The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 332
A LETTER TO SHAIKH MUHAMMAD HUSAIN BATĀLAWI بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ! نَحْمَدُهُ وَنُصَلَّى To Shaikh Muhammad Husain Abū Sa'id Batālawi, الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَى - ]All praise is due to Allah; and peace be on his chosen servants]. After this, I regret to write that on account of your edict alleging kufr [disbelief]—the inevitable consequence of which being that one of the two parties must be a kāfir [disbeliev- er]-I was unable to begin this letter with the customary salutation of peace; that is, As-salamu 'alaikum [Peace be upon you]. However, upon receiving an admonitory revelation about you, and hearing simi- lar dreams from fellow Muslims, I was overcome with fear for your ter- rifying fate. As a result, out of respect for the inherent rights of human beings bestowed upon them by virtue of their humanity and also due to our shared nationality and proximity as neighbours, my sympathy was deeply stirred by the condition I observed in you. And I declare in the name of Allah, glorified be His eminence, that I have been moved to sympathize with you on account of your condition greatly, and I 1. In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. [Publisher] 2. We praise Him and invoke His blessings [upon His Noble Messenger]. [Publisher]