Remove from yourself whatever disgraces it,
And beware the wrongs of time, so you may be safe;
After you depart only your memory will remain—nothing else,
So leave a good report and you will gain.

They say that a person’s reputation after death is his second life in this world. It is therefore incumbent upon the intelligent to read the annals of kings and to ponder the condition of this transient realm—whose fidelity is scant and whose trials are many—and not to yoke their hearts to its empty promises. No righteous man is allowed to abide in it forever, nor does any evildoer escape its reach.

Let the reasonable man also strive not to multiply his adversaries, for contention is a grave and daunting affair. The Creator—exalted is He—is a just Judge; on the Day of Resurrection He will certainly establish justice between opponents, exacting from the wrongdoer for the sake of the wronged. The whole of this world is not worth turning people into foes for its sake, as the following anecdote shows:

Anecdote: Abū ʿAlī ibn Ilyās, the ispahsālār of Nishapur, once visited Shaykh Abū ʿAlī al-Daqqāq—may Allah sanctify his soul—who was the ascetic of his age and the scholar of his time. The emir knelt before him and said, “Admonish me.” The shaykh replied, “O emir, I will ask you one question, and I want an answer without flattery.” The emir said, “I will answer.” The shaykh asked, “O emir, which do you prefer: wealth or an enemy?” He replied, “Wealth is dearer to me than an enemy.” The shaykh said, “Then why do you leave behind what you love and take along with you the enemy you do not love?” The emir wept until his eyes brimmed with tears and said, “This is excellent counsel.” Indeed, all advice and wisdom are contained in these words.

The Creator—glorified and exalted—sent our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as the last of the messengers. Through his blessed mission the abode of disbelief became an abode of faith; he appeared at the most felicitous moment, populated the world with his sacred law, and sealed prophethood with his message.

At that time the throne was held by Khosrow Anushirwan, who surpassed all the kings of Persia in justice, equity, sound policy, and wise administration—all by the blessings of our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.