And this too is an act of worship, for it involves falling down before Allah and weeping for Him. Both are acts of worship offered to Allah. Indeed, weeping for Allah—as when someone weeps out of fear of Allah—is among the finest acts of worship. It has been reported:

“Two eyes will not be touched by the Fire: an eye that spends the night standing guard in Allah’s cause, and an eye that sheds a tear the size of a fly’s head out of fear of Allah.”

In the two Sahīh collections, it is reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Seven will be shaded by Allah in His shade on the Day when there is no shade but His: a just ruler; a young man who grew up worshipping Allah; two men who love one another for Allah’s sake, meeting and parting on that basis; a man who remembers Allah in solitude and whose eyes overflow with tears; a man whose heart remains attached to the mosque from the time he leaves it until he returns; a man who gives charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand spends; and a man whom a woman of high standing and beauty invites to herself, but who says, ‘I fear Allah, Lord of all worlds.’”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, mentioned these seven because each perfected the act of worship he undertook. An author has written a work describing them, entitled al-Lum‘a fī Awsāf al-Sab‘a (A Glimpse of the Qualities of the Seven).

The just ruler has fulfilled all the duties of rulership. The young man who grew up worshipping Allah has fulfilled all the duties of worshipping Allah. The man whose heart is attached to the mosques has fully maintained their worship through the five daily prayers, in accordance with His words:

“The mosques of Allah are maintained only by those who believe in Allah.”

The chaste man has perfected his fear of Allah; the giver of charity has perfected his giving for Allah’s sake; and the one who weeps has perfected his sincerity.