ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan narrated to me, on the authority of Abū Wahb Muḥammad ibn Muzāḥim, who said: Ibn al-Mubārak was asked, “Which deed is best?” He replied, “al-waraʿ (scrupulous piety).” They then said, “What is al-waraʿ?” He answered, “That you would refrain even from something as small as this,” and he picked up a bit of earth from the ground.