Abū'l-Ḥasan al-Ahnef al-Akbarī. He is a famous poet. He has a dīwān (collection of poems). It is of unparalleled beauty. Ibn al-Jawzī, in his work al-Muntaẓam, has transmitted the following from his beautiful poetry:
“The blame of the blamer is harder for me than death. Harder than the blame of the blamer is that a friend, having come to me, turns away from me and leaves.
Harder than these two is to beg sustenance from the lowly.”
This poem also belongs to Akīl b. Muḥammad:
“One who wishes to be freed from long-lasting sorrow and desires honor and comfort,
Should separate from people and live alone, content with little.
He should consider little as sufficient for himself.
Wisdom is also to abandon excess. Let him see it thus.
He should cure the disease of loneliness with beautiful sabr (patient endurance).
As long as he lives, let him not argue with anyone about gossip, nor participate in gossip.
Let him prefer silence, for silence is an adornment of the intellect.
Let him leave arrogance to the proud, and himself be content to live away from fame, in his own state. What kind of life is this;
A person spends the morning in a lowly state.
The enemy’s attack is on one side, managing affairs with the ignorant on another,
Troubles and illnesses come from friends.
On the other hand, the fruits of weariness and boredom are gathered.
One must beware of evil suspicions.
On the other hand, the blamers blame.
The oppression of enemies is endured.
One undergoes severe hardships.
By whatever means or way, I say “woe” to having known people.
In conclusion, I say:
Generosity and tolerance are not expected from the miserly.
If generosity is seen from him, it is a very thick and comforting shade.”