among Allah’s creation can describe it; another narration adds: no one is able even to depict its beauty.

He continued: “Then Allah revealed to me whatever He willed to reveal, and He made obligatory for me fifty prayers in every day and night. I descended until I reached Moses. He asked, ‘What has your Lord prescribed for your community?’ I replied, ‘Fifty prayers each day and night.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord and ask Him to lighten the burden, for your community will not be able to bear it. I have tested the Children of Israel and know their nature.’

“So I returned to my Lord and said, ‘My Lord, lighten the burden upon my community.’ He reduced it by five.

“I went back to Moses, who asked, ‘What have you done?’ I said, ‘He has reduced it by five.’ Moses said, ‘Your community will still not be able to manage that; return to your Lord and ask Him to lessen it for your community.’

“I kept moving back and forth between my Lord and Moses, and each time the burden was lessened by five, until Allah said, ‘O Muhammad, they are five prayers in every day and night. Each prayer, however, counts as ten, so that makes fifty in the record. Whoever intends to perform a good deed but does not carry it out will have one good deed recorded for him; if he performs it, ten good deeds will be recorded. Whoever intends an evil deed but does not commit it, nothing will be written against him; if he does commit it, only one evil deed will be recorded.’"