436 – Ahmad ibn Ibrahim narrated to us; he said: Mansur ibn Bashir related to me, from Shuʿayb ibn Ṣafwan, from ʿIsa, that ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAziz wrote to a man:

“To proceed: I counsel you to fear Allah, and to hurry—so far as you are able—to send ahead from your wealth and whatever provision Allah has granted you to the abode of your permanent residence. By Allah, it is as though death has already reached you and you have seen what comes after it through the turning of night and day, for they are swift in folding up one’s allotted term and eroding one’s lifespan, poised to deal with whoever remains exactly as they have dealt with those who have passed on. So we ask Allah to forgive the evil of our deeds, and we seek refuge in Him lest His wrath overtake us for the very admonitions we give while falling short in carrying them out.”