To the vanquished, he is the Tyrant;
To the Bene Gesserit, he is the Kwisatz Haderach;
But Paul is my son and always will be, no matter how far he falls.
—LADY JESSICA, Duchess of Caladan
The Emperor Paul-Muad’Dib survived a major assassination attempt when a stone-burner robbed him of his eyesight. Though blind, he could see the cracks in his empire, the political stresses and long-festering wounds that threatened to tear his rule apart. Ultimately he knew —whether through prescience or Mentat analysis—that the problems were insurmountable.
With his beloved Chani dead in childbirth and his newborn twins helpless, Muad’Dib turned his back on humanity and his children and walked into the desert, leaving the empire to his sixteen-year-old sister, Alia. Thus, he abandoned everything he had worked to create.
Even the most careful historian can never know the reason for this.
—BRONSO OF IX, Analysis of History: Muad’Dib
Though he is gone, Muad’Dib never ceases to test us. Who are we to doubt his choices? Wherever he is, in life or death, Muad’Dib continues to watch over his people. That is why we must pray to him for guidance.
—PRINCESS IRULAN, The Legacy of Muad’Dib