655 — Abū Jaʿfar, a freedman of Banū Hāshim, related to me, from Abū Zayd Muhammad ibn Hassān, who said: I heard Ibn al-Mubārak say:

[The khafīf meter]

“Whenever you are free and at ease,
seize two units of prayer to draw nearer to Allah.
When you are about to utter vain words,
replace them with words glorifying Allah.
Seizing the opportunity to remain silent is better than indulging in talk,
even if you are eloquent in speech.”