I said, and I came across a copy of another letter from that outsider to Gordon, in which he said: In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to God, the Generous Master, and peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad. And thereafter, from the poor servant to God, Muhammad al-Mahdi bin Abdullah, to the esteemed ruler of Britain and the Khedivate, Gordon Pasha. We have received your reply and understood its contents. The situation is that you claim to wish to reform the condition of the Muslims, to open the way for visiting the tomb of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to foster affection between us and you, to release the Christians and Muslims, and to make me Sultan over Kordofan. I say, and the command is God's, that I have called people to their righteousness and to what brings them closer to their Lord, and to flee from this transient world to the abode of permanence, and to do what is good for them in their hereafter. I have written to the Governor-General of Khartoum, calling him to the truth, and that my Mahdism is from God and His Messenger. I am not in this seeking illusion, nor do I desire kingship, status, or wealth. I am merely a servant who loves humility and the humble, and I detest pride and the glory of sultans, and their turning away from the clear truth, due to their innate love for life, wealth, and children. This is what has deterred them from their righteousness and caused them to miss their share from their Lord. They have taken the transient and left the everlasting, and occupied themselves with what is not of the transient things. They have not heeded the words of God or His Messenger, nor have they remembered the stories of the people of past generations, from whom that did not avail them anything, and they regretted what they enjoyed. So God Almighty has supported me with the Great Mahdism to guide them to God Almighty, and to abandon transient glory and transient bliss for everlasting glory and eternal bliss in the abode of permanent bliss. And to make them aware of the delusion of those who desire the immediate and think they are striving for God's pleasure and will have a share in the hereafter. And Christ, peace be upon him, said: "O company of disciples, build for yourselves a dwelling on the sea, and beware of this world, do not make it a permanent abode." I said: Christ said nothing, nor did he liken anything to this speech in his Gospel at all. The claimant said: Whoever thinks he can cross the sea without getting wet is defeated, and likewise whoever thinks he can gather the world and desire its glory and status, and have a significant position in the hereafter. So turn to the Everlasting God, seek His majesty, and ask for the glory of the hereafter. Do not think that this world is an abode of permanence, so that you strive for its kingdom and its glory. How can one who is contrary to the way of the Prophet, peace be upon him, desire an increase like dogs, as it is narrated? For this world is a carcass, and its seekers are dogs. Whoever does not desire it, and whoever worships other than God, has forgotten God and turned away from His words, and sought the provisions of this transient life. If you are compassionate towards the Muslims, it is more fitting that you be compassionate towards yourself and save it from the wrath of its Creator, and guide it to follow the true religion by following our master Muhammad, the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, who revived what had become obsolete from the religions of the prophets, peace be upon them. If they had been present, they would not have followed any other religion than his, and all of them would wish to be among his followers. And whoever witnesses his mission and what comes after, no religion other than his will be accepted from him. So purify yourself first by entering his religion, then be compassionate towards his followers by following his Sunnah. Then you are the compassionate one, and otherwise, you will have no companion among the steadfast. How can it be, when God Almighty said: "O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and Christians as allies; some of them are allies of others. And whoever takes them as an ally among you, then he is one of them. Indeed, God does not guide the wrongdoing people." - until he said - "Only"