>The Quranic Concept of Deen – Part 1

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Salaam alaikum.

The word “dayn” comes from the root Daal-Ya-Nun which in 2/282 is used to mean a transaction:

2/282: O you who believe! when you TRANSACT(taDaYaNtum) A TRANSACTION/DEBT(DaYN) for a fixed time, write it down; …

The word “deen” also comes from the same root and, in the same manner, is also transacted:

9/29: Fight those who believe not in God, nor in the Last Day, nor hold as unlawful what God and HIS Messenger have declared to be unlawful, nor TRANSACT(yaDEENoona) the DEENIL HAQQ, until they pay the tribute out of hand and have been humbled.

Therefore the nature of ‘deen’ is also that of a transaction or debt. And indeed, there is a LIFE-TRANSACTION between Allah and the believers:

9/111: God Has PURCHASED from the believers their very lives/selves and their wealth, with that they will have Jannat/Paradise.…

To understand what deen is, what it is based upon, we have to understand what basically changes with a change of deen. The Quran tells us that Firaun/Pharaoh was afraid of a change of the people’s deen:

40/26: And Pharaoh said: “Leave me to kill Moses, and let him call upon his Nourisher. I fear that he may CHANGE YOUR DEEN, or that he will cause chaos to appear in the land.”

But what was Firaun afraid would change with the change in their deen? Was he afraid that bani Israeel(Children of Israeel) would start regarding Allah as their ilah(the ultimate reference point/authority/one’s “god”) and rabb(nourisher/developer/lord)? No, because bani israeel already regarded Allah as their ilah and rabb:

God/Allah, bani Israeel’s ilah and rabb:

10/86: So they(Bani Isra’eel) said, ‘in God we put our trust; our RABB, do not make us a temptation for the oppressing people;

10/90: … he(Firaun, while he was drowning) said, ‘I believe that there is no ILAH except Him in whom the Children of Israeel believe, and I am of the Submissive Servants/al-muslimeen’.

This dispels the misconception of deen being ‘religion’ or ‘system of beliefs’. But then what would have changed with the change in bani Israeel’s deen that Firaun was afraid of? The answer is: 

Firaun’s position as their:

(a) MALIK(King/Dominator/Owner/Controller) and 
(b) MA’BOOD(receiver of ibadah/service, one who is served):

43/51: And Pharaoh proclaimed among his people: “O my people, is it not that I possess the Mulk/Power/Ownership/Kingdom of Egypt (i.e. ‘am I not the MALIK of Egypt), and these rivers flow below me? Do you not see?”

23/47: So they(Pharaoh and his chiefs) said “Should we believe two mere humans like ourselves, while their people are AABIDOON/SERVANTS to us?” (i.e. we are their MA’BOOD)

Therefore, despite their faith in Allah/God alone as their ilah and rabb, Firaun occupied the position of their malik and ma’bood, i.e. their SERVICE/IBADAH was being DOMINATED/CONTROLLED/MADE ‘MAMLUK’ by him. 

Such a person is described in 16/75 as “ABDAN MAMLUK(servant dominated), not having ability over anything”.

This shows deen’s irrelevance to religious beliefs, that despite having “religious freedom”, bani Israeel’s IBADAH(SERVICE) was being CONTROLLED by Firaun because of their participation in his DEEN. That despite having professed “LA ILAHA ILL ALLAH”, they had not entered deenillah/al-islam. Again, this shows that the Quranic concept of deen is not that of a religion, or a set of beliefs, but of:

A transaction/debt to do with:

(a)MULK/power/dominance/ownership and 
(b)IBADAH/subservience/service.
 

This is also confirmed by the following verses:

The Day of the DEEN(yaumaddeen) is described as the day when no soul will have MULK/POWER for another soul:

82/17: And what will make you understand what the yaumiddeen/Day of the Deen is?
82/18: Again, what will make you understand what the yaumiddeen/Day of the Deen is? 
82/19: The day when no soul will have any MULK/POWER over any other soul, and the Command on that day is for God.

And in 10/104, the believers’ DEEN/POWER TRANSACTION is described as giving their IBADAH/SERVICE to Allah alone:
 

10/104: Say: “O People, if you are in doubt as to what my deen/Power Transaction is, then (let it be clear to you that) I do not give my ‘IBADAH/SERVICE to those other than God to whom you give yours instead, I give mine to God, Who causes you to die, and I have been commanded to be of Believers.”

Ad-deen/deenillah therefore is the life-transaction, power relation, and/or power transaction between God and the believers, the relation between the Malik/Ma’bood and the abd/mamluk.

More later, inshaallah.

—
Fahad Ali Khan
http://takhlees.blogspot.com/

>Punishment for Adultery and Homosexuality

>Salaam alaikum.

(You might need to check out these related articles first : http://takhlees.blogspot.com/search/label/zina )

The punishments of stoning and death penalty for adultery and homosexuality is in contradiction with the Quranic commands as we will see in this article, and therefore is unjust and should be rejected and opposed by those who really believe in The Quran. 

Let’s look into it.


STONING / RAJM


The Quran has associated the practice of stoning with the kafireen:

Chapter/Verse 11/91: They said: O Shu’aib! we do not understand much of what you say and most surely we see you to be weak among us, and were it not for your family we would surely STONE you, and you are not mighty against us. 

18/20: For surely if they prevail against you they would STONE you to death or force you back to their religion, and then you will never succeed.

19/46: He said: Do you dislike my gods, O Ibrahim? If you do not desist I will certainly STONE you, and leave me for a time.

26/116: They said: If you desist not, O Nuh, you shall most certainly be of those STONED to death.

36/18: They said: Surely we augur evil from you; if you do not desist, we will certainly STONE you, and there shall certainly afflict you a painful chastisement from us.

Therefore any so-called Muslim who believes in, supports or carry outs such injustice is actually among the kafireen/rejectors/disbelievers.


PUNISHMENT FOR ADULTERY / ZINA / FAHISHA


In The Quran, the punishment of flogging/lashing is for three types of women who commit the crime: The Azwaaj/wives, al-muhsanaat/secured women and fatayaat/young women.

The punishment for azwaaj and al-muhsanaat(alongwith their accomplice, the zaani) committing zina(adultery) / fahisha(lewdness) is mentioned in 24/2-9, while the punishment for fatayaat is mentioned in 4/25.

Both the zaaniya and the zaani are to be lashed 100 stripes each. A group of al-momineen should be allowed to witness their punishment:

24/2: The zaaniya/”adulteress” and the zaani/”adulterer”, lash each one of them a hundred stripes. And let not pity for the two withhold you in the deen of Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a party of believers witness their punishment.

The above verses are about al-muhsanaat(24/4) and azwaaj(24/6). The punishment for fatayaat is in 4/25. Their punishment is half that of al-muhsinaat, that is 50 lashes.

4/25: If any of you have not the means wherewith to wed al-muhsanaat, they may wed believing girls/fatayat from among those whom your right hands possess: And Allah hath full knowledge about your faith. Ye are one from another: Wed them with the leave of their owners, and give them their dowers, according to what is reasonable: They should be chaste, not lustful, nor taking paramours: when they are taken in wedlock, if they fall into lewdness/FAHISHA, their punishment is half that for al-muhsanaat. This (permission) is for those among you who fear sin; but it is better for you that ye practise self-restraint. And Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

The punishment for women(azwaaj and milke yameen) of the Nabi is double if they commit fahisha:

33/30: O women of the prophet! Whoever of you commits an open lewedness/fahisha, the punishment shall be increased to her doubly; and that is easy for Allah.

If the women have committed open lewdness, the man can take back from whatever he had given to them:

4/19: O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness, that ye may Take away part of the dower ye have given them,-except where they have been guilty of open lewdness/FAHISHA; on the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great deal of good.

Such women can be expelled from their homes:

65/1: O Prophet! When ye (men) put away women, put them away for their (legal) period and reckon the period, and keep your duty to Allah, your Lord. Expel them not from their houses nor let them go forth unless they commit open lewdness/FAHISHA. Such are the limits (imposed by) Allah; and whoso transgresseth Allah’s limits, he verily wrongeth his soul. Thou knowest not: it may be that Allah will afterward bring some new thing to pass.

Furthermore momin men and women are forbidden from marrying the zaniya and the zaani. The zaani cannot marry except a zaaniya or mushrikah. And none can marry the zaaniya except a zaani or mushrik:

24/3: The zaani shall not marry except an zaaniya or a mushrikah, and the zaaniya none shall marry her except a zaani or an mushrik. And that is forbidden upon al-momineen/the believers. 

PUNISHMENT FOR PRACTICING HOMOSEXUALITY / AL-FAHISHA

The word used in the Quran when talking about practicing homosexuality is ‘AL-fahisha’. (and not just ‘fahisha’ as used when talking about zina)

The punishment for practicing lesbians:

* four witnesses should be appointed over them. If they witness, the women should be restricted to their homes until death takes them or Allah makes a way out for them:

4/15: And as for those who are guilty of AL-FAHISHA from AMONG YOUR WOMEN, call to witnesses against them four (witnesses) from among you; then if they bear witness confine them to the houses until death takes them away or Allah opens some way for them.

Punishment for practicing gays:


* Men found guilty of committing homosexuality do not require witnesses over them.
* They can be be made to “hurt”, but cannot be restricted to homes.
* If they repent and reform, then they should not be bothered:

4/16: And as for the two (who are guilty of AL-FAHISHA) from AMONG YOU(MEN), “hurt” them both; then if they repent and amend, turn aside from them; surely Allah is Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful.

It is also important to note that “among YOUR WOMEN” and “among YOU” implies that the punishment for practicing homosexuality can only be given by the family of the offenders, and no one else has the right to enforce it, IMHO. It is different in case of zina because of the transaction made between two parties, i.e. the payment made by the husband TO the wife(zawj) and/or FOR the ‘right hands owned'(milke-yameen), and for the betrayal of the woman as she was reserved for the husband.

Moreover The Quran does not forbid the believing men and women from marrying people known to have homosexual feelings. Nabi Lut (peace be upon him) actually offered his daughters in marriage to homosexual men:

11/78: … He(Lut) said: O my people! these are my daughters — they are purer for you, …

15/71: He said: These are my daughters, if you will do (aught).

Nor do I find any indication that committing homosexual misconduct breaks the marriage, as it can in case of Zina, IMHO. 

—
Fahad Ali Khan
http://takhlees.blogspot.com/