An Explanation of the Three Ways Indicated at the End of Sura al-Fatiha

O brother full of hope! Take your imagination and come with me. See, we are in a land, we look around. There is no one to see us.

A layer of black cloud has settled on the high mountains, like tent-posts. The cloud has covered too the whole face of the earth.

It forms a solid ceiling, but its six sides are open, so the sun is visible. We are under the cloud, the darkness oppresses us.

The distress is suffocating, the airlessness is killing us. Now three ways are open to us. One is a luminous world, I beheld it once, that metaphorical land.

Yes, I came here once before, I have passed down these three ways. The first way is this: most people take it; it is the way of the world, it invites us to travel it.

See, we are on our way, we are going on foot. See how the sea-sands of the desert scorch us with their anger, threatening us!

See the mountainous waves; they are threatening us too. Now thanks be to God we have emerged on the other side, we can see the face of the sun.

But only we know the difficulties we have suffered. Oh! we have returned to the wasteland, the ceiling of cloud with its lowering darkness. What we need is the eye of the heart to illumine things.

A wondrous light-filled world; if you have the courage, we shall enter it together, this way so fraught with dangers. Our second way:

We shall plunge through Nature-earth, and pass to the other side. Or trembling, we shall pass through a natural tunnel.

I travelled this way one time, fearlessly and full of prayer. But on that occasion I had with me a substance to smelt and rend the Nature-earth.

The third way: The Qur'an had given me that miraculous evidence. Brother, stick close behind me, and have no fear!

See, here await us tunnel-like caves and underground torrents. They will let us pass. Don't let these awesome lifeless beings of Nature scare you in the slightest!

For behind its sour face is the smiling countenance of its compassionate Owner. I perceived that radium-like substance of the Qur'an through its light.

There, you see! We have come out in the light-filled world, see this delicate earth, this soft and gentle air. Raise your head! See, it has drawn its head to the skies, rent the clouds, leaving them far below. This Tuba-tree invites us —

It is the Qur'an. It has spread its branches everywhere. We must hang onto this branch which is trailing down, so that it can raise us up.

That heavenly tree — on earth, one of its personifications is the Illustrious Shari'a. That is to say, we ascended to this world of light in that way without difficulty; we were shaken by no distress.

Since we went wrong, we'll return to our former place and find the right way. See, our third way! Over the mountains hovers a Royal Falcon;

He is reciting the ezan to the whole world. See, the supreme muezzin, Muhammad al-Hashimi (PBUH), is summoning mankind to the luminous world of light. He enjoins supplication and obligatory prayers.

Look at the mountains! See, the guidance has rent the clouds! The mountain of the Shari'a has raised its head to the skies. How it has adorned the face and eye of the earth!