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.