Al-Asma’i reported: Abu al-Miqdam (Hisham ibn Ziyad) narrated from Muhammad ibn Kaʿb al-Qurzi that he was asked, “What is the sign of khidhlan (divine abandonment)?” He replied, “When a man finds repulsive what he once valued, and values what he once found repulsive.” Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak—recorded by Ibn al-Mubarak in az-Zuhd (p. 97) and by Abu Nuʿaym in al-Hilya (vol. 3, p. 214)—related that Abd Allah ibn Abd Allah ibn Muhayhab said: “I heard ibn Kaʿb say, ‘To recite the Quran through the night until morning—so that when Al-Zalzala and Al-Qariʿah descend I do not add to them—and to reflect repeatedly upon them is more beloved to me than to disperse the Quran haphazardly.’ He added, ‘If it were ever permitted to abandon dhikr (remembrance of Allah), that concession would have been granted to Zakariyya (peace be upon him); Allah says, “‘Your sign is that you shall not speak to people for three days except by gesture. And remember your Lord much and glorify Him in the evening and the morning’ (Quran 3:41).” Thus, if forsaking dhikr were allowed, Zakariyya would have been exempted. Likewise, it would have been allowed for those fighting in Allah’s cause, for Allah says, “‘O you who believe, when you meet a force stand firm and remember Allah much that you may succeed’ (Quran 8:45).” Ibn Kaʿb further explained the verse, “‘Be patient, persevere, and keep your duty’ (Quran 3:200),’” saying, “Be steadfast in your religion, persevere in the pledge you have made, and be vigilant against your enemy both outwardly and inwardly; and ‘fear Allah’ concerning what is between Me and you, that you may succeed when you meet Me.” On “‘Unless he had seen a proof of his Lord’ (Quran 12:24),” he remarked, “It refers to knowledge of what the Quran has made lawful concerning what it has forbidden.” Commenting on “‘From it are branches reaching to one’s palate’ (Quran 11:100),” he said, “The qaʾim (standing clusters) are those still attached to their stalks, and the hasīd (gleaned clusters) are those already harvested and thus removed.” Regarding “‘Indeed, its punishment will be a grievous penalty’ (Quran 25:65),” he explained, “They were charged for the blessings they enjoyed in this life; in another report, Allah asked them the value of a blessing, and when they could not determine it, He held them accountable for its price and cast them into Hell.” (al-Hilya 3:216) Qutayba ibn Saʿid related that Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi al-Mawali heard Muhammad ibn Kaʿb comment on the verse, “‘And whatever you give of interest to increase within the wealth of people—it increases not with Allah; but whatever you give in charity, seeking the countenance of Allah—it is those who will get a multiplied reward’ (Quran 30:39).” He said, “It refers to one who gives his wealth to another to reward him or to cause him to increase; such giving does not increase with Allah. Those who truly multiply are those who give for Allah’s sake alone, seeking no recompense.” On “‘Insert me by an entrance of truth and bring me forth by an exit of truth’ (Quran 17:80),” he said, “Make both my private and my public life good.” It is also said: “‘Insert me by an entrance of truth’ into righteous deeds (i.e., sincerity), and ‘bring me out by an exit of truth’ (i.e., safely).” Regarding “‘Or he casts his hearing while he is a listener’ (Quran 50:37),” he observed, “It describes one who hears the Quran while his heart is elsewhere.” On “‘So hasten to the remembrance of Allah’ (Quran 62:9),” he noted, “Hastening refers to swift action, not to exertion.” He added that the major sins are three: to feel secure from Allah’s plotting, to despair of Allah’s mercy, and to lose hope in Allah’s rūḥ (spirit). Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak—also recorded by Ibn al-Mubarak in az-Zuhd (p. 96) and by Abu Nuʿaym in al-Hilya (3:213)—reported that Musa ibn Ubayda related from Muhammad ibn Kaʿb: “When Allah intends good for a servant, He instills three qualities in him: understanding of the religion, asceticism in the world, and insight into his own faults.” He also said, “The world is an abode of anxiety; the happy shun it, and it is snatched from the grasp of the wretched. Thus, the most wretched are those who most desire it, and the happiest are those who most renounce it. It seduces the one who pursues it, destroys the one who follows it, and betrays the one who yields to it. Its knowledge is ignorance, its wealth is poverty, its increase is loss, and its days are mere changes.” And Ibn al-Mubarak narrates in his Kitab al-Zuhd (p. 150) from Dawud ibn Qays that he heard Muhammad ibn Kaʿb say: …