184 Preface أَوَلَم يَتَفَكَّروا ۗ ما بِصاحِبِهِم مِن جِنَّةٍ ۚ إِن هُوَ إِلّا نَذيرٌ مُبينٌYusuf AliDo they not reflect? Their companion is not seized1 with madness: he is but a perspicuous warner.2Their companion, i.e., the Holy Prophet, who lived with and amongst them. He was accused of madness because he behaved differently from them. He had no selfish ambitions: he was always true, in thought, words, and deed: he was kind and considerate to the weak, and was not dazzled by worldly power or wealth or position: he was undeterred by fear of the strong, the mockery of the cynics, the bitterness of the evil, or the indifference of the heedless. That is why he stood out boldly against wrong: he did not mince his words, and his warnings were not mealy-mouthed.Mubin: perspicuous. The reason why I have not used a simpler word, such as “plain” or “clear” is explained in n. 716 to 5:15. Al Muṣṭafā’s sermons were not polite reminders, with an eye to the flattery of weaknesses in high places or national vanities or crowd passions. They brought out every foible into the glare of light, by a fiery eloquence fed by inspiration from God (Cf. 38:70).