Translation of the letter:

Abdullah son of Habib informed us, he said: His excellency Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani wrote me a letter in which after mentioning God and praising Him and sending greetings to the prophet and his household, said:

“And as to what follows...

O Abdullah son of Habib! Know that Salvation is the fate of pious people and piety is the title for God’s worship, and God’s worship is verily obedience to Him and obedience to Him is to do obligatory deeds and to avoid Haram deeds which He has told in His book and in His prophet’s Sunnah. So the servants of God are pious people who are benefactor truth-tellers and temperate righteous people; Those whose hearts tremble from the fear of God and settles down in their own places in a hope for Him; Those whose lips have been dried due to mentioning God so much and have become lean due to continuous fasting; Those who have their souls liberated from the trap of passions and have the dust of humbleness on their faces; Those who remembrance of death has made their hearts busy with itself and the Hereafter has dropped the magnanimity of this world before them; Concern of the duties has made them sleepless and fear of the rights, has made them to not eat; They are familiar with what people flee from and flee from what people are acquainted with. They know that soon they will be traveling to another world and must take provisions for this journey. They know that they have a long way ahead and must pass from impassable notches; A way which its travelers never ever returned and notches which seem to have swallowed its passengers. Ah, how close is today to tomorrow! So they cry by thinking about this travel and prepare themselves for it; As it seems that they are breathing their last, or they are already dead before they die.

O Abdullah! They have known this world and have assessed its value; So they have found it valueless and have forsaken it.

O Abdullah! You also know this world; Because one who knows the well, does not cast himself in it and one who is aware of the poison, does not drink it.

O Abdullah! I introduce this world to you. This world is like a woman whose cabin is death or a dishonored prostitute whose wage is shame. Beware! Do not take it as a wife and do not sleep with it; Since this disloyal has killed her husbands and has despoiled their heritages and has made her lovers asleep and has stolen their properties. Beware! Do not let her seduce you with her makeup and deceive you with her coquetry.

O Abdullah! I introduce this world to you. This world is like a well which is withered or infected with types of filth; So do not cast your bucket in it and do not use it as your water supply place.

O Abdullah! I introduce this world to you. This world is a worn out ladder which can not be trusted, or is like a snake hole which anyone who has put his hands in it has been bitten; or is like a carrion which calls hyenas and gathers flies but drives away lions and causes disgust in human...