Diff between religion and deen
Introduction:
Islam is not only a religion but also a Deen, which means a complete code
of life. Religion deals man‘s relation with God whereas Deen deals both
with man‘s relation with God and his fellow beings. Religion deals with
private affairs of life whereas Deen covers all aspects of life, individual as
well as collective. In other words Deen is all embracing term which includes
religio-socio-politico-economic system. It touches upone the material as
well as spiritual dimensions of human existence and insists that all our
thoughts and deeds should be performed with the will of God.
What is Religion?
The term ‘religion’ is derived from a Latin origin religio that originally meant obligation,
bond, etc
Also, Alfred North Whitehead defines religion as;
“Religion is what an individual does with his
solitariness.”
So, religion is quite narrow in its meaning. It is limited in its scope. Religion is just a
belief in God or governing body. It is who we personally believe God is; but devoid of
what God wants from us.
In other words, religion is just a private connection to God. It is limited to religious
practices and ways of worship. It is not something that would reflect in the collective
life of society.
To make it more precise, the term ‘religion’ governs our private lives only. It does not
encompass our collective life. It has no bearing on the social, economic, or political
spheres of life.
In short, religion has no influence on different aspects of life. It is just our bond to God
i.e. I and God. Religion is a personal matter, a personal belief; it does not control the
collective life of individuals and society.
What is Deen?
Contrary to religion Deen covers all aspects of human life. It covers both
spiritual/scared matters and mundane/secular affairs of this world. In brief,
religion deals with man‘s relation with God; while Deen deals both man‘s
relation with God as well As his fellow beings. Deen provides guidance in
the individual and collective affairs. It offers a belief system, concept of
worship to fulfill the spiritual and metaphysical needs of individual, and
provides social, political, economic, legal codes and cultural norms for the
betterment of society-taken as one community. When the term Deen is
used for Islam, it obviously means a system of life where Allah is
worshipped and obeyed, not just in the narrow religious sense, but in a
manner that includes all aspects of human life. ―This day, I have perfected
your Deen for you, completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for you
Islam as your Deen.‖
Hence an impartial critic like Dr. Michael Hart is compelled to confess that
―My choice of Mohammad to lead the list of the world‘s most influential
persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but
he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the
religious and secular level.
Meaning of Deen
There is several meaning of Deen.
a. One meaning is honour, government, empire, monarchy and ruleship.
b. The second meaning is quite opposite to it i.e. subordination, obedience, slavery,
servitude and subjection.
c. Third meaning is to account, to give judgment, and dispense reward and punishment
of actions.
The word Deen has been Used in the Quran in all these three meanings.
Allah says ―Deen with Allah is al Islam.‖ (3:19)
―And whosoever seeks a Deen other than Islam, it will not be accepted from Him.‖
(3:85)
―And fight them until persecution is no more and Deen is all for Allah.‖ (8:39)
understanding the deen :
However, Din is a way of life. The well-known Islamic scholar, Fazlur Rahman
Malik interpreted Din as ‘the way to be followed’. It is a set of divine laws that govern
every aspect of life.
For example, Din shows us why we are sent to the world. Similarly, it teaches us our role
of being a father, brother, sister, mother, husband, or wife.
Din inculcates moral and ethical values in a person. Its teachings, it makes an individual
a perfect human being, an ideal man/woman.
Deen governs the economic and political sphere of life. How to earn, and how to spend
is what we learn from Dīn. Similarly, it guides the ruler about his duties to the public.
To cut it short, ‘Deen’ is all-encompassing and vast in its scope. Religion is one
important aspect of din. Din covers all the aspects of life. It is a complete code of life.
Thus, Din guides an individual in all the aspects of life;
i.e. spiritual, social, economic, political, cultural, moral,
ethical, etc.
Comparison of Deen and Religion:
A comparative study of religion or Madhab, and Deen, would help us understand the
vital and fundamental characteristics of each and the differences between the two:
Madhab/Religion
Deen
Madhab is merely some sort of subjective.
Deen is an objective reality and a system of experience and is concerned only with the
so-called private relationship between God and man.
collective life.
Every follower of a Madhab is satisfied that he established a communion with the
Almighty, and the objective of each individual is his own salvation.
The aim of Deen the other hand is the welfare and progress of all mankind, and the
character and constitution of a society indicates whether or not it is founded upon the
Divine Law.
Madhab does not afford us any objective criterion by which we could determine whether
or not our actions are producing the desired results.
In a social order governed by Deen, the development of a collective and harmonious life
correctly indicates whether or not the people are pursuing the right course.
Madhab is hostile to scientific investigation and is an adversary of of reason, so that it
could flourish unhampered with the aid of a blind faith.
Deen helps in the development of human reason and knowledge, allows full freedom to
accept or reject on the basis of reason and arguments, and encourages investigation
and discovery of all the natural phenomena to illumine the path of human life and its
advancement in the light of the permanent Values.
Madhab follows the susceptibilities and prejudices of me and pampers them.
Deen seeks to lead men to a path of life that is in harmony with the realities of life.
In every age, therefore, Madhab sets up new idols and mumbo-jumbo in order to keep
the people‘s attention away from the real problems of life.
But Deen is rational and radical: it breaks all idols, old and new, and is never variable in
its principles Madhab includes a perpetual sense of fear in the minds of men and seeks
to frighten them into conformity.
While Deen treats fear as a form of polytheism and seeks to make men courageous,
daring and self-reliant.
Madhab prompts men to how before every seat of authority and prestige, religious as
well as temporal.
Deen encourages man to walk about with his head erect, and attain self-confidence.
Madhab includes man to flee from struggle of life.
But Deen calls upon him to face the realities of life squarely, whatever the hazard.
Madhab encourages beliefe in fatalism, and this tends to dissuade man from active life
and self-development.
Deen gives man power to challenge fate, and provides energy for a life of activity and
self-development.
Madhab enjoins religious meditation in the name of worship and thus induces self-
deception.
Deen exhorts men to assert themselves and struggle perpetually for the establishment
of the Divine Social Order, and its betterment when attained. Worship in Deen really
means obedience to the Laws of God.
Madhab denounces everything new and declares all innovation as sin.
Deen holds that the needs and demands of human life keep changing with the change in
the conditions of life; change and innovation are, therefore, demanded by life itself. Only
the Divine Laws are immutable.
ImportanceofDeen:
Today, I have completed your Deen, and have completed my bliss upon you and
accepted for you Islam as a Deen. “(Al-Maida 5:3)
Deen encompasses the religious, social, political and economical affairs of
human being, without which, the life would be an incomplete procedure of idle
practices. Important points which prove that Deen is essential to human being
are as follow:
1. Human being need guidelines in every action of his life, that's what provide by
the Deen.
2. It explains how to treat with friends and family, strangers and relatives,
orphans and poor people and with all other human beings.
3. It instructs human beings how far to contribute in political and social system
of the community.
4. It provides a set of instructions about war and peace. The conditions and
situations in which a human being should go for a war or remain silent and
keep patience.
5. It provides the legal actions in a human being's relations like tradition of
marriage, rules to obey in married life, divorce case, birth, death, property
inheritance etc.
6. It displays the legitimate ways of earning like trade, buying and selling, which
item to sell and which one to avoid etc.
7. Practically, man yearns to discover the mysteries of death and all other
wonders, for which, he needs a Deen to follow it.
8. Naturally, life without any ambition seems senseless, Deen makes it
meaningful and gives mental satisfaction in return.
9. Deen unites the human beings of similar thoughts, hence, in case of absence,
a man would be isolated from the world.
10. Deen focuses on right and wrong and punishment and rewards, without which,
a man would not fear anything which will create negativity in him.
Importance of Deen in the Light of Sayings of Allah and Quran:
1. Allah says in the Quran, "Surely, this Quran guides to that which is most right
[5:17]". It means that Deen is an essential element to lead a man toward a
right path.
2. Deen helps in differentiating between good and evil as Allah says, "it is God
who has sent down the book which is truth, and the balance to judge between
right and wrong [42:17].
To be conclude, Deen pulls out a man from darkness to the light, sets the
criterion for right and wrong, protect a man from evils and guarantees a better
life.
Islam is a deen
A question arises here from the claim that Islam is a deen, not just a Religion.
Islam has its unique economic system, which is neither capitalistic nor communistic.
Unlike the modern interest-based banking system, Islam promotes “ishteraak.”
This thought can end the on-and-off wars between the two ideologies and frequent
economic recessions.
Similarly, Islam also provides complete guidelines on governance and administration. It
provides a system of government in mid of monarchy and democracy, eliminating flaws
of both systems and adding some unique Islamic concepts.
Clear guidelines on public administration. It even teaches about the rules of war! How to
treat noncombatants, military strategies.
Unlike the system of the west, which is based on “Freedom.” Islam gives a social system
based on “brotherhood.” Just as Ibn-i-khuldoon identifies that Al-Asabiya, social solidarity
is a necessary component for the health and evolution of a society, Islam has also
emphasized social solidarity in the form of the concept of brotherhood, where individual
actions can have a collective effect.
