Note by the Translator
Hazrat Ali, the Great Khalif of Islam,
and the first in the line of the Imamat, apart from his abiding
contribution to spiritual thought, is known to the Arabic world as a
great jurist and man of letters. According to the historian Masudi (Murooj-uz-Zahab
Masudi Vol. II, p. 33. Egypt), Hazarat Ali is credited with not less
than 480 treaties, lectures and epistles on a variety of subjects
dealing with philosophy, religion, law and politics, as collected by
Zaid Ibn Wahab in the Imam's own life time. So highly valued are these
contributions both for their contents and their intrinsic literary worth
that some of his masterpieces have formed throughout the course of
Islamic history subjects of study in centers of Muslim learning. Indeed,
his reputation seems to have traveled into Europe at the time of the
Renaissance; for we find that Edward Powcock (1604-1691) a professor at
the University of Oxford, published the first English translation of his
"Sayings" and delivered in 1639 a series of lectures on his "Rhetoric".
I have given below a translation from Arabic into English of Hazrat
Ali's famous letter of instructions addressed as Khalif to the then
Governor of Egypt, Malik Ashtar. This letter according to Fehrist-i-Tusi
(p.33) was first copied in the time of Hazarat Ali himself by Asbagh bin
Nabata and later on reproduced or referred to in their writings by
various Arab and Egyptian scholars, chief of them being Nasr ibn Mazahim
(148 A.H.), Jahiz Basari (255 A.H.) Syed Razi (404 A.H.) Ibn-i-Abil
Hidaid and Allama Mustafa Bek Najib, the great living scholar of Egypt.
The last named regards this letter "as a basic guide in Islamic
administration."
Rasheed Turabi
The Richest Treasure
Be it known to you, O, Malik, that I am sending you as Governor to a
country which in the past has experienced both just and unjust rule. Men
will scrutinize your actions with a searching eye, even as you used to
scrutinize the actions of those before you, and speak of you even as you
did speak of them. The fact is that the public speak well of only those
who do good. It is they who furnish the proof of your actions. Hence the
richest treasure that you may covet would be the treasure of good deeds.
Keep your desires under control and deny yourself that which you have
been prohibited from, for, by such abstinence alone, you will be able to
distinguish between what is good to them and what is not.
Develop in your heart the feeling of love for your people and let it be
the source of kindliness and blessing to them. Do not behave with them
like a barbarian, and do not appropriate to yourself that which belongs
to them. Remember that the citizens of the state are of two categories.
They are either your brethren in religion or your brethren in kind. They
are subject to infirmities and liable to commit mistakes. Some indeed do
commit mistakes. But forgive them even as you would like God to forgive
you. Bear in mind that you are placed over them, even as I am placed
over you. And then there is God even above him who has given you the
position of a Governor in order that you may look after those under you
and to be sufficient unto them. And you will be judged by what you do
for them.
Do not set yourself against God, for neither do you possess the strength
to shield yourself against His displeasure, nor can you place yourself
outside the pale of His mercy and forgiveness. Do not feel sorry over
any act of forgiveness, nor rejoice over any punishment that you may
mete out to any one. Do not rouse yourself to anger, for no good will
come out of it.
Do not say: " I am your overlord and dictator, and that you should,
therefore, bow to my commands", as that will corrupt your heart, weaken
your faith in religion and create disorder in the state. Should you be
elated by power, ever feel in your mind the slightest symptoms of pride
and arrogance, then look at the power and majesty of the Divine
governance of the Universe over which you have absolutely no control. It
will restore the sense of balance to your wayward intelligence and give
you the sense of calmness and affability. Beware! Never put yourself
against the majesty and grandeur of God and never imitate His
omnipotence; for God has brought low every rebel of God and every tyrant
of man.
Let your mind respect through your actions the rights of God and the
rights of man, and likewise, persuade your companions and relations to
do likewise. For, otherwise, you will be doing injustice to yourself and
injustice to humanity. Thus both man and God will turn unto your
enemies. There is no hearing anywhere for one who makes an enemy of God
himself. He will be regarded as one at war with God until he feels
contrition and seeks forgiveness. Nothing deprives man of divine
blessings or excites divine wrath against him more easily than cruelty.
Hence it is, that God listens to the voice of the oppressed and waylays
the oppressor.
The Common Man
Maintain justice in administration and impose it on your own self and
seek the consent of the people, for, the discontent of the masses
sterilizes the contentment of the privileged few and the discontent of
the few looses itself in the contentment of the many. Remember the
privileged few will not rally round you in moments of difficulty: they
will try to side-track justice, they will ask for more than what they
deserve and will show no gratitude for favors done to them. They will
feel restive in the face of trials and will offer no regret for their
shortcomings. It is the common man who is the strength of the State and
Religion. It is he who fights the enemy. So live in close contact with
the masses and be mindful of their welfare.
Keep at a distance him who peers into the weaknesses of others. After
all, the masses are not free from weaknesses. It is the duty of the
ruler to shield them. Do not bring to light that which is hidden, but
try to remove those weaknesses which have been brought to light. God is
watchful of everything that is hidden from you, and He alone will deal
with it. To the best of your ability cover the weaknesses of the public,
and God will cover the weaknesses in you which you are anxious to keep
away from their eye. Unloose the tangle of mutual hatred between the
public and the administration and remove all those causes which may give
rise to strained relations between them. Protect yourself from every
such act as may not be quite correct for you. Do not make haste in
seeking confirmation of tale-telling, for, the tale-teller is a
deceitful person appearing in the garb of a friend.
The Counselors
Never take counsel of a miser, for he will vitiate your
magnanimity and frighten you of poverty. Do not take counsel of a coward
also, for, he will cheat you of your resolves. Do not take counsel of
the greedy too: for he will instill greed in you and turn you into a
tyrant. Miserliness, cowardice and greed deprive man of his trust in
God.
The worst of counselors is he who has served as a counselor to unjust
rulers and shared their crimes. So, never let men who have been
companions of tyrants or shared their crimes be your counselors. You can
get better men than these, men gifted with intelligence and foresight,
but unpolluted by sin, men who have never aided a tyrant in his tyranny
or a criminal in his crime. Such men will never be a burden on you. On
the other hand, they will be a source of help and strength to you at all
times. They will be friends to you and strangers to your enemies. Choose
such men alone for companionship both in privacy and in the public. Even
among these, show preference to them who have a habitual regard for
truth however trying to you at times their truth may prove to be, and
who offer you no encouragement in the display of tendencies which God
does not like his friends to develop.
Keep close to you the upright, and the God fearing, and make clear to
them that they are never to flatter you and never to give you credit for
any good that you may not have done: for, the tolerance of flattery and
unhealthy praise stimulates pride in man makes him arrogant.
Do not treat the good and the bad alike. That will deter the good from
doing good, and encourage the bad in their bad pursuits. Recompense
every one according one's deserts. Remember that mutual trust and good
will between the ruler and the ruled are bred only through benevolence,
justice and service. So, cultivate good-will amongst the people; for
their good-will alone will save you from troubles. Your benevolence to
them will be repaid by their trust in you, and your ill-treatment by
their ill-will.
Do not disregard the noble traditions set by our forbearers which have
promoted harmony and progress among the people; and do not initiate
anything which might minimize their usefulness. The men who had
established these noble traditions have had their reward; but
responsibility will be yours if they are disturbed. Try always to learn
something from the experience of the learned and the wise, and
frequently consult them in state matters so that you might maintain the
peace and good-will which your predecessors had established in the land.
The Different Classes of People
Remember that the people are composed of different classes. The
progress of one is dependent on the progress of every other; and none
can afford to be independent of the other. We have the Army formed of
the soldiers of God, we have our civil officers and their
establishments, our judiciary, our revenue collectors and our public
relation officers. The general public itself consists of Muslims and
Zimmis and among them of merchants and craftsmen, the unemployed and the
indigent. God has prescribed for them their several rights, duties and
obligations. They are all defined and preserved in the Book of God and
in the traditions of his Prophet.
The army, by the grace of God, is like a fortress to the people and
lends dignity to the state. It upholds the prestige of the Faith and
maintains the peace of the country. Without it the state cannot stand.
In its turn, it cannot stand without the support of the state. Our
soldiers have proved strong before the enemy because of the privilege
God has given them to fight for Him; but they have their material needs
to fulfil and have therefore to depend upon the income provided for them
from the state revenue. The military and civil population who pay
revenue, both need the co-operation of others -the judiciary, civil
officers and their establishment. The Qazi administers civil and
criminal law; the civil officers collect revenue and attend to civil
administration with the assistance of their establishment. And then
there are the tradesmen and the merchants who add to the revenue of the
state. It is they who run the markets and are in a better position than
others to discharge social obligations. And then there is the class of
the poor and the needy, whose maintenance is an obligation on the other
classes. God has given appropriate opportunity of service to one and
all; and then there are the rights of all these classes over the
administration which the administrator has to meet with an eye on the
good of the entire population, a duty which he cannot fulfill properly
unless he takes personal interest in its execution and seeks help from
God. Indeed it is obligatory on him to impose this duty on himself and
to bear with patience the inconveniences and difficulties incidental to
his task.
The Army
Be particularly mindful of the welfare of those in the army who in your
opinion, are staunchly faithful to their God and Prophet and loyal to
their chief, and who in the hour of passion can restrain themselves and
listen coolly to sensible remonstrance, and who can succor the weak and
smite the strong, whom violent provocation will not throw into violent
temper and who will not falter at any stage.
Keep yourself in close contact with the families of established
reputation and integrity with a glorious past, and draw to yourself men
brave and upright in character, generous and benevolent in disposition;
for such are the salt of society.
Care for them with the tenderness with which you care for your children,
and do not talk before them of any good that you might have done to
them, nor disregard any expression of affection which they show in
return; for, such conduct inspires loyalty, devotion and goodwill.
Attend to every little of their wants not resting content with what
general help that you might have given to them, for sometimes, timely
attention to a little want of theirs brings them immense relief. Surely
these people will not forget you in your own hour of need.
It behooves you to select for your Commander-in-chief one who imposes on
himself as a duty, the task of rendering help to his men, and who can
excel in kindness every other officer who has to attend to the needs of
the men under him, and look after their families when they are away from
their homes; so much so, that the entire army should feel united in
their joys and in their sorrows. The unity of purpose will give them
added strength against the enemy. Continue to maintain a kindly attitude
towards them so that they might feel attached to you. The fact is that
the real happiness of the administrators and their most pleasant comfort
lies in establishing justice in the state and maintaining affectionate
relations with the people. Their sincerity of feeling is expressed in
the love and regard they show to you, on which alone depends the safety
of the administrators.
Your advices to the army will be of no avail, unless and until you show
affection to both men and officers, in order that they might not regard
the Government as an oppressive burden or contribute to its downfall.
Continue to satisfy their needs and praise them over and over again for
what services they have rendered. Such an attitude, God willing will
inspire the brave to braver actions and induce the timid to deeds of
bravery.
Try to enter into the feelings of others and do not foist the mistake of
one over another and do not grudge dispensing appropriate rewards. See
to it you do not show favors to one who has done nothing but merely
counts on his family position; and do not withhold proper rewards from
one who has done great deeds simply because he holds a low position in
life.
The Real Guidance
Turn to God and to His prophet for guidance whenever you feel uncertain
as to what you have to do. There is the commandment of God delivered to
those people who He wishes to guide aright: "O people of the Faith! Obey
God and obey His prophet and those from among you who hold authority
over you. And refer to God and His prophet whenever there is difference
of opinion among you. To turn to God is in reality to consult the Book
of God; and to turn to the prophet is t follow his universally accepted
traditions.
Chief Judge
Select for your chief judge one from the people who is by far the best
among them -one who is not obsessed with domestic worries, one who
cannot be intimidated, one who does not err to often, one who does not
turn back from a right path once he finds it, one who is not
self-centered or avaricious, one who will not decide before knowing full
facts, one who will weigh wit care every attendant doubt and pronounce a
clear verdict after taking everything into full consideration, one who
will not grow restive over the arguments of advocates and who will
examine with patience every new disclosure of fact and who will be
strictly impartial in his decision, one who flattery cannot mislead or
one who does not exult over his position. But it is not easy to find
such men.
Once you have selected the right man for the office, pay him handsomely
enough, to let him live in comfort and in keeping with his position,
enough to keep him above temptations. Give him a position in your court
so high none can even dream of coveting it and so high that neither
back-biting nor intrigue can touch him.
Subordinate Judiciary
Beware! The utmost carefulness is to be exercised in his selection: for
it is this high office which adventurous self-seekers aspire to secure
and exploit in their selfish interests. After the selection of your
chief judge, give careful consideration to the selection of other
officers. Confirm them in their appointments after approved
apprenticeship and probation. Never select men for responsible posts
either out of any regard for personal connections or under any
influence, for, that might lead to injustice and corruption.
Of these select for higher posts men of experience, men firm in faith
and belonging to good families. Such men will not fall an easy prey to
temptations and will discharge their duties with an eye on the abiding
good of others. Increase their salaries to give them a contented life. A
contented living is a help to self-purification. They will not feel the
urge to tax the earnings of their subordinates for their own upkeep.
They will then have no excuse either to go against your instructions or
misappropriate state funds. Keep to watch over them without their
knowledge, loyal and upright men. Perchance they may develop true
honesty and true concern for the public welfare. But whenever any of
them is accused of dishonesty and the guilt is confirmed by the report
of your secret service, then regard this as a sufficient to convict him.
Let the punishment be corporal and let that be dealt in the public at an
appointed place of degradation.
Revenue Administration
Great care is to be exercised in revenue administration, to
ensure the prosperity of those who pay the revenue to the state; for it
is on their prosperity depends the prosperity of others, particularly
the prosperity of the masses. Indeed, the state exists on its revenue.
You should regard the proper upkeep of the land in cultivation as of
greater importance than the collection of revenue, for revenue cannot be
derived except by making the land productive. He who demands revenue
without helping the cultivator to improve his land, inflicts unmerited
hardship on the cultivator and ruins the State. The rule of such a
person does not last long. If the cultivators ask for reduction of their
land cess for having suffered from epidemics or drought or excess of
rains or the barrenness of the soil or floods damaging to their
barrenness of the soil or foods damaging to their crops, then, reduce
the cess accordingly, so that their condition might improve. Do not mind
the loss of revenue on that account for that will return to you one day
manifold in the hour of greater prosperity of the land and enable you to
improve the condition of your towns and to raise the prestige of your
state. You will be the object of universal praise. The people will
believe in your sense of justice. The confidence which they will place
in you in consequence will prove your strength, as they will be found
ready to share your burdens.
You may settle down on the land any number of people, but discontent
will overtake them if the land is not improved. The cause of the
cultivator's ruin is the rulers who are bent feverishly on accumulating
wealth at all costs, out of the fear that their rule might not last
long. Such are the people who do not learn from examples or precedents.
Clerical Establishment
Keep an eye on your establishment and your scribes; and select the best
among them for your confidential correspondence such among these as
possess high character and deserve your full confidence, men who may not
exploit their privileged position to go against you and who may not grow
neglectful of their duties and who in the drafting of treaties may not
succumb to external temptation and harm your interests, or fail to
render you proper assistance and to save you from trouble, and who in
carrying out their duties can realize their serious responsibilities,
for he who does not realize his own responsibilities can hardly appraise
the reprehensibilities of others. Do not select men for such work merely
on the strength of your first impressions of your affection or good
faith; for as a matter of fact; the pretensions of a good many who are
really devoid of honesty and good breeding may cheat even the
intelligence of rulers. Selection should be made after due probation
which should be the test of righteousness. In making direct appointments
from people, see to it that those selected possess influence with the
people and who enjoy the reputation of being honest; for such selection
is agreeable to God and the ruler. For every department of
administration, let there be a head, whom no trying task might cause
worry and no pressure of work annoy.
And remember that every weakness of any one among your establishment and
scribe which you may overlook will be written down against you in your
scroll of deeds.
Trade and Industry
Adopt useful schemes placed before those engaged in trade and industry
and help them with wise counsels. Some of them live in towns, and some
move from place to place with their wares and tools and earn their
living by manual labor. Trade and Industry are sources of profit to the
State. While the general public is not inclined to bear the strain,
those engaged in these professions take the trouble to collect
commodities from far and near, from land and from across the sea, and
from mountains and forests and naturally derive benefits.
It is this class of peace loving people from whom no disturbance need be
feared. They love peace and order; indeed they are incapable of creating
disorder. Visit every part of the country and establish personal contact
with this class, and inquire into their condition. But bear in mind that
a good many of them are intensely greedy and are inured to bad dealings.
They hoard grain and try to sell it at a high price; and this is most
harmful to the public. It is a blot on the name of the ruler not to
fight this evil. Prevent them from hoarding; for the Prophet of God
-Peace be upon him - had prohibited it. And see to it that trade is
carried on with the utmost ease, that the scales are evenly held and
that prices are so fixed that neither the seller nor the buyer is put to
a loss. And if inspite of your warning, should anyone go against your
commands and commit the crime of hoarding, then deal him appropriately
with severe punishment.
The Poor
Beware! Fear God when dealing with the problem of the poor who have non
to patronize, who are forlorn, indigent and helpless and are greatly
torn in mind -victims of the vicissitudes of Time. Among them there are
some who do not question their lot in life not withstanding their
misery, do not go about abegging. For God's sake, safeguard their
rights; for on you rests the responsibility of protection. Assign for
their uplift a portion of the state exchequer (Baitul-mal), wherever
they may be, whether close at hand or far away from you. The rights of
the two should be equal in your eye. Do not let any preoccupation slip
them from your mind; for no excuse whatsoever for the disregard of their
rights will be acceptable to God. Do not treat their interests as of
less importance than your own, and never keep them outside the purview
of your important considerations, and mark the persons who look down
upon them and of whose conditions they keep you in ignorance.
Select from among your officers such men as are meek and God fearing who
can keep you properly informed of the condition of the poor. Make such
provision for these poor people as shall not oblige you to offer an
excuse before God on the day of judgment; for, it is this section of the
people more than any other which deserves benevolent treatment. Seek
your reward from God by giving to each of them what is due to him and
enjoin on yourself as a sacred duty the task of meting the needs of such
aged among them as have no independent means of livelihood and are
averse to seek alms. And it is the discharge of this duty that usually
proves very trying for ruler, but is very welcome to societies which are
gifted with foresight. It is only such societies or nations who truly
carry out with equanimity their covenant with God to discharge their
duty to the poor.
Open Conferences
Meet the oppressed and the lowly periodically in an open conference and,
conscious of the divine presence there, have a heart-to-heart talk with
them, and let none from your armed guard or civil officers or members of
the police or the Intelligence Department be by your side, so that the
representatives of the poor might state their grievances fearlessly and
without reserve. For I have the Prophet of God saying that no nation or
society will occupy a high position in which the strong do not discharge
their duty to the weak. Bear with composure any strong language which
they may use, and do not get annoyed if they cannot state their case
lucidly, even so, God will open you his door of blessings and rewards.
Whatever you can give to them, give it ungrudgingly, and whatever you
cannot afford to give, make that clear to them in utmost sincerity.
There are certain things which call for prompt action. Accept the
recommendations made by your officers for the redress of the grievances
of the clerical staff. See to it that petitions or applications that are
submitted for your consideration, are brought to your notice the very
day they are submitted, however much your officers might try to
intercede them. Dispose off the day's work that very day, for the coming
day will bring with it its own tasks.
Communion with God
And do not forget to set apart the best of your time for communion with
God, although every moment of yours is for Him only, provided it is
spend sincerely in the service of your people. The special time that you
give to prayer in the strict religious sense is to be devoted to the
performances of the prescribed daily prayers. Keep yourself engaged in
these prayers both in the day and in the night, and to gain perfect
communion, do not as far as possible, let your prayers grow tiresome.
And when you lead in congregational prayer, do not let your prayer be so
lengthy as to cause discomfort to the congregation or raise in them the
feeling of dislike for it or liquidate its effect: for in the
congregation there may be invalids and also those who have to attend
pressing affairs of their own.
When I had asked of the Prophet of God on receiving an order to proceed
to Yaman, how I should lead the people there in prayer, he said -perform
your prayers even as the weakest among you would do; and set an example
of consideration to the faithful.
Aloofness not desirable
Alongside of the observance of all that I have said above bear one thing
in mind. Never for any length of time keep yourself aloof from the
people, for to do so is to keep oneself ignorant of their affairs. It
develops in the ruler a wrong perspective and renders him unable to
distinguish between what is important and what is not, between right and
wrong, and between truth and falsehood. The ruler is after all human;
and he cannot form a correct view of anything which is out of sight.
There is no distinctive sign attached to truth which may enable one to
distinguish between the different varieties of truth and falsehood. The
fact is that you must be one of two things. Either you are just or
unjust. If you are just, then you will not keep yourself away from the
people, but will listen to them and meet their requirements. On the
other hand, it you are unjust, the people themselves will keep way from
you. What virtue is there in your keeping aloof? At all events aloofness
is not desirable especially when it is your duty to attend to the needs
of the people. Complaints of oppression by your officers or petitions
for justice should not prove irksome to you.
Make this clear to yourself that those immediately about and around you
will like to exploit their position to covet what belongs to others and
commit acts of injustice. Suppress such a tendency in them. Make a rule
of your conduct never to give even a small piece of land to any of your
relations. That will prevent them from causing harm to the interests of
others and save you from courting the disapprobation of God and Man.
Deal justice squarely regardless of the fact whether one is a relation
or not. If any of your relations or companions violates the law, mete
out the punishment prescribed by law however painful it might be to you
personally; for it will be all to the good of the State. If at any time
people suspect, that you have been unjust to them in any respect
disclose your mind to them and remove their suspicions. In this way,
your mind will get attuned to the sense of justice and people will begin
to love you. It will also fulfill your wish that you should enjoy their
confidence.
Peace And Treaties
Bear in mind that you do not throw away the offer of peace which your
enemy may himself make. Accept it, for, that will please God. Peace is a
source of comfort to the army; it reduces your worries and promotes
order in the State. But Beware! Be on your guard when the peace is
signed; for, certain types of enemies propose terms of peace just to
lull you into a sense of security only to attack you again when you are
off your guard. So you should exercise the utmost vigilance on your
part, and place no undue faith in their protestations. But, if under the
peace treaty you have accepted any obligations, discharge those
obligations scrupulously. It is a trust and must be faithfully upheld
and whenever you have promised anything, keep it with all the strength
that you command, for whatever differences of opinion might exist on
other matters, there is nothing so noble as the fulfillment of a
promise. This is recognized even among non-Muslims, for they know the
dire consequences which follow from the breaking of covenants. So never
make excuses in discharging your responsibilities and never break a
promise, nor cheat your enemy. For, breach of promise is an act against
God, and none except the positively wicked acts against God.
Indeed divine promises are a blessing spread over all mankind. The
promise of God is a refuge sought after even by the most powerful on
earth; for there is no risk of being cheated. So, do not make any
promise from which you may afterwards offer excuses to retract; nor do
you go back upon what you have confirmed to abide by; nor do you break
it, however galling it may at first prove to be. For, it is far better
to wait in patience for wholesome results to follow than to break it out
of any apprehensions.
Beware! Abstain from shedding blood without a valid cause. There is
nothing more harmful than this which brings about one's ruin. The blood
that is willfully shed shortens the life of a state. On the day of
judgment it is this crime for which one will have to answer first. So,
beware! Do not wish to build the strength of your state on blood; for,
it is this blood which ultimately weakens the state and passes it on to
other hands. Before me and my God no excuse for willful killing can be
entertained.
Murder is a crime which is punishable by death. If on any accord the
corporal punishment dealt by the state for any lesser crime results in
the death of the guilty, let not the prestige of the stage stand in any
way of the deceased relations claiming blood money.
Last Instructions
Do not make haste to do a thing before its time, nor put it off
when the right moment arrives. Do not insist on doing a wrong thing, nor
show slackness in rectifying a wrong thing. Perform everything in its
proper time, and let everything occupy its proper place. When the people
as a whole agree upon a thing, do not impose your own view on them and
do not neglect to discharge the responsibility that rests on you in
consequence. For, the eyes of the people will be on you and you are
answerable for whatever you do to them. The slightest dereliction of
duty will bring its own retribution. Keep your anger under control and
keep your hands and tongue in check Whenever you fall into anger, try to
restrain yourself or else you will simply increase your worries.
It is imperative on you to study carefully the principles which have
inspired just and good rulers who have gone before you. Give close
thought to the example of our prophet (peace be upon him), his
traditions , and the commandments of the Book of God and whatever you
might have assimilated from my own way of dealing with things. Endeavor
to the best of your ability to carry out the instructions which I have
given you here and which you have solemnly undertaken to follow. By
means of this order, I enjoin on you not to succumb to the prompting of
your own heart or to turn away from the discharge of duties entrusted to
you.
I seek the refuge of the might of the Almighty and of His limitless
sphere of blessings, and invite you to pray with me that He may give us
together the grace willingly to surrender our will to His will, and to
enable us to acquit ourselves before Him and His creation; so that
mankind might cherish our memory and our work survive. I seek of God the
culmination of his blessings and pray that He may grant you and me His
grace and the honor of martyrdom in His cause. Verily, we have to return
to Him. I invoke His blessings on the Prophet of God and his pure
progeny.