Islam Creator of the Modern Age
1. Islam: Creator of the Modern Age
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When the ancient concept of polytheism invested
the rulers with a sacred status, not one, but two
great evils found their way simultaneously into
society. The evil that power brings had reached its
zenith. As Lord Acton (1834-1902) put it, “Power
corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
If the public could not change rulers in a secular
context in order to be rid of their oppression, how
could they ever think of deposing those who
ostensibly ruled as the vicegerents of God on earth,
or who posed as His incarnations?
This political evil, which the French historian, Henri
Pirenne, has termed ‘imperial absolutism,’ became a
permanent obstacle in the way of all progress. It
was only when Islam broke the power of these
ancient empires that it became possible to unlock
the doors to human progress. Henri Pirenne’s book,
History of Western Europe,
provides an informative
study on this subject.
The gist of Henri Pirenne’s thinking is that the
ancient Roman Empire, which was spread over both
sides of the Red Sea, had closed the doors to all
human progress by imposing a strict curb on
