(1) Bibliographic: al-Hilya, vol. 4, p. 71. (2) He said: “Allah has eighteen thousand worlds; this world is but one of them, and building on ruins is like pitching a tent in the desert.” Reference: Abu Nu‘aym, al-Hilya, vol. 4, p. 70. (3) Al-Tabarānī reports that he said: “If you wish to act in obedience to Allah, then exert yourself in sincerity (naṣīḥa) and your deeds for His sake, for deeds are not accepted from one who is not sincere, and sincerity to Allah is not perfected except by obeying Him. It is like a good fruit—its fragrance is its sincerity, its taste is its deed. Likewise, in obedience to Allah the fragrance is sincerity and the taste is action. Then adorn your obedience with forbearance, reason, religious knowledge (fiqh), and practice; exalt yourself above the character of the foolish and the slaves of the world, and train yourself in the manners of the prophets and the practicing scholars; accustom yourself to the conduct of the wise, and shun the deeds of the wretched; adhere to the way of the pious and isolate yourself—(in al-Hilya: “so withdraw”)—from the paths of the wicked. Whatever good you possess, help those below you with it; whatever deficiency you find in those below you, strengthen them until they reach you, for the wise are those who gather their surplus and share it with those beneath them. They look at deficiencies in those below them, fortify them, and encourage them until they reach them. If he is a jurist, he supports one who lacks knowledge when he sees his intention to accompany and assist him. If he has wealth, he gives to one who has none. If he is a reformer, he seeks forgiveness for the sinner and hopes for his repentance. If he is benevolent, he does good to one who wronged him, thereby earning his own reward. He does not rely on words until he perfects them in deed; when he has done the deed well, he considers Allah’s grace and favor upon him and does not long for another act without immediately doing it. When he attains a level of obedience to Allah, he praises Allah for what he has achieved, then seeks what he has not yet achieved. If he recalls a sin, he conceals it from people and seeks Allah’s forgiveness, for He alone can forgive it. If he learns something of wisdom, he is not satisfied with it but seeks what he has not yet attained. He does not resort to any lying, for lying is like a worm in a body that nearly devours it, or like rot in wood that appears sound outside but is hollow within—it deceives until it breaks apart and destroys the one who trusted it. So too lying in speech: its owner is deceived by it, believing it will help him in his need until his untruth is exposed, and intellectuals see its deceit. Jurists then uncover what was hidden, and when they learn of it, they reject his report, invalidate his testimony, question his honesty, disparage his status, despise his company, and distrust his inner self. They withhold their trust, exclude him from their affairs, keep him away from their councils, never entrust him with their secrets, and refuse to adjudicate their disputes. ” Reference: Abu Nu‘aym, al-Hilya, vol. 4, pp. 36–37 (citing al-Tabarānī). (4) ‘Abd al-Mun‘im ibn ‘Idrīs narrated from his father, from Wahb, that Luqmān said to his son: “The example of those who remember Allah and those who are heedless is like that of light and darkness.” (5) He said: “I read in the Torah four successive lines: ‘Whoever reads the Book of Allah and thinks he will not be forgiven is among those who mock Allah’s verses; whoever complains about a trial that befalls him, complains to his Lord out of regret for what he missed of this world and shows displeasure at his Lord’s decree; and whoever humbles himself before a wealthy person loses one-third of his faith.’ ” References: Aḥmad, al-Zuhd, p. 85; Abu Nu‘aym, al-Hilya, vol. 3, p. 38; al-Bayhaqī, Shu‘ab al-Īmān, vol. 7, p. 213, no. 10043. (In Shu‘ab al-Īmān the phrase is “two-thirds of one’s faith.”) (6) Wahb also said: “I read in the Torah: ‘Any city built by the strength of the weak is doomed to ruin; and any wealth amassed unlawfully hastens poverty upon its owners.’ ” (7) ‘Abdullāh ibn al-Mubārak said (in his Kitāb al-Zuhd, p. 108, no. 318): ‘Mu‘ammar reported from Muḥammad ibn ‘Amr that he heard Wahb ibn Munabbih say: “I found in some books that Allah the Exalted said: ‘If My servant obeys Me, I will respond to him with...’ ” ’ (Note: The remainder of the report was not provided.)