A reminder from 'Rawadhat al Uqala'

Ibn Hibban relates in his book that the poet Abu'l Atahiyya said, 'I went to see Harun ar Rashid, the commander of the faithful, and when he saw me he said, 'Are you Abu'l Atahiyya, the poet?' I said 'Yes' then he said to me,'Give me some counsel in a few lines of poetry, and be brief!'

I recited to him:

Do not feel secure from death at any time:

Even if you seek protection

In advisors and your gaurds,

Know that the arrows of death

Are always pointing in your direction,

Whatever armour and shields we may have.

Do you hope for forgiveness

When you have not trodden its paths?

A ship does not sail on dry land.

Posted via Blogway on my Samsung GS