He said to me one day, “Ahmad, a little hunger, a little humiliation, a little nakedness, a little poverty, and a little patience—and the days of this world will already have passed you by.” (1)

He related: One day (2) he longed for a hot loaf of bread with a little salt. I brought it to him; he took a single bite, then cast it aside, burst into tears and said, “My Lord, You have hastened my desire for me. You have prolonged my toil and misery, and I repent—so accept my repentance.” (3) After that he never tasted salt again until he returned to Allah—exalted is He. (4)

I heard him say, “I have never been pleased with myself for even the blink of an eye; and if all the people on earth joined forces to humble me as much as I humble myself (5) they would not succeed.” (6)

I also heard him say, “Whoever sees any worth in himself has never tasted the sweetness of service.” (7)

And he said, “When devotees of worship force themselves to speak only in flawless grammar, khushūʿ (devotional humility) departs from their hearts.” (8)

He went on to say, “Whoever thinks well of Allah yet feels no fear of Him is deluded. (9) Fear should outweigh hope; when hope prevails over fear, the heart becomes corrupt.” (10)

He asked me one day, “Is there a rank higher than patience?” I replied, “Yes—contentment.” At that he let out a loud cry and fainted; when he regained consciousness he said, “If those who are merely patient are granted their reward without measure, what do you think of the others (11)—those with whom Allah is well pleased?”

Abu Sulayman said, “I would not be pleased to possess the entire world from its beginning to its end and spend it all in every avenue of righteousness if, in doing so, I were heedless of Allah for the blink of an eye.” (12)