﴿ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمُ ٱلْوَسِيلَةَ أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ وَيَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتَهُۥ وَيَخَافُونَ عَذَابَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّكَ كَانَ مَحْذُورًۭا ﴾

“Those [saintly beings] whom they invoke are themselves striving to obtain their Sustainer's favour - [even] those among them who are closest [to Him] - hoping for His grace and dreading His chastisement: for, verily, thy Sustainer's chastisement is something to beware of!”

�and they hope for His mercy and fear His chastisement�He said:The outer meaning of His mercy is His Paradise, and its inner meaning is the reality of gnosis (ḥaqīqat al-maʿrifa). Then he said:Truly, fear and hope are two restraining ties (zamāmān) for mankind. If they have equal [sway], a person�s condition [lit. states aḥwāl] will be stabilised, but if one of them preponderates, theother will be cancelled out. Notice how the Prophet said: �If a believer�s hope and fear were weighed they would balance each other.� His words, Exalted is He: