One of the most precious and valuable ḥadīths transmitted from the Prophet of Islam is the counsel he gave to Abū Dharr. Due to the richness and significance of these advices, and the repeated addresses he made to Abū Dharr, it has become known as the Ḥadīth of Abū Dharr.
The content is presented in such a diverse manner and through various ethical and educational forms that each person, according to their own disposition, benefits in a unique way. They select the most suitable moral guidance that leaves an impact on their soul, making this ḥadīth in its own way resemble a miracle.
…The Prophet then continues with his exhortation to Abū Dharr:
I advise you with this exhortation, and it is expected that you preserve it and act upon it, for it encompasses all the paths of goodness and prosperity. If you follow this counsel and advice, the blessings of both this world and the Hereafter will be granted to you.
O Abū Dharr! Worship Allah as if you see Him, for even if you do not see Him, He sees you.
O Abū Dharr! Know that the first stage of worshiping Allah is to truly know Him. Indeed, He is the First; there was nothing before Him. He is One and Unique, without equal, eternal and everlasting. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, of all that is between them, and of all that is within them. Allah is All-Knowing, Most Merciful, and All-Powerful over every matter…
O Abū Dharr! Many people are deprived of appreciating two blessings and fail to be grateful for them: one is the blessing of health, and the other is the blessing of leisure.
O Abū Dharr! Consider five things as precious before five others come upon you: your youth before old age, your health before illness, your wealth before poverty, your leisure before preoccupation, and your life before death…
O Abū Dharr! Fear that death may overtake you while you are in a state of sin, for in that case, there will be no way to make amends or repent, nor will you be able to return to this world. Your heirs will not praise you for the inheritance you leave behind, and Allah Almighty will not accept any excuse for what you have sent forth.
O Abū Dharr! Whoever seeks knowledge to deceive people shall never smell the fragrance of Paradise…
O Abū Dharr! If Allah, Blessed and Exalted, wills good for a servant, He makes their sins apparent to them and burdens them with the weight and difficulty of wrongdoing. And if He wills evil for a servant, He causes their sins to be forgotten…
O Abū Dharr! Whoever aligns their deeds with their words has attained their share of happiness, while whoever acts contrary to their speech will reproach themselves at the time of recompense…
O Abū Dharr! It may well be that a person is deprived of their appointed sustenance because of a sin they commit…
O Abū Dharr! The wise and discerning person is one who disciplines their own soul and strives for the life of the Hereafter, while the weak one is he who follows his desires and, in that state, places his hopes in Allah…
Allah, Blessed and Exalted, revealed to my brother ʿĪsā (Jesus): “Do not love this world, for I do not love it; but love the Hereafter…”
Taken from the book Rah Towsheh, authored by Āyat Allāh Miṣbāḥ Yazdī