Part 13

In this state he remained for some time, enjoying the greatest possible pleasure and complete tranquillity of mind, arising out of the communication he had with his Lord; and every day experiencing his favours and most precious gifts, he easily brought to his hand such things as he wanted and were necessary for his support, which confirmed his belief in him and gave him great comfort.

Hayy Ibn Yokdhan in the meantime was wholly taken up with sublime speculations, and never stirred out of his cave but once a week, to take unto him such food as most readily presented itself. Thus it happened that Asal did not light upon him at first. For walking round the utmost parts of the Island, and compassing the extremes thereof, he neither met any man nor could he perceive the footsteps of any one: which increased his gladness of mind, and he was delighted with what he had proposed unto himself--that was solitude and retirement.

Hayy and Asal meet.

At last it came to pass 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 accomplishing 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 passionate 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 God--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 assuaged, 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 fellowship of Asal: and when Asal saw that he could not speak, he was fully assured that no danger could arise to his religion by keeping company with him; and besides he had hopes that it might come to pass that he should teach him Language, Knowledge, and Religion, when he should obtain a very great reward and a nearer approach unto God.

So Asal began to teach him to speak, first by showing him particular things, and pronouncing their names, and by repeating them often unto him he made him to pronounce 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 God.

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 God, 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 God, his angels and books, his messengers and the last day, Paradise and Hell--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 assured himself that he was one of the Saints of God, such as were not molested with any fear upon them, and who shall not suffer through pain. (Koran.)