The Call of the Quran
5. The call of da‘wah in the modern age
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based on polytheism. That is, the kings of ancient
times ruled in the capacity of representatives of
their assumed gods. Whenever there was, any move
by enlightened persons to demonstrate that
polytheism was baseless; the kings felt that the very
bedrock of their royal power was being rocked.
That was why they spared no effort to crush any
movement launched in the name of monotheism.
As a forerunner to the inception of this new age of
enlightenment, the Qur’an had urged all right -
thinking people to “fight against (religious
persecution) so that religion is only for God.”
(2:193) And, indeed the revolution brought about
by the Prophet of Islam caused idolatry to be re-
defined as a matter of unenlightened personal faith,
thus depriving it of the status of an institution. The
ensuing separation of idolatry from politics
effectively terminated that era in which the
upholders of polytheism could muzzle by nefarious
means the public acceptance of
tawhid,
the Oneness
of God. With superstition and personal cults
vanishing under the influence of Islam, the very
foundations of hereditary monarchy were shaken.
