THE CONCEPT OF (AL -DIN) RELIGION

The word al din is derived from dana means “being indebted”. The term being indebted could be reduced in four significations:-indebtedness-submissiveness-judicious power-natural inclination All the four significations are interconnected in each other.From the religious point of view, we are being indebted to Allah for bringing us into existence and maintaining our existence.

We have to repay the debt to Allah by giving ourselves up in service to Allah.

Service here means ‘ibadah. The Islamic concept of ‘ibadah is very comprehensive. ‘Ibadah is very important in upholding our ‘aqidah. Our iman to Allah must be implemented through

‘ibadah. If we do have iman, but failed to give a complete

obedience in ‘ibadah we are not true mu’min because we do not reflect our belief in our actions.

We need to worship Allah through ‘ibadah physically, intellectually, and spiritually.

When we realize that we are being owned by Allah, and we are Allah’s property, it comes naturally that we must submit to Allah.

So, our natural tendency to serve and worship Allah is also referred to as al din (din al ftrah).

Man has a capacity to become perfect through a process of self- improvement.

Man has both soul and body.

The soul must govern the body

Pertaining the soul, man has three aspects of human soul:-the tranquil soul (al nafs al mutmainnah)-the higher/ rational soul (al nafs al natiqah)-the lower/ animal soul (al nafs al hayawaniyyah).

soul body

The higher/ rational soul of man (al nafs al natiqah) should govern his lower/ animal soul (al nafs al hayawaniyyah). It might use its power of ‘aql/ intellect to control the body from evil deeds.

The lower/ animal soul of man (al nafs al hayawaniyyah) which contains of his desires must submit to the higher/ rational soul.

When man is continuously performed his service/ ‘ibadah to Allah, he will transfer himself into a higher stage that is the tranquil soul (al nafs al mutmainnah).

A central position of the concept of al din lies on our iman/ belief in Allah and the nature of the relationship to Him.

The same belief should also be the foundation of the Islamic political and social organization.

By holding this belief, Muslim is not bound himself by the social contract although he lives and works within the bounds of social polity and authority.

The real object of his loyalty and obedience is not primarily to the society or the state, but to Allah.

If a man affirms and fulfills his iman/ belief, he has a power to do justice.

Justice in Islam does not only involve justice between one person and another, or between ruler and the ruled, or between society and the state; but most importantly it refers to the justice existing between man and his own self.

Al Attas’s Summarization of the Term Din

1. Indebtedness• Technically (i.e. in the religious and spiritual

context), being indebted means

• “man is indebted to God, his Creator and Provider, for bringing him into existence and maintaining him in his existence. Man was once nothing and did not exist, and now he is.” (Q 23:12-14).

2. Submissiveness• Din means “total submission to God”. • Man is aware that “he owns absolutely nothing to

‘repay’ his debt, except his own consciousness of the fact that he is himself the very substance of the debt, so must he ‘repay’ with himself, so must he ‘return’ himself to Him Who owns him absolutely.”

• ‘Returning the debt’ means to give himself up in service, or khidmah, to his Lord and Master; to abase himself before Him – and so the rightly guided man sincerely and consciously enslaves himself for the sake of God in order to fulfill His commands and prohibitions and ordinances, and thus to live out the dictates of His Law.

3. Judicious Power• Din means “God’s government of the realm of

creation”. • Man must acknowledge God as their Lord (rabb, or

the Absolute King, Possessor and Owner, Rule, Governor, Master, Creator, Cherishers, and Sustainer), and as their ilah

• As their ilah man must give himself up in service (khidmah) to God, i.e. performing all ‘ibadah only to God.

4. Natural Inclination/ Tendency• Din also refers to as fitrah, that is to say “a reflection of

natural human tendency in man to serve God and worship Him.

• Fitrah is the pattern according to which God has created all things (Q 30:30).

• When man was created, he has sealed a covenant with God by acknowledging the truth of God’s Lordship (Q 7:172).

Din According to al-Maududi

• For Maududi, the meanings of din are as follows:• (1) Dominion on the part of someone in

authority,• (2) Obedience, servitude or worship, on the part

of the one submitting to the authority, • (3) Law, rules or regulation in the context of the

above relationship, and

• (4) Calling to account (for obedience or non-obedience to the Authority), passing judgement, and pronouncing reward or punishment.

Din stands for the entire way of life in the Qur’an

• The composite factors are: • (1) Sovereignty and supreme authority, • (2) Obedience and submission to such authority

(for both factors see Q 3:83; 16:52; 39:2-3, 11,14, 17; 40:64-65; 98:5),

• (3) The system of thought and action established through the exercise of that authority (Q 10:104-05; 24:2; 109:6), and

• (4) Retribution meted out by the authority in consideration of the loyalty and obedience to it, or rebellion and transgression against it (Q 51:5-6; 82:17-19; 107:1-3)

• As a comprehensive term, din represents a “whole way of life”.

• It does not stand only for “religion” but cover also the whole politico-social and cultural set-up including man’s belief, his moral principles and his behaviour in all walks of life.

The Relationship between Din, Shari‘ah and ‘Ibadah• Maududi is of the opinion that the din can be compared with

a state and government. • Shari‘ah is the law of state, and ‘ibadah amount to follow

and complying with that law.

THE CONCEPT OF AL DIN ON THE BASIS OF FITRAH

Every child is born with the potential of fair thinking and fair doing, and the character of every human nature is the right belief and the right conduct (al din al qayyim).

From the Islamic point of view, human nature is absolutely free from all bad potentials, wrong tendencies, and wrong belief. Also no criminal characteristic is inherent in human nature.

On the basis of fitrah, man has a potential to be a true mu’min and to achieve the highest degree of excellence and perfection because he is conferred with the best nature.

Allah said “ we have created man with the best form”.

Man is purposive being. He is supposed to realize his status as a servant to Allah by continuously struggle to worship Him and to fulfill his obligations as a Muslim.

Allah says, “Do you think that We had created you in vain without purpose and that you shall not be returned to Us”?

We can derive two points from this verse:

i) Man is not created in vain.

ii) Every man shall be returned to Allah; so man is responsible and accountable to his worldly actions.

In another verse Allah says, “It is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days and His dominion extends on the water, so that He might test you which of you is the best in action”.

Allah wants to test on how we conduct our life in this world.

Basically, man has two basic human nature:i) Potential nature.ii) Actual nature.i) Potential nature Signifies certain demands/ feelings which are

naturally exist in human soul to pursuit the noble/ virtuous ideas on the basis that man is made as the best creature and born in a good nature (fitrah).

There are several examples of potential nature:a) Distinction between vice and virtue, right and wrong.b) Acknowledgment of the existence of God.c) Self- consciousnessd) Sense of responsibility

ii) Actual nature Actual nature corresponds to some materialistic instincts

and ambitious. The actual nature represents the temptations of desire, and

the potential nature represents a sense of duty. There is always a conflict between desire and duty in human

mind since man naturally hold these two natures. In order to overcome this conflict, we have to develop and

to dominate the potential nature into life, and to control the actual nature.

In this way, the noble ideas of potential nature become stronger and more effective than desires of the actual nature.

The potential nature must supervise the actual nature; so the conflict between a sense of duty and the temptation of desire is resolved in a positive manner.