2337. ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; my father narrated to us; ʿAlī narrated to us; ʿAbd Allah informed us; and Mālik ibn Mighwal informed us, saying:

“It has reached us that a man was once praised in the presence of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. He asked, ‘How often does he remember death?’ They replied, ‘We have not heard him mention it—or at least not very much.’ He then said, ‘How does he restrain himself from what he desires?’ They answered, ‘He freely partakes of worldly enjoyments.’ He responded, ‘Then he is not your companion—over there.’

It is also reported that someone said to al-Rabīʿ ibn Abī Rāshid, ‘Will you not sit down?’ He replied, ‘If the remembrance of death leaves my heart for even an hour, my heart becomes corrupt.’ Mālik remarked, ‘I have never seen a man who showed greater sadness than he did.’