His Donation to the Islamic Center in Eritrea
The Grand Mufti of Eritrea, Shaykh Ibrāhīm al‑Mukhtār Aḥmad ʿUmar
The Mufti’s Letter to King Saud Regarding His Visit to the Islamic Center (Letter No. 1388)
King Saud visited the city of Asmara on several occasions, residing there with his entourage for varying periods. During his second visit, the Grand Mufti was hospitalized and unable to receive him during his visit to the Asmara Grand Mosque. He therefore wrote this letter, expressing gratitude for the King’s visit and his generous donations. During that same journey, the King also visited the city of Massawa and donated an additional ten thousand dollars to the Ḥanafī Mosque in Massawa.
Letter of the Mufti to His Majesty King Saud
To His Majesty, the Exalted King Saud ibn ʿAbd al‑ʿAzīz,
Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.
I have been informed by the President of the Supreme Sharīʿah Court of Appeals, the Judge of Asmara and Ḥamasīn, and the Endowments Committee of Your Majesty’s visit to the Islamic Center in Asmara on Friday, 4 Dhū al‑Qaʿdah 1387 AH; your leading the Muslims in the Friday prayer; your honoring its scholarly library with your visit; your noble signature in its visitors’ register; your gracious supplication for my swift recovery; and your generous donations of ten thousand dollars to the library and two thousand dollars to the poor of the mosque, as well as the watches bearing Your Majesty’s honored name, presented to the Mufti of Eritrea, the Judge of Asmara, and the muezzin of the Khulafā’ al‑Rāshidīn Mosque.
This noble act is not the first of its kind. It was preceded by a similar act in Dhū al‑Qaʿdah 1376 AH, when Your Majesty honored this city with your presence and donated ten thousand Ethiopian dollars to its religious institute. All of this is preserved in the hearts of the Muslims, written in lines of pride and gratitude for the present and the future.
Thus, it pleases me to convey—and to repeat—my deepest thanks to Your Majesty, on my own behalf and on behalf of my Muslim brethren in this land, offering the highest expressions of gratitude. I pray that God grant you perfect health, long life, and success joined with happiness in both worlds.
Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.
Ibrāhīm al‑Mukhtār
Grand Mufti of Eritrea
Written on Friday, 11 Dhū al‑Qaʿdah 1387 AH
corresponding to 9 February 1968 CE.
King Saud’s Reply to the Mufti
To the esteemed Shaykh Ibrāhīm al‑Mukhtār Aḥmad,
Grand Mufti of Eritrea,
Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.
We received your letter dated 11 Dhū al‑Qaʿdah 1387 AH (9 February 1968 CE), in which you mentioned our donation to the Islamic Center. We consider this merely part of our duty toward our Muslim brethren everywhere—especially in this country with which we share strong bonds of friendship and deep historical ties, renewed through the presence of our brother, Emperor Haile Selassie.
In conclusion, we pray that God grant us success in fulfilling our duty toward our noble religion. May God guide us and you to all that benefits Islam and the Muslims.
Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.