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Throughout human history, God has guided humanity through prophets and messengers. Before the time of Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim, peace be upon him), divine guidance was decentralized—prophets were sent to different corners of the world, to each tribe or nation, suited to their context, language, and societal development. These messengers invited people to the universal truth: to worship one God alone.

However, with the progression of civilization—from scattered tribes to organized kingdoms—humanity entered a new phase. The tribal structures of old were giving way to more centralized, complex political entities. It was at this pivotal moment in history that God introduced a shift in His divine scheme: rather than multiple, isolated prophetic missions, He would now establish a central lineage through which guidance would flow. This began with Prophet Abraham (PBUH).

Prophet Abraham is regarded in the Qur’an as Khalīlullāh—the intimate friend of God. His unwavering submission and sincerity earned him a foundational role in the divine plan. From his progeny, two major lines emerged: the children of Israel through his son Isaac, and the children of Ishmael through his son Ishmael.

God made a covenant with Abraham that from his descendants would come a nation devoted to monotheism, a nation whose responsibility would be to uphold the worship of the One God and to invite others to this truth. This was no longer to be a localized mission—it was to be global. But to do that, a center was needed. A nation would have to embody this message and become an example for others.

By the time of Moses (Mūsā, peace be upon him), this plan was unfolding amidst the rise of the powerful Egyptian empire. Pharaoh represented one of the greatest earthly tyrannies—a political and religious system built on oppression and false deification. God commanded Moses not only to liberate the Children of Israel from bondage but to prepare them to be the bearers of divine guidance.

Though Pharaoh was warned repeatedly, he rejected Moses. And in accordance with God’s consistent principle throughout history—when a messenger is conclusively rejected, worldly punishment befalls the rejecting nation—Pharaoh and his army were drowned. The Israelites were saved and began their journey toward the Holy Land, where the center of monotheism was to be established.

It was not during Moses’ lifetime, but under his successor Joshua (Yūshaʿ ibn Nūn) that the Israelites entered Canaan (modern-day Palestine). There, they laid the foundations for a monotheistic community centered on divine worship. This center would become home to prophets like David, Solomon, Elijah, and others, as the Israelites continued their prophetic mission for centuries.

But over time, the community faltered. The Israelites, instead of living up to their divine responsibilities, fell into corruption, division, and neglect of God’s commandments. They faced internal decay and external punishment. The First Temple (built by Solomon) was destroyed. They were exiled by invading powers, such as the Babylonians. Yet God gave them another chance—they returned and rebuilt.

The final prophet sent to the Children of Israel was Jesus (ʿĪsā, peace be upon him). He came not with a new religion, but as a reformer, calling his people back to the essence of monotheism. Yet many of them rejected him. The Qur’an recounts how a faction among them plotted to kill him. Though God raised Jesus, their rejection marked the end of their role as the central nation of guidance.

Not long after, the Romans destroyed the Second Temple, and the Israelites were once again expelled from the Holy Land. The covenant was not abolished, but it was redirected.

With the Children of Israel having failed in their covenant, God now turned to the second branch of Abraham’s progeny: the descendants of Ishmael. Just as Canaan had once been a land of idol worship before Joshua’s mission, Arabia—particularly Mecca—had descended into paganism, distorting the original monotheism of Ishmael.

It was in this environment that God raised Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the final messenger, from among the Children of Ishmael. He was tasked not just with reforming Meccan society but with reviving and completing the Abrahamic mission: to establish a global center of monotheism and invite all nations back to the worship of the One God.

Mecca, home to the Kaaba—originally built by Abraham and Ishmael—was cleansed of idols and restored to its original purpose: the spiritual center of tawḥīd (oneness of God).

With the advent of Prophet Muhammad and the revelation of the Qur’an, God declared the emergence of a new community—the Ummah—that would inherit the Abrahamic mission:

“And thus We have made you a middle nation (ummatan wasaṭan) so that you may be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger (e.g.Mohammad) may be a witness over you…”

(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:143)

This verse signals the formal shift in divine responsibility: the Muslim was now tasked with upholding and spreading monotheism, embodying divine values, and serving as moral and spiritual witnesses to humanity.

Although history records different religious labels—Judaism, Christianity, Sunni, Shia—they all originate from the same divine source. In the Qur’an, God makes it clear that the religion He prescribed for humanity is one: Islam, which means submission to the will of God. The essence of Judaism as taught by Moses, the teachings of Jesus, and the final message brought by Muhammad are all chapters in the same continuous revelation. Over time, human interpretation, cultural influences, and historical events led to divisions and sects—whether among the followers of Moses or Jesus, or later within the Muslim community itself. Yet, all of these were originally rooted in the same call: to worship one God, live righteously, and uphold justice. In that sense, Islam is not merely a religion that began with Muhammad, but the culmination and preservation of the same faith that was taught by all prophets since the beginning of time.

Even within other traditions, such as Hinduism, the essence of Bhakti—a path of deep devotion—is often directed toward one Supreme Being. Many Hindu mystics, poets, and saints in the Bhakti movement expressed profound love and surrender to a single, all-encompassing divine presence, echoing the same spiritual longing found in monotheistic traditions. This highlights a universal human instinct toward the divine and points to a shared essence across civilizations: a yearning to know, love, and submit to the One beyond all names and forms.

During the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), he succeeded in purifying much of the Arabian Peninsula from idol worship and reestablishing the worship of the One God. The Kaaba in Mecca—originally built by Abraham and Ishmael—was cleansed of idols and restored as the spiritual heart of monotheism. But the mission was not limited to Arabia. Prophet Muhammad sent letters to the neighboring empires and kings—such as the Byzantines, Persians, and Egyptians—inviting them to Islam. This marked the beginning of Islam’s outward call to the wider world. Just as Palestine had once been chosen by God as a sacred center for monotheism during the era of the Children of Israel, the Arabian Peninsula was now divinely selected as the new sacred center for the final phase of God’s universal religion. After the Prophet’s departure, his successors—the Khulafā’ (Caliphs)—carried forward this divine mission. Within a few short years, the entire Arabian Peninsula embraced Islam, fulfilling God’s promise and establishing a strong foundation for Islam’s emergence as a global religion. This rapid expansion should not be viewed merely as a political conquest, but rather as the unfolding of a Divine decision and the fulfillment of a sacred trust.