8. O, he who asks about the people bygone, Is there no lesson for you in what you see?
Back to book8 - قال: أخبرني أبو الحسن [علي بن] أحمد بن إبراهيم الكاتب قال: حدثنا أبو علي محمد بن همام الإسكافي قال: حدثني محمد بن أحمد الترمذي قال: حدثنا عبيد الله بن عمر القواريري قال: حدثنا جعفر بن سليمان الضبعي قال: سمعت مالك بن دينار يقول: أتيت الجبانة فوقفت عليها ثم قلت: أتيت القبور فناديتها * فأين المعظم والمحتقر وأين الملبي إذا ما دعي * وأين العزيز إذا ما افتخر وأين المدل بسلطانه * وأين القوي إذا ما قدر قال: فأجابني صوت من ناحية المقابر ولا أرى له صورة: تفانوا جميعا فما مختبر * فماتوا جميعا ومات الخبر تروح وتغدو بنات الثرى * فتمحو محاسن تلك الصور فيا سائلي عن أناس مضوا * أما لك فيما ترى معتبر وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وآله الطاهرين وسلم تسليما.
8. He said: Abul Hasan ‘Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Katib informed me from Abu ‘Ali Muhammad ibn Hammam al-Iskafi, who reported from Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Tirmidhi, who reported from Ubaidullah ibn Umar al-Qawariri, who reported from Ja’far ibn Sulaiman al-Dhubaee’ who said: Once, I came to a deserted graveyard and I heard Malik ibn Dinar say that: "I have come to the graves and exclaimed, Where are great ones, and where are those who were considered lowly; And where are those who were promptly answered when they summoned, And where is the mighty one, proud of his might? And where is the one conceited about his authority, And where is the powerful one, who wielded his prowess?" He said: A voice answered me, though I would see no face; "They vied each other for destruction, and there is no sign, they all died, and (with them) the news (about them) died. The earthly insects and worms come and go, and destroy the beauty of those faces, O, he who asks about the people bygone, Is there no lesson for you in what you see? And may Allah bless our master Muhammad and his immaculate progeny