You know how many fabrications, misleading errors, and corrupt desires have arisen in this affair—it is an extreme matter beyond description. Yet all that has been said of lies and falsehoods concerning us is in fact a blessing for us. As Allah says: “Innna alladhīna jā’ū bil-ifki ‘uṣbatun minkum; lā taḥsabūhu sharran lakum bal huwa khayrun lakum.” (Quran 24:11) Indeed, God has revealed the truth and its proof, refuting the false slander and its calumny. I do not wish to exact vengeance from anyone for lying about me, oppressing me, or transgressing against me, for I have forgiven every Muslim. I desire good for every believer and wish for each of them the same good I wish for myself. Those who have lied and wronged me are free from any claim on my part. As for the rights of Allah and His Messenger, if these people repent, then Allah will accept their repentance; otherwise, God’s judgment must be carried out against them. Even if a person’s evil deed might gain him thanks, I would be grateful to everyone who contributed to this affair for the good it has brought us, in this world and the Hereafter. Yet all praise belongs to God, who is thanked for His abundant blessings and favors, who never decrees for a believer except what is good for him. People with righteous intentions are praised for their intent; people who do good deeds are praised for their deeds; and for those who have done wrong, we ask God to grant them repentance. You know this from my character, and the matter is far greater than it appears. People’s mutual rights remain subject to God’s judgment. You also know that the Greatest Truthful (al-Ṣiddīq al-Akbar), Abu Bakr, in the case of al-ifk (the slander), swore by God that he would never set foot in the house of Hisā’ ibn Athātha, because he had participated in the slander. Then Allah revealed: “Walā ya’tali ulū al-faḍli minkum wa-al-sa‘ah an yu’tū ulī al-qurbā wa-al-masākīn wa-al-muhājirīna fī sabīlillāh; wa-l-ya‘fū wa-l-yaṣfaḥū; alā tuḥibbūna an yaghfira الله lakum wa-اللّهu ghafūrun raḥīm.” (Quran 24:22) When this verse was revealed, Abu Bakr said, “Yes, by God, I indeed love that Allah should forgive me,” and then he returned to al-Hisā’ with the support he had provided for him. Know that God—glorified and exalted—is, alongside what has been mentioned of forgiveness, benevolence, and pardon and their multiplied equivalents, also commanding striving (jihad). The jihad mandated by what Allah sent down to His Messenger of the Book and wisdom is an unavoidable duty. As He says: “Fa-sawfa ya’tī الله bi-qawmin yuḥibbuhum wa-yuḥibbūnah; adhillatin ‘alā al-mu’minīn, a‘izzatin ‘alā al-kāfirīn; yujāhidūna fī sabīlillāh wala yakhāfū lawmata lā’im; dhālika faḍlu الله yu’tīhi man yashā’; wa-اللّهu wāsi‘un ‘alīm. Innamā waliyyukum الله wa-rasūluhu wa-alladhīna āmanū.” (Quran 5:54–55) Peace be upon you, and God’s mercy and blessings. The sheikh lodged in the house of al-Awaḥdī—some say in the house of Ibn Sanqar—and people flocked to gather around him to listen to his lectures in all sciences, day and night. He taught and issued fatwas, invoked God’s name, called people to Him, and spoke from the pulpits of Cairo’s mosques in Quranic exegesis. On Fridays, from after the prayer until the afternoon call to prayer, crowds pressed in on him until the bosoms of his enemies grew narrow with hatred, and they felt constricted in the vast earth. In the first ten days of Shawwāl, five hundred Sufis gathered, including their leading sheikh Karīm al-Āmīlī and Ibn al-Manbijī, and they agreed to lodge a complaint against Taqī al-Dīn to the sultan. Some went up to the citadel and made a great clamor. The sultan asked, “What is wrong with these people?” They replied, “They are complaining about Ibn Taymiyya.” He asked, “And what do they complain about him?” They said, “They claim that he insults their masters and disparages their standing among the people.” They appealed for his removal, bringing their horses and men, and appeared before the emirs, leaving no means untried. One of the sheikh’s companions said to him, “People have gathered against you in large numbers.” He replied, “Sufficient for us is Allah, and He is the best disposer of affairs.” He had already spoken critically of Ibn ‘Arabī, clarifying his doctrine and that of his followers, who advocate union (ḥulūl) and identification (ittiḥād).