As things became more and more complicated, provocative situations emerged. He arrested his father’s supporters as they were pilfering the money of the bakery’s employees. No sooner had he locked them up — for the first time in the hara’s history — than a torrent of giddy joy exploded in the alley, stirring a volcano in the house of Boss Qadri the Butcher. No longer able to remain, Anous decided to go. His mother’s torso shook as she wept.
“He is the Devil himself,” she cried.
Anous kissed her forehead and left. He rented a small apartment in Imbaba, telling himself that putting an end to the activities of his father’s supporters would do the same to his malignant powers. Qadri would be incapable of doing any more harm, and the quarter would slip from his hellish grip. He appealed to God, if only he could arrest his father in the very act of perpetrating a crime directly. Yet it appears that Qadri had resolved to meet the challenge with a similar one before his whole edifice collapsed — for on the same night a battle broke out between his supporters and the bakery’s workers. During it, Raouf received a fatal wound. But before drawing his last breath, he managed to assassinate Boss Qadri the Butcher.
These were explosive events in rapid succession, shaking the hara to its very foundations, drowning it in blood— while dissipating the darkness that had engulfed it for so long.
20
The Butcher found himself in front of Abu, hearing him say, “Welcome, Qadri, to the First Heaven.”
Acquainting the arrival with the place himself, he noticed that Qadri was absent-minded, with a dazed, faraway gaze.
“It seems as though you have not yet cut your ties to the earth,” Abu pointed out to him.
“Something weighs heavily inside me,” Qadri replied.
“Be aware — you will now learn your destiny.”
“Yes, but I never imagined I would be killed by a mere boy like Raouf.”
“Your new memory has not awakened yet.”
Confusion showed in the furrows of Boss Qadri the Butcher’s face. Slowly, slowly, he began to remember, until he let out a deep sigh.
“Do you recall now who this boy Raouf is?” Abu asked, smiling.
“My son Anous killed me,” said Qadri painfully.
“Indeed,” said Abu. “And do you remember who you were before that?”
“Adolf Hitler!” answered Qadri.
“And before that?”
“A notorious highwayman in Afghanistan. I can’t even pronounce his name!”
“A long, black record,” Abu upbraided him. “Why do you resist all advancement and waste every opportunity granted to you? Your son is better than you — many others are better than you.”
“The lesson won’t be in vain this time!” Qadri pleaded contritely.
“And yet, even as you appear before me now, you still have not left your worldly instincts behind!” Abu cajoled him.
“Perhaps I’m still stoned,” said Qadri lamely.
“Your excuse is worse than the offense.”
“I hope I can be made a guide….”
“Do you have anything to say in favor of your behavior on earth?”
“Yes, I do,” said Qadri. “I started out as an honest merchant. What made me greedy was other people’s weakness, their carelessness, and their hypocrisy. Being a tyrant was fun for me, and there was nothing to stop me.”
“The others will be punished for their weakness, just as you will be for exploiting it.”
“Won’t my murder at the hands of my own son count at all against my evil?”
“Such relations have no meaning here,” snapped Abu. “How many sons and daughters have you killed, without even thinking about it?”
“Even so, I didn’t create my own character, or my instincts.”
“You own them freely,” rebutted Abu. “In your freedom, you found no limits.”
“If you improve your defense of me, then you can have anything you want,” Qadri dangled.
“You are still clinging to the world,” Abu laughed. “That is the most unforgivable sin of all.”
“What do you say about my trial?”
“The trial is finished, Qadri,” Abu disclosed. “You have been condemned.”
And Qadri the Butcher was no longer there.
21
Raouf encountered Abu ensconced in his white cloud. There was a brief moment of mutual recognition, then a questioning look started to show in Raouf’s eyes.
“Welcome to the First Heaven,” said Abu.
He began to lecture Raouf for the usual orientation, then asked him, “How did you come to be here?”
“I was killed in a fight,” replied Raouf.
“But you killed your killer, as well.”
“I struck him while I was being stabbed,” said Raouf. “I don’t recall anything after that.”
“For the second time, you arrive as both a killer and a person killed.”
“Really?”
“I speak with some authority.”
“What did I get the last time?” wondered Raouf.
“You were condemned,” said Abu.
“Will that happen again now?” Raouf asked with worry.
“What would you like?” Abu asked.
“I rushed bravely into a just battle, and slew the Satan of our alley.”
“That is true,” conceded Abu.
His face jubilant, Raouf queried, “Is there hope for my acquittal?”
“Your negligence in the search for knowledge will count against you.”
“But the circumstances I lived in were so extreme!”
“That is also true,” said Abu. “But we evaluate the individual according to his struggle against his surroundings.”
As the pain began to appear in Raouf’s face, Abu told him, “You are a fine young man, but the ascent to the Second Heaven is a formidable feat indeed.”
“Doesn’t what I have done speak on my behalf?”
“Everything has been heard,” answered Abu. “The verdict has been issued: you are appointed as a spiritual guide.”
Raouf greeted the judgment with satisfaction, then Abu added, “More good news: you will be guiding Anous.”
“The policeman?”
“Yes, his behavior bodes well for the ultimate result.”
“Could that be the promised Paradise?”
Abu grinned as he replied, “There are seven heavens consecrated in service to the people of earth; but the time has not yet come to think about Paradise!”
“How does one climb from heaven to heaven?”
“Through the succeeding levels of judgment.”
Perplexed, Raouf asked, “Shall we be spared further strife in the Seventh Heaven?”
“That is what customarily is said to give one hope and consolation,” expounded Abu, still smiling, “though there is not one shred of evidence that it is true.”
Streams of lyrical bliss flowed by, immersing them both in the waves of dripping pale clouds that spread over the endless expanse of verdure below.
The Disturbing Occurrences
1
I will always remember what I lived through during the horrific events in the al-Khalifa quarter of Cairo. To be sure, they weren’t all horrific. Some were tales told of bags of money delivered to the homes of paupers in the dead of night. Others, though, involved mass poisonings, fires, and worse. Yet the fact each was done with the same modus operandi indicated that one person lurked behind them all. Everyone’s eyes were on the lookout; all guards were on watch, as we ran organized patrols after dark throughout the district.