Hadith 984

It is narrated from Mu'adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was delayed one morning from the Fajr prayer until we almost saw the sun. He came out quickly, and the Iqamah was called. He prayed and shortened his prayer. When he finished, he called out to us and said: "Stay in your rows as you are." Then he turned to us and said: "I will tell you what delayed me this morning. I got up at night, performed ablution, and prayed what was decreed for me. I dozed off during my prayer until I became heavy with sleep. Then I saw my Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, in the most beautiful form. He said: 'O Muhammad.' I said: 'Here I am, my Lord.' He said: 'What are the highest assembly disputing about?' I said: 'I do not know.' He repeated this three times. Then I felt His hand between my shoulders, and I felt the coolness of His fingers between my chest. Everything became clear to me, and I understood. He said: 'O Muhammad.' I said: 'Here I am, my Lord.' He said: 'What are the highest assembly disputing about?' I said: 'About the expiations.' He said: 'What are they?' I said: 'Walking on foot to congregational prayers, sitting in the mosques after the prayers, and perfecting ablution in difficult conditions.' He said: 'Then what?' I said: 'About the levels.' He said: 'What are they?' I said: 'Feeding others, speaking kindly, and praying at night while people are asleep.' He said: 'Ask.' I said: 'O Allah, I ask You for the ability to do good deeds, to avoid evil deeds, and to love the poor. Forgive me and have mercy on me. If You intend to test a people, take me to You without being tested. I ask for Your love, the love of those who love You, and the love of deeds that bring me closer to Your love.'" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "This is the truth, so study it and learn it." [Narrated by Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi, who said: "This is a good and authentic hadith." I asked Muhammad ibn Isma'il (Al-Bukhari) about this hadith, and he said: "This is an authentic hadith."