We have passed through a hadith that the distance between the sky and the earth is like seventy-three years, and in another hadith, five hundred years.

Question:
May Allah reward you, Your Eminence the Shaykh. The questioner says: We have passed through a hadith that is like one, two, or seventy-three years, and then the sky above it is likewise until seven heavens are counted. And in another hadith, it is stated that the distance between the lowest heaven and the first heaven is five hundred years.

Answer:
Yes, both this and that have been reported, and there is no contradiction between seventy-three or five hundred years. They say it is according to the speed of travel, according to fast travel and slow travel, and Allah knows best. Yes, and also, "seventy-three" does not imply exclusivity; the number does not imply exclusivity, so it does not preclude that there may be more than this number.