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The letter of Shaykh ul- Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah to his mother,
in which he apologises for his stay in Egypt. A stay he felt was necessary to
educate the people.
In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Dispenser of Mercy
From Ahmad bin Taymiyyah to my dear and honourable Mother, may Allah bless her
amply, and grant her peace and comfort, and make her amongst the best of His
servants, Assalamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakatuh.
We praise Allah, the most worthy of praise. There is no deity worthy of worship
but He, and He has Power over all things. We ask Him to bless the Seal of the
Prophets and Imaam of the pious, Muhammad His servant and Messenger (Sallallaahu
`alayhi wa sallam).
Indeed the bounties of Allah come abundantly, and His aid is never ending. We
praise Him for it, and ask Him to increase His favour. It will not escape you,
my contented mother, the fact that our stay in Egypt is for an important issue.
The abandonment of such a task leads to the corruption of our Deen and of our
life.
Yet it was not our choice to be far from you. Had birds been able to carry us,
we would have come to you. But the absent one has his reason; and had you been
able to look deeply into the affairs of the Muslims, you would not choose for me
another place to the one I am in now. Nevertheless, I had never intended to
reside here permanently. Instead, I pray to Allah to guide you and I to the
right choice, and I pray for your well-being. I ask Allah to bless us and the
rest of the Muslims, with His goodness and what that goodness encompasses of
safety and benefit.
Allah had opened for me His gates of blessings, mercy and guidance in a way I
have never conceived of before. Yet I am always considering travel towards you,
making the prayers of Istikhaarah. It is inconceivable for me, if given the
choice, to favour any of this life's mundane issues or of the lesser obligations
of the Deen, to being close to you. Yet there are great issues which l cannot
abandon for fear of their general and personal dangers (1) - and the witness
sees what the absent does not.
I beseech you to supplicate to Allah profusely. Ask Him to guide us to choose
our best paths, for He Knows and we do not, and He is able and we are weak. The
Messenger of Allah (Sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:
It is from the happiness of the son of Adam to practice lstikhaarah and be
pleased with what Allah had ordained for him. And it is from the misery of the
son of Adam to drop tbe Istikhaarah of Allah and be displeased at Allah's
decrees. (2)
Indeed, the travelling trader might fear the loss of his money, so he resides at
a place until he is able to travel once again. The matter that we are in the
middle of is too great to describe, but there is no power or ability but through
Allah.
Finally, convey my Salaam to the entire household, young and old, and the rest
of neighbours, friends and relatives one by one.
Wasalamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakatuh!
Praise be to Allah, and may His Blessings and Peace be upon Muhammad, his family
and companions.
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