In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad

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between His inflnite Kindness and the heart of each being. T his deep and
intense spiritual training determined the most significant characteristic of
the first believers: pious, discreet, and determined, they prayed to the God
of mercy and peace; kept reciting His Revelation, which is a reminder
(dhiki'J and a light (nul) and followed the example and teachings of the
Last Prophet. The essence of the Islamic message is wholly expressed in
this intimate relationship of trust and love \vith the Most High, establish-
ing a direct link between the individual and his or her Creator, Who has
chosen to demonstrate exemplary behavior through a Messenger, a
human being, whom He has set as a model. Three verses were later to syn-
thesize the exact substance of this teaching:

\X'hen i\ly servants ask you concerning Me, 1 am indeed close [to them]: I

respood to the prayer of every supplicant when he or she calls 00 Me.^14

The Prophet, at the heart of this intimate relationship, opens the way:

Say: If you love God, follow me: God will love you and forgive you your

sins.'5

He is the epitome of the human being aspiring to the divine beyond the

finitude of life:

You have indeed in the Messenger of God an excellent example for the

person who hopes in [aspires to get close to] God and the Final Day and

who remembers God intensely.16

The initial ,group of believers lived on this teaching: in their prayers,

they faced J erusalem, thus expressing the clear linkage of this message to

the Jewish and Christian monotheisms, which share the same aspiration

to the eternal and life in the hereafter.

The Hereafter and the Last }udgmmt

'fhe verses repeatedly express the theme of life after death. In the face of
people's incredulity, the Quran re lies, as we have seen in preceding chap-
ters, on examples drawn from nature, specifically the desert, a seemingly
dead land that comes back to life after a rain. Very early on, the Prophet's