Al-Zuhd - Ahmad Ibn Hanbal - (308)

2241 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; my father narrated to us; ʿAbd Allah ibn Yazīd—relying on his memory—narrated to us; ʿUyaynah ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān narrated to us; ʿAlī ibn Zayd ibn Judʿān narrated to me; he said:

A man from the Anṣār was overtaken by death, so he said to his son, “My dear son, I am entrusting you with a counsel, so preserve it well; for if you fail to keep it from me, you are unlikely to keep it from anyone else.

Fear Allah—glorified and exalted is He—and if you can be better today than you were yesterday, and better tomorrow than you are today, then do so.

Beware of greed, for it is present poverty. Hold fast to al-iyās (contented renunciation), for you never abandon hope in something but that Allah enriches you beyond it. Beware of everything for which an excuse must be made, for no excuse is ever offered for something good. When any son of Adam stumbles, praise Allah that you are not the one who slipped. And when you rise for your prayer, pray the prayer of one bidding farewell, convinced that you will never pray after it again.”

٢٢٤١ - حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يَزِيدَ، بِحِفْظِهِ، حَدَّثَنَا عُيَيْنَةُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، حَدَّثَنِي عَلِيُّ بْنُ زَيْدِ بْنِ جُدْعَانَ قَالَ: حَضَرَ رَجُلًا مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ الْمَوْتُ فَقَالَ لِابْنِهِ: يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي مُوصِيكَ بِوَصِيَّةٍ فَاحْفَظْهَا فَإِنَّكَ إِلَّا تَحْفَظْهَا مِنِّي خَلِيقٌ أَنْ لَا تَحْفَظَهَا مِنْ غَيْرِي اتَّقِ اللَّهَ – Exalté soit-Il – وَإِنْ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تَكُونَ خَيْرًا مِنْكَ أَمْسِ، وَغَدًا خَيْرًا مِنْكَ الْيَوْمَ فَافْعَلْ وَإِيَّاكَ وَالطَّمَعَ فَإِنَّهُ فَقْرٌ حَاضِرٌ وَعَلَيْكَ بِالْإِيَاسِ فَإِنَّكَ لَا تَيْأَسْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا أَغْنَاكَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَإِيَّاكَ وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ يُعْتَذَرُ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يُعْتَذَرُ مِنْ خَيْرٍ وَإِذَا عَثَرَ عَاثِرٌ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ فَاحْمَدِ اللَّهَ أَنْ لَا تَكُونَهُ فَإِذَا قُمْتَ إِلَى صَلَاتِكَ فَصَلِّ صَلَاةَ الْمُوَدِّعِ وَأَنْتَ تَرَى أَنَّكَ لَا تُصَلِّي بَعْدَهَا أَبَدًا "