NEW YORK

DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY

1911
Copyright, 1911 By DODD, MEAD & COMPANY
Published, October, 1911

STUDENT EDITION WITH NOTES

PRODUCED BY
ARABIC LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION (ALAEF)
 CONTENTS
BOOK THE FIRST
IN THE EXCHANGE
AL-FATIHAH
TO MAN
I PROBING THE TRIVIAL
II THE CITY OF BAALa
III VIA DOLOROSAb
IV ON THE WHARF OF ENCHANTMENT
V THE CELLAR OF THE SOUL
VI THE SUMMER AFTERNOON OF A SHAMc
VII IN THE TWILIGHT OF AN IDEA
VIII WITH THE HURISd

BOOK THE SECOND

IN THE TEMPLE
TO NATURE
I THE DOWRY OF DEMOCRACY
II SUBTRANSCENDENTAL
III THE FALSE DAWN
IV THE LAST STAR
V PRIESTO-PARENTAL
VI FLOUNCES AND RUFFLES
VII THE HOWDAJe OF FALSEHOOD
VIII THE KAABAf OF SOLITUDE

BOOK THE THIRD

IN KULMAKANg
TO GOD
I THE DISENTANGLEMENT OF THE ME
II VOICE OF THE DAWN
III THE SELF ECSTATIC
IV ON THE OPEN HIGHWAY
V UNION AND PROGRESS
VI REVOLUTIONS WITHIN AND WITHOUT
VII A DREAM OF EMPIRE
VIII ADUMBRATIONS
IX THE STONING AND FLIGHT
X THE DESERT
AL-KHATIMAh
 AL-FATIHAH1
In the Khedivial Library of Cairo, among the Papyri of the Scribe of Amen-Ra 2 and the
beautifully illuminated copies of the Koran3, the modern Arabic Manuscript which forms
the subject of this Book, was found. The present Editor was attracted to it by the
dedication and the rough drawings on the cover; which, indeed, are as curious, if not as
mystical, as ancient Egyptian symbols. One of these is supposed to represent a New
York Skyscraper in the shape of a Pyramid, the other is a dancing group under which is
written: "The Stockbrokers and the Dervishes4." And around these symbols, in Arabic
circle-wise, these words:—"And this is my Book, the Book of Khalid, which I dedicate to
my Brother Man, my Mother Nature, and my Maker God."

Needless to say we asked at once the custodian of the library to give us access to this
Book of Khalid, and after examining it, we hired an amanuensis 5 to make a copy for us.
Which copy we subsequently used as the warp of our material; the woof we shall speak
of in the following chapter. No, there is nothing in this work which we can call ours,
except it be the loom. But the weaving, we assure the reader, was a mortal process; for
the material is of such a mixture that here and there the raw silk of Syria is often spun
with the cotton and wool of America. In other words, the author dips his antique pen in
a modern inkstand, and when the ink runs thick, he mixes it with a slabbering 6 of slang.
But we started to write an introduction, not a criticism. And lest we end by writing
neither, we give here what is more to the point than anything we can say: namely, Al-
Fatihah, or The Opening Word of Khalid himself.

With supreme indifference to the classic Arabic proem, he begins by saying that his
book is neither a Memoir nor an Autobiography, neither a Journal nor a Confession.
"Orientals7," says he, "seldom adventure into that region of fancy and fabrication so
alluring to European and American writers; for, like the eyes of huris8, our vanity is soft
and demure. This then is a book of travels in an impalpable country, an enchanted
country, from which we have all risen, and towards which we are still rising. It is, as it
were, the chart and history of one little kingdom of the soul,—the soul of a
philosopher, poet and criminal. I am all three, I swear, for I have lived both the wild and
the social life. And I have thirsted in the desert, and I have thirsted in the city: the
springs of the former were dry; the water in the latter was frozen in the pipes. That is
why, to save my life, I had to be an incendiary at times, and at others a footpad. And
whether on the streets of knowledge, or in the open courts of love, or in the parks of
freedom, or in the cellars and garrets of thought and devotion, the only saki9 that would
give me a drink without the asking was he who called himself Patience....

"And so, the Book of Khalid was written. It is the only one I wrote in this world, having
made, as I said, a brief sojourn in its civilized parts. I leave it now where I wrote it, and
I hope to write other books in other worlds. Now understand, Allah keep and guide thee,
I do not leave it here merely as a certificate of birth or death. I do not raise it up as an
epitaph, a trade-sign, or any other emblem of vainglory or lucre; but truly as a propylon
through which my race and those above and below my race, are invited to pass to that
higher temple of mind and spirit. For we are all tourists, in a certain sense, and this
world is the most ancient of monuments. We go through life as those Pugree-solar-hatted10
Europeans go through Egypt. We are pestered and plagued with guides and dragomans11 of
every rank and shade;—social and political guides, moral and religious dragomans: a Tolstoy
here, an Ibsen there, a Spencer above, a Nietzche below. And there thou art left in perpetual
confusion and despair. Where wilt thou go? Whom wilt thou follow? "Or wilt thou tarry to see
the work of redemption accomplished? For society must be redeemed, and many are the
redeemers. The Cross, however, is out of fashion, and so is the Dona Dulcinea 12 motive.
Howbeit, what an array of masters and knights have we, and what a variety!

The work can be done, and speedily, if we could but choose. Wagner can do it with
music; Bakunin, with dynamite; Karl Marx, with the leveling rod; Haeckel, with an injection of
protoplasmic logic; the Pope, with a pinch of salt and chrism; and the Packer-Kings of
America, with pork and beef. What wilt thou have? Whom wilt thou employ? Many are the
applicants, many are the guides. But if they are all going the way of Juhannam 13, the Beef-
packer I would choose. For verily, a gobbet of beef on the way were better than canned
protoplasmic logic or bottled salt and chrism.... "No; travel not on a Cook's ticket; avoid the
guides. Take up thy staff and foot it slowly and leisurely; tarry wherever thy heart would tarry.
There is no need of hurrying, O my Brother, whether eternal Juhannam or eternal Jannat 14 await
us yonder. Come; if thou hast not a staff, I have two. And what I have in my scrip I will share
with thee. But turn thy back to the guides; for verily we see more of them than of the ruins and
monuments. Verily, we get more of the dragomans than of the show. Why then continue to
move and remove at their command?—Take thy guidebook in hand and I will tell thee what is
in it.

"No; the time will come, I tell thee, when every one will be his own guide and
dragoman. The time will come when it will not be necessary to write books for others,
or to legislate for others, or to make religions for others: the time will come when every
one will write his own book in the life he lives, and that book will be his code and his
creed;—that life-book will be the palace and cathedral of his soul in all the worlds."
 NOTES

a. Ba·al
1. Any of various local fertility and nature gods of the ancient Semitic peoples considered to be false gods by the Hebrews.
2. often baal A false god or idol.
b. Via Dolorosa
1. (Christian Religious Writings / Bible) the route followed by Christ from the place of his condemnation to Calvary
for his crucifixion 2. an arduous or distressing course or experience[Latin, literally: sorrowful road]
c. Sham or AL-Sham: traditionally, Damascus and its suburbs. Also, used to refer to Syria in general
d. hou·ri (hr, hr) n. pl. hou·ris
1. A voluptuous, alluring woman. 2. One of the beautiful virgins of the Koranic paradise.
Idea contemplation + Dictionary Def. Huris = Houris: a beautiful young woman, esp. one of the virgin companions of
the faithful Muslim in Paradise. A Houriya : singular o f Houris has incomparable character and beauty in the physical
world. The range of emotional, spiritual, and physical gratification experienced in the presence of such an ecstatic being,
transcends the experiences of happiness felt by Mystics. The idea is platonic. Therefore; it can be described as " Meta-
Pleasure" , or " the sphere of gratitude --i.e; boundless thankfulness from Allah/God to his obedient servants, who faithfully
worshiped him, and kept his covenant in this world.
e. Howdaj = Howdah: ) in the Indian subcontinent( a seat for riding on the back of an elephant or camel, typically with a
canopy and accommodating two or more people.
f. Kaaba )Arabic, "a square building"( : a square stone building in the center of the Great Mosque at Mecca, Saudi
Arabia, the site most holy to Muslims and toward which they must face when praying. It stands on the site of a pre-Islamic
shrine said to have been built by prophet Abraham.
g. KULMAKAN )Arabic, " in everyplace, or everywhere.
h. Al-Khatima )noun; feminine; singular(: Arabic, " The Ending, or closing chapter". Literally , The Completion: the state
of being finished ; the process or action of finishing something. The verb form is "Khatama": completed.

WORD CLARIFICATION FROM AL-FATIHA:

1. Arabic word meaning; Introduction, Preface, or Literally: The Opening.

2. Amen-Ra : Egyptian God; King of the Gods.
3. Koran: Muslim Holy Book revealed to the holy prophet Muhamed (A.S) as the final divine revelation to humanity.
4. Dervishes: Muslim (specifically Sufi) religious man who has taken vows of poverty and austerity. Dervishes first
appeared in the 12th century; they were noted for their wild or ecstatic rituals and were known as dancing, whirling, or
howling dervishes according to the practice of their order.

5. amanuensis [əˌmænjʊˈɛnsɪs] n pl -ses [-siːz] a person employed to take dictation or to copy manuscripts
[from Latin āmanuensis, from the phrase servus ā manū slave at hand (that is, handwriting)]

6. Slabbering: (slabber/slobber) elusive; incoherent expression; drivel. To express sentiment or enthusiasm effusively or
incoherently; gush. to speak or write mawkishly: Excessively and objectionably sentimental.

7. Oriental Of or relating to the countries of the Orient or their peoples or cultures; eastern.
8. huris: A voluptuous, alluring woman. 2. One of the beautiful virgins of the Koranic paradise.
9. saki: arabic: A person who provides water/drink to quench one's thirst.
10. Pugree-solar-hatted: Pugree: a cloth wrapped around the crown of a pith helmet or similar headgear,
especially as an accoutrement of a military uniform. A headdress consisting of a long scarf-like single piece of cloth wound
round the head or an inner hat. The long strip of cloth was soaked in water at a well, and then wrapped around the head.
The layers of wet cloth kept wet all day in the hot dry air. solar-hatted: Wearing a hat to shelter them from the hot desert
sun. Pugree-solar-hatted: During a journey or exhibition in the dry/hot desert; Europeans would wear a wet cloth (usually,
white!) underneath their hats to keep them cool.

11. Dragoman designates the official title of a person who would function as an interpreter, translator and official guide
between Turkish, Arabic, and Persian-speaking countries and polities of the Middle East and European embassies,
consulates, vice-consulates and trading posts. A dragoman had to have a knowledge of Arabic, Turkish, and European
languages. The position took particular prominence in the Ottoman Empire, where demand for the mediation provided by
dragomans is said to have been created by the resistance on the part of the Muslim Ottomans to learn the languages of non-
Muslim nations. The office incorporated diplomatic as well as linguistic duties — namely, in the Porte's relation with
Christian countries — and some dragomans thus came to play crucial roles in Ottoman politics. The profession tended to be
dominated by ethnic Greeks, including the first Ottoman Grand Dragoman Panayotis Nicosias, and Alexander
Mavrocordato.

12. Dona Dulcinea - Dona: Mrs or Madam in Spanish; Dulcinea: Lady Love or Madam Love! A woman who is a man's
sweetheart; from the name of Don Quixote's mistress Dulcinea del Toboso in Miguel de Cervantes' novel; from Spanish
dulce sweet.

13. Juhannam: arabic; Hell; Inferno.

14. Jannat: arabic; Heaven; Paradise. Jannah (Arabic:‫ ;ﺟﻨّﺔ‬djannah, Turkish: Cennet) is the Islamic conception of
paradise. The Arabic form Jannah is a shortened version meaning simply "Garden". According to Islamic eschatology, after
death, one will reside in the grave until the appointed resurrection on Yawm al-Qiyāmah. Muslims believe that the treatment
of the individual in the life of the grave will be according to his or her deeds in the worldly life. Jannah is often compared
to Christian concepts of Heaven

Definitions taken mainly from: http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/