Religion in The Islamic Literature

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Summary

This article examines how religion is conceptualized in Islamic literature, showing that Muslim scholars primarily define religion through Islam itself, emphasizing revelation, divine origin, and the unity of faith and practice as a comprehensive system guiding both individual and social life.

Extended Summary

This article examines how the concept of religion has been defined and understood within Islamic literature. Unlike Western intellectual traditions, where religion is often approached through diverse and pluralistic frameworks, Islamic scholarship has largely centered its definitions of religion on Islam itself. Consequently, most definitions in Islamic literature describe not a general concept of religion, but the true religion as revealed by God. This characteristic shapes both the scope and the methodology of Islamic approaches to religion.

Classical Muslim scholars generally defined religion on the basis of the Qur’an and revelation. In these definitions, religion is understood as the totality of divine principles revealed by Allah through His prophets in order to guide human beings toward goodness and enable them to attain happiness in this world and the Hereafter. Religion is thus grounded in revelation, divine command, and ultimate accountability. The source of religion is explicitly God, and human intervention in its establishment is excluded.

Early definitions illustrate this perspective clearly. Al-Zajjāj defined religion as the set of practices through which creatures worship Allah and by which God repays human beings. Al-Jurjānī described religion as a divine arrangement that calls people of reason to accept what the prophet has conveyed. Similar definitions by al-Azraʿī and Bayjūrī emphasize that religion is what God has established for His servants in order to guide them toward good. These formulations demonstrate that classical definitions of religion in Islamic literature are, in essence, definitions of Islam as the true and divinely ordained religion.

Because these definitions focus on Islam, they do not aim to construct a universal concept of religion that includes non-revealed belief systems. Nevertheless, some Muslim scholars offered broader formulations. Sicistānī defined religion as the religion a person adopts for himself, while Askerī emphasized the path a person follows believing it brings him closer to God, even in the absence of a formal legal system. These approaches highlight the subjective dimension of religion, centering on human choice, commitment, and inner orientation toward the divine.

Among classical scholars, Ibn al-Jawzī provided one of the most comprehensive definitions by describing religion as that which a person considers binding upon himself and to which he becomes inwardly attached. According to Ibn al-Jawzī, religion cannot be imposed by coercion; it must be embraced by the heart through free choice. This definition introduces a more general and anthropological understanding of religion while still maintaining its moral and spiritual depth.

In the modern period, Islamic thinkers began to articulate definitions of religion that integrate both subjective and objective dimensions. Muhammad Abdullah Draz defined religion as belief in a supreme divine being who governs human affairs, combined with conscious submission, fear, hope, and devotion. He distinguished between the inner, subjective dimension of religion (faith and belief) and its external, objective dimension (practical rules and social structures). This dual perspective reflects a more comprehensive understanding of religion.

Other modern thinkers further expanded this framework. Muhammad Iqbal described religion as a system of universal truths capable of transforming human character and personality. Ali Shariati interpreted religion as a return to humanity’s original, uncorrupted nature—a movement from worldly attachment toward God. These definitions emphasize religion’s transformative and existential dimensions, rather than limiting it to doctrine or ritual.

Islamic literature also increasingly highlights the social and systemic aspects of religion. Sayyid Qutb defined religion as a complete program or order of life that guides a community’s collective existence. According to this view, all systems that organize life function as religions in a structural sense. However, critics such as Wahid al-Din Khan argued that religion cannot be reduced to social organization alone and must preserve its core elements of devotion, piety, and submission to God.

From a Qur’anic perspective, religion encompasses both individual faith and social practice. It is neither a purely personal phenomenon nor merely a social ideology, but a comprehensive system that unites belief and action. Islamic literature thus presents religion as a way of life that structures values, behaviors, and worldviews while maintaining its divine origin.

In conclusion, this article demonstrates that Islamic literature approaches religion primarily through Islam itself, emphasizing revelation, divine authority, and the unity of faith and deeds. While a single, universal definition of religion remains impossible, Islamic perspectives consistently portray religion as a holistic system that guides human beings in both their inner lives and their social realities.

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