Tahir bin al-Husayn's Letter (Part 1)

It is your duty to:

• fear the one and only God
• be afraid of Him
• watch Him
• keep away from His wrath
• guard your subjects night and day.

With the help of the good health with which God has clothed you, apply yourself to:

• thinking of:
  • your resurrection and the place where you will be going
  • the things that will be your concern and for which you will be held responsible.
• working so that on the Day of Resurrection, God will save you from His retribution

God has been benevolent to you.

He has made it obligatory for you to show kindness to those of His servants whom He has made your subjects.

He has made it your duty to:

• be just to them
• see to it that His rights and punishments are observed
• defend them and protect their families and women
• prevent bloodshed
• make their roads safe
• enable them to live in peace

God will punish you in connection with the duties He has placed upon you (if you do not take care of them properly).

He will make them your concern and hold you responsible for them and reward you for (the good deeds) you have done or (the evil deeds you have) not done.

Keep your mind, brain, and eye free for that.

Let nothing draw your attention from it. It is your principal and crucial task.

It is the first thing through which God will give you successful guidance. Let the first thing to which you apply yourself and on which you work, be unfailing fulfillment of the duty of the five daily prayers that God has imposed upon you.

Let people come to you to pray together with you, and perform (the prayers at the proper times) 753 with all their rites.

That is perform the ablutions before the prayers. Begin the prayers with the mention of God.

Use the proper chant when you recite the Qur’an.

Perform the requisite bows and prostrations and pronounce your profession of the faith properly.

Let your intention in prayer be sincere in the presence of your Lord.

Urge and instigate those who are with you and under your control to (perform the prayers). Prayer, as God said in the Qur’an, “restrains from sin and evil.”

Then, let this be followed by adopting the ways of the Messenger of God, by constant application of his qualities, and by imitation of the pious ancient Muslims after him.

If you have a task to do, ask God whether you should do it or not.

Do this by:

• fearing Him
• applying what God has revealed in His Book with regard to things:
  • to be done and not to be done
  • permitted and forbidden
• taking as your guide the directions in the traditions of the Prophet.

Then act as you owe it to God to act.

Do not be swayed from justice according to your likes and dislikes, either on behalf of a person close to you or on behalf of one remote from you.

Favor:

• jurisprudence and the jurists
• Islam and theologians
• the Quran and those who live by it.

The best ornament of a man is judicial interpretation of the faith.

Search for the knowledge of how one can get close to God. Admonish others to follow it.

Islam is the leader and guide to everything that is good.

It commands the doing of good and prohibits the committing of sins and crimes.

Through Islam, man’s knowledge of God and respect for Him grows with God’s help. He will attain the highest rank in the other world.

When people notice your Islamic attitude, they will have respect your rule and revere your government.

They will be friendly to you and trust in your justice.

Be moderate in everything. There is nothing more clearly useful, safer, and in every way better, than (moderation). Planned moderation calls for right guidance.

Right guidance leads to success. Success leads to happiness.

The preservation of Islam and of the model ways (of the Prophet) is accomplished through moderation.

Give preference to it in all your worldly affairs.

Do not fall behind in your pursuit of:

• the other world
• good deeds
• kind behavior
• the right path.

Planned moderation in worldly matters gives strength and protects against sins.

Moderation best guards your person and your rank and improves your affairs. Therefore, use it and be guided by it.

Then:

• your affairs will succeed
• your power will increase
• your private and public affairs will be in order.

[Continued on next page..]