57 – Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān narrated to me, from a man of Quraysh, who said:

A man wrote to his brother, saying:

"Now then: I am writing to inform you about myself in ways I do not approve of, and about my heart in matters whose evil outcome I fear. I have a soul that loves ease, a heart that is fond of pleasures, and an ambition that finds obedience burdensome. I have frightened my soul with the perils that lie ahead, warned my heart about death, and rebuked my resolve for its shortcomings, yet I am not satisfied with the response I receive from any of them. So guide me to something that will help me with what I have complained to you of, for I fear death before I have made ready for it. Peace."

⦗39⦘ He replied:

"Now then: My amazement only increases at a heart that grows attached to the world and still longs to remain, while the hours are carrying us away and the days are folding up our lifespans. How can we become attached to what will never endure? And how can an eye find delight when it may not open after its next sleep except in the presence of Allah? Peace."