أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ الشَّيءَ لِلشَّيءِ عِلَّةٌ

Did you not see that every thing is a cause for another thing, just as fire is kindled by the striking of flint?

Thus have we tested matters, and indeed what has already passed guides you toward what lies ahead in the distance.

My suspicion concerning Ibrahim is that his station will one day summon back the likeness of his troubled days.

I saw Hussain when Muhammad was left defenseless in his hands, bound by neither pledge nor security.

Had he driven the sharp blade through him with a blow that left his cheek leveled in the dust,

If the troops had spared no remnant of him, that would still match the grim reports received concerning the army.

They killed him after cutting down thirty thousand mature men and youths for his sake.

They did not aid him out of any prior obligation, nor did they strike him down that day from genuine malice.

Rather, it was blatant treachery, shallow reasoning, and a sharp departure from the path of moderation.

Thus that day remains an enduring lesson for mankind, lasting as long as sacred revelations carved in solid stone.

In my eyes, Ibrahim's fateful day, should his life be prolonged, is no less severe in its wretchedness.

Let the Commander of the Faithful recall his posture, and his sworn oaths whether spoken in jest or earnest.

Nay, by the One whose servant I have become—a caliph blessed with the finest oaths of both sovereign and subject—

When he rocks the wooden beams of the pulpits with his weight, he chants verses of Layla, Mayya, or Hind.

By Allah, there is no true repentance driving him toward you, nor any genuine inclination or affection.

Instead, pure devotion of the heart brings one close to God with an approach that neither fails nor falters.

He brought him to you willingly yet with an upturned nose against his will, and God reserved all praise for Himself.

Therefore, leave no room for public doubt, for you shall certainly be recompensed according to what you bestow.

They have erred concerning the people by setting up a pretender who is neither son to al-Mansur nor al-Mahdi.

How much more so regarding one whom the people have chosen, whose pledge unites the caravans from the lowlands to the highlands?

And whose ears have rung with the proclamation of the caliphate called out from afar between double rows of guards?

Never has any man aspired to it in his soul without eventually parting from it when hidden in the grave.

And you interpret the claims of this upstart sect as proof that he is an imam in both what they conceal and reveal.

They call him a traditionalist sunni, yet what manner of tradition is upheld by a dark-hued, narrow-necked, slender-headed man?

They have made the low price of grain during his reign a surety for them of prosperity and fortunate stars.

Whenever they witness a single day of scarcity, you see them yearning wistfully for that bygone era.

He advanced on the feast day while the galloping of fine steeds and the clashing of bare lances swirled around him,

And footmen walked in shining armor before him, following his path with scepter and striped cloak.

If you say another man sought the caliphate, he was not granted true fortune in what he attempted.

Thus when God thwarted his endeavor, I did not excuse him for an error made deliberately.

Nor was I satisfied merely with pardon until I provided support, for a paternal uncle is most worthy of shelter and aid.

Not equal is the rebel cast upon your doorstep by foolish judgment, for flawed opinions often lead to ruin.

Factions gathered against him from every direction; once they lead men to the watering hole, they never let them leave satisfied.

He tumbled into the caliph's house, meeting you both at the very summit of glory.

Your patron is his patron, and your army is his army—can a swordsmith ever fit two sharp blades into a single scabbard?

What has alarmed me concerning your household is that I have witnessed them harbor an immense passion for him.

They say: Do not despair of a man tried by calamity, patient under suffering, possessing a resolute soul and stout heart.

He drew close to us so that his life seemed cheap compared to our sovereign rule, at a time when few were willing to redeem it.

At the very time when Ali ibn Musa was granted the succession through the pledge for the crown prince.

None among us rejected tyranny except him, yet we sufficed in matters of acceptance and refusal.

Ibrahim baring his soul for death, revealing his weapons atop a swift, spirited steed.

He showed great endurance, and whoever exerts his utmost effort in an affair is never blamed even if it proves unavailing.

These are matters whose ultimate outcome wise men fear, and may God guide you toward righteousness.