Whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) finished the (morning) prayer, he would face us and ask, "Who amongst you
had a dream last night?" So if anyone had seen a dream he would narrate it. The Prophet (ﷺ) would say:
"Ma sha'a-llah" (An Arabic maxim meaning literally, 'What Allah wished,' and it indicates a good
omen.) One day, he asked us whether anyone of us had seen a dream. We replied in the negative. The
Prophet said, "But I had seen (a dream) last night that two men came to me, caught hold of my hands,
and took me to the Sacred Land (Jerusalem). There, I saw a person sitting and another standing with
an iron hook in his hand pushing it inside the mouth of the former till it reached the jawbone, and then
tore off one side of his cheek, and then did the same with the other side; in the meantime the first side
of his cheek became normal again and then he repeated the same operation again. I said, 'What is
this?' They told me to proceed on and we went on till we came to a man Lying flat on his back, and
another man standing at his head carrying a stone or a piece of rock, and crushing the head of the
Lying man, with that stone. Whenever he struck him, the stone rolled away.
The man went to pick it up and by the time he returned to him, the crushed head had returned to its
normal state and the man came back and struck him again (and so on). I said, 'Who is this?' They told
me to proceed on; so we proceeded on and passed by a hole like an oven; with a narrow top and wide
bottom, and the fire was kindling underneath that hole. Whenever the fire-flame went up, the people
were lifted up to such an extent that they about to get out of it, and whenever the fire got quieter, the
people went down into it, and there were naked men and women in it. I said, 'Who is this?' They told
me to proceed on. So we proceeded on till we reached a river of blood and a man was in it, and
another man was standing at its bank with stones in front of him, facing the man standing in the river.
Whenever the man in the river wanted to come out, the other one threw a stone in his mouth and
caused him to retreat to his original position; and so whenever he wanted to come out the other would
throw a stone in his mouth, and he would retreat to his original position. I asked, 'What is this?' They
told me to proceed on and we did so till we reached a well-flourished green garden having a huge tree
and near its root was sitting an old man with some children. (I saw) Another man near the tree with
fire in front of him and he was kindling it up. Then they (i.e. my two companions) made me climb up
the tree and made me enter a house, better than which I have ever seen. In it were some old men and
young men, women and children.
Then they took me out of this house and made me climb up the tree and made me enter another house
that was better and superior (to the first) containing old and young people. I said to them (i.e. my two
companions), 'You have made me ramble all the night. Tell me all about that I have seen.' They said,
'Yes. As for the one whose cheek you saw being torn away, he was a liar and he used to tell lies, and
the people would report those lies on his authority till they spread all over the world. So, he will be
punished like that till the Day of Resurrection.
The one whose head you saw being crushed is the one whom Allah had given the knowledge of
Quran (i.e. knowing it by heart) but he used to sleep at night (i.e. he did not recite it then) and did not
use to act upon it (i.e. upon its orders etc.) by day; and so this punishment will go on till the Day of
Resurrection. And those you saw in the hole (like oven) were adulterers (those men and women who
commit illegal sexual intercourse). And those you saw in the river of blood were those dealing in Riba
(usury). And the old man who was sitting at the base of the tree was Abraham and the little children
around him were the offspring of the people. And the one who was kindling the fire was Malik, the
gatekeeper of the Hell-fire. And the first house in which you have gone was the house of the common
believers, and the second house was of the martyrs. I am Gabriel and this is Michael. Raise your head.'
I raised my head and saw a thing like a cloud over me. They said, 'That is your place.' I said, 'Let me
enter my place.' They said, 'You still have some life which you have not yet completed, and when you
complete (that remaining portion of your life) you will then enter your place.' "
Sahih al-Bukhari Book 23, Hadith 138
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Who is willing to kill Ka`b bin Al-Ashraf who has hurt Allah and His Apostle?"
Thereupon Muhammad bin Maslama got up saying, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Would you like that I kill
him?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Yes," Muhammad bin Maslama said, "Then allow me to say a (false) thing
(i.e. to deceive Ka`b). "The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "You may say it." Then Muhammad bin Maslama went to
Ka`b and said, "That man (i.e. Muhammad demands Sadaqa (i.e. Zakat) from us, and he has troubled
us, and I have come to borrow something from you." On that, Ka`b said, "By Allah, you will get tired
of him!" Muhammad bin Maslama said, "Now as we have followed him, we do not want to leave him
unless and until we see how his end is going to be. Now we want you to lend us a camel load or two
of food." (Some difference between narrators about a camel load or two.) Ka`b said, "Yes, (I will lend
you), but you should mortgage something to me."
Muhammad bin Mas-lama and his companion said, "What do you want?" Ka`b replied, "Mortgage
your women to me." They said, "How can we mortgage our women to you and you are the most
handsome of the 'Arabs?" Ka`b said, "Then mortgage your sons to me." They said, "How can we
mortgage our sons to you? Later they would be abused by the people's saying that so-and-so has been
mortgaged for a camel load of food. That would cause us great disgrace, but we will mortgage our
arms to you." Muhammad bin Maslama and his companion promised Ka`b that Muhammad would
return to him. He came to Ka`b at night along with Ka`b's foster brother, Abu Na'ila. Ka`b invited
them to come into his fort, and then he went down to them. His wife asked him, "Where are you going
at this time?" Ka`b replied, "None but Muhammad bin Maslama and my (foster) brother Abu Na'ila
have come."
His wife said, "I hear a voice as if dropping blood is from him, Ka`b said. "They are none but my
brother Muhammad bin Maslama and my foster brother Abu Naila. A generous man should respond to
a call at night even if invited to be killed." Muhammad bin Maslama went with two men. (Some
narrators mention the men as 'Abu bin Jabr. Al Harith bin Aus and `Abbad bin Bishr). So
Muhammad bin Maslama went in together with two men, and sail to them, "When Ka`b comes, I will
touch his hair and smell it, and when you see that I have got hold of his head, strip him. I will let you
smell his head." Ka`b bin Al-Ashraf came down to them wrapped in his clothes, and diffusing
perfume. Muhammad bin Maslama said. " have never smelt a better scent than this. Ka`b replied. "I
have got the best 'Arab women who know how to use the high class of perfume." Muhammad bin
Maslama requested Ka`b "Will you allow me to smell your head?" Ka`b said, "Yes." Muhammad
smelt it and made his companions smell it as well. Then he requested Ka`b again, "Will you let me
(smell your head)?" Ka`b said, "Yes." When Muhammad got a strong hold of him, he said (to his
companions), "Get at him!" So they killed him and went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and informed him. (Abu Rafi`)
was killed after Ka`b bin Al-Ashraf."
Sahih al-Bukhari Book 64, Hadith 84