109 – Muḥammad ibn ʿAbbād ibn Mūsā al-ʿUkli related to me, saying: My father narrated to me, from Sufyān ibn Ḥusayn:

Nawār bint Aʿyan ibn Ḍubayʿa al-Najāshī—the wife of the poet al-Farazdaq—died, and al-Ḥasan attended her funeral. When the earth had been leveled over her grave, al-Farazdaq stood up and recited:

I fear what lies beyond the grave—unless You pardon me—
A blaze more scorching, a confinement yet more tight.

When, on the Day of Resurrection, a fierce escort approaches me,
A driver who drags al-Farazdaq on.

Ruined is the child of Adam who is led to the Fire,
Shackled, driven on, his eyes turned blue with terror.

⦗107⦘

The narrator said, “By Allah, he moved the people to tears that day.” Then al-Ḥasan asked, “What are the people saying?” Al-Farazdaq replied, “They are saying, ‘You are the best of people, and I am the worst of people.’” Al-Ḥasan said, “I am not the best of people, nor are you the worst of people.” He then asked, “What have you readied for that Day?” Al-Farazdaq answered, “For seventy years I have borne witness that there is no god but Allah.” Al-Ḥasan remarked, “Hold fast to that—take it even from one who is no jurist.”