from Al-Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib who claimed that he was sitting in Al-Batha with a group, and the Messenger of Allah was sitting amongst them, when a cloud passed over them. They looked at it, and the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Di you know what its name it?’ They said: ‘Yes. This is As-Sahab (cloud).’ The Messenger of Allah saidl: ‘Al-Muzn (rain cloud)?’ They said: ‘Yes. This is As-Sahab (cloud).’ Then the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Do you know how much distance there is between the heavens and the earth?’ They said: ‘No, by Allah we do not know.’ He said: ‘The distance between every two of them is either seventy-one, or two, or three, years, and the heaven that is above that one is like that.’ Until he enumerated Seven heavens like that. Then he said: ‘Above the seventh heaven is a sea, Between its highest part and its lowest is just as there is between one heaven to another heaven. Then above their backs is the Throne. Between its lowest and highest parts is the same as what is between one heaven to another heaven, and Allah is above that.’”

أَنَّهُ كَانَ جَالِسًا فِي الْبَطْحَاءِ فِي عِصَابَةٍ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ جَالِسٌ فِيهِمْ إِذْ مَرَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ سَحَابَةٌ فَنَظَرُوا إِلَيْهَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ هَلْ تَدْرُونَ مَا اسْمُ هَذِهِ قَالُوا نَعَمْ هَذَا السَّحَابُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَالْمُزْنُ قَالُوا وَالْمُزْنُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَالْعَنَانُ قَالُوا وَالْعَنَانُ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ هَلْ تَدْرُونَ كَمْ بُعْدُ مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ فَقَالُوا لاَ وَاللَّهِ مَا نَدْرِي قَالَ فَإِنَّ بُعْدَ مَا بَيْنَهُمَا إِمَّا وَاحِدَةٌ وَإِمَّا اثْنَتَانِ أَوْ ثَلاَثٌ وَسَبْعُونَ سَنَةً وَالسَّمَاءُ الَّتِي فَوْقَهَا كَذَلِكَ حَتَّى عَدَّدَهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَوَاتٍ كَذَلِكَ ثُمَّ قَالَ فَوْقَ السَّمَاءِ السَّابِعَةِ بَحْرٌ بَيْنَ أَعْلاَهُ وَأَسْفَلِهِ كَمَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَفَوْقَ ذَلِكَ ثَمَانِيَةُ أَوْعَالٍ بَيْنَ أَظْلاَفِهِنَّ وَرُكَبِهِنَّ مَا بَيْنَ سَمَاءٍ إِلَى سَمَاءٍ ثُمَّ فَوْقَ ظُهُورِهِنَّ الْعَرْشُ بَيْنَ أَسْفَلِهِ وَأَعْلاَهُ مَا بَيْنَ سَمَاءٍ إِلَى سَمَاءٍ وَاللَّهُ فَوْقَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ عَبْدُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ سَمِعْتُ يَحْيَى بْنَ مَعِينٍ يَقُولُ أَلاَّ يُرِيدُ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ سَعْدٍ أَنْ يَحُجَّ حَتَّى نَسْمَعَ مِنْهُ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ

"I was in Batha with a group of people, among them whom was the Messenger of Allah. A cloud passed over him, and he looked at it and said: 'What do you call this?' They said: 'Sahab (a cloud).' He said: 'And Muzn (rain cloud).' They said: 'And Muzn.' He said: 'And 'Anan (clouds).' Abu Bakr said: "They said: 'And 'Anan.'" He said: 'How much (distance) do you think there is between you and the heavens?' They said: 'We do not know.' He said: 'Between you and it is seventy-one, or seventy-two, or seventy-three years, and there is a similar distance between it and the heaven above it (and so on)' until he counted seven heavens. 'Then above the seventh heaven there is a sea, between whose top and bottom is a distance like that between one heaven and another. Then above that there are eight (angels in the form of) mountain goats. The distance between their hooves and their knees is like the distance between one heaven and the next. Then on their backs is the Throne, and the distance between the top and the bottom of the Throne is like the distance between one heaven and another. Then Allah is above that, the Blessed and Exalted."

كُنْتُ بِالْبَطْحَاءِ فِي عِصَابَةٍ وَفِيهِمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَمَرَّتْ بِهِ سَحَابَةٌ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا فَقَالَ مَا تُسَمُّونَ هَذِهِ قَالُوا السَّحَابُ قَالَ وَالْمُزْنُ قَالُوا وَالْمُزْنُ قَالَ وَالْعَنَانُ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ قَالُوا وَالْعَنَانُ قَالَ كَمْ تَرَوْنَ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ قَالُوا لاَ نَدْرِي قَالَ فَإِنَّ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهَا إِمَّا وَاحِدًا أَوِ اثْنَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثًا وَسَبْعِينَ سَنَةً وَالسَّمَاءُ فَوْقَهَا كَذَلِكَ حَتَّى عَدَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ ثُمَّ فَوْقَ السَّمَاءِ السَّابِعَةِ بَحْرٌ بَيْنَ أَعْلاَهُ وَأَسْفَلِهِ كَمَا بَيْنَ سَمَاءٍ إِلَى سَمَاءٍ ثُمَّ فَوْقَ ذَلِكَ ثَمَانِيَةُ أَوْعَالٍ بَيْنَ أَظْلاَفِهِنَّ وَرُكَبِهِنَّ كَمَا بَيْنَ سَمَاءٍ إِلَى سَمَاءٍ ثُمَّ عَلَى ظُهُورِهِنَّ الْعَرْشُ بَيْنَ أَعْلاَهُ وَأَسْفَلِهِ كَمَا بَيْنَ سَمَاءٍ إِلَى سَمَاءٍ ثُمَّ اللَّهُ فَوْقَ ذَلِكَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى

"تدرون ما بُعْد (ما) بين السماء والأرض؟ إن بُعْد ما بينهما إما (قال) واحدة أو اثنتان, أو ثلاث وسبعون سنة, ثم السماء فوقها كذلك, حتى عد سبع سماوات, ثم فوق السابعة بحر, بين أسفله وأعلاه مثل ما بين سماء إلى سماء, ثم على ظهورهم العرش بين أسفله وأعلاه مثل ما بين سماء إلى سماء (ثم الله - تبارك وتعالى -) فوق ذلك".