DETAILED EVENTS DURING THE ASCENSION OF PROPHET MUḤAMMAD ﷺ: ḤADĪTH RETRACEMENT AND ANALYSIS

The night journey and the ascendant (isrā` mi’rāj) of Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ to the sky is indeed one of the prominent events in Islam. However, some of the stories reported by the Ḥadīth narrators have an unclear status on their authenticity. Thus, this study aims to retrace and analyse the status of ḥadīths related to the group of people seen by the prophet ﷺ during his night journey. The research also will analyse the amount authentic, good, weak and fabricated ḥadīths related to the matter. In this research, a qualitative library research approach in which textual analysis is applied to analyse the status of transmitters who narrated the ḥadīths. Consequently, majority of the ḥadīths are reported as weak. Only a few detail events are reported authentic. Thus, this research may enlighten the preachers and the publics on the ḥadīths status to ensure the dignity of Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ is maintained.


INTRODUCTION
The event of the night journey of Prophet Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬ is one of the miracle bestowed event by Allah ‫ﷻ‬ to his beloved messenger. Allah ‫ﷻ‬ has mentioned regarding the supreme event by His word in the Holy Qur'an: Vol 8. No. 1 (June 2023) journalofhadis.usim.edu.my Dsdsdd Gabriel then ascended him to the seven layers of skies. Upon ascending through the skies, there are number of narrations stating that Prophet Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬ has witnessed and confronted with few groups of people.

First Ḥadīth
Meaning: I was brought al-Buraq, which is a white and big animal. It is larger than a donkey, but smaller than a mule. It can walk with a light speed. I mounted it and came to Bait al-Maqdis in Jerusalem. Once arrived, I tethered it to the ring used by the prophets. I entered the mosque and prayed two raka'āt.
Gabriel then brought me a vessel of wine and a vessel of milk. I chose the milk, and Gabriel said: "You have chosen the nature. Then he ascended me to the sky. Once reached the first layer of the sky, the sky gate keeper asked who he is. He replied: Gabriel. The sky gate keeper asked: Who is with you? He replied: Muḥammad. Then, the gate keeper asked: Has he been permitted to be ascended? Gabriel There are seventy thousand angels enters the door daily, and they never came out again. Then, I was taken to Sidrat al-Muntaha, whose leaves were like elephant ears and its fruit like a big earthenware vessels. And when it was covered by the Command of Allah, it became such an unimaginable beauty.
In the ḥadīth, it is reported that Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ has met few prophets at each layer of the sky. He met Adam at the first sky, Jesus and Yaḥya at the second, Joseph at the third, Idrīs at the fourth, Aaron at the fifth, Moses at the sixth and Abraham at seventh. This ḥadīth has reported by al-Bukhāri and Muslim in their respective magnum opus, al-Ṣaḥiḥain. Al-Bukhāri has a total of 4 chain of narrators regarding Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ has met the other prophets in the skies, while Muslim has a total of 3 chain of transmitters for the same. Both have narrated the ḥadīth through the same authority of companion, namely as Anas Bin Mālik. All of the ḥadīths are authentic.

Second Ḥadīth
Meaning: From the authority of Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of God ‫ﷺ‬ said, "I rode a horse that makes every step of it as far as its sight, so it followed Gabriel, and he came to a people who sow on a day and reap on the other day. I asked, "O Gabriel, who are they?" He said: The martyrs who sacrificed themselves for Allah ‫.ﷻ‬ He multiplies their good deed by seven hundred times, and here they spend from something, then he will replace it. Then we came to a group of people who smashed their own head into a rock. When the head exploded, it will recover and they will keep doing the same thing. I asked, "O Gabriel, who are they?" He said, "Those who are lazy to perform prayers. Then we arrived at a group of people who are wearing patches of cloth on their backs and patches on their front, they ran like the cattle to the dam, went to the hell, and fall down into it. I asked, "O Gabriel, who are they?" He said, "Those who do not pay the alms of their money, and Allah ‫ﷻ‬ has not wronged them, and Allah ‫ﷻ‬ never been unjust to His slaves. Then, we came to a group of people who are grapping a ripe flesh in their hand, and grapping a rotten flesh in the other side of hand. They ate the rotten flesh and claim it as a good flesh. I asked, "O Gabriel, who are they?" He said, "These men are your mankind who married with their wife, but they find another woman and sleep with them until the next morning. For woman, they have married with a man. And they find another man and sleep with him until the next morning. Then, they came to a group of people who carrying a big rock and they were not able to carry it. I asked, "Who are they?" He said, "These men are from your mankind who bears the trust of the people and he cannot fulfil it and he is exceeding it. Then, I was brought to a group of people lips and tongues were cut with iron scissors, and every time it cut, it will recover back as it was, do not give them anything from that. I asked, "O Gabriel, what are these?" He said, "Slanderers." Al-Bazzar reported the ḥadīth from Muḥammad Bin Hisān, from Abu al-Nadr, from Abu Ja'far al-Rāzi, from al-Rabī' Bin Anas, from Abu al-'Āliyah, from Abu Hurairah RA.
Muḥammad Bin Hisān 5 , Abu Nadr or his full name Hāshim Bin al-Qāsim 6 , al-Rabī' Bin Anas 7 and Abu al-'Āliyah 8 have been reported by al-'Ijli as a trustworthy narrator. The trustworthiness of al-Rabī' Bin Anas also has supported by al-Bazzar in his book Kashf al-Astar. 9 However, for Abu Ja'far al-Rāzi, he was reported as a weak narrator by Abu Zur'ah al-Rāzi in the book of Sualāt al-Bardha'i. 10 He said that Abu Ja'far al-Rāzi always made a mistake in his narration (yahimu kathiran). Hence, the ḥadīth is reported as ḍa'if matrūk.  Al-Walīd Bin Muslim is reported as trustworthy by al-'Ijli. 14 Instead, al-Walīd Bin Muslim faced a crucial critic from Abu Dāwūd. He told that al-Walīd Bin Muslim transmitted 10 aḥādīth from Mālik with unidentifiable origin. He also compared that al-Walīd Bin Muslim's narrations are weaker than al-Auza`ie's narrations through the authority of Nāfi'. He also said that he would accept the narrations al-Auza`ie, al-Zuhri, Nāfi' and 'Ața` rather than the narrations of al-Walīd Bin Muslim. Abu Dāwūd also commented on the aḥādīth narrated by al-Walīd Bin Muslim, stating that his narrations will have mistaken if he is alone in transmitting the ḥadīth (gharīb). Abu Ḥātim al-Rāzi also evaluated al-Walīd Bin Muslim as unreliable. 15 Ibn Jauzi commented Sa'īd Bin Bashīr through the authority of Al-Ḥasan, that he is an unknown narrator. 16 But, al-Bukhāri commented Sa'īd Bin Bashīr by saying that the scholars have spoken about his memory issue in ḥadīth. 1718 The same comment has been said by Ibn Ḥibbān in his book, al-Majrūḥūn. 19 Ibn Ḥibbān added that Sa'īd's narration through the authority of Qatādah has no support from others, as well as his narration through 'Amr Bin Dīnār which never been known by the Ḥadīth scholars. 20 Al-Ka'bi also said that his narrations are worthless. 21 Mujāhid is one of a trustworthy ḥadīth transmitter 22 , while Ibn 'Abbas and Ubai Bin Ka'ab were undeniably among of the companions of Prophet Muḥammad ‫.ﷺ‬ As a short, the ḥadīth is reported as ḍa'if munkar due to the presence of Hishām Bin 'Ammar, Sa'īd Bin Bashīr and al-Walīd Bin Muslim in the chain of narrators. They stand alone in transmitting the ḥadīth. Sa'īd Bin Bashīr is a problematic narrator, which has condemned by most of the scholars. Besides, al-Walīd Bin Muslim is reported as unreliable narrator as well. Meaning: During the prophet ‫ﷺ‬ went for the night journey, he said: I have seen a group of people which their lips are identical with the camel, and there was few people who holding the blades beside them. Then they were given a stone of hell that enter from their mouth and went out from their anus. I asked,