Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 2.djvu/117

90 she went away, dragging her skirts. Says Omar’s son, ‘I implored God one year (after Omar’s death) to show me my father, till at last I saw him wiping the sweat from his brow and said to him, “How is it with thee, O my father?” “But for God’s mercy,” answered he, “thy father had perished.”’” Then said Nuzhet ez Zeman, “Hear, O august King, the second division of the first chapter of the instances of the followers of the Prophet and other pious men. Says El Hassan of Bassora, ‘Not a soul of the sons of Adam goes forth of the world, without grieving for three things, failure to enjoy what he has amassed, failure to compass what he hoped and failure to provide himself with sufficient provision for that to which he goes.’ It was said to Sufyan, ‘Can a man be devout and yet possess wealth?’ ‘Yes,’ replied he, ‘so he be patient under affliction and return thanks, when God giveth to him.’ When Abdallah ben Sheddad was on his death-bed, he sent for his son Mohammed and admonished him, saying, ‘O my son, I see the messenger of death calling me and so I charge thee to cherish the fear of God, both in public and private. Praise God and be true in thy speech, for the praise of God brings increase of prosperity, and piety in itself is the best of provision, even as says one of the poets:

When Omar ben Abdulaziz succeeded to the Khalifate, he went to his own house and laying hands on all that his