Response to Muawiyah I

Response to Muawiyah I by Marwan I, translated by Muhammad Diyab al-Atlidi

This translation of the letter appeared in Historical Tales and Anecdotes of the Early Khalifahs.

Be not hasty, Commander of the Faithful, for verily thy vow shall be redeemed in private and in public.

Though overcome by admiration, I acted not unlawfully, for how could I bear the titles oppressor, adulterer?

Hold me excused, for surely, hadst thou seen her, my passion had been thine, by nature's inevitable law. This sun will soon approach thee; there is not her peer within the realms of men or of genii.