It
is reported that ‘Alî b. Abî Tâlib (Allâh be pleased with him) said:
“Goodness is not in your wealth & offspring being
plentiful; true goodness is when your [good] deeds are plenty & you have
great understanding & forbearance, & when you compete to worship your
Lord. If you do good you praise Allâh & thank Him, & if you sin you beg
Allâh’s forgiveness. There is no good in this life except with two types of
men: A man who sins but then corrects himself through repentance, & a man
who strives & hastens to get [the good] of the Hereafter.
Ibn
‘Asâkir, Al-Tawbah article 13.
