2. He said: Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Hubaish al-Katib reported to me from al-Hasan Ibn ‘Ali al-Za’farani, from Abu
Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Thaqafi, from Habib ibn Nasr, from Ahmad ibn Bashir ibn Sulaiman, from Hisham ibn Muhammad, from his father Muhammad ibn al-Saeb, from Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Yamani, from
Ikramah, who said
I heard Abdullah ibn Abbas telling his son ‘Ali ibn Abdillah that: "Let knowledge be the treasure you amass; and be more jubilant because of that, than treasuring pink gold. For I am entrusting to you an advice which if you heed, then Allah will combine for (the success in) your affairs in this world and the next. Do not be of those who hope for the hereafter without any deeds, and procrastinated seeking repentance because of prolonged hope. He speaks in this world like an ascetic, but acts like the one inclined. If given something in it, he is never content, and if favoured, he is never satisfied. He is unable to thank for what has been given, and desires to get from what is remaining. He enjoins but does not practice it, claims to love the righteous, but does not act the way they do, and pretends to hate the ignorant, while he is one of them. He says: ’I do not act and suffer hard work, why should I not rest and hope?’ So he hopes to be forgiven while he is engaged in disobedience (to Allah). He has lived in it (i.e. the world) long enough to remember the admonitions. And for the bygone, he says: ’Had I worked and built, it would have been my asset’; and as for the remaining days, he goes on disobeying his Lord without any scruple. If struck by illness, he does not repent for not having acted, and if recovers, he feels secure and conceited and then delays further to act. He is self-conceited when healthy, and despondent when afflicted. If favoured, be becomes insolent, and when granted in plenty, he ruins (himself). His mind deludes him in matters which are doubtful (i.e. the worldly affairs), and does not overcome him in matters which he knows as certain (i.e. death and hereafter). He has no trust in the sustenance, which has been guaranteed for him and is not content with his share. He does not show willingness before he toils, and does not toil for which he is inclined. If he finds himself self-sufficient he becomes wanton and arrogant, and if he becomes poor he loses hope. He hopes for more without being content, and wastes from himself that which is more. He fears death because of his own evil deeds yet does not abandon the evil in his life. When desires tempt him, he falls into sins and then hopes for forgiveness, and when told to act for the hereafter he resists. When supplicating, he exaggerates his keenness, but when it comes to act, he is remiss. He is insistent when seeking favours, and is deficient when it comes to act. Rushes into the worldly affairs tiring himself to indisposition, and when he recovers, engages in errors with negligence. He fears death, but does not care about the missed opportunity. When he sees the little sins of others, he feel concerned about it, but for himself, he is hopeful without any deeds. He censures others, and at the same is self-congratulating. He prefers to be trusted when pleased, and adopts dishonesty when displeased. If he is healthy or recovers from illness, he believes he has been pardoned and if he is taken ill, he covets health and then repeats (his evil deeds). He neither stands at night (for prayers) nor does he pass his day fasting. A day breaks and he worries about his lunch, and an evening falls and he thinks of dinner. Those above him seek refuge with Allah from his evil (intentions) and those below him are not safe from him in spite of the refuge. When he hates, he ruins himself in going to its extreme, and does not fall short when he loves. Little things upset him, and on having plentiful, he transgresses. He wants to be obeyed, while he remains disobedient. May we turn to Allah for help!"