While the Prophet of Allah ﷺ was sitting with his companions, a cloud passed over them. The Prophet of Allah ﷺ asked, "Do you know what this is?"They replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best."He said, "These are the clouds, the water-bearers of the earth. Allah drives them to a people who neither thank Him nor call upon Him."Then he asked, "Do you know what is above you?"They replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best."He said, "It is ar-Raqee, a guarded canopy and a restrained wave."Then he asked, "Do you know how far it is between you and it?"They replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best."He said, "Between you and it is a distance of five hundred years."Then he asked, "Do you know what is above that?"They replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best."He said, "Above that are two more heavens, with a distance of five hundred years between them," until he counted seven heavens, with the distance between every two heavens being like the distance between the heaven and the earth.Then he asked, "Do you know what is above that?"They replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best."He said, "Above that is the Throne, and between it and the heaven is a distance like that between two heavens."Then he asked, "Do you know what is beneath you?"They replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best."He said, "It is the earth."Then he asked, "Do you know what is beneath that?"They replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best."He said, "Beneath it is another earth, with a distance of five hundred years between them," until he counted seven earths, with a distance of five hundred years between every two earths.Then he said, "By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, if you were to lower a man by a rope to the lowest earth, he would descend upon Allah." Then he recited, "He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden, and He has full knowledge of all things" [Hadid 57:3].
حدثنا عبد بن حميد وغير واحد المعنى واحد قالوا حدثنا يونس بن محمد حدثنا شيبان بن عبد الرحمن عن قتادة قال حدث الحسن
بينما نبي الله ﷺ جالس وأصحابه إذ أتى عليهم سحاب فقال نبي الله ﷺ هل تدرون ما هذا فقالوا الله ورسوله أعلم قال هذا العنان هذه روايا الأرض يسوقه الله تبارك وتعالى إلى قوم لا يشكرونه ولا يدعونه قال هل تدرون ما فوقكم قالوا الله ورسوله أعلم قال فإنها الرقيع سقف محفوظ وموج مكفوف ثم قال هل تدرون كم بينكم وبينها قالوا الله ورسوله أعلم قال بينكم وبينها مسيرة خمس مائة سنة ثم قال هل تدرون ما فوق ذلك قالوا الله ورسوله أعلم قال فإن فوق ذلك سماءين ما بينهما مسيرة خمس مائة سنة حتى عد سبع سماوات ما بين كل سماءين كما بين السماء والأرض ثم قال هل تدرون ما فوق ذلك قالوا الله ورسوله أعلم قال فإن فوق ذلك العرش وبينه وبين السماء بعد ما بين السماءين ثم قال هل تدرون ما الذي تحتكم قالوا الله ورسوله أعلم قال فإنها الأرض ثم قال هل تدرون ما الذي تحت ذلك قالوا الله ورسوله أعلم قال فإن تحتها أرضا أخرى بينهما مسيرة خمس مائة سنة حتى عد سبع أرضين بين كل أرضين مسيرة خمس مائة سنة ثم قال والذي نفس محمد بيده لو أنكم دليتم رجلا بحبل إلى الأرض السفلى لهبط على الله ثم قرأ {هو الأول والآخر والظاهر والباطن وهو بكل شيء عليم}
Grading, its isnad is daif. Ahmad narrated it (2/370) from the hadith of Qatada with the same wording, and Hasan narrated with an "an" formula, and part of the hadith has corroborating narrations.It is also narrated from Ayub (Marasil, p. 35), Yunus bin Ubayd (Marasil by Ibn Abu Hatim, p. 34), and Ali bin Zayd (Marasil, p. 35).