Remembering Death

BismillahirRahmanirRahim

You must make a practice of sincere devotion. You must perform your
ritual prayer for His sake, not for the sake of His creatures. You
must keep the fast for His sake, not for the sake of His creatures.

You must live your lives for His sake, not for the sake of His
creatures.

You must live your lives in this world for the sake of
Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), not for the sake of His
creatures, and not for the sake of your own egos. In all acts of
worshipful obedience, you must be dedicated to Allah, not to His
creatures.

You will not be capable of performing righteous deeds, nor of sincere
dedication in the performance thereof, unless you practice the
remembrance of death. You will also be incapable of remembering death,
unless you make it your practice to contemplate the dilapidated burial
sites, and to reflect on their inhabitants and what they used to be
involved in. You must sit beside the crumbling tombs, saying to
yourselves: "Once upon a time, those who lie buried here would be
eating and drinking, having sexual intercourse, engaging in sport and
play, and getting together for social purposes. What is their
condition now? What benefit can they derive from all of that? What do
they have at their disposal, apart from their righteous deeds?"

- (Hazret Abdul Kadir Geylani ks) [Jala Al-Khawatir, tr. M. Holland]