How does Your Eminence explain the statement: “Islam, in its moderation and balance, is the Islam of civilization”?

The moderation of the Muslim Ummah is an established matter, affirmed by Allah Almighty in His noble Book, “Thus We have made you a middle nation, so that you may be witnesses over mankind, and the Messenger a witness over you” (Quran, 2:143).

The term wasatiyyah (moderation) is derived from the middle of a thing, which scholars have interpreted to mean “its most just part.” This is supported by the verse, “The most moderate of them said, "Did I not say to you, 'Why do you not exalt [Allah]' " (Quran, 68:28)—that is, the most just.

The moderation of Islamic civilization lies in its balanced approach to defining the relationship between human beings and their Creator on the one hand, and between people on the other. It is a middle path that integrates the spiritual and the material and reconciles individual interests with those of the society as a whole. It does not neglect the needs of the body in favor of either the soul or the heart. It likewise does not restrict individual potential for the sake of society, nor does it leave caprices unchecked to the detriment of society—all without excess or negligence.

Among the most prominent features of Islamic moderation is that it reflects the moderation of the Quran itself and its balance in addressing mankind, fulfilling all aspirations for both this world and the Hereafter. This is evident in Allah’s address to mankind, “Seek the Hereafter through what Allah has given you, but do not forget your portion of this world…” (Quran, 28:77) and “Eat and drink, but do not be excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess” (Quran, 7: 31).

Based on the above, Islam is a religion of moderation and balance, representing Islamic civilization throughout the ages until the Day of Resurrection. It is a faith in which Muslims adhere to the Quranic principle of moderation in all matters of this world and the next, including belief, morality, and legislation. This moderation is further reflected in the balanced view of the major dualities: the realm of unseen and the seen, this life and the Hereafter, jabr (the doctrine that holds that human beings have no free will or capacity to choose their actions) and free will, the soul and matter, the individual and society, religion and the state, man and woman, as well as the prohibition of aggression and the obligation of self-defense, and other similar matters.

And Allah Almighty knows best.