Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (3/344)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

Thereafter those angels never return to it until the Day of Resurrection. The Prophet then surpassed the ranks of all the heavens until he reached a level where the creaking of the divine Pens could be heard. The Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary (Sidrat al-Muntahā) was brought into view for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Its leaves were like the ears of elephants and its fruit like the large water-jars of Hajar. At that moment awe-inspiring scenes enveloped it: dazzling colors of many kinds, angels clustering upon it as densely as black birds alight on a tree, golden moths swarming around it, and a radiance from the Lord—glorified be He—overshadowing it. There the Prophet saw Gabriel, upon him be peace, with six hundred wings, the span between any two of them like the distance between heaven and earth. Concerning this vision the Most High says:

“Indeed, he saw him yet another time, by the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, near it is the Garden of Refuge, when the Lote Tree was covered by that which covered it. The eye did not swerve, nor did it transgress.”
(An-Najm 53:13-17)

That is, his gaze neither shifted right nor left, nor did it rise above the limit set for him. This is supreme steadfastness and perfect courtesy. This was the second time the Prophet saw Gabriel in the form in which Allah created him, as related by Ibn Masʿūd, Abū Hurayrah, Abū Dharr, and ʿĀʾishah—may Allah be pleased with them all.

The first vision is indicated by His saying,

“He was taught by one mighty in power, possessing soundness of form. He rose to his true stature while he was on the highest horizon, then drew near and came down, until he was two bow-lengths away or even closer. And He revealed to His servant what He revealed.”
(An-Najm 53:5-10)

This occurred at al-Abṭaḥ when Gabriel descended upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, his immense form filling the space between heaven and earth, until the distance between them was only two bow-lengths or nearer. This is the sound interpretation, borne out by the statements of the leading Companions mentioned earlier.

As for the wording transmitted by Sharīk from Anas in the ḥadīth of the Night Journey—“Then the Almighty, Lord of Glory, drew near and came down until He was two bow-lengths or nearer”—it is likely an inference made by the narrator and inserted into the report; Allah knows best. Even if the wording is soundly preserved, it is not an explanation of the noble verse but refers to something other than what the verse itself indicates; Allah knows best.

On that night Allah mandated for His servant Muḥammad ﷺ and for his community fifty prayers each day and night. The Prophet kept returning between Moses and his Lord—glorified be He—until the Lord, to Whom belong praise and favor, reduced them to five and said: “They are five yet they are fifty; every good deed is rewarded tenfold.” Thus direct discourse with his Lord was granted to him.

(1) “al-nabaq” refers to the fruit of the sidr (jujube) tree; its singular is nabaqa. It most closely resembles unripe jujube before it turns red. Hajar is a village near Medina, not to be confused with al-Hajar of Bahrain. There they used qullal (singular qulla), large water jars, each holding a mizadah (a water measure). Sources: al-Nihāya by Ibn al-Athīr and al-Qāmūs (s.v. nabaq; qullal). (2) In the Ṭāḥā edition: “there.” (3) This statement is narrated by al-Bukhārī in Fath al-Bārī (no. 7517), in the chapter on monotheism under “What was said concerning the verse: ‘And Allah spoke to Moses direct speech’” (Q 4:164). In this hadith, Sharik ibn Abd Allah ibn Abi Numar’s transmission is confused and poorly preserved, so scholars have weakened it. Al-Bayhaqī notes that Sharik’s version contains an addition unique to those who claimed the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw Allah; it is more correct, however, to apply the verse to Gabriel. According to Bashshār, the ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar in Fath al-Bārī identified and detailed Sharik’s errors. (4) The text enclosed in brackets after “h.” has been omitted. (5) It is recorded by Muslim in his Ṣaḥīḥ (nos. 162, 259) in the Book of Faith, chapter on the Israʾ of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and appears similarly in al-Bukhārī as noted in footnote (3) on this page.

ثم لا يعودون إليه إلى يوم القيامة، ثم جاوز مراتِبَهُم كلَّهم حتى ظهر لمستوى يسمعُ فيه صَرِيفَ الأقلام، ورُفعت لرسولِ الله ﷺ سِدْرَةُ المُنْتَهى، وإذا ورَقُها كاَذان الفِيَلَة، ونَبِقُها كقِلالِ هَجَر (١) ، وغشيها عند ذلك أمورٌ عظيمة، ألوانٌ متعدِّدة باهرة، وركبتها الملائكةُ مثل الغِرْبان على الشجرة كثرةً، وفَرَاش من ذهب، وغشيها من نور الربّ (جل جلاله) ، ورأى هنالك (٢) جبريلَ (عليه السلام) له ستمئة جناح ما بين كلِّ جناحَيْن كما بين السماءَ والأرض وهو الذي يقول الله تعالى: ﴿وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَى (١٣) عِنْدَ سِدْرَةِ الْمُنْتَهَى (١٤) عِنْدَهَا جَنَّةُ الْمَأْوَى (١٥) إِذْ يَغْشَى السِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَى (١٦) مَا زَاغَ الْبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَى﴾ [النجم: ١٣ - ١٧] أي ما زَاغَ يمينًا ولا شمالًا، ولا ارتفع عن المكان الذي حُدَّ له النظر إليه. وهذا هو الثباتُ العظيمِ والأدب الكريم، وهذه الرؤيا الثانية لجبريلَ (عليه السلام) على الصفة التي خلقَهُ الله تعالى عليها، كما نقلهُ ابنُ مسعود وأبو هريرة وأبو ذر وعائشة (رضي الله عنها) أجمعين. والأُولى هي قوله تعالى: ﴿عَلَّمَهُ شَدِيدُ الْقُوَى (٥) ذُو مِرَّةٍ فَاسْتَوَى (٦) وَهُوَ بِالْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَى (٧) ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى (٨) فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى (٩) فَأَوْحَى إِلَى عَبْدِهِ مَا أَوْحَى﴾ [النجم: ٥ - ١٠] وكان ذلك بالأبْطَح، تدلَّى جبريلُ على رسولِ الله ﷺ سادًّا عِظَمُ خَلْقِهِ ما بين السماءَ والأرض، حتى كان بينه وبينه قابَ قوسَيْن أو أدْنَى، هذا هو الصحيحُ في التفسير كما دلَّ عليه كلامُ أكابرِ الصحابةِ المتقدِّم ذِكرُهم (رضي الله عنها) . فأمَّا قولُ شريك عن أنس في حديث الإسراء (٣) : ثمَّ دنا الجبَّارُ ربُّ العِزةِ فتدلَّى فكان قابَ قوسين أو أدنى فقد يكونُ من فَهْم الراوي فأقحمه في الحديث. والله أعلم. وإنْ كان محفوظًا فليس بتفسير للآية الكريمة [بل هو شيءٌ آخر غير ما دلَّتْ عليه الآيةُ الكريمة] (٤) . والله أعلم. وفرض الله (سبحانه وتعالى) على عبده محمدٍ ﷺ وعلى أمته الصلواتِ ليلتئذ خمسين صلاةً في كلِّ يومٍ وليلة، ثم لم يزَلْ يختلفُ بين موسى وبين ربِّهِ – Exalté soit-Il – حتى وضعها الربُّ (جل جلاله) وله الحمدُ والمِنَّة إلى خمس وقد قال: "هي خمسٌ وهي خمسون، الحسنَةُ بعشرِ أمثالها" (٥) فحصل له التكليم

(١) "النَّبِق": ثمر السِّدر، واحدته: نَبِقَة، وأشبه شيء به العُنَّاب قبل أن تشتد حمرته. وهَجَر: قرية قريبة من المدينة، وليست هَجَر البحرين؛ وكانت تعمل بها القِلال، تأخذ الواحدة منها مزادة من الماء؛ مفردها: قُلَّة وهي الجرَّة الضخمة. النهاية لابن الأثير والقاموس (نبق، قلل). (٢) في ط: هناك. (٣) هذا القول رواه البخاري فتح (٧٥١٧) التوحيد باب ما جاء في قول الله ﷿ : ﴿وَكَلَّمَ اللَّهُ مُوسَى تَكْلِيمًا﴾ وهذا الحديث، اضطرب فيه شريك بن عبد الله بن أبي نمر، وماء حفظه ولم يضبط ولذلك ضعفه العلماء لاضطراب شريك فيه، قال البيهقي: في حديث شريك زيادة تفرد بها على مذهب من زعم أنه ﷺ رأى الله ﷿ ، وحمل الآية على جبريل أصح. قال بشار: وتعقب الحافظ ابن حجر في الفتح المواضع التي أخطا فيها شريك وفصّل فيها. (٤) سقط ما بين المعقوفين من ح. (٥) أخرجه مسلم في صحيحه (١٦٢) (٢٥٩) الإيمان باب الاسراء برسول الله ﷺ وهو عند البخاري بنحوه المشار إليه في الحاشية (٣) من هذه الصفحة.