تقليد الشيخ أبي الكتائب
I place my trust in our Lord al-Ḥākim alone, who fulfills His promise to His servant.
I entrust you with the spreading of the Call of Truth and receiving the covenant in al-Bayḍāʾ and all the towns of Upper Egypt. I have appointed you to carry out this work among the travelling Callers as far as you are able, with full authority over what belongs to your charge, and to summon to tawḥīd those respondents who consent and submit. I have chosen you for this service to religion as I myself was chosen for it, through the permission of the Riser of Truth, the pledge of tawḥīd and truthfulness, and the command of the Lord, God of humanity and Originator of creation.
In the duty entrusted to you and for which you have been qualified, follow the road of discerning men of knowledge, so that the Riser of Truth's promise to the pure, striving believers may be fulfilled. The Creator has preferred them above the idle followers of falsehood, giving them victory over those worlds. Beware in what you undertake or leave undone of the intrigues of those who break the covenant, the deceptive ornaments of impostors, and the embellished sayings of apostates. Leave those who follow ignorance and disobedience to plunge into their errors and play until they meet the day that has been promised them.
Know that a guardian watches your glances and words, and a witness observes the covenants you uphold or break. As it is written in the words of the Guardian of Truth: “Not a word does he utter without a watcher beside him, ready to record.” Make your tongue a witness to truth, and make its speech a polished instrument that cuts through evasions. May the Creator guide you in the Call to tawḥīd with which I have entrusted you. Summon people to the path of your Lord through clear transcendence and divine unity. Who speaks more excellently than one who summons others to tawḥīd and religion, acts righteously, and shows among the people of truth that he belongs to those who submit?
Lower your wing in kindness, chosen shaykh, to the community of my brethren and yours, the Unitarians. Treat them according to their eagerness, sincerity of intention, pursuit of true knowledge, and faithfulness in religion. God knows them and is swift in reckoning.
Direct your attention also to teaching the Unitarian women and instructing them in the preservation of wisdom. You are responsible for them, and they in turn are responsible if they fail to preserve wisdom. Choose in al-Bayḍāʾ two pure and truthful Authorized Instructors, men of faith, trustworthiness, eagerness, and religion whose doctrine of tawḥīd is sound: the excellent shaykh Abū Muḥammad and al-Ḥusayn ibn Qāsim. Let them serve you and the brethren, and let them serve those who strive in the House of Emigration toward tawḥīd.
Avoid taking on too many idle talkers, gossipers, failures, and those seduced by deception and deceit. Such people are the foundation of turmoil and corruption. By their crimes, hearts become filled with opposition and obstinacy, and obligations are neglected, bringing ruin on the Day of Recompense. As far as you can, demolish the foundations of associationist institutions, dissolve the principles of the religious practices newly invented by them, and remove these corrupting causes from the people of tawḥīd and obedience. Direct your efforts to this with determination, as befits a trustworthy, chosen shaykh from the pure and chosen company.
Give precedence to faithful Callers who have escaped the corrupting defects of the opponents. Choose sufficient Callers who have escaped the defects committed by the wicked and have shown themselves faithful in service. Make your speech true, and keep your manner easy and welcoming toward those whom you summon. Lower your wing in mercy and kindness to all Unitarians, men and women. Explain tawḥīd to those who can discern it, and confront the deniers forcefully with the evidence of tawḥīd.
These are my instructions to you. Make them the sign and emblem of your heart, and a covering that protects your body from pain. May the Creator guard you under His watchful care and grant you success in this life and the hereafter through the gifts, support, and guidance of His Guardian.
Peace be upon you, and may the mercy of His Guardian come to you. Praise belongs to our Lord alone, al-Ḥākim who is beyond all limitation, and thanks to His Guardian who guides to the religion of tawḥīd.