Hilal adjusted his cloak off his shoulders and said,
"I will ask you both a question."
Aws and Shams exchanged a quick glance, their eyes carrying cautious curiosity, before replying in unison:
"Go ahead."
Hilal smiled faintly, then said:
"If a king sends a delegation to some people… how do we honor the king when he is not present?"
Aws lowered his head, thought for a moment, then raised his gaze and said:
"We honor his delegation."
Hilal nodded in approval, his eyes glinting.
"Exactly. And now… you are tired from the journey, and perhaps you have not yet realized the place we have ascended to. We are now before the very House of the Creator. And as you answered, the matter is the same here. The wealthy, the landowners, or even simple workers contribute to building these houses… they are open for the servants of the Creator, where they worship, rest, or learn the sciences related to □□□."
Aws and Shams fixed their attention on the massive building, staring at it as if trying to pierce through the stone walls into its heart. The engravings were strange, exquisite, like the breath of another age. At that moment, an image leapt into Aws' mind—of the place he had been before arriving in this city; the same engravings, the same bewildering beauty.
He reached for his sword, grasping it, feeling the metal and the blood-stained memories it carried. He looked at Shams and found her equally lost in thought, her fingers gripping a ring. Her eyes caught the light reflecting off the engraving… and the words read: محمد رسول الله.
Only then did they realize that these ancient relics were what had brought them to this world.
A strange excitement filled Aws, for reasons he could not yet grasp. It was a feeling of half-formed knowledge pressing to be confirmed. Yes… these were the same questions that had overcome him during the episode in the city. Suddenly, Aws stood and slammed the table with force:
"Are you saying there truly is a Creator?! And that you worship Him?!"
Hilal did not seem surprised by the question, but rather by the passion in Aws' tone. It was as if he had been expecting this outburst. Yet on his face was a mixture of sorrow and joy: sorrow for the ignorance of those outside this city, joy for the seed of interest beginning to sprout in Aws' heart.
He turned to Shams and said:
"Now, after you have understood, I will answer your question about the inner peace you mentioned. This… is due to Divine Providence."
Aws and Shams did not fully understand, confusion still etched on their faces, but Hilal did not give them time to interrupt the thread of his speech.
Hilal's eyes fixed on theirs with a mix of firmness and compassion, as if weighing his words before releasing them.
"This path… those who know it call it the Divine Path. It is not a road measured by footsteps, but by the hearts that cross it, the minds that awaken upon it, and the souls that see it before they touch it."
He paused, as though searching his distant memory, then continued:
"Its beginning is that your body submits—not bowing in fear of any human, but in obedience to the One, the Unique. That your body learns the times of prostration, tastes the sweetness of fasting, purifies your wealth from what is not yours, and that you make pilgrimage—if it is destined for you to reach the House Allah made a standing place for mankind."
His features drew closer to Shams' face as he added:
"But the body alone is not enough… there is also the heart and the mind. They must acknowledge the existence of the Creator, His angels, His messengers, His books, the inevitable Day, and that destiny—its good and its bad—is no chaos, but a precise decree."
Then he turned his gaze toward the window, where a strange ray of light had slipped in, and said:
"And when these truths flow like blood through your veins, the final stage comes… insight. To worship Allah as though you see Him, and if you do not see Him, you are certain that He sees you."
Hilal fell silent for a moment, then gestured toward the young man lying on the ground.
"Whoever walks this path is surrounded by an unseen care that drives away what he cannot repel. But if he abandons the path through his own actions—especially the acts of the body—this care leaves him, as does the light that protects him."
"Almost everyone in the city walks upon it. Most are in its first stage, while most students in the Divine House, like me, are in the second. As for the city's elder and a few other elders… they are in the third and final stage. But don't think dividing it into three stages makes it easy. The difference between the first and second seems small, since general knowledge is enough to move forward—there is a weekly gathering mandated by the Creator where people learn some of these matters. Thus, they have the basics but without depth, and remain in the first stage. But the difference between the second and the third… is endless, varying from person to person, and is only reached when you touch enlightenment.
"This path is precious… if you abandon it, it abandons you. If you do not advance, you are retreating. And if you retreat below the minimum—the first stage, the bodily acts—you are cut off from Divine Providence, which is what you asked about. And since we follow the Creator, we must have privileges. They can be summed up as: Divine Providence is a hidden psychological power, or a tangible sensory sign, manifesting in events or in the promised rewards from the Creator. The first reward you receive upon entering the Divine Path is the possibility of entering eternal Paradise and being saved from eternal Hell."
Shams raised her head and asked, her voice tinged with worry:
"So… there is bliss and there is Hell?"
Hilal answered seriously:
"Yes. And there are those who oppose the Creator, or people who do not know Him at all, like the two of you. This is because of organizations hostile to the Creator."
Aws leaned forward slightly:
"And humans dare to oppose the Creator?"
Hilal's cold smile returned, his eyes narrowing:
"This… is because of something greater than the evildoers themselves… the one who incites them to evil…"
"The de—"
The air grew heavy, as if the word itself carved its way through the silence.
"De—"
Shams' eyelids trembled, and Aws felt his heartbeat quicken.
"—mo—"
And with that fragment, the scene unfolded clearly before them: an ordinary house, its wooden door left half-open, but from within it erupted loud sounds—screams and wailing so horrifying, it was as if the very souls inside were crying out for rescue.
"—ns."
Suddenly, an image flashed in their minds: the young man standing before the house, surrounded by a barely visible dome of light shimmering at its edges, while black mist-like creatures with blood-red eyes tried to break through, screaming without pause. Their voices tore at the heart—but not a single one could cross the barrier.
Term / Name: The Divine Path
Definition: The Divine Path consists of three stages:
Submission (of the body) — Conditions:Uttering the testimony: "There is no deity but Him."Praying to Him.Fasting from food, drink, and immoral acts during a set time.Giving the due share from one's wealth.Pilgrimage to the Sacred House for those able.Knowledge (of the heart and mind) — Conditions: Belief in:Allah.His angels.His books.His messengers.The Last Day.Destiny, whether good or bad.Insight (of the soul) — Condition: To worship Allah as though you see Him, and if you do not see Him, to be certain that He sees you.
Term / Name: Divine Providence
Definition: The benefits, abilities, and wonders granted to you as you walk upon the Divine Path.