Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 38150 — Reports from al-Shabi

Mis'ar said: Zayd al-Ammi gave me a letter in which it was written that a man advised his son: O my son! Become a person who keeps away from people out of self-sufficiency and purity, and whose nearness to those he is near is gentleness and mercy. His keeping away should not be out of arrogance or haughtiness, and his nearness should not be for deceiving or betraying. He does not hasten in a doubtful matter, and he pardons what has become clear to him. He is not deceived by the praise of one who does not know him, and he does not forget what he has done. If he is mentioned, what people say makes him fearful, and he seeks forgiveness for what they do not know. He says: My Lord knows me better than I know myself, and I know myself better than others do. He asks in order to gain knowledge, speaks in order to gain benefit, stays silent in order to be safe, and mixes with people in order to understand. If he is among the heedless, he is counted among those who remember Allah, and if he is among those who remember Allah, he is not counted among the heedless, because he remembers Allah when people are heedless, and when people remember, he too does not forget his Lord.