At Home, O/lfr Tb~Tt
ing his Companions of the order of things and of the necessity to make
no mistake in interpreting signs, in order to avoid lapsing into supersti-
tion. This was, for them as weD as for himself, a spiritual teaching in
restraint and humility: human beings, the Prophet among them, had to
Jearn how to depart, and see their loved ones depart, in silence, with dis-
cretion, and amid the indifference of the order of things. T he trial of faith
and of humanity, which made the Prophet shed tears, consisted precisely
in learning how to find, at the heart of the eternity of creation and of
never-ending cycles, the strength to face the finitude of the human, sud-
den departures, and death. T he sign of the One's P resence at the time of
a person's death lies not in the occurrence of any miracle but rather in the
permanence of the natural order, in the eternity of His creation, crossed
here and there by the passage of created beings, who come and depart.
Forgiveness and Sincerity
At the moment when the accomplishment of his missIOn was clearly
reaching its final stage, the Prophet continued to show a nobleness of
soul that both surprised and attracted his former enemies, whether isolat-
ed individuals or entire clans, who now came to him in large numbers.
Though he remained open, he knew he had to be wary of certain individ-
uals or groups. His experience with the Banu Ghanam ibn Awf, and
Revelation that had ensued, had taught him prudence. The Banu Ghanam
had asked him, before he left for Tabuk, to inaugurate a mosque they
wanted to build in Quba.^30 H e had been kept busy by the Tabuk expedi-
tion and decided to go to Quba after his return. He later learned that the
project had been contrived by a well-known hypocrite, Abu Amir, and
Revelation had confirmed his misgivings: "And as for those who put up a
mosque by way of mischief and infidelity-to disunite the believers-,nd
as an outpost for one who formerly warred against G od and His
Messenger: they will surely swear that their intention is nothing but good,
but God bears witness that they verily are liars. Never stand [to pray]
there.,, 31 Abu Amir wanted to build a mosque in order to attract the faith-
ful of another mosque in the area, merely to foster division and exert his
influence. Behind apparent faith and sincerity, some individuals thus tried
to obtain p rerogatives and power and did not hesitate to attempt to use