Abu Muhammad ibn Ramin said: I said to Abu Muhammad, “That was Ahmad’s admonition to you; now admonish me yourself.”

He replied, “Know—may Allah have mercy on you—that Allah, exalted is He, places His servants where their hearts settle with their concerns. So look to where your heart settles. And know that Allah, glorified be He, draws near to hearts in proportion to the nearness they show to Him (1); so consider who it is that is closest to your heart.”

He then recited:
The hearts of certain men have camped behind the veil,
while their spirits abide in realms beyond.
The bliss of intimacy wafts about them in the glory of nearness;
roaming through the pure monotheism of the Sovereign they are free.
Within the courtyard of proximity, from His sheer bounty,
they are granted gifts of generosity whose worth is immense.

Al-Khaṭīb said: I then said to Ibn Ramin (2), “That was al-Humaydi’s admonition to you; now admonish me yourself.”

He replied, “Fear Allah, trust in Him, and never suspect Him, for His testing of you is better than your testing of yourself.”

He then recited:
Make Allah your Companion (3)
and leave mankind aside;
Test people as you wish—
you will find them scorpions.

Abu al-Faraj Ghayth al-Ṣūrī said: I said to al-Khaṭīb, “That was Ibn Ramin’s admonition to you; now admonish me yourself.”

He replied, “Beware of your own soul—for it is your fiercest enemy—lest you follow it in its desires, for that is your most stubborn disease. Confront it with fear of Allah Most High by opposing it, and keep reminding your heart of its traits and qualities, for it is ever-commanding to evil and indecency, leading whoever obeys it to destruction and calamity. In all your affairs make truthfulness your aim: ‘And do not follow desire, for it will lead you astray from the way of Allah’ [Ṣād 38:26]. Allah has guaranteed that whoever opposes his passions will have the Garden of Eternity as his resting place and abode.”

He then recited—his own verses:
If you would seek pure guidance
for both your worldly life and the Hereafter,
Then oppose the soul in its caprice—
for passion gathers every kind of corruption. (4)

Ibn ʿAsākir (5) said: The sound report is that Ibrāhīm ibn Adham died in the year 162 AH. Others said 161, and it was also said 163; the correct view is that of Ibn ʿAsākir, and Allah knows best. They relate that he died on one of the Byzantine islands while manning the frontier, and that on the night he died he went out to relieve himself about twenty times, and each time he renewed