The first line is a hadith of the Prophet, 'My intercession will be for those of my community who committed great sins.' In the second line the calligrapher – Sultan Mahmud II (r. 1808–1839) – begs for the intercession of the Prophet. The sultan's signature, which is in tughra form inside a wreath, is said to have been designed by Mustafa Rakim, who was calligraphy teacher to Sultan Mahmud and who is said to have supervised the finishing of some of his pupil's work. (see CAL 334)