أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ قَدْ جَعَلَ الدُّنْيَا لِمَا بَعْدَهَا، وَابْتَلَى فِيهَا أَهْلَهَا، لِيَعْلَمَ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا، وَلَسْنَا لِلدُّنْيَا خُلِقْنَا، وَلَا بِالسَّعْيِ فِيهَا أُمِرْنَا، وَإِنَّمَا وُضِعْنَا فِيها لِنُبْتَلَى بِهَا، وَقَدِ ابْتَلَانِي اللهُ بِكَ وَابْتَلَاكَ بِي: فَجَعَلَ أَحَدَنَا حُجَّةً عَلَى الْآخَرِ، فَعَدَوْتَ عَلَى [طَلَبِ] الدُّنْيَا بِتَأْوِيلِ الْقُرْآنِ، فَطَلَبْتَنِي بِمَا لَمْ تَجْنِ يَدِي وَلَا لِسَانِي، وَعَصَيْتَهُ أَنْتَ وأَهْلُ الشَّامِ بِي، وَأَلَّبَ عَالِمُكُمْ جَاهِلَكُمْ، وَقَائِمُكُمْ قَاعِدَكُمْ.
Now, Allāh, the Glorified, has made this world for what is to come hereafter, and put its inhabitants to trial as to which of you is good in action, and we have not been created for this world, nor ordered to strive for it, but we have been made to stay in it to stand trial therein. So, Allāh has tried me with you and tried you with me. He has therefore made either of us a plea for the other. Now, you have leapt on the world by a wrong interpretation of the Qur’ān, and wanted me to account for what neither my hand nor tongue was responsible, but you and the Syrians put the blame on me, and your scholar incited against me the ignorant and one who is sitting incited the one who is standing.