WAKE UP UMMAH

     ‘DEEN’ (OR RELIGION?)

THERE IS ONLY ONE DEEN: ISLAM

AND WE ARE ONE NATION

(By: M. Javed Naseem)

قُلْ إِنَّمَآ يُوحَىٰ إِلَىَّ أَنَّمَآ إِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ فَهَلْ أَنتُمْ مُّسْلِمُونَ

"Say: ‘What has come to me by inspiration is that your Allah

is One Allah. Will you, therefore, bow to His Will in Islam?"

(al-Quran 21:108)

Islam is the ‘Deen’ that has been prescribed for the mankind by Allah, the Almighty, the Creator of everything. Deen means ‘a way of life’ or a system, a program, a discipline. But most people interpret it as ‘religion’ although religion is a small part of it. This way of life (Deen) was promulgated by our Lord, the Almighty, through many of His messengers in different eras of history. But man, as wicked as he gets under the influence of Shaitan (Devil), tried to change it, deviated from it and reformed/reshaped it for his own convenience, in every era. Hence many religions and each claiming legitimacy.

Allah has used the Arabic language words ‘Ummat-an Wahidah’ in the Holy Quran referring to the ‘one nation’ of believers (or Muslims). Here are two verses from Surah Al-Anbiya:

إِنَّ هَـٰذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَاْ رَبُّكُمْ فَٱعْبُدُونِ

وَتَقَطَّعُوۤاْ أَمْرَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ كُلٌّ إِلَيْنَا رَاجِعُونَ

“Verily, this ‘Ummah’ (Nation of Islam) of yours is a single

Ummah (Nation), and I am your Lord and Cherisher; therefore,

serve Me (and no other). But (later generations) cut off their

affair (of unity), one from another; (yet) will they all return to Us.”

(al-Quran 21:92-93)

M. Pickthal has translated the same verses in these words:

“Lo! this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord,

so worship Me. And they have broken their religion

     (into fragments) among them, (yet) all are returning unto Us.”

(al-Quran 21:92-93)

Ummat-an Wahidah (one nation) means all people following the same Deen (or religion) and pursuing the same way of life while belonging to the same community. That means all people united under one banner and that banner is Islam. Allah, the Almighty, has repeated these verses again in Surah Al-Muminoon:

وَإِنَّ هَـٰذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَاْ رَبُّكُمْ فَٱتَّقُونِ

فَتَقَطَّعُوۤاْ أَمْرَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ زُبُراً كُلُّ حِزْبٍ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ فَرِحُونَ

فَذَرْهُمْ فِى غَمْرَتِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ

           “And verily this ‘Ummah’ (Nation of Islam) of yours is a

single Ummah (Nation), and I am your Lord and Cherisher;

                      therefore, fear Me (and no other). But people have cut off

                      their affair (of unity), between them, into sects; each party

                     rejoices in that which is with itself. But leave them

                      in their confused ignorance for a time.”

                    (al-Quran 23:52-54)

M. Pickthal has translated the same verses as follows:

       “And lo! This your religion is one religion and I am your Lord,

so keep your duty unto Me. But they (mankind) have broken

their religion among them into sects, each group rejoicing in

its tenets. So leave them in their error till a time.”

                      (al-Quran 23:52-54)

The first purpose of this Deen is to establish the sovereignty of Allah as He is the Creator, the Owner and the King of kings. He created man to worship Him and live on this planet Earth as per His commands and guidelines. These commands and guidelines are contained in the Holy Quran.

قُلِ ٱللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ ٱلْوَاحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّارُ

“… Say: Allah is the Creator of

all things, and He is the One, the Almighty.”

(Holy Quran 13:16)

ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْمَوْتَ وَٱلْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ

أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْغَفُورُ

  “Who has created life and death that He may try you,

which of you is best in conduct; and He is

the Mighty, the Forgiving.”

(Holy Quran 67:2)

The beauty of this Deen is that it makes it incumbent on its followers to ward off evil and promote goodness. Muslim have a duty to spread the message of God but are not responsible for the outcome. People make their own choices. Nobody can force others in matters of Deen. It is embraced and practiced voluntarily. You deliver the message and your job is done.

وَمَا عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِم مِّن شَيْءٍ

وَلَـٰكِن ذِكْرَىٰ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

“On their account no responsibility falls on the

righteous, but (their duty) is to remind them, that

they may (learn to) fear Allah.”

(al-Quran 6:69)

Even the messengers and prophets of Allah are not held responsible for the outcome of their campaign. Their job is to simply convey the message clearly. The men of understanding will pay heed but those who do not believe in the Hereafter, wouldn’t care. Everybody will be compensated according to his good or bad deeds.

وَذَرِ الَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُواْ دِينَهُمْ لَعِباً وَلَهْواً وَغَرَّتْهُمُ ٱلْحَيَاةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا

وَذَكِّرْ بِهِ أَن تُبْسَلَ نَفْسٌ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ لَيْسَ لَهَا مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ

وَلِيٌّ وَلاَ شَفِيعٌ وَإِن تَعْدِلْ كُلَّ عَدْلٍ لاَّ يُؤْخَذْ مِنْهَآ

أُوْلَـٰئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُبْسِلُواْ بِمَا كَسَبُواْ لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ

وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكْفُرُونَ
“Leave alone those who take their religion to be mere play

and amusement, and are deceived by the life of this world.

But proclaim (to them) this (truth): that every soul delivers

itself to ruin by its own acts: it will find for itself no protector

or intercessor except Allah. If it offered every ransom,

(or reparation), none will be accepted: such is (the end of)

those who deliver themselves to ruin by their own acts. They

will have for drink (only) boiling water, and for punishment,

one most grievous; for they persisted in rejecting Allah.”

(al-Quran 6:70).

It is very strange, and hard to believe at the same time, that despite all the evidence, signs and proofs, man denies the sovereignty of Allah and disputes about Him. We consider ourselves ‘educated’ but what good is all that education that cannot make us think with logic and reason? If education cannot guide us to the right path, it is not education. Probably, the purpose of this ‘Devilish’ education is to send men astray – away from God.

ومِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يُجَادِلُ فِى ٱللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَلاَ هُدًى وَلاَ كِتَابٍ مُّنِيرٍ

ثَانِىَ عِطْفِهِ لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ لَهُ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا خِزْيٌ

وَنُذِيقُهُ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَامَةِ عَذَابَ ٱلْحَرِيقِ

“Yet there is among men such a one as disputes about Allah,

without knowledge, without guidance, and without a Book of

Enlightenment, (disdainfully) bending his side, in order to

lead (men) astray from the path of Allah: for him there is

disgrace in this life, and on the Day of Judgment We shall

make him taste the penalty of burning (Fire)”.

(al-Quran 22:8-9)

We are the followers of the last Prophet (Muhammad, s.a.w.) and he was sent as ‘Mercy for the Mankind’. Therefore, the mankind is bound to benefit from it and revert to Allah. Islam is spreading and will dominate the world soon despite all kinds of opposition. It’s decreed.

مَن كَانَ يَظُنُّ أَن لَّن يَنصُرَهُ ٱللَّهُ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلآخِرَةِ فَلْيَمْدُدْ بِسَبَبٍ

إِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ ثُمَّ لْيَقْطَعْ فَلْيَنْظُرْ هَلْ يُذْهِبَنَّ كَيْدُهُ مَا يَغِيظُ

“If any think that Allah will not help him (Muhammad)

in this world and the Hereafter, let him stretch out a rope

to the ceiling and cut (himself) off; then let him see whether

his plan will remove that which enrages (him)!”

(al-Quran 22:15) 

Vow! What a challenge to those who are working against the plan of Allah, against Islam and against Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.)! They are getting angry and they’ll kill themselves in anger. They are going to self-destruct themselves.

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ

ٱلَّذِى جَعَلْنَاهُ لِلنَّاسِ سَوَآءً ٱلْعَاكِفُ فِيهِ وَٱلْبَادِ

وَمَن يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ بِظُلْمٍ نُّذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

“As to those who have rejected (Allah), and would keep

back (men) from the Way of Allah, and from the Sacred

Mosque, which We have made (open) to (all) men – equal

is the dweller there and the visitor from the country – and

any whose purpose therein is profanity or wrong-doing –

them will We cause to taste of a most grievous penalty.”

(al-Quran 22:25)

وَإِذْ بَوَّأْنَا ِلإِبْرَاهِيمَ مَكَانَ ٱلْبَيْتِ أَن لاَّ تُشْرِكْ بِى شَيْئاً

وَطَهِّرْ بَيْتِىَ لِلطَّآئِفِينَ وَٱلْقَآئِمِينَ وَٱلرُّكَّعِ ٱلسُّجُودِ
“Behold! We gave the site, to Abraham, of the (Sacred)

House, (saying): "Associate not anything (in worship)

with Me; and sanctify My House for those who compass

it round, or stand up, or bow, or prostrate

themselves (therein in prayer).”

(al-Quran 22:26)

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