—and become your enemy when you are utterly unaware. It is like a wanton, treacherous woman who entices men: the moment they behold her they fall in love, she invites them to her house, then murders them and brings about their ruin.

A subtle point: Jesus—peace be upon him—once witnessed worldly life during an unveiling, and it appeared to him as a decrepit old crone. He asked her, “How many husbands have you had?” She replied, “They are too many to count.” He said, “Did they die, or did they divorce you?” She answered, “No—I slew them and wiped them out.” He exclaimed, “How astonishing! Such is your treachery toward your companions: people quake before you, fight one another over you, and yet take no lesson from those who have already perished.”

Third example: Among its spells is that it beautifies its outer face with attractive features while concealing within it trials and lethal poisons, thereby deluding the ignorant who judge by appearances. It is like an ugly old woman who hides her visage, dresses in fine clothes, adorns and decks herself to seduce onlookers; but when they lift her veil and uncover her cloak, they regret ever loving her on account of the scandals they now behold and the repulsiveness they now witness. It is reported that on the Day of Resurrection the world will be brought forth in the form of a hideous, disfigured old woman—blue-eyed, grim-faced, baring her fangs. When creation sees her they will say, “We seek refuge in Allah from this revolting creature!” It will be said to them, “This is the world for whose sake you envied one another, harbored malice toward one another, shed innocent blood, severed kinship ties, and were deceived by its glitter.” She will then be ordered into the Fire; she will plead, “My Lord, where are my lovers?” and it will be decreed that they too be flung into Hell with her.

Fourth example: Let a person consider how long he was in non-existence before coming into this world, how long his non-existence will last after death, and what portion this brief span—his life on earth—occupies between pre-eternity and post-eternity. He will realize that worldly life is like a traveler’s path: its beginning is the cradle, its end the grave, with only a limited number of stations in between. Each year is a station, each month a parasang, each day a mile, and every breath a single step. He is always on the move; one traveler may have a parasang left, another more, yet he sits distracted and still, heedless—as though