[Letter of Sharaf al-Dīn Ibn Taymiyya to his maternal brother Badr al-Dīn]

I have come across a letter written in the hand of Shaykh (1) Sharaf al-Dīn, addressed to his brother Badr al-Dīn after the Shaykh’s departure for Alexandria, in which he says:

From his brother, ʿAbd Allah Ibn Taymiyya.

Allah’s peace (2), mercy, and blessings be upon the eminent, learned, and noble Shaykh (3) Badr al-Dīn. May Allah prolong His favors to him and multiply them; may He pour out His blessings upon him in varied forms, grant him gifts at their ripest (4), and reinforce him with strength and unwavering support to uphold the truth, whether near or far, never negligent or faint-hearted, never indolent or sluggish, but endowed with sound judgment and firm resolve. May He gather us and him in this life upon obedience to Him, and in the everlasting abode of honor alongside those upon whom Allah has bestowed His grace—the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous, the people of His friendship. Surely He is the Possessor of immense favor, abundant grace, and boundless generosity.

To proceed: I praise before you Allah, there is no deity but He; He alone is worthy of all praise and is Powerful over all things. I invoke blessings upon the Master of the children of Adam, the best of all created beings, the chief of the messengers of the Lord of the worlds to both black and red, to jinn and humankind—a bearer of glad tidings to the believers and a warner to the disbelievers—the most complete, most excellent, most noble, and most perfect of blessings, perpetual until the Day of Judgment, together with copious salutations upon his family and his Companions.