Hadith 39

(The book) ‘Al Kafi’ – From Ali, from Ibn Isa, from Yunus, from Abu Jameela who said, ‘Abu Abdullah-asws said: ‘Amir Al-Momineen-asws wrote to one of his-asws companions advising him: ‘I-asws hereby advise you, and myself-asws with fearing the One-azwj the disobedience to Whom is not Permissible. Neither can anyone else be hoped to nor can anyone be self-sufficient except by Him-azwj, for the one who fears Allah-azwj Majestic and Mighty would be strong, and satiated and quenched, and his intellect would be higher than the people of the world. So his body would be with the people of the world, but his heart and mind would be eyeing the Hereafter. Thus, he would extinguish by the illumination of his heart, whatever his eyes visualize from the love of the world. He considers its Prohibitions as filthy and keeps aside from its doubtful matters, which would harm (him), by Allah-azwj, with the clear Permissible, except what is inevitable for him from its crumbs, intensifying his backbone with it, and a (piece of) cloth to cover his nakedness with from the coarsest of what he can find and its roughest. And there does not happen to be for him, regarding what is inevitable for him from it, neither any reliability nor hope. So his reliance and his hopes are upon the Creator of the things, therefore he struggles, and strives, and exhausts his body until his ribs are manifested and his two eyes sink. So Allah-azwj Exchanges for him, from that, strength in his body, and intensity in his intellect, and whatever He-azwj has Treasured for him in the Hereafter is more. Therefore, reject the world, for the love of the world would blind, and deaf and mute, and would disgrace the necks. So manage whatever is remaining from your life and do not say, ‘Tomorrow’, or ‘After tomorrow’, for rather, destroyed were the ones who were before you by their staying upon their aspirations and their procrastinations until the Command of Allah-azwj came to them suddenly and they were heedless. So they were transferred upon the planks (of wood) into their graves, the dark, the narrow, and the children and the family members had submitted them. He cut-off (from others) to Allah-azwj with a penitent heart from rejecting the world and a determination where was not breakage nor betrayal. May Allah-azwj Assist us-asws and you upon obeying Him-azwj and may Allah-azwj Harmonise us-asws and you to His-azwj Pleasure’’. [46]
Explanation – Amir Al-Momineen-asws said: ‘I-asws did not uproot the door of Khyber with physical strength, but by spiritual strength’’.