The story of the Night Journey and the Ascension in its entirety.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : This Night Journey and Ascension is considered among the signs of Allah and a great honor for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Indeed, he (peace and blessings be upon him) traveled from Makkah to al-Masjid al-Aqsa on al-Buraq in the company of Jibril, and he met the prophets there and led them in prayer as their imam, although he (peace and blessings be upon him) was the last of them, to demonstrate his honor and that he is the imam of the prophets. For this reason, Allah took a covenant from every prophet to believe in Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah the Exalted said: [Ali 'Imran 3:81] Allah took the covenant of the prophets, which is a heavy pledge, that when a Messenger comes to them confirming what is with them, they should believe in him and support him. And who came confirming those who came before him among the prophets? Who? The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) came confirming all the prophets who came before him and commanding belief in them [Ali 'Imran 3:81]. Therefore, when 'Isa descends in the end times, by which law will he judge? By the law of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw something of the Torah with 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), so he became angry and said to him: Then Jibril ascended with him to the lowest heaven and knocked, for the heavens have doors that not everyone can reach Sahih al-Bukhari 3887, then the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh, until he (peace and blessings be upon him) reached a place where he heard the scratching of the pens of divine decree and destiny. The scratching of the pens means their sounds when writing, for Allah the Exalted says: [Ar-Rahman 55:29] He honors and humbles, enriches and impoverishes, gives life and causes death, and alternates the days among people. He reached this ultimate point, a place where he heard the scratching of the pens, the pens of divine decree, and Allah Mighty and Majestic spoke to him with what He spoke to him regarding the obligation of prayer, obligating it upon him and his ummah as fifty prayers in the day and night. He (peace and blessings be upon him) was pleased, submitted, complied, and acquiesced. He descended until he passed by Musa, who said to him: So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept returning to Allah until it was reduced to five, but they are five in reality and fifty in the scale. This is not from the category of a good deed being multiplied tenfold, for that applies to every act of worship, but these five prayers are like fifty prayers in reward, meaning he is rewarded with the reward of fifty prayers, and praise be to Allah. If you wish for us to read the hadith of the Ascension, for it is now before us, there is no harm. And if you wish for us to read from the regular lesson, there is no harm either? The first or the second?
The student: The first.
The Shaykh : The first. It is finished. The first is what you will hear, if Allah wills, now: the Ascension.
And [recall, O People of the Scripture], when Allah took the covenant of the prophets, [saying], "Whatever I give you of the Scripture and wisdom and then there comes to you a messenger confirming what is with you, you [must] believe in him and support him."
وإذ أخذ الله ميثاق النبيين لما آتيتكم من كتاب وحكمة ثم جاءكم رسول مصدّق لما معكم لتؤمنن به ولتنصرنّه[Allah] said, "Have you acknowledged and taken upon that My commitment?" They said, "We have acknowledged it." He said, "Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses."
قال أأقررتم وأخذتم على ذلكم إصري قالوا أقررنا قال فاشهدوا وأنا معكم من الشاهدينAre you in doubt, O son of al-Khattab? If my brother Musa were alive, he would have had no choice but to follow me.
أفي شك أنت يا ابن الخطاب؟ لو كان أخي موسى حياً ما وسعه إلا اتباعيit was asked, 'Who is it?' Gabriel answered, 'Gabriel.' It was asked, 'Who is accompanying you?' Gabriel replied, 'Muhammad.' It was asked, 'Has Muhammad been called?' Gabriel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said, 'He is welcomed. What an excellent visit his is!' The gate was opened,
فقيل من هذا؟ قال: جبريل، قيل ومن معك؟ قال: محمد، قيل: قد أوحي إليه؟ قال: نعم، قيل: مرحباً به فنعم المجيء جاء، ففتحت السماء الدنياWhoever is within the heavens and earth asks Him; every day He is bringing about a matter.
يسأله من في السماوات والأرض كل يوم هو في شأنWhat has Allah obligated upon you and your ummah? He said, "Fifty prayers in the day and night." He said, "Your ummah cannot bear that. Go to your Lord and ask Him for a reduction for your ummah."
ماذا فرض الله عليك وعلى أمّتك؟ قال: خمسين صلاة في اليوم والليلة، قال: إن أمّتك لا تطيق ذلك اذهب إلى ربك فاسأله التّخفيف لأمّتكThe student: The first.
The Shaykh : The first. It is finished. The first is what you will hear, if Allah wills, now: the Ascension.