Translation of the letter:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
O Allah, my Lord and Lord of my forefathers; and Lord of the heavens raised without visible pillars; and Lord of the radiant sun, the shining moon, and the numerous stars; and Lord of the vast lands, which are placed upon one another and secured with pegs; and Lord of the deep, wide oceans and what moves upon them and swims within them; and Lord of the great seas with roaring waves, beautiful islands, sandy shores, and rivers flowing into them; and Lord of the high mountains with snowy peaks, steep slopes, dark valleys, dangerous precipices, and massive rocks clinging to their edges; and Lord of the lush forests with dense trees, dark depths, and creatures moving within them; and Lord of the vast deserts with parched expanse, eroded soil, windblown bushes[1], and sandstorms sweeping across them; and Lord of the rain clouds and rainless clouds, which come from the distant horizons and shade the Earth; and Lord of spring, the birth of nature, and of summer, the maturity of nature, and of autumn, the aging of nature, and of winter, the death of nature; and Lord of what was, what is, and what will be!
I worship You, the worship of the Prophets; and I praise You, the praise of the Angels. I glorify You, magnify You, and thank You by the number of the stars in the sky, and who knows the number of the stars in the sky except You?! And by the number of the leaves on the trees, and who knows the number of the leaves on the trees except You?! And by the number of grains of sand in the desert, and who knows the number of grains of sand in the desert except You?! And by the number of raindrops, and who knows the number of raindrops except You?! And by the number of the sun’s rays, and who knows the number of the sun’s rays except You?! And by the number of breaths of the living, and who knows the number of breaths of the living except You?! And by the number of blinks of the eyes, and who knows the number of blinks of the eyes except You?! Rather, all of these are numbered, yet I glorify You, magnify You, and thank You countlessly and endlessly, reflecting Your boundless blessings, as befits Your beauty and majesty; and I affirm Your Oneness and associate no partners with You; and I bear witness that Muhammad—may Your peace be upon him and his family—is Your servant and the last of Your Prophets, whom You sent with guidance and the religion of truth to make it victorious over all religions, even if polytheists hate it; and that twelve from his Ahl al-Bayt are Your caliphs and the caliphs of Your Prophet, whom you blessed and chose above all creation, appointing them as leaders for people, so that they may know and worship You. And to You, I shall return.
Guide me to what You are pleased with, turn me away from what You are not pleased with, and do not leave me to myself, lest I turn away from what You are pleased with and turn to what You are not pleased with, for I would then be among the losers. O Lord! Judge between me and those who do not know You and seek to be superior and to spread corruption on Earth, and help me against them; for You are indeed the Most Just of judges and the Best of helpers. I turned to You, placed my trust in You, and worshipped You, making my religion pure for You; and I avoided worshiping taghut and dissociated myself from Your enemies and the enemies of Your friends, so that You may purify me, draw me closer to Yourself, bless me, overlook the sins I committed in the past and may commit in the future, save me from the fire, and admit me into Heaven, on the Day when hearts and eyes are overturned; for You show mercy to whomever You will and punish whomever You will; and You are indeed the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
As for what comes next...
O my Muslim brothers and sisters! Know that the world is close to its end, the end time has arrived, and the dawn of promises has risen. Now we and you live in a time when tribulation and chaos have spread everywhere, oppression and corruption are rampant, and shubha[2] has increased. Shubha is called “shubha” because it leads the human being to “ishtibah”[3] and makes the truth and falsehood “mushtabih”[4]. Undoubtedly, if the truth were obvious, it would not be hidden from anyone, and if falsehood were unconcealed, it would be exposed to everyone. However, the truth is concealed behind the clouds of falsehood, and falsehood disguises itself with the mask of the truth, and this is where it becomes difficult to distinguish between them.
Satan knows that if he openly calls you to falsehood and commands you to misguidance, you do not answer his call nor obey his command. Therefore, on the one hand, he calls you to the truth and commands you to guidance, and on the other hand, he makes falsehood appear fair to you so that you see it as the truth, and makes misguidance appealing to you so that you think of it as guidance! This is where you answer his call and obey his command, thus falling into falsehood out of a yearning for the truth, and yielding to misguidance in the name of guidance; and our time is filled with these shubhas—shubhas that have deceived your young ones and confused your old ones; shubhas that have made life difficult for you and taken away the blessing from your tables; shubhas that have weakened your intellects and hardened your hearts; shubhas that have blinded your eyes so that you do not see, deafened your ears so that you do not hear, and sealed your mouths so that you do not speak!
How much falsehood in our time has been considered the truth, and how much truth in our time has been considered falsehood! How much misguidance in our time has been considered guidance, and how much guidance in our time has been considered misguidance! How much lie in our time has been considered truth, and how much truth in our time has been considered lie! How much wrong in our time has been considered right, and how much right in our time has been considered wrong! How much evil in our time has been considered good, and how much good in our time has been considered evil! While failure to know the truth from falsehood, guidance from misguidance, truth from lie, right from wrong, or good from evil is not insignificant; rather, it carries great punishment and dire consequences, and it may lead to a devastating calamity and eternal misery!
See what will befall you if you do not know foe from friend, wolf from sheep, blade from cotton, or poison from medicine?! The truth and falsehood are like friend and foe, guidance and misguidance are like sheep and wolf, truth and lie are like cotton and blade, and right and wrong are like medicine and poison; if you do not know one from the other, you will surely be among the doomed! This is where ignorance of the human being becomes his greatest enemy, and his heedlessness becomes a scourge upon his life! No one has a greater enemy than his ignorance, and nothing is more harmful to the human being than his heedlessness! Therefore, beware of your ignorance more than foe, fear your heedlessness more than wolf, guard against your unawareness more than blade, and be cautious of your carelessness more than poison; because foe, wolf, blade, and poison are physical things that harm your bodies, while ignorance, heedlessness, unawareness, and carelessness are spiritual forces that destroy your souls!
Then, O you who have become immersed in your lives, who have become habituated to your immersion, who have taken root in your habituation, who have become hardened in your taking root, and who do not know one thing from another! O my sleeping brothers and sisters! Come to yourselves, awaken, and arise! By Allah, there is no alternative to “understanding” for you, and your affair will not be set right except with “knowledge.” Right now, understanding is inviting you like an Angel, and knowledge is calling to you like a Prophet, shouting in your marketplaces and crying out from your rooftops: “O you heedless ones! The night of heedlessness has passed, and the dawn of knowledge has broken. Now awaken and hurry to me, and let nothing keep you from me; for I am more essential for you than your daily food, and more beneficial to you than your earnings and families. I am the only one who remains with you and does not leave you in the world and the Hereafter. Your wealth perishes, your spouses die, and your children part ways. However, I do not perish, nor do I die, nor do I ever leave you; rather, I protect you as I protect myself, and I bring you with me to eternity. If I am with you, nothing will harm you, and if I am not with you, nothing will benefit you. So, what preventer prevents you from me, and what sufficer suffices you instead of me?!” This is how understanding invites you to itself, and knowledge calls you to itself. Therefore, answer the invitation of understanding, and listen to the call of knowledge. Rise to know the truth from falsehood, and strive to learn right from wrong; and what prevents you from that?! While knowing the truth from falsehood is the foundation of your humanity, and learning right from wrong is the source of your personality. How can he who despises understanding call himself a human?! And why does he who is distant from knowledge not call himself a horse?! Knowledge of the human being is the pillar of his honor, and his understanding is the source of his dignity. By understanding, I do not refer to mathematics, geometry, or the like, and by knowledge, I do not mean jurisprudence, principles, logic, or philosophy! These are all merits that have today become trials, and your humanity is not founded upon them! By knowledge, I refer to knowing the truth from falsehood, and by understanding, I mean distinguishing between guidance and misguidance. How many jurists and philosophers have gone to Hell, and how many doctors and engineers have not attained salvation; for they did not know the truth from falsehood, nor did they distinguish between guidance and misguidance!
Beware, O students of universities and religious schools! I see you immersed in your lessons and your discussions, and you have no knowledge of the truth and falsehood! Today, these lessons and these discussions are a trial for you!
Beware, O mujtahids and imitators! I see you immersed in your ijtihad and your imitation, and you have no knowledge of the truth and falsehood! Today, this ijtihad and this imitation are a trial for you!
Beware, O preachers and people of pulpits! I see you immersed in your sermons and your pulpits, and you have no knowledge of the truth and falsehood! Today, these sermons and these pulpits are a trial for you!
Beware, O workers and earners! I see you immersed in your work and your earnings, and you have no knowledge of the truth and falsehood! Today, this work and these earnings are a trial for you!
Beware, O group of people! Wherever I look, I see you immersed in your lives and hidden away within your homes! You have become preoccupied with yourselves, and you have no knowledge of the truth and falsehood! You are addicted to a monotonous routine and stuck in the mire of your attachments! You no longer care about knowing the truth and falsehood, nor do you ask about learning right from wrong! The truth and falsehood have become equal to you, and you see no difference between right and wrong! You have relieved yourselves of these issues, and your minds are distracted from these matters! The work of the outside has kept you from the work of the inside, and the pursuit of wealth and status has diverted you from the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. You say: “The problems of life prevent us from understanding, and the afflictions of the world keep us from knowledge!” While it is the absence of understanding that has given rise to your problems, and the lack of knowledge that has caused your afflictions! There is no problem unless it has stemmed from your ignorance, and no affliction unless it has resulted from your heedlessness!
Understanding helps its possessor, and knowledge saves its friend. These two are for you like water to the thirsty, food to the hungry, a guide to the lost, and a companion to the lonely. These two are a supporter for you and a walking stick in your hands. These two are medicine for your illnesses and a balm for your wounds. These two are a key to your closed doors and a gateway to your happiness. These two are your capital on the day of your need and your aid on the day of your poverty. These two are for you leaders who do not mislead and rulers who do not oppress. These two are for you houses that do not collapse and lands that are evergreen. These two are for you wealth that is not stolen and workers who do not tire. These two are for you spouses who do not part and children who do not mistreat. These two are for you friends who do not betray and companions who do not abandon. Therefore, turn to them, and let nothing keep you from them. Know truth from lie, and right from wrong; because not knowing is the thief of your religion and your world, and not distinguishing is the cause of your regret.
I tell you the truth: ignorance in this time is an unforgivable sin and an irreparable error. In this time, if you do not know the truth, you will be deceived, and if you do not discern guidance, you will be led astray; the devils among the jinn will sell you falsehood in place of the truth, and the devils among humankind will feed you misguidance in the name of guidance. There are always opportunists who take advantage of your ignorance and exploit your heedlessness, using you to gain power and wealth and devouring your property and your selves. However, if you were aware, they would not have gained power over you, and if you were perceptive, they would not have triumphed over you. Is it not true that a thief targets a house in the darkness of night, and a fish is caught in a net in muddy water?! Be vigilant, and do not persist in ignorance and heedlessness after this! Hasten to know the truth from falsehood, and strive to distinguish between guidance and misguidance before time slips away from you...
Is there not among you a wise man to grasp my wisdom, or an understanding woman to heed my advice?! Where are your discerning ones to understand my words, and who are your vigilant ones to answer my call?! Good for those who seek knowledge, for they will succeed, and woe to those who persist in ignorance, for they will face misery...
