The Ruling on the Messengers with Whom the Prophet Prayed on the Night of the Ascension

Question:
May Allah’s blessings be upon you. Honorable Shaykh, it is well known that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed with the messengers on the Night of the Ascension. Are these messengers messengers from the angels, or are they messengers from the children of Adam? Please clarify this for us. May Allah preserve you.

Answer:
The reference is to the washing of the children of Adam. And after that, the distinction of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from the other prophets is among the specific attributes and inherent qualities of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that Allah singled him out for and preferred him over the other prophets in, namely that he is the master of the prophets (peace and blessings be upon him), and the best of them, because he commanded them and distinguished them, and their lives and their prayers are with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in how they were established. And that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by them in the heavens is among the matters of the earth that no one knows except Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and the matters of the Hereafter and the matters of the garment; we only affirm what has come, and we do not go beyond it or add from our own selves. We affirm it as it came and we refrain from investigating what is beyond that. This is from the knowledge of the Shafi'i (peace and blessings be upon him).