It is reported either on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas or on the authority of Abu Huraira that a person came to Allah' s Messenger (ﷺ) and said: Allah' s Messenger, I saw while I was sleeping during the night (this vision) that there was a canopy from which butter and honey were trickling and I also saw people collecting them in the palms of their hands, some more, some less, and I also saw a rope connecting the earth with the sky and I saw you catching hold of it and rising towards the heaven; then another person after you catching hold of it and rising towards (Heaven); then another person catching hold of it, but it was broken while it was rejoined for him and he also climbed up. Abu Bakr said: Allah' s Messenger, may my father be sacrificed for you, by Allah, allow me to interpret it. Allah' s Messenger (ﷺ) said: Well, give its interpretation. Thereupon Abu Bakr said: The canopy signifies the canopy of Islam and that what trickles out of it in the form of butter and honey is the Holy Qur' an and its sweetness and softness and what the people get hold of it in their palms implies major portion of the Qur' an or the small portion; and so far as the rope joining the sky with the earth is concerned, it is the Truth by which you stood (in the worldly life) and by which Allah would raise you (to Heaven). Then the person after you would take hold of it and he would also climb up with the help of it. Then another person would take hold of it and climb up with the help of it. Then another person would take hold of it and it would be broken; then it would be rejoined for him and he would climb up with the help of it. Allah' s Messenger, may my father be taken as a ransom for you, tell me whether I have interpreted it correctly or I have made an error. Allah' s Messenger (ﷺ) said: You have interpreted a part of it correctly and you have erred in interpreting a part of it. Thereupon he said: Allah' s Messenger, by Allah, tell me that part where I have committed an error. Thereupon he said: Don' t take an oath.
Sahih Muslim 2269a
Chapters
1 Introduction 2 The Book of Faith 3 The Book of Purification 4 The Book of Menstruation 5 The Book of Prayers 6 The Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer 7 The Book of Prayer - Travellers 8 The Book of Prayer - Friday 9 The Book of Prayer - Two Eids 10 The Book of Prayer - Rain 11 The Book of Prayer - Eclipses 12 The Book of Prayer - Funerals 13 The Book of Zakat 14 The Book of Fasting 15 The Book of I'tikaf 16 The Book of Pilgrimage 17 The Book of Marriage 18 The Book of Suckling 19 The Book of Divorce 20 The Book of Invoking Curses 21 The Book of Emancipating Slaves 22 The Book of Transactions 23 The Book of Musaqah 24 The Book of the Rules of Inheritance 25 The Book of Gifts 26 The Book of Wills 27 The Book of Vows 28 The Book of Oaths 29 The Book of Oaths, Muharibin, Qasas(Retaliation), andDiyat(Blood Money) 30 The Book of Legal Punishments 31 The Book of Judicial Decisions 32 The Book of Lost Property 33 The Book ofJihadand Expeditions 34 The Book on Government 35 The Book of Hunting, Slaughter, and what may be Eaten 36 The Book of Sacrifices 37 The Book of Drinks 38 The Book of Clothes and Adornment 39 The Book of Manners and Etiquette 40 The Book of Greetings 41 The Book Concerning the Use of Correct Words 42 The Book of Poetry 43 The Book of Dreams 44 The Book of Virtues 45 The Book of the Merits of the Companions 46 The Book of Virtue, Enjoining Good Manners, and Joining of the Ties of Kinship 47 The Book of Destiny 48 The Book of Knowledge 49 The Book Pertaining to the Remembrance of Allah, Supplication, Repentance and Seeking Forgiveness 50 The Book of Heart-Melting Traditions 51 The Book of Repentance 52 Characteristics of The Hypocrites And Rulings Concerning Them 53 Characteristics of the Day of Judgment, Paradise, and Hell 54 The Book of Paradise, its Description, its Bounties and its Inhabitants 55 The Book of Tribulations and Portents of the Last Hour 56 The Book ofZuhdand Softening of Hearts 57 The Book of Commentary on the Qur'an