Almustafa has waited twelve years in Orphalese for his ship. When he sees it in the mist, the people gather. The seer Almitra asks him to speak of the truth they carry in their hearts before he leaves. So the Prophet's teaching begins.
Almustafa is not a distant sage—he has lived among the people, and they love him. His words will not be doctrine but the "giving of the self." He speaks because they have asked, and because the moment of parting demands honesty.