After the Prophet took the night journey from Masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa, he ascended to the upper heavens. The Prophet ascended to the heaven on stairs, called al-mirqat, with one step made of gold and the next of silver, and so on. These stairs are concealed from our eyes. The Prophet ascended these stairs until he reached the seventh heaven, and that is where our Messenger saw Prophet Ibrahim. Prophet Ibrahim is the best of the prophets after our prophet Muhammad. Prophet Muhammad saw Prophet Ibrahim with his back against al-Bayt al-Ma^mur. Al-Bayt al-Ma^mur for the inhabitants of the skies is like the Ka^bah for the inhabitants of the earth. Every day 70,000 angels go there; then exit from it, and never return. The next day another 70,000 angels go, come out, and never return. This occurrence will continue until the Day of Judgment. This indicates how great the numbers of the angels is; in fact their numbers are far more than the numbers of the humans and the jinns together.

In the seventh heaven, Prophet Muhammad saw Sidrat al-Muntaha; a very large tree of sidr. Each of the fruits on this tree is as large as a big jar. The leaves of this tree are similar to the ears of the elephants. Sidrat al-Muntaha is an extremely beautiful tree. It is visited by butterflies made of gold. When these butterflies gather around this tree, its beauty becomes beyond description.

Then the Prophet ascended to what is beyond the seven skies; Paradise. He entered it and there he saw some examples of the inhabitants of Paradise and some of the enjoyment they received. He found that most of the inhabitants of Paradise were the poor people.

The Prophet saw different creations on the night of his ascension. He saw Malik, the angel in charge of the Hellfire. Malik did not smile at the Prophet when he saw him, and the Prophet asked Jibril why Malik did not. In answer to the Prophet's question, Jibril said, "Malik did not smile since the day Allah created him and if he were to smile at anybody he would have smiled at you."

In Paradise, the Prophet saw some of the bounties Allah prepared for the inhabitants of Paradise. He saw the Hur ul-^In; females Allah created who are not humans or jinn. They are in Paradise and will be married to those men Allah willed them to marry.

The Prophet saw the wildan ul-mukhalladun; creations of Allah who are not human, jinn, or angels. They are very beautiful creations of Allah whose appearances are like laid-out pearls. They are servants of the inhabitants of Paradise. The least in status of the People of Paradise will have ten thousand of the wildan ul-mukhalladun to serve him. Each one of them carries a tray of gold in one hand and a tray of silver in the other.

The Prophet saw the Throne (^Arsh), which is the ceiling of Paradise. The Throne is the largest creation of Allah in size; Allah did not create anything bigger in size than it. The seven heavens and the earth in comparison to the Kursiyy are altogether like a ring thrown in a desert, and the Kursiyy in comparison to the Throne, is like a ring thrown in a desert. The seven heavens and the earth in comparison to the Throne are like a seed of mustard compared to the ocean. Allah created the Throne as a sign of His Power and He did not create the Throne to sit on it.

Allah created the Throne to show His Power. It is carried by four angels, and on the Day of Judgment, it will be carried by eight. The Prophet said he was permitted to speak about one of these angels who carry the Throne. In describing this angel, the Prophet told us the distance between his ear lobe and shoulder is the distance a fast-flying bird would cover in 700 years.

Then the Prophet ascended beyond Paradise. He reached a place where he heard the creaking of the pens used by the angels who are copying from the Preserved Tablet. It is at that location that Prophet Muhammad heard the Kalam of Allah, which is an attribute of the Self of Allah. He heard the Kalam of Allah which does not resemble our speech--so it is not something occurring bit after bit. It is not letter after letter or a word that comes after another word. Rather, it is an attribute of Allah which is eternal and everlasting. It does not resemble our attributes. The Kalam of Allah has neither silence nor interruptions. It is an attribute of Allah, and it does not resemble the attributes of the creation.

The Prophet understood several things from hearing this Kalam of Allah. He understood the obligation of the five Obligatory Prayers.

After witnessing all these events the Prophet returned to the city of Makkah. Some scholars said the Prophet's journey took about one-third of the night.

We ask Allah that we would all die as Muslims. We ask Allah to bestow on us the bounty of entering Paradise without torture.