فَلاَ تَنَافَسُوا فِي عِزِّ الدُّنْيَا وَفَخْرِهَا، وَلاَ تَعْجَبُوا بَزِينَتِهَا وَنَعِيمِهَا، وَلاَ تَجْزَعُوا مِنْ ضَرَّائِهَا وَبُؤْسِهَا، فَإِنَّ عِزَّهَا وَفَخْرَهَا إِلَى انْقِطَاع، وَزِينَتَهَا وَنَعِيمَهَا إِلَى زَوَال، وَضَرَّاءَهَا وَبُؤْسَهَا إِلَى نَفَاد، وَكُلُّ مُدَّة فِيهَا إِلَى انْتِهَاء، وَكُلُّ حَيٍّ فِيهَا إِلَى فَنَاء. أَوَلَيْسَ لَكُمْ في آثَارِ الاْوَّلِينَ مُزْدَجَرٌ، وَفِي آبَائِكُمُ الْمَاضِينَ تَبْصِرَةٌ وَمُعْتَبَرٌ، إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ! أَوَلَمْ تَرَوْا إِلَى الْمَاضِينَ مِنْكُمْ لاَ يَرْجِعُونَ، وَإِلَى الْخَلَفِ الباقِي لاَ يَبْقَوْنَ!
So do not hanker after worldly honour and its pride, and do not feel happy over its beauties and bounties nor wail over its damages and misfortunate because its honour and pride would end while its beauty and bounty would perish, and its damages and misfortunates would pass away. Every period in it has an end and every living being in it is to die. Is not there for you a warning in the relics of the predecessors and an eye opener and lesson in your fore-fathers, provided you understand? Do you not see that your predecessors do not come back and the surviving followers do not remain?