The Truth Revealed — Page 14
14 Ya‘q u b, may the Lord protect him from all that is impure and from the slips of vices. We spoke of recent events and indulged in tales and stories of the past and of the current time, and then your honourable name was mentioned. I inquired about you at length and he told me of your unparalleled virtues and characteristics. After hearing of the beauty of your character, I was drawn towards you and desired to see you for myself; after all, the virtues of the speaker are reflected by his words. To meet someone face to face has its own benefits, hence Moses’ prayer [to see God for himself ]. But my path to you is thwarted by the rigours of travel, the extremity of the summer heat, my pennilessness and a lack of conveyance. Could I take to the air, I would soar to you in all haste! Alas, my wings have been cut, And a bird without wings cannot fly. Nonetheless, if I am unable to come to you in person, I can at least write. As the proverb goes, ‘A pen is one of the two tongues and a letter is half a meeting. ’ Although hearing is not like seeing, which is the true certainty, but when water is not available, one must take advantage of the available alternative. And peace [be upon you]!