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The word “dayn” comes from the root Daal-Ya-Nun which in 2/282 is used to mean a transaction:
The word “deen” also comes from the same root and, in the same manner, is also transacted:
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
: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:
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:
10/90: … 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):
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:
82/18: 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.
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/
>Salaamun 'ala man ibtida al huda (peace unto those who follow right guidance)Maa'sha'Allah, a sound piece of Qur'anic scholarship, young brother.Fi amaan illah wa bi khayr
>Wa alaikum salaam.Thank you brother. This was initially written more than a year ago, along with some other yet to be published pieces, with help from your study circles of course:http://bandung2.co.uk/audio/bandung2audio.htm
>quran is the ward of success for the Muslims we just need guidance from it and reliza i hope we do that