In His Most Exalted Name
I do hereby acknowledge the receipt of your graceful missive that was expressive of your good health as well as your show of kindness for me. Thank you for the pleasant expressions, which were indicative of your heartfelt emotions. I pray to Almighty God for your good health and your acceptance. My days are numbered and I hope that our friends' prayers are answered and Almighty God acts according to His all-encompassing favor and His grace. I hope, too, that He does not show severity in the reckoning. You gentlemen, who are in your prime of life, will in no time reach old age. Do not let your youth be misspent; spend it in serving the Creator and the people, and seek the pleasure of the Mawla, «1» great be His power. The refinement of the carnal soul is much simpler in the young age than it is in the olden years when you get weak. It is then that man's strength is vanished and the root of unethical behavior- the origin of which is the love for the material world and carnal desires- solidifies and makes the task of refinement very difficult. If you do not prepare yourself now you may, God forbid, confront hardships, the tolerance of which could become very hard and unpleasant. Try to suppress the love for this material world, fame, and ambition, since the danger of them during old age is the severest of the disasters.
I pray to Almighty God for your success and acceptance and those of the learned men and the ones endowed with learning. May peace be upon you.