With 100 years of 'The Prophet', Kahlil Gibran's words belong to the world

Almustafa, the Chosen One, lives amongst the people of Orphalese – far away from his homeland – as one of their own. For 12 years, he yearned for home, waiting for the ship that would carry him back to his town. As his departure finally draws near, the city's people implore him to speak and give them his truth.

The ensuing Platonic dialogues paint a theatrical scene, featuring the Chosen One in the leading role. Almitra, the seeress, is the director, urging Almustafa to respond to the people. Meanwhile, the spectators of this grand narrative act as the audience.

Almitra, with her ability to see the future, kicks off the discourse with one question. This draws out 26 more, presented in true Platonic fashion.

The Chosen One believes that the spoken word, not the written one, holds the most power and influence. So, he answers every query without riddles or ambiguity. Unlike Nietzsche's written works, his language is straightforward, understandable, and simple.

As such, he avoids using monodrama (a theatrical piece acted out by a single actor) and instead focuses on addressing the problems put before him.

Reading between the lines

Gibran's seminal book exists at the intersection of divinity and humanity. The sacred and the ordinary.

Its language travels directly from one heart to another. It emanates from somewhere pure – somewhere reverential. It's packed with imagery and similes, resonating with the people.

Yes, the words may be spoken by The Chosen One, but they seem to be springing forth from the very soul of humanity.

Gibran's wide-reaching philosophical, religious, and intellectual beliefs are woven between the lines, enriched by "new" Christian, Buddhist, and Pantheist influences. Since all living beings originate from the divine and return to it, God exists in everything, everywhere, and always.

But the protagonist also acknowledges the human attributes of God.

When Almitra asks him to speak to them about Prayer, he says: "God listens not to your words save when He Himself utters them through your lips."

Mikhail Naimy once asserted that the Chosen One is none other than Gibran himself. The 12 years he spent in Orphalese represent Gibran's 12-year stay in New York, and Almitra symbolises Mary Haskell, the nurturing figure who took Gibran under her wing.

"The promise to return to Orphalese stems from Gibran's belief in reincarnation and transmigration," Naimy suggests.

Others theorise that Orphalese may represent the Earth, and the Chosen One's twelve-year sojourn reflects a person's quest for unity.

Faith and Romantacism

Gibran was a Christian with a heart open to the vast reservoir of spiritual energies and ideas that touched his soul.

Though he initially subscribed to the Christian Maronite faith, his spiritual beliefs grew. Sufism and the Baha'i faith profoundly influenced him, and his convictions centred around ideas of unity and coexistence, inspired by his multi-sectarian Lebanese background.

The Prophet'draws deeply from "the interconnected nature of humanity beyond religion."

(That is perhaps why he penned the words, "Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you, they belong not to you.")

Gibran also seemed to be inspired by Romanticism.

The movement emerged in the 19th century and stretched into the mid-20th century, igniting a global intellectual, poetic, artistic, and musical revolution that spanned the East, West and Arab world.

It birthed great poets such as Victor Hugo, De Musset, Lord Byron, and Keats in the United States, England, and France.

It also gave the Arab world talents like Echebbi, Khalil Mutran, Mikhail Naimy, Ali Mahmoud Taha, and Elias Abu Shabaki.

Embodying the spirit of liberation and rebellion against tradition sparked an uprising rarely seen in Arabic poetry. Romanticism was where Gibran found his voice.

It allowed him to escape mental confinement and explore a spectrum of other Eastern cultures, from Buddhism to Sufism and even reincarnation. Gibran began to shake up his own work through different mediums, tones, and styles.

The Prophet, Gibran's third book, emerged as a literary wonder that encapsulated a rich blend of West and East, Christianity and Islam, alongside influences from philosophical giants like Nietzsche.

The result was a rich text that captivated readers across not only the Arab world but also America, England and the rest of Europe.  

Inspiring the masses

The Prophet was resplendent with poetry without being restricted to the constraints of a traditional poem and imbued with philosophy yet not a strict philosophical doctrine. Indeed, it presented a philosophy devoid of ideology.

Moving between tangible reality and sensory imagination, it avoided the mundane at all costs. Gibran navigated the 'ordinary' with extraordinary language. He spoke about the 'traditional' in unconventional ways.

That's the secret of The Prophet –  it managed to infuse the every day with profound meaning, turning what would otherwise be dubbed 'commonplace' into an intellectual journey.

Gibran was a polymath (painter, poet, and storyteller) and a master of amalgamation. He knew how to bridge differences and pull apart similarities. He skillfully avoided "tried-and-true" problem-solving methods, and never limited himself to a singular train of thought.

Indeed, he was able to take questions that, on the surface, seemed independent of one another. But he would travel further down the path of answering them until they intersected.

As a result, The Prophet spread quickly across Europe, America, and the Arab world and became the number-one bestseller in the 1960s. Its translation into dozens of languages further drove the book's popularity, positioning Gibran as Shakespeare's competitor.

In the mid-20th century in America, the youth regarded The Prophet as "their book."

Couples recited passages from "On Marriage" during weddings.

Even John Lennon found inspiration for the opening lines of "Julia" ("Half of what I say is meaningless / But I say it just to reach you, Julia") in Gibran's "Sand and Foam." (Meanwhile, Jackie McLean titled one of his songs "Kahlil The Prophet.")

A universal message

The Prophet and its messages reached every corner of the Earth, like a boundless symphony reverberating across borders and cultures.

A few years ago, French magazine 'Le Point' reported that The Prophet had achieved a massive feat in Italy – its sales exceeded a staggering eight million copies.

In the race of best-selling poets, Gibran is the only contender against Shakespeare and the Chinese sage Laotzi, whose works found millions of eager readers in only a few years.

The reason for his success?

Gibran was one of the world's first authors to explore the East's profound philosophical and spiritual realms, from the serene wisdom of China and the vibrant spirituality of India to the contemplative shores of Japan.

In essence, he served as a bridge, fusing Western influences with the progressive insights of the East through ethnicity, religion, philosophy and poetry.

As the narrative of The Prophet ends, The Chosen One bids farewell to his audience, leaving them to contemplate his thoughts and prophecies. After his departure, his ideas no longer belong solely to him but to the people.

The same could be said of the book itself. Instead of subscribing to a polarising dogma, it harmonises dissonant melodies into a familiar, pleasant sound. One that has been ringing around the world for a hundred years now.

And just like that, Gibran's words were no longer his own. They belonged to the people, too.

About Gibran

Gibran Kahlil Gibran was born in Bsharri, Northern Lebanon, in 1883. He died in 1931 of tuberculosis and liver cirrhosis. He expressed his wish to be buried in Lebanon and was laid to rest in his hometown in 1952.

His final resting place became a museum bearing his name, and his tomb in Bsharri still stands as a testament to his enduring legacy as an artistic muse that continues to inspire generations.