Mūsā ibn Khalaf al-‘Ammī narrated to us, saying: Yahyā ibn Abī Kathīr narrated to us, from Zayd ibn Sallām, from his grandfather Mamtūr, from ‘Abd al-Rahmān al-Saksakī, from Mālik ibn Yukhāmir, from Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal, who said:

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was delayed in coming to lead us in the dawn prayer until the sun was about to rise. After leading us in the dawn prayer, he said, “Last night I prayed as much as was decreed for me and lay down on my side in the mosque. Then my Lord, Mighty and Majestic, came to me in the most beautiful form and said, ‘O Muhammad, do you know what the highest assembly is disputing about?’ I replied, ‘No, my Lord.’ He asked this three times, and I replied, ‘No, my Lord.’ Then He placed His hand between my shoulders, and I felt its coolness in my chest. Everything became clear to me, and I came to know it. I said, ‘About expiations.’ He asked, ‘What, then, are the deeds that raise one’s rank?’ I replied, ‘Feeding others, spreading the greeting of peace, and praying at night while people are asleep.’ He said, ‘You have spoken the truth. What, then, are the expiations?’ I replied, ‘Performing ablution thoroughly in