Page-63, Meaning of the word Ad-Deen

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Meaning of the word Ad-Deen (الدين):

Jubran Masud described in his dictionary:

الدين ج اديان  يوم الدين-يوم الحساب

الدين: Plural- اديان- It’s a verbal noune. Verb is دان يدين means:  عبادة الله وتقديسه Allah’s Ibadah and His sanctification.

يوم الدين means –the day of reckoning.

3. Mazhab ألمذهب (The way of leading life, in short -a complete way of life is called Ad-Deen)

4. Biography (السيرة) (Ref.1)

Abu Hafs Najmuddin Umar Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ahmad An-Nasafi Al-Hanafi described in his Tafsir:

5.  Ad-Deen (الدين) means Accounting:

  قال إبن عباس وإبن مسعودوالحسن البصرى والسدى ومقاتل هو الحساب كما فى قوله تعالى ذالك الدين القيم (ألتوبة-36) أى الحساب المستقيم

والله تعالى يحاسب العباد يوم القيامة قال تعالى : إن إلينا إيابهم ثم إن علينا حسابهم (الغاشية 25-26)

Ibn Abbas, Ibn Masud, Al-Hasan Al-Basri, As-Suddi, and Muqatil said: Deen means accounting, as it is in Allah’s saying, ذالك الدين القيم “That is the right Deen” (At-Tawbah-36). Here Deen means “The account or calculation”. Allah the Almighty will take account of His servants on the Day of Qiyaamah. Allah the Almighty said: “Indeed, to me is their return, and then indeed, upon me is their account.” It means- to Allah is their return and upon Allah is their reckoning. (Al-Ghashiyah 25-26) (Ref.2)

6. Reward:

Abu Hafs Najmuddin Umar Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ahmad An-Nasafi Al-Hanafi also described in his Tafsir: Mujahid, Qatadah and Dihak said: هو الجزاء كما فى قوله تعالى: فلو لا إن كنتم غير مدينين (ألواقعة-86) أى غير مجزيين وقال يومئذ يوفيهم الله دينهم الحق (ألنور-25) أى جزائهم والله تعالى يجزى العباد يومئذ بأعمالهم كما قال تعالى: اليوم تجزى كل نفس بما كسبت (غافر-17)

Deen means reward, as in Allah’s saying:  فلو لا إن كنتم غير مدينين “If you are not to be recompensed”, means not to be rewarded. Allah the Almighty also said:

 (ألواقعة-86) يومئذ يوفيهم الله دينهم الحق (ألنور-25)) “On that day Allah will pay them their just Deen in full.” (An-Noor-25)Here Deen means reward.Allah the Almighty will reward His servants on that day for their deeds, as Allah the Almighty said in Surah Al-Gafir: اليوم تجزى كل نفس بما كسبت (غافر-17) “Today everyone will be rewarded for what he earned,(Gafir-17) (Ref.2)

7.Rewards for good and evil:

والدين الجزاء وهو على شيئين: على الطاعة بالثواب وعلى المعصية بالعقاب ودل قوله مالك يوم الدين على الشيئين

And الدين means “Reward”, that will be on two things: reward for obedience, and punishment for disobedience. Allah’s saying مالك يوم الدين indicates these two things. (Ref.3)

8. To bear witness to Tauhid of Allah:

Abu Mansur Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Al-Maturidi As-Samarqandi described in his Tafsir:

الا لله الدين الخالص  (الزمر-3) أى لله شهادة الوحدانية والألوهية فى كل شيئ

Indeed, Deen is only due to Allah. It means –to bear witness to Tawheed (Monotheism) and Uluhiyah (Divinity of Allah) for Allah. (Ref.4)

9. Obedience:

Ibn Jarir At-Tabari described in his Tafsir about the meaning of الدين in Allah’s saying إن الدين عند الله الإسلام:

ومعنى فى هذا الموضع :الطاعة والذلة  من قول الشاعر :

ويوم الحزن إذ حشدت معد          وكان الناس إلا نحن دينا     يعنى بذالك مطيعين على وجه الذل

“And on the day of grief, when the tribes of Ma'ad had gathered their armies, all the people disobeyed but we obeyed. It means, we were obedient to them in a humiliating manner”.

وقول الأعشى ميمون بن قيس :

هو دان الرباب إذ كرهوا الدين  

يعنى بقوله: دان-ذلل وبقوله –كرهوا الدين :ألطاعة

And the saying of Al-A’sha Maymun bin Qais:

He is the one who subdued the people of the Rebab tribe when they disliked the obedience. His saying: دان means: Subdued and كرهوا الدين means: They disliked the obedience. (So, here Ad-Deen means: obidence). (Ref.5)

10. Ibadah and obedience:

Muhammad Ali As-Sabuni interpreted Allah’s saying:

وأدعوه مخلصين له الدين(ألأعراف-29)أي واعبدوه مخلصين له العبادة والطاعة    

You call upon Him with sincere Ibadah and obedience. It means: You call upon Him sincierly; Ibadah and obedience only belong to Him. (Here Deen means Ibadah and obedience). (Ref.6)

Mahmud Alusi described in his Tafsir: له الدين أى الطاعة- Deen is only due to Allah. Here Deen means-Obedience. (Ref.7)

References :( المراجع)

1. رائد الطلاب-Page: 435, author- Jubran Masud

2. ألتيسير فى التفسير, Volume-1, page-121, Author- Abu Hafs Najmuddin Umar Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ahmad An-Nasafi Al-Hanafi

3. ألتيسير فى التفسير, Volume-1, page-81 and 82, Author- Abu Hafs Najmuddin Umar Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ahmad An-Nasafi Al-Hanafi

4. تأويلات القران Author Abu Mansur Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Al-Maturidi As-Samarqandi, Volume:11, Page no-291(Tafseer Sura Az-Zumar-Ayah:3)

5.  الطبرى جامع البيان عن تأويل أى القران, Author –Abu Ja’far Muhammad Ibn Jarir At-Tabari, Volume-5,

ألقول فى تأويل  قوله: إن الدين عند الله الإسلام –سورة ألعمران: رقم الأية:19- -Page no-280 &281

6. صفوة التفاسيرVolume -8, Page: 441, Author-Muhammad Ali As-Sabuni

7. روح المعانى, Volume-8, Page-107 Abul Fadal Shihabuddin As-Saiyed Mahmud Al-Alusi Al-Bagdadi

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