The Messenger of Allah (s) said: He who recognizes Allah and His greatness will have purified his speech, [purified] his stomach of food, and supported himself with fasting and standing in prayer. They said: May our mothers and our fathers be your sacrifice, O Messenger of Allah – are these the friends of Allah? He said: The friends of Allah are silent, and their silence is remembrance [of Allah]; they observe, and their observation is a lesson; they speak, and their speech is wisdom; and they walk, and their walking in the midst of the people is a blessing. Were it not for the term decreed for them, their spirits would not have remained settled in their bodies out of fear of punishment and out of desire for reward.