The Shaykh had, on this question, an earlier discourse—far older (1) than the written reply just mentioned (2). He cited it in his book Iqtidaʾ al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm (3) and elsewhere, and in it [118] are passages more forceful than the answer they had now unearthed.

Once that reply came to light, talk multiplied; rumors and gossip filled the air, the vilification of the Shaykh swelled, his words were distorted, and statements he had never uttered were attributed to him. A sedition arose (4) whose sparks flew across the horizons. The affair grew grave, and people feared for the Shaykh in the face of the plotting pursued against him in Egypt and Syria. Supplication, entreaty, and earnest pleading to Allah increased. Even among the Shaykh’s own followers, those who had once been strong lost their vigor (5), and those of high aspiration lost their nerve.

The Shaykh himself—may Allah sanctify his soul—remained steady-hearted and resolute; the sincerity of his reliance upon his Lord shone forth for all to see.

A group of prominent men in Damascus convened to deliberate about him. One said, “He should be banished,” and the speaker himself was banished. Another said, “His tongue should be cut out,” and that man’s tongue was cut out. A third said, “He should be flogged,” and that speaker was flogged (6). Yet another said, “He should be imprisoned,” and he was the one imprisoned. One who was present at that council—and disapproved of it—related this to me.