a clear path in matters of religion, so follow it, and do not follow the desires of those who do not know.”

“They can be of no help to you against Allah. Indeed, the wrongdoers are allies of one another, while Allah is the Protector of the righteous.”

This is a momentous matter of tremendous importance. You will certainly come to know the truth of it after a time.

He then went on to say:

They were seeking the complete text of al-Ikhnā’iyyah, but now they have before them material that will overwhelm them: many times as much, stronger in legal reasoning, and still more opposed to their aims.

For al-Zamalkāniyyah demonstrates, in some fifty ways, that the judgments and decrees issued contradict the consensus of the Muslims. Had their actions come from someone who knew what the Messenger brought and deliberately opposed it, they would have constituted disbelief and apostasy from Islam. But they are ignorant people who entered into something they did not understand, nor did they expect it to reveal that the sultanate stood against their aims. The matter is far greater than has become apparent to you, and we are, praise be to Allah, engaged in a mighty struggle in His cause.

He then mentioned other matters and said:

Indeed, our struggle in this matter is like our struggle at the time of Qāzān, and against the Jabaliyyah, the Jahmiyyah, the Ittihādiyyah, and the like. This is among Allah’s greatest blessings upon us and upon the people, but most people do not know.