Assuredly God's friends, those immersed in the source of the ipseity of [exclusive] unity through the annihilation of the ego, no fear shall befall them, since no remnant of them remains by which they might fear privation, nor [do they have] any ultimate goal beyond what they have attained so that they might then fear the veils of this [pursuit], neither shall they grieve, because of the impossibility of anything in the way of perfections and pleasures eluding them that they might then grieve for it. It is related from Saʿīd b. Jubayr that the Messenger of God, may God's blessings and peace be upon him, was once asked, 'Who are these [friends]ḍ', to which he replied, 'They are the ones the sight of whom provokes remembrance of God', which is a subtle allusion from him, peace be upon him. It is also related from ʿUmar [bin al-Khaṭṭāb], may God be satisfied with him: 'I heard the Messenger of God say, “Verily there are servants of God who are neither prophets nor martyrs but are envied by the prophets and the martyrs on the Day of Resurrection for their place with God”. They asked [the Prophet], “O Messenger of God, pray tell who are they and what [sort of] deeds did they perform, that perhaps we might love themḍ” He said, “They are a folk whose love for one another is through God and not on the basis of any kinship or any business they conduct with one another. By God their faces are light and verily they stand upon minbars of light, fearing not when people have fear, neither grieving when people grieve”, whereupon he recited this [above] verse'. As for his saying that they are 'upon minbars of light', he means by this that they are connected to the higher spiritual principles, such as the First Intellect and what comes after that.
