The Awakening of the Soul Part 6

At last it came to pa.s.s at a certain time that, _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_ stepping out of his cell to look out for some food in the same place to which _Asal_ had retired, they spied one another.

_Asal_, for his part, had no doubt but that the man he saw was some religious person given to solitude who had retired into that Island as he had done himself. He was afraid, therefore, lest if he should come up to him and make himself known, it might spoil his meditation, and thus become an impediment to him in accomplis.h.i.+ng his desires.

But, as for _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_, he could not imagine what it was: for of all the creatures he had ever beheld in his life, there was none that resembled him in the least.

Now _Asal_ was clothed in a black coat, made up of hair and wool, which he fancied was a natural cover; at which _Hayy_ stood a long time in utter wonder and astonishment. Thereupon _Asal_, being afraid lest he should disturb his meditation and divert his attention therefrom, turned his back and fled. _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_ ran after him, driven by an innate desire to know and find out the truth of things.

When he saw, however, that _Asal_ fled from him with all his might in such haste, he retired a little into the background and hid himself there, so that _Asal_ thought he had gone off altogether and gone far away from that place where he had seen him. _Asal_ therefore began to betake himself, as his custom was, unto his prayers and reading, to invocation and weeping, to supplication and complaining, and these exercises had quite turned him away from any other thing.

_Hayy catches hold of Asal._

In the meantime _Hayy_ drew near little by little, while _Asal_ did not perceive him at all, until at length he came so near as to hear his reading and the prayers he uttered. He also took notice of his humble gesture and his weeping, whence he heard a pleasant voice, consisting of words quite distinct, such as he had never observed before in any kind of animals. Then, beholding his shape and lineaments, he observed that he was of the same form with himself. He was satisfied that the coat with which he was clothed was not a natural skin, but an artificial habit like unto his own clothing. And when he observed the decency and comeliness of his behaviour and his supplication and weeping, he did not at all question but that he was one of the Essences, which had the knowledge of the _True One_.

Therefore, he felt a pa.s.sionate desire to get acquainted with him, to find out what was the matter with him and what was the cause of that weeping and supplication. Thereupon he came nearer unto him, until _Asal_, observing it, took to his heels again. But _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_, endowed with vigour and power, both of knowledge and body, bestowed upon him by G.o.d--pursued him with all his might, till at last he overtook him, seized him, and held him fast that he could not make again his escape from him.

_Hayy and Asal stroke one another._

Thereupon, when _Asal_ looked upon him and beheld him clothed with the skins of wild beasts with the hair on, and his own hair so long that it covered part of his body, and observed his great swiftness and strength, he was greatly afraid of him and began to pacify him by stroking him, and to entertain him in words. But _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_ did not understand a word of what he said nor knew any of his meaning, only he perceived the tokens of his fear and endeavoured to allay his fear with such voices as he had learned from some of the animals: he gently stroked his hand, his head, and the sides of his neck, and showed kindness unto him and expressed much gladness and joy, till at last _Asal's_ fear was a.s.suaged, and he perceived that he intended no evil to him.

_Hayy and Asal try to understand each other._

Now _Asal_, in his earnest desire to obtain the knowledge of things, had studied most languages and was skilful of them. So he began to speak to _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_, and to interrogate him concerning his condition in every tongue he knew, and asked him questions concerning his doings and ways of life, and took pains to make himself understood by him. But it was all in vain: for _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_, taking notice of all this, stood all the time wondering at what he heard, being quite at a loss to know what it all meant. He observed only the serenity of his countenance and manifest signs of goodwill. Thus they stood wrapped in wonder, looking at one another.

_Asal makes Hayy eat of his food._

Now _Asal_ had by him some of the remainder of the food which he had brought along with him, from the inhabited Island from whence he came.

This he offered now to _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_, but he did not know what it was; for he had never seen anything of that kind before. Then _Asal_, eating some of it himself, invited _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_ to take some of it with him. But _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_ bethought himself of those laws which he had prescribed to himself concerning the taking of his food, and seeing he knew not the nature of those things that were set before him, and whether it was lawful for him or not to partake thereof, restrained himself from eating. Whereupon _Asal_ continued urging him on and kindly invited him thereunto.

_Hayy Ibn Yokdhan at last joins Asal at dinner, but repents afterwards._

At last _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_, being desirous and very anxious to get acquainted with him, and, besides, being afraid that in continuing to insist on his refusal, he might alienate his affections from him, ventured to partake of that meat and to eat thereof. But as soon as he had tasted it and found it very pleasant to his taste, he recognised that he had done amiss by breaking his contract and the resolution and promises he had made to himself concerning his diet. Thus he became greatly repentant of what he had done, and had a mind of withdrawing himself from _Asal_, and to betake himself unto his former state by endeavouring to return to his former exercise of sublime speculation.

_Asal becomes Hayy's Companion and Teacher._

When he found that this intellectual vision did not immediately return to him, he thought it best to remain with _Asal_ in the sensible world, until he had thoroughly satisfied himself as to his condition, so that afterwards there might remain no further inclination towards him, and then he might return to his former state and apply himself to his former contemplation without any interruption. So he joined himself to the company and fellows.h.i.+p of _Asal_: and when _Asal_ saw that he could not speak, he was fully a.s.sured that no danger could arise to his religion by keeping company with him; and besides he had hopes that it might come to pa.s.s that he should teach him Language, Knowledge, and Religion, when he should obtain a very great reward and a nearer approach unto G.o.d.

So _Asal_ began to teach him to speak, first by showing him particular things, and p.r.o.nouncing their names, and by repeating them often unto him he made him to p.r.o.nounce them again, which he presently did, until he had taught him all names, and so by degrees he advanced him so far that he could speak in a very short time.

_Hayy enlightens Asal on his Inner Life._

Then _Asal_ began to interrogate him concerning his condition, and from whence he had come into that Island. But _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_, in his reply, told him that he knew nothing of his own origin, nor of any father or mother that he had, but only that Roe that brought him up.

Then he described to him his whole state and manner of living, from beginning to end, and what progress he had made in knowledge, until he had attained to that degree of conjunction with G.o.d.

Then _Asal_ heard from him the declaration of those truths which he related, of those essences which are separated from the sensible world and which have the knowledge of the _Essence_, of that _True One_--the Almighty and Glorious--and heard him give an account of the _Essence_ of that _True One_--the Almighty and Glorious--with all his attributes, and had described to him as far as it was possible for him to describe that which he had witnessed when he had reached the joys of those that are joined unto G.o.d, and the torments and griefs of those that are separated from him.

_Asal_ then had no doubt but that all those things which were delivered in his law, concerning the commandment of that Almighty and Glorious G.o.d, his angels and books, his messengers and the last day, Paradise and h.e.l.l--all these were resemblances of what _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_ had seen.

And the eyes of his heart were opened, and his mind was enlightened, when he saw that the things which he apprehended and discerned by reason, and that which he had received by tradition ("the Original and the Copy"), agreed very well together. And now the ways of mystical interpretation became easy unto him, nor was there anything difficult or remained dark of those precepts which he had received that was not now quite plain and perspicuous.

In this way his intellectual faculty grew strong and vigorous, and he began to look upon _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_ with such admiration and respect that he greatly reverenced him, and a.s.sured himself that he was _one of the Saints of G.o.d, such as were not molested with any fear upon them, and who shall not suffer through pain_. (Koran.)

Thereupon he made himself ready to wait upon him, to imitate him, and to follow his admonitions in the performance of such works as did occur unto him, in those legal things which formerly he had learned in his religion.

_Asal tells Hayy of the Island from whence he had come._

Then _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_ began to enquire of him concerning his condition and his manner of living, and _Asal_ gave him an account of the state of that Island from whence he had come--what kind of people inhabited it, and what sort of life they led before that religious sect which we mentioned came among them, and how it was now, since his coming thereinto.

He also gave him an account of all those things that were delivered in the law, concerning the description of the divine world, of Paradise and the fire of h.e.l.l (Gehenna), of the awakening and resurrection of mankind, of their gathering unto Judgment, of the account then to be given up, of the scales wherein the actions of men should be weighed, and the way through which they were to pa.s.s.

Now, _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_ understood very well all those things, nor did he perceive that any of them were unsuitable to that which he had seen when in that exalted condition; and he knew that he who had described those things and delivered them unto men, was true in so declaring them, and that in these his sayings he was a true and faithful messenger sent from G.o.d. And he believed him and acknowledged the truth thereof and bore testimony to his mission.

Then he began to ask him concerning the precepts which the messenger of G.o.d had delivered and the rites of wors.h.i.+p which he had ordained. Thus _Asal_ told him of _Prayer_, _Alms_, _Fasting_, and _Pilgrimage_, and the like external works: which he received and practised, and took upon him the performance thereof, in obedience to that command of the Lawgiver, being persuaded and a.s.sured of the truth and faith of him who delivered the same. Notwithstanding, there were _two things_ that fixed themselves into his mind which he wondered at, neither could he perceive wherein the wisdom thereof consisted.

One of those two things was, why this messenger of G.o.d, in describing most things that relate to the divine world, used to express them unto men by parables of similitudes and abstained from a clear unfolding thereof, which caused a good many men to fall into that error by affirming corporeity in G.o.d and believing that to be something of that _Essence_ the _True One_, the Almighty and Glorious, from which, however, it is absolutely free, and in the same manner concerning those things which relate to the rewards and punishments of a future world.

The other was why he did not proceed beyond those precepts and rites of wors.h.i.+p, permitting men to seek after riches and the ama.s.sing of wealth, and to enjoy their liberty as to the matter of food: by which means they vainly delivered themselves unto vain things and turned themselves away from the truth. Whilst his judgment was that nothing ought to be taken from any; but only so much as may enable him to sustain the remainder of his life. But as to riches, he considered them of no value at all.

Now when he saw what was laid down and prescribed in the law concerning those things that belonged to the employment of riches, namely alms, and the distribution thereof and trading with them, also with regard to usury, mulcts, and punishments, these things seemed all very odd and uncouth unto him, and he judged them to be quite superfluous. For he said that if men would judge of the matter according to truth, they would certainly withdraw themselves from those vain things, and only follow the truth, so that all this would be quite superfluous, nor would any man challenge the property in riches as to have those dues exacted from him, or to cause his hands to be cut off for those things secretly stolen, or that lives should be destroyed by taking them away openly.

_Hayy observes that men are dull, stupid and brutish._

This was what he thought; and that which put this opinion into his mind was that he thought that all men were imbued with an ingenuous temper, a penetrating understanding, and a mind constant unto themselves. Nor did he know how stupid and dull they were, how ill advised and how inconstant in their resolutions; so much so that they were entirely like brutes, even more apt than they to wander out of the way.

Therefore, since he was greatly affected with pity towards mankind, and anxiously desired that he might be an instrument in their salvation, a resolution entered into his mind of going over to them that he might be able to unfold and lay before them the truth of things. This desire he therefore made known to his companion _Asal_, and asked whether he could find out any way whereby he could come unto them and discourse with them.

_Asal persuades Hayy to follow him to his Island._

_Asal_, on the other hand, told him what sort of people they were--how much lacking in ingenuousness, and how averse from obeying the commandments of G.o.d. But _Hayy_ could not understand this; and his mind was intent upon that which he hoped to compa.s.s. _Asal_ also greatly desired that it would please G.o.d, by his means, to direct some of his acquaintances which were of a more pliable temper and more easily to be guided than the rest, and not so far distant from sincerity as the others, into the right way. Thus he was ready to support the design of _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_.

_Hayy and Asal return together to Asal's Island._

Thereupon they resolved to betake themselves unto the seash.o.r.e, nor to depart thence either by day or night till G.o.d should please to afford them an opportunity of crossing the sea. And always they were intent upon this thing, and continued with their prayers and supplications to G.o.d to direct them in this work and bring it to a successful issue.

At last it came to pa.s.s, by the commandment of G.o.d, the Almighty and Glorious, that the winds and waves drove a s.h.i.+p that had lost its course to the sh.o.r.e of that Island. And as it drew nearer unto the land, they who were in it, seeing two men upon the sh.o.r.e, made towards them. Then _Asal_ bespeaking them, expressed the desire that they should carry them with them; they readily acquiesced therein, took them both into the s.h.i.+p; and it pleased G.o.d to send them a fair wind, which in a very short time conveyed them unto the desired Island. There they landed and went into the City.

Now, the friends of _Asal_ all gathered round him, and he gave them an account of _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_. Whereupon they flocked together from every side, surrounding him with reverence and admiration. Then _Asal_ told him that this sect was superior in understanding and sharpness of comprehension to all others, so that if he were not able to instruct them in the truth and work upon them, there was much less hope that he would be able to teach the ordinary lot of men.