RELIGION AS LAW: MEANING AND CONTEXT OF LAW IN AL-FARABI'S PHILOSOPHY

According to the medieval Islamic philosophers, both law (nāmūs, sharī‘a) and tradition (sunna) are words closely related to other three words: religion (milla, dīn) and community (umma). The aim of this article is to show what al-Farabi means with law, why he chooses to use nāmūs or sharī‘a and how he relates these words with religion. Understanding the meaning of law in al-Farabi’s philosophy will allow us to shed more light on the meaning of religion in a pre-modern historico-philosophical context