and the tall man in the garden is Abraham, peace be upon him, while the children gathered around him are every child who died upon the innate disposition (fitrah). In al-Burqani’s wording: “who was born upon the fitrah.”
Some of the Muslims asked, “Messenger of Allah, what about the children of the idolaters?” He replied, “The children of the idolaters as well. As for the people half of whose bodies were handsome and half ugly, they are a people who mingled righteous deeds with others that were evil, and Allah has pardoned them.” Related by al-Bukhari.
Al-Bukhari also transmits the report in another wording: “Last night I saw two men who came to me and led me to a sanctified land…” He then described the vision, saying: “We proceeded until we reached a cavity shaped like a furnace, its top narrow and its bottom wide, with a fire blazing beneath it. Whenever the flames rose, its inmates were lifted with them until they nearly escaped; when the fire died down they fell back inside. Inside were naked men and women.”
That narration continues: “We moved on until we came to a river of blood”—and he had no doubt about it—“in the middle of which stood a man, while another man stood on the riverbank with stones before him. Each time the man in the river tried to leave, the one on the bank hurled a stone into his mouth and forced him back to where he had been; this happened every time he attempted to get out.”
It goes on: “They then climbed with me up a tree and brought me into a house the like of which I had never seen for beauty; inside were elderly men and young men.”
And it states: “The one whose mouth you saw being torn open is a liar who tells a lie that is carried on his behalf until it reaches the horizons; he will be treated in that way until the Day of Resurrection. The one whose head you saw being crushed is a man to whom Allah taught the Quran; he slept through it at night and failed to act upon it by day, so he will be dealt with like that until the Day of Resurrection.
“The first house you entered is the abode of the ordinary believers, whereas this house is the abode of the martyrs. I am Gabriel and this is Michael. Raise your head.” I raised my head and saw something like a cloud above me. They said, “That is your dwelling-place.” I said, “Allow me to enter my home.” They said, “You still have a span of life left to complete; had you completed it, you would have entered your dwelling.” Related by al-Bukhari.