What he was told to ask for in the dream
It came at the end of a question about the highest assembly.
أَسْأَلُكَ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَتَرْكَ الْمُنْكَرَاتِ وَحُبَّ الْمَسَاكِينِ وَإِذَا أَرَدْتَ بِعِبَادِكَ فِتْنَةً فَاقْبِضْنِي إِلَيْكَ غَيْرَ مَفْتُونٍ
Asʾaluka fiʿla-l-khayrāt, wa tarka-l-munkarāt, wa ḥubba-l-masākīn. Wa idhā aradta bi-ʿibādika fitnatan fa-qbiḍnī ilayka ghayra maftūn
“I ask You for the doing of good things, and the leaving of wrong things, and the love of the poor. And when You intend a trial for Your servants, take me to Yourself untried by it.”
Where this comes from
Ibn Abbas reports the dream. He was asked what the highest assembly was disputing about and said he did not know, and a hand was placed between his shoulders until he felt the cold of it in his chest, and then he knew what was in the heavens and the earth. This is what he was told to say.
The full narration
Narrated Abu Qilabah: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
Source
Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī · 3233
- Ahmad Muhammad Shakir: Sahih
- Al-Albani: Sahih
- Zubair Ali Zai: Hasan