mishkat 28 Events of the Day of Resurrection and the Beginning of Creation كتاب أحوال القيامة وبدء الخلق 204
وَعَنْهُ قَالَ: بَيْنَمَا نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جَالِسٌ وَأَصْحَابُهُ إِذْ أَتَى عَلَيْهِمْ سَحَابٌ فَقَالَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «هَلْ تَدْرُونَ مَا هَذَا؟» . قَالُوا: اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ. قَالَ: «هَذِهِ الْعَنَانُ هَذِهِ رَوَايَا الْأَرْضِ يَسُوقُهَا اللَّهُ إِلَى قَوْمٍ لَا يَشْكُرُونَهُ وَلَا يَدعُونَهُ» . ثمَّ قَالَ: «هَل تَدْرُونَ من فَوْقَكُمْ؟» قَالُوا: اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ. قَالَ: «فَإِنَّهَا الرَّقِيعُ سَقْفٌ مَحْفُوظٌ وَمَوْجٌ مَكْفُوفٌ» . ثُمَّ قَالَ: «هَلْ تَدْرُونَ مَا بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهَا؟» قَالُوا: اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ. قَالَ: «بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهَا خَمْسُمِائَةِ عَامٍ» ثُمَّ قَالَ: «هَلْ تَدْرُونَ مَا فَوْقَ ذَلِكَ؟» . قَالُوا: اللَّهُ ورسولُه أعلمُ. قَالَ: «سماءانِ بُعْدُ مَا بَيْنَهُمَا خَمْسُمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ» . ثُمَّ قَالَ كَذَلِكَ حَتَّى عَدَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ «مَا بَيْنَ كُلِّ سَمَاءَيْنِ مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ» . ثُمَّ قَالَ: «هَلْ تَدْرُونَ مَا فَوْقَ ذَلِكَ؟» قَالُوا: اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ. قَالَ: «إِنَّ فَوْقَ ذَلِكَ الْعَرْشُ وَبَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ بُعْدُ مَا بَيْنَ السَّماءين» . ثُمَّ قَالَ: «هَلْ تَدْرُونَ مَا تَحْتَ ذَلِكَ؟» . قَالُوا: اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ. قَالَ: «إِنَّ تَحْتَهَا أَرْضًا أُخْرَى بَيْنَهُمَا مَسِيرَةُ خَمْسِمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ» . حَتَّى عدَّ سَبْعَ أَرضين بَين كلَّ أَرضين مسيرَة خَمْسمِائَة سنة ” قَالَ: «وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَوْ أَنَّكُمْ دَلَّيْتُمْ بِحَبْلٍ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ السُّفْلَى لَهَبَطَ عَلَى اللَّهِ» ثُمَّ قَرَأَ (هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شيءٍ عليم) رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ وَالتِّرْمِذِيُّ. وَقَالَ التِّرْمِذِيُّ: قِرَاءَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْآيَةَ تَدُلُّ على أَنه أَرَادَ الهبط عَلَى عِلْمِ اللَّهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ وَسُلْطَانِهِ وَعِلْمُ اللَّهِ وَقُدْرَتُهُ وَسُلْطَانُهُ فِي كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْعَرْش كَمَا وصف نَفسه فِي كِتَابه
He told that while God’s prophet and his companions were sitting clouds came over them and God’s prophet asked, “Do you know what these are?” On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, “These are the clouds ( `anan ), these are the water-carriers of the earth which God drives to people who do not thank Him or call upon Him.” He then asked, “Do you know what is above you?” On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, “It is the firmament, a ceiling which is guarded and waves which are kept back.” He then asked, “Do you know what is between you and it?” On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, “Between you and it are five hundred years.” He then asked, “Do you knew what is above that?” On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, “Two heavens with a distance of five hundred years between them.” He went on speaking like that till he counted seven heavens, the distance between each pair being like that between the heaven and the earth. He then asked, “Do you know what is above that?” On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, “Above that is the Throne, and the distance between it and the [seventh] heaven is the same as that between each pair of heavens.” He then asked, “Do you know what is below you?” On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, “It is the earth.” He then asked, “Do you know what is under that?” On their replying that God and His messenger knew best, he said, “Under it there is another earth with a journey of five hundred years between them,” and so on till he had counted seven earths with a journey of five hundred years between each pair. He then said, “By Him in whose hand Muhammad’s soul is, if you were to drop a rope[1] to the lowest earth it would not pass out of God’s knowledge[2].” He then recited, “He is the First and the Last, the Outward and the Inward, and He is omniscient[3].” Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying[4] that God’s messenger’s recitation of the verse indicates that it would go down within God’s knowledge, power and authority, for God’s knowledge, power and authority are everywhere, while He is on the Throne, as He described Himself in His Book[5]. This is the reading in the text on the margin of Mirqat . In Tirmidhi, in his book on Tafsir al Quran , the tradition occurs in his section on sura 57 ( al-hadid ), the reading being “if you were to drop a man with a rope…” Literally, “it would fall upon God.” Quran, 57:3. Tirmidhi says in the passage cited above, “some of the learned have expounded this tradition…” Cf. Quran; 7:54; 10:3, etc.
Reference : Mishkat al-Masabih 5735 In-book reference : Book 28, Hadith 204: