Do not adorn with the soft clothes, and good food, and soft carpets, for the soul is a shelter of every evil and it is a friend of every evil. You -saww are pulling it to obedience of Allah -azwj while it is pulling you -saww to disobey Him -azwj and opposes you -saww from obeying Him -azwj , and it obeys you in what you -saww dislike and rebels when you -saww are satiated, and complains when you -saww are hungry.
وَ تَغْضَبُ إِذَا افْتَقَرَتْ وَ تَتَكَبَّرُ إِذَا اسْتَغْنَتْ وَ تَنْسَى إِذَا كَبِرَتْ وَ تَغْفُلُ إِذَا أَمِنَتْ وَ هِيَ قَرِينَةُ الشَّيْطَانِ وَ مَثَلُ النَّفْسِ كَمَثَلِ النَّعَامَةِ تَأْكُلُ الْكَثِيرَ وَ إِذَا حُمِلَ عَلَيْهَا لَا تَطِيرُ وَ مَثَلُ الدِّفْلَى لَوْنُهُ حَسَنٌ وَ طَعْمُهُ مُرٌّ- And it gets angered when you -saww are impoverished, and is arrogant when you -saww are self-sufficient, and it forget when you -saww get old, and is heedless when you -saww are safe, and it is a pair of Satan -la ; and an example of the soul is like an example of the ostrich.
It eats a lot, and when it is loaded upon, it cannot fly, and an example of the Oleander (flower). It’s colour is excellent and it’s taste is bitter. يَا أَحْمَدُ أَبْغِضِ الدُّنْيَا وَ أَهْلَهَا وَ أَحِبَّ الْآخِرَةَ وَ أَهْلَهَا O Ahmad -saww !
Hate the world and its people, and love the Hereafter and its people!” قَالَ يَا رَبِّ وَ مَنْ أَهْلُ الدُّنْيَا وَ مَنْ أَهْلُ الْآخِرَةِ He -saww said: ‘O Lord -azwj , and who are people of the world, and who are people of the Hereafter?’ قَالَ أَهْلُ الدُّنْيَا مَنْ كَثُرَ أَكْلُهُ وَ ضِحْكُهُ وَ نَوْمُهُ وَ غَضَبُهُ قَلِيلُ الرِّضَا لَا يَعْتَذِرُ إِلَى مَنْ أَسَاءَ إِلَيْهِ وَ لَا يَقْبَلُ مَعْذِرَةَ مَنِ اعْتَذَرَ إِلَيْهِ كَسْلَانُ عِنْدَ الطَّاعَةِ شُجَاعٌ عِنْدَ الْمَعْصِيَةِ أَمَلُهُ بَعِيدٌ وَ أَجَلُهُ قَرِيبٌ لَا يُحَاسِبُ نَفْسَهُ قَلِيلُ الْمَنْفَعَةِ كَثِيرُ الْكَلَامِ قَلِيلُ الْخَوْفِ كَثِيرُ الْفَرَحِ عِنْدَ الطَّعَامِ He -azwj Said: ‘People of the world, his eating, and his laughter, and his sleep, and his anger is a lot.
He is of little satisfaction, not even apologising to the one he is offensive to, nor does he accept an apology from the one apologising to him. He is lazy during the obedience, brace during the disobedience. His hopes are long and his death is near. He does not reckon himself as being of little benefit. He is of a lot of talk, little of fear, a lot of happiness during the meal.