فَقَدْ رَأَيْتُمْ تَنَكُّرَهَا لِمَنْ دَانَ لَهَا وَآثَرَهَا وَأَخْلَدَ إِلَيْهَا، حِينَ ظَعَنُوا عَنْهَا لَفِرَاقِ الاْبَدِ. هَلْ زَوَّدَتْهُمْ إِلاَّ السَّغَبَ أَوْ أَحَلَّتْهُمْ إِلاَّ الضَّنْكَ أوْ نَوَّرَتْ لَهُمْ إِلاَّ الظُّلْمَةَ؟ أَوْ أَعْقَبَتْهُمْ إِلاَّ النَّدَامَةَ؟ أَفَهذِهِ تُؤْثِرُونَ؟ أَمْ إِلَيْهَا تَطْمَئِنُّونَ؟ أَمْ عَلَيْهَا تَحْرِصُونَ؟ فَبِئْسَتِ الدَّارُ لَمَنْ لَمْ يَتَّهِمْهَا، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهَا عَلَى وَجَلٍ مِنْهَا! فَاعْلَمُوا ـ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ـ بِأَنَّكُمْ تَارِكُوهَا وَظَاعِنُونَ عَنْهَا، وَاتَّعِظُوا فِيهَا بِالَّذِينَ ﴿قَالُوا مَنْ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّةً﴾: حُمِلُوا إِلَى قُبُورِهِمْ فَلاَ يُدْعَوْنَ رُكْبَاناً وَأُنْزِلُوا الاْجْدَاثَ فَلاَ يُدْعَوْنَ ضِيفَاناً، وَجُعِلَ لَهُمْ مِنَ الصَّفِيحِ أَجْنَانٌ وَمِنَ التُّرَابِ أَكْفَانٌ، وَمِنَ الرُّفَاتِ جِيرَانٌ.
You have observed its strangeness towards those who went near it, acquired it and appropriated it, till they depart from it for good. Did it give them any provision other than starvation, or make them stay in other than narrow places, or give them light other than gloom, or give them in the end anything other than repentance? Is this what you much ask for or remain satisfied with, or towards which you feel greedy? How bad is this abode for him he did not suspect it (to be so) and did not entertain fear from it? You should know, as you do know, that you have to leave it and depart from it. While in it, take lesson from those “who proclaimed ‘who is more powerful than we’” (Qur’ān, 41:15) but they were carried to their graves, though not as riders. They were then made to stay in the graves, but not as guests. Graves were made for them from the surface of the ground. Their shrouds were made from earth. Old bones were made their neighbour.