I write to you amid immense blessings from Allah, gracious favors, and abundant bounties, for which we thank Allah and ask Him for more of His grace. Allah’s blessings continue to grow and increase, and His favors are beyond counting.

You know that our present stay in these lands is solely to attend to essential matters which, if neglected, would undermine our religious and worldly affairs. By Allah, we have not chosen to be far from you. If birds could carry us, we would come to you. Yet one who is absent has his reasons; were you aware of the full circumstances, you would—praise be to Allah—choose nothing else at present. We have not resolved to remain and settle here for even a single month. Rather, every day we ask Allah to choose what is best for us and for you. Pray that He chooses what is best for us. We ask Allah the Almighty to choose what is best for us, for you, and for the Muslims, granting us goodness and well-being.

Moreover, Allah has opened doors of goodness, mercy, guidance, and blessing that had never crossed our minds or entered our imagination. Yet our departure is constantly on our minds, and we seek guidance from Allah, glorified and exalted be He.

Let no one suppose that we would ever prefer any worldly matter to being near you. Indeed, we would not even give priority to a religious matter if being near you were of greater importance. But there are weighty matters whose neglect, we fear, would cause harm both to individuals and to the community. One who is present sees what one who is absent does not.

What we ask is that you pray often for Allah to choose what is best, for Allah knows and we do not know, and He has power