وَاعْلَمُوا عِبَادَ اللهِ أَنَّكُم وَمَا أَنْتُمْ فِيهِ مِنْ هذِهِ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى سَبِيلِ مَنْ قَدْ مَضَى قَبْلَكُمْ، مِمَّنْ كَانَ أَطْوَلَ مِنْكُمْ أَعْمَاراً، وَأَعْمَرَ دِيَاراً، وَأَبْعَدَ آثَاراً، أَصْبَحَتْ أَصْوَاتُهُمْ هَامِدَةً، وَرِيَاحُهُمْ رَاكِدَةً، وَأَجْسَادُهُمْ بِالِيَةً، وَدِيَارُهُمْ خَالِيَةً، وَآثَارُهُمْ عَافِيَةً،
Know, O creatures of Allāh, that, certainly, you and all the things of this world that you have are (treading) on the lines of those (who were) before you. They were of longer ages, had more populated houses and were of more lasting traces. Their voices have become silent, their movements have become stationary, their bodies have become rotten, their houses have become empty and their traces have been obliterated.