and they came upon a treasure. “We are hungry,” they said, “so let one of us go and buy some food.” One of them set off, and on the way he thought, “The sensible course is to mix a deadly poison into the food so the other two will eat it and die; then I shall have the treasure to myself.” He did exactly that, lacing the provisions with poison.
Meanwhile, the two who had stayed behind agreed that when their companion returned they would kill him and keep the treasure for themselves. When he came back with the poisoned food, they killed him; then they ate the food and both of them died. Jesus—peace be upon him—passed by the scene and said to the disciples, “This is what the world does: it has slain these three and yet it remains after them. Woe to those who chase the world because of what the world does to them.”
The Second Insight: Awareness of the Last Breath
Know, O Sovereign of the world, that the children of Adam fall into two groups. One group looks only at the outward state of this world and pins its hopes on a long life. The other, the people of sound reason, fix their gaze on the final breath: they ponder what their end will be, how they will depart from this world while their faith is still intact, what will accompany them from this world into their graves, and what they will leave behind for their enemies to inherit—burdens whose punishment will rebound upon them. This reflection is obligatory for everyone, but it is even more obligatory for kings and worldly folk, for they have often troubled people’s hearts, sent their underlings to commit wrongs, filled creation with fear, and cast terror into the hearts of others.
In the presence of the Almighty stands a deputy named ʿIzrāʾīl (the Angel of Death); no one can escape his summons or elude him. All the messengers of earthly kings take their fees in gold, silver, or food, whereas this deputy accepts nothing but the soul itself. Intercession benefits those under every other deputy, but with this one no intercessor can help. All other envoys grant their charges a day, a night, or even an hour’s reprieve; this deputy does not grant a single breath. His astonishing affairs are many, yet we shall relate five stories about him.