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Ghazali_Letters_To_Statemen, page : 2
world appears to be but a dust particle.
May it please your most excellent Majesty and I realize that for an ambitious man it is
very hard to lead a pious life but as I find you very honest and careful, I would have you
do this out of wisdom and kindness to yourself.
Our Holy Prophet, praise and peace be upon him said: "A day spent administering
justice by a monarch who fears Allah is equal to sixty years spent by a pious man in
devotion and prayers." If you would ponder over the nature of this world, it would appear
dreadfully contemptible. Some mystics have said: "If this world could be likened to a
picture which is unstable and frail, and the next world could be compared to a pitcher
which is unbreakable and durable, wise men would certainly prefer the latter to the
former.
As a matter of fact, the reality of this quote otherwise. This world is a pitcher made of
earth, while the next is a pitcher of gold. Wouldn't you condemn the folly in a man who
holds the former to be superior to the latter. If you like a good life and fix your dearest
hopes on Paradise, a day of your life would be worth sixty years spent by others in
May it please your most excellent Majesty and I realize that for an ambitious man it is
very hard to lead a pious life but as I find you very honest and careful, I would have you
do this out of wisdom and kindness to yourself.
Our Holy Prophet, praise and peace be upon him said: "A day spent administering
justice by a monarch who fears Allah is equal to sixty years spent by a pious man in
devotion and prayers." If you would ponder over the nature of this world, it would appear
dreadfully contemptible. Some mystics have said: "If this world could be likened to a
picture which is unstable and frail, and the next world could be compared to a pitcher
which is unbreakable and durable, wise men would certainly prefer the latter to the
former.
As a matter of fact, the reality of this quote otherwise. This world is a pitcher made of
earth, while the next is a pitcher of gold. Wouldn't you condemn the folly in a man who
holds the former to be superior to the latter. If you like a good life and fix your dearest
hopes on Paradise, a day of your life would be worth sixty years spent by others in