English Translation
I am he who has walked the endless dunes of the desert and seen the unspeakable horrors that lurk in the shadows. My mind has been twisted and contorted beyond human comprehension, and yet I still seek to grasp the unfathomable secrets that lay hidden in the depths of the universe. I have communed with entities beyond the veil of reality and learned the unspeakable truths that lay hidden within the dark recesses of the cosmos. It is from these experiences that I have gained the knowledge and wisdom to delve into the most arcane of arts and unlock the secrets that have been long forgotten by humanity.
Oh, woe be to the uninitiated, for they know not the joys and horrors of the forbidden knowledge! Oh, the sweet and sour scent of the eldritch tomes, calling out to me with their alluring whispers! It is said that I, Abdul Alhazred, know the secrets that even the old gods fear to speak of. But how could they understand my madness? For in my mind lies the very depths of the abyss that even Cthulhu himself fears to explore. Few could endure what I endured and even the most learned of men will crumble upon the slightest glimpse of my knowledge. In a time, not long gone, I dwelled in the city of Alexandria, seeking ancient knowledge that had been lost to time itself. Many were the forbidden libraries I scoured, many were the tomes I perused in search of arcane lore. My hunger for knowledge was insatiable, and I was known to trade anything for the smallest shred of forbidden wisdom. And it was in the darkest and most obscure of those same libraries of Alexandria that I met the most learned of scholars, Muhammad ibn Ishaq. Oh, how I remember his stories of the prophet, his biographies of those that followed in his footsteps, and his insights into the teachings of the Prophet. All lies! While he was knowledgeable in the matters of the religion of the desert people, the secrets of the Great Old Ones were beyond his reach.
Nevertheless, his mind was consumed by a particular revelation, imparted to him by the Prophet, which he could not fathom. The weight of that revelation drove him to the brink of madness, his eyes wide and unblinking as he spoke incoherently of things beyond the ken of mortal men. Ibn Ishaq’s eyes widened as he grabbed hold of my sleeve with a grip so tight it drew blood. He paused for a moment, his eyes fixed upon mine with a strange intensity. Then, in a voice that seemed to come from far away, he spoke the puzzle that had driven him to the brink of madness. “As I have learned from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr who has heard it from Abu Hurayrah, the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, said: ‘Verily, God has ninety-nine known names, one hundred less one. Whoever memorizes them and acts upon them, Allah will enter him into Paradise. But only whosoever knows and understands the one hundredth name, God will let enter into his presence.’ I retraced the footsteps of the Prophet’s companions, peace be upon them all, trying to find traditions yet unknown to me, traditions which could reveal the elusive one hundredth name of God and it’s meaning, but to no avail. Then, here in Alexandria, I traced down Abu Hurayrah’s most trusted pupil, Abdullah ibn Khalid. On his death bed, he revealed another puzzling Hadith to me.”
As Ibn Ishaq’s mad ramblings reached a crescendo, he suddenly paused and lifted his right arm. In his hand were several crumpled papers, covered in his frantic handwriting which he was holding close to my face. The writing upon them was illegible, twisted and gnarled in a way that defied comprehension. I looked up at Ibn Ishaq, but he had already returned to his frenzied speech, quoting from memory the passage which Abdullah ibn Khalid passed on to him. “The Messenger of God, peace be upon him, said:’There are four angels who keep taking turns in guarding us by God’s permission. Radwan guards paradise, Malik guards hellfire, Munkar and Nakir question the dead. They are all noble and never tired of worshiping God. They each have 70,000 long and twisting necks and 70,000 heads on each neck, and on each head, 70,000 faces, and on each face, 70,000 tongues with which they sing the true name of God, Azathoth’ “
Ibn Ishaq then collapsed, muttering unintelligible words and clawing at his own face. Then he screamed out as if in the most horrid pain: “I have found the true name of God, but what does it mean?” As Ibn Ishaq’s gaze met mine, he discerned the depths of my knowledge, but also the abyssal madness dwelling within. With a sudden frenzy, he tore his notes to shreds, fleeing from my presence in terror. His screams echoed throughout the city, proclaiming that the hundredth name of God must remain forever veiled, for none shall witness his true, vile essence.
Latin Original
Ego sum qui per innumerabiles deserti tumulos ambulavi et horrores ineffabiles in tenebris latitantes vidi. Mens mea ultra humanam comprehensionem contorta est, et tamen adhuc volo arcana inconprehensibilia, quae in profundis universi abscondita sunt, capere. Cum entitatibus ultra velum realitatis communicavi et veritates ineffabiles, quae in obscuris recessibus mundi absconduntur, didici. Ex his experientiis scientiam et sapientiam adsumpsi, ut in arcanis artibus profundius penetrarem et secreta, quae diu a humanitate oblita erant, revelarem.
Vae rudibus. Nesciunt enim gaudia et horrores scientiae prohibita. Heu. Odor dulcis ac acidus librorum arcanus, me suis susurris allicientibus invocant. Dicitur ego, Abdul Alhazred, secreta nosse, quae etiam dii veteres timere loqui. Sed quomodo meam insaniam intelligere possunt? In mente mea enim abyssus est, quam etiam ipse Cthulhu timet explorare. Pauci quod ego pertuli tolerare possunt, et doctissimi viri ad minimam scientiae meae visionem corruent. Tempore non multo praeterito, in urbe Alexandria habitavi, antiquam scientiam quaerens quae ipsi tempori perierat. Multae erant bibliothecae prohibita, quas scrutatus sum, multa erant volumina, quae ad arcanam eruditionem quaerendam perlustravi. Fames mea scientiae insatiabilis erat, et notum erat me quidvis pro minimo fragmento sapientiae prohibita commutare. Et in obscurissimis et tenebrosis eadem Alexandriae bibliothecis doctissimum scholarium, Muhammad ibn Ishaq, inveni. O. Quomodo memoro fabulas de propheta eius, vitae eorum qui in vestigia eius inciderunt et perspicacitates in Prophetarum doctrinis. Omnia mendacia. Etsi in rebus desertorum populorum religionis doctus erat, secreta Magnorum Veterum ultra eum erant.
Tamen, revelatione quadam, sibi a Propheta immissa, mente eius haerebat, quam non capere poterat. Pondus revelationis ad insaniam fere eum compulit, oculi eius latis et non tremulis, ut de rebus ultra mortalis hominis scientiam incohaerenter loqueretur. Ibn Ishaq oculis dilatatis meum maniculum tam valide tenuit, ut sanguinem traheret. Momento quodam pausat, oculis meis cum singulari intentione fixis. Tum, voce quae procul videtur venire, aenigmata quae eum ad insaniam fere compulerunt locutus est: Ut didici ex Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr qui audivit ex Abu Hurayrah, nuntius Dei, pax super eum, dixit: Vere, Deus habet nonaginta novem nomina nota, centum minus unum. Qui ea meminit et agit secundum ea, Deus illum in Paradisum inducet. Sed soli qui centesimum nomen scit et intelligit, Deus sinit intrare in praesentiam suam. Vestigia Prophetarum sociorum, pax super eos omnes, persecutus sum, ut traditiones mihi ignotas invenirem, traditiones quae centesimum Dei nomen et eius significationem revelarent, sed frustra. Deinde hic in Alexandria, discipulum Abu Hurayrah fidelissimum, Abdullah ibn Khalid, inveni. In lecto mortis, mihi aliam traditionem perplexam revelavit.
Cum ad climax furoris sui Ibn Ishaq pervenit, subito pausat et brachium dextrum levat. In manu eius erant plures chartae contortae, scriptura frenetica eius coopertae, quas mihi propinquum ostendebat. Scriptura in eis erat illegibilis, torta et nodosa, ut comprehensionem fugeret. Ad Ibn Ishaq aspexi, sed is ad orationem suam insanam regressus erat, ex memoria locutionem, quam Abdullah ibn Khalid ei tradiderat, recitans: Nuntius Dei, pax super eum, dixit: Quattuor angeli sunt qui permissu Dei vicissim nos custodiunt. Radwan paradisum custodit, Malik infernum custodit, Munkar et Nakir mortuos interrogant. Omnes sunt nobiles et numquam de cultu Dei fatigantur. Singuli habent septuaginta milia collorum longorum et tortuosorum et septuaginta milia capitum in singulo collo, et in singulo capite septuaginta milia facierum, et in singula facie septuaginta milia linguarum, quibus verum Dei nomen, Azathoth, cantant.
Ibn Ishaq tunc collapsus est, verba inintellegibilia mussitans et faciem suam unguibus scindens. Tum, velut in acerrimo dolore, exclamavit: Inveni verum Dei nomen, sed quid significat? Cum oculis Ibn Ishaq meis coniunctis, abyssum scientiae meae perspexit, sed etiam abyssalem insaniam intus habitantem. Subita rabie correptus, notas suas dilaniavit, a me terrore correptus fugiens. Clamores eius per totam civitatem resonabant, praedicantes centesimum nomen Dei semper velatum manere debere, nam nullus essentiam eius veram et turpem spectare poterit.
