480 – Abu al-ʿAbbas al-Azdi, ʿUbayd Allah ibn Jarir, narrated to me; he said: Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr related to us. Ibn al-Sammak said, “People used to say, ‘Whatever of this world slips away from you is a profit.’”

He added: Saʿid ibn Abi al-Hasan once spoke about the world, whereupon al-Hasan said, “O Saʿid, you have been so heedless that you have even mentioned the world!”

Al-Hasan also said, “If we had no sins except our love for the world, we would still fear that Allah might punish us.”

A man likewise said to his companions, “Come, let us ask Allah’s forgiveness for something people never repent of—our love for the world.”

And it was said: “Deeds are corrupted only because hopes become too long-term.”