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.)
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 Hell (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 pass.
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 God. 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 God had delivered and the rites of worship 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 assured 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 God, 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 God 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.