"While I was at the Ka'bah, in a state between sleep and wakefulness, three men came, and one of them who was in the middle came toward me. I was brought a basin of gold, filled with wisdom and faith, and he slit open from the throat to the lower abdomen, and washed the heart with Zamzam water, then - "it was filled with wisdom and faith. Then I was brought a riding-beast, smaller than a mule and bigger than a donkey. I set off with Jibril, peace be upon him, and we came to the lowest heaven. It was said: 'Who is with you?' He said: 'Muhammad.' It was said: 'Has (revelation) been sent to him? Welcome to him, what an excellent visit his is.' I came to Adam, peace be upon him, and greeted him, and he said: 'Welcome to you! What an excellent son and Prophet.' Then we came to the second heaven and it was said: 'Who is this?' He said: 'Jibra'il.' [1] It was said: 'Who is with you?' he said: 'Muhammad.' And the same exchange took place. I came to Yahya and 'Eisa, peace be upon them both, and greeted them, and they said: 'Welcome to you! What an excellent brother and Prophet.' Then we came to the third heaven and it was said: 'Who is this?' He said: 'Jibra'il.' It was said: 'Who is with you?' He said: 'Muhammad.' And the same exchange took place. I came to Yusuf, peace be upon him, and greeted him, and he said: 'Welcome to you! What an excellent brother and Prophet.' Then we came to the fourth heaven and the same exchange took place. I came to Idris, peace be upon him, and greeted him, and he said: 'Welcome to you! What an excellent brother and Prophet.' Then we came to the fifth heaven and the same exchange took place. I came to Harun, peace be upon him, and greeted him, and he said: 'Welcome to you! What an excellent brother and Prophet.' Then we came to the sixth heaven and the same exchange took place. I came to Musa, peace be upon him, and greeted him, and he said: 'Welcome to you! What an excellent brother and Prophet.' What I passed him, he wept, and it was said: 'Why are you weeping?' He said: 'O Lord, this young man whom You have sent after me, more of his Ummah will enter Paradise than from my nation, and they will be more virtuous than them.' Then we came to the seventh heaven and a similar exchange took place. I came to Ibrahim, peace be upon him, and greeted him, and he said: 'Welcome to you! What an excellent son and Prophet.' Then I was taken up to the Oft-Frequented House (Al-Bait al-Ma'mur) and I asked Jibra'il about it, and he said: 'This is Al-Bait al-Ma'mur in which seventy thousand angels pray everyday, and when they leave it they never come back.' Then I was taken up to Sidrah Al-Muntaha (the Lote-Tree of the Utmost Boundary). Its fruits were like Qilal [2] of Hajar and its leaves were like the ears of elephants. At its base were four rivers: Two hidden rivers and two manifest rivers. I asked Jibril (About them) and he said: 'The two hidden ones are in paradise, and the two manifest ones are the Euphrates and the Nile.' Then fifty prayers were enjoined upon me. I came to Musa and he said: 'What happened?' I said: 'Fifty prayers have been enjoined upon me.' He said: 'I know more about the people than you. I tried hard with the Children of Israel. Your Ummah will never be able to bear that. Go back to your Lord and ask Him to reduce it for you.' So I went back to my Lord and asked Him to reduce it, and He made it forty. Then I went back to Musa, peace be upon him, and he said: 'What happened?' I said: 'He made it forty.' He said to me something similar to what he said the first time, so I went back to my Lord and He made it thirty. I came to Musa, peace be upon him, and told him, and he said to me something similar to what he said the first time, so I went back to my Lord and he made it twenty, then ten, then five. I came to Musa, peace be upon him, and he said to me something like he had said the first time, but I said: 'I feel too shy before my Lord to go back to Him.' Then it was called out: 'I have decreed (the reward for) My obligation, and I have reduced the burden for My slaves and I will give a ten-fold reward for each good deed.'" [1] It is like this here, while it is Jibra'il the first time it appears in this narration, and Jibra'il is often used in the Hadith literature. [2] Plural of Qullah  

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ بَيْنَا أَنَا عِنْدَ الْبَيْتِ بَيْنَ النَّائِمِ وَالْيَقْظَانِ إِذْ أَقْبَلَ أَحَدُ الثَّلاَثَةِ بَيْنَ الرَّجُلَيْنِ فَأُتِيتُ بِطَسْتٍ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ مَلآنَ حِكْمَةً وَإِيمَانًا فَشَقَّ مِنَ النَّحْرِ إِلَى مَرَاقِّ الْبَطْنِ فَغَسَلَ الْقَلْبَ بِمَاءِ زَمْزَمَ ثُمَّ مُلِئَ حِكْمَةً وَإِيمَانًا ثُمَّ أُتِيتُ بِدَابَّةٍ دُونَ الْبَغْلِ وَفَوْقَ الْحِمَارِ ثُمَّ انْطَلَقْتُ مَعَ جِبْرِيلَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَأَتَيْنَا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا فَقِيلَ مَنْ هَذَا قَالَ جِبْرِيلُ قِيلَ وَمَنْ مَعَكَ قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ قِيلَ وَقَدْ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَرْحَبًا بِهِ وَنِعْمَ الْمَجِيءُ جَاءَ فَأَتَيْتُ عَلَى آدَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ مَرْحَبًا بِكَ مِنِ ابْنٍ وَنَبِيٍّ ثُمَّ أَتَيْنَا السَّمَاءَ الثَّانِيَةَ قِيلَ مَنْ هَذَا قَالَ جِبْرِيلُ قِيلَ وَمَنْ مَعَكَ قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ فَمِثْلُ ذَلِكَ فَأَتَيْتُ عَلَى يَحْيَى وَعِيسَى فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِمَا فَقَالاَ مَرْحَبًا بِكَ مِنْ أَخٍ وَنَبِيٍّ ثُمَّ أَتَيْنَا السَّمَاءَ الثَّالِثَةَ قِيلَ مَنْ هَذَا قَالَ جِبْرِيلُ قِيلَ وَمَنْ مَعَكَ قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ فَمِثْلُ ذَلِكَ فَأَتَيْتُ عَلَى يُوسُفَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ مَرْحَبًا بِكَ مِنْ أَخٍ وَنَبِيٍّ ثُمَّ أَتَيْنَا السَّمَاءَ الرَّابِعَةَ فَمِثْلُ ذَلِكَ فَأَتَيْتُ عَلَى إِدْرِيسَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ مَرْحَبًا بِكَ مِنْ أَخٍ وَنَبِيٍّ ثُمَّ أَتَيْنَا السَّمَاءَ الْخَامِسَةَ فَمِثْلُ ذَلِكَ فَأَتَيْتُ عَلَى هَارُونَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ مَرْحَبًا بِكَ مِنْ أَخٍ وَنَبِيٍّ ثُمَّ أَتَيْنَا السَّمَاءَ السَّادِسَةَ فَمِثْلُ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُ عَلَى مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ مَرْحَبًا بِكَ مِنْ أَخٍ وَنَبِيٍّ فَلَمَّا جَاوَزْتُهُ بَكَى قِيلَ مَا يُبْكِيكَ قَالَ يَا رَبِّ هَذَا الْغُلاَمُ الَّذِي بَعَثْتَهُ بَعْدِي يَدْخُلُ مِنْ أُمَّتِهِ الْجَنَّةَ أَكْثَرُ وَأَفْضَلُ مِمَّا يَدْخُلُ مِنْ أُمَّتِي ثُمَّ أَتَيْنَا السَّمَاءَ السَّابِعَةَ فَمِثْلُ ذَلِكَ فَأَتَيْتُ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ مَرْحَبًا بِكَ مِنِ ابْنٍ وَنَبِيٍّ ثُمَّ رُفِعَ لِيَ الْبَيْتُ الْمَعْمُورُ فَسَأَلْتُ جِبْرِيلَ فَقَالَ هَذَا الْبَيْتُ الْمَعْمُورُ يُصَلِّي فِيهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ مَلَكٍ فَإِذَا خَرَجُوا مِنْهُ لَمْ يَعُودُوا فِيهِ آخِرَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ ثُمَّ رُفِعَتْ لِي سِدْرَةُ الْمُنْتَهَى فَإِذَا نَبِقُهَا مِثْلُ قِلاَلِ هَجَرٍ وَإِذَا وَرَقُهَا مِثْلُ آذَانِ الْفِيَلَةِ وَإِذَا فِي أَصْلِهَا أَرْبَعَةُ أَنْهَارٍ نَهْرَانِ بَاطِنَانِ وَنَهْرَانِ ظَاهِرَانِ فَسَأَلْتُ جِبْرِيلَ فَقَالَ أَمَّا الْبَاطِنَانِ فَفِي الْجَنَّةِ وَأَمَّا الظَّاهِرَانِ فَالْفُرَاتُ وَالنِّيلُ ثُمَّ فُرِضَتْ عَلَىَّ خَمْسُونَ صَلاَةً فَأَتَيْتُ عَلَى مُوسَى فَقَالَ مَا صَنَعْتَ قُلْتُ فُرِضَتْ عَلَىَّ خَمْسُونَ صَلاَةً قَالَ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ بِالنَّاسِ مِنْكَ إِنِّي عَالَجْتُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَشَدَّ الْمُعَالَجَةِ وَإِنَّ أُمَّتَكَ لَنْ يُطِيقُوا ذَلِكَ فَارْجِعْ إِلَى رَبِّكَ فَاسْأَلْهُ أَنْ يُخَفِّفَ عَنْكَ فَرَجَعْتُ إِلَى رَبِّي فَسَأَلْتُهُ أَنْ يُخَفِّفَ عَنِّي فَجَعَلَهَا أَرْبَعِينَ ثُمَّ رَجَعْتُ إِلَى مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَقَالَ مَا صَنَعْتَ قُلْتُ جَعَلَهَا أَرْبَعِينَ فَقَالَ لِي مِثْلَ مَقَالَتِهِ الأُولَى فَرَجَعْتُ إِلَى رَبِّي ﷻ فَجَعَلَهَا ثَلاَثِينَ فَأَتَيْتُ عَلَى مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَقَالَ لِي مِثْلَ مَقَالَتِهِ الأُولَى فَرَجَعْتُ إِلَى رَبِّي فَجَعَلَهَا عِشْرِينَ ثُمَّ عَشْرَةً ثُمَّ خَمْسَةً فَأَتَيْتُ عَلَى مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَقَالَ لِي مِثْلَ مَقَالَتِهِ الأُولَى فَقُلْتُ إِنِّي أَسْتَحِي مِنْ رَبِّي ﷻ أَنْ أَرْجِعَ إِلَيْهِ فَنُودِيَ أَنْ قَدْ أَمْضَيْتُ فَرِيضَتِي وَخَفَّفْتُ عَنْ عِبَادِي وَأَجْزِي بِالْحَسَنَةِ عَشْرَ أَمْثَالِهَا  

Is there not for you a model pattern in me? And when they narrated this to him (Sa'd b. Hisham), he returned to his wife, though he had divorced her and made (people) witness to his reconciliation. He then came to Ibn 'Abbas and asked him about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Ibn 'Abbas said: Should I not lead you to one who knows best amongst the people of the world about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ? He said: Who is it? He (Ibn 'Abbas) said: It is 'A'isha. So go to her and ask her (about Witr) and then come to me and inform me about her answer that she would give you. So I came to Hakim b. Aflah and requested him to take me to her. He said: I would not go to her, for I forbade her to speak anything (about the conflict) between the two groupS, but she refused (to accept my advice) and went (to participate in that corflict). I (requested) him (Hakim) with an oath to lead me to her. So we went to 'A'isha and we begged permission to meet her. She granted us permission and we went in. She said: Are you Hakim? (She recognised him.) He replied: Yes. She said: Who is there with you? He said: He is Sa'd b. Hisham. She said: Which Hisham? He said: He is Hisham b. 'Amir. She blessed him ('Amir) with mercy from Allah and spoke good of him (Qatada said that he died as a martyr in Uhud). I said: Mother of the Faithful, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. She said: Don't you read the Qur'an? I said: Yes. Upon this she said: The character of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was the Qur'an. He said: I felt inclined to get up and not ask anything (further) till death. But then I changed my mind and said: Inform me about the observance (of the night prayer) of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. She said: Did you not recite:" O thou wrapped up"? He said: Yes. She said: Allah, the Exalted and the Glorious, made the observance of the night prayer at the beginning of this Surah obligatory. So the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him and his Companions around him observed this (night prayer) for one year. Allah held back the concluding portion of this Surah for twelve months in the Heaven till (at the end of this period) Allah revealed the concluding verses of this Surah which lightened (the burden of this prayer), and the night prayer became a supererogatory prayer after being an obligatory one. I said: Mother of the Faithful, inform me about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. She said: I used to prepare tooth stick for him and water for his ablution, and Allah would rouse him to the extent He wished during the night. He would use the tooth stick, and perform ablution, and would offer nine rak'ahs, and would not sit but in the eighth one and would remember Allah, and praise Him and supplicate Him, then he would get up without uttering the salutation and pray the ninth rak'ah. He would then sit, remember, praise Him and supplicate Him and then utter a salutation loud enough for us to hear. He would then pray two rak'ahs sitting after uttering the salutation, and that made eleven rak'ahs. O my son, but when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ grew old and put on flesh, he observed Witr of seven, doing in the two rak'ahs as he had done formerly, and that made nine. O my son, and when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ observed prayer, he liked to keep on observing it, and when sleep or pain overpowered him and made it impossible (for him) to observe prayer in the night, he prayed twelve rak'ahs daring the day. I am not aware of Allah's Prophet ﷺ having recited the whole Qur'an during one single night, or praying through the night till morning, or fasting a complete month, except Ramadan. He (the narrator) said: I then went to Ibn 'Abbas and narrated to him the hadith (transmitted from her), and he said: She says the truth If I went to her and got into her presence, I would have listened to it orally from her. He said: If I were to know that you do not go to her. I would not have transmitted this hadith to you narrated by her. (Using translation from Muslim 746a)   

أَنَّهُ طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ ثُمَّ ارْتَحَلَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ لِيَبِيعَ عَقَارًا لَهُ بِهَا وَيَجْعَلَهُ فِي السِّلَاحِ وَالْكُرَاعِ ثُمَّ يُجَاهِدُ الرُّومَ حَتَّى يَمُوتَ فَلَقِيَ رَهْطًا مِنْ قَوْمِهِ فَحَدَّثُوهُ أَنَّ رَهْطًا مِنْ قَوْمِهِ سِتَّةً أَرَادُوا ذَلِكَ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ أَلَيْسَ فِيكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ؟ فَنَهَاهُمْ عَنْ ذَلِكَ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى رَجْعَتِهَا ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَيْنَا فَأَخْبَرَنَا أَنَّهُ أَتَى ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنِ الْوِتْرِ فَقَالَ أَلَا أُنَبِّئُكَ بِأَعْلَمِ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ بِوِتْرِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ؟ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ إِيتِ عَائِشَةَ فَسَلْهَا ثُمَّ ارْجِعْ إِلَيَّ فَأَخْبِرْنِي بِرَدِّهَا عَلَيْكَ قَالَ فَأَتَيْتُ حَكِيمَ بْنَ أَفْلَحَ فَاسْتَلْحَقْتُهُ إِلَيْهَا فَقَالَ مَا أَنَا بِقَارِبِهَا إِنِّي نَهَيْتُهَا أَنْ تَقُولَ فِي هَاتَيْنِ الْبَيْعَتَيْنِ شَيْئًا فَأَبَتْ فِيهِمَا إِلَّا مُضِيًّا فَأَقْسَمْتُ فَجَاءَ مَعِي فَدَخَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا فَقَالَتْ حَكِيمٌ؟ وَعَرَفَتْهُ قَالَ نَعَمْ أَوْ بَلَى قَالَتْ مَنْ هَذَا مَعَكَ؟ قَالَ سَعْدُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ قَالَتْ ابْنُ عَامِرٍ؟ فَتَرَحَّمَتْ عَلَيْهِ وَقَالَتْ نِعْمَ الْمَرْءُ كَانَ عَامِرٌ فَقُلْتُ يَا أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنْبِئِينِي عَنْ خُلُقِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَتْ أَلَسْتَ تَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ؟ قُلْتُ بَلَى قَالَتْ فَإِنَّ خُلُقَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ كَانَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ فَهَمَمْتُ أَنْ أَقُومَ فَبَدَا لِي قِيَامُ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَتْ أَلَسْتَ تَقْرَأُ هَذِهِ السُّورَةَ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ؟ قُلْتُ بَلَى قَالَتْ فَإِنَّ اللهَ ﷻ افْتَرَضَ قِيَامَ اللَّيْلِ فِي أَوَّلِ هَذِهِ السُّورَةِ فَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَأَصْحَابُهُ حَوْلًا حَتَّى انْتَفَخَتْ أَقْدَامُهُمْ وَأَمْسَكَ اللهُ خَاتِمَتَهَا فِي السَّمَاءِ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا ثُمَّ أَنْزَلَ اللهُ ﷻ التَّخْفِيفَ فِي آخِرِ هَذِهِ السُّورَةِ فَصَارَ قِيَامُ اللَّيْلِ تَطَوُّعًا مِنْ بَعْدِ فَرِيضَةٍ فَهَمَمْتُ أَنْ أَقُومَ ثُمَّ بَدَا لِي وِتْرُ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قُلْتُ يَا أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنْبِئِينِي عَنْ وِتْرِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَتْ كُنَّا نَعُدُّ لَهُ سِوَاكَهُ وَطَهُورَهُ فَيَبْعَثُهُ اللهُ بِمَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَبْعَثَهُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَيَتَسَوَّكُ ثُمَّ يَتَوَضَّأُ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي ثَمَانِ رَكَعَاتٍ لَا يَجْلِسُ فِيهِنَّ إِلَّا عِنْدَ الثَّامِنَةِ فَيَجْلِسُ وَيُذْكُرُ رَبَّهُ ﷻ وَيَدْعُو وَيَسْتَغْفِرُ ثُمَّ يَنْهَضُ وَلَا يُسَلِّمُ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي التَّاسِعَةَ فَيَقْعُدُ فَيَحْمَدُ رَبَّهُ وَيَذْكُرُهُ وَيَدْعُو ثُمَّ يُسَلِّمُ تَسْلِيمًا يُسْمِعُنَا ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ بَعْدَمَا يُسَلِّمُ فَتِلْكَ إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً يَا بُنَيَّ فَلَمَّا أَسَنَّ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَأَخَذَ اللَّحْمَ أَوْتَرَ بِسَبْعٍ ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ بَعْدَمَا يُسَلِّمُ فَتِلْكَ تِسْعٌ يَا بُنَيَّ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ إِذَا صَلَّى صَلَاةً أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَدُومَ عَلَيْهَا وَكَانَ إِذَا شَغَلَهُ عَنْ قِيَامِ اللَّيْلِ نَوْمٌ أَوْ وَجَعٌ أَوْ مَرَضٌ صَلَّى مِنَ النَّهَارِ ثِنْتَيْ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً وَلَا أَعْلَمُ نَبِيَّ اللهِ ﷺ قَرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ كُلَّهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ وَلَا قَامَ لَيْلَةً حَتَّى أَصْبَحَ وَمَا صَامَ شَهْرًا كَامِلًا غَيْرَ رَمَضَانَ فَأَتَيْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ فَحَدَّثْتُهُ بِحَدِيثِهَا فَقَالَ صَدَقَتْ أَمَا لَوْ كُنْتُ أَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهَا لَأَتَيْتُهَا حَتَّى تُشَافِهَنِي مُشَافَهَةً