just as you did in the first session (1). I then said to the envoy, “That happened while you were present. Do you want them to scheme (2) against me again as they did last year (3)? I will not comply with that. Rather, whoever alleges that I have uttered something false should write, in his own hand, what he objects to in my words and present his evidence. I will set down my reply beside his, and then let my statement and his be presented to the scholars of both East and West. I declared this in Syria, and I declare it here as well (4). This is my creed (5)—the very creed that was examined in Syria in the presence of its judges, shaykhs, and scholars. Your deputy has already sent you the copy that was read aloud and has informed you of all that transpired, even though there was negligence toward my rights, aggression, and a turning of a blind eye to the adversaries—matters known to Allah and to the Muslims.”
(1) See the summary of what occurred to the Shaykh in this session in al-ʿUqud al-Durriyya by Ibn ʿAbd al-Hadi, pp. 250 ff.; and al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya by Ibn Kathir, vol. 14, p. 32.
(2) In sources S and T the reading is “tamakkaru” (“they plotted”).
(3) The text between quotation marks is an addition from source S.
(4) This passage shows that the Risala was composed in Egypt, not in al-Sham. Ibn ʿAbd al-Hadi reports in al-ʿUqud al-Durriyya (p. 203): “On Monday, 8 Rajab 707 AH, the qadis, the jurists (fuqaha’), and Shaykh Taqi al-Din were summoned to the palace, to the session of the Sultan’s deputy al-Afram. They gathered and questioned Shaykh Taqi al-Din alone about his ‘aqidah (creed). They told him, ‘This session has been convened for you, and the Sultan’s decree has arrived to ask you about your belief.’ The Shaykh presented his ‘Aqidah al-Wasitiyya, stating, ‘I wrote this seven years ago, before the Tatars came to al-Sham.’ It was read in the council, examined, and unresolved points deferred to another session. They reconvened on Friday, 12 Rajab, after prayer, attended by the dissenters along with Shaykh Safi al-Din al-Hindi….”
(5) That refers to the ‘Aqidah al-Wasitiyya (the Wasit Creed), which was the subject of discussion in the first and second sessions. See al-ʿUqud al-Durriyya (Ibn ʿAbd al-Hadi), pp. 206 ff.