It is related that one day 'Abdu`l-Malik b. Qurayb al-Aṣma'í, seeing the poet al-'Attábí in the presence of Faḍl b. Rabí', reproached him for wearing such shabby clothes; whereupon the other retorted that a delight in fine apparel was only for women, and that a man was exalted by greatness of heart and high resolve, a silent tongue and an unselfish spirit (f. 23b).

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Man is not ennobled by wealth:

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Here follow short and rather irrelevant anecdotes of sundry Ṣúfí saints, viz. Ḥátim “the deaf” (al-Aṣamm), Báyazíd of Bisṭám and Abú Sa'íd Khwár (f. 24a), followed by reflections on Divine Providence and human effort, and the depravity and rebelliousness natural to man when his affairs prosper.

'Ámir b. 'Abd Qays used to say (f. 24b) that though all wordly wealth should depart from him he would be fearful, because of three verses in the Qur`án (xi, 8; xxxv, 2; and x, 107). More traditions on the Divine Providence follow; e.g.:

Here follow anecdotes of Sufyán-i-Thawrí and Málik Dínár, two famous Ṣúfí saints (f. 25a), and of Abú 'Abdi`r-Raḥmán Ziyád b. An'am al-Ifríqí. The latter was in earlier life a fellow-student of Abú Ja'far al-Manṣúr, afterwards second Caliph of the House of 'Abbás. One day Manṣúr invited him to a meal at his lodging. The meal was of the sim­plest: there was no meat, no sweets, not even dates. Man­ṣúr, on learning from his maid-servant that even dates were lacking, sighed and recited Qur`án vii, 126. Long afterwards, when he had become Caliph, Ziyád again stood before him. “O Abú 'Abdi`r-Raḥmán!” said the Caliph, “I have heard that thou hast advantaged the Umayyads.” “Yes,” replied Ziyád, “they reaped advantage from me.” “And how was their rule?” enquired the Caliph, “and what thinkest thou of mine?” “Of their rule,” replied Ziyád, “I saw this, that thou didst take me to thy house and give me to eat with out meat, and recite the verse, ‘It may be that your Lord will destroy your foe, and will make you succeed him in the earth.’ God hath destroyed thine enemy and made thee Caliph (f. 26b): see what thou wilt do, and be not of those referred to in the verse (Qur`án xcvi, 6) ‘Verily man waxeth insolent, because he seeth himself abound in riches.’ Know that the Devil hath no more potent weapon than tempting man to sin to-day and to repent to-morrow.”