Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 11743

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delayed in coming out to his Companions for the morning prayer, until the people began to say that the sun was perhaps about to rise. Then he came out and led them in the morning prayer. Then he said: Remain in your places. Then he turned towards them and said to them: Do you know what kept me from coming to you? The people submitted: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I prayed at my place of prayer, then a covering was cast over my ears (that is, I dozed off, or my attention was withdrawn from the world). My Lord came to me in the best form and said: O Muhammad. I submitted: Here I am, O my Lord, at Your service, and happiness is only from You. He asked: About what is the Highest Assembly (of angels) speaking? I submitted: O my Lord, I do not know. Then He placed His hand between my shoulders, until I felt its coolness within my chest, and I came to know what He had asked me about. Then He said: O Muhammad. I submitted: Here I am, O my Lord, at Your service, and happiness is only from You. He asked: About what is the Highest Assembly speaking? I submitted: About the expiations and about the ranks. He asked: What are the expiations and what are the ranks? I submitted: The expiations are: performing ablution thoroughly at times when it is disagreeable to oneself, walking on foot to the congregational prayers, and remaining seated in the mosques after the prayers. As for the ranks, they are feeding people, speaking good words, and prostrating at night while people are asleep. My Lord said to me: O Muhammad, ask of Me. I submitted: "I ask You for the doing of good deeds, the abandoning of evil deeds and love of the poor, and I ask of You that You forgive me and have mercy on me; and when You intend a trial for a people, take me in death while I remain safe from the trial. O Allah, I ask You for Your love and for the love of deeds that will bring me near to Your love. O Allah, I ask You for faith that will so penetrate my heart that I know that nothing will befall me except what has been written for me, and (I ask You) for contentment with what You have decreed for me."
Al-Bazzar recorded it; its chain contains a narrator, Sa'id bin Sinan, who is da'if (weak). Some have declared him thiqah (trustworthy), but no attention is to be paid to that.
(Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Some hadiths of this kind have already passed in the chapters on performing ablution thoroughly, on prayer and elsewhere.