It befits the bearer of the Qur’an to be known by his night when the people are asleep; by his day when the people are feasting; by his caution when the people mix [the lawful and the unlawful]; by his humility when the people are proud; by his grief when the people are happy; by his weeping when the people are laughing; and by his silence when the people chatter.

—’Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd [d. 32H]

(Read on pg 42, Imam Abu Baker Muhammad b. al-Husayn al-Ajurri, The Character of the Bearers and People of the Qur’an. Al-Quran Society. London:2002.)