ʿClimb onto my shoulders.” So I climbed on to his shoulders and he stood up with me. I felt that if I had wanted to, I could have reached the edge of the sky. I climbed up onto the top of the House, where there was a statue of brass or copper. I started shaking it right and left, forwards and backwards until, when I had managed to loosen it, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me: “Throw it down.” I threw it down and it broke like a glass bottle, Then I came down and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and I ran and hid among the houses lest any of the people see us.  

انْطَلَقْتُ أَنَا وَالنَّبِيُّ ﷺ حَتَّى أَتَيْنَا الْكَعْبَةَ فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ اجْلِسْ وَصَعِدَ عَلَى مَنْكِبَيَّ فَذَهَبْتُ لِأَنْهَضَ بِهِ فَرَأَىمِنِّي ضَعْفًا فَنَزَلَ وَجَلَسَ لِي نَبِيُّ اللهِ ﷺ وَقَالَ اصْعَدْ عَلَى مَنْكِبَيَّ قَالَ فَصَعِدْتُ عَلَى مَنْكِبَيْهِ قَالَ فَنَهَضَ بِي قَالَ فَإِنَّهُ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيَّ أَنِّي لَوْ شِئْتُ لَنِلْتُ أُفُقَ السَّمَاءِ حَتَّى صَعِدْتُ عَلَى الْبَيْتِ وَعَلَيْهِ تِمْثَالُ صُفْرٍ أَوْ نُحَاسٍ فَجَعَلْتُ أُزَاوِلُهُ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَعَنْ شِمَالِهِ وَبَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ حَتَّى إِذَا اسْتَمْكَنْتُ مِنْهُ قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ اقْذِفْ بِهِ فَقَذَفْتُ بِهِ فَتَكَسَّرَ كَمَا تَتَكَسَّرُ الْقَوَارِيرُ ثُمَّ نَزَلْتُ فَانْطَلَقْتُ أَنَا وَرَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ نَسْتَبِقُ حَتَّى تَوَارَيْنَا بِالْبُيُوتِ خَشْيَةَ أَنْ يَلْقَانَا أَحَدٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ  

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took me by the hand and we went until we reached the Ka’bah. He said to me, "Sit down," so I sat down beside the Ka’bah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ climbed upon my shoulder, then he said to me, "Get up," so I got up. When he saw that I was weak beneath him, he said to me, "Sit down," so I descended and sat down. Then he said to me, "O Ali, climb upon my shoulders," so I climbed upon his shoulders. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up with me, and when he stood up with me, it seemed to me that I could reach the sky. I climbed up above the Ka’bah and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stepped to one side and said to me, "Throw down their biggest idol, the idol of the Quraysh." It was made of copper, supported by iron pegs driven into the ground. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, "Repair it," and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ kept repeating to me, "Yes, yes," until he said, "The truth has come, and falsehood has vanished. Indeed, falsehood is ever bound to vanish." [Quran 17:81] I continued to repair it until I gained strength from it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, "Throw it down," so I threw it down and it broke into pieces. I descended from above the Ka’bah and then I and the Prophet ﷺ departed in haste, fearing that someone from the Quraysh or others might see us. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "We did not come down until the hour was very close."  

انْطَلَقَ بِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَتَّى أَتَى بِيَ الْكَعْبَةَ فَقَالَ لِي «اجْلِسْ» فَجَلَسْتُ إِلَى جَنْبِ الْكَعْبَةِ فَصَعِدَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِمَنْكِبِي ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي «انْهَضْ» فَنَهَضْتُ فَلَمَّا رَأَى ضَعْفِي تَحْتَهُ قَالَ لِي «اجْلِسْ» فَنَزَلْتُ وَجَلَسْتُ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي «يَا عَلِيُّ اصْعَدْ عَلَى مَنْكِبِي» فَصَعِدْتُ عَلَى مَنْكِبَيْهِ ثُمَّ نَهَضَ بِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَلَمَّا نَهَضَ بِي خُيِّلَ إِلَيَّ لَوْ شِئْتُ نِلْتُ أُفُقَ السَّمَاءِ فَصَعِدْتُ فَوْقَ الْكَعْبَةِ وَتَنَحَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ لِي «أَلْقِ صَنَمَهُمُ الْأَكْبَرَ صَنَمَ قُرَيْشٍ» وَكَانَ مِنْ نُحَاسٍ مُوَتَّدًا بِأَوْتَادٍ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «عَالِجْهُ» وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ لِي إِيهٍ إِيهٍ {جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا} [الإسراء 81] فَلَمْ أَزَلْ أُعَالِجُهُ حَتَّى اسْتَمْكَنْتُ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ اقْذِفْهُ فَقَذَفْتُهُ فَتَكَسَّرَ وَتَرَدَّيْتُ مِنْ فَوْقِ الْكَعْبَةِ فَانْطَلَقْتُ أَنَا وَالنَّبِيُّ ﷺ نَسْعَى وَخَشِينَا أَنْ يَرَانَا أَحَدٌ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ وَغَيْرِهِمْ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ فَمَا صُعِدَ بِهِ حَتَّى السَّاعَةِ  

ʿClimb onto my shoulders.” So I climbed on to his shoulders and he stood up with me. I felt that if I had wanted to, I could have reached the edge of the sky. I climbed up onto the top of the House, where there was a statue of brass or copper. I started shaking it right and left, forwards and backwards until, when I had managed to loosen it, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me: “Throw it down.” I threw it down and it broke like a glass bottle, Then I came down and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and I ran and hid among the houses lest any of the people see us. (Using translation from Aḥmad 644)   

قَالَ عَلِيٌّ «انْطَلَقْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ حَتَّى أَتَيْنَا الْكَعْبَةَ فَصَعِدَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ عَلَى مَنْكِبَيَّ فَنَهَضَ بِهِ عَلِيٌّ» فَلَمَّا رَأَى رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ضَعْفَهُ قَالَ لَهُ «اجْلِسْ فَجَلَسَ فَنَزَلَ نَبِيُّ اللهِ ﷺ» فَقَالَ «اصْعَدْ عَلَى مَنْكِبَيَّ» فَنَهَضَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ «إِنَّهُ لَيُخَيَّلُ إِلَيَّ أَنِّي لَوْ شِئْتُ لَنِلْتُ أُفُقَ السَّمَاءِ فَصَعِدَ عَلِيٌّ الْكَعْبَةِ وَعَلَيْهَا تِمْثَالٌ مِنْ صُفْرٍ أَوْ نُحَاسٍ فَجَعَلْتُ أُعَالِجُهُ لَأُزِيلَهُ يَمِينًا وَشِمَالًا وَقُدَّامًا وَمِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ حَتَّى إِذَا اسْتَمْكَنْتُ مِنْهُ» قَالَ نَبِيُّ اللهِ ﷺ «اقْذِفْهُ» فَقَذَفْتُ بِهِ فَكَسَرْتُهُ كَمَا تُكْسَرُ الْقَوَارِيرُ ثُمَّ نَزَلْتُ فَانْطَلَقْتُ أَنَا وَرَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ نَسْتَبِقُ حَتَّى تَوَارَيْنَا بِالْبُيُوتِ خَشْيَةَ أَنْ يَلْقَانَا أَحَدٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ