omens—“it is nothing but a notion one of you finds within himself, so let it not turn you back.” Whoever merely suspects yet does not pursue his suspicion incurs no blame for it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When you feel envy, do not transgress; when you harbor suspicion, do not seek to verify it; and when an omen occurs to you, then go ahead and rely upon Allah.”

Whoever gives admonition should keep it brief, for if he becomes excessive he is more in need of admonition than the one he is addressing. Concealing a believer’s fault is obligatory so long as he keeps it hidden; he is left to his Lord. If he publicizes it, he must be advised and rebuked; should he persist and expose his defiance, the penalty ordained by Allah and prescribed by the sunnah must be carried out upon him.

It is ignorance enough for a person to denounce in others what he recognizes in himself. When a door of goodness is opened before someone, let him hasten to enter and remain steadfast, for he does not know when it may be shut. Meeting people with a pleasant face is charity, and a man preserves his dignity so long as courtesy does not slip into flattery, for flattery is hypocrisy. He who consults a sincere Muslim adviser will not be ruined, and he who lives within his means will not be impoverished. Contentment is a wealth that never runs out.

Everything that is coming is near, and death will assuredly arrive. Whoever remembers it often and keeps it before his eyes will be diverted from worldly craving and driven toward godfearingness. Once something has passed, it is as though it never existed. Fortunate indeed is the one who takes warning from the fate of others. Renunciation of the world is to shorten one’s hopes. Nothing accompanies a person to his grave or benefits him there except the righteous deeds he sent ahead. And may Allah