I realised that it was time to leave. I picked up my Bag of Deeds and started on the road which Haadi had pointed out. The road was clear, and a pleasant and cool breeze was blowing. I was fresh and eager to meet Haadi again at the fourth station. I was walking briskly and managed to cover quite some distance. Before noon, however, I was feeling a bit tired. It had become warmer, and I was thirsty. The pathway had narrowed and there were thorns here and there. Trying to keep tree of these, I kept on until I reached the foot of a mountain and started climbing uphill.

The loneliness was getting on my nerves when suddenly I looked back and to my great relief, saw a person walking towards me on the same path. I was happy that I had at last found a companion to lessen the loneliness of the journey. When he came close, I saw that he was quite ugly to look at and had a distressed took. He had huge teeth, an over hanging upper lip and wide, fearful and stinking nostrils. He greeted me with "Saam Alaik" that is the 'I' in the salaam was missing. This was enough to put me on my guard, because this was not the. Islamic way; in fact, was a sign of enmity. Furthermore it appeared to be intended that way, and did not seem to be a mistake, so I was on my guard and merely replied "Same to you."

Then I asked "Where are you going?" He replied "Wherever you intend to go." I did not feel easy on having him as a companion. However I asked "May I know who you are?" He replied I am your alter ego. They call me Ignorance. My title is way wardness my family name Abu Lahaw (meaning father of playfulness i.e. to waste time in non-serious things). My aim is to create mischief, to ferment discord and dissension and to mislead people and cause them to go astray."

All this conversation further troubled and worried me. I thought that I should have been better of alone, without such a person as companion.

(Traditions show that when Satan lost favour at Allah he was granted the wish that a child of his would be born whenever a human being was born, and he would remain the tatters constant companion, even in Barzakh. His job would be to mislead people. lithe human being had overcome the Satanic commands and his own desires in the earthly life then this twin would remain overpowered in Barzakh and cause no harm. However, here he will cause problems and troubles to the extent that Man had sinned in his earthly lie. As the Prophet had said "I too had this Satan but he embraced Islam on my hands.

The gist of this is that human being has his carnal and material desires from birth and no man is an exception. If he gives in to these and errs, he will subsequently regret, feel remorseful and consequently suffer. The successful one is he who is so firm of mind that he always overpowers his desires. The ideal being was Holy Prophet (S.A.) who had completely vanquished and triumphed over desires.)

I asked him,"It we come to a diversion will you know which route to take? He replied in the negative. I then asked, "I am thirsty. Is there any water nearby?" He replied "I don't know. I asked, "Is our destination near?" He again said, "I don't knows I said "Intelligence and wisdom go hand in hand with existence. How is it that you do not know any thing?"

He said "I only know that I have been at your side ever since you were born. I have never separated tram you except when Allah has especially favoured you and you yourself have separated from me."

I soliloquised "Then this must be the Satan who used to mislead me in the world and on whose beckoning I used to sin. And even now he is not leaving me alone. This is indeed the height of enmity. Allah, Oh Allah, have mercy

He kept following me, couple of paces behind. The road was uphill and steep and it was difficult going. At last I reached the top. I was tired, and so sat down to rest for awhile. Ignorance sat down beside me and said "You seem to be tired. Do you want to know a short cut which will shorten your travel to only a fifth?"

I replied "'Inspite of your ignorance it seems that' can pull miracles." He said "It's not that. Come here, I'll show you. See this road on which you are travelling, though it's bright is bent like a bow and is not less than 5 Km. The chord joining the two points of the arc is no more than one kilometre.

"Geometrically, an arc whether small or big is always bigger than its chord. So we leave this popular road and instead take to the lesser known path it'll be a short cut and no longer than 1 kilometre instead of five. Surely it's wiser to take the short cut."

I replied, "Don't be stupid. Don't you know that these highways are a result of the route being popular and constantly traversed. The people who chose ft weren't senseless. And there's a famous saying that always travel on routes which are popular and favoured by travellers."

He said "You are indeed stupid. You are taking poets and story tellers to be wise men and you are content to 10110w in their foot steps. The path that I am pointing out is obviously shorter. And it is also possible that the people who chose the longer route had enough provision with them or had some means of conveyance. It is possible that they wanted to avoid that tunnel at the mouth of the chord, or maybe their mount could not pass through it. So tell me, why shouldn't the two of us take the short-cut?"

Here I committed the mistake of falling or what he said, mistaking him to be a well wisher. We left the main road and took to the short-cut. But it was not at all easy going here were deep ditches full of rubbish. The path was strewn with needle like thorns and we often came across snakes and scorpions As soon as we would cross one ravine, we would reach another.

It was so hot that my tongue was literally hanging out with thirst, My feet were also injured and bleeding. I was feeling afraid right down to the core of my heart.

My companion seemed to be enjoying my plight. He was joking and laughing at me. We travelled for what seemed to be ages and when at last we reached the highway again we had covered at least 10 Km, Each step had been an ordeal and I was dead tired, I had developed complete hatred for my twin and I told him so WI wish we had never met. I would be happier if we were as tar apart as the two poles".

But he kept waiting for me whilst I sat down to rest. A bit rested, I got up to resume my journey and he again started following me. Suddenly I spotted some greenery about one fourth kilometre away from the highway. Seeing. his chance, ignorance again assaulted me. He came running to me and said, "Hey do you see the greenery over there? There's sure to be water there too. And you really are so thirsty. Let's go and have a look. Maybe we'll find a fresh water spring and you can get a cool drink. When we come back we'll resume our journey."

I can sincerely say that I did not want to obey him; but I was tired and thirsty and I knew that greenery was not possible without water

(When man has to confront the consequences of his actions, he wishes he had never committed them. But this repentance is often not serious enough to stop him from again falling in for temptations and desires.)

(This is in accordance with the philosophical argument, the gist of which is that people judge things in accordance with their own nature. A sinner does not see wrong or bad in sins and disobedience, in tact finds pleasure and contentment in these. Whereas a righteous person would be horrified at these and lust the thought of committing evil would sicken him. Henceforth the author has used the word "Darky" instead of Satanic Twin, in order to make obvious the darkness of Satanic incitements.