Prophet Muhammad’s Ascension to Heaven

The story of Prophet Muhammad’s Ascension to Heaven is a remarkable part of Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj. After meeting the Prophets at Masjid Al-Aqsa, the Prophet ﷺ continued his miraculous journey through the seven heavens with the Angel Jibril (Gabriel).

It is narrated on the authority of Anas ibn Malik that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

The First Heaven

“He (the Angel Gabriel) took me to heaven. Gabriel then asked for the gate of heaven to be opened, and he was asked who he was. He replied, ‘Gabriel.’ He was again asked, ‘Who is with you?’ He (Gabriel) said, ‘Muhammad.’ It was said, ‘Has he been sent for?’ Gabriel replied, ‘He has indeed been sent for.’ And the gate of heaven was opened for us, and lo! We saw Adam. He welcomed me and prayed for my good.”

The Second Heaven

“Gabriel (peace be upon him) asked for the gate of heaven to be opened, and he was asked who he was. He answered, ‘Gabriel.’ He was again asked, ‘Who is with you?’ He replied, ‘Muhammad.’ It was said, ‘Has he been sent for?’ He replied, ‘He has indeed been sent for.’ The gate was opened. When I entered, I saw ‘Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary) and Yahya ibn Zakariyya (John, son of Zechariah), who were maternal cousins. They welcomed me and prayed for my good.”

The Third Heaven

“Then I was taken to the third heaven, and Gabriel asked for the gate to be opened. He was asked, ‘Who are you?’ He replied, ‘Gabriel.’ He was again asked, ‘Who is with you?’ He replied, ‘Muhammad ﷺ.’ It was said, ‘Has he been sent for?’ He replied, ‘He has indeed been sent for.’ The gate was opened for us, and I saw Yusuf (peace be upon him), who had been given half of the world’s beauty. He welcomed me and prayed for my well-being.”

The Fourth Heaven

“Then he ascended with us to the fourth heaven. Gabriel (peace be upon him) asked for the gate to be opened, and it was said, ‘Who is he?’ He replied, ‘Gabriel.’ It was again said, ‘Who is with you?’ He said, ‘Muhammad.’ It was said, ‘Has he been sent for?’ He replied, ‘He has indeed been sent for.’ The gate was opened for us, and lo! Idris was there. He welcomed me and prayed for my well-being. Allah, the Exalted and the Glorious, has said of him: ‘And We raised him to a high station.’ (Qur’an 19:57).”

The Fifth Heaven

“Then he ascended with us to the fifth heaven, and Gabriel asked for the gate to be opened. It was said, ‘Who is he?’ He replied, ‘Gabriel.’ It was again said, ‘Who is with you?’ He replied, ‘Muhammad.’ It was said, ‘Has he been sent for?’ He replied, ‘He has indeed been sent for.’ The gate was opened for us, and then I was with Harun (Aaron, peace be upon him). He welcomed me and prayed for my well-being.”

The Sixth Heaven

“Then I was taken to the sixth heaven. Gabriel (peace be upon him) asked for the door to be opened. It was said, ‘Who is he?’ He replied, ‘Gabriel.’ It was said, ‘Who is with you?’ He replied, ‘Muhammad.’ It was said, ‘Has he been sent for?’ He replied, ‘He has indeed been sent for.’ The gate was opened for us, and there I was with Musa (Moses, peace be upon him). He welcomed me and prayed for my well-being.”

The Seventh Heaven

“Then I was taken up to the seventh heaven. Gabriel asked for the gate to be opened. It was said, ‘Who is he?’ He replied, ‘Gabriel.’ It was said, ‘Who is with you?’ He replied, ‘Muhammad ﷺ.’ It was said, ‘Has he been sent for?’ He replied, ‘He has indeed been sent for.’ The gate was opened for us, and there I found Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him), reclining against Al-Bayt Al-Ma‘mur. Seventy thousand angels enter it every day and never return to it again.”

What Happened After Prophet Muhammad’s Ascension to Heaven?

During Prophet Muhammad’s Ascension to Heaven, he met several Prophets, who welcomed him and prayed for his well-being.

Then the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was taken to Sidrat Al-Muntaha. What is Sidrat Al-Muntaha, and what did the Prophet ﷺ see there? Stay tuned for the next article in our Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj series.

You can read the narration of the Prophet’s ascension in Sahih Muslim.

To read the first part of the story, please visit Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj: Part 1.