Relationship between Religion and Politics in Islam — Page 19
The Relationship Between Religion & Politics 19 Firstly, to mend your relations with God; to be honest and devoted to Him. Secondly, to worship Him. In the Quranic sense, wor- ship does not mean just to pay homage by lip service, but to try to acquire God’s attributes. And thirdly, to do service to mankind and spend in the cause of the needy. These are the three fundamental branches, according to the Holy Quran, which are common to all religions. However, with the passage of the time and through inter- polations they were changed later on. So, what is needed is rectification of the change, not a new faith. And that is what has been happening with the advent of every prophet. So, it is a highly complex question and also not directly related to the issue we are discussing. I hope this much should suffice. As far as the question of whether Islamic law, or any other religious law, can be imposed perforce, I say ‘no’ because it is against the spirit of religions themselves! The Holy Quran says: 1 ۤاَل َهاَرْكِا يِف ِنْيِّدلا Laa lkraaha fiddeen ( al-Baqarah , 2:257) This is a statement of the Holy Quran of course, but it is 1. There should be no compulsion in religion ( Surah al-Baqarah, 2:257). [Publisher]