Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Salman al-Farsi (may Allah have mercy on him): I, Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them), Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, Ammar ibn Yasir, and al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad al-Kindi were in the presence of Imam Ali (peace be upon him). Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) said to his father: "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! Sulayman (peace be upon him) asked his Lord for a kingdom that would be fitting for no one after him, and it was granted to him. Do you also possess anything of what Sulayman ibn Dawud (peace be upon him) possessed?" Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: "By the One who split the seed and created humankind, Sulayman ibn Dawud (peace be upon him) asked Allah for wealth and dominion, and Allah bestowed it upon him. But your father possesses something which, after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), no one before him possessed, and no one after him will acquire." Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) said: "We wish that you would show us a little of the honour that Allah has bestowed on you and by which He has favoured you." Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: "By Allah's leave, I shall do so." Then Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) rose, performed the ablution, prayed two rak'ats, and offered supplications that no one could understand. Then he pointed towards the west, and it was not long before a cloud came and stood over the house. Suddenly we saw that beside that cloud another cloud also appeared. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: "O cloud! By the leave of Allah, descend." So that cloud descended, bearing witness: "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is the Messenger of Allah and his successor. Whoever doubts you has lost the path of salvation." Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) said: That cloud spread over the ground like a carpet. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said to us: "Sit upon this cloud." So we sat upon it, each of us taking his place. Then he pointed to the other cloud, and it too descended, bearing witness like the first, and Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) sat alone upon it. He spoke some words and gestured to the two clouds to move towards the west. Suddenly the wind began to blow beneath the two clouds and lifted them up. I turned towards Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) and saw that he was seated on a throne, with light streaming from his face, his face brighter than the moon. Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) said: "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! Sulayman ibn Dawud (peace be upon him) was obeyed by virtue of the ring he possessed. Tell us then, by what does Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) become obeyed?" Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: "I am the eye of Allah on His earth, and His tongue among His creation, and His unquenchable light, and the door through which alone one may reach Allah. I am His proof over His servants." Then he said: "Do you wish that I show you the ring of Sulayman (peace be upon him)?" We said: "Yes." So he put his hand into his pocket and brought out a golden ring set with a red ruby, upon which was written: Muhammad and Ali (peace be upon them). Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) said: We were astonished at this. He said: "What astonishes you, and what is astonishing about one such as me? Today I shall show you what you have never seen." Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) said: "I wish that you would show us Ya'juj and Ma'juj and the barrier that stands between us and them." So the wind blew beneath the cloud, and we heard a sound like the roar of thunder and lightning. The cloud rose, with Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) ahead of us, and we travelled upon the cloud until we arrived at a lofty mountain reaching to the sky. Suddenly we saw a withered tree whose leaves had fallen and whose branches had dried up. Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) said: "Why has this tree dried up?" He said: "Ask the tree itself and it will answer you." Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) asked: "O tree! For what reason do we see you dried up?" No response was heard from the tree. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: "O tree, you must answer him." By Allah, I heard the tree reply: "At your service, at your service, O successor and heir of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)!" Then the tree said to Imam Hasan (peace be upon him): "O Abu Muhammad (peace be upon him)! Your father, Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), used to come to me every night at the hour before dawn, pray two rak'ats and glorify Allah abundantly. When he had finished his supplication, a white cloud from which came the scent of musk would come to him, and upon that cloud was a throne on which he would sit, and the cloud would carry him away. And I, in his company, was alive and verdant. But for forty days now his company has been withdrawn from me, and this is the cause and reason for the state you see me in." Then Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) rose and prayed two rak'ats beside that tree and passed his hand over it. The tree turned green and returned to its former state. Then Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) commanded the cloud to move. Suddenly we came upon an angel with one hand in the west and the other in the east of the earth. When that angel looked at Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), he said: "I bear witness that there is no god but the One Allah who has no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is His servant and Messenger. He sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, that He might make it prevail over every religion, however much the polytheists may dislike it (al-Tawbah/33). And I bear witness that you are his true and truthful successor and heir." We said: "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! Who is this whose one hand is in the west and the other in the east?" He said: "This is an angel whom Allah has appointed over the darkness of night and the light of day, and he is charged with this same task until the Day of Resurrection. Allah the Exalted has entrusted the affairs of the world to me, and the deeds of the servants are presented to me each day and are then raised up to Allah." Then we continued our journey until we reached the barrier of Ya'juj and Ma'juj. He commanded the wind: "Set us down beyond this mountain," and he pointed with his hand to a lofty mountain reaching the sky, which was the mountain of Khidr (peace be upon him). When we looked at the mountain, we saw that its height was as far as the eye could reach, and it was a mountain black as a piece of dark night, and smoke rose from around it. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: "O Abu Muhammad! I am the master of this affair, and those slaves are under my command." I saw three kinds of creatures. One kind — each of them was one hundred and twenty cubits tall. The second kind — each of them was sixty cubits tall. The third kind — each of them would spread one of his ears beneath him and wrap the other around himself. Then Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) commanded the wind to carry us to Mount Qaf. When we arrived there, we saw that the mountain was of green emerald, and upon that mountain was an angel in the form of an eagle. That angel looked at Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) and said: "Peace be upon you, O successor and heir of the Lord of the Worlds. Do you permit me to speak?" He returned the greeting and said: "Do you wish to speak, or shall we answer your questions?" That angel said: "Rather, you speak, O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)." He said: "Do you wish that I give you permission to visit Khidr (peace be upon him)?" The angel said: "Yes." He said: "I have given you permission." Then the angel said بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم [In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate] and hurried off. We walked a little upon the mountain, when suddenly the angel returned to his place after visiting Khidr (peace be upon him). Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! I see that this angel did not visit Khidr (peace be upon him) except when he took permission from you." He said: "By the One who raised the heavens without pillars, if any one of them wished to move from his place for the length of a single breath, he could not move unless I permitted him. And after me Hasan (peace be upon him), and after him Husayn (peace be upon him), and nine of the descendants of Husayn will also attain this same rank — the ninth of the sons of Husayn being al-Qa'im of the family of Muhammad (may Allah hasten his noble relief)." We said: "What is the name of the angel appointed over Mount Qaf?" He said: "His name is Tarja'il." We said: "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! How do you come here every night and return?" He said: "In the same way that I have brought you here." Then he said: "By the One who split the seed and created humankind, I have in my possession the kingdoms of the heavens and the earth such that if you were to learn even one thing from it, your hearts would not bear it. The greatest name of Allah (ism al-a'zam) consists of seventy-three letters, and Asaf ibn Barkhiya knew one letter of it; he uttered that one letter, and Allah caused the earth between him and the throne of Bilqis to be folded up, and when he seized the throne, the earth returned to its former state in less than the blink of an eye. By Allah, with us are seventy-two letters of the greatest name of Allah, and one further letter is with Allah alone, which He has kept exclusive to His knowledge of the unseen. There is no power and no strength save through Allah the Great. A group has attained the knowledge of us, and another group has turned to denying us." Then he rose and we rose with him. Suddenly we saw a young man on the mountain standing in prayer between two graves. We asked: "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! Who is this young man?" He said: "He is Salih the Prophet (peace be upon him), and these two graves belong to his father and mother. He worships between the two graves." When Salih the Prophet's gaze fell upon Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), he lost control of himself and began to weep, and pointed with his hand toward Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), then continued his prayer. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) stood beside him until he had finished his prayer. We asked him: "Why did you weep?" He said: "Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) used to visit me every morning and sit with me, and by gazing upon him I would prolong my worship. But it has been ten days since he has come here, and this has troubled me." We were astonished at this. Then Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: "Do you wish that I show you Sulayman ibn Dawud (peace be upon him)?" We said: "Yes." He rose, and we rose with him. He led us into a garden more beautiful than any we had ever seen. In that garden there were all kinds of fruits and grapes, and its streams were flowing, and the birds were singing on the branches. When the birds saw him, they came fluttering around him, until we reached the middle of the garden. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) took out the ring from his pocket and placed it upon Sulayman's (peace be upon him) finger. Sulayman (peace be upon him) stood up and said: "Peace be upon you, O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! You are the successor and heir of the Messenger of the Lord (peace be upon him and his family). By Allah, you are the greatest siddiq (the most truthful) and the greatest faruq (the greatest distinguisher between truth and falsehood). Whoever holds fast to you has been saved, and whoever falls behind you has lost. It was through you that I asked Allah for that kingdom and dominion, and that dominion was granted to me." Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "As soon as we heard the words of Sulayman ibn Dawud (peace be upon him), I lost control of myself, threw myself at the feet of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) and kissed his feet, and thanked Allah for this great gift by which He guided us to the wilayah (guardianship) of the Ahl al-Bayt — those from whom Allah has removed all impurity and whom He has purified. My companions also paid their respects as I had done and thanked Allah." Then we asked him: "What is beyond Mount Qaf?" He said: "Beyond Mount Qaf is that which your knowledge cannot reach." We asked: "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! Do you know what is beyond Mount Qaf?" He said: "My knowledge of what is beyond it is like my knowledge of this world and what is in it. After the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), I am the guardian and witness over it, and after me the successors from my progeny hold this same rank." Then he said: "I know the pathways of the heavens better than the pathways of the earth. We are the very name that lies in Allah's hidden treasure, and we are al-Asma al-Husna (the beautiful names of Allah) — when Allah is called by them, He responds. We are the names written upon the Throne, the Footstool, Paradise, and the Fire. From us the angels learned tasbih (glorification), taqdis (sanctification), tahlil (declaration of tawhid) and takbir (proclamation of Allah's greatness). We are the very words that Adam received from his Lord, and by those words he repented and returned to Allah." Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: "Do you wish that I show you something astonishing?" We said: "Yes." He said: "Close your eyes." We closed our eyes. Then he said: "Open your eyes." We opened our eyes, and suddenly we found ourselves in a city larger than any we had ever seen. Its markets were flourishing, and we saw people there more massive of build than any we had ever seen — their stature reaching the height of a palm tree. We said: "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! Who are these?" He said: "They are the remnants of the people of 'Ad. They are disbelievers who do not believe in Allah. I wished to show them to you, and I shall destroy this city and its inhabitants while they are unaware." We asked: "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! Will you destroy them without cause?" He said: "No, rather I have a cause against them." Then he approached them, and when they saw him, they intended to kill him — and this was while we could see them and they could see us. Then he moved away from them and came to us. He passed his hand over our chests, and a thunderbolt struck them. Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) said: We thought that the earth had been overturned and the sky had fallen, and that thunderbolts had come out of his mouth. In that moment none of them remained. We asked: "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! What did Allah do with them?" He said: "They have perished, and they have all gone into the Fire." We said: "This is a miracle the like of which we have neither seen nor heard." He said: "Do you wish that I show you something more astonishing than this?" We said: "None of us has the endurance to witness another miracle beyond this. So the curse of Allah, and the curse of all who curse, and the curse of all people and angels until the Day of Resurrection, be upon whoever does not accept your wilayah and does not believe in your excellence and your greatness and your rank before Allah." Then we asked him to return us to our homeland. He said: "In sha' Allah, I shall do so." He pointed to the two clouds, and the clouds drew near to us. Then he said: "Take your places." We sat upon one cloud and he himself sat upon the other, and he commanded the cloud to bear us into the atmosphere, until we saw the earth as small as a dirham. Then in less than the blink of an eye, it brought us down in the house of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him). We arrived in Medina at midday, when the muezzin was calling the adhan, whereas we had left it precisely when the sun had risen. I said: "O Allah, how astonishing! We were in Mount Qaf, which is five years' journey away from us, yet we returned within five hours of the day." Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: "If I wished to traverse the whole world and the seven heavens and return in less than the blink of an eye, I would do so, and this power that I possess is by virtue of the greatest name of Allah (ism al-a'zam)." We said: "O Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)! By Allah, after your brother and cousin, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), you are the greatest sign of Allah and the manifest miracle."