( ˹Remember, O Prophet˺ when your Lord said to the angels, “I am going to create a human being from clay. So when I have fashioned him and had a spirit of My Own ˹creation˺ breathed into him, fall down in prostration to him.” So the angels prostrated all together— but not Iblîs,1 who acted arrogantly, becoming unfaithful.) Sad 38: 72-74It means that the angels were talking to each other. The Qur’an has told us that they had a dialogue about Allah’s creation of Adam and its purpose, Satan’s abstention from prostrating, and other things that Allah told about in the Qur’an.
(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) said: My Lord, Glorified and Exalted, 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.)
The meaning of they are arguing about atonements, that is: they search and speak in atonements, that is: worships by which Allah the Almighty forgives and erases sins and evils.
وورد أيضًا في السنة النبوية أن الملأ الأعلى يختصمون في الكفارات، فعن ابن عباس-رضي الله عنهما- أن رسول ﷺ قال: “إن الله قالَ لي: يا مُحمَّدُ قلتُ: ربِّ لبَّيكَ، قالَ: فيمَ يختصِمُ الملأُ الأعلى؟ قلتُ: لا أدري ربِّ، قالَها ثلاثًا قالَ: فرأيتُهُ وضعَ كفَّهُ بينَ كتفيَّ حتَّى وجدتُ بردَ أَناملِهِ بينَ ثدييَّ، فتجلَّى لي كلُّ شيءٍ وعرَفتُ، فقالَ: يا محمَّدُ، قلتُ: لبَّيكَ ربِّ، قالَ: فيمَ يختصمُ الملأُ الأعلى؟ قلتُ: في الكفَّاراتِ، قالَ: ما هنَّ؟ قلتُ: مَشيُ الأقدامِ إلى الجماعاتِ، والجلوسُ في المساجدِ بعدَ الصَّلاةِ، وإسباغُ الوضوءِ في المَكْروهاتِ، قالَ: ثمَّ فيمَ؟ قلتُ: إطعامُ الطَّعامِ، ولينُ الكلامِ، والصَّلاةُ باللَّيلِ والنَّاسُ نيامٌ. قالَ: سَل. قُل: اللَّهمَّ إنِّي أسألُكَ فعلَ الخيراتِ، وتركَ المنكراتِ، وحُبَّ المساكينِ، وأن تغفِرَ لي وترحمَني، وإذا أردتَ فتنةً في قومٍ فتوفَّني غيرَ مفتونٍ، وأسألُكَ حبَّكَ وحبَّ من يحبُّكَ، وحبَّ عملٍ يقرِّبُ إلى حُبِّكَ، قالَ رسولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: إنَّها حقٌّ فادرُسوها ثمَّ تعلَّموها”. رواه أحمد والترمذي.
ومعنى يختصمون في الكفارات أي: يَبحَثون ويتَكلَّمون في الكفَّاراتِ، أي: العِباداتِ الَّتي يَغفِرُ ويَمحو بها اللهُ عزَّ وجلَّ الذُّنوبَ والسَّيِّئاتِ.