68 – Dawud ibn Muhammad ibn Yazid narrated to me: Ibn al-Sammak used to say in his exhortations:

“My brothers! Is there anyone preparing for that which has been foretold and now lies before him? Is there anyone making ready for the day of his poverty and need? Is there a young man who has resolved to hasten toward his appointed death, undeluded by the freshness of his youth, the vigor of his strength, or the long horizon of hopes people his age usually entertain? Is there an old man who hastens on now that his span is drawing to a close and his appetite is fading, serious and sleeves-rolled for what remains of his life-breath?

What is the man waiting for whose hair has turned white after being black, whose skin has slackened after once being firm, whose back has bent after standing straight and tall; whose strength has waned, whose stride has shortened, whose sight has dimmed, whose taste for food has lessened, whose sleep has fled; for whom all things have grown strange, and whose teeth have worn away little by little while he yet lives?

May Allah have mercy on the one who understands his own condition, takes prudent care of his own soul, and seizes every night that comes upon him and every day that passes.” ⦗72⦘

69 – Abu al-Hasan al-Tamimi narrated to us; Yunus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿla reported: “Which line of poetry did the Arabs regard as the most eloquent?” ʿAbd Allah replied, “It is the verse of the poet who said:”