456 – Hārūn ibn ʿAbd Allāh related to me; Ahmad ibn Muḥammad al-Azraqī related to us; Dawūd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us. Qāsim ibn Hāshim also related to me, and both of them said: “Hishām ibn ʿAmmār related to us; Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān ibn Bilāl ibn Abī al-Dardāʾ said:

Abū al-Dardāʾ once wrote to one of his brothers, fearing that the man had become overly attached to his child:

‘To proceed: My brother, nothing you possess of this world is truly yours; it belonged to others before you and will belong to others after you. You are merely storing up for someone who will never thank you, and it will pass on to someone who will not excuse you. In the end you are gathering for one of two men: either a righteous man who will prosper through what cost you hardship, or a corrupt man who will be ruined by what you amassed for him. Neither of them is worthy that you prefer him over your own soul, nor should you bend your back to carry him.

So rest assured: for those of them who have gone ahead is the mercy of Allah, and for those who remain is the provision of Allah. And peace.’