Sermon 42 of Nahj al-Balagha: About heart’s desires and extended hopes

O people! What I fear most about you are two things - acting according to desires and extending of hopes. As regards acting according to desires, this prevents from truth; and as regards extending of hopes, it makes one forget the next world.

Beware, the next world is advancing, and either of them has sons i.e. followers. You should become sons of the next world and not become sons of this world because on the Day of Judgement every son would cling to his mother. Today is the Day of action and there is no reckoning while tomorrow is the Day of reckoning but there would be no (opportunity for) action.

You should know this world is moving rapidly and nothing has remained out of it except last particles like the dregs of a vessel which has been emptied by someone. Beware, the next world is advancing, and either of them has sons i.e. followers. You should become sons of the next world and not become sons of this world because on the Day of Judgement every son would cling to his mother. Today is the Day of action and there is no reckoning while tomorrow is the Day of reckoning but there would be no (opportunity for) action.
 

Alternative Sources for Sermon 42
(1) Nasr, Siffin, 3, 4;
(2) al-Mufid, al-Majalis, 50;
(3) Ibn Qutaybah, ‘Uyun, II, 353;
(4) al-Kulayni, Furu’ al-Kafi, III, 29;
(5) al-Harrani, Tuhaf, 35, 47;
(6) al-Mufid, al-'Irshad, * 138;
(7) al-Tusi, al-'Amali, * 73, 145;
(8) Abu Nu’aym, Hilyah, I, 56;
(9) al-Mas’udi, Muruj, II, 436.