Tn'des and lna;on^135
undtrstand how they glorify Him. Vtrily He IS Oft-Forbearing, 1'1ost
Forgiving!7And the bird in the sky elicits this meditative observation:
Do they not ob~etve the birds above them, spreading their wi0b'S and fold-
ing them in? None ean uphold them except the 1Iost Gracious [the
Merciful]. Truly it i~ He who watches over all things.^8Revelation was later to confirm the importance of such spirituality, act-
ing through observation, contemplation, and remembrance of God, and
linked to the constant reminder of God's infinite goodness toward human
hearts. "The sun and the moon follow courses exactly computed," the
Quran tells the physical eye and thc mind, "and the stars and the tfecs
both alike bow in adoration," it goes o n, addressing the heart's eye and
faith.^9 Those twO teachings fashioned and molded the Prophet's spiritual
strength; he knew where both his vulnerability and his po wer came from,
when so many enemies tried to deceive, lure, Of destroy him. God had
alteady reminded him of I-lis goodness and protection in the face of his
weaknesses: ''And had \Ve not given you strength, you would nearly have
inclined to them [those who wish to negate you, your enemies] a little.', 10
The signs in creation, his ability to marvel at events or at the seemingly
slight details of life, to recognize the heart's charity in a person's generous
word ("A benevolent word is charity')l1 or through a fellow being's smile
("The smile you offer your brother [your sistet] is charity"), 12 gave him
that sttength to resist and persevere. Being constantly with the One, and
remembering I-lis presence through a look or a gesture as th e presence of
the Friend and P rotector rather than that of a judge or a censot-such is
the meaning of excellence (al-ihsalJ), of the power of the heart and of
faith: "Excellence is worsbiping God as though you see Him, for if you
do not see Him, I-Ie indeed sees you.,,13
His Companions recognized those qualities in him, loved him, and
drew their spiritual energy from his presence among them. He taught
them to constantly deepen that love: "None of you believes [petfectly,
completely] until T am dearer to him than his father, his son, and all
humankind." 14 They had to catty on their spiritual and loving quest, love
the Prophet, and love one another in God, while the Prophet himself was