Religion and Politics: Islamic Views

Abstract

Politics in general refers to the procedure by which a society chooses its decision-making leaders. The leadership performs functions to achieve the collective welfare of the people of the society and plays an important role in solving the problems that arise. There is a debate about the role of religion in this process of society. Will religion be limited to the relationship between man and his creator or will religion also play a role in the political process of society and state? The middle Ages especially saw the exercise of extreme power by the Church. There was a conflict between the church and the rulers for a long time. The boundaries between church and state's authority were established at some point. The Church was recognized as the most authoritative institution in religious matters. Church's role in state or social activities was denied. By this means power is essentially divided between the Church and the King. By blaming religion as a whole, an ideology was created in favor of keeping religion out of political activities. Ideally, Secularism does not allow religion in any involvement of state affairs.Islam is a religion. But it is a complete way of life. Therefore, it is natural that Islam will have a role and involvement in the one of important aspect of human life i.e. political activities. In this article, an effort has been made to discuss the subject from the perspectives of Quran, hadith and Islamic history. Reviewing the Qur'an, Hadith, and historical evidence it reveals that Islam has made a strong statement regarding politics, a crucial aspect of human life. The relationship between Islam and politics is inseparable. Politics is not a separate issue in Islam. Politics is a fundamental aspect of the Islamic way of life.