Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 11738

Abd al-Rahman bin A'ish reports from one of the Companions: One morning the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to them; he was in a cheerful mood and his blessed face was radiant. We submitted: O Messenger of Allah, we see that your face is radiant (the narrator is unsure of the exact words here, but this is the meaning). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Why should it not be so, when last night my Lord came to me in the most beautiful form and said: O Muhammad. I submitted: Here I am, my Lord, at Your service, and happiness is only from You. The Lord asked: About what is the Highest Assembly (of angels) disputing? I submitted: O Allah, I do not know. The Lord said this two or three times. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then He placed both His palms between my shoulders, and I felt their coolness in my chest, until whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth became clear to me. Then he recited this verse: "And thus did We show Ibrahim the kingdom of the heavens and the earth." Then the Lord said: O Muhammad, about what is the Highest Assembly disputing? I submitted: About the expiations. The Lord asked: Which expiations? I submitted: Walking on foot to the congregational prayers, remaining seated in the mosque apart from the prayers, and performing ablution thoroughly when it is disagreeable to oneself. Whoever does this will live in goodness and die in goodness, and with regard to his sins he will be as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him. And (the Highest Assembly is disputing about the fact) that among the ranks are speaking good words, spreading the greeting of peace, feeding people, and praying at night while people are asleep. Then the Lord said: "O Muhammad, when you pray, say: 'Allahumma inni as'aluka al-tayyibat, wa tark al-munkarat, wa hubb al-masakin, wa an tatuba 'alayya, wa idha aradta fi al-nas fitnatan fa-tawaffani ghayra maftun' (O Allah, I ask You for good things, for the abandoning of evil deeds and for love of the poor, and I ask that You accept my repentance; and when You intend a trial among the people, take me in death while I am safe from the trial)."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).