Abū Bakr aṣ-Ṣiddīq on Impermanency of the World

عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ، أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقَ، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ فِي خُطْبَتِهِ: أَيْنَ الْوَضَاءُ الْحَسَنَةُ وُجُوهُهُمْ، الْمُعْجَبُونَ بِشَبَابِهِمْ؟ أَيْنَ الْمُلُوكُ الَّذِينَ بَنَوْا الْمَدَائِنَ وَحَصَّنُوهَا بِالْحِيطَانِ؟ أَيْنَ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يُعْطُونَ الْغَلَبَةَ فِي مَوَاطِنِ الْحَرْبِ؟ قَدْ تَضَعْضَعَ بِهِمُ الدَّهْرُ، فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْقُبُورِ الْوَحَا الْوَحَا النَّجَا النَّجَا

Abū Bakr aṣ-Ṣiddīq used to say in his sermons (may Allāh be pleased with him):

“Where is the beauty and the handsome? Where are those who were delighted by their youth and good looks? Where are the kings who built cities and fenced it with walls? Where are the victorious in wars? They all perished and ended in the depths of dark graves! Hasten and hurry up [to do good deeds] but death is faster.”