Why Islam is called Deen - And Not Merely a Religion

Ordinarily speaking, Islam is one of the three Divine religions or "Mazhab" and its followers are called Muslims. That is how non Muslims know Islam. But those who have really understood Islam, would know that Islam is not merely a religion, it is a complete way of life or in other words it is a Deen as mentioned at many places in the Holy Qur'an.

Why I chose this rather difficult subject for today's post is that while I was presenting the exegesis of Surah As Shura - the 42nd chapter of the Holy Qur'an, I got stuck up at the exegesis of verse 13, in which a complete explanation of the term Deen was given and a reader made to understand why Islam is a Deen and not a religion:

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

شَرَعَ لَـكُمۡ مِّنَ الدِّيۡنِ مَا وَصّٰى بِهٖ نُوۡحًا وَّالَّذِىۡۤ اَوۡحَيۡنَاۤ اِلَيۡكَ وَمَا وَصَّيۡنَا بِهٖۤ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمَ وَمُوۡسٰى وَعِيۡسٰٓى اَنۡ اَقِيۡمُوا الدِّيۡنَ وَ لَا تَتَفَرَّقُوۡا فِيۡهِ​ؕ كَبُـرَ عَلَى الۡمُشۡرِكِيۡنَ مَا تَدۡعُوۡهُمۡ اِلَيۡهِ​ ؕ اَللّٰهُ يَجۡتَبِىۡۤ اِلَيۡهِ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ وَيَهۡدِىۡۤ اِلَيۡهِ مَنۡ يُّنِيۡبُ

(42:13) He has prescribed for you the "Deen" (religion) which He enjoined upon Noah and which We revealed to you (O Muhammad), and which We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus, commanding: “Establish this "Deen" and do not split up regarding it.” What you are calling to is very hard upon those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity. Allah chooses for Himself whomsoever He pleases and guides to Himself whoever penitently turns to Him.

Since its explanation is too lengthy, I skipped this explanation there for then the post on Surah As Shura would have become too lengthy and may have become too difficult to concentrate on this core issue which makes Islam stands out from rest of the religions, that is Jewish and Christianity.  

Here too, I shall present first the ordinary explanations by various interpreters and would then return to the detailed exegesis of verse 13 by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, given in his book "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an."

A vast majority of the entire population of the world follows a particular Divine or man made religion or in some cases simply Atheists - not believing in any religion or even God or gods. People who follow certain belief as their religion are staunch followers of their belief and the rituals they follow are very much part and parcel of the their faith which is more emotional (in nature) then rational. And here lies in the difference between ‘Religion’ and ‘Deen’: Those who follow a  religion are more emotionally attached to their religions or faith, but Muslims are attached to their Deen for logical reasons rather than mere emotional attachment, for Deen deals with logic and logic alone whereas religion is seated deep inside heart, which is the seat of emotions. Since people of other faiths are unable to see the logic in the concept of ‘Deen’ so instead of coining a separate word for ‘Deen’ have intermingled it with religion.

Thus broadly speaking the difference between deen and religion lies in the very concept for the frame of reference of both is different. Religion is an individual matter, but deen is a collective matter. Religion is specifically focused on rights of Allah, the One God who has no partners are associates attached to Him. In fact, center of religion is ALLAH and its worship, but center of Islam as a Deen is HUMAN being. So, deen  has a broader canvas then religion. What differentiates Islam from other religions is:

• Islam has its own unique economic system which in neither capitalistic nor communistic. Unlike modern interest based banking system, Islam promotes “ishteraak”. This thought can put an end to the on and off wars between the two ideologies and frequent economic recession.
• Similarly, Islam also provides complete guidelines on governance and administration. it provides a system of governance which is in mid of monarchy and democracy, eliminating flaws of both systems and adding some of unique Islamic concepts. Clear guidelines on public administration. It even teaches about rules of war ! how to treat non combatants, military strategies.
• Unlike system of west which is based on “Freedom”. Islam gives a social system based on “brother hood“. The social solidarity is a necessary component for health and evolution of a society and Islam emphasizes on social solidarity in form of concept of brother hood. Where individual actions can have a collective effect.
• Since, the epicenter of Deen is human, the Deen guides about existence of other religions under its dominance. And these guidelines are not hypothetical. In fact, there demonstration was shown by prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and the rightly guided caliphs in state of Madina. Concept of jizya tells a peaceful co-existence of multiple religions under a greater dominant system Islam as a deen.

In fact today when Islam is characterized as a religion it seems as if it is just one of the other religions of the world. Even some modern educated Muslims also think that Islam is only a religion just like other religions. This limited approach about Islam has led to a wrong conclusion that Islam is merely a religion in its restricted sense. Moreover, many Muslims are of the view that all religions are good and there is nothing wrong if people of other religions do not embrace Islam. This concept has been rejected by the Holy Quran in unequivocal terms in the followings verses:

• Islam is the only right way of life in the sight of Allah.
• And whosoever adopts any other way except Islam that shall not be accepted from him and in the Hereafter he shall be among the losers.

Defining Deen, Wikipedia accepts that there is no exact English translation of the term, its precise definition has been the subject of some misunderstanding and disagreement. For instance, the term is often translated in parts of the Qur'an as "religion". However, in the Qur'an itself, the act of submission to God is always referred to as Dīn rather than as Madhhab (مذهب), which is the Arabic word for "religion." It adds that the well-known Islamic scholar, Fazlur Rahman Malik, suggested that Dīn is best considered as "the way-to-be-followed". In that interpretation, Dīn is the exact correlate of Shari'a: "whereas Shari'a is the ordaining of the Way and its proper subject is God, Dīn is the following of that Way, and its subject is man". Thus, "if we abstract from the Divine and the human points of reference, Shari'a and Dīn would be identical as far as the 'Way' and its content are concerned"

Having given the meaning of Deen in a layman's language, let us now turn to its interpretation by the scholar. While interpreting the above mentioned verse  13 of the Surah Ash Shura, Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi explains. However due to difficulty understanding the trued concept of the meaning and explanation of Deen, you may have to read the explanation given below a number of times to fully grasp and comprehend the concept of Deen:

It clearly states that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is not the founder of any new religion, nor was any of the Prophets a founder of a separate religion, but it has been one and the same religion which all the Prophets have been presenting from Allah from the very beginning, and the same is being presented by Muhammad (peace be upon him). In this regard, the first name mentioned is of the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him), who was the first Prophet after the Flood. After him the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been mentioned, who is the last of the Prophets; then the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) has been mentioned, whom the Arabs acknowledged as their guide, and last of all, the Prophets Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them) have been mentioned to whom the Jews and the Christians attribute their religions. This does not mean that only these five Prophets had been enjoined this religion, but what is meant to be said is that all the Prophets who came to this world, brought one and the same religion and the names of the five illustrious Prophets have been mentioned only as examples through whom the world received the most well known codes of divine law.

As this verse throws important light on Deen (religion) and its aim, it is necessary that we should study it to understand it well.

Lexically, the word sharaa in sharaa lakum (ordained for you) means to make the way. As a term it implies appointing a way, a code and a rule. Accordingly, in Arabic the words tashri and shariat and shari are understood as the synonyms of legislation and law and law giver respectively. This divine legislation, in fact, is the natural and logical result of the fundamental truths which have been stated in( verses l, 9 and 10) above: that Allah alone is the Owner of everything in the Universe, and He alone is man’s real Guardian and it is for Him to judge the disputes that arise between human beings. Now, when Allah alone is the Owner and Guardian and Ruler, inevitably He alone is entitled to make the code of law for man and it is His responsibility that He should give this code of law to man. So, He has carried out His responsibility like this.

Then the words min-ad-deen (of the nature of deen) denote that the way appointed by Allah is legislation pertaining to deen.

The Arabic word deen contains several meanings: (1) Domination and sovereignty, rule and political power and authority to enforce one’s decisions on others. (2) Obedience, compliance with commands and servitude. (3) The practice and the way that a man follows. In view of these three meanings, deen in this verse means: The way of life and attitude which a man adopts after acknowledging the supremacy and accepting the obedience of another; and to worship Allah making one’s religion exclusively His. This means that one should refrain from combining another’s worship with the worship of Allah, but should worship Allah alone, should follow His guidance alone, and should comply with His commands and injunctions only. 

If the explanation of the word deen given above is kept in view, there can be no difficulty in understanding that deen means nothing but acknowledging the sovereignty and leadership of someone and obeying his commands. And when this word is used in the meaning of the way, it implies the way which man must regard as obligatory for himself to follow and the one appointing it as the one whom he ought to obey. On this basis, calling God-appointed Way as legislation pertaining to deen clearly means that it is not merely recommendatory in nature or a mere counsel, but it is a law enjoined by the Master, which must necessarily be obeyed by the servants and disobedience of which is tantamount to rebellion, and the one who does not obey it, in fact, denies Allah’s being the Sovereign and Ruler and his own position of a servant.

Then, it has been said that this legislation which pertains to deen is the same as was enjoined on Noah. Abraham and Moses and the same now has been enjoined on Muhammad (peace be upon them all). This contains several points:

• (1) That Allah did not send this legislation of His directly to every man, but appointed whenever He deemed proper and necessary a person as His Messenger and consigned the legislation w him.
• (2) That this legislation has been the same from the beginning. It did not so happen that in one age one particular deen was appointed for a nation, and in another age another and contradictory deen was sent for another nation. Allah did not send many deens but on every occasion He sent one and the same deen.
• (3) That it is an essential part of this deen to acknowledge the apostleship of those men through whom the legislation has been sent and the revelation in which the legislation has been couched, besides acknowledging the Sovereignty of Allah; and it is the demand of reason and logic too, that it should be a necessary part of it, for a man cannot obey this legislation at all unless he is satisfied that it is authentically from Allah.

Then it has been said that the Prophets were given this legislation pertaining to deen, with the express instruction: Aqim-ud-din; “Establish this Deen”, or “Keep this Deen established.” Both these translations are correct, for iqamat means both to establish and to keep established, and the Prophets were appointed to perform both the functions. Their first duty was to establish this Deen wherever it was not established, and the second that they should keep it established after they had established it, or had found it already established in a place. Obviously, a thing can be kept established only when it has already been established, otherwise the primary requirement would be to establish it first, and then make continuous effort to keep it established.

Here, two questions arise: First, what is the meaning of establishing the deen? Second, what is deen itself, which we have been enjoined to establish and then keep it established? Let us try to understand these questions well.

• The word iqamat (to establish) when used in respect of a material or physical object implies causing it to rise from the sitting or lying positions or assembling the scattered parts of a thing and raising it up high. But when iqamat is used in respect of a thing which is not material but spiritual in nature, it does not merely imply preaching it, but also acting according to it as best as one can, introducing it and enforcing it practically. For example, when we say that so and so established his rule, it does not mean that he invited others to his government but that he subdued the people of the land and organized the different departments of the government in a way that the administration of the country began to function according to his orders. Similarly, when we say that courts have been established in the country, it means that judges have been appointed to do justice and they ate hearing the cases and giving judgments, and not that hymns in praise of justice are being sung and the people being impressed. Likewise, when the Quran enjoins the establishment of the Prayer (Salat), it does not imply that one should merely preach and exhort others to the Prayer but that one should not only perform it himself, observing all its conditions, but should also strive to make arrangement so that it becomes a regular practice among the believers. There should be mosques, there should be arrangements for offering the Prayer collectively and for the Friday congregational Prayer, and for making calls to the Prayer punctually. There should be the Imams to lead the Prayers and the scholars to give sermons, and the people should visit the mosques regularly and punctually and make offering the Prayer an essential part of their daily routine. After this explanation, there should remain no difficulty in understanding that when the Prophets were enjoined to establish the deen and to keep it established, it did not simply mean that they should practice it themselves and not only that they should preach it to others so that the people may accept its truth, but also that when the people have accepted it, steps should be taken to introduce and enforce the entire deen practically among them so that they may start living according to it forever afterwards. No doubt preaching is the primary necessary stage of this work without which there can be no second stage, but every intelligent person can himself see that in this command preaching has not been made the object, but the real object is to establish the deen and keep it established. Preaching is certainly a means to the end but not the end in itself, but nobody can say that it was the only and foremost object of the mission of the Prophets.

Now, let us take the second question. When some people saw that the Deen which has been enjoined to be established is common among all the Prophets, and their shariahs (laws) have been different, as Allah Himself says: We appointed for each community among you a law and a way of life, they formed the view that inevitably this deen did not imply the shariah commandments, rules and regulations but only the acceptance of Tauhid, the Hereafter and the Book and the Prophethood and performance of certain acts of devotion to Allah, or at the most, it included some of the major moral principles which have been common to all the shariahs. But this is a superficial view, which has been formed after having a cursory glance over the unity of religion and the difference of the shariahs. This is, however, a dangerous view, which if not corrected in time, may well lead to the separation between deen (religion) and shariahs (law). It was this very view in, which St. Paul was involved, who presented the doctrine of the deen (religion) without shariah (law), and corrupted the community of the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him). For, if shariah (law) is something separate from deen (religion) and the command is only for establishing the deen and not the shariah, inevitably the Muslims also, like the Christians, would regard the shariah as unimportant and overlook its establishment as not being the real object by itself, and would remain content with only beliefs and a few important moral principles. Instead of determining the meaning of deen from such speculations, let us turn to the Quran itself and see whether the deen which we have been enjoined here to establish implies the beliefs and a few important moral principles only, or the shariah values and commandments as well. When we explore the Quran we find that what it regards as deen includes the following things as well:

• (1) And the only command they were given was to worship Allah, making their deen sincerely His, turning all their attention towards Him, and to establish the Salat and to pay the Zakat, this alone is the true and right deen. (Surah Al-Bayyinah, Ayat 5). This shows that the Salat and the Zakat are included in this deen, whereas the commandments pertaining to both have been different in the different shariahs. No one can say that in all the previous shariahs the Salat has had the same form, the same elements, the same number of the rakahs, the same direction of the qiblah, the same times and the same other commands concerning it. Likewise, no one can claim also about the Zakat that in all the shariahs the same has been the exemption limits, the same rates and the same injunctions concerning its collection and distribution. But in spite of the difference of the shariahs, Allah has regarded both these as part of deen.
• (2) You are forbidden carrion and blood, the flesh of swine and of that animal which has been slaughtered in any name other than of Allah, and of the strangled animal, and of that beaten to death or killed by a fall or gored to death or mangled by a beast of prey, save of that you duly slaughtered while it was still alive, and of that which is slaughtered at (ungodly) shrines. It is also unlawful for you to try to find your fortune by means of divining devices, for all these things are sinful acts. Today the disbelievers have despaired of (vanquishing) your religion; therefore do not fear them but fear Me. Today I have perfected your deen for you and completed My blessing on you and approved Islam as the deen (way of life) for you. (Surah Al-Maidah, Ayat 3). This shows that all these shariah commandments are also deen.
• (3) Fight with those from among the people of the Book, who do not believe in Allah nor in the Last Day; who do not make unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful, and do not adopt the right deen as their deen. (Surah At-Taubah, Ayat 29). This shows that besides belief in Allah and the Hereafter it is also deen to accept and follow the commands about the lawful and the unlawful, which have been given by Allah and His Messenger.
• (4) The woman and the man guilty of fornication, flog each one of them with a hundred stripes, and let not any pity for them restrain you in regard to a matter prescribed in the deen of Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. (Surah An-Noor, Ayat 2). It did not behoove Joseph to seize his brother by the king’s deen. (Surah Yousuf, Ayat 76). This shows that the criminal law is also deen. If a man follows the criminal law prescribed by God, he is a follower of God’s deen and if he follows a king’s law, he is a follower of the king’s deen.

These are the four specimens in which the shariah commandments have been described as deen in clear words. But, besides these, a careful study shows that the eradication of the sins for which Allah has held out the threat of Hell (e.g. adultery, taking of interest, killing of a believer, consuming the property of the orphan, taking possession of the other peoples properties in unlawful ways etc.), and the crimes which become the cause of God’s torment, e.g. sodomy (the act of Prophet Lot’s people) and dishonesty in business dealings (as practiced by the Prophet Shuaib’s people) should necessarily be included in deen, for if deen cannot save one from Hell and Allah’s torment, what use could it be? Likewise, those shariah commandments also should be part of the deen, violation of which has been regarded as cause of entry into the Fire, e.g. injunctions relating to inheritance, after stating which it has been said: And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger and transgresses the limits prescribed by Him, Allah will cast him into the Fire wherein he will have a disgraceful torment. (Surah An-Nisa, Ayat 14). Likewise, the prohibition of those things whose prohibition Allah has mentioned with great emphasis and absoluteness, e.g. prohibition of the mother, sister and daughter and prohibition of wine, theft, gambling, false evidence, etc. if not included in the establishment of the deen, it would mean that Allah has given some unnecessary commands also, which are not meant to be introduced and enforced. Similarly, establishing those things which Allah has made obligatory, e.g. fasting and pilgrimage, cannot be excluded from the establishment of deen only on the pretext that the entire month of fasting of Ramadan had not been enjoined in the previous shariahs, and pilgrimage to the Kabah was enjoined only in the Shariah which was inherited by the Ishmaelite branch of the Prophet Abraham’s progeny.

As a matter of fact, the misunderstanding was caused only because the verse: We appointed for each community among you a law and a way of life, has been misconstrued to mean that since the shariah appointed for every community was separate and the command given was only to establish the deen (way of life) which was common to all the Prophets, the establishment of the shariah was not included in the establishment of the deen, whereas the real meaning of this verse is just the opposite of it. If the context(verses 41-50)in which this verse has occurred in Surah Al- Maidah is studied carefully, it will be seen that the correct meaning of this verse is: Whatever shariah was given by Allah to the community of a Prophet, was the deen for that community, and the establishment of the same deen was the object during his Prophethood. And since now is the period of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) Prophethood, the shariah which has been given to the Ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the deen of this time, and to establish the same is to establish the deen. As for the difference of the shariah, it does not mean that the shariahs sent by God were mutually contradictory, but it means that in their details there have been some differences owing to the different environments, take, for instance, the Prayer and the Fast. The Prayer has been obligatory in all the shariahs, but the qiblah of all the shariahs was not the same, and there was a difference in its times and rakahs and elements as well. Likewise, the Fast was obligatory in every shariah, but the month long fasting of Ramadan was not there in the other shariahs. From this it is not correct to conclude that the Prayer and the Fast as such are included in the establishment of deen but performing the Prayer in a particular way and observing the Fast at a particular time is excluded from it. However, the correct conclusion that one can draw is: To perform the Prayer and observe the Fast according to the rules and procedures that had been appointed for the people in the shariah of every Prophet amounted to establishment of deen in his time. In the present age the establishment of the deen is that these acts of worship be performed according to the procedures enjoined in the Shariah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The same is true about all other Shariah commandments as well.

Whoever studies the Quran carefully will see that this Book does not envisage that its adherents will live as subjects of the disbelievers and will pass a religious life under them, but it openly proclaims that it will have its own rule established; it demands from its followers that they should struggle with their lives for the intellectual, cultural, legal and political supremacy of the true faith; and it gives them a program for the reformation of human life, the major part of which can be acted upon only when political power and authority is in the believers’ hand. As stated by itself, the object of this Book’s being sent down is: We have sent down this Book to you with the truth so that you may judge between the people in accordance with the light that Allah has shown you. (Surah An-Nisa, Ayat 105). The Commandments given in this Book about the collection and distribution of the Zakat expressly envisage a government who should be responsible for collecting the Zakat and distributing it among the deserving people according to a laid down procedure. (Surah At-Taubah, Ayats 60,103). The prohibition of interest that has been enjoined in this Book and the declaration of war that has been made against those who do not abstain from taking interest (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayats 275-279) can be enforced only when the political and economic system of the country is entirely in the believers’ hand. The Law of Retribution for murder (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 178), cutting off of the hand for theft (Surah AI-Maidah, Ayat 38) and carrying out of the prescribed punishment for adultery and calumny (Surah An-Noor, Ayat 2-4) have not been enjoined on the assumption that the believers will remain subject to the police and courts of the disbelievers. The command to fight the disbelievers (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayats 190,216) has not been given with the idea that the followers of this deen will carry out this command by getting enlisted in the army of disbelief. The command to take Jizyah from the followers of the former Books (Surah At-Taubah, Ayat 29) has not been given on the assumption that the Muslims will take Jizyah from them while being their subjects and will be responsible for their protection. And this thing is not true only about the Madinite Surahs; in the Makkan Surahs as well a discerning eye can clearly see that the scheme envisaged from the very beginning was of Islam’s supremacy and dominance and not of Islam’s and the Muslims’ subjugation under an un-Islamic rule. See, for instance, (Surah Bani Israil, Ayats 76-89); (Surah Al-Qasas, Ayats 85-86); (Surah Ar-Room, Ayats 1-6); (Surah As-Saaffat, Ayats 171-179); Surah Suad(Ayat 11).

Above all, this misinterpretation clashes with the great work that the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself accomplished during the 23 years of his Prophethood. Who can deny the fact that he subdued entire Arabia by means of both preaching and the sword and established in it a full fledged system of government with a detailed law, covering all aspects of life, from beliefs and rites of worship to personal conduct, collective morality, culture and civilization, economic and social life, politics and judiciary, peace and war. If this entire work of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is not accepted as a commentary of the command of iqamat deen (establishment of deen) which, according to this verse, he had been enjoined to undertake like all other Prophets, then it could have one of the two meanings: That earlier, God forbid, the Prophet (peace be upon him) should be blamed that he had been appointed only to preach and teach beliefs and a few important moral rules but he exceeded his mandate and established a government of his own whim and laid down a code of law, which was different from the common law of the Prophets as well as in excess of it; or that Allah should be blamed that after having made the above mentioned declaration in Surah Ash-Shura. He went back on His own word, and made His last Prophet do something which was not only much over and about and different from the objective of iqamat deen as stated in this Surah, but on the completion of this mission He also made this declaration, contrary to His first declaration: Today I have perfected your deen for you. (Surah Al-Maidah, Ayat 3). May Allah keep us safe from this! Apart from these two, if there is any third alternative, which makes this interpretation of iqamat deen plausible and also does not lay any blame on Allah or His Messenger, we would like to know it.

After giving the command for iqamat deen, the last thing that Allah has stated in this verse is this: La tatafarraqu fihi: Do not create schisms in the deen: Be not divided in it. Creating schisms in deen implies that one should introduce something new in religion for which there exists no sound basis, and then should insist that belief and unbelief depend on the acceptance of the innovation, and should separate along with those who have accepted it from those who have not accepted it. This new thing can be of several kinds:

• (1) To introduce something entirely new into deen.
• (2) To exclude from deen something which actually belonged to it.
• (3) To tamper with the fundamentals of deen by misinterpretations and introduce new beliefs and novel practices.
• (4) To distort the deen by making changes of fundamental nature in it, for example, by reducing what was important in it to un-important, by raising what was at most permissible to the position of imperative and obligatory, even to the position of the most fundamental pillar of Islam. Owing to such innovations, divisions first appeared in the communities of the Prophets; then gradually the creeds of the sects developed into wholly separate and mutually exclusive religious systems whose followers now do not have any idea that once they all belonged to one and the same origin. These divisions have nothing to do with the permissible and reasonable difference of opinion which naturally takes place among the scholars when they are engaged in understanding and studying the injunctions and fundamentals of the deen for the purpose of deriving and extracting points of law, and for which there is room in the words of the Book of Allah itself owing to the considerations of lexicon, idiom and rules of grammar. (For a detailed discussion of this subject, see( Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 213); (Surah Aal-Imran, Ayats 19, 50); (Surah An-Nisa, Ayat 171); (Surah Al-Maidah, Ayat 77); (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 159); (Surah An-Nahl, Ayats 118-124); (Surah Al- Anbiya, Ayats 92-93); (Surah Al-Hajj, Ayat 67); (Surah Al- Muminun, Ayats 53-54); (Surah Al-Qasas, Ayat 53); (Surah Ar Room, Ayat 32).

In the end of the verse it is said: You are presenting the clear highway of religion before them but the foolish people, instead of appreciating the blessing, are becoming annoyed over it. But even among them there are the people of their own tribe, who are turning to Allah and Allah also is drawing them closer to Himself. But one should understand that Allah’s bestowal of His blessings is not blind. He draws only him towards Himself who is inclined to be drawn and not him who runs away from Him.

May Allah help us understand our Deen clearly and differentiate it from other religions.

You may refer to our post "114 Chapters (Sūrahs) of the Holy Qur'an" for translation, meaning and summary / exegesis of other chapters (Though not complete but building up from 30th Part backwards for chapters in 30th Part are shorter and easier to understand). 

Photo | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic souses and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. However, the exegesis of the chapters of the Holy Quran are basically based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. In addition the references of  other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. 

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Life of Muslims in Non Muslim Countries: Russia

Islam in Russia has seen many a ups and downs. During the Communist USSR, Islam or for that matter all other religions saw state suppression which professed communism. However, things are much changed in the present day Russia, where Islam constitutes the second major religion after the Christian Orthodox. As per 2017 estimates, Muslims numbered 14,220,000 or 10.0% of the total population. However, the populations of two federal subjects with Islamic majorities were not surveyed due to social unrest, which together had a population of nearly 2 million, namely Chechnya and Ingushetia, thus the total number of Muslims may be larger.  These are the estimates as per an American survey. [1] However  according to the grand mufti of Russia, Sheikh Rawil Gaynetdin, the total figure touches something like 25 million, [2] 

Muslims are said to have put their feet on Russian soil in 7th century. They came to a city that is currently known as Derbent, it is in Southern Dagestan. And the first Adhan, call to worship, in Russia, was made on the lands of Dagestan,"  According to Sheikh Gaynetdin said most Muslims in the country live in the Moscow region and other major metropolitan areas such as St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. Islam was declared as the state religion in one of the states located in the territory of present-day Russia - in the Volga Bulgaria, in 922, which was 66 years earlier than the acceptance of Orthodox Christianity as the state religion of Kievan Rus, the Sheikh adds. [2]

In Russia, there are regions where the population is traditionally composed of Muslims. These are the republics of the North Caucasus (Ingushetia, Chechnya, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia), as well as Tatarstan and Bashkortostan.

In Russia, there are three federal centres for the management of Muslim religious affairs in Russia:

• The Council of Muftis of Russia, Moscow 
• The Muslim Spiritual Authority, Ufa.
• The Muslim Spiritual Authority, Caucasus, which acts as the coordination centre of Muslims in the North Caucasus

Islam is a part of Russian historical heritage, and is subsidized by the Russian government.The position of Islam as a major Russian religion, alongside Orthodox Christianity, dates from the time of Catherine the Great, who sponsored Islamic clerics and scholarship through the Orenburg Assembly.

Cathedral Mosque is Moscow [Photo]

The Cathedral Mosque is Moscow’s oldest mosques, 107 years to be exact, is one of the five mosques of Moscow. During the communist regime, while many mosques were destroyed, the Cathedral Mosque survived and has undergone reconstruction that now makes it the biggest in Europe. On its inaugural function, which was also attended by the Turkish President Mr Erdogan, the Russian President said: The renovation of the mosque has given a magnificent modern new look worthy of the capital of our united, multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country. This new mosque is worthy of Russia, in which, I want to stress, Islam, under our country’s law, is one of Russia’s traditional religions, with millions of our citizens counting themselves among its followers.

How is the life of Muslims in Russia these days. Well generally speaking there is not much of  a problem. Muslims have peacefully coexisted with Orthodox believers over many centuries. However, incidents of terrorism since 1990s, when explosions ripped through apartment blocks in Moscow and Volgodonsk, have led to serious levels of Islamophobia. And a segments of Russian society has started behaving suspiciously towards Muslims. On the street and in private, girls who chose to wear hijabs were seen as potential terrorists: people tried to stay away from them on public transport, and police officers frequently checked their papers. People saw immigrants from the east as Muslims—whether they were or not— and thus a foreign element inside Orthodox Russia. [5]

In order to counter the negativity in the society against Muslims and calm down rising sentiments of Islamophobia, Muslims actively persuade fellow citizens not to confuse the faithful believers with those who call themselves Muslims, but actually do not follow the norms of Islam. Theologians too ask people not to associate terrorism with Islam, and to use education in preventing conflicts.

How do Muslims feel about Islamophobia and how they try to contest the peaceful Islam, here are some exclusive mentions:

Azamat came to Moscow from Kabardino-Balkaria, and he often faced a lack of understanding about who Muslims are. “Many see the defiant behaviour of the people from the Caucasian republics and think that all Muslims behave the same way, but this is not true,” he says. “A true Muslim will not molest a girl on the street, for example, and he will not drink or smoke. The most important thing for a religious man is to lead a righteous way of life, to pray, to help relatives or even neighbours. If your neighbour has nothing to eat, and you live in a wealthy house, then you are not living righteously,” says the young man. [4]

Zulya was born and lived all her life in Moscow. She has always been a Muslim, but she started wearing traditional clothes only four years ago, after she got married and gave birth to two children. Despite a higher education diploma, she managed to get work as a nurse in a daycare centre with great difficulty. “The director told me that another Muslim nurse worked there before. She wore traditional clothes and the parents, whose children attended the institution, wrote a petition against the Muslim nurse that looked after their kids. Therefore, I had to hide my religion, not to lose my job.” 

Mufti Farid Salman, Chairman of the Ulema Council of the Russian Association of Islamic Accord, said that the problem of hostility towards Muslims is not vivid in all Russian regions. “In the Volga Region there are no differences between people of different religions, they are neighbours, friends and colleagues. Despite the religious tenets, people of one religion do not seek to convert others to their faith,” says the theologian. “As a result, our close friends are followers of different religious traditions.”

Yekaterina, 35, embroidery designer, who is reverted Muslim, has all her family members following the Christianity while she and her son are the only Muslims in her family. but her son. She confides that "My son is five now, and any child born to a Muslim woman is also a Muslim. We had him circumcised in Egypt: in Russia it’s only done for medical reasons. But I’m bringing him up to accept all faiths – he's just like all the other kids. I’m bringing him upon my own." [5]

Dmitriy Sintsov, former Web programmer at Yaroslavl State University, who is not a Muslim supports the way Muslims live and support each other: [3]

"I am not Muslim, but I was interested with Islam, I read Al Quran and read some articles about it. When Geydar Dzhemal (a Russian Islamic revolutionist, philosopher, poet, and political and social activist. Dzhemal was the founder and chairman of the Islamic Committee of Russia) was alive there was the link to the video about the life in Russian Muslim Caucasus. It displayed the friendly supportive life, the respect to elderly, much less of divorces (stable families), no orphans, extended families with the friendly net of support. While in non-Muslim Russia there are so many alone people, very large number of divorces, large number of orphans."

After Russia's entry into OIC in 2005 as an observer, the intensity of contacts between the Russian Federation and the Arab - Muslim world has grown considerably, which  objectively poses the question of expansion of modern Islamic infrastructure in Moscow - halal shops, centers, funeral services, prayer rooms and buildings. [6]

Muslims in Russia celebrate their religious events like the holy month of Ramadan and the two Eids with religious zeal and fervor.. While doing so, they also open their religious functions to people of other faith to foster inter faith harmony. You may like to watch a video on Muslims living in Moscow celebrating the month of Ramadan:

Author's Note: The data above has been collected from the references as given below. IF any one differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

Photo ( Qolşärif Mosque in Kazan ) | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4  | 5 | 6 |

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Court rules Insulting Prophet Muhammad not covered by freedom of expression

Freedom of speech and expression are good to air one's inner self so long these do not hurt a person,  a group or a community. It is often seen in the West, however, that this liberty has been misused when it comes to one's personal beliefs, faith and religion. And when it comes to religion, Islam is the most targeted religion around the world. The making of caricatures in France a few years ago, though had a protection of freedom of speech and expression ruling, it did hurt the Muslims all over the world,  but their protests were never registered, for the people of other faiths other than Islam find in convenient to take their inborn revenge against Islam under the protection of this ruling.

However, there has been a breeze of fresh air as a court has recently ruled that Insulting Prophet Muhammad not covered by freedom of expression and it is liable to punishment. And how so true this is as Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is more dearer to the Muslims than even their families. While the Christians and Jews may mock their prophets, the Muslims would never allow this at any cost.

The court ruling came in a case in which an Austrian national identified as Mrs. S. held two seminars in 2009, entitled “Basic Information on Islam,” in which she defamed the Prophet Muhammad’s marriage.

According to a statement released by the court on Thursday, the Vienna Regional Criminal Court found that these statements implied that Muhammad had pedophilic tendencies, and in February 2011 convicted Mrs. S. for disparaging religious doctrines.

A panel of seven-judges of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday, 25th October 2018,  ruled that: "Defaming the Prophet Muhammad “goes beyond the permissible limits of an objective debate" and "could stir up prejudice and put at risk religious peace” and thus exceeds the permissible limits of freedom of expression" and upheld the decision of a lower court decision. [1]

The court’s decision follows common sense and decency, yet will undoubtedly upset many on the far-right and so-called “liberals” that routinely appeal to “free speech” to spread falsehoods and attack disadvantaged minorities—ironically the very objectives for the introduction of free speech laws in the first place. [2]

It may be added that Austria is considered to be one of the most Islamophobic countries in Europe at present. The right-wing coalition came to power by promising to deal with the migrant crisis and stirring up anti-Muslim sentiment. And only in June this year, the chancellor Sebastian Kurz shut down seven mosques and expelled up to 60 imams, invoking the usual racist dog whistles of “parallel societies, political Islam and radicalization”. [2]

Photo | References: | 1 | 2 | 

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What is Islam

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Alhamdolillah, today April the 4th 2018, Allah ﷻ has bestowed upon me the blessing of commencing a blog dedicated to the Muslims who have recently entered the fold of Islam or those who are mulling over taking their final decision to take their Shahadah and accept Islam as their faith. And for this reason I have named my blog as Islam: My Ultimate Decision. I hope to cover all possible facets of Islam in easy to understand language for everyone to understand.

This being my first post, I will try define what Islam is and in future posts will develop the theme more exhaustively.

Allah, the one and only one true God, sent his first of the believers Prophet Adam and Eve to this world of ours to lay down the foundation of a community which would take His name in everything they did and lived a life of righteousness, peace and love for each other. After Adam, Allah sent a chain of prophets and messengers including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, peace be upon them all. And also revealed onto a few His holy scriptures as guidelines for others to live a life that Allah has envisioned for us.

Like all prophets, the last of the prophets has been Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who came after Jesus in the barren sandy lands of Arabia. Allah also revealed unto Him the last of His scriptures The Holy Qur'an to serve as the last Godly guidelines not only for those who accepted the religion of Islam, but also for the entire mankind till the Day of Judgment. Islam in fact is in continuation of the all previous religions and completes Allah's countless guidelines with the revelation of Holy Qur'an.

Those who embrace Islam believe in the absolute Oneness of Allah, in all of his angels and all prophets and the holy scriptures of Psalms, Torah and Bible, and of course the Day of Judgment. 

Islam means complete submission to Allah as against the misnomer Mohammedanism which gives a faulty impression as if Islam was coined by someone named Muhammad. And that Muslims worship Muhammad instead of Allah. Like all messengers of Allah who were gifted with the holy scriptures for guidance of their people, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) too was gifted the Holy Qur'an to continue the message of Allah to the mankind. Thereafter, there have not been any prophets as Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the last of the prophets as enunciated in the Holy Qur'an as the Khātim an-Nabīyīn, the Seal of the Prophets or as Khātam al-Anbiyā, the last of the prophets:

"Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets. And ever is Allah, of all things, Knowing." Al Qur'an Surah Al-Ahzab [33:40]

This also dispels the notion that many Jews hold that Islam is idolatry as they worship Muhammad. In fact it was Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) upon capture of Makkah broke all 360 or more idols of varying natures kept inside the Ka'aba and around and forbade idol worshiping as commanded by Allah in the Holy Qur'an. 

"And [mention, O Muhammad], when Luqman said to his son while he was instructing him, "O my son, do not associate [anything] with Allah . Indeed, association [with him] is great injustice." Al-Qur'an Surah Luqman [31:13] 

"Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin." Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nisa [4:48]

Thus today, by the countless blessings of Allah, more than a billion people live the life as prescribed to them by Allah in the form of guidelines in the last of the Holy Qur'an and as described by personal living examples by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Anyone who embraces Islam, does not only accepts a new religion but a complete way of life as Islam is a religion and "Deen" as well. "Deen" in Arabic means a complete way of life as unlike other religions which were just prelude to Islam, Muslims are given to guidelines how they should live their lives and laws of inheritance, marriage, interest, relations with others and laws to govern their lives.

It may be added here that Islam is the continuation of all previous religions and faiths and as a Muslim, we all submit to the validity of all religions that Prophet Abraham laid the foundation of and all his descendants carried the same torch. While Prophets Moses and Jesus (may peace be upon them) descended from Abraham's younger son Isaac, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) de4scended from Prophet Abraham's elder son Ishmael. It was Prophet Abraham established the settlement in the heart of the Arabia, today known as Makkah, and built a house for Allah called Ka'aba. And since rise of Islam, Muslims from all over the world turn to the direction of Ka'aba to offer their five daily obligatory prayers facing all in one direction.

The word of Islam was brought to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), a man of 40 years from one of the most respected tribes of Makkah, Banu Hashim. Before the first verse of Holy Qur'an was revealed onto Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), he had already a well respected man due to his honesty and integrity. Angel Gabriel had been a bridge between the Allah Almighty and the prophet in bringing down to him the Godly commandments which continued for the next 23 years till the present day Qur'an was finally completed.

Why Islam has spread so widely while the already established religions of Jews and Christians were already at their peak in Europe and elsewhere? The answer is very simple: Islam is very simple to understand and very easy to follow provided one has full faith in what he believes. Islam also answers many questions about life, physics, astronomy, geography and history besides acknowledging all other faiths and prophets before it.

In nutshell Islam is all about our way of life, which is not restricted to Muslims but to the entire mankind. Many forms of governments today take references from the Holy Qur'an in establishing welfare states. The commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'an are augmented by the way Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) lived his life, called Sunnah in Arabic. In fact his whole life was the translation of the Qur'an and whatever he did, practiced and said was all within the fold of Islam as desired by Allah.

The five pillars of Islam are: 1) Faith, 2)Prayers, 3)Zakat (Charity), 4)Fasting and 5)Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Makkah and taking rounds of Ka'aba as was done by Prophet Abraham some four thousand years ago.

Please read various sections of our blog for detailed account of each pillar of Islam, about Qur'an and summary of its chapters, about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and rise of Islam and many other aspects that you may need answers for. You may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Photo

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

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Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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