الدنيا دُوَل، فما كان لك أتاك على ضعفك وما كان منها عليك لم تدفعه بقوّتك ومن انقطع رجاءه مما فات، استراح بدنه ومن رضي بما قَسَمه اللّه قرّت عينه
The world [material possessions] is passed from one person to another. Thus, you will be given what belongs to you, although you are weak. And you will suffer from what is against you in the world and you do not have the strength to protect yourself against it. And he who abandons his hopes of obtaining what has passed him by will put his body in peace. And the eyes of the one who is content with what Allah has determined for him will be brightened.
(Tohfatul Oqul, p. 40)
Duwal, the plural of duwlah, means something that is passed from one person to another. The nature of material manifestations necessitates their being in a state of flux. Therefore, we should not assume that what we have – such as wealth, position, health and well-being – will remain with us until the end of our lives. Conversely, there is a distinct possibility that they will be taken away from us. "He who stops pinning his hopes on it has freed himself." The word "it", in this tradition, refers to the loathsome material world, which signifies what man yearns for to satisfy his carnal desires. Thus, doing good deeds for the hereafter, obtaining the means of fulfilling one's duties, or improving the well-being of this world, are not intended the meanings here.