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ROLE AND NEED FOR
DEEN
(MAZHAB KI
ZAROORAT)
BY
MUHAMMAD ALI KHAN
Question about need for religion
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Define Religion, also describing its necessity, importance and
kinds of distinguishing between Revealed and Non Revealed
religions. (2002)
Despite the scientific and technological advancement the
present society is facing moral decline and mental anarchy.
In these circumstances elucidate the importance
and effectiveness of Religion. (2007)
Differentiate between the Din and Religion. State the
important points of Co-Existence among Islam and world
religions in the present scenario. (2010)
Describe the necessity and importance of religion for man
and its effects on human life. (2012)
Important themes
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1.
Define Religion, its necessity, Importance effectiveness of
Religion
2.
Its effects on human life
3.
Its kinds of distinguishing between Revealed and Non
Revealed religions
4.
Despite the scientific and technological advancement the
present society is facing moral decline and mental anarchy ,
5.
Differentiate between the Din and Religion
6.
State the important points of Co-Existence among Islam and
world religions
Concept-Dictionary
Meaning
Zahab:
Go, pass by, walk
Mazhab:
Method, belief or faith , manner
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Concept
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Religion as a “binding together” (Latin,
religio, from the verb religare = “to bind
together”
 Religion is a relationship between the
religious devotee and the gods, God) a
relationship that binds the two together to : Who share the same or similar religious
attitudes
 Bound with the object of its devotion

Religion is all about rituals and Faiths
Gods
 Allah
 Shiva
 Budhh
 Zeus
 Aherman
 Yazdan
Experiences
 Love/Ecstasy
 Nothingness
 Hell/Heaven
 Sacrifice
Beliefs
Death
Immortality
Atonement
Fate
Prayer
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Practices
(rituals)
 Prayers
 Fasting
 Alms
 Youga
Spirits : Demons, Ancestors, Ghosts
Attempts at a Definition

Emile Durkheim


“A religion is a unified system of beliefs
and practices relative to sacred things”
Max Weber

Refused to attempt a definition of
religion. [Smart Man?]
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Concept
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
Spirituality

Emotion Ethics


EB Taylor ( Social)
Mathew Arnold
(Literature)
Emotional Appeal to
accept Almighty

Freud (Psychology)
Only Rituals ?
 Humanity

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Components of Deen
 “Deen “ Accepting the absolute
sovereignty (of Allah)
 “Deen” means absolute submission (of
man to the absolute sovereign
 “Deen” indicate reward and accountability
 “Deen” expresses a way of life or a code
of conduct
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DEEN
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Lots of Ins and Outs and What-Have-Yours
Deen is neither a single phenomenon, nor a “thing”
rather, it is a divine and dynamic collection of institutions,
practices, beliefs and social order
What's our Religion/Deen ?
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Difference b/w Deen and Mazhab





Concept
Frame of Reference (Individual and Collective)
Nature (Right of Allah and Rights of MAn
Canvas (Broader or Narrow)
In religious connotation



Al-Kafiroon, (Ebbadah)
Ale-Imran 19/IndAllah Islam, ideology of Life)
Al-Maida 3/Akmaltukum-Code of Life
Comparing and Contrasting – the differences between Deen and Mazhab


It is proved by the Holy Qur’an and
Ahadees.
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Not been used in the Holy Qur’an or
Ahadees in this context.

The Deen in the sight of Allah (SWT) is only

Islaam."The Deen before Allah (accepted
by Allah) is Islam“(Aal-Imran 3:19)
Deen has been
approved of and favoured by
Alla "Today, I have completed your Deen, and
have completed my bliss upon you and accepted
for you Islam as a Deen.“ (Al-Mai’da 5:3)
Deen is complete,
"Today, I have completed
your Deen..” (Al-Mai’da 5:3)
Deen is Pure
“Unquestionably, for Allah is the
pure religion. (Az-Zumar 39:3)
There is no such proof in Mazhab
rather Mazhab is Sectarianism.

There is no scope or rather an
instance of Sectarianism or Mazaahib
in Islaam. And is self made

Mazaahib are incomplete.

Hence, the whole way of life in
Mazaahib is self-made law which is
against Islaam.

Mazaahib are not pure;

indeed they are adulterated and have the
combination of Statements, Proclamations,
advices and suggestions which are self-made
and are contradictory to Islamic concepts
Deen has been chosen by Allah . “Indeed
Allah has chosen for you this Deen…”
(l-Baqara 2:132
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
Mazaahib are Self-made and are
made with human-intervention.

Since Mazaahib are self-made and
against Islam undoubtedly it will not
be accepted.

The purpose of Jihad (which cannot
be called as Jihad, anyways) in
Mazaahib is to continue the sect
based on some Personality,
Individuality, Community or Region.
Only Deen will be accepted
And whoever desires other than Islam as religion never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the
Hereafter, will be among the losers. (Aal-Imran 3:85)
The purpose of Jihad in Deen is to establish the
Deen of Allah completely.
“And fight them until there is no fitnah and [until] the
religion, all of it, is for Allah. And if they cease - then
indeed, Allah is Seeing of what they do.” (Al-Anfal
8:39)
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Two Theories of Evolution of Religion/Deen
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

Islamic Point of View
7 Stages _Evolution of Religion
 Atheism
 Worshiping
Fear
the Nature
and Greed
 Totoism
 Worshiping
 Idolatry
 Monotheism
 In
Future
the Elders (Past)
Need of Religion/Deen
Pascal Boyer’s Religion Explained (2001)

Religion Provides Explanations
 People created religion to explain puzzling
natural phenomena
 Religion explains puzzling experiences:
dreams, forethought, etc
 Religion explains the origins of things
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Surat Al-'Aĥzāb (The Combined Forces) - ‫سورة األحزاب‬
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Need of Religion/Deen
Religion provides comfort



Religious explanations make mortality less
unbearable
Religion allays anxiety and makes for a
comfortable world
Religion explains why there is evil and sufferings
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Need of Religion/Deen
Religion provides Social Order



Religion holds society together
Religion perpetuates a particular social
order
Religion supports morality
Cont…
Religion is a Cognitive Approach


People are superstitious; they will believe
anything
Religious concepts are irrefutable and
Refutation is more difficult than belief
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Religion and Law

As Source of Law



No agreed upon source of law, (Fuller)
The law in quest for itself, No eternal law, (Kohler)
Human nature is the best source of law (Jhon
Auston)

Islam being religion of nature is the best source of law

What are the Scale of Values or what are ideal
values ?

If we secularize jurisprudence , where can we find
an agreed basis ? (George Paton)

The solution is divine law
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Encounter with Ideological/
Spiritual Vacuum

Man cannot live in an ideological
vacuum for long
Man does not has sound beliefs
 A superstitious and even destructive ideas
may find way into his spiritual emptiness
 Man's tendency towards idolatry, man
worship diverse superstitions
 All this originates from spiritual &
ideological vacuum
 It is religion which can fill the ideological
vacuum

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Need of Religion
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All civilizations have their
Religions, Great
civilizations are not died,
they attempt suicide
 Religion and Science
 Guidance to Wisdom
 Religion as Change Agent
for Natural, Spiritual,
social needs

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Cont…
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
Universal Peace v/s Materialistic Development

(survival of the fittest is questioned)

Life after Death– Possibility only in religion

Accountability here and in life after death

Religion for Social Correction , Reformist movements

Religion as Panacea
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Quotes ; for need of Deen /Religion
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August Comte
 Theological (Religion)
 Metaphysical ( Philosophy and Psychology)
 Positive Stage (Science)
 Napoleon says “It has kept the poor murdering the
rich”
 Supernatural hope in dooms hopes (Imam Jaffar RA)
 Heaven and utopia are buckets in a well if one goes
up other goes down (Will Durend)
 Religion Rich in Miracle system and myths is needed

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World is Religious today,

“Worldwide,
even
! more than eight-in-ten people
identify with a religious group,” says a new
comprehensive demographic study of more than
230 countries and territories (Pew Research
Center’s Forum)

“There are 5.8 billion religiously affiliated adults and
children around the globe, representing 84
percent of the 2010 world population of 6.9
billion,” the analysis states.
Cont…
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
2.2 billion Christians (32 percent)

1.6 billion Muslims (23 percent)

1 billion Hindus (15 percent)

500 million Buddhists (7 percent)

There are 14 million Jews

58 million people-slightly less than 1 percent of the global
population belong to other religions
Cont…

Christians



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Vatican City 100% Christians, USA Majority of
the Christians 230 Mi, More Jews in USA (66 Lac
than Israel 59 Lac)
Muslims

Mauritania 99.9%, Maldives 99.4%,Yemen 99.1,S
omalia & Afghanistan 99%

220 M in Indonesia, 177 Mi in India, KSA 26 M
Hinduism

81 % Population of Nipal is Hindu, 957 M in India

Majority of Jainism-5M, Bahai-2M,Sikhs-28M are
also in India
Agnostics and Atheists

Japan (76%)

Sweden (65.5%)

Denmark (61.5%)

Hong Kong 57%

France (53.5%)

Norway (51.5%)
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Role of Religion


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Points described in need for religion are also the
role of religion as:
Example
 To
define good and bad we need religion and it is
role of a religion to define good and bad.
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Impact of Deen or Religion

Relationship between God and Man

They consider that the laws of the worldly life should
be on logic and reason

Other religions bifurcate life into spiritual and
material realms but Islam
Explanation of life
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
Religion leads man of an inner , most institute
experience to the acceptance of unitary explanation
of life

Religion that cultivates these virtues within man and
impels him to automatic righteousness and adherence
to duty to make sacrifices for the sake of others

Without the backing of religion, morality is nothing
more than arithmomancy , as without it, the sense of
obligation disappears
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Power to Endure Adversities of Life

Religion provides power for facing adversities

Serves as a fortification against undesirable reactions of
despair and hopelessness

A religious man, with firm belief in Allah, and of His
generosity, does not find himself in utter desperation
even in the worst moments , as he knows, he is under the
protection of a Being who is Almighty.

Can overcome every disappointment and hopelessness
Strength for life- No Fear

Holy Quran says:
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According to Dr. Will
Durant
Behavior of a man
who is not blessed
with reliance on
religion suffers from
special confusion,
and the life which
has not the
comforting support
of
religion, is an
unbearable burden
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Roots of Religious Sense

It covers the entire recorded history of human life
and in pre-historic times Religious Institution are
found

Islam is in harmony with nature which Allah has
designed for man. ( Surah al -Rum,30 : 30)

Research carried out by sociologists and historians
shows that places of worship have always had an
influence on human life, and religion in its various
shapes has been interwoven with its history
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A thought !
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



Is religion possible without GOD ?
Is religion a cause to recognize the GOD ?
Will religion end when human beings will reach at
Heaven or Hell ?
Hazrat Ali (RA) said
“Mein ny apny Khuda ko apny eradon k
totny sy pahchana”
(I recognized my God , when my intentions were
doomed)
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Epilogue
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As long as there are :
 Poverty,
 Desires and Planning
 there will be gods there will be religion


God is a beautiful manifestation of human
wishes
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Need for Religion in Scientific
Age/Modern Age
Other Arguments
1.
For Social Order
2.
As source of Law
3.
To fill the ideological vacuum
4.
To Authenticate science
5.
As change Agent
6.
For Universal Peace
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Points of Peaceful coexistence

Ethical and Morality

System of Sin and Virtues

Respect for Humanity

Universal Peace

Tolerance

Acceptance of divine wisdom

Share common cultural identity

Muslims and Christians share the Abrahamic
tradition of faith

Share responsibility of Global Village
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Thanku,
the most !