Refrain—do not mock the Companions and beware;
Do not follow the forgers, and ponder.
Refrain—do not mock the Companions and beware;
Do not follow the forgers, and ponder.
Do not choose the way of error and misery;
Do not curse those who illuminated [the world] like the sun.
These are the people of Allah, so realize of their status!
Do not offend their honour recklessly!
They are the party of Allah, the protectors of His religion.
Offending them is exactly like offending Allah who chose them.
For the sake of the religion of Allah, out of loyalty and obedience,
They stopped anything which could cause destruction.
Spiritual love had purified their hearts,
How could they then care about the rubbish [of the world]?
They came to the Prophet of Allah sincerely, and were illuminated,
Such that no trace of darkness was left within them.
They flew eagerly to the most respected Prophet,
With such obedience to him that they became his limbs.
We and you are enjoying our lives,
But they presented themselves and engaged in every deadly battle.
They abandoned their homes, merely for the sake of Allah
And came to the Messenger like true lovers.
They overcame weakness with the force of guidance,
And healed the wounds by unsheathing the sword of bravery.
Are you charging the Successors of the Prophet with infidelity without any fear?
Are you cursing those who are like the shining moon?
If you are annoyed with their Khilafah,
Then fight the Sovereign who chose them like a discerning buyer [selecting what he likes].
By His command, what was decreed to happen happened,
So do not weep after the fulfilment of events which were destined to take place.
Allah, the All-Knowing, did not make them Successors while He was unaware,
Nor was He, the Lord of All Creations, mistaken.
What happened was a fulfilment of the promised Khilafah.
In this, there are signs for those who reflect.
I see as-Siddiq like the sun at forenoon,
His good deeds in the face of adversity are undisputed.
He was like the shadow of the Chosen Prophets.
Whatever the Prophet asked for, he came forward bravely.
For the sake of supporting Islam, he gave all his wealth.
He kept nothing but the very minimal for himself.
When our Prophet called him to accompany him,
He rushed headlong into the jaws of death and never once looked back.
His good qualities cannot be challenged.
If you are unjustly challenging them then check and reflect.
He killed every worldly desire to revive the Faith.
He came to the Messenger of Allah by all means.
O seeker of guidance, you must read the Scriptures of Allah
To see the descriptions of such a purified nobleman.
By Allah, I do not find among all the Companions of the Prophet anyone
Like Abu Bakr or like his redolent heart.
The Prophet’s Companions, out of their free will chose him because of his merit.
The sea has certainly power over all rivers.
The Protector Lord is praising as-Siddiq,
So, who are you to despise him, O poor man!
His good works are clear like the sun,
There are many signs demonstrating his purity.
He applied himself to help the Religion at the time of hardship
And was foremost in accompanying the Messenger to the cave.
He was an ascetic and a man of established position and trust with His Lord.
He rescued the True Faith from every frivolous one,
And from every tribulation whose evil could harm the Faith;
And from trials which are so majestic like strong rocks.
If this man was a hypocrite,
Then who was the helper of the Chosen Prophet?
Do you consider God’s Truthful One [Abu Bakr] to be an infidel
Because of the words of someone drowning in misguidance?
His heart was like the hearts of the Prophets,
And his mettle was solid like the fortitude of a lion.
I see the light of Allah’s countenance in his character,
As if he is a fragment of a shining star.
He wields a lofty rank with Allah the Almighty—
Woe be unto those with tongues as sharp as daggers!
His services are like the illuminating moon,
And his fruits are so abundant.
He came as a bearer of good news to let the verdant lands flourish.
May Allah reward him for all of this.1
He possessed every quality of al-Faruq,
Ruling the people like a masterful king.
He ruled the people with such sincerity that
The institution of Khilafah acquired great respect and dignity; so reflect over this.
He turned the face of the earth red with the blood of the infidels.
How awestruck am I by the strength of his fortitude!
He became like the sun in his time;
How amazing was he and his time!
He challenged the kings of disbelief in every battle
And destroyed every arrogant challenger.
He demonstrated a mighty sign with his mighty hand.
What a great genius conqueror he was!
A leader of the people donned in patched clothing;
A king wearing a dusty garment.
He was illuminated till he became a Muhaddath;
Allah spoke to him as He does to His elect.
His good deeds could fill volumes;
His virtues were brighter than the shining moon.
How amazing was he, his endeavour and effort!
He was the best shield for the religion of Muhammad (sas).
In his era did the horses of Muhammad (sas)
Stir up clouds of dust in the lands of the Christians.
The soldiers of the Religion broke the might of Khosrow,
Such that nothing remained of it except an illusion.
In his strength he was the Solomon of his time;
The jinns of the enemy were subjected to him like servants.
I commend him because I have seen his great status;
I do not praise anyone except for their good qualities.
I am not afraid of what people think when I offer advice;
There has to be an element of severity when one comes as a warner.
When my words exceeded the bounds of lenience
And the subtleties of my sayings became deeper than a well;
They all initiated a fatwa against me, declaring that I was, without doubt, a disbeliever,
And that killing me would be a righteous act.
Satan made their illusions seem fair to them,
So they abandoned righteousness for the sake of a humiliating error.
Allah, the Subduer, has caused their hearts to become twisted,
And they have lost the ability to reason due to their evil desires.
Not an iota of righteousness remains in them;
So, leave them alone to ridicule every revered truthful one.
The Companions were declared infidels before me,
And you have learnt of this from every source.
They conceal their plans to harm me out of their cowardice,
But when the disputants come forth to debate me,
They run away like foxes,
Fearing my [spiritual] sword, bayonet and dagger.
Some of them are keen to fight out of enmity;
They are stern and severe, but they cannot endure my rigour.
Their light has been concealed by fanaticism;
I see them covered in dirt.
Hence, we have turned away from them and their environs,
As if we had buried them in a very deep grave.
By Allah, we are not afraid of their evil designs,
For we have entrusted all our affairs to the Most Powerful One.
I fear no one in the cause of my Creator.
If they attempt to frighten me, Allah is sufficient for me and He is my Protector.
The Protector knows my innermost secrets;
Let my Lord deal with me, O my adversary who accuses me with disbelief.
If I were a forger and liar,
The enmity of those who raised their daggers against me would have surely caused me harm.
I swear by the Countenance of the Protector, I am not a disbeliever.
The Protector knows all that I conceal and carry.
Allah is my witness that I am not a liar.
My Lord knows all that is in my mind.
I have been taught secrets that had been unknown,
But people have rushed to judgement as if they had the power of sight.
Glorified then be Allah, the Lord of the Throne,
Above what they attributed falsely to Him like forgers.
I am only a Muslim and a follower of the guidance.
So, my friend, do not rush headlong out of passion, and reflect!
The greatness of my knowledge had become clear,
Especially when my visions and prophecies were fulfilled.
Whosoever comes opposing me, his labour is lost.
My Lord is with me, He is my Beloved and preferred above everything else.
The persecutors always hold more power in the beginning,
But the fortunate ones prevail in the end.
If you were of those people with knowledge and guidance,
You would have believed my words without any hesitation.
If you had come to me with the fear of the Lord of Reckoning,
You would have become a recipient of His abundant favours.
Do not, therefore, waste this time of repentance and guidance.
Your turning away is a poison, O you who reflect but little!
If you claim that your body can tolerate the Fire,
Then try burning it in a flaming flame.
Why do you turn away afraid of the healer
When you are suffering from a chronic and incurable disease?
O ye who released the rein of fanaticism!
Fear Allah, and accept the exhortations of the admonisher.
Fear the Day whose punishment shall not be repealed
Either by the intercession of an official or the help of family.
We are tired of the hardships caused by the enemy’s aggression.
The nights of injustice have exceeded all limits. O my Lord! Grant us victory!
You are Merciful, the Lord of compassion and mercy;
Deliver Your servants from a destructive calamity.
You have seen [our] wrongdoings in many things as well as our extravagance;
Forgive, support and help us!
You are Kind and Gracious and Benevolent;
Do not turn away Your servants after You have chosen them.
We came to You like the dead—bestow life upon our affairs!
We beg for Your forgiveness while beseeching Your help— forgive us, therefore.
Through which door—O my God—will You suffer me to pass?
Will You forsake me in the grip of the bloodthirsty enemy?
O my God! May my life be sacrificed for You—You are my ultimate pursuit.
Come with Your grace and give us glad tidings.
Have You turned away from me and stopped speaking mercifully to me?
Did you not tell me about the calamities beforehand?
How can I even imagine losing your affection,
When Your abundant love is forever drawing my heart to itself ?
I found all happiness in obedience;
So grant me the best of sincerity and facility.
O my Allah, support Your servant with Your mercy;
Come near this humble servant who has been accused of blasphemy.
Before this, You were hearing my supplication;
And You were on the battlefield as my Shield and Protector.
My God, help and support me and give me out of Your tenderness
Glad tidings and good news about my mission.
Let me see by Your light, O my Refuge and Haven!
We seek refuge in Your Face from destructive darkness.
Seize O my Lord whoever has initiated hostility against righteousness
And caused disorder, and send down upon him punishment and destroy him.
My Lord, be merciful to me as You have always been;
If I have neglected any covenant, then please remind me.
You are the Merciful Protector and Lord of Honour;
Safeguard Your servants from the day of humiliation.
I perceive a deep dark fearful night;
Delight us, therefore, with the glad tidings of a glorious day.
O my Benevolent Lord! Relieve my distress, save me,
Shatter my adversary, and humiliate him.
My state and condition are not ambiguous to You;
You are aware of my innermost state.
We are in need of Your pure water, so let its spring come forth;
You are our goal, so help and assist us.
We have found You the Most Merciful; we do not care about anything except You.
We seek refuge in Your light from the darkness of the age.
At the end we pray: All Praise belongs to the Lord,
The Most Honourable, Powerful, and the Facilitator of all things.
1 I have laid out how Abu Bakr was a genius and a godly person. He manifested the light of Islam after it had become encroached by darkness. He did his utmost to challenge those who left Islam, and to debate with those who denied the truth. On the other hand, he was soft-hearted and lenient with those who entered its fold. He forbade compulsion in order to spread Islam. He gave mankind a precious and matchless treasure. He led the Arabs with fortitude, and he disciplined these camels in their pastures and places of rest by reasoning with them or by chastising them. He chose war only when he saw no ray of hope elsewhere. He challenged every disputer and did not give in to doubt like the weak. In every trial and ordeal, he proved to be more steadfast than a mountain. He forsook the desires of the world for the sake of Allah, the Most High. The only thing that pleased him was to uphold the word of Islam and follow Khairul-Anam [the Best of Mankind]. Therefore, hold fast to the protector of your religion and leave aside your objections and doubts. I do not say this out of my own desires or in imitation of my forefathers, rather this matter has intrigued me as far back as I can remember, and I had long resolved to thoroughly investigate its every aspect and to think over it deeply. Therefore, I was keen to seek out every piece of information and to enquire about every authentic account regarding this issue.
I found as-Siddiq to be truthful, as was made clear to me after my research. When I found him to be the leader of Imams and the lamp of the Religion and Ummah, I held fast to him and entered his fortress. I attracted the mercy of my Lord by loving the righteous. He thus had mercy on me, gave me refuge, assisted me, nourished me and made me one of the honoured ones. He made me out of His mercy the Reformer of this century, the Promised Messiah, and of those whom He blesses with His discourse. He removed grief from me and gave me what no one in the world was ever given. All this is owing to the blessing of following the Holy Prophet, the unlettered one, and loving those who are granted nearness to Allah. O Allah, bless and prosper the Best of the Messengers and Khatamul-Anbiya’ [the Seal of the Prophets], Muhammad, who is the Best of all Mankind.
By Allah, Abu Bakr was the Holy Prophet’s constant companion in the two holy cities and in the two tombs as well. Here I refer, firstly, to the ‘tomb’ of the cave wherein he concealed himself as if he were dead, and, secondly, to the tomb that is in Madinah, which is adjacent to the tomb of Khairul-Bariyyah [i.e. the Best of Creation—the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas)]. Think, therefore, of the [high] status of as-Siddiq if you are a people who reflect. Allah has praised him and his Khilafah in the Quran and praised him in the highest terms. There is no doubt that he is accepted and loved by Allah. Foolish is the one who begrudges his status. The impurity which infected Islam was wiped away by his Khilafah. The felicity of Muslims became complete due to his compassion. The pillar of Islam would well have crumbled, had as-Siddiq, the friend of the Best of Mankind, not been present. He found Islam like a weak person—sick and emaciated and barely in his senses, so he rose to restore its beauty and splendour in a masterful way and hastened to revive the lost Islam until it had regained the agility of its body, the softness of its cheeks, the charm of its beauty, and the sweetness of its pure water. All this came to pass because of the truth of this honest servant of God. He defeated the enemy and turned the situation around. He never sought any reward for this; his reward was only with Allah. No day or night rose upon him except that he was engaged in this service. He restored the broken remains, put a stop to the sufferings, and protected the land. The victory was always his because of the grace and mercy of Allah. I will now put forward some evidence, placing my trust in the one God, to show you how Hazrat Abu Bakr ended the terrible seditions and the dangerous tribulations and how he put an end to the warmongers. His hidden inner self was made manifest for all to see through his actions, and his actions bore witness to his high qualities. May Allah reward him for this with the best reward and resurrect him along with the most pious ones. May He have mercy on us through the intercession of those beloved ones. O Allah, Lord of favours and bounties, accept this from me. You are the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.
The Turmoil of Apostasy following the Death of the Best of Messengers & the Leader of the Righteous (sas)
When the Messenger of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed away, the Arabs apostatized as whole tribes or factions of them, and hypocrisy resurfaced. On account of their small numbers and the large numbers of enemies, and also because of their grief and sadness on account of the passing away of the Holy Prophet (sas), the Muslims were like sheep out on a rainy night. (History of Ibn Khaldun, Part II, p. 65)
Ibn Khaldun also wrote—‘The common and elite of Arabs apostatized. The public of Tayi’ and Asad gathered around Tulayhah. Ghatfan apostatized, and Hawazin withheld the payment of alms. The elite of Banu Sulaim renounced Islam and people everywhere did likewise.’ ([History of Ibn Khaldun, Part II,] p. 65)
Ibn Athir writes in his chronicles: ‘When the news of the demise of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, reached Makkah, its Governor, ‘Itab ibn Usaid, went into hiding and Makkah was shaken to the core, and it seemed imminent that its people would renounce Islam.’ ([al-Kamil fit-Tarikh, Tarikh ibn al-Athir] Part I, p. 134)
He also records—The common and elite of every tribe apostatized. Hypocrisy came out in the open, and Jews and Christians started looking for favourable opportunities. Muslims were like sheep on a rainy night due to the loss of their Prophet, their small number and the multitude of their enemy. It was at such a time that the people said to Hazrat Abu Bakr: ‘These people only consider the army of Usamah to be the Muslim army, and, as you can see, the Arabs have rebelled against you. It is, therefore, not prudent to separate yourself from these soldiers.’ Upon this, Hazrat Abu Bakr said: ‘By the One who has my soul in His Hand, had I thought that wild, predatory animals would snatch me away, I would still send out Usamah’s army in accordance with what the Messenger of Allah had commanded. I will never go against a decision taken by the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.’ Hazrat ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud says: ‘We had reached a stage where we were about to perish if Allah had not conferred his special favour on us in the form of Abu Bakr who gathered us together to fight by all possible means the rebellious tribes and to continue worshipping Allah till death came to us.’ ([al-Kamil fit-Tarikh, Tarikh ibn al-Athir] p. 142)
The Emergence of False Claimants to Prophethood
Al-Aswad appeared in Yemen, Musailamah in Yamamah, and Tulayhah son of Khawailid in Banu Asad. All of them claimed prophethood. ([History of ] Ibn Khaldun, Part II, p. 60)*
[*Note: The Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, has given this, and the other references that follow, in summary form. —Publisher]
Sajah bint al-Harith from Banu ‘Aqfan claimed prophethood. Al-Hudhail bin ‘Imran of Banu Taghlab, ‘Uqbah bin Hilal of an-Nimr, as-Sulail bin Qais in Shayban, and Ziyad bin Bilal followed her. She marched with masses from Arabia towards Madinah to attack Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. ([Ibid.] p. 65)
The Appointment of Abu Bakr (ra) as his Deputy in Leading Prayers by the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him
Ibn Khaldun writes: When his sickness grew severe, and he started losing consciousness, his wives, members of his household, ‘Abbas and ‘Ali gathered around him. When the time of prayer was due, he said: Order Abu Bakr to lead the people in Prayer. ([History of Ibn Khaldun] Part II, p. 62)
The Status of Abu Bakr (ra) in the Eyes of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him
Ibn Khaldun writes—Then, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, after making three recommendations, said: All the doors which open onto the Mosque should be closed except the door of Abu Bakr as I do not know anyone more beneficent than Abu Bakr. ([History of Ibn Khaldun] Part II, p. 62)
Abu Bakr’s Great Love for the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him
Ibn Khaldun writes—When Abu Bakr entered the room in which the body of the Messenger of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, lay, he uncovered his face and kissed his forehead and said: ‘Let my mother and father be sacrificed for you; you have tasted the death which Allah decreed for you, and you will never taste death ever again.’ ([History of Ibn Khaldun] Part II, p. 63)
According to Ibn Khaldun*—one of the favours Allah bestowed on Hazrat Abu Bakr in terms of his complete nearness to the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was that he, may Allah be pleased with him, was carried in the same coffin that had carried the Messenger of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his tomb was made flat like the tomb of the Prophet, his grave was adjacent to the grave of the Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and his head was laid level with the shoulder of the Prophet (sas). The last words he spoke were: ‘Let death come to me in a state of being a Muslim and join me with the righteous.’ ([al-Kamil fit-Tarikh, Tarikh ibn al-Athir, Dhikr Wafat Abu Bakr] Part II,] p. 176)
[*Note: Scribal error. It should be Ibn al-Athir. —Publisher]
[Letter of Abu Bakr (ra) to the Arab Tribes]
It would be appropriate here to quote what Abu Bakr wrote to the Arab tribes that had apostatized so that the readers may grow in their understanding and appreciation of his steadfastness in promoting the rights that are due to Allah and in defending all that which the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had established.
In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. From Abu Bakr, the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to whomsoever this letter of mine may reach: amongst the commoners or the gentry, those who hold fast to Islam or those who have turned away from it. Peace be upon those who follow guidance, and who after having received guidance have not returned to error and blindness. I praise You, O Allah, who alone are worthy of worship. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah. He is One and without partner. Muhammad (sas) is His Servant and Messenger. We acknowledge that which he brought and disbelieve in that which he rejected, and we strive against it. Verily, Allah, the Exalted, sent Muhammad (sas) to His creation with the Truth and as a bearer of glad tidings and as a warner, like a bright lamp calling people to Allah with His authority, that he may warn everyone alive, and that the Word may prove true against the disbelievers. Allah guides with the truth whoever turns to Him, and the Messenger of Allah (sas) confronted whoever turned his back to Him until he came to Islam willingly or reluctantly. Then the Messenger of Allah (sas) passed away after having completed teaching the commandments of Allah, counselling his Ummah, and fulfilling the obligation that had been upon him. In the revealed Book, Allah had made this clear both to him and to the people of Islam, that:
اِنَّکَ مَیِّتٌ وَّاِنَّہُمۡ مَّیِّتُوۡنَ
[Surely, you will die, and surely they too will die (Surah az-Zumar, 39:31). —Publisher]
And that:
وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِکَ الۡخُلۡدَ ؕ اَفَا۠ئِنۡ مِّتَّ فَہُمُ الۡخٰلِدُوۡنَ
[We granted not everlasting life to any human being before you. If then you should die, shall they live here forever? (Surah al-Anbiya’, 21:35) —Publisher]
And to the believers He said:
وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ اِلَّا رَسُوۡلٌ ۚ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہِ الرُّسُلُ ؕ اَفَا۠ئِنۡ مَّاتَ اَوۡ قُتِلَ انۡقَلَبۡتُمۡ عَلٰۤی اَعۡقَابِکُمۡ ؕ وَمَنۡ یَّنۡقَلِبۡ عَلٰی عَقِبَیۡہِ فَلَنۡ یَّضُرَّ اللّٰہَ شَیۡئًا ؕ وَسَیَجۡزِی اللّٰہُ الشّٰکِرِیۡنَ
[And Muhammad is only a Messenger. Verily, all Messengers have passed away before him. If then he die or be slain, will you turn back on your heels? And he who turns back on his heels shall not harm Allah at all. And Allah will certainly reward the grateful (Surah Al ‘Imran, 3:145). —Publisher]
Therefore, whoever worshipped Muhammad should know that Muhammad has died. But he who worshipped Allah alone, who has no partner, Allah continues to watch over him. He is Living, Self-Subsisting, and shall never die. Slumber seizes Him not, nor does He sleep. He guards His purpose and takes revenge on His enemy and punishes him. I counsel you to fear Allah, to pay your dues to Him, to be mindful of that which was brought by your Prophet (sas), to let yourselves be guided by his guidance, and to hold fast to the religion of Allah. For, indeed, whoever Allah has not guided is astray, and whoever He has not made safe is afflicted, and whoever He has not helped is forsaken. Thus, whomsoever Allah guides is rightly guided, and whomsoever Allah allows to go astray is lost. Allah has said:
مَنۡ یَّہۡدِ اللّٰہُ فَہُوَ الۡمُہۡتَدِ ۚ وَمَنۡ یُّضۡلِلۡ فَلَنۡ تَجِدَ لَہٗ وَلِیًّا مُّرۡشِدًا
[He whom Allah guides is rightly guided; but he whom He adjudges astray, for him you will find no helper or guide (Surah al-Kahf, 18:18). —Publisher]
Nor will any deed of his in this world be accepted until he acknowledges Him. Neither repentance nor ransom will be accepted from him on the Day of Judgement. I have learned that some of you, endeavouring to deceive Allah and being heedless towards Him and listening to the words of Satan, have turned your back on Islam after having professed its truth and having acted upon its teachings. Allah says:
وَاِذۡ قُلۡنَا لِلۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃِ اسۡجُدُوۡا لِاٰدَمَ فَسَجَدُوۡۤا اِلَّاۤ اِبۡلِیۡسَ ؕ کَانَ مِنَ الۡجِنِّ فَفَسَقَ عَنۡ اَمۡرِ رَبِّہٖ ؕ اَفَتَتَّخِذُوۡنَہٗ وَذُرِّیَّتَہٗۤ اَوۡلِیَآءَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِیۡ وَہُمۡ لَکُمۡ عَدُوٌّ ؕ بِئۡسَ لِلظّٰلِمِیۡنَ بَدَلًا
[And remember the time when We said to the angels, ‘Submit to Adam,’ and they all submitted, except Iblis. He was one of the Jinn; and he disobeyed the command of his Lord. Will you then take him and his progeny for friends instead of Me while they are your enemies? Evil is the exchange for the wrongdoers (Surah al-Kahf, 18:51). —Publisher]
Allah also says:
اِنَّ الشَّیۡطٰنَ لَکُمۡ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوۡہُ عَدُوًّا ؕ اِنَّمَا یَدۡعُوۡا حِزۡبَہٗ لِیَکُوۡنُوۡا مِنۡ اَصۡحٰبِ السَّعِیۡرِ
[Surely Satan is an enemy to you; so take him as an enemy. He calls his followers only that they may become inmates of the burning fire (Surah Fatir, 35:7). —Publisher]
And I have sent to you someone at the head of an army of the Muhajirin, the Ansar, and of those who followed them in good works. I commanded him not to fight or kill anyone until he had called to the way of Allah, such that those who responded to and acknowledge his call, stopping their aggression and acting righteously, would be accepted and aided. As for those who would spurn him, I commanded my envoy to fight them for that reason, and not to spare any of those he may gain dominance over, and to burn them with fire, to kill them, to take their women and children captive, and not to accept from anyone anything other than Islam. Therefore, whoever follows him, it is better for him, and whoever turns away from him will not be able to frustrate the will of Allah. I have commanded my messenger to read my letter to you in all of your assemblies. The invitation to Allah’s cause shall be the Call to Prayer. If, when the Muslims raise the Call to Prayer, they respond likewise, then let them be, but if they do not respond to the Call to Prayer, then grant them no respite. And if they respond to the Call to Prayer, ask them about their obligations; if they refuse to fulfil them, then attack them, and if they agree, then accept it from them.