“He began with the need (al-ḥāja), then sought refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan, then recited the Opening of the Book (al-Fātiḥa), and proceeded to expound on His words: “You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help” [al-Fātiḥa: 5]. He spoke on the meaning of worship (ʿibāda) and seeking help (istiʿāna) until the mu’adhdhin called the Asr prayer, delivering words that captivated minds. He remained standing only because the congregation was large. When the meeting ended, the people departed, their hearts filled with faith and certainty. Each one said, “We have never heard words like these,” and their hearts were filled with love for him and an eager remembrance of him. On Thursday, the sixth of Rabīʿ al-Akhir, he held another gathering at the al-Ṣāliḥiyya Madrasa in Cairo, attended by judges and others. During this session someone said to him, “Seek forgiveness from Allah the Almighty and repent to Him.” The Shaykh replied, “We all seek Allah’s forgiveness and repent to Him.” Then he turned to one man and said, “Seek forgiveness from Allah the Almighty and repent to Him.” The man answered, “I seek forgiveness from Allah the Almighty and repent to Him,” and the Shaykh repeated the same exhortation to others. Afterward someone said, “Repent to me from such-and-such,” citing certain words. The Shaykh replied, “If I have said anything that warrants repentance, then I repent of it.” One of their leading figures retorted, “That is not repentance.” The Shaykh rebuked him, exposing his ignorance, and a lengthy exchange ensued. He then received a letter from the Shaykh dated the night of Friday, the fourteenth of the same month, stating that he had held a third gathering at al-Ṣāliḥiyya after returning from Muḥannā on Thursday, bringing much good; that his presence in Egypt benefited the people in various ways; and enclosing a letter to his mother, which began: “From Aḥmad ibn Taymiyya to my mother. May Allah delight your eyes with His blessings, bestow upon you His abundant generosity, and make you among the best of His servants and bondsmen. Peace and Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon you. We praise Allah before you—there is no deity but He, worthy of all praise and omnipotent. I ask Him to send blessings upon the Seal of the Prophets, the Imam of the God-fearing, Muḥammad, His servant and Messenger, and to grant him abundant peace. “My letter to you concerns great favors, generous bounties, and vast blessings for which we thank Allah, and from which we ask for more of His grace. The more we praise God for His favors, the more they increase, and His acts of kindness defy enumeration. You know that our presence in this land is solely for necessities; if we neglect them, both religion and worldly affairs will suffer. By Allah, we did not choose to be distant from you—if birds could carry us, we would hasten to you. But the absent one has his excuse so long as he fulfills his duties. Were you aware of the inner circumstances, you would, praise be to God, choose nothing else. We have not committed to stay here even a month; rather, each day I perform the istikhāra (guidance prayer) for traveling to you. You should perform istikhāra for us and yourselves, and pray that we choose what is best. We ask Allah the Almighty to decree for us, for you, and for the Muslims whatever is good, with well-being and a good outcome. “Despite this, Allah has opened doors of goodness, guidance, and blessing beyond imagination, and at every moment we increase in goodness. We remain intent on traveling, seeking Allah’s guidance. Do not suppose that we prefer any worldly matter over being near you, nor even any religious matter that proximity to you would favor. Yet there are major affairs whose general neglect we fear would be harmful. The one present sees what the absent does not, and what matters is to increase prayers for what is best, for Allah, exalted is He, knows while we do not, and He ordains while we cannot, and He is the Knower of the unseen. “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Of the happiness of the son of Adam is his use of istikhāra for Allah and his contentment with what Allah decrees; and of his misery is his abandonment of istikhāra and his dissatisfaction with what Allah has decreed for him.’ “A merchant traveling fears the loss of some of his merchandise and therefore must delay until he recovers it. What concerns us is a matter too great for description. There is no strength or power except with Allah, the Most High, the Mighty. “Peace and Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon you abundantly, and upon all in the household, young and old alike, and upon all neighbors, family, and friends, one by one. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah send blessings upon our master Muḥammad and his family and grant them abundant peace.” He then wrote to his brother from his mother:…