Tafsir Ibn Kathir -> Surah Al-Isra' -> The Report of Abu Hurayrah

Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported in their Sahihs that Abu Hurayrah said: the Messenger of Allah said:

«حِينَ أُسْرِيَ بِي، لَقِيتُ مُوسَى عَلَيهِ السَّلَامُ فَنَعَتَهُ، فَإِذَا رَجُلٌ حَسِبْتُهُ قَالَ مُضْطَرِبٌ رَجِلُ الرَّأْسِ كَأَنَّهُ مِنْ رِجَالِ شَنُوءَةَ، قَالَ: وَلَقِيتُ عِيسَى فَنَعَتَهُ النَّبِيُّصلى الله عليه وسلّم قَالَ رَبْعَةٌ أَحْمَرُ كَأَنَّمَا خَرَجَ مِنْ دِيمَاسٍ يَعْنِي حَمَّامًا، قَالَ وَلَقِيتُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَأَنَا أَشْبَهُ وَلَدِهِ بِهِ، قَالَ: وَأُتِيتُ بِإِنَاءَيْنِ فِي أَحَدِهِمَا لَبَنٌ وَفِي الْآخَرِ خَمْرٌ، قِيلَ لِي: خُذْ أَيَّهُمَا شِئْتَ، فَأَخَذْتُ اللَّبَنَ فَشَرِبْتُ، فَقِيلَ لِي: هُدِيتَ الْفِطْرَةَ أَوْ أَصَبْتَ الْفِطْرَةَ أَمَا إِنَّكَ لَوْ أَخَذْتَ الْخَمْرَ غَوَتْ أُمَّتُك»

(When I was taken on the Night Journey, I met Musa.) He described him as a man - I think he said - a curly-haired man, as if he were from the tribe of Shanu'ah. (And I met `Isa.) And the Prophet described him as being of average height, with a reddish complexion, as if he had just come out of the bath. (And I met Ibrahim, and I am the one who resembles him most among his children. I was brought two vessels, one containing milk and the other containing wine. It was said to me, `Take whichever one you want.' So I took the milk and drank it, and it was said to me, `You have been guided to the Fitrah - or - You have chosen the Fitrah. If you had chosen the wine, your Ummah would have gone astray.')'' They also recorded it with another chain of narrators. Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said: "The Messenger of Allah said:

«لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنِي فِي الْحِجْرِ وَقُرَيْشٌ تَسْأَلُنِي عَنْ مَسْرَايَ،فَسَأَلُونِي عَنْ أَشْيَاءَ مِنْ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ لَمْ أُثْبِتْهَا، فَكُرِبْتُ (كُرْبَةً) مَا كُرِبْتُ مِثْلَهُ قَطُّ، فَرَفَعَهُ اللهُ إِليَّ أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ مَا سَأَلُونِي عَنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا أَنْبَأْتُهُمْ بِهِ، وَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنِي فِي جَمَاعَةٍ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، وَإِذَا مُوسَى قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي، وَإِذَا هُوَ رَجُلٌ جَعْدٌ كَأَنَّهُ مِنْ رِجَالِ شَنُوءَةَ، وَإِذَا عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي أَقْرَبُ النَّاسِ شَبَهًا بِهِ عَرْوَةُ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ الثَّقَفِيُّ، وَإِذَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي أَقْرَبُ النَّاسِ شَبَهًا بِهِ صَاحِبُكُمْ يَعْنِي نَفْسَهُ فَحَانَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَأَمَمْتُهُمْ، فَلَمَّا فَرَغْتُ قَالَ قَائِلٌ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ هَذَا مَالِكُ خَازِنُ جَهَنَّمَ، (فَسَلِّمْ عَلَيْهِ) فَالْتَفَتُّ إِلَيْهِ فَبَدَأَنِي بِالسَّلَام»

(I remember being in Al-Hijr, and the Quraysh were asking me about my Night Journey. They asked me things about Bayt Al-Maqdis that I was not sure of, and I felt more anxious and stressed then than I have ever felt. Then Allah raised up Bayt Al-Maqdis for me to see, and there was nothing they asked me about but I told them about it. And I remember being in a gathering of the Prophets. Musa was standing there praying, and he was a man with curly hair, as if he were one of the men of Shanu'ah. I saw `Isa bin Maryam standing there praying, and the one who most resembles him is `Urwah bin Mas`ud Ath-Thaqafi. And I saw Ibrahim standing there praying, and the one who most resembles him is your companion (meaning himself). Then the time for prayer came, and I led them in prayer. When I finished, a voice said, `O Muhammad, this is Malik, the keeper of Hell,' so I turned to him, and he greeted me first.)''