104 – Al-Mufaḍḍal ibn Ghassān narrated to me; Rūḥ ibn Aslam narrated; ʿAbd Allāh ibn Bakr ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Muzanī transmitted, and ʿUbayd Allāh ibn al-ʿAyzar said:

“The child of Adam has two houses: one upon the surface of the earth and another beneath it. He turns to the house above ground, decorates and adorns it, fits it with doors facing north and south, and furnishes it with whatever will serve him in winter and summer. Then he turns to the house beneath the earth and leaves it in ruin.

A passer-by came up to him and said, ‘This house that I see you have repaired—how long will you stay in it?’ He replied, ‘I do not know.’ The man asked, ‘And the house you have neglected—how long will you stay in that?’ He answered, ‘That will be my permanent residence.’ The man said, ‘You acknowledge this about yourself while you are a rational person!’”