entire nation that believes in you. He once prayed to the Lord of the Worlds that he might be of service to your nation, and the Lord heard his supplication. He gave him all these little children who are the little boys and girls from your nation who die before reaching adulthood. Allah Almighty has entrusted Ibrahim with their upbringing and education. Until the Day of Judgement, he will be instructing them in proper behavior and training their minds in the useful sciences. After having perfected their schooling, on the Day of Gathering he will lead them forth and bring them to the site of Resurrection. There, before the Lord?s Holy Presence, he will entreat Him with these words: ?Oh my Lord, here are the youngsters of the nation of Your Beloved Muhammed (Sal) who died before reaching the age of maturity. According to Your order and command, I have taught and trained them in all useful branches of knowledge, and brought them before Thy Majestic Throne. Thine is all kindness, favour and grace.?

At this invocation, the Almighty Lord will reply with the full glory of His Majesty, ?Oh children, go and enter the Gardens of Paradise.? Thereupon, these children will reply, ?Oh our Lord, by Thy Grace and Thy Munificence, let our parents go with us!? The Almighty Lord will again direct His Divine Speech at them, and say, ?You have nothing to answer for, go and enter into Paradise forthwith; as for your parents, they are accountable and there are things they have to answer for.? Again, these children entreat the Lord, ?During their lives in the material world, we caused them sorrow through our absence; now, by the vastness of Thine Mercy which floods the universal expanse, let us be the cause of happiness for them.? Upon this plea, the All-Merciful and Benificent Lord accepts the childrens? supplications and addresses them, saying, ?Go then and take from the wine of the spring of Kawthar and give your parents to drink therefrom.?

Thereafter, Jibreel turned to me and said, ?Go ahead and give Salams to Ibrahim.? I stepped forth and greeted him, whereupon he honoured me and received me well. Then he spoke to me, saying, ?Welcome to you, oh virtuous son and righteous Prophet! Tonight you are to be honoured in that you will witness the splendor of the Lord of the Universe, and you will be admitted to behold all manner of sacred displays. As for your nation, it is the last of all nations and it will be a very weak nation, so do not neglect to intercede with your Lord on their behalf.?

And he continued, ?Oh Muhammed (Sal)! Give Salams to your nation from me and convey to them my advice: the World (dunya) is of a passing nature and rapid in its decline. In the eyes of the Eternal Lord it is but base and contemptible matter. He attributes to it not even the value of a fly?s wing. Tell them not to waste their lives in the pursuit of its vain beauties, its pomp and palaces; not to be deceived by its many and varied tastes, by promises of grandeur and large followings. For it is the world to come, which is lasting, and eternal. Therefore, let them busy themselves in following the pure ways of the Shari?a (Divine Law) by night and by day, and the guidance contained in your Sunna (practice of the Prophet (Sal)) and thereby gain the good pleasure of the Almighty Lord. The Gardens of Paradise are vast, so let them plant there many, many trees.?

I asked him then, ?How does one plant a tree in the Janna?? He replied, ?Through the recital of this Tasbih:

Subhanallahi wa-l-hamdu-lillahi

wa la ilaha ill-Allahu wallahu akbar,

wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahi-l-aliyyi-l-azhim.

(Glory be to Allah and Praise,

none is worthy of worship but Allah alone,

and Allah is Mosty Great!

There is no Might and no Power save with Allah,

the Exalted, Majestic.)?

Tell them to recite this Du?a (prayer), for each time they recite it, a tree is planted in Paradise.?

Then Jibreel called the Adhan to prayer and made Iqama; I then led the angels and the inhabitants of the seventh heaven in a prayer of two Rak?ats, then we ascended to

It is written in some of the books of admonition:

Every Friday the great angels assemble round the Holy House. Jibreel calls the Adhan and Israfil delivers the Khutba (sermon) while Mikha?il leads the prayer as Imam. All the angels of the seven heavens follow his lead. After the Jum?a prayer is complete, Jibreel addresses the gathering as follows, ?Oh gathering of angels, bear witness that I pass on the reward for this Adhan to the Muadhdhins[4] of the nation of Muhammed (Sal)!? Then Israfil rises and says, ?Oh ye angels! Bear witness that I donate the reward for this Khutba to all the Khatibs[5] of the nation of Muhammed (Sal)!? Then Mikha?il steps forth and says, ?Oh angels, I too have made over the merit of leading this prayer to the Imams[6] of the nation of Muhammed(Sal)!?

All the angels then present the merit for their prayer to those of the nation of Muhammed (Sal) who have prayed the Jum?a prayer. Then there comes a call from the Highest Lord, saying, ?Oh Angels of Mine! Do you seek to outdo Me in generosity, whereas I am He who created all Generosity and Munificence! Hear then My Decree: whoever honours the day of Jum?a from among the nation of Muhammed (Sal), man or woman alike, I will forgive them their sins and free them from the torments of Hell!?

Thus He Almighty grants us His Grace and Mercy. Oh Allah, make us also recipients of Your Munificence and ease our way to reach such a degree of merit, for the honour of the Trusted Prophet Muhammed (Sal), oh Most Merciful of the Merciful, Amin!

Then,? continued the Holy Prophet (Sal), ?we proceeded to ascend to

Concerning the ?Sidrat-ul-Muhtaha?, the learned ?Ulama have proffered various differing opinions, particularly with regard to the name itself. Ibn ?Abbas relates: ?It is called ?Sidrat-ul-Muntaha? (the lotus tree of the extreme limit) because it is the end of all that is knowable, and nobody can know what is beyond it.?

Some others have explained: ?Whoever comes from above, arrives here and cannot pass on further down. Whoever comes from below, reaches this point and cannot ascend further. Therefore it is called by this name.?

Yet others try to explain it in this way: ?The world of spirits ends at this point, therefore it is called the lote tree of the extreme limit.?

Ibn ?Abbas tells us: ?It is a tree which is made all of gold. Some of its boughs are made of emerald, some are of ruby. The tree measures a distance of one hundred and fifty years from its foot to its top. Its leaves resemble the ears of the elephant, and they are very great: a single one of them would cover the entire world. Its fruits are shaped like water jugs. The whole tree is engulfed by light.?

The Holy Prophet (Sal) continues:

?Upon this tree I saw such a number of angels that only Allah Almighty can know. They enfolded all the leaves of that tree and glittered like locusts, flashing like stars.?

This holy verse was revealed concerning this vision:

The commentators interpret this verse as meaning that the whole tree was surrounded and embraced by the multitude of angels upon it. It is related that there were as many angels upon the leaves of that tree as there are stars in the sky and grains of sand in the earth. Some angels took the form of golden butterflies. All of them came to greet the Prophet of Allah (Sal), and when they beheld his saintly beauty, they all gave thanks to the Lord and gave to him the assurance of Allah?s Mercy. They also made over all the merit of their devotional actions to the nation of Muhammed (Sal).

Jibreel, too, had his place upon the branches of this tree, and his was a branch made of green emerald. It was at a height of one hundred thousand years of journeying. There is a leaf there, the breadth of which is that of the seven layers of the heavens and the seven beds of the earth. Upon it there is a carpet spread of light, and on it there is a Mihrab made of red ruby. This Mihrab is the place of the Angel Jibreel. Before it was placed a seat of honour reserved for the Holy Prophet (Sal) upon which no one had sat since the day it was set in place.

The Holy Prophet?s (Sal) narration continues:

Jibreel then led me along and sat me upon that seat of honour. I saw that other seats had been placed alongside. Before it there were ten thousand such seats, and upon them sat angels who were writing the Torah. Each seat was surrounded by forty thousand other seats upon which angels sat reciting the Torah. To the right there were ten thousand stools made of green emerald. Angels sat upon them, busied with the writing of the Injil. Each of these was surrounded by forty thousand stools upon which angels sat reciting the Injil. To the left there were also ten thousand stools made of beryl, and the angels seated upon them were writing out the Zabur. Forty thousand other angels reciting the Zabur surrounded each seat. Behind us there were again ten thousand stools of red ruby. The angels seated on these were writing out the Holy Qur?an, and around each stool there were seated another forty thousand angels reciting the Holy Qur?an.?

This has been explained as follows:

The wisdom of the Torah being placed before Muhammed (Sal), the Injil to his right, and the Zabur to his left is this: before the Holy Prophet (Sal), the Choice of all Humankind, had yet appeared in the world and begun fulfilling his mission, those Holy Scriptures had already been revealed. All of them contained descriptions of the Prophet to come and told of his characteristics and excellence, and of the pre-eminent position of his nation among all other, previous nations. The Holy Qur?an was placed behind him because its Judgement is to remain valid and unsurpassed until the Day of Judgement, and even the Day of Judgement would be conducted by its rulings. It is a sign of its remaining free and safe from abrogation, substitution, alteration or corruption.

The Holy Prophet (Sal) continues:

Jibreel then said to me, ?Oh Rasulullah (Sal), I have a request to make of you: that you would deign to pray two Rak?ats here, so that my Maqam might gain blessings from it.?

I therefore prayed a prayer of two Rak?ats there and all the angels of the Holy House and the Sidrat-ul-Muntaha followed suit.?

In this way the Holy Prophet (Sal) was shown to be even more honoured than the angels.

Rasulullah (Sal) continues his account:

Below this tree there flowed four streams, two of which were evident and two of which were hidden. Jibreel told me, ?The two hidden streams flow into the gardens of paradise, while the two visible ones flow down to the Earth. One of them is the Euphrates, the other is the Nile.? Then I beheld another stream, by the banks of which tents had been set up that were of ruby, pearls and chrysolite. By their banks flew birds of emerald green whose necks resembled the necks of camels. Jibreel then said to me, ?What you see here is the spring of Kawthar. Allah Almighty has made you a gift of it.?

As it is written in the Holy Qur?an,

Surely, We have given thee abundance(=Kawthar);

This stream flowed along over pebbles of rubies and emerald and its waters were whiter than milk. I took up a cup and drank from it. Its taste was sweeter than honey, and its scent more pleasing than musk. A spring gushed forth beneath that tree. Jibreel told me its name: Salsabil. It was the source of two waters, one is Kawthar (Abundance), the other is Rahma (Mercy). Both streams flow before the gates of the Garden. Those entering into Paradise drink from the waters of Kawthar, and when they do so, all the calamities of the heart, base character and bad habits disappear and they become cleansed. Then they bathe in the spring of Rahma (Mercy). The men assume the dimensions of Adam, who measured sixty yards in height and seven yards in breadth. They will all be thirty-three years of age and will have green moustaches. As for the ladies, they will emerge as virgin girls of eighteen and their virginity will not be rent. Thus they will enter into Paradise, and never again will they age and become old. The spring of Salsabil is the source of these waters.?

Then I saw groups of angels passing in rows before the Sidra, and their rows were joined together. They formed such long formations, that were a bird of swiftest flight to fly along it for a hundred years, he would not reach its other end. They moved faster than the wind, as swiftly as the arrow flies. I then asked Jibreel, ?Whence comes this great multitude of angels, and whither are they going? And when did they begin their passage?? Jibreel explained to me, saying, ?They have been passing by since the time they were created, ceaselessly in passage. I know not whence they come nor whither they are going.? I marveled at their great number, remarking on it under my breath. Instantly this verse was revealed to me through Jibreel:

....and none knows the hosts of thy Lord but He.

Then they brought before me three bowls; one containing wine, one containing honey and a third containing milk. I chose the one with milk and drank from it. Jibreel then said to me, ?You have chosen the natural disposition of Islam and your nation will be firmly established in the religion of Islam. Had you chosen the cup of wine, your nation would have been a rebellious and fickle one.?

I saw an angel at the Sidra greater than all the other angels I had seen. He measured a thousand times thousand years wayfaring distance. This angel had seventy thousand heads. Every head had seventy thousand faces. On every face there were seventy thousand mouths. And each head was covered with seventy thousand cloths. Each one of these coverings was embellished with one thousand times thousand pearls. Each of these pearls was so great that there appeared a sea in its midst in which fish were swimming. Upon their backs was written the Kalimat-ut-Tawhid, the Declaration of Unity: LA ILAHA ILLALLAH, MUHAMMEDUR RASULULLAH.

This angel engaged in exaltation of the Lord, placing one hand upon his head and one hand behind his back. The beauty of his voice was such that it caused a commotion at the Divine Throne itself. I asked Jibreel to tell me who that angel was and he said, ?The Lord Almighty created this angel two thousand years before He created Adam.? I then asked where he had been all this time and where was his place of dwelling. Jibreel replied, ?In Paradise there is a place to the right of the Divine Throne, that is the abode of this angel. From there he was brought here.?

I went up to him and greeted him and he rose in answer to my Salams. Then he spread his wings, and all the heavens and the Earth were covered by their expanse. He then kissed my face and said, ?Good tidings to you, and to your nation! The Lord Almighty has decreed that your nation might have a singularly blessed month so that He might forgive them their sins. This holy month is the month of Ramadan and it is meant as a gift for you and your nation. For its sake your nation will find forgiveness. I have been sent here this very night to announce to you this great gladness.? Then I saw two boxes standing before him. On each of them there was a key of light. I asked that angel what was inside of those boxes. He told me, ?In one of these boxes there are the letters of release from Hellfire for those among your nation who fast the whole month of Ramadan until the new moon, uptil the Day of Judgement.

According to a different narration, the angel is to have said, ?Every day of Ramadan, at the time of Iftar (the breaking of the fast), the Lord Almighty frees from Hellfire six hundred thousand of His servants who have fasted. When Jum?a (Friday) has come, He frees six hundred thousand prisoners every hour for twenty-four hours from Hellfire until the Night of Power has come. On that blessed night, that is to say, during the twenty-four hours making up that night and day, at the beginning of every hour the Lord frees from Hell as many of His servants as He has freed since the beginning of the holy month, including the Jum?a days. The last day of Ramadan, at the time of Iftar (the breaking of the fast), the Lord sets free as many of His servants as He has freed during the whole month, including the Jum?a days and the Night of Power.?

The Holy Prophet (Sal) continues:

The angel told me that the other box contained this precious gift: ?On the Day of Judgement, seventy thousand persons of your nation will be granted entry into Paradise without questioning or reckoning. Their release certificates are contained in this box. In addition to these seventy thousand, each one of them will be granted the release of another seventy thousand from among his friends and relations and other disobedient Muslims. They, too, will be released without reckoning and granted accession to the heavenly gardens. This box contains the letters of release for all of them. Tuba, glad tidings to you and your nation, oh Rasulullah (Sal)!

By the term Tuba he meant to say, ?Oh Rasulullah (Sal), among all the countless and unbounded pleasures of the People of Paradise, the delights of the Tuba tree are reserved for you and your nation.?

This expression is a metaphoric one; the part signifies the whole, and speaking about the Tuba tree, signifies the totality of delights in the entire heavenly realm. In the sense mentioned above, Tuba signifies a tree in Paradise. However, the word tuba is also (grammatically) the feminine form of the word ?atyab?, (which means better, more excellent). This can be interpreted as follows: I give tidings of gladness to you and your nation; those who pass their days in the world in a good way and spend their time in a commendable fashion, who perform good works all their lives, and when they reach the end of their days will return their trusts in the light of faith, uttering the words of unity; whose questioning in the grave by the angels Munkar and Nakir will be made easy and whose graves will resemble a Garden of Paradise in which they will be at ease; who on the Day of Gathering will be gathered under the Banner of Praise and who will receive many gratifications under the shadow of the Great Throne; who will be given their book of accounts into their right hand and whose reckoning will be light; who will cross the bridge of the Sirat along with those who are the first to cross it, and who will by the Grace of Allah be of those who enter Paradise freely, without questioning or Judgement; who will be granted the sweetest of all bliss in being privileged to gaze upon the Divine Beauty of the Lord and thus will have attained their ultimate desire ? these are the tidings I give to you and your nation, oh Muhammed (Sal).

The Holy Prophet?s (Sal) report goes on:

I then beheld another angel who had the shape and form of a rooster and was created from white pearls. This angel had seventy thousand wings to his left and seventy thousand wings to his right. On each wing there were seventy thousand feathers made of pearls, and seventy thousand feathers made of rubies, and seventy thousand feathers of red gold, and seventy thousand feathers of silver, and seventy thousand feathers of pure musk, and seventy thousand feathers made of camphor, and seventy thousand feathers of ambergris, and seventy thousand feathers made of saffron. He reached in height from the Throne to the lowest of the seven layers of the earth. On each one of his wings were written these words:

Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim,

La ilaha ill?Allah, Muhammedun Rasulullah.

Kullu shay?in halikun illa wajhahu, al-Wahid ul-Qahhar.

(In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the All Compassionate. There is no God but Allah, Muhammed is Allah?s Messenger.

All must perish save His Divine Countenance,

He who is One, the All-Vanquishing.)?

At every prayertime, this angel would raise his head and repeat the glorification:

Bismillahi-l-?azhim wa bi-hamdihi

(In the Name of Allah, the Mighty and in Praise of Him.)?

His Tasbih was thus:

Subhanaka, ma a?zhama sha?nuka.

(Praise be to Thee, how great is Thy Glory!)?

After this, he would flap his wings together, and as he did this, wondrous sounds issue forth from this flapping. When these tones reach the Paradise Gardens, the boughs of the trees of Paradise would bend and sway against each other, and it would carry on to the ruby and garnet domes of Paradise which resound with melodious echo. These tones rouse the Huris and Ghilman of Paradise, and they say to each other, ?Good news! The time for prayer has come to the nation of Muhammed (Sal)!? Then, this great angel begins to move and his movement makes the Throne tremble. The Lord then asks him, ?What makes you tremble?? and the angel answers Him, ?Oh my Lord, the nation of Muhammed (Sal) has risen for prayer, and yet there are among them such a great number of sinners. Therefore I tremble.? The Lord thereupon says, ?Oh angel, be unperturbed! I am obliged to dispense of My Mercy upon those who pray. Witness that I train upon them the Gaze of Mercy and that I have forgiven them. I have freed them from Hellfire, for the honour of My Beloved, I have granted them dwelling in the Paradise of Mawa.? Thus the Lord proclaims His great Kindness and Munificence.?

Here, too, I beheld the angel Jibreel in his very own shape and form. He had six hundred wings, which were made of various kinds of jewels and pearls. Whenever he would open up a pair of these wings. They filled all the space between east and west. The wings were embellished by all sorts of precious stones. It would have taken a swift-flying bird five hundred, or according to other sources, seven hundred years to measure the distance from one shoulder to the other.?

Then we came to an open space from where we could hear the sounds of the writing of the Divine Pen. I said to Jibreel, Go ahead, but Jibreel answered, ?You go ahead, for in the eyes of Allah you are more honoured than I and all the world. I then passed on ahead of him and Jibreel went behind me. We came unto a veil of gold. Jibreel shook the veil and a voice was heard from behind it, saying, Who are you? Jibreel answered, I am Jibreel, and Muhammed (Sal) is with me. From within the veil this angel intoned: ?Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. From behind the curtain came a voice which said, My servant has spoken truly, I am indeed the Greatest, no Greatness is due to any but Me. Then the angel called, Ash-hadu an la ilaha illAllah. Again there was a call, My servant has spoken truly, Ana la ilaha illa ana, I am He beside whom there is no other God.? The angel repeated the words of the Shahada, Ash-hadu anna Muhammedan Rasulullah, I bear witness that Muhammed (Sal) is the Prophet of Allah. Again there was a call, My servant has spoken truly, I have sent Muhammed (Sal) as My Messenger-Prophet.? Then I heard the angel say, Hayy ala-s-sala, Hayy ala-l-falah. Another call was heard, My servant has spoken truly; he calls My servants to come to Me, worshipful. I have invited them to My gate, and whoever answers My invitation, will be saved and meet with success. Thereafter I heard the angel say, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. Another call came, ?My servant has spoken the Truth: Ana Akbar, I am the Greatest. The angel then said, La ilaha illAllah?. A call came, saying, ?My servant has spoken truly, there is no God but I.?