Islam_in_Focus_text

that, because the Only Being beyond that is God alone. He is
not entirely material or physical, because the only beings of
this class are the animals and other irrational creatures. So
being of such a complementary nature, man has parallel de-
mands and parallel needs: spiritual and material, moral and
physical. The religion which can help man and bring him
close to God is the religion which takes into consideration
all these demands and needs, the religion which elevates the
spiritual status and disciplines the physical desires. And this
is the Religion of Islam. To oppress either side of human na-
ture, or upset the balance, or lean to one direction only,
would be an abusive contradiction to human nature as well
as an irresponsible defiance of the very nature in which God
has created man.
Because Islam grants complete recognition of human na-
ture as it is, and takes deep interest in the spiritual as well as
the material well-being of man, it does not consider religion
a personal affair or a separate entity from the current general
course of life. In other words, religion has no value unless its
teachings have effective imprints on the personal and public
course of life. On the other hand, life is meaningless, if it is
not organized and conducted according to the Divine law.
This explains why Islam extends its sense of organization to
all walks of life: individual and social behavior, labor and
industry, economics and politics, national and international
relations, and so on. It also demonstrates why Islam does not
recognize "Secularism" or separation of religion from man's