O people of Basrah, your hearts have died in respect to ten things"

It is reported that Ibrâhîm b. Adham (d162H) – may Allâh have mercy on him – once passed through the market of Basrah. People gathered around him and asked:

O Abû Ishâq, Allâh the Exalted says in his Book. ‘Call on me, I will answer your prayers’, but we have been calling on Him for a long time and He does not answer our prayers.

Ibrâhîm replied, “O people of Basrah, your hearts have died in respect to ten things:

1) You know Allâh but you do not give Him His rights;

2) You have read Allâh’s Book but you do not act by it;

3) You claim to love Allâh’s Messenger – Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him – yet you abandon his Sunnah;

4) You claim to be enemies to shaytân but you conform to [his ways];

5) You say you love Paradise yet you do not work for it;

6) You say you fear The Fire yet you put yourselves closer to it [by sinning];

7) You say death is true but you do not prepare for it;

8) You busy yourselves with the faults of others and disregard your own;

9) You consume the favors of your Lord but are not grateful for them;

10) You bury your dead but take no lesson from them.”

Source: Abû Nu’aym, Hilyah Al-Awliyâ’ 8: 15, 16.