Acknowledgments
In the hours of dawn when trus book was written, th ere was silence, med-
it ative solitude, and the experience of a journey, beyond time and space ,
toward the heart, the essence of spirihlal quest, and initiation into mean-
ing. lvlomenrs of plenitude, and often of tcars; of contemplation and vul-
n erability. I needed this.
As time went on, the list of the women and men who made it possible
to complete this project g rew longer. I am almost sure that some of these
precious names are going to escape me, though this in no way lessens the
importance of their presence and contribution. Others have been moved
by discretion or other reasons to remain anonymous; I understand, and
my heart thanks them beyond these pages with the affection and gratitude
they know go out to them.
I would first of all like to thank Faris Kermani and Neil Cameron, who
two years ago asked me to narrate a film, Tn the Footrteps 0/ the Prophet Mu-
hammad, for a British television channel. Political considerations (n\'o Arab
governments having banned me from entering their territory) unfortunate-
ly made that project impossible. I then decided to do something entirely dif-
ferent and write a biography o f the P rophet Muhammad, endeavoring to
throw light on the spiritual and contemporary teachings in the life of the
laSt P rophet. Many people around me encouraged me to carry Out this
work. 1 am indebted to Iman, 1hryam, Sami,! ... Ioussa, and Najma fo r their
constant accompaniment and support, and to my mother for some original
ideas that came up hete and there in our discussions. 1 would like to thank
Cynthia Read, of Oxford University Press (Nev.' York), very warmly for her
permanent enthusiasm, faithfulness, and humanity. In her Oxford-based
collaborators, I have also found thoughtful and kind women and men.