Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 11744

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "My Lord came to me in the best form and said: O Muhammad. I submitted: Here I am at Your service, and happiness is only from You. He asked: About what is the Highest Assembly (of angels) speaking? I submitted: I do not know. Then He placed His hand between my breasts, and, while remaining in my place, I came to know what He had asked me about, whether it concerned the affairs of this world or of the Hereafter. He asked: About what is the Highest Assembly disputing? I submitted: About the ranks and about the expiations. As for the ranks, they include performing ablution thoroughly in the cold season and waiting for one prayer after another. The Lord said: You have spoken the truth. 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. (The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) As for the expiations, they are feeding people, spreading the greeting of peace, speaking good words, and praying at night at the time when people are asleep. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Allahumma inni as'aluka 'amal al-hasanat, wa tark al-sayyi'at, wa hubb al-masakin, wa maghfiratan, wa an tatuba 'alayya, wa idha aradta bi-qawmin fitnatan fa-najjini ghayra maftun' (O Allah, I ask You that I may do good deeds, abandon bad deeds and love the poor, and I ask for forgiveness, and that You accept my repentance; and when You intend to put a people to trial, rescue me while I am safe from the trial)."
Al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains a narrator, Layth bin Abi Sulaym, who despite his weakness is hasan al-hadith (good in hadith). The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).