54 – ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us; ʿAbd al-Raḥīm ibn Yaḥyā mentioned—ʿUthmān ibn ʿUmāra transmitted, from Muḥammad ibn Khalaf al-ʿAmmī, from Mālik ibn Dīnār, who said:

“I was circling the House when I noticed a man making ṭawāf, his eyes raised toward the sky and saying, ‘O Pardoner of those who stumble, pardon my stumble and forgive my sin.’ After he had completed his seven circuits I followed him and said, ‘Teach me, may Allah have mercy on you, some of what Allah has taught you.’

He asked, ‘Do you know Mālik ibn Dīnār?’ I replied, ‘Yes. Give me whatever counsel you wish so that I may convey it to him.’

He said, ‘Convey my greetings of peace to him and say: Fear Allah and beware of altering or replacing (the religion), for if you do so you will be held in contempt by the Lord of all worlds. Then say to him: Fear Allah, adhere to patience, content yourself with only what is necessary from this world, restrain your anger, suppress your rage, and swallow the bitterness. Inform him that tomorrow Allah will set up a standing-place where He will take restitution for the hornless creature from the horned one.

‘Then tell him to call himself to account and to fear Allah, his Lord. Say to him: Paradise is good—its fragrance sweet, its water pure, its drink delightful, and its spouses many; there is neither impurity nor vexation in it. Then say to him: Hell is putrid in odor, vile in drink, deep in pit, and painful in punishment; Allah has prepared it for the proud and the arrogant.’”