Islam Rediscovered
6. The Creation Plan of God
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virtuous and, in particular, the prophets, have
invariably found themselves in unpropitious
situations. There is a
hadith
to this effect: “When
God loves a people, He puts them to the test.”
Unfavourable circumstances are not peculiar to
non-Muslim societies; in one way or another, they
have always been a part of Muslim societies too. In
ancient times, the prophets were born among
idolaters and deniers and were subjected to severe
persecution by their contemporaries. We learn from
the Qur’an that the Prophet Moses was likewise
threatened with mental torture and physical agony,
even although he had been sent to the People of the
Book, that is, to the Jews. (33:69)
The Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,
established a properly organized state in Arabia,
later known as the
Khilafat-e-Rashida,
and ruled
successively by the four rightly guided Caliphs. But
even during this ideal period of Islam, the state
continued to suffer from a variety of severe
problems. Indeed, there is no period of the Islamic
State which can be pinpointed as one in which
