Islam Rediscovered
21. Islam in History
~ 350 ~
one region to another,) without fearing anyone save
God. And he will fear no wolf for his sheep. Yet you
are in a hurry.” (
Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Manaqib,
Chapter,
Alamaat an Nubuwah fi‘l Islam
).
This
hadith
shows that one of the revolutionary
changes to be ushered in in the wake of the
Prophet’s mission was the end of this ancient age of
religious persecution and the replacing of it with an
age of religious freedom in order to smooth the path
for God’s servants to follow His religion. This most
significant transformation was to take place as part
of a divine plan. That is why the Qur’an enjoined
the Prophet’s companions to pray in advance to
God: “Lord, do not lay on us the burden you laid on
those before us. Lord, do not charge us with more
than we can bear.” (2:286)
This prayer was revealed by God Himself for the
benefit of the believers. It was like a divine
ordinance announced in the form of a prayer to be
recited by the companions. This means that God,
who is the controller of history, had decreed a
change in this coercive political system of ancient
times in order that the religion of Monotheism
