وَمنْ غِيَرِهَا أَنَّكَ تَرَى الْمَرْحُومَ مَغْبُوطاً، والْمَغْبُوطَ مَرْحُوماً، لَيْسَ ذلِكَ إِلاَّ نَعِيماً زَلَّ، وَبُؤْساً نَزَلَ. وَمِنْ عِبَرِهَا أَنَّ المَرْءَ يُشْرِفُ عَلَى أَمَلِهِ فَيَقْتَطِعُهُ حُضُورُ أَجَلِهِ، فَلاَ أَمَلٌ يُدْرَكُ، وَلاَ مُؤَمَّلٌ يُتْرَكُ. فَسُبْحَانَ اللهِ، مَا أَعَزَّ سُرُورَهَا! وَأَظْمَأَ رِيَّهَا! وَأَضْحَى فَيْئَهَا! لاَ جَاء يُرَدُّ، وَلاَ مَاض يَرْتَدُّ. فَسُبْحَانَ اللهِ، مَا أَقْرَبَ الْحَيَّ مِنَ المَيِّتِ لِلَحَاقِهِ بِهِ، وَأَبْعَدَ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ لاِنْقِطَاعِهِ عَنْهُ!
As for its changes, you see a pitiable man becoming enviable and an enviable man becoming pitiable. This is because the wealth has gone and misfortune has come to him. As for its lessons, a man reaches near (realization of) his desires when (suddenly) the approach of his death cuts them; then neither the desire is achieved nor the desires spared. Glory to Allāh, how deceitful are its pleasures, how thirst-rousing its quenching and how sunny its shade. That which approaches (i.e. death) cannot be sent back, he who goes away does not return. Glory to Allāh, how near is the living to the dead because he will meet him soon and how far is the dead from the living because he has gone away from him.