Islam Creator of the Modern Age
1. Islam: Creator of the Modern Age
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grip of superstition. Even the governments of those
times were founded upon superstitious beliefs. The
interests of the rulers lay, therefore, in the
perpetuation of the age of superstition, so that their
subjects might continue to be swayed by the belief
in the divine right of kings. (This was so that they
should not question their right to rule.) That was
why they used all their military and political might
to suppress any attempts to put an end to
polytheism and superstition by means of a
missionary struggle.
Now the question arose as to what strategy should
be employed to break down the barriers raised by
vested interests. This was the state of affairs when
the final Prophet, Muhammad, may peace be upon
him, came to the world in the sixth century A.D.
It was God’s decree that he be a
da’i
(missionary) as
well as a
mahi
(eradicator). He was entrusted by
God with the mission of not only proclaiming to the
world that superstitious beliefs were based on
falsehood, but also of resorting to military action, if
the need arose, to eliminate that system for all time.
Addressing the Prophet, the Qur’an observes:
