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

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their own standpoint to try to interpret and undcrsmnd the messengers'
intentions and objectives: in the human order, one does not upset tradi-
tions, and consequently a social and political ord er, unl!.":ss onc seeks
power. The logic of human relationships imposes trus interpretation, and
this explains the d o ubts and deafness o f lead ers faced with a message
that, although its content is in itself far removed from such considera-
tions, has explicit consequences for their power.
By calling fo r r ecognitio n of the One God, for th e rejection of former
idols, fo r Life after life, fo r ethics and justice, Muhammad initiated an out-
right revolutio n in mentalities as much as in society. It mattered little, all
things co nsid ered, whether he sought power for himself o r for an yone
else; what remained self-evident was the fact that the inversion o f p er-
spectives contained in his message, which was oriented toward the here-
after, shook th e underpinnings o f worldl y power.
Recognition of the One G od an d consciousness of Eternity allied to
the ethical teaching appeared to the n ew believers as clements o f th eir
spirirual, intellectual, and social liberation. T h e Quraysh leaders' insight
was, after all, lucid and to th e point: the stakes underlying their radical
opposition to a message of radical liberation were far-reaching and had
essential im p lications for meir fate. They sensed, without always being
able to hear or understand it, the significance of the essential affirmation
o f faith in th e O ne, which all at o nce expresses an intimate conversion
and a general transmu tation o f order:
Say: " H e is God, the One; God, the Absolute; h e docs nOl beget, nor is he
begotten; and th ere is none like Him.,,9
This statement poin ts to the existence of a frontier:
Say: "0 you who reject faith [whose hearts arc veiled]! I do nOI \1.1}fship
what }1}U 'W1}rship, nor do you woDihip what I \1.1}Tship! 1 am not a wor-
shiper o f that which you worship, nor are rou \1}fshipers of what I wor-
ship. To you be your religion, and to me mioe.,,1 0
Questions
The Quraysh were at a loss about how to prevent Muhammad's message
from spreading further. "Illey decided to se nd a d elegation to Yath rib to ask