تقليد الرضى
Praise belongs to our Lord alone, without partner, in prosperity and adversity, hardship and ease. From the servant and possession of our Lord, the Qāʾim of the Age, Guide of the Responders, who takes vengeance upon the polytheists through the sword of our Lord and the strength of His sovereignty, to the venerable Shaykh al-Raḍī, Envoy of Power, Glory of the Unitarians, Bearer of Glad Tidings to the Believers, and their Supreme Word, Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad son of Wahb al-Qurashī, the Caller. May God grant him success and strengthen him.
I have placed my trust in our Lord, the Righteous, the All-Knowing, the Most High, the Judge of judges, who does not enter thoughts or imaginings, whose remembrance is exalted above the descriptions of those who describe and the comprehension of humanity. The letters of “In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful” signify the ranks of His servant, the Imam.
From the servant of our Lord al-Ḥākim, the One, the Unique, the Self-Sufficient, transcendent above consort and child—glorified and exalted above their descriptions—and His possession, Ḥamza son of ʿAlī son of Aḥmad, supported through the strength of His sovereignty.
To the venerable Shaykh al-Raḍī, Envoy of Power, Glory of the Unitarians, Bearer of Glad Tidings to the Believers, Pillar of the Responders, and their Supreme Word, Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad son of Wahb al-Qurashī, the Caller: Peace upon you.
I praise to you our Lord, the Provider, the Most High, the One who brings forth, al-Ḥākim, transcendent above the Follower and Preceder, the Foundation and Speaker, who manifests Himself to His creatures through their creation, in the condition in which the Creator created them. Glorified is He, who cannot be comprehended by imagination or known through thoughts and understandings; exalted far above what humanity associates with Him.
Now then: I looked through the light of our Lord—exalted be His remembrance—and through the support He granted me. I uncovered your secrets and what was apparent to me of the outward reports concerning you. Throughout the passing of nights and days and during great hardships I found in you nothing but tawḥīd of the Lord of humanity, the Judge of judges, repudiation of the worshippers of idols and images, and truthful speech in prose and verse. Upon you be my finest greetings.
I have therefore raised your degree and added to your station, which had been the station of Shaykh al-Murtaḍā—may the Lord sanctify his spirit. You alone received his knowledge and laid him in his grave and tomb. I have entrusted to you all his books of tawḥīd and placed you above all the Callers, Authorized Instructors, chiefs, Mukāsirs, and Unitarian Responders. None stands above you except the Choice of the Responders and Refuge of the Unitarians, Shaykh al-Mujtabā—Enoch of the age, Idrīs of the time, Hermes of all Hermeses, my brother and brother-in-law Abū Ibrāhīm Ismāʿīl son of Muḥammad al-Tamīmī, the Caller. May the Lord protect him from evil and fulfill my hope in him.
Seek guidance from our Lord—glorified is He—and carry out the service required of you in His path. Be gentle with the Callers and all the Unitarians; command them to do right and forbid them wrongdoing. Strengthen them in service to the Divinity. Command the chiefs to remain in your service and report to you all news and new developments in Cairo, its affairs, Egypt and its districts.
I have given you command and prohibition over all the Responders. Whoever you find upright in conduct and pleasing in his Ḥākimī belief, treat kindly, bring near to yourself, and tell me of his condition. If he is oppressed, I shall support him; if he is an oppressor, I shall subdue him. If someone has been imprisoned for an offense or wrongdoing and that offense has been pardoned, bring him to your house and strike him painfully with sticks so that he does not return to a fault unworthy of the Unitarians. Do this in a place in your house where the opponents are not present.
Gather the Unitarians together, and attend their rites of birth, weddings, and funerals according to the custom I have prescribed for them.
If you see that anyone among the ranks, Callers, Authorized Instructors, or chiefs has neglected his service or committed a lapse, replace him with another after his offense has been established by two trustworthy Unitarian witnesses who testify to his error in his presence. If he repents, accept his repentance after he swears by our Lord—exalted be His remembrance—that he will not return to such an error.
Advise them to safeguard one another; none of them should go without some weapon, even if only a knife. Remain in the service to which I appointed you: attendance at the Pure Presence, the shining lights, and the splendid stations.
Remain within the rule I laid down for you, and beware of exceeding it. Practice truthfulness. Beware of lying and of adding to or subtracting from words. Lying to your believing brother is unbelief; how much worse, then, to add to the words of our Lord—exalted be His remembrance!
Speak the truth and do not be ashamed before me or frightened, for the messenger is charged only with clear communication. Speak truthfully even when it brings hardship. Do not advance before the Presence unless you have been summoned, and do not speak before our Lord unless you have been asked.
Recite the supplication I commanded you in your first appointment. Begin it: “Peace, hidden and not manifest: from You, our Lord, comes peace, and to You peace returns. You are most entitled to peace, and Your Call is the Abode of Peace. Blessed and exalted are You, our Lord Most High, Possessor of Majesty and Generosity.” Continue the supplication to its end.
Do not persist obstinately in questioning. Do not raise your voice, move your hand, gesture with your eye, or lift your head while speaking. Speak the truth; fear nothing except your sin, and worship none except your Lord, the Most High, al-Ḥākim, the One, the Unique, the Self-Sufficient, transcendent above consort and child.
Do not conceal from me anything about your condition or the daily developments concerning the Responders, whether good or bad. I commend them to you as our Lord—exalted be His remembrance—commended them to me. Be a compassionate father and gentle educator to them. Our Lord—exalted be His remembrance—is gentle toward us and them.
Deliver every new covenant, book, and report to the maidservant appointed to receive the notes, and convey her replies. Send these to my sons ʿAlī and Ḥusayn, Authorized Instructors in the Call, so that they may reach the maidservant—may the Lord support them. Through Him comes success in every matter.
Serve in such a way that you deserve favor and escape associationism and retribution. Thank our Lord—glorified and exalted is He—and the intermediary through whom favor reached you. Protect the brethren and strengthen them in secret and in public.
Read this letter of mine to all the Callers, Authorized Instructors, chiefs, Mukāsirs, and Unitarians, so that they may recognize your station and the elevation of your rank, if our Lord wills. Through Him comes success in every matter, worldly and religious.
Praise and thanks belong to our Lord alone. He suffices us and is the best Helper and Supporter.
Written in Shawwāl, in the second year of the service of our Lord by His possession Ḥamza son of ʿAlī son of Aḥmad, Guide of the Responders, who takes vengeance upon the polytheists and renegades through the sword of our Lord—exalted be His remembrance—and the strength of His sovereignty. In Him I place my trust, through Him I seek help, and from Him comes my request.
The appointment is complete. Praise belongs to our Lord alone.