Shaykh al-Islām—may Allah sanctify his soul—said:

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs. All praise belongs to Allah. We seek His help and forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and from our evil deeds. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead astray; and whomever He leads astray, none can guide. We bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah alone, with no partner, and we bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah bless him and his family and grant him peace.

To proceed: Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah says:

When I learned what the ruler, the sultan—may Allah support him and guide him aright—intended by his directive, I wrote a brief statement at that time because the person present pressed for a prompt reply. This also gives a brief account of the circumstances. If the ruler—may Allah support him and guide him aright—so orders, I will bring before him many Muslim works, both early and recent, containing the words of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—