Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) set out on one of his journeys. When he felt intense heat, he called for a turban and tied it, but immediately took it off. It was submitted to him: "O Commander of the Faithful (Amir al-Mu'minin)! Why did you take it off? It was meant to protect you from the heat." He replied: "I recalled some verses of poetry composed by the people of old times, and those verses are as follows."
Translation of the Arabic Verses:
(1) The man whose face gets touched by the sun or covered in dust, fears that it will become blemished and disheveled,
(2) And he seeks shade so that his freshness/complexion remains intact—he will soon, one day, be covered in the dust of the grave.
(3) He will be dust-covered and in desolation inside such a dark pit, and will spend a long duration in Taht-at-Thara (the bottom of the seven earths, in the place of Sijjin, where the souls of disbelievers and wrongdoers are cast).
(Benefit/Note): Along with the aforementioned verses, Allamah Dhahabi (RA) has also mentioned this verse:
Translation: "O soul! Prepare (for the Hereafter) before becoming worthless, for that is where you have to arrive (in any case); you have not been created in vain."



