The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate Read Free

blessings of Allah upon him) teachings on the value of mercy, and Hassan had felt virtuous in choosing to let the boy go.

    "Would you rather I had denied you that, then?"

    Just as we grow to understand the purpose of customs that seemed pointless to us in our youth, Hassan realized that there was merit in withholding information as well as in disclosing it. "No," he said, "it was good that you did not warn me."

    The older Hassan saw that he had understood. "Now I will tell you something very important. Hire a horse. I will give you directions to a spot in the foothills to the west of the city. There you will find within a grove of trees one that was struck by lightning. Around the base of the tree, look for the heaviest rock you can overturn, and then dig beneath it."

    "What should I look for?"

    "You will know when you find it."

    The next day Hassan rode out to the foothills and searched until he found the tree. The ground around it was covered in rocks, so Hassan overturned one to dig beneath it, and then another, and then another. At last his spade struck something besides rock and soil. He cleared aside the soil and discovered a bronze chest, filled with gold dinars and assorted jewelry. Hassan had never seen its like in all his life. He loaded the chest onto the horse, and rode back to Cairo.

    The next time he spoke to his older self, he asked, "How did you know where the treasure was?"

    "I learned it from myself," said the older Hassan, "just as you did. As to how we came to know its location, I have no explanation except that it was the will of Allah, and what other explanation is there for anything?"

    "I swear I shall make good use of these riches that Allah has blessed me with," said the younger Hassan.

    "And I renew that oath," said the older. "This is the last time we shall speak. You will find your own way now. Peace be upon you."

    And so Hassan returned home. With the gold he was able to purchase hemp in great quantity, and hire workmen and pay them a fair wage, and sell rope profitably to all who sought it. He married a beautiful and clever woman, at whose advice he began trading in other goods, until he was a wealthy and respected merchant. All the while he gave generously to the poor and lived as an upright man. In this way Hassan lived the happiest of lives until he was overtaken by death, breaker of ties and destroyer of delights.

    • • •

    "That is a remarkable story," I said. "For someone who is debating whether to make use of the Gate, there could hardly be a better inducement."

    "You are wise to be skeptical," said Bashaarat. "Allah rewards those he wishes to reward and chastises those he wishes to chastise. The Gate does not change how Allah regards you."

    I nodded, thinking I understood. "So even if you succeed in avoiding the misfortunes that your older self experienced, there is no assurance you will not encounter other misfortunes."

    "No, forgive an old man for being unclear. Using the Gate is not like drawing lots, where the token you select varies with each turn. Rather, using the Gate is like taking a secret passageway in a palace, one that lets you enter a room more quickly than by walking down the hallway. The room remains the same, no matter which door you use to enter."

    This surprised me. "The future is fixed, then? As unchangeable as the past?"

    "It is said that repentance and atonement erase the past."

    "I have heard that too, but I have not found it to be true."

    "I am sorry to hear that," said Bashaarat. "All I can say is that the future is no different."

    I thought on this for a while. "Of course, if you learn that you are dead twenty years from now, there is nothing you can do to avoid your death. Allah has determined our lifespan that cannot be prolonged or shortened."

    ...He postpones them for an appointed term and when their term comes, neither can they delay nor can they advance it an hour (or a moment). (Koran 16.61)

    He nodded. I then wondered if it could