In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.*

What is the verdict of the venerable scholars, the leaders of the religion and guides of the Muslims—may Allah be pleased with them all and assist them in manifesting the clear truth and silencing the clamour of the falsifiers—regarding the shrine in Cairo that is claimed to belong to Ḥusayn (peace be upon him)? Is it authentic or not? Was Ḥusayn’s head carried first to Damascus and then to Egypt, or was it taken to Medina by way of Iraq?

Likewise, is there any validity to what some people say about the former shrine in ʿAsqalān (Ascalon), or not? What should be said about those who maintain that the head of Ḥusayn was transferred to the Prophet’s City rather than to Syria or Egypt? And which of the early and later scholars have affirmed categorically that the shrines of ʿAsqalān and Cairo are fabricated and unauthentic?

Let them set out their discussion in full, for the need is pressing and the necessity great; they will, Allah willing, be rewarded for their efforts.