The Chachnāma (Fatḥnāma-yi Sind) 30.3

30.3

Letter addressed by Muhammad Kásim Sakifi, the avenger of Mussalmans, to the haughty, the rebellious, the crafty Brahmin Dáhar son of Chach, a foolish, stubborn and vainglorious infidel. This is to inform you that I have received your letter, which you have written out of excessive ignorance and folly, being led away by a weak and miserable policy, of which you have evidently become madly proud. I have acquainted myself with its contents, express and implied, and have informed myself of every thing that you have written relating to your power and pomp and numbers and weapons and elephants and horsemen and followers. We depend entirely upon the grace of God for power and strength, and on the favour of our sovereign for the number of our forces and for glory. ‘There is no power nor virtue but in God, the great and glorious one.’ ‘They play a trick with thee in their own way and then they do not depend upon it. Verily I trust fully in God, who is my maintainer as well as yours.’ ‘They lay a plot for them, but God is the best layer of plots.’ ‘The plot of the wicked does not recoil except upon those that lay it.’ ‘If God wishes it, a small number of men overpowers a large number; and God is with the patient.’ You are proud of men and horses and elephants, but what are they? The biggest elephant is the weakest and most helpless of all creatures. He cannot get rid of a gnat, which is the smallest and weakest of all animals.