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."  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَتَانِي اللَّيْلَةَ رَبِّي تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى فِي أَحْسَنِ صُورَةٍ قَالَ أَحْسَبُهُ قَالَ فِي الْمَنَامِ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ هَلْ تَدْرِي فِيمَ يَخْتَصِمُ الْمَلأُ الأَعْلَى قَالَ قُلْتُ لاَ قَالَ فَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ بَيْنَ كَتِفَىَّ حَتَّى وَجَدْتُ بَرْدَهَا بَيْنَ ثَدْيَىَّ أَوْ قَالَ فِي نَحْرِي فَعَلِمْتُ مَا فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ قَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ هَلْ تَدْرِي فِيمَ يَخْتَصِمُ الْمَلأُ الأَعْلَى قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ فِي الْكَفَّارَاتِ وَالْكَفَّارَاتُ الْمُكْثُ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ بَعْدَ الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالْمَشْىُ عَلَى الأَقْدَامِ إِلَى الْجَمَاعَاتِ وَإِسْبَاغُ الْوُضُوءِ فِي الْمَكَارِهِ وَمَنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ عَاشَ بِخَيْرٍ وَمَاتَ بِخَيْرٍ وَكَانَ مِنْ خَطِيئَتِهِ كَيَوْمَ وَلَدَتْهُ أُمُّهُ وَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ إِذَا صَلَّيْتَ فَقُلِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَتَرْكَ الْمُنْكَرَاتِ وَحُبَّ الْمَسَاكِينِ وَإِذَا أَرَدْتَ بِعِبَادِكَ فِتْنَةً فَاقْبِضْنِي إِلَيْكَ غَيْرَ مَفْتُونٍ قَالَ وَالدَّرَجَاتُ إِفْشَاءُ السَّلاَمِ وَإِطْعَامُ الطَّعَامِ وَالصَّلاَةُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ  

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)   

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ أَتَانِي رَبِّي ﷻ اللَّيْلَةَ فِي أَحْسَنِ صُورَةٍ أَحْسِبُهُ يَعْنِي فِي النَّوْمِ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ هَلْ تَدْرِيفِيمَ يَخْتَصِمُ الْمَلَأُ الْأَعْلَى؟ قَالَ قُلْتُ لَا قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ بَيْنَ كَتِفَيَّ حَتَّى وَجَدْتُ بَرْدَهَا بَيْنَ ثَدْيَيَّ أَوْ قَالَ نَحْرِي فَعَلِمْتُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ هَلْ تَدْرِي فِيمَ يَخْتَصِمُ الْمَلَأُ الْأَعْلَى؟ قَالَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ يَخْتَصِمُونَ فِي الْكَفَّارَاتِ وَالدَّرَجَاتِ قَالَ وَمَا الْكَفَّارَاتُ وَالدَّرَجَاتُ؟ قَالَ الْمُكْثُ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ بَعْدَ الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالْمَشْيُ عَلَى الْأَقْدَامِ إِلَى الْجَمَاعَاتِ وَإِبْلَاغُ الْوُضُوءِ فِي الْمَكَارِهِ وَمَنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ عَاشَ بِخَيْرٍ وَمَاتَ بِخَيْرٍ وَكَانَ مِنْ خَطِيئَتِهِ كَيَوْمِ وَلَدَتْهُ أُمُّهُ وَقُلْ يَا مُحَمَّدُ إِذَا صَلَّيْتَ اللهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَتَرْكَ الْمُنْكَرَاتِ وَحُبَّ الْمَسَاكِينِ وَإِذَا أَرَدْتَ بِعِبَادِكَ فِتْنَةً أَنْ تَقْبِضَنِي إِلَيْكَ غَيْرَ مَفْتُونٍ قَالَ وَالدَّرَجَاتُ بَذْلُ الطَّعَامِ وَإِفْشَاءُ السَّلَامِ وَالصَّلَاةُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ  

[Machine] On the authority of the Prophet ﷺ , he said: "My Lord came to me in the best form and said, 'O Muhammad!' So, I said, 'At your service, my Lord, and joy be with you.' He said, 'What do the highest angels dispute about?' I said, 'I do not know.' He then placed His hand on my chest, and I knew everything that He asked me about of the matters of the worldly life and the Hereafter. He said, 'What do the highest angels dispute about?' I said, 'They dispute about the degrees (of reward) and the expiation of sins.' He said, 'You have spoken the truth. Whoever does that will live a good life and die a good death, and his sins will be effaced as his mother gave birth to him. As for the expiation of sins, it is by feeding food, spreading peace, speaking good words, praying while people are asleep.' Then, he (the Prophet) said, 'O Allah, I ask You for the performance of good deeds, abstaining from evil, love for the poor, forgiveness, and that You turn to me (in mercy). And when You intend a test for a people, save me from being among the tested ones.'"  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ أَتَانِي رَبِّي فِي أَحْسَنَ صُورَةٍ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ فَقُلْتُ لَبَّيْكَ وَسَعْدَيْكَ قَالَ فِيمَ يَخْتَصِمُ الْمَلَأُ الْأَعْلَى؟ قُلْتُ لَا أَدْرِي فَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ عَلَى ثَدْيَيَّ فَعَلِمْتُ فِي مَقَامِي ذَلِكَ مَا سَأَلَنِي عَنْهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ فَقَالَ فِيمَ يَخْتَصِمُ الْمَلَأُ الْأَعْلَى؟ قُلْتُ فِي الدَّرَجَاتِ وَالْكَفَّارَاتِ فَأَمَّا الدَّرَجَاتُ فَإِبْلَاغُ الْوُضُوءِ فِي السَّبَرَاتِ وَانْتِظَارُ الصَّلَاةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلَوَاتِ قَالَ صَدَقْتَ مَنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ عَاشَ بِخَيْرٍ وَمَاتَ بِخَيْرٍ وَكَانَ مِنْ خَطِيئَتِهِ كَمَا وَلَدَتْهُ أُمُّهُ وَأَمَّا الْكَفَّارَاتُ فَإِطْعَامُ الطَّعَامِ وَإِفْشَاءُ السَّلَامِ وَطِيبُ الْكَلَامِ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ اللهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عَمَلَ الْحَسَنَاتِ وَتَرْكَ السَّيِّئَاتِ وَحُبَّ الْمَسَاكِينِ وَمَغْفِرَةً وَأَنْ تَتُوبَ عَلَيَّ وَإِذَا أَرَدْتَ فِي قَوْمٍ فِتْنَةً فَنَجِّنِي غَيْرَ مَفْتُونٍ