It is reported that ʿAbdullāh b. Al-Mubārak – Allāh have mercy on him – said: “I borrowed a pen in the land of Syria, and it slipped my mind to return it to its owner. When I arrived in Marw, I looked and found it still with me, so I returned to the land of Syria and gave it back to its owner.” Tārīkh Baghdād (11/407)
Four Things the Wise do Not Trust
It is reported that ʿAbdullāh b. Al-Mubārak – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
The insightful and wise do not trust that they are safe from four things: a past sin about which it is not known what the Lord Almighty will do, the remaining lifespan wherein it is not known what destruction lies, some (apparent) advantage a person is given but which could be a lure (from Allāh) in recompense for his wrongdoing, a misguidance that has been beautified – so that he thinks it is guidance – and a momentary deviation of the heart, for a person can be stripped of his religion without realizing it.
Al-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām Al-Nubalāʾ 8:406.
Also read
Related sayings.
Imam Ibn Al-Mubarak on four things a person needs to be successful in seeking knowledge.
The Salaf used to be careful not to speak in front of elders unless absolutely needed.