The Creation Plan of God
Discovery of Islam
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rituals. In earlier times
Akhlaq
(good moral
character) meant unconditional good character, but
in later times it becomes synonymous with the kind
of character, whose goodness or badness depends
upon the good or bad conduct of others.
If, in the early period of Islam, a position of trust
was identified with responsibility, in the later
period it becomes associated with honour and
prestige. In the early phase, the ideology of Islam
was highlighted, while in the later phase the
history of Islam replaced the ideology. In the first
phase, Islam was an issue of duty; in the second
phase, it became an issue of pride. In the first
phase, the Quran was a book of
tadabbur,
(deep
contemplation), whereas in the second phase, it
became simply a book for recitation. In the first
phase, following in the footsteps of the Prophet
was given the utmost importance but in later
times, the Prophet was glorified as a national
hero, so that Muslims might assert their own
superiority over other nations. While the thinking
of the first generation was that they could earn
paradise only on the basis of their personal deeds,
the people of the later period came to hold that
