Introduction:
The
words Deen and Mazhab are often used interchangeably; however these two are
different terms. To begin with, it’s pertinent to mention here that the word
“Mazhab” has no existence in Islamic Text i.e. Quran and Hadith. The term
“Mazhab” was derived by scholars of Islamic Jurisprudence in later stage of
Islamic Evolution around the world. Deen, on the other side, is the name of
scheme devised for humankind by God and propagated by His Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH).
Philosophical
Background:
The
Allah Almighty has created human being with two different aspects: the body and
the spirit. The human body has its distinctive physical needs like
socialization, food and shelter etc. The
same way human spirit has its own distinctive needs like meditation and establishing
connection with its creator. The Religion fulfills the needs of human spirit however,
Deen, on the other side, fulfills the needs of human body as well. The question
arises, how? Following discussion will elaborate this point.
Definition and
Meaning of Mazhab (Religion):
The meaning of the word Mazhab is
“path”. Oxford dictionary defines Religion as “Particular system of faith and
worship.”
“Belief in spiritual beings is
called Religion.” – E. B. Taylor.
Thus the Religion is a set of belief system that deals with worship, rituals social customs and morality.
Kinds of Religions:
There are around 10,000 different religions in the world. However, Orientalist philosophers have divided them into two broad categories i.e. Semitic Religions and Non-Semitic Religion.
Semitic Religions:
Semitic religions are also known and
Abrahamic Religions or Divine Religion. The bloodline of the Prophets of Semitic
Religions link back to the Prophet Abraham (Hazrat Ibraheem A.S). Following is
the list of Semitic Religions:-
- Islam.
- Christianity.
- Judaism.
Non-Semitic Religions:
Non-Semitic or Non-Abrahamic
Religions are those which are believed to be Manmade or their leaders have had
no relation to Prophet Abraham. Following is the list of Non-Semitic Religions:-
- Hinduism.
- Jainism.
- Buddhism.
- Taoism.
- Confucianism.
Scope / Components of Mazhab (Religion):
Belief System: The first and foremost important component of Mazhab is the belief system. It defines how one accepts the existence of God, either in Monotheism, Polytheism or atheism.
Worship: Second important component of Mazhab is Worship. It is the way to connect with deity. Prayers, Pilgrimage, prostrating before idols/sun/fire are all examples of worship.
Rituals / Customs: Rituals and Customs are part of the Mazhab. They deal with certain events, celebrations and practices that people do or perform on different occasions. For instance Muslims call for Prayer (Azan) on the birth of a baby; Muslims bury the dead bodies while Hindus cremate the dead bodies; Muslims perform Nikkah to tie the knot while Hindus take 7 rounds of their holy fire.
Definition and Meaning of Deen:
The meaning of the word Deen is “Reward”, “Day of judgment” and “Law of Land”. Deen is a complete code of life that does not only touch the above mentioned 3 aspects of life but also offers all other aspects that humans need to deal with. So, along with religious aspects like belief system, worships and rituals, Deen also offers complete set of Socio-Cultural, Economic, Political, Judicial, Administrative and Governance System.
Scope / Components of Deen:
Religious Scope of Deen: Deen, as it is bestowed by God and propagated by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), offers complete set of religious belief system, worships and rituals. Deen tells there is no God but Allah and strongly condemns Shirk – establishing equivalence for God, it also offers full set of worships including Salat, Fasting, Pilgrimage and Zakat etc, and it advises number of rituals and/or customs to be performed on specific events like offering salat-e-Janaza, saying Azan in the ear of new born baby, saying qalimaat of Nikah at wedding ceremony etc.
Social System: After crafting the religious side, Deen also offers complete social system to form a healthy, peaceful and prosperous society. Forbidding Adultery and consumption of alcohol, maintenance of dignity, chastity and mutual cooperation; advising for good and refraining from bad; social justice and brotherhood are all manifestations of social system being offered by Deen.
Economic System: Economy is an integral part of any prosperous society. That deals with all the economic activities going around to generate wealth. In this respect, Deen offers a holistic Economic System. Discouraging hoarding and ribah (interest), sanctity of fulfillment of contracts, owning private property, business ethics, taking appropriate profits, partnerships and agency are all few manifestations of Economic System being offered by Deen.
Political and Governance System: Deen is not devoid of politics and governance. It has offered basic principles of politics and governance 1400 years ago that are still valid and applicable. Sovereignty of God and consultative democracy is couple of basic tenets of political and governance system of Deen; justice, equality, peace and jihad are other few.
Judicial and Administrative System: On judicial and administrative grounds, Deen by the dint of Prophet (PBUH) and Pious Caliphs, has set a complete system for flawless judicial and administrative activities ranging from managing markets to punishing criminals and taking witnesses into consideration.
Critical Analysis:
Deen is the name of totality, whereas the Religion/Mazhab is the name of partiality. This statement beautifully describes the difference between Deen and Mazhab/religion. As said, it is clear that Mazhab/Religion is basically a core component of Deen, and Deen has a lot to offer as well other than Mazhab like socio-cultural system, economic system and judicial system etc. All this makes the Deen a totality and Mazhab a partiality.
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, it can easily be said that Deen is a
bigger phenomenon that encompasses all the aspects of human life and therefore,
is said to be a complete code of life. However, religion, being an integral
part of Deen, only offers belief system, worships and dogmas. Islam is the only
existing Deen in the world right now and shall only be accepted by the God as
He says in Quran:-
“And whoever seeks a Deen other than
Islam, it will never be accepted of him” – ( 85 – Al Imran)
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