Moons of the night:
Those people have lit the night with their tears, and become moons of the night. Humble submissiveness and longing spurred them on; the Quran grasped their hearts, which hovered around the signs of the universe. Thus, the pearls of the night [i.e., tears] welled forth from their eyes.
The most precious tears:
These are the tears of the beloved Prophet, , whose tears are the most precious that have ever flowed or wetted the earth.
His beloved wife in this world and the Hereafter, ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, told us about his condition during the night. ‘Ataa’ and ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr entered upon ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, and said: “‘Tell us about the most amazing thing that you saw from the Prophet .’
She wept and said,
The Prophet woke up one night and said: “O ‘Aa’ishah, let me worship my Lord.” I said to him, “O Messenger of Allah, I love to be near you, but I also love what pleases you.” Then, he performed ablution and started praying and weeping until he wet his lap, then he wept until he wet his beard and went on weeping until he wet the ground. When Bilaal came to wake him up to perform Al-Fajr Prayer and saw him weeping, he said, "O Messenger of Allah! Why are you weeping while Allah The Almighty has forgiven you your past and future sins?" The Prophet replied: "Should I not be a grateful slave to Allah! Today, a verse was revealed to me; woe to whoever reads it and does not reflect upon it. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding. Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], "Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.} [Quran 3:190-191]’" [Al-Albaani: Saheeh]
The weeping lion:
‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, may Allah be pleased with him, is the lion of Islam, who showed extraordinary courage in the battlefield and was the best example of courageous fighting. However, in addition to this courage, he was endowed with another form of power: the power of the tears that liberated him from earthy restraints. Our hero is ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, may Allah be pleased with him, who ascended the highest peak of courage.
Dhiraar ibn Dhamrah Al-Kinaani described him before Mu’aawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, saying,
By Allah, he was far-sighted and very strong. He spoke with truthful finality, so that, through him, the truth became distinguished from falsehood. He ruled justly, and knowledge gushed forth from him, as did wisdom. He felt an aversion to the world and its pleasures. He felt comfortable with the night and its darkness (meaning he prayed a lot). By Allah, he would cry profusely (from fear of Allah); he would spend long periods of time in contemplation, during which he would converse with his soul. He showed a liking for coarse garments and simple food. By Allah, it was as if – in his humility -- he was one of us: when we asked him a question, he would answer us. Yet, in spite of his closeness to us, we would not speak (freely) with him out of reverence.
I swear, by Allah, that on certain occasions, I saw him in his place of prayer when the night was dark and few stars could be seen; he would be holding his beard and crying in the way a very sad person cries. And I would hear him saying, “O my Lord, O my Lord (begging Him)”, then he addressed the world saying, “O world, O world, are you offering yourself to me? Do you desire me? Never! Never! Deceive someone other than me, I have divorced you thrice, so that you cannot return to me (metaphorically, of course; he is alluding to the fact that, in Islam, the third divorce is final). Your life is short, the existence you offer is base, and your danger is great. Alas, for the scarcity of sustenance (good deeds), the great distance of the journey, and the loneliness of the road!
Upon hearing this description, Mu’aawiyah’s eyes filled with tears, and not being able to hold them from gushing forth, he was compelled to wipe them with his cuffs; and the same can be said of those who were present. Mu’aawiyah then said “May Allah have mercy on the father of Al-Hasan, for he was, by Allah, just as you described him.”