Hadith: O Allah, I ask You to help me do good deeds and abstain from evil ones, to grant me the love of the poor and needy, and to forgive me and have mercy on me. And if it is Your Will that you put some people to trial (regarding their faith), then make me die without being put to that trial. I ask You to grant me Your Love, the love of those who love You, and the love of deeds that bring me closer to Your Love

عن معاذ بن جبل رضي الله عنه قال: احتَبسَ عنَّا رسولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ذات غداة من صلاة الصُّبح حتى كِدْنا نتراءى عينَ الشمس، فخرج سريعًا فثوَّب بالصلاة، فصلَّى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وتجوَّز في صلاته، فلمَّا سلَّم دعا بصوته فقال لنا: «على مَصَافِّكم كما أنتم» ثم انْفَتَل إلينا فقال: «أمَا إني سأحدِّثكم ما حبسني عنكم الغداة: إني قمتُ من الليل فتوضَّأت فصلَّيتُ ما قُدِّر لي فنعَستُ في صلاتي فاستثقلتُ، فإذا أنا بربي تبارك وتعالى في أحسن صورة، فقال: يا محمد قلت: لبَّيك ربِّ، قال: فيمَ يختصم الملأُ الأعلى؟ قلتُ: لا أدري ربِّ، قالها ثلاثا قال: «فرأيتُه وضع كفِّه بين كتفيَّ حتى وجدتُ بَردَ أنامله بين ثدييَّ، فتجلَّى لي كلُّ شيء وعرفتُ، فقال: يا محمد، قلتُ: لبَّيك ربِّ، قال: فيمَ يختصم الملأُ الأعلى؟ قلتُ: في الكَفَّارات، قال: ما هن؟ قلتُ: مشيُ الأقدام إلى الجماعات، والجلوسُ في المساجد بعد الصلوات، وإسباغُ الوضوء في المكروهات، قال: ثم فيمَ؟ قلت: إطعامُ الطعام، ولِينُ الكلام، والصلاةُ بالليل والناس نِيام. قال: سَلْ. قلت: اللهم إني أسألك فِعْلَ الخيرات، وتَرْكَ المنكرات، وحبَّ المساكين، وأن تغفر لي وترحمني، وإذا أردتَ فتنةً في قوم فتوفَّني غير مفتون، وأسألُك حبَّك وحبَّ مَن يحبُّك، وحبَّ عَمَلٍ يُقرِّب إلى حبِّك»، قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: «إنها حقٌّ فادرسوها ثم تعلَّموها».
[صحيح] - [رواه الترمذي وأحمد]

Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: One morning, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stayed home and did not come out to offer the Fajr prayer until the sun almost rose. Then he came out in a hurry and led us in the prayer, which he performed quicker than at his usual pace. After the prayer was over, he asked us to remain in our places, and then he said to us: "I will tell you what caused me to be late. I got up at night to pray. I made ablution and then prayed as much as Allah willed me to pray. I dozed off while praying and fell into a deep sleep, whereupon I saw My Lord, Glorified and Exalted, in the best appearance. He said to me: 'O Muhammad.' I said: 'Here I am, my Lord.' He said: 'Do you know what the higher assembly (of angels) argue about?' I said: 'My Lord, I do not know.' He asked me three times, and then I saw Him put His Palm between my shoulders until I felt the coolness of His fingertips between my breasts. Consequently, everything became clear to me and I had knowledge. He asked me: 'O Muhammad.' I said: 'Here I am, my Lord.' He said: 'Do you know what the higher assembly (of angels) argue about?' I said: 'About acts of expiation (for sins).' He said: 'What are they?' I said: 'Walking to join congregational prayers, sitting in the mosques after prayers, and performing ablution properly when it is difficult (to do so).' He asked me: 'Then about what else?' I said: 'Feeding people, lenient speech, and offering prayer at night while the people are asleep.' He said: 'Ask Me anything.' I said: 'O Allah, I ask You to help me do good deeds and abstain from evil ones, to grant me the love of the poor and needy, and to forgive me and have mercy on me. And if it is Your Will that You put some people to trial (regarding their faith), then make me die without being put to that trial. I ask You to grant me 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 (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) then said: "These words are true, so study them and then learn them."
[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by At-Termedhy - Narrated by Ahmad]

Explanation

Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was late one morning in coming out to lead them in the Fajr prayer, until it was almost time for sunrise. Then he came out hurriedly, ordered them to make the Iqāmah, and led them in a relatively quick prayer. When he finished the prayer, he ordered them to remain in their places in the rows. Then he told them about the reason for his coming late to the Fajr prayer. He said that he got up at night, made ablution, prayed as much voluntary prayer as Allah willed him to pray, and then fell asleep during his prayer. In his sleep, he had a vision of His Lord, the Exalted, in the best appearance, and He asked him: “What do the close angels talk about?” He said: “I do not know.” This question and answer occurred three times. Then the Exalted Lord put His palm between the Prophet’s shoulders until the Prophet felt the coolness of Allah’s Fingers in his chest. The Prophet’s description of his Lord, the Almighty, is truthful. It is obligatory to believe in it just as Allah described Himself, without drawing any similarities between Him and His creation. Whoever has difficulty in understanding this, then let him say what those who are firmly grounded in knowledge have said: as Allah says about them in the Qur’an: {We believe in it, all of it is from our Lord}, and he should not burden himself with trying to interpret what he has no knowledge of, lest it leads him to ruin. Any time the believers hear speech which is similar to this, they should say: this is what Allah and His Messenger told us, and Allah and His Messenger have said the truth. This only increases their faith and submission to their Lord. When the Lord placed His hand between the Prophet’s shoulders, everything was revealed to him and he knew the answer to the question, so he said: “They are talking and discussing and arguing the traits that expiate sins.” Their arguing is that they compete in recording those deeds and taking them up to the heavens, or their discussing the virtue and nobility of those deeds. These deeds are: walking to the congregational prayer, sitting in the mosque after the prayer to recite Qur’an and Dhikr, listening to knowledge and teaching it to others, and performing a perfect ablution when it is difficult to do so, as in the case of extremely cold weather. Then the Lord said to him: “And then what are the close angels arguing about?” The Prophet answered: “Feeding people, speaking to people with good kind words, and praying at night (voluntary night prayer) while the people are asleep.” Then the Lord said to him: “Ask me whatever you want.” So the Prophet asked Allah to grant him success in doing good deeds and shunning evil deeds; to make him love the poor and less fortunate; to forgive him and have mercy upon him; and that if Allah willed to put a people through a trial that might lead them astray, he would take his life without being put to that trial or being led astray by it. He also asked Him to grant him love of Him, and love of those who love Allah, and love of everything that gets one closer to Allah. Finally, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told his Companions that this vision was true and ordered them to study it and learn the meanings and rulings that it implies.