—a single piece of cloth: if they covered his head with it, his feet remained exposed, and if they covered his feet, his head became bare. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, therefore instructed that his head be covered and that some idhkhar—a well-known desert grass eaten by livestock—be placed over his feet to hide them.

He went on to say, “And among us”—meaning the Emigrants—“are those for whom this world has ripened,” that is, it has matured and borne fruit, “so he plucks it,” meaning he gathers, harvests, and enjoys it. No one knows, however, whether the earlier group or the later group is better. The worldly life is extremely perilous for a person, as the ḥadiths the author cited make clear. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said, “Every nation has its trial, and the trial of my nation is wealth.” When wealth becomes plentiful, people forget the Hereafter. For this reason we are discouraged from acquiring extensive estates—gardens and orchards—for a person can become absorbed in them and neglect matters of the Hereafter that are far more important.

In sum, one ought to be detached from this world and eager for the next. If Allah provides him with wealth, he should make it an aid in obeying Allah, keeping the world in his hand, not in his heart, so that he may profit in both this world and the next: “By the declining day! Truly mankind is in loss, except those who believe, do righteous deeds, exhort one another to truth, and exhort one another to patience” (Al-ʿAṣr 103:1–3).

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then recited Allah’s words: “Rivalry in worldly increase distracts you, until you visit the graves” (Al-Takāthur 102:1–2). “Distracts you” means it busies you away from reflecting on the graves, on death, and on what comes after. “Until you visit the graves” means that a person remains engrossed in this world until he dies. Then he, upon him