A New Dawn at the Edge of Night—Muhammad, the Qur’an, and the End of the Dark Ages

Out of Darkness: The World Before Muhammad

By the 6th century CE, the ancient world stood at a precipice:

The Roman Empire, Christian in name, was wracked by division, infighting, decadence, and the remnants of “Dark Age” collapse.
The Persian (Sassanian) Empire, while sophisticated, was torn by dynastic feuds and religious ossification.
The Jewish people were scattered and traumatized by repeated exiles and “winters” of unfulfilled messianic expectation.
Much of the world—from Arabia to the steppes—was caught in cycles of tribal warfare, poverty, polytheism, and the oppression of the weak by the strong.

The Qur’an itself describes this age as Jahiliyyah—the Age of Ignorance:

“And remember Allah’s favor upon you: you were enemies and He united your hearts, so you became—by His favor—brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it.”
—Qur’an 3:103 (Sahih International)

It was to this fractured landscape that Muhammad—an orphan of Mecca, known as Al-Amin (the trustworthy)—brought a new Word and a new world.

The Revelation of the Qur’an—A Blueprint for a New Civilization

In 610 CE, the Prophet Muhammad received the first of many revelations from God (Allah), preserved in the Qur’an, whose very first word is a command to read/recite (Iqra’):

“Recite in the name of your Lord who created—created man from a clinging substance. Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous—Who taught by the pen—taught man that which he knew not.”
—Qur’an 96:1–5 (Sahih International)

This opening alone signals a move out of darkness:

Literacy and Learning are elevated as sacred, not profane.
Knowledge is democratized; the “People of the Book” are honored and wisdom is put within reach of all believers.

The Qur’an proceeds to address a stunning range of themes—faith, law, justice, family, commerce, and community:

Monotheism Reasserted: “Say: He is Allah, the One and Only” (Qur’an 112:1).
Economic Justice: Bans usury (riba), establishes zakat (almsgiving), institutionalizes fair contracts, honest trade, and limits exploitation (Qur’an 2:275–279).
Social Justice and Mercy: Outlaws infanticide (a common pre-Islamic practice), affirms gender dignity (“And their Lord responded to them: Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female”, Qur’an 3:195), and insists on the support of orphans, the poor, and the stranger.
Unity and Brotherhood: “The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy” (Qur’an 49:10).

These and many more verses are, in their own way, the Qur’an’s “Ten Commandments”—not abolishing previous revelations, but confirming, expanding, and updating them.

Muhammad as the Unifier: From Tribe to Ummah

Perhaps most revolutionary was Muhammad’s transformation of tribal, feuding Arab society into the Ummah: a united community of believers, bound not by lineage or geography, but by submission (Islam) to the will of God and the practice of justice and mercy.

“O mankind! We created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is [the one] who is the most righteous.”
—Qur’an 49:13 (Yusuf Ali)

This single pronouncement erases inherited supremacy, placing piety and virtue above all claims of blood or ethnicity. The early Muslim society included freed slaves, merchants, former enemies—bound together in a new, all-embracing spiritual fraternity.

The constitution of Medina is often cited as the world’s first written social contract of its kind—guaranteeing rights and duties across faith communities (Jews, Christians, pagans, and Muslims), and setting precedent for modern pluralism.
(Reference: Madinan Constitution, see A.J. Wensinck, The Medina Constitution, 1928.)

From Ignorance to the Beginning of an Age of Light

The Qur’an and the Prophet’s example initiated reforms few societies had attempted:

Ban on Blood Feuds: The endless revenge cycles were replaced with the demand for measured justice and forgiveness (Qur’an 2:178–179).
Elevation of Women’s Status: Rights to inheritance, property, marriage choice, and dignity were encoded in law (Qur’an 4:7, 4:32, 4:34).
Obligation of Seeking Knowledge: “Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.” (Hadith, Ibn Majah, Book 1, Hadith 224).
Religious Tolerance: “Let there be no compulsion in religion...” (Qur’an 2:256).

The Arabian Peninsula, once a byword for backwardness, became a hub of literacy—preserving, translating, and enhancing the scientific and philosophical inheritance of earlier civilizations, paving the way for the European Renaissance centuries later.

The Divine Cycle Renewed: Spring after Winter

Bahá’u’lláh, summarizing Muhammad’s station in the great pattern of revelation, writes:

“Muhammad, the Apostle of God—may all men be a sacrifice unto Him—appeared from the desert of Hijaz... He established unity among his people, abolished the practices of the past, and laid the foundations of justice and righteousness.”
—Kitáb-i-Íqán, par. 62
(official text)

The Bahá’í Writings draw an analogy to God’s seasons:

After every winter—intellectual, social, or moral—a Manifestation appears as the spring.
The Qur’an calls itself both a “Book of Light” and a “Reminder,” echoing this cosmic return.

The early centuries of Islam saw an unprecedented burst of scientific, artistic, and philosophical creativity. Algebra, optics, hospitals, and libraries thrived—proof that the spiritual awakening was carried into every facet of civilization.

Setting the Stage for the Next Article

But every spring leads to summer, autumn, and winter—a subject to which we will return. For now, it is enough to marvel at the transformation wrought by the Qur’an and the Prophet: from the edge of a pit to the beginnings of a luminous world civilization.

Questions for reflection:

What contemporary “darkness” do you see that calls out for Qur’an-like clarity and unifying vision?
Where does your life or community need the healing of a new “Book of Light” and a renewed spirit of brotherhood and justice?

With hope,
—Wade Fransson