Peace of Amasya: associated diplomatic letter

Copy of the imperial letter issued to Shah Tahmasp, King of Iran, concerning the invalidity of the doctrine of rejection [Rafz].

To the Exalted Presence, heaven-wide and sun-radiant; fortunate as Jupiter, ranked as Saturn and stationed as the Pleiades; wise as Dara, endowed with the qualities of Jamshid, fortunate as Jam and enthroned as Khusrau; possessed of good fortune and lofty eminence, acquiring merits and associated with noble generosity; bearer of the banners of shining rank and raiser of the standards of manifest might; abundant in virtues and perfect in qualities; rising-place of the stars of merits and distinctions, qibla of the caravan of seekers of favour; descendant of the sultans of Khusrau's stock, quintessence of the khans who bestow honour; founder of the edifice of felicity and prosperity, strengthener of the pillars of greatness and majesty; sun of the firmament of government and success, pearl of the constellation of eminence and good fortune; encompassed by the manifold gracious favours of God the King; strengthener of the exalted sultanate, restorer of the splendid state: Shah Tahmasp—may he never cease to be accompanied by God's guidance. Delicate and abundant salutations, musk-scented, and noble and pure greetings, amber-scented, which flow and shine from the royal affections marked by joy and the felicity-clad sovereign compassion, are conveyed and sent by the caravan of the northern breeze. Let it not be hidden from your sun-illuminated mind and your Jupiter-prudent thoughts that:

Formerly, when the protected city of Erzurum, abode of conquests and victory, was made fortunate beneath the shade of the victory-bearing standards, a gracious letter arrived at our lofty threshold from your side through Qorchi Qajar. In it you expressed the expectation and request that henceforth friendship and amity should prevail between yourself and our august presence, and that the path of peace and concord, which brings tranquillity to the people and the ordering of the affairs of all, should be followed. Your request therefore met with approval. At that time a gracious letter was sent in your direction, which increases what is right, with your envoy; a world-obeyed command was sent to the governors on the frontiers of my well-protected dominions, and they were admonished and firmly instructed not to interfere or make aggression beyond them. Now, following and pursuing that same divinely favoured course, in the hope of confirming the observances of love and friendship and strengthening the foundations of amity and concord, you have sent by way of embassy one of the distinguished men of that dynasty, the honour of the eminent and noble, singled out for abundant favours of the Guide to friendship, the Eshik Aghasi Farrukhzad Bey—may his worth increase. You have written a gracious letter and a musk-veiled address to our felicity-nesting threshold. At a most auspicious time and a most favourable hour he reached our heaven-high court. Your envoy was made fortunate by the honour of kissing our caliphate-directed threshold; from your side he presented and explained before our joy-abounding presence the matters entrusted to him. We also learned the substance of the wishes written in your illustrious letter and noble epistle. Whatever you said concerning the strengthening of the foundations of friendship and the establishing of the bonds of amity has been fully comprehended by our world-ordering knowledge.

This matter is as manifest and renowned to the world and its inhabitants as the world-illuminating sun: God, glorified and exalted, is Lord of the Kingdom, and, according to the purport of “We have appointed thee a vicegerent upon the earth,” He has entrusted the wide-extending dominions of the world, in length and breadth, to our disposing hand, and has committed the affairs of lands and people to our world-ordering judgment. Praise be to God Most High: through the guidance-bearing miracles of our master, the lord of created beings—upon him be the most excellent prayers—and through the abundant and widely effective blessings bestowed by the holy spirits of his family and chosen companions and the four felicity-associated friends—may God be pleased with them all—our beneficently directed imperial intention has continually been devoted to improving the circumstances of the Muslims, and the auspicious efforts of our lofty, justice-observing purpose have always been directed towards ordering the affairs of the people.

Since, concerning the strengthening and establishment of friendship and amity between us, peace and concord have been indicated on the part of our exalted, world-adorned threshold, and since the abundance of your sincerity towards this side is understood from your pearl-scattering letter, good accord and unity between sovereigns are assuredly an indispensable rule of just kings. Let it be clear to your sun-illuminated mind that the furthest object of our desire and the chief of our hopes is that the veil of honour of the chosen companions and the rightly guided caliphs, who are the trusted ones of the lord of the messengers, should be preserved. Your arriving envoy conveyed this meaning and informed us that you contemplate prohibiting teberra on that side. In truth, that matter is the utmost of our wishes and the limit of our hopes. Where the felicity-favoured family was mentioned in your illustrious letter, certain words were expressed concerning the exalted and noble rank of the sultan of spiritual authority, the proof of saintly grace, Imam Ali—may God honour his face and be pleased with him. There is no doubt that his lofty and felicity-marked rank exceeds the bounds of writing and lies beyond the circle of description. But his exalted station and felicity-awakened condition do not require hatred and enmity towards the other chosen companions. Our master, the lord of created beings and quintessence of all that exists—God Most High bless him and grant him peace—has said: “My companions are like the stars: whichever of them you follow, you shall be guided.” There is no doubt that abundant love for all those illustrious ones entails felicity in this world and the next.

In sum, the wish you have expressed concerning friendship with our felicity-conferring threshold has met with acceptance. Your aforementioned envoy has duly performed all that belongs to the conditions and requirements of conveying an embassy, and has been sent back in your direction, which increases what is right, with our gracious imperial leave.

God the Most Mighty and Most Generous willing, henceforth the conditions of friendly openness shall be observed and strengthened through the means of firmly supported concord. So long as no conduct or stirring up of strife contrary to friendship and amity appears or proceeds from that side, the gates of aggression against the lands and frontiers of that dynasty shall remain shut on the part of the governors of our well-protected dominions, the officers appointed over realm and people, and the guardians of the provinces and kingdom; they shall neglect no diligence in observing the means of amity.

In accordance with the requirements of peace and concord and the request for success and well-being, the matter indicated in your gracious letter—that pilgrims to the Sacred House and visitors to the pure tomb of the lord of mankind, upon him be prayer and peace, should attain that felicity in complete ease and security—has likewise been honoured by the issuance of our exalted imperial permission. The guardians of the frontiers and the routes shall place no obstacle or impediment in the way of all Muslims and the company of those who profess God's unity who intend circumambulation and visitation in the direction of the pure places and the honoured qibla; they shall accomplish their purpose with minds at ease.