Sultan Abdul Aziz (rah) (d. 1876)  wrote a letter to the Prophet (S) and sealed and sent it to Madina to be placed at the Prophet’s tomb.  Preserved in the Apartments of the Holy Mantle (Istanbul), there is no record of how it was returned to Istanbul.

The sultan begins the letter by introducing himself to the Prophet as the one who holds the honor of serving Makkah and Medina.  He then relates that although he has been charged with protecting all Muslims, he has failed in this duty, and asks for the Prophet’s assistance in both this world and the next.  He requests the Prophet (S) to intercede on his behalf, in order to help him accomplish his duties towards God and the Muslims, to use wisely the resources of the Muslims that had been entrusted to him, to be victorious against all enemies, to live together with all believers in accordance to God’s wishes, and to be amoung the first who enter paradise on the Day of Judgment.  The sultan also repeatedly apologizes for having the audacity to present such a petition, being such a sinner as he considered himself to be.

Sultan Abdulaziz was renowned for his love and respect for the Prophet (S).  Every time he received a letter from Madina, he used to make ablution and kiss the letter, saying that it had the dust of Madina on it, before asking the chief clerk to read it.  Once confined to bed because of his illness, he was informed that a petition had arrived from someone living near Madina.  He asked his servants to prop him up because he did not want to listen to a letter from a neighbor of the Prophet (S) while laying down.

Sultan Abdulaziz’s petition to the Prophet (S) is eloquently written in naskhi script on folio. The address on the envelope reads: “In the name of God.  This is a petition to the sacred tomb of the Prophet (S), the Pride of the Universe.”  The sultan’s initials also appear on the envelope, which Abdulaziz himself prepared by folding a special yellow paper and sealing it with red wax along both edges.

ref: Aydin, Hilmi  (2005). The Sacred Trusts (pg 264). New Jersey: The Light Publishing

This letter is now on display in Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.