and ornaments, with her hair loose and her hands raised, saying: 'O Muhammad, pause and walk! O Muhammad, pause and walk! O Muhammad, pause and walk!' He asked: 'And what did you do?' I said: 'I proceeded and did not turn toward her.' He said: 'That was the world. Had you turned toward it, you would have inclined toward the world.' Then we were brought the Mi'raj (ascension ladder); it was the most beautiful thing Allah has created. We sat upon it and it ascended with us until we reached the lowest heaven. Upon it was an angel called Isma'il, with seventy thousand angels under his command; under each angel were seventy thousand angels. Then he recited this verse: 'And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him' [Al-Muddathir: 31]. Gabriel requested entry, and it was said: 'Who is this?' He replied: 'Gabriel.' It was asked: 'And who is with you?' He replied: 'Muhammad.' It was asked: 'Has he been called for?' He replied: 'Yes.' They said: 'Welcome to him, a most excellent arrival has arrived.' So it was opened for us. I came upon Adam and said: 'O Gabriel, who is this?' He said: 'This is your father Adam.' He welcomed me and prayed for my goodness. He said: 'The souls are displayed before him; when the soul of a believer passes by him, he says: "A good soul and a good scent," and when the soul of a disbeliever passes by him, he says: "An evil soul and an evil scent." He said: 'Then I proceeded and saw people with foul-smelling flesh, and other people with good flesh; there were men biting into the foul-smelling flesh and leaving the good flesh. I said: "Who are these, O Gabriel?"' He said: 'These are the fornicators; they abandon the lawful and follow the unlawful.' He said: 'Then I proceeded and saw men whose jaws were being torn apart, and others bringing rocks from the Fire and casting them into their mouths, only for them to exit from their posteriors.' He said: 'I asked: "Who are these?"'