God’s Creation Plan

It was this very system of oppression that, in earlier times, prevented the message of the prophets from taking root. This same system also stood as a constant barrier to scientific discoveries and progress, because every idea needs the space of free thinking and open discussion to grow. In the old oppressive system, where freedom of expression was not available, such open reflection was not possible. The Prophet of Islam was assigned, in addition to his general mission of prophethood, the specific task of breaking the oppressive system that had been established in the world. For this purpose, he was granted all necessary support. As a result, within less than a hundred years, he and his companions either broke the institutions of royal oppression or weakened them so thoroughly that they collapsed on their own in due time. The struggle undertaken by the Prophet and his companions was, in essence, a kind of divine operation intended to dismantle the artificial system of oppression and to establish the natural system of intellectual freedom—so that the path to both religious and worldly progress could be opened for humankind. This same oppressive system is referred to in the Quran as fitnah, and the command was given to fight against those who upheld it until fitnah no longer remained and religion belonged entirely to God (Quran, 8:39). In this verse, religion does not refer to religious law (shar‘i deen), but rather to the natural way of life (fitri deen). The meaning of the verse is: ‘fight against those wrongdoers who disrupt God’s creative order, so that the unnatural system of