A part of the same sermon about ascetics منها...
A part of the same sermon about ascetics منها: في صفة الزّهاد They are from among the people of this world but are not its people, because they remain in it as though they do not belong to it. They act herein on what they observe and hasten here in (to avoid) what they fear. Their bodies move among the people of the next world.
They see that the people of this world attach importance to the death of their bodies but they themselves attach more importance to the death of the hearts of those who are living.
كَانُوا قَوْماً مِنْ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا وَلَيْسُوا مِنْ أَهْلِهَا، فَكَانُوا فِيهَا كَمَنْ لَيْسَ مِنْهَا، عَمِلُوا فِيهَا بَمَا يُبْصِرُونَ، وَبَادَرُوا فِيهَا مَا يَحْذَرُونَ، تَقَلَّبُ أَبْدَانُهُمْ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيْ أَهْلِ الاْخِرَةِ، يَرَوْنَ أَهْلَ الدُّنْيَا يُعَظِّمُونَ مَوْتَ أَجْسَادِهِمْ وَهُمْ أَشدُّ إِعْظَاماً لِمَوْتِ قُلُوبِ أَحْيَائِهِمْ. Alternative Sources for Sermon 229 (1) Ibn al-'Athir, al-Nihayah, I, 355, II, 61, 103, III, 174; (2) al-'Amidi, Ghurar, 112, 148, 213. Previous…
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