'Umar ibn 'Abdul 'Azeez (rahimahullaah) used to say, "None can reach the station of taqwaa until he possesses neither action nor words that can be exposed to his embarrassment either in this world or the Hereafter." He was once asked, "When does the worshipper reach the peak of taqwaa?" He replied, "If he put all his thoughts and desires in his heart on a plate and then wandered around in the market, he should not feel ashamed of anything there."
According to `Abdallaah - his father - al-Fudayl - `Abdallaah: I was told that `Umar bin `Abd al-Azeez wrote to the Syrian army as follows:
"As-salaamu `alaikum wa rahmatullaah. Now then, whoever contemplates death frequently speaks little, while he who knows that death is certain is satisfied with a little. Farewell."
For variant versions of this sermon, see Ibn `Abd al-Hakam, Seerah 43-45, 132-33; Ibn Katheer, Bidaayah, IX, 199; This translation was taken from The History of al-Tabaree, Vol XXIV, by D.S.Powers/ http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=83
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