Description
People in Orphalese, a lively city on the Mediterranean coast, are saying goodbye to Almustafa, their beloved prophet, who has lived among them for twelve years. On the day he leaves by ship, he stops on the city walls and is asked to offer his thoughts on the big questions that shape human life. In response, Almustafa gives a series of lyrical talks, each one a meditative pearl that combines philosophy, spirituality, and the universal truths that go beyond culture and religion.
Gibran’s 26 chapters fit together like a single, smooth tapestry of thought:
“Love gives nothing but itself and takes nothing but from itself.” Gibran shows us how love can hurt and heal at the same time. He tells us to give in to its tidal force and believe that it will shatter our hearts and make our souls better.
He talks about the paradox of unity and individuality in marriage: partners are “together yet not together,” like twin pillars that hold up a temple without taking away from each other’s distinctiveness.
On Kids: “Your kids are not your kids.” Gibran tells parents that their children come via them but belong to life itself. They are “arrows” that are sent forth into the world to find their own paths.
About Joy and Sadness
These two currents come from the same place. He teaches that sadness makes a space for happiness to fill, and that we can’t really know one without the other.
About Work Work is love that you can see. When we serve with our hands and hearts, we help make the world and find meaning and dignity in every honest endeavor.
About freedom
Freedom is not the lack of chains; it is the ability to control oneself. “Just as the sun dances in the sky, free in its orbit, so may the spirit be unchained in sublime humility.”
Pain is the cracking of the shell that keeps our understanding safe. We are reshaped in the furnace, coming out wiser and more understanding of other people’s pain.
About Knowing Yourself
“Don’t say, ‘I have found the truth,’ but instead, ‘I have found a truth.'” Gibran says that we should be humble in the face of the great mysteries of life and brave enough to keep questioning what we think we know.
Teaching: A teacher is not a master but a guide. “You can give them your love, but not your thoughts, because they have their own.”
Prayer is what the soul truly wants, formed by quiet and thankfulness. It is a private conversation between the self and the mysterious truth that keeps all life going.
Pleasure is the flowering of love; it cannot be separated from pain and must be savored with care so that it doesn’t wilt into nothingness.
About Beauty: Beauty shows us the mysteries of life. It lives in opposites, like light and dark, strength and weakness, and it asks us to find harmony in differences.
Gibran’s writing, which is full of biblical rhythms and Eastern mysticism, goes beyond just being an intellectual work to become a sort of prayer. He uses images of gardens and beaches, birds flying, and stars at dawn to bring forth the holy aspects of everyday life. The cadence of a psalm guides each chapter, giving readers time to think and a deep well of comfort.
The Prophet doesn’t set strict rules; instead, it speaks to the heart of the seeker, inviting people of all faiths or none to find in Almustafa’s words a friend for their own journey. His thoughts on giving, working, and dying are just as relevant today as they were in 1923. They remind us that all of our struggles and successes are part of a single, huge tapestry.
About the Author
Whether you return to it in moments of joy or grief, The Prophet offers an enduring sanctuary of wisdom. It calls us to live with courage and compassion, to recognize our shared humanity, and to stand in awe before the mysteries that both unite and elevate us. In its pages, Kahlil Gibran has given the world a spiritual classic one that continues to awaken hearts and illuminate minds across generations.
Product Details
- Title: The Prophet
- Author: Kahlil Gibran
- ISBN-13: 9780934141184
- Publisher: New World Library
- Published: 1923 (New World Library edition 1992)
- Pages: 96
- Binding: Paperpack
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