150 – Muhammad ibn ʿAbbad ibn Musa narrated to me; my father narrated to us, from ʿUbayd Allah ibn Abi Humayd, who said: I heard Bakr ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Muzani say:

“I met one of my brothers from among the weak. I said, ‘My brother, counsel me.’ He replied, ‘I do not know what to say—except that it behoves a servant never to slacken in al-hamd (praise) and istighfar (seeking forgiveness). The child of Adam is always between a blessing and a sin: a blessing is made sound only by praise and gratitude, and a sin is rectified only by tawbah (repentance) and seeking forgiveness.’

Bakr concluded, ‘With that brief advice he enriched me with knowledge beyond anything I could have wished.’