"عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أنَسٍ قَالَ: أصْبَحْنَا يَوْمًا فَأَتَانَا رَسُولُ الله ﷺ فَأخبَرَنَا قَالَ: أَتَانِى ربِّى البارِحَةَ فِى مَنَامِى فِى أَحْسنِ صُورَة حَتَّى وَضَعَ يَدَهُ بَيْنَ كتفَىَّ فَوَجَدْتُ بَرْدَهَابَيْنَ ثَدْييَّ فَعَلَّمنِى كُلَّ شَىْء، فَقَالَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ، قُلتُ: لَبَّيْكَ وَسَعْدَيْكَ، قَالَ: هَلْ تَدْرِى فِيمَ اخْتَصَمَ المَلأ الأَعلَى؟ قُلتُ: نَعَمْ يَارَبِّ فِى الكَفَّارَاتِ والدَّرَجَاتِ، قَالَ: فَمَا الكَفَّارَاتُ؟ قُلتُ: إِفْشَاءُ السَّلاَمِ، وإطعَام الطَّعَامِ، وَصِلَةُ الأرْحَامِ، والصَّلاَةُ والنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ، قَالَ: فَمَا الدَّرَجَاتُ؟ قُلتُ: إسْبَاغُ الطَّهُورِ فِى المَكْرُوهَاتِ، وَمَشْىٌ عَلَى الأقْدام إِلَى الجَمَاعَاتِ، وانْتِظَارُ الصَّلاَةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلاَةِ، قَالَ: صَدَقْتَ".
[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ detained us for Fajr prayer until the sun was about to rise. When he prayed Fajr with us, he said, "I prayed all night and the night was not fully completed for me, and I laid down in the Mosque. Then my Lord came to me in the finest form and said, 'O Muhammad! Do you know what the highest assembly disputes about?' I said, 'No, O Lord.' He said it three times, and I responded three times. Then He placed His hand between my shoulders, and I felt the coolness of His hand between my chest. Everything was unveiled to me, and I recognized it. I asked about the degrees and expiations. He asked, 'What are the degrees?' I said, 'Feeding the needy, spreading peace, prayer, while people are asleep.' He said, 'You have spoken the truth.' He asked, 'What are the expiations?' I said, 'Pouring water for ablution onto the joints, waiting for the next prayer after performing one, and taking steps to the congregational prayers.' He said, 'You have spoken the truth.' He said, 'Ask, O Muhammad.' I said, 'O Allah! I ask You for performing righteous deeds, abstaining from sins, and love for the poor. And I ask You for forgiveness and mercy. And when You intend to test Your slaves, take me to You while I am still steadfast. O Allah! I ask You for Your love, and the love of those who love You, and the love for deeds that will draw me closer to Your love.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Teach them and instruct them, for they are true.'"
احْتَبَسَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ صَلَاةَ الْغَدَاةِ حَتَّى كَادَتِ الشَّمْسُ تَطْلُعُ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى بِنَا الْغَدَاةَ قَالَ صَلَّيْتُ اللَّيْلَةَ مَا قُضِيَ لِي وَوَضَعْتُ جَنْبِي فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَأَتَانِي رَبِّي فِي أَحْسَنِ صُورَةٍ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ أَتَدْرِي فِيمَ يَخْتَصِمُ الْمَلَأُ الْأَعْلَى؟ فَقُلْتُ لَا يَا رَبِّ قَالَهَا ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ قُلْتُ لَا يَا رَبِّ فَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ بَيْنَ كَتِفَيَّ فَوَجَدْتُ بَرْدَهَا بَيْنَ ثَدْيَيَّ فَتَجَلَّى لِي كُلُّ شَيْءٍ وَعَرَفْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ فِي الدَّرَجَاتِ وَالْكَفَّارَاتِ قَالَ فَمَا الدَّرَجَاتُ؟ قُلْتُ إِطْعَامُ الطَّعَامِ وَإِفْشَاءُ السَّلَامِ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ قَالَ صَدَقْتَ قَالَ فَمَا الْكَفَّارَاتُ؟ قُلْتُ إِسْبَاغُ الْوُضُوءِ فِي السَّبَراتِ وَانْتِظَارُ الصَّلَاةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلَاةِ وَنَقْلُ الْأَقْدَامِ إِلَى الْجُمُعَاتِ قَالَ صَدَقْتَ قَالَ سَلْ يَا مُحَمَّدُ قَالَ قُلْتُ اللهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَتَرْكَ الْمُنْكَرَاتِ وَحُبَّ الْمَسَاكِينِ وَأَنْ تَغْفِرَ لِي وَتَرْحَمَنِي وَإِذَا أَرَدْتَ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِتْنَةً فَاقْبِضْنِي إِلَيْكَ وَأَنَا غَيْرُ مَفْتُونٍ اللهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ وَحُبَّ مَنْ أَحَبَّكَ وَحُبَّ عَمَلٍ يُقَرِّبُنِي إِلَى حُبِّكَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «تُعَلِّمُوهُنَّ وَادْرُسُوهُنَّ فَإِنَّهُنَّ حَقٌّ»
from Ibn 'Abbas that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "During the night, my Lord, Blessed is He, and Most High, came to me in the best of appearances." He (one of the narrators) said - I think he said it was during a dream - "So he said: 'O Muhammad! Do you know in what the most exalted group busy themselves with?'" He said: "I said: 'No.'" He said: "So He placed His Hand between my shoulders, until I sensed its coolness between my breast." - or he said: "on my throat, so I knew what was in the heavens, and what was in the earth. He said: 'O Muhammad! Do you know in what the most exalted group busy themselves with?' I said: 'Yes, in the acts that atone: and the acts that atone are; lingering in the Masjid after the Salat, walking on the feet to the congregation, Isbagh Al-Wudu, in difficulty, and whoever does that, he lives in goodness and dies upon goodness, and his wrongs shall be like that of the day his mother bore him.' He said: 'O Muhammad! When you have performed Salat then say: 'O Allah! Indeed I ask of You, the doing of good deeds, avoiding the evil deeds, and loving the poor. And when you have willed Fitnah for your slave, then take me to You, without making me suffer from Fitnah.'" He [the Prophet ﷺ] said: "And the acts that raise ranks are spreading the Salam, feeding others, and Salat during the night, while the people are sleeping." (Using translation from Tirmidhī 3233)
"أتانى الليلة ربِّى تبارك وتعالى في أحسَنِ صورةٍ - أحسبُهُ قال: في المنام - فقال: يا محمد، هل تدرى فيمَ يخْتَصمُ الملأُ الأعلى؟ قلت: لا، فوضع يده بين كَتِفىَّ حتى وَجَدْتُ بردها بين ثديىَّ، فعلمت ما في السموات وما في الأرض فقال: يا محمد، هل تدرى فيم يختَصم الملأ الأعلى؟ قلتُ: نعم: في الكفَّاراتِ والدَّرجاتِ والكفَّاراتُ: المكثُ في المساجد بعدَ الصلواتِ، والمشى على الأقدامِ إلى الجماعات، وإسباغُ الوضوء في المكارهِ، قال: صدقت يا محمدُ، ومن فعلَ ذلك عاش بخير، وماتَ بخيرٍ، وكان من خَطيئَتهِ كيومَ ولدته أمُّه، وقال: يا محمد، إذا صليت فقلْ: اللهمَّ إنى أسألك فعلَ الخيراتِ، وترك المنكراتِ وحُبَّ المساكين، وأن تغفر لى وترحمنَى وتتوبَ علىّ، وإذا أردت بعبادِك فتنةً فاقبضْنى إليكَ غير مفتونٍ، قال: والدرجاتُ، إفشاءُ السلام، وإطعامُ الطعام، والصلاة بالليل والناسُ نيامٌ".