“The earth indeed weeps for a man, and it weeps over a man— it weeps for him who worked upon it in obedience to Allah, and it weeps for him who worked upon it in disobedience to Allah, burdening it. Then he recited: ‘Neither the heavens nor the earth wept over them’ (ad-Dukhan 44:29). Concerning the verse ‘So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it’ (az-Zalzalah 99:7–8), he explained: A disbeliever who does an atom’s weight of good will perceive its reward in his own self, in his family, and in his wealth until he leaves this world without any good remaining for him; and a believer who does an atom’s weight of evil will witness its punishment in his own self, in his family, and in his wealth until he departs this world with no evil left for him. (Reported by al-Tabari, Tafsir, 30/268; and by Abu Nu‘aym, al-Hilya, 3/213.) He also said: “What reassures me is that Allah has not observed me in some deed I despise and judged me for it—’Go away, I will not forgive you’— even though the marvels of the Qur’an address me on many matters, so that night would pass before I have fulfilled my need.” (Narrated by Abu Nu‘aym in al-Hilya 3/214; and mentioned by al-Dhahabi in Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’, 5:65–66.) ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-Aziz once wrote to Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb asking to purchase his slave Salim—who was renowned for piety and asceticism. Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb replied: “I have arranged for his manumission after my death.” (Dabbara al-ʿabd: to stipulate the slave’s freedom upon the owner’s passing.) He added: “Have him visit me.” (In some manuscripts “increase it for me,” but the reliable reading in al-Hilya 5/329 is azurinihi, ‘have him visit me.’) Salim then came, and ʿUmar said: “I am tested by what you see, and by Allah I fear I will not be saved.” Salim replied: “If you are as you describe, this is your salvation; otherwise, it is the very thing you fear.” ʿUmar asked: “O Salim, advise me.” He answered: “Adam (peace be upon him) committed a single sin and was expelled from Paradise—yet you, despite committing sins, still hope for Paradise.” Then Salim remained silent. (Narrated by Abu Nu‘aym in al-Hilya 3/214 & 5/329.) I remarked: “The situation is as some chapters of the Qur’an teach: ‘You sow evil deeds yet hope for good—grapes are not gathered from thorns.’ One sin begets another, yet you expect… the ranks of Paradise and the pure life of the worshipper. And you forget that Allah expelled Adam… from it into this world by a single sin.” (The author cites this in his Tafsir 1/82. Before these couplets he wrote: “O you who gaze with half-closed eyes…observing the matter without truly observing.”) He also said: “Whoever recites the Qur’an will be granted insight, even if he lives to two hundred years of age.” (Mentioned by Ibn al-Jawzi in Sifat al-Safwa 2/133.) When a man asked him, “What do you say about repentance?” he replied: “I do not do it well.” The man asked: “Have you considered if you were to make a covenant with Allah never to disobey Him?” He answered: “Who is more culpable than the one who imposes conditions on Allah so that He will not carry out His own command?” Al-Hafiz Abu al-Qasim Sulayman ibn Ahmad al-Tabarani reported: “Ibn ʿAbd al-Aziz narrated to us; Abu ʿUbayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam narrated to us; ʿAbbad ibn ʿAbbad narrated to us; from Hisham ibn Ziyad al-Amiqdam. They all said: Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb al-Quradhi narrated to us; he said: Ibn ʿAbbas reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Whoever wishes to be the wealthiest of people, let him place what is in Allah’s hand more securely than what is in his own hand. Shall I not inform you of your worst among you?’ They said: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said: ‘The one who travels alone, withholds support, and beats his slave. Shall I inform you of something worse than this?’ They said: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said: ‘The one who neither overlooks a slip, nor accepts an excuse, nor forgives a sin.’ Then he said: ‘Shall I inform you of something worse than this?’ They said: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said: ‘The one in whom no good is hoped for and whose evil is not feared.’ Then ʿIsa ibn Maryam stood among the Children of Israel as a preacher and said: ‘O Children of Israel, do not speak words of wisdom before the ignorant lest you oppress them, nor withhold it from its rightful owners lest you wrong them—nor oppress an oppressor, nor retaliate against an oppressor, lest your merit be nullified before your Lord. O Children of Israel, matters fall into three categories: those whose right guidance is clear—so follow them; those whose error is clear—so avoid them; and those on which there is disagreement—so refer them to Allah.’ And these exact phrases are not reliably preserved from the Prophet ﷺ.”