Friday Notes From The Quran (17/2/2023) - "deen"

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Its Friday again.   Today I like to discuss the word deen in the Quran. This Arabic word is well known to most Muslims. 

In the English language deen is translated using a variety of English words. Religion, follow, believe, adopt, embrace, uphold, system and judgement are among the English translations of this word deen.

For example in Surah  1:4 yawm-mid-deen is translated as 'day of judgement'.

There are 101 occurrences of the word deen and its derivatives in the Quran.

Here are some verses where this word deen appears :

Surah 12:76 deen ul mulk -   All translators refer mulk as 'king'.  But the word deen in 12:76 has a variety of translations:

"king's law, king's religion, king's domain, king's doom, king's system".

Surah 4:125 Who can be better in deen than one who submits his whole self to Allah, does good, and follows the way of Abraham the haneef? For Allah did take Abraham for a friend.

Here deen encompasses submitting to Allah swt, doing good and following the way of Abraham.

Surah 9:29 wa-laa yadeenuna deen al haq 

Here let me quote from my favorite Indonesian translation : "dan mereka tidak beragama agama benar".

Here are two English translations:

• and they do not uphold the system of truth
• and do not embrace the religion of the truth

Surah 6:159  You have nothing to do with those who have made divisions in their deen and become sects (shia). Their affair is with Allah and He will inform them of what they have done.

Surah 30:32      Those who split up their deen, and become sects (shia) - each party rejoicing in what they have.

Just some references to the word 'deen' in the Quran.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.