Al-Qādī Abū Yalā said that the reports transmitted from Ahmad differ concerning affirmation of the Prophet’s vision of his Lord on the night of the Ascension. He cited Abū Bakr al-Marwudhī’s report, quoting the passage given above from, “How, then, can Aishah’s statement be refuted?” through to, “What is his objection here? The report is to be accepted.”

He then said, “The apparent sense of these words of his is that he affirmed the vision on the night of the Ascension.” He added, “This report represents the position adopted by Abū Bakr al-Najjād.” He also mentioned that al-Qādī Abū Alī related that Abū Bakr ibn Sulaymān al-Najjād said, “Muhammad saw his Lord eleven times. Nine of these are established by the Sunnah: on the night of the Ascension, when he went back and forth between Moses and his Lord, Mighty and Majestic, asking Him to ease the burden on