..and He has power over all things,! He who created death and life…He said:Death in this world is in disobedience, and life in the Hereafter is in obedience. It was for this reason that God, Exalted is He, addressed Moses saying, ‘O Moses, truly the first of my creatures to die was Iblīs, may God’s curse be on him, because he disobeyed Me, and I count the one who disobeys Me as being from among the dead.’Then he said:Death was created in the form of a handsome ram (kabsh amlaḥ). Whatever it passes by and [merely] catches a whiff of it, lives. It has been related in a tradition that the people of Paradise will fear death but the people of Hell will wish for death. It will be brought in the form of a handsomeram. Then it will be said, ‘This is death, so behold what God is going to do with it.’ Then it will be turned on its side and slaughtered. Thereupon God, Exalted is He, will [re] make it in the form of a horse which will be set free to graze in Paradise. Whoever among the inhabitants of Paradise sees it will enjoy its company, without realising that it is death. His words, Exalted is He: …that He may try you [to see] which of you is best in conduct…He said:That is, I keep him from error and I purify him. If he is correct [in conduct] but not sincere, he will not be accepted; ⸢while if he is sincere, but not correct [in conduct] he will not be accepted either⸣. [He will not be accepted] until he is at the same time correct and sincere [in his conduct].The one who is sincere (khāliṣ) is he who [lives] for God, Exalted is He, with the full intention (irāda) of his heart, while the one who is correct (ṣawāb) is he who is on the path of the Sunna and [lives] in accordance with the Book.On another occasion he [Sahl] said:that He may try you [to see] which of you is best in conduct, that is, in putting your trust in Us, being satisfied with Us and journeying [to Us] after the renunciation of this world.
saying, ‘O Moses, truly the first of my creatures to die was Iblīs, may God’s curse be on him, because he disobeyed Me, and I count the one who disobeys Me as being from among the dead.’Then he said:Death was created in the form of a handsome ram (kabsh amlaḥ). Whatever it passes by and [merely] catches a whiff of it, lives. It has been related in a tradition that the people of Paradise will fear death but the people of Hell will wish for death. It will be brought in the form of a handsomeram. Then it will be said, ‘This is death, so behold what God is going to do with it.’ Then it will be turned on its side and slaughtered. Thereupon God, Exalted is He, will [re] make it in the form of a horse which will be set free to graze in Paradise. Whoever among the inhabitants of Paradise sees it will enjoy its company, without realising that it is death. His words, Exalted is He:
