In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
The morning breeze whispers eulogies of your excellences; your being emits the scent of the sweetest flowers; your greatness remains concealed from the eyes of the people; you have been saved from the evils of fate; may the ships of your salvation always sail across the uncertain waters of knowledge and learning; may you confront the subtleties of understanding; may people submit to your greatness and be witness to your ineffable virtues. I cannot summon the words to praise you, to pray for you, to speak of my longing to meet you.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you.
This letter is a token of love from one whose heart is pure. A flame was once kindled in my heart that ignited an insatiable passion for travel and adventure, so I left my native land and destiny brought me here and the Will of God decreed that I meet with my kindly brother Hafiz Maulawi Muhammad Ya‘qub. May the Lord protect him from all that is impure and from the innumerable vices prevalent in the town of Dehra Dun. We spoke of recent events and indulged in tales and stories of the past, and then your name was mentioned. I inquired about you at length and he told me of your unequalled etiquette and civility. After hearing of the beauty of your character, I was drawn towards you and desired to see you for myself; after all, the virtues of the speaker are reflected by his words. To meet someone face to face has its own benefits, hence Moses’ prayer [to see God for himself]. But my path to you is thwarted by the rigours of travel, the extremity of the summer heat, my pennilessness and a lack of conveyance.
Could I take to the air
I would soar to you in all haste
Alas, my wings have been cut
And a bird without wings cannot fly.
Nonetheless, if I cannot come to you in person I can at least write. As the proverb says, the letter is half a meeting. To merely be aware of a thing is not to know it; only experience can give birth to belief and conviction. And so one has to make do with what one has.