The Prisoners

Suddenly, there was a hissing voice, "O my brother, did you mention my name?" The crow turned left and right, no one, up and around, no one was there. "I'm here, down below!" Hearing that, all the birds looked down and saw, a small reptile, sticking out his tongue. "It's the lizard!" said the birds in unison.
"Yes, my brother, but, I did not call you!" the crow responded, calmly. "I've been hearing your conversation, and I'm interested. Can I speak out too?" said the lizard. "Please brother, the chamber will always be there for you. Please, appear on the pulpit!" the crow invited.

A few moments later, having said the salaam, delivering the opening kalima, in an absurd voice, the lizard hummed,

Life is a mystery
Everyone must stand alone
I hear you call my name
And it feels like home *)

Then the lizard said, "This is neither a lecture, nor a philosophy lesson, but a conversations between two horsemen. The first horseman, riding a black horse, and the second horseman, riding a white horse. The first horseman said, "Next, compare our nature in respect of education and its lack to such an experience as this. Picture men dwelling in a sort of subterranean cavern with a long entrance open to the light on its entire width. Conceive them as having their legs and necks fettered from childhood, so that they remain in the same spot, able to look forward only, and prevented by the fetters from turning their heads. Picture further the light from a fire burning higher up and at a distance behind them, and between the fire and the prisoners and above them a road along which a low wall has been built, as the exhibitors of puppet shows have partitions before the men themselves, above which they show the puppets." The second horseman said, "All that I see."

The first horseman said, "See also, then, men carrying past the wall implements of all kinds that rise above the wall, and human images and shapes of animals as well, wrought in stone and wood and every material, some of these bearers presumably speaking and others silent." The second horseman said, "This is an unusual picture that you are presenting here, and these are unusual prisoners."

The first horseman said, "They are very much like us, humans. For, to begin with, tell me, do you think that these men would have seen anything of themselves or of one another except the shadows cast from the fire on the wall of the cave that fronted them?" The second horseman said, "How could it be otherwise, since they are forced to keep their heads immobile for their entire lives?" The first horseman said, "And what do they see of the things that are being carried along behind them? Do they not see simply these?" The second horseman said, "Certainly." The first horseman said, "Now, if they were able to say something about what they saw and to talk it over, do you not think that they would regard that which they saw on the wall as beings?" The second horseman said, "They would have to."
The first horseman said, "And now, what if this prison also had an echo reverberating off the wall in front of them? Whenever one of the people walking behind those in chains and carrying the things, would make a sound, do you think the prisoners would imagine that the speaker were anyone other than the shadow passing in front of them?" The second horseman said, "Nothing else!" The first horseman said, "All in all, those who were chained would consider nothing besides the shadows of the artifacts as the unhidden." The second horseman said, "That would absolutely have to be."

The first horseman said, "So now, watch the process whereby the prisoners are set free from their chains and, along with that, cured of their lack of insight, and likewise consider what kind of lack of insight must be if the following were to happen to those who were chained.
Whenever any of them was unchained and was forced to stand up suddenly, to turn around, to walk, and to look up toward the light, in each case, the person would be able to do this only with pain and because of the flickering brightness, would be unable to look at those things whose shadows he previously saw.
If all this were to happen to the prisoner, what do you think he would say if someone were to inform him that what he saw before were mere trifles but that now he was much nearer to beings; and that, as a consequence of now being turned toward what is more in being, he also saw more correctly?
And if someone were then, to show him any of the things that were passing by and forced him to answer the question about what it was, don't you think that he would be a wit's end and in addition would consider that what he previously saw, with is own eyes, was more unhidden than what was now being shown to him by someone else?" The second horseman said, "Yes, absolutely."

The first horseman said, "And if someone even forced him to look into the glare of the fire, would his eyes not hurt him, and would he not then turn away and flee back to that which he is capable of looking at? And would he not decide that what he could see before without any help, was in fact clearer than what was now being shown to him?" The second horseman said, "Precisely."

The first horseman said, "Now, however, if someone, using force, were to pull him, who had been freed from his chains, away from there and to drag him up the cave's rough and steep ascent and not to let go of him until he had dragged him out into the light of the sun would not the one who had been dragged like this feel, in the process, pain and rage?
And when he got into the sunlight, wouldn't his eyes be filled with the glare, and wouldn't he thus be unable to see any of the things that are now revealed to him as the unhidden?" The second horseman said, "He would not be able to do that at all, at least not right away."

The first horseman said, "It would obviously take some getting accustomed, I think, if it should be a matter of taking into one's eyes that which is up there outside the cave, in the light of the sun.
And in this process of acclimitization he would first and most easily be able to look at shadows, and after that, the images of people and the rest of things as they are reflected in water.
Later, however, he would be able to view the things themselves. But within the range of such things, he might well contemplate what there is in the heavenly dome, and this dome itself, more easily during the night by looking at the light of the stars and the moon, more easily, than by looking at the sun and its glare during the day." The second horseman said, "Certainly!"

The first horseman said, "But I think that finally he would be in the condition to look at the sun itself, not just at its reflection whether in water or wherever else it might appear, but at the sun itself, as it is in and of itself and in the place proper to it and to contemplate of what sort it is." The second horseman said, "It would necessarily happen The first horseman said, "And having done all that, by this time he would also be able to gather the following about the sun: that it is that which grants both the seasons and the years; it is that which governs whatever there is in the now visible region of sunlight; and that it is also the cause of all those things that the people dwelling in the cave have before they eyes in some way or other." The second horseman said, "It is obvious that he would get to these things -- the sun and whatever stands in its light -- after he had gone out beyond those previous things, the merely reflections and shadows."

The first horseman said, "And then what? If he again recalled his first dwelling, and the "knowing" that passes as the norm there, and the people with whom he once was chained, don't you think he would consider himself lucky because of the transformation that had happened and, by contrast, feel sorry for them?" The second horseman said, "Very much so."

The first horseman said, "However, what if among the people in the previous dwelling place, the cave, certain honors and commendations were established for whomever most clearly catches sight of what passes by and also best remembers which of them normally is brought by first, which one later, and which ones at the same time? And what if there were honors for whoever could most easily foresee which one might come by next?
Do you think the one who had gotten out of the cave would still envy those within the cave and would want to compete with them who are esteemed and who have power? Or would not he or she much rather wish for the condition that Homer speaks of, namely "to live on the land above ground as the paid menial of another destitute peasant"? Wouldn't he or she prefer to put up with absolutely anything else rather than associate with those opinions that hold in the cave and be that kind of human being?" The second horseman said, "I think that he would prefer to endure everything rather than be that kind of human being."

The first horseman said, "And now, I responded, consider this: If this person who had gotten out of the cave were to go back down again and sit in the same place as before, would he not find in that case, coming suddenly out of the sunlight, that his eyes ere filled with darkness?" The second horseman said, "Yes, very much so."
The first horseman said, "Now if once again, along with those who had remained shackled there, the freed person had to engage in the business of asserting and maintaining opinions about the shadows -- while his eyes are still weak and before they have readjusted, an adjustment that would require quite a bit of time -- would he not then be exposed to ridicule down there? And would they not let him know that he had gone up but only in order to come back down into the cave with his eyes ruined -- and thus it certainly does not pay to go up.
And if they can get hold of this person who takes it in hand to free them from their chains and to lead them up, and if they could kill him, will they not actually kill him?" The second horseman said, "They certainly will."

Paused for a moment, the the lizard said, "O my brothers and sisters, Socrates, as explained in the Republic of Plato, explained a parable of a cave to the people of Athens to explain the indoctrination process that was taking place in Ancient Greece. He explained a parable of people who were enchained in a cave, forced to look at shadows cast from a fire. He told them that if someone were to release them from their chains, they would be able to see the fire and recognize that what they had thought all along was real were merely shadows of artificial objects. Then they could leave the cave to find the true light. Just like us today, who believe a certain power to be a real power. The certain power we have in mind, is the shadow, and the artificial object is the impotent power. If they were unchained, they could see that it is a fake created by certain people.
Because Socrates was confronting their plan, he was tried for spreading revolutionary ideas and sentenced to death. In the same way, certain modern people are assassinated."
Then, after greeting with a salaam, the lizard immediately disappeared among the thickets. The crow, who had been listening, muttered, "Hmmm, some part of what he said, cannot be denied, and other part, cannot be said to be wrong. But apart from that, I remembered the words of the Prophet (ﷺ),

مَا مِنْ مَوْلُودٍ إِلاَّ يُولَدُ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ، فَأَبَوَاهُ يُهَوِّدَانِهِ أَوْ يُنَصِّرَانِهِ أَوْ يُمَجِّسَانِهِ، كَمَا تُنْتَجُ الْبَهِيمَةُ بَهِيمَةً جَمْعَاءَ، هَلْ تُحِسُّونَ فِيهَا مِنْ جَدْعَاءَ ‏"‏ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ ‏{‏فِطْرَةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لاَ تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ‏}‏

'No child is born except on Al-Fitra and then his parents make him Jewish, Christian or Magian, as an animal produces a perfect young animal: do you see any part of its body amputated?"
Then he recited, 'Adhere to the fiṭrah of Allah upon which He has created all people. No change should there be in the creation of Allah. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.' [Sahih Muslim]

And Allah knows best."

References :
- Plato, The Republic, translated by H. Spens DD, Glasgow
- Abu Esa Al Kanadi, The Secret World, Maktabah Al Ansaar Publications

*) Like a Prayer written by Leonard Patrick Raymond and Ciccone Madonna 

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