Islam as Religion
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ity and inwardness; one of the Names of God mentioned in the Quran is the Inward (al-Bā.tin). The Islamic revelation contains elaborate teachings pertaining to this most inner, private aspect of human life, teachings that have been formulated and elaborated over the centuries by Islamic masters of the path toward inwardness, the vast majority of whom have been Sufis. But even this most inward dimension of religion has its public and outward complement, as God Himself is not only the Inward, but also the Outward (alZ. āhir) according to the Quranic verse: “He is the First (alAwwal) and the Last (al-ākhir) and the Outward (al-Z. āhir) and the Inward (al-Bā.tin) and He knows infinitely all things” (57:3).
The Public Aspects of Religion As a religion that emphasizes equilibrium and justice in all aspects of human life, Islam also accentuates the outward and public aspects of religion to complement the inward and private ones. According to Islam, religion is not only a matter of private conscience, although it certainly includes this dimension; it is also concerned with the public domain, with the social, economic, and even political lives of human beings. There is no division between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Caesar in the Islamic perspective. Rather, all belongs to God and must therefore be regulated by Divine