In response to a letter from Muawiya

In reply to a letter from Mu‘āwiyah. [1]

As for your demand to me to (hand over) Syria, I cannot give you today what I denied you yesterday.

As regards your saying that the war has eaten up Arabia save its last breath, you should know that he whom right has eaten up goes to Paradise and he whom wrong has eaten up goes to Hell.

As for our equality in (the art of) war and in (numbers of) men, certainly you cannot be more penetrating in doubtfulness (of belief) than I am in certainty (of belief), and the people of Syria are not more greedy for…

As for your saying that both of us are sons of ‘Abd Manāf, it is no doubt so, but Umayyah cannot be like Hāshim, nor Ḥarb like ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib, nor can Abū Sufyān be like Abū Ṭālib. The muhājir (immigrant) cannot be a…

Besides that, we also have the distinction of prophethood among us, by virtue of which we subdued the strong and raised up the down-trodden. When Allāh made Arabia enter (the fold of) His religion, and the people…

Now, do not allow Satan have a share with you nor let him have his sway over you; and that is an end to the matter.