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The Prophet’s internal reality is connected to the source from which the revelation descended - to seek him only in history and circumstance is to neglect his metaphysical nature, to give little weight to his “sublime character”. (Qur’an 68:4) The revelation is the indicator, both clear and encoded, that points to the source. It is the opening, the fatiha, through which believers have the possibility of comprehending and connecting, in some small measure, with realities that stand above this world. And through striving to approach the source (seeking nearness to God) through the Qur’an, through fasting, through pilgrimage, through zakat, through salat, through supplication, through dhikr, through our approach to life, we can begin to understand and gain respect for the position of the Prophet, not simply as a history lesson or a lesson in Prophetic manners, but in its essence, as haqiqah, as recognition of the elevated nature of the one who was lifted in nearness to “the measure of two bows or closer still”. (Qur’an 53:9)