194 T 1/ the fWlJlrj>! of fix Prophetthe Prophet in trus aim. Such situ ations were occurring more frequently
as the community grew.
i\ luhammad nevertheless remained very accessible and constantly
ready to receive the women and mcn who tried to understand Islam or
were in quest of truth. H e had forgiven a lot to those who had opposed
him in conflict O f war siruarions, and he was now shO\ving great patience
and deep affection to those who, in peacetime, were struggling agajnst
themselves and their own hearts to go about their spiritual quest and find
the path that could lead them to the One. H e observed them, answered
their questions, and accompanied their progress, whether it was swift, hes-
itating, or sometimes even rebellious. When returning from the Hunayn
expedition, the Prophet had declared: ''\XTe are back from the le~ser jihad
[effort, resistance, struggle for reform] to the greaterjihad." A Companion
asked: "\'(That is the greater jihad, 1 Iessenger of God?" H e ansv.'ered: "I t
is fighting the self [the egoj."32 For the Mu~lims, as for all human beings,
this inner struggle was the most difficult, the most noble, and the one that
required the most understanding, forgiveness, and, of course, ~incerity to
oneself. \"\Tat and its les~er jihad had shown how difficult it was to die for
God; daily life and its greater jihad now showed Muslims that it is even
more difficult to live for God, in light, transparence, coherence, spiritual
demand, patience, and peace.
T he P rophet asked all those around him who were not convinced of
the truthfulness of his message to seek, to observe signs, to search for
meaning while fighting the illusions of the self and its conceit. He taught
11mlims~those who had recognized the presence o f the One~to carry
on their inner struggle, to remain humble and aware of their fragility, to
seek to derive spiritual nourishment from dhikr (the remembrance of
G o d), and, as the Q uran recommended, to ask God to keep their hearts
firm: "Our Lord! D o not cause our hearts to stray after You have guided
us." 33 T he Prophet used to pray to God and say, "0 Transformer of
Hearts, keep my heart firm in Your religionJ"34 Thus, in peacetime, some
were searching for truth and some were searching for sincerity, while they
all experienced a new form of inner conflict that required effort, patience,
and a perpemally awake consciousness. At a time \vhen the prospect of
the final establishment of the last religion seemed to be opening up, each
of them was sent back to hi~ or her own inner universe to seek light or
forgiveness, to fInd peace and the clemency of He \Vho constantly