Islam Creator of the Modern Age
3. Muslim Contribution to Science
~ 147 ~
Before the Islamic revolution it was an accepted fact
that the king was superior to a common man. For
instance, the Byzantine emperor, Heraclius, a
contemporary of the Prophet Muhammad (May
peace be upon him), in spite of being a Christian,
“had married his niece, Martina, thus offending the
religious scruples of many of his subjects, who
viewed his second marriage as incestuous.”
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It was known to the people that this marriage was
illegal, yet there was no public outcry. This was
because Heraclius was a king and, therefore, above
any judgement by human standards. As a king, he
had the right to do as he pleased.
In ancient times, this extraordinary concept of the
greatness of kings was so firmly implanted, as a
matter of superstitious belief that ordinary citizens
had begun to consider their monarchs to be innately
superior creatures. The observance of special rites
and rituals by kings was aimed at reinforcing this
way of thinking. The kings had thus, in their
respective empires, achieved a temporal greatness,
which was on a parallel with God’s prerogative in
the vastness of His universe. It was but natural that
