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These inward deeds—such as loving Allah, being sincere to Him, relying upon Him, being content with Him, and the like—are all commanded of the elite and ordinary believers alike. Abandoning them is never praiseworthy for anyone, however elevated their spiritual station may be.

As for “sorrow,” neither Allah nor His Messenger has commanded it. Rather, Allah has forbidden it in several places, even when it concerns religious matters, as in His words, exalted is He:

“Do not lose heart or grieve, for you will have the upper hand, if you are believers.”

And His words:

“Do not grieve over them, nor be distressed by what they plot.”

And His words:

“When he said to his companion, ‘Do not grieve; Allah is with us.’”

And His words:

“Do not let their words grieve you.”

And His words:

“So that you may not grieve over what you have missed, nor exult in what He has given you.”

There are many similar passages. This is because sorrow neither brings benefit nor wards off harm, and thus serves no useful purpose. Allah does not command what serves no useful purpose. Nevertheless, a person incurs no sin on account of sorrow so long as it is not accompanied by anything forbidden, as when someone grieves over calamities. As the Prophet—may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace—said:

“Allah does not hold people to account for the tears of the eyes or the sorrow of the heart, but He holds them to account for this—or shows mercy.” He pointed with his hand to his tongue.

And he—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“The eyes shed tears and the heart grieves