213 – Hamzah b. al-ʿAbbās narrated to me; he said: ʿAbdān b. ʿUthmān transmitted to us; he said: ʿAbd Allāh transmitted to us; he said: al-Aswad b. Shaybān al-Sadūsī related to us; he said: al-Faḍl b. Thawr b. Shaqīq b. Thawr—whose chief concern was his own soul—said:

“I asked al-Ḥasan, ‘Abū Saʿīd, consider two men. One pursues the world through lawful means, attains it, thereby maintains his family ties, and sets something of it aside for his own benefit. The other keeps clear of the world altogether. Which of the two is dearer to you?’

He replied, ‘The one I prefer is the one who has turned away from the world.’ I put the question to him again, and he repeated the same answer.”