455 – Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to me; he said: a man from Quraysh reported:

A man once wrote to his brother:

“To proceed: I am confiding in you about myself with matters I find displeasing, and about my heart with things whose evil outcome I dread. I have a soul that loves ease, a heart that craves pleasures, and a resolve that finds obedience burdensome. I have frightened my soul with calamities, warned my heart of death, and rebuked my determination for falling short—yet I am not satisfied with the results of any of these efforts. Show me something that will help me with part of what I have complained to you about, for I fear death before I am prepared for it. Peace.”

He replied to him:

“To proceed: My wonder only grows at a heart that becomes attached to the world and longs for permanence, while the hours are carrying us away and the days are folding up our lives. How can we grow fond of something that has no stability ⦗196⦘, and how can an eye enjoy rest when we do not know—perhaps it will not open again after its next sleep except before Allah for questioning? Peace.”