I would like to know whether the Prophet, sallahu alayhi wa sallam, was sleeping in a house (and the roof split open), or if he was sleeping in the Hijr of the Ka'ba when Jibreel came to him to take him on Al-Isra. I have heard both narrations and would like to know which one is the accurate and authentic one.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

There are different narrations about the place from where the Prophet was ascended to the heavens. One narration reads: “…while I was resting in the House [i.e. the Ka’bah]”, and another narration reads: “…while I was in Al-Hateem (Al-Hijr, i.e. the area adjacent to the Ka’bah enclosed by a low semi-circular wall).”, another narration reads: “…(while I was) in Al-Hijr”, and another narration states: “The ceiling of my house was opened while I was in Makkah.” Another narration reads that he spent the night in the house of Umm Haani’ who said: “I missed him by night and he said that Jibreel came to him…”

The scholars reconciled between these different narrations; Ibn Hajar said,

“To reconcile between these statements, the Prophet was sleeping in the house of Umm Haani’ and her house was in the Sh’ib (valley) of Abi Taalib and the ceiling of his house was opened – the house here belongs to him because he used to dwell in it – and from it [the opening in the ceiling of the house] the angel descended and took him out from the house to the mosque and there he [Prophet ] was lying down and sleepy. Moreover, in a Mursal Hadeeth (i.e. narrated by a Tabi’ie (successor of the Prophet’s companions) while omitting the companion’s name whom he heard the Hadeeth from) reported by Ibn ‘Is’haaq from Al-Hasan Al-Basri it states that Jibreel came to him and he took him out to the mosque and he made him mount the Buraaq (a very vast animal whose stride is the farthest distance its eye can see); indeed, this strengthens this reconciliation.”

Allaah Knows best.