The Call of the Quran
1. Divine Planning
~ 13 ~
As a result of a two thousand years long process, a
most competent group was prepared for the
purpose. As mentioned above, this group had
retained its nature (i.e. that with which it had come
into existence, preserved intact and free from all the
corruptions of civilization) and also possessed in
perfect form, a high moral character and manly
attributes. It was the people selected from this
group who, after their acceptance of Islam, came to
be known in history as the companions of the
Prophet.
The other special divine succour is hinted at in the
early verses of chapter 30. Prior to the advent of the
Prophet, there had existed two great polytheistic
civilizations in the world, the Byzantine and the
Sassanid. The major populated part of the globe at
the time, was directly or indirectly, under these two
empires. For monotheism to prevail over a vaster
world, a confrontation with the polytheistic empires
was inevitable. God did bring this about during this
period and the confrontation of these two empires
continued for generations. First the Persians rose
and, destroying the power of the Romans, occupied
a large part of their empire. Then the Romans rose
