An obsession with the exterior dimension of Islam and on the afterlife has halted the progress of the Islamic civilisation, according to Indonesian academician Prof Yudi Latif.

Where various Islamic civilisations throughout history used to gain strength by learning from other cultures and gained strength, Yudi noted that many modern-day Muslims, including in Indonesia, are now too focused on the exterior expression of the religion.

"The ethos spreading in the Muslim world today, I think, places too much emphasis on the exterior dimension of religion [...] formalities, symbolisms, ritualisms," said Yudi, a guest speaker at a talk on advancements of knowledge culture in Islam, hosted by the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation.