210 – ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us; he said: ʿAlī b. al-Ḥasan b. Abī Maryam related to me, from ʿAbd Allāh b. al-Ḥasan b. Abī Maryam, from ʿAbd Allāh b. Ṣāliḥ b. Muslim al-ʿIjlī, from Muʿādh al-Ḥaddāʾ, who said:

ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, may Allah be pleased with him, once heard a man vilifying the world, whereupon he said to him: ⦗104⦘

“Indeed, it is a house of truth for the one who treats it truthfully; a home of well-being for the one who understands it; and a place of riches for whoever provisions himself from it. It is the mosque of Allah’s beloved servants, the landing place of His revelation, the prayer-ground of His angels, and the marketplace of His friends—where they earn mercy and make a profit of Paradise.

So who dares disparage the world after it has announced its own departure, called out in its midst, and delivered the eulogy of itself and its people? Through its calamities it has laid bare the essence of tribulation, and through its fleeting joys it has stirred longing for everlasting joy. Some people blame it when regret overtakes them, while others praise it: it spoke to them and they believed it; it reminded them and they took heed.

O you who languish over the world, deluded by its deception! When did it ever entice you—no, when did it actually beguile you? Was it at the resting places of your fathers now swallowed by the dust, or at the graves of your mothers given over to decay? How often have you turned a dying body with your own hands, nursed it hoping for a cure, and summoned physicians for it—yet you never attained what you sought, nor achieved what you hoped for.

By that person’s deathbed the world has portrayed for you your own tomorrow—on the Day when your tears will be of no avail and your loved ones will be unable to benefit you.”