The Mahdi's First Battle With the Turks and His Victory Over Them 1

[54] As soon as the Mahdi’s general call (da‘wa ‘āmma) became publicly known, crowds of people began to embrace the righteous religion. The first, however, to meet the Mahdi with enmity were the kings (mulūk) of the Turks ⁴ and their helpers. Preferring the perpetuation of their kingdom (mulk) and authority, they denied the manifest truth and rejected the Mahdi, whom they were in duty bound to follow together with the rest of the Community. Their rejection of the Mahdi’s message was like rejecting the call of the Prophet. Thus they deserved eternal abhorrence and severe punishment and they committed a gross crime. They were motivated by the love of honour and authority, which possessed their hearts until it dissuaded them 74from accepting the Truth. It was concealed from them [55] that it was the Mahdi’s practice to honour every man of merit and to nominate him over his own people, after such a man had become a sincere and obedient follower of the Mahdi and had been educated and instructed by him. Had they obeyed and sincerely followed the Mahdi, he would have nominated them over their people, as he did with other people of high rank and standing who submitted and obeyed him. It is, however, impossible to grasp the infinite wisdom of God.