The Prophet represents the acme of Kahlil Gibran`s achievement. Writing in English, Gibran adopted the tone and cadence of King James I`s Bible, fusing his personalised Christian philosophy with a spirit and oriental wisdom that derives from the richly mixed influences of his native Lebanon. His language has a breath-taking beauty. Before returning to his birthplace, Almustafa, the `prophet`, is asked for guidance by the people of Orphalese. His words, redolent with love and understanding, call for universal unity, and affirm Gibran`s certainty of the correlated nature of all existence, and of reincarnation. `The Prophet` has never lost its immediate appeal and has become a ubiquitous touchstone of spiritual literature.