عبد الرحيم بن الياس
I have placed my trust in the Commander of the Faithful—exalted be His remembrance—and through Him I seek help in every affair.
From the servant and possession of the Commander of the Faithful, the Guide of the Responders, who takes vengeance upon the polytheists through the sword of the Commander of the Faithful, to the Heir-Apparent of the Muslims and deputy of the Commander of the Faithful.
Now then: the time has come for the Heir-Apparent to remove the veil and understand why he has been called the cousin of the Commander of the Faithful. Far be it from our Lord—exalted be His remembrance—to have father, son, paternal uncle, or maternal uncle. “He neither begot nor was begotten, and none is comparable to Him.”
He called you by that name and gave you that title in the past, when you served and held the succession over the Muslims and claimed a resemblance and kinship.
Our Lord—exalted be His remembrance—wished thereby to make known to you your station at this time, so that you might seek pardon for what has passed.
The Heir-Apparent must now entreat our Lord—exalted be His remembrance—to forgive him and erase his name from the writing, correspondence, and forms of address. He must not call himself the cousin of the Commander of the Faithful, since He—glorified is He—is transcendent above all likenesses. Nor should he say in speech or writing, “God's peace be upon him,” for God is his Lord and he is God's servant. You are the first letter (awwal ḥarf). The servant's peace does not descend upon the Lord; rather, the Lord's peace descends upon the servant.
The beneficence of our Lord toward you is ancient and recent, in every age and time. He has appointed you and established the proof against you.
Now the cycles have revolved; the Sun of suns and Moon of moons have risen. Our age requires the unveiling of what was concealed, pure tawḥīd and open manifestation, and worship of our Lord, the One, the Compeller.
I have delivered guidance and advised you sufficiently: proclaim worship of our Lord before the assembled witnesses, and acknowledge with your tongue that you are His servant and possession. Do not approach Him through kinship. You have been honored through service, not lineage. If you sincerely advise your Lord through His worship, you must acknowledge your servitude to Him, for there is neither pedigree nor family connection. Whoever asserts such a connection loses this world and the next; that is the manifest loss.
The Guide has given his warning, and the herald has called out. The messenger is charged only with clear communication.
Peace upon you, together with the mercy and blessings of the Lord. The epistle is complete, and praise belongs to our Lord alone. He suffices me and is the best Helper and Supporter.