Islam And Extremism

In the present age, the movements that have arisen among Muslims, unfortunately, contain, in almost every case, the same undesirable element of excess that the Quran and Hadith describe as ghuluw, such as political extremism, excessive emphasis on rules, and extremism in the name of religious identity. A deeper study of the Quran shows that the true importance of religion lies in the spirit, not in outward forms. Extremism arises from overemphasis on outward forms. If effort is spent only on the form, it may appear alive, yet the spirit will not come alive. About those who follow religion in this way, the Quran (49:14) says that the outward form of faith has entered your lives, but faith has not yet entered your hearts. The correct method is to emphasize the spirit of religion and devote effort to reviving the spirit rather than the form. The spirit means a God-oriented life, good character, goodwill toward others, and so on.