أَمَّا اللَّيْلَ فَصَافُّونَ أَقْدَامَهُمْ، تَالِينَ لاَِجْزَاءِ الْقُرْآنِ يُرَتِّلُونَهَا تَرْتِيلاً، يُحَزِّنُونَ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهُمْ، وَيَسْتَثِيرُونَ بِهِ دَوَاءَ دَائِهِمْ، فَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِآيَة فِيهَا تَشْوِيقٌ رَكَنُوا إِلَيْهَا طَمَعاً، وَتَطَلَّعَتْ نُفُوسُهُمْ إِلَيْهَا شَوْقاً، وَظَنُّوا أنَّهَا نُصْبَ أَعْيُنِهِمْ، وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِآيَة فِيهَا تَخْوِيفٌ أَصْغَوْا إِلَيْهَا مَسَامِعَ قُلُوبِهِمْ، وَظَنُّوا أَنَّ زَفِيرَ جَهَنَّمَ وَشَهِيقَهَا فِي أُصُولِ آذَانِهِمْ، فَهُمْ حَانُونَ عَلَى أَوْسَاطِهِمْ، مُفْتَرِشُونَ لِجَبَاهِهِمْ وَأَكُفِّهِمْ، وَأَطْرَافِ أَقْدَامِهِمْ، يَطْلُبُونَ إِلَى اللهِ فِي فَكَاكِ رِقَابِهِمْ. وَأَمَّا النَّهَارَ فَحُلَمَاءُ عُلَمَاءُ، أَبْرَارٌ أَتْقِيَاءُ، قَدْ بَرَاهُمْ الْخَوْفُ بَرْيَ الْقِدَاحِ، يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهمُ الْنَّاظِرُ فَيَحْسَبُهُمْ مَرْضَى، وَمَا بِالْقَوْمِ مِنْ مَرَض، وَيَقُولُ: قَدْ خُولِطُوا!
During a night they are upstanding on their feet reading portions of the Qur’ān and reciting it in a well-measured way, creating through it grief for themselves and seeking by it the cure for their ailments. If they come across a verse creating eagerness (for Paradise) they pursue it avidly, and their spirits turn towards it eagerly, and they feel as if it is in front of them. And when they come across a verse which contains fear (of Hell) they bend the ears of their hearts towards it, and feel as though the sound of Hell and its cries are reaching their ears. They bend themselves from their backs, prostrate themselves on their foreheads, their palms, their knees and their toes, and beseech Allāh, the Sublime, for their deliverance. During the day they are enduring, learned, virtuous and God-fearing. Fear (of Allāh) has made them thin like arrows. If any one looks at them he believes they are sick, although they are not sick, and he says that they have gone mad.