The Life, Traditions, and Sayings of the Prophet

as the previous chapter has revealed, the inner Substance of the Prophet is the hidden fountainhead of Islamic spirituality. This inner reality manifests itself in the life (Sīrah) of the person considered by Muslims to be the last prophet and the perfect man par excellence, and also in his actions (Sunnah) and sayings (aḥādīth). His beautiful names, which traditionally are said to be 201, are chanted as litanies and recited in certain spiritual exercises. ¹ Love for him flows in the veins of all those who aspire to the spiritual life, ² and emulation of the being called the “good model” (uswat^un ḥasanah) in the Quran characterizes the whole program of Islamic spiritual life.