241 – Abū ʿAlī al-Najjār related to me that the following was carved upon a grave-tablet:

O buried dead, veiled beneath the earth’s dark clay,
You once would visit graves, but now you neither feel nor see.
When you were borne a lifeless form to the burial ground that day,
No tear remained congealed but melted into flowing grief.
You have taken up residence among a folk who keep no company,
And all the nourishment their guest receives is honor’s silent hospitality.