The Role and Significance of Religion in Human Life with Particular Emphasis on Islam
Kabuye Uthman Sulaiman*
ABSTRACT
The thrust of this study is to discuss the role and significance of religion in general, and Islam in particular. It focuses on eight topics: Religion as a binding force, religion as a consolation factor, religion as a factor in the alleviation of poverty, religion as a basic need of man, religion as the route map, religion as the source of worldview, religion as the source of objective morality, and religion as the foundation of human civilisation. The order of these topics does not mean that any one of them is more important than the others, or less essential. While there are many studies on the role and significance of religion in human life, this is one of the few that discusses a wide spectrum of issues related to the role and significance of religion in general, and Islam in particular. The study argues, among other things, that religion is indispensable and that efforts to outlaw it are untenable. It regards accusations against religion, particularly, that it is the source of conflict and a hindrance to human development, as erroneous and unfounded.