لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ أَصْحَابَ مُحَمَّد (صلى الله عليه وآله)، فَمَا أَرَى أَحَداً يُشْبِهُهُمْ مِنْكُمْ! لَقَدْ كَانُوا يُصْبِحُونَ شُعْثاً غُبْراً، قَدْ بَاتُوا سُجّداً وَقِيَاماً، يُرَاوِحُونَ بَيْنَ جِبَاهِهِمْ وَخُدُودِهِمْ، وَيَقِفُونَ عَلَى مِثْلِ الْجَمْرِ مِنْ ذِكْرِ مَعَادِهِمْ! كَأَنَّ بَيْنَ أَعْيُنهِمْ رُكَبَ الْمِعْزَى مِنْ طُولِ سُجُودِهِمْ! إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللهُ هَمَلَتْ أَعْيُنُهُمْ حَتَّى تَبُلَّ جُيُوبَهُمْ، وَمَادُوا كَمَا يَمِيدُ الشَّجَرُ يَوْمَ الرِّيحِ الْعَاصِفِ، خَوْفاً مِنَ الْعِقَابِ، وَرَجَاءً لِلثَّوَابِ!
I have seen the companions of the Prophet but I do not find anyone resembling them. They began the day with dust on the hair and face (in hardship of life) and passed the night in prostration and standing in prayers. Sometimes they put down their foreheads and sometimes their cheeks. With the recollection of their resurrection it seemed as though they stood on live coal. It seemed that in between their eyes there were signs like knees of goats, resulting from long prostrations. When Allāh was mentioned their eyes flowed freely till their shirt collars were drenched. They trembled for fear of punishment and hope of reward as the tree trembles on the day of stormy wind.