In the name of God, the Great, the Strange, the Living, from the worlds of light, the Exalted, who stands above all works: may healing and victory, strength and steadfastness, speech and answer to prayer, and forgiveness of sins be granted to me, N.N., and to my wife N.N. ...... And may their names be established in the abode of life.

First Piece

In the name of the Strange Living God from the worlds of light, the Exalted, who stands above all works.

This is the secret, the book and the hidden prayer. For God kept hidden the words of Manda d-Haije, when he made the declaration before God that a dev from Siniawis, the lower earth of darkness, was striving upward. When Manda d-Haije said this, God said to him: "Why do you sit there, you keeper of the treasure and first of My servants? Arise, descend, go and do what you wish."

When Manda d-Haije heard this, Manda d-Haije bowed and stretched himself out before Him and said: "I shall arise and call the keeper of the treasure, Your servant Hibil, that plant which You planted, from Your hidden place, from that Jordan which You drew forth ......, from the stream and the vein of Your place."

When Manda d-Haije spoke so, his voice was heard in all worlds. He arose, immersed and brought forward that servant of his. "Master, whither are we going?" the latter asked him. He answered him: "Come, I shall lead you into the presence of the Lord of Majesty, who is hidden from all the Uthras in 365 hidden, mighty worlds of light."

Then his companion said to Manda d-Haije: "I am afraid to come before the Lord of Majesty, who is hidden from all the world." Manda answered him: "They sent me hither at swift pace, and I came to you. Why do you sit there, beloved servant, to whom the name 'The splendour of life, he acted and prospered and endured' was given? Now come! Let us go and present ourselves before the Lord."

When Manda said this, it pleased that gentle, steadfast servant. He took Manda by the right hand and went with him until he came to the hidden places of beings mighty in glory. When he came there, God said to them: "What are you doing, Jawar-Kbar, follower of Manda d-Haije, who adorns our brow?"

Then he answered: "Well, You sought and found; seek again and find. I arose and brought Your servant." Then it was said to him: "Come, lead him in and bring him, that we may see him and he may see us."

Then he arose, went, led him in and brought him before the Lord. When Hibil entered into His presence, he was afraid, because His splendour is wondrous and His light bright and shining, and no one can endure it, because His splendour is vast and His light is great.

When God saw me, He set me before Him and showed me kindness. I, however, stretched myself out before Him, worshipped and praised God. A thousand years I lay stretched out before Him, until He raised me from my prostration and said: "Stand up, Hibil-Ziwa, whom We called. Do not be afraid."

Then it was said: "Why do you sit there? Arise, We shall immerse you in 360,000 Jordans and clothe you with 360 garments." They covered him with wrappings, each more wondrous than the other. They arose, immersed him in 360,000 Jordans and pronounced hidden names over him, each more wondrous than the other. They watched over me a thousand myriads of endless years. I remained with them in that hidden place until I grew great in strength.

Then my Lord laid His grace upon me, Hibil-Jawar, and made for me a world, vast and endless. In that world He made for me ten thousand times a thousand worlds of light and made for me 360 mighty inner Jordans. In every single world He made for me 360,000 Uthras, in every single dwelling He made for me 360,000 dwellings. Each world was different from the other, and wondrous was its splendour, its enlightenment and its praise.

My Lord gave me a garment of light and a hidden secret, guarded by the Great, and said: "Go, go, Hibil, whose splendour is more wondrous than that of all the Uthras. The place to which you are going: heavy suffering awaits you in those worlds of darkness. Generation upon generation you will remain there. Your body will remain there until the prayers of ascent are recited for you."

When he heard this, he bowed and stretched himself out before Him and said to Him: "Well! By Your power, and the great secret guarded by You, and by the power of my guide Manda d-Haije, well, I shall arise and go to the place to which You send me."

So spoke Hibil-Jawar. Manda d-Haije goes and comes with him, and his two brothers go with him. They recited hymns, prayers and orders of prayer; their hearts leaped before their Lord, and Manda's inner being leaped, and he said: "How blessed am I, for whom God has called forth and created such hidden shoots."

Manda goes and wanders with them until he comes to the place of the two boundaries, which lies between light and darkness. Then he said to Hibil: "Go, my companion Hibil, together with your two brothers who accompany you. May they come with the grace that your Lord has prepared." Hibil answered: "One whom his Lord arms, seals, immerses and makes firm need not fear the wicked." Manda did not embrace him nor kiss him. Hibil said: "If you embraced me, great grief would come upon me." When Manda heard this from Hibil, he bowed and made him firm. Then Manda set out on his way and went back into the presence of the Lord.

I, Jawar-Hibil, then said: "Well! By Your power and with the power of the great secret and of the helpers who accompany me, I shall descend to the darkness."

When I wanted to descend, dip my feet in the black water and set them on the walls that separate darkness and light, they drew back before me by a thousand miles, and I reached the first world of darkness, in which Ruha dwelt. In that world I dwelt a thousand myriads of years, and no one knew of me that I was there. In that world I was hidden from their eyes.

Then the Great Secret that was given to me said: "We shall go down." I descended below this world and came into the world of the great Zartai-Zartanai; to what his form is like, I do not know. I said to them: "Do you see, Uthras, my brothers, to what the form of this Zartai-Zartanai is like?" Then I said to him: "Bound and held down be this form of yours, Zartai-Zartanai, and that of your mate Amamit."

Year upon year and generation upon generation I was there, and they did not know of me that I dwelt in their world. Beings of light were with me, and we recited orders of prayer, prayers and prayers for the ascent of souls. Their hearts leaped at their enlightenment and their praise. Day by day this ascends to God, who created it. I told myself that I sit under God's protection and therefore need not be afraid of these forms.

Then I left Zartai-Zartanai, set out and went to other worlds, those of Hag and Mag, the two spirits of darkness, whose sorcery is greater than that of all the beings of darkness. From the world of Zartai-Zartanai to the world of Hag and Mag are a thousand miles without number. I said:

"Who brought me hither,

and you, my feet, who made you climb up here?"

I went and found these two mighty spirits of darkness, Hag the man and Mag the woman. In that world I dwelt sixty thousand myriads of years. In that world I saw them and knew what went on in their heart.

I left them, set out and came to another world, that of Gaf and Gafan, the mighty giants of darkness, who came forth from the spring of black, hissing, seething water, which boils like cauldrons, bubbles and rises up. From that world of Hag and Mag to the world of Gaf and Gafan are a hundred thousand myriads of miles, without number or reckoning.

When I beheld Gaf and Gafan (their forms are perverted forms; they resemble dragons, and their mates resemble salamanders), I said to them: "Bound and fettered be you, giants of darkness, and fettered be your body with the great fettering with which the smiths fetter the fiends. Fettered be your sorcery and your deceit which you practise. Fettered be your mates, the Liliths, the salamanders, the perverted forms, ugly, twisted and bound, whose appearance and whose chatter no one can bear."

I said to the Uthras, my brothers: "Have you seen to what these frail giants are like?" Then my brothers, the Uthras, said: "How wide are the boundaries of these worlds of darkness and how numerous these giants!" I was hidden from their eyes a thousand times a thousand myriads of years, without end and number.

Then the Great Secret that was given me said to me: "Why do we sit in this place? Come, let us go up and see what we shall do." We then arose from the world of Gaf and Gafan, we wander and go to the world of Anatan, the warrior of darkness, and his mate Qin, the queen, the lady of darkness, who was called "Mother of Darkness", who came forth from the black, turbid, seething, destructive, mutually consuming water, and who ruled over all the worlds of darkness. From the day on which we went to the dark world of the warlike giant Anatan, whom she had borne, it was a thousand times a thousand miles, a wide, endless road.

I said to the Great Secret that was given me: "Look closely at Qin and Anatan, the giants of darkness, and see what they are like." We sat with them years and generations without number and reckoning. All the beings that were given me, the Uthras and the dwellings, were there with hymns, orders of prayer, prayers and prayers of ascent. Their hearts rejoiced in them and leaped with joy. I too rejoiced in their joy and in the helpers that my Lord had created for me and given me from among His servants. I spoke thus: "I sit under the protection of God. Our heart leaps and throbs. That enlightenment and praise of mine ascends day by day, hour by hour before the hidden Lord, who existed before the worlds of light."

When I beheld and examined these worlds, I said: "There will be a day when I shall ascend to my Lord, sit down and speak with Him, I and the Uthras, my brothers, who have come with me, when I shall receive instruction through the knowledge and understanding, the enlightenment and praise that my Lord sought out and by which He gained clarity in His purpose."

When I spoke so, my brothers and the Great Secret that was given me said: "Now let us go up. Why do we sit in this place, without knowing how many years without number we have sat here? Come, let us open the gate of the three kings, the fire that does not consume, the place where the dust-water is, the place where that water of the pillar of splendour is, the place where the generation of darkness comes to an end and below which no one is any more."

When we had gained clarity and knowledge about this and that, we opened the gates. We opened the first gate and beheld the great Sdum, the grandson of darkness. We saw that his form was not like those devs, the giants of darkness.

I, Hibil, took on a great and beautiful form, sat down before him and said: "Well, in the name of God, the hidden, the first, the Living, who is hidden in the hidden place, and with the help of my guide Manda d-Haije and with the enlightenment of the Uthras who are with me, who are given me as helpers, who keep me company in these worlds of darkness, to which my Lord has sent me, well, I shall speak with the warlike Sdum, the king of the dark world."

In the joy that I felt, I spoke and said to him: "Peace be with you, warlike Sdum, king of the world." He did not look at me at first. But when I greeted him, he turned, saw me, raised his eyes, lifted the waves of his countenance and said: "Peace be with you, man of beautiful form." Then I said to him: "I should like to speak just one word with you." He answered: "Speak, beautiful man, whose form is beautiful and radiant."

Then I said to him: "A son who comes from you, who is of your stock and your root, wants to begin a battle and stir up revolt in your world. What do you say about him?" Then that Sdum answered and said: "I know nothing. Descend below me; there is one who is older than I."

From the day on which I had come to him until the time when I descended to the great Gew were a hundred thousand years.

Then I made myself into a man more beautiful than they, and sat down before Gew, without his knowing that I had approached him. Then I greeted him, and he answered: "Peace be with you, man of beautiful form. What do you want from me?" I said to him: "A son who comes from you, your stock and your root, wants to fight against the worlds of light. What do you say about him?" He answered: "Descend below me, for I know nothing."

From the day on which I left him and set out until the day on which I arrived at Krun, the great mountain of flesh, I was sixty thousand myriads of years on that road; how wide and endless! I beheld that Krun, the great mountain of flesh, in whom there are no bones. His appearance is like dust, and the water that is under him is dust and resembles dark clouds.

Then I went up to him, saw him, but remained hidden from his eyes for many years. I said to myself: What shall I do and what shall I say to this man, this giant Krun, the great mountain of flesh? Then I began to speak and said to him: "Peace be with you, first-born, king of darkness, Krun, great mountain of flesh."

He did not raise his face, but said: "Who is this man who has spoken my name openly and grasped my sign?" I answered him: "I am Hibil. God has sent me, and I have come to you. A thousand times a thousand years, endless and countless generations, year upon year I have been coming to you." Then he said to himself: "It is the Life that does not pass away, and the splendour and light that are not cut off." "What did He charge you with?" he asked. I answered him: "God gave me the charge and said to me: Go and say to him: A son who comes from you, from your root, your stock and your origin, wants to cast revolt into the worlds of light against us. What do you say about him?"

Then he said: "Go, or I shall swallow you." When he spoke so to me, I, Hibil-Ziwa, sat in a sheath of swords, sabres, steel spears, knives and blades and said to him: "Swallow me." Then he said: "Now I swallow you" and swallowed me up to the half. Then he spat me out and cast me out. He spat saliva from his mouth, for his bowels, liver and kidneys had been cut to pieces. "What shall I do," he cried, "with the man who has come to me, whom God has sent?" Then he turned to me and said: "You are heroes, we are weaklings; you are mighty, we are lowly; you are great, we are small."

Then I said to him: "Come, give me a pass." Then he arose and swore to me by the day on which he was created: "I shall not deceive you; I shall go into my treasure-house and bring you a pass from my treasure-house."

Then he arose and brought me a pass. Then he brought the signet ring that was hidden in his treasure-house, on which the name of the great darkness was written and pictured, which was hidden, which he had not seen since the day on which he was created, and said: "Well, I grant that all beings who see you, when you show them this pass, will seal it."

When he gave it to me, I took it and hid it in seven garments. Then I ascended and came to his brother, the great Gew. I showed it, and he sealed it. When he saw that pass, he confirmed upon it the seal of his brother.

Then I took it and ascended to the great Sdum, the giant, who lies in his world and thrashes about. He sits on ...... of fire, and the fire serves him. I showed it to him and said to him: "See the pass that I have brought you from your elders." I brought it forth, showed it to him, and he sealed it. "See," I said to him, "what your elders have sent you." Then he said: "Blessed be the day on which you came."

Then I left him and ascended to those upper worlds. I sealed the gate before Sdum. In that world I had sat a thousand times a thousand years.

Then I approached the world of Anatan and Qin and stayed there. Year upon year I stayed in that world. "What shall I do?" I asked myself. Then I approached Qin, taking on the form of her mate Anatan, and said to her: "Come, show me from what we arose, from what we were formed and came into being." Then she arose and showed me the great spring from which they had come up. When I beheld that spring of black water, there lay in it a Mrara and Gimra, lying and thrashing in that spring. Then the Great Secret that was given me said: "This Mrara and Gimra is the steadfastness of the worlds of darkness."

When it spoke so to me, I made her eyes blind, made her ears deaf, and remained hidden from her eyes. Then I seized the Gimra and Mrara, and she did not see me, that I had seized it. She lay stretched out and searched for me. "Whither have you gone?" she asked me. She calls to me and says: "Come, I shall tell you!"

But I left her, I came and sealed the gate of that world and ascended over the bolts and keys, which were different from all keys. Then we rejoice, I and the worlds and aeons that are with me; we sing hymns and exult, our heart exults in enlightenment and praise over what we brought from Qin, who is called Sumgaq the Great, who arose from her root, Qin, the grandmother of Ur, before all the worlds of darkness.

When I had closed the gates and shifted the bolts, I pronounced over that gate three hidden names of God, which no one can displace from their place, the names Ham-Ziwa, Nhur-Ziwa and Lufafan-Nhura-Rabba, these hidden names, well kept by me, so that these gates should not be loosened and no one should be able to open them.

Then I ascended to that world which lies above the worlds of Sumgaq, the great pearl. From the day on which I ascended ...... to the great Gaf and Gafan, the father of all the worlds of darkness, who sit there together, laugh and jest. Their mother Qin sits with them and says to them: "Come, let us look at our beauty and charm, let us see what we have not yet seen."

I, Jawar, was hidden from their eyes, and they did not see me, that I sat among them, I and the Great Secret, which was likewise hidden from them.

Then I took the form of one of them, though I was more beautiful than they all, more splendid than they all. Then I went and approached Qin and said to her: "Peace be with you, great mother, mother of all worlds!" She turned, beheld me, and said: "Peace be with you, our great, dear companion."

Then I asked her: "From what were you made? From what were you created?" She answered me: "We were made from the Tanna and the plantation of darkness and from the whole domain of the black water." "Well," I said to her, "show me from what you were formed." Then she showed me the power and the steadfastness of darkness and the hidden secret that is kept by those mighty fiends, the giants of darkness. She showed me a spring. Among them there was no one who knew how great the extent of that spring was. To me alone the extent and the depth of that spring were revealed and made known.

In that spring lay a mirror, in which they beheld their faces and thereafter knew what they should do. This I hid from their eyes, took it and kept it. She searched for it and did not find it. Then she said: "What shall I do, now that our steadfastness and our power are gone?" "What are you searching for?" I asked Qin. But her inner being and her thoughts were closed, and she did not speak with me.

Then I went to Ruha, took on the form of her brother Gaf and said to her: "Come, let us go to your elders." "Where are they?" she asked me. Then I told her: "Beyond, in that world which lies above us."

Then I said to her: "You are with child by the first-born son." Ruha rejoiced at what I told her.

We go and journey to that upper world, a wide, endless road. She said: "Woe is me." Then I said to her: "Soon you will arrive."

When I reached the world of Zartai-Zartanai, I closed the gate of Gaf and Gafan and shifted the bolts and keys. I pronounced over those gates hidden names: the names Hananadl, Hannel and Smir, these hidden names of God.

I said to her: "Go, Ruha," and we went into that world of Zartai-Zartanai. Years without end we were there, until we reached his world. She cried: "What are we doing, that we have not yet reached our elders?" Then I said to her: "Now we arrive."

At swift pace we went and ascended to her world, which lies above Zartai-Zartanai. When we left him, I closed the gates, shifted all the bolts and keys and pronounced over those gates other hidden names: the names Aksar, Aksar-u-abad and Ksar Jawar-Ziwa, these hidden names that are with me.

Then I said: "Blessed be He who brought me up from that place, from the vein of darkness, from the depths of darkness." And to Ruha I said: "What do you wish?" She said: "What do I wish of you? Where are my elders?" I answered her: "Now I shall bring you there and show you where they are."

Then I said to the Great Secret: "Make her eyes blind, make her ears deaf and confuse her inner being." What I told the one who was with me, he carried out and changed nothing of it. He confused her inner being, made her eyes blind, made her ears deaf, and she became as if she did not exist.

I surrounded her world with walls that no one can move from their place. She lay in that world and searched for herbs to eat, she who bore Ur.

Then I speak to the worlds and aeons that were given me: "Rejoice, be of good cheer and firm, and submit yourselves to your Lord. What we have done is in order. Now, come, let us ascend and betake ourselves to our Lord; let us present ourselves before Him, in whose presence we stand, from whom we came forth."

We go and wander. With pure voice and enlightenment we recite secret hymns and orders of prayer. Our inner being leaps with great joy, and our voice ascends to God. When we came to the border place, we opened the gates of light and ascended into the presence of my Lord. His angels went to meet us, called to me and said to me: "Yes, here comes Hibil, whose splendour is richer than that of all the Uthras." And they said: "Blessed be your arrival, Hibil, pure servant, Sar-Ziwa, Abad-u-ksar." A river was made to flow, and I was led into the presence of the Lord. When I beheld the light of His majesty, my heart and my inner being exulted.

God led me into His own keeping and showed me what I had not yet seen. I was immersed in seven mighty, inner Jordans that flow beneath His throne. No one is able to behold those Jordans and the pure signs that He spoke over me. And He said: "Rejoice and be of good cheer on account of these pure signs of yours that I have spoken over you."

I rejoice before Him and stretch myself out in worship. Then He said to me: "Go out to your guide, who stands in the Jordan and awaits you." I went from His presence and betook myself to Manda d-Haije. I descended to that first Jordan. Manda immersed me and pronounced secret signs over me. He immersed me in three hundred and sixty thousand myriads of mighty Jordans of white water, immersed all the Uthras who were with me and stayed with me, then led them up and set them on the bank of the Jordan of living water.

My Lord asked me and said to me: "How, my son, did you see the form of those worlds that you visited?" I then reported to him and instructed him about them, as I had beheld them. His heart leapt, his inmost being shone with joy at what I had told him, and he was full of kindness. "Who," he said, "is a match for the great Mystery that dwells with you, which God, your Lord, has given you?"

I bowed before my Lord and said to him: "May You be blessed and praised, since You have granted me this enlightenment. I had gone down into the darkness and have now ascended to the worlds of light. I have come to you and sit in your company. The secrets that I have seen I will reveal to you and instruct you about all of them. For from every world that I entered I shut the gates and took away its firmness and its power."

When I told this to Manda dHaije, the Knowledge of Life, he laughed over them and exclaimed: "What a shape these things have, in which the darkness is spread out!" Then I said to him: "There is nothing like these in the worlds of darkness and of the black water. I will arise and go to Ruha, whom I left behind in her world, where there is no one to speak with her. It grieves Ruha because of what I did to her. I set seven walls around her, an iron wall in her world, which no one can move from its place."

When I told this to my Lord, He said: "Rise, go with swift step and do what you wish."

When He had said this, I rose, went and came to the border place of the darkness. I set my foot down upon the ramparts and walls of the darkness. They drew back before me a thousand miles. If my whole strength were still with me as it was the first time, the whole world would not have stood before me.

I looked and saw Ruha, how she sat and said: "Who has taken me captive and brought me into this world, where I do not know where my parents are?" I heard her, laughed over her and said: "What is Ruha saying?"

I appeared to her in the likeness of her companion Gaf, who is of her kind, and said to her: "Why do you sit there, Ruha?"

Then she came near, embraced me, wept in my face and said: "Why did you leave me and go away, so that you stayed away these many years?"

I answered her: "I was with my Lord and my mother's kin. Receive a greeting from them." Then she said: "Blessed are you, that you have seen my father and my mother." "I have seen them," I said to her. "What do they look like?" she asked me. I said to her: "They sit in the dark cloud and in the hiding place that they made for themselves." Then she said: "Rise, let us go to see them." But I said to her: "They drove me away and said: Take care not to come here. Go to your own world." Then she cursed them and said: "May fire consume them, because they quarrel with you. Now I do not wish to go to see them."

When she said this, I laughed over her.

She now thinks and searches in her soul and in her heart for another mystery, and says: "I will arise, go to my parents, enter in to them and see them."

I knew what Ruha was planning in her heart, but I told her nothing. I left her and ascended to my Lord, God, who had sent me. A thousand years I was with Him and stood before Him. He hid me and set me in His own company, a thousand years long.

Then I said to Him: "Behold, the time comes when I am to go to that world of which You know." Then my Lord, God, answered: "Rise, go, our first-created servant, who keeps all the worlds in order."

When I had gone and set out, I found Ruha again, weeping. She did not know who I was. I looked and watched. Then she said: "I will rise and search to learn where the gates of darkness are, and I will enter in to my parents."

She then rose, went, entered the black water and searched for the gate, but she did not find it by which to enter in to her parents. So she rose, came, sat down and said: "When will the day come when I shall bear the son, that he may keep me company, that he and I may sit together, that he may be to me father, mother, companion, protector, a support that supports me? When he is there, he will know and distinguish the gates and know where my parents are. Then we shall go and see them."