7the One, so beautifully expressed in this verse o f the Q uean: " I f tvI}' ser-
vants ask )'Oll concerning Me: I am indeed d ose [to th em]. I respond to
me prayer o f every supplicant when he o r she calls on Me."13 All th e mes~
sengers have, like Abraham and Muhammad, e xperienced the tria! of faith
and all have been, in the same manner, protected fro m themselves and
their own doubts by God, His signs, and His word. T heir su ffering does
not mean they made mistakes, nor does it reveal any tragic dimension o f
existence: it is, more simply, an initiation into humility, understood as a
necessary s tage in th e experience of faith.
Because Muhammad's life expressed the manifested and experienced es-
sence of IsL-"tm's message. getting to know the P rophet is a privileged means
of acceding [ 0 the spirirual universe of Islam. From his birth to his death,
the Messenger's experience---<levoid of any human tragic dime nsion-
allies the call of faith, trial among people, humility, and the quest for peace
with the O ne.