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ROLE AND NEED FOR DEEN
(MAZHAB KI ZAROORAT)
By
Muhammad Ali Khan
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By: Muhammad Ali Khan
Concept-Dictionary Meaning
Zahab:
Go, pass by, walk
Mazhab:
Method, belief or faith , manner.
As per grammar, Mazhab is an adverbial Noun
that shows the place or time of an action.
(Tasheel,ul-adab, Filisaan ula-arb )
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Concept
 Religion as a “binding together” (Latin, religio,
from the verb religare = “to bind together”
 Religion is a relationship between the religious
devotee and that which is the object of religious
devotion (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
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Religion is all about rituals and Faiths
Gods
 Allah
 Shiva
 Budhh
 Zeus
 Aherman
 Yazdan
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Experiences
 Love/Ecstasy
 Nothingness
 Hell/Heaven
 Sacrifice
Beliefs
Death
Immortality
Atonement
Fate
Prayer
Spirits : Demons, Ancestors, Ghosts
Practices
(rituals)
 Prayers
 Meditation
 Fasting
 Alms
 Youga
Attempts at a Definition

Emile Durkheim


Max Weber

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“A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices
relative to sacred things”
Refused to attempt a definition of religion. [Smart Man?]
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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DEEN
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 ?
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Components of Deen
 “Deen “ means absolute sovereignty (of Allah).
 “Deen” means absolute submission (of man to
the absolute soverign).
 “Deen” indicate reward and accountability.
 “Deen” expresses a way of life or a code of
conduct.
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Difference b/w Deen and Mazhab
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Concept
 Frame of Reference
 Canvas (Broader or Narrow)
 Nature (Individual and Collective)
 In religious connotation
 Al-Kafiroon, Ale-Imran 19/IndAllah Islam, AlMaida 3/Akmaltukum-Razaiyst, Al-Fatiha)

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 It was just that the believers of Islam should have
accepted and introduced Deen i.e., Deen-e-Islam
 On the contrary, a self invented word, Mazhab was opted
for against 'Deen', the proof of which is there in neither
the Holy Qur’an nor any Prophetic tradition.
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Comparing and Contrasting – the differences between Deen and Mazhab
Deen
Mazhab

It is proved by the Holy Qur’an and Ahadees.

The Deen in the sight of Allah (SWT) is only Islaam

Not been used in the Holy Qur’an or
Ahadees in this context.

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;
"The Deen before Allah (accepted by Allah) is Islam"
(Aal-Imran 3:19)

Deen has been approved of and favoured by Allah
"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,
(Az-Zumar 39:3)
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for
Allah
is
the
pure
religion.
indeed they are adulterated and have the
combination of Statements, Proclamations,
advices and suggestions which are self-made
and are contradictory to Islamic concepts
Mazhab
Deen

Deen has been chosen by Allah .

Mazaahib are Self-made and are made with
human-intervention.

Since Mazaahib are self-made and against
Islam undoubtedly it will not be accepted.
“Indeed Allah has chosen for you this Deen…”
(Al-Baqara 2:132)

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.
 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.
“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
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Future
the Elders (Past)
Need of Religion/Deen
Pascal Boyer’s Religion Explained (2001)

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Religion Provides Explanations
 People created religion to explain puzzling natural
phenomena
 Religion explains puzzling experiences: dreams,
forethought, etc
 Religion explains the origins of things
 Religion explains why there is evil and suffering
Need of Religion/Deen
Religion provides comfort


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Religious explanations make mortality less unbearable
Religion allays anxiety and makes for a comfortable
world
Need of Religion/Deen
Religion provides Social Order



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Religion holds society together
Religion perpetuates a particular social order
Religion supports morality
Cont…
Religion is a cognitive approach


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People are superstitious; they will believe anything
Religious concepts are irrefutable and Refutation is
more difficult than belief
Encounter with Ideological Vacuum
 Man cannot live in an ideological vacuum for long
 tendency towards a wrong ideology and false values
 His intellectual life is not filled with sound beliefs
 A superstitious and even destructive ideas may find
way into his spiritual firmament
 man's tendency towards idolatry, man worship, diverse
superstitions
 All this originates from spiritual 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
 All social system requires
religion
 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

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(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
Liberal Arguments 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
 Religion Rich in Miracle system and myths is needed

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World is Religious today, even !
 “Worldwide, more than eight-in-ten people identify with
a religious group,” says a new comprehensive
demographic study of more than 230 countries and
territories conducted by the Pew Research Center’s
Forum on Religion & Public Life
 “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.
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Cont…
 2.2 billion Christians (32 percent)
 1.6 billion Muslims (23 percent)
 1 billion Hindus (15 percent)
 500 million Buddhists (7 percent)
 400 million people (6 percent)
 There are 14 million Jews
 58 million people-slightly less than 1 percent of the
global population belong to other religions
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Cont…
 Christians
 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,Somalia
& 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
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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
 Religion is a belief which creates a Private Relationship
between God and Man
 Therefore , they believe that religion is one’s
personal matter which has not influence on life in
this world.
 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
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Explanation of life
 Religion leads man of an inner , most institute experience to the
acceptance of unitary explanation of life
 It is only faith that cultivates these virtues within man and impels
him to automatic righteousness and adherence to duty to make
sacrifices for the sake of others.
 Will Durant says in 'Pleasures of Philosophy' that, 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 and serves
as a fortification against undesirable reactions of despair
and hopelessness
 A religious man, with firm belief in Allah, and of His
munificence, 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.
 Every problem can be solved and every deadlock can be
resolved with His help, he can overcome every
disappointment and hopelessness
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Strength for life- No Fear
 Holy Quran says:
 "Surely those who are close to Allah, have no fear nor shall
they grieve." (SurahYounus, 10:62)
 According to Dr. 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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
Even Rationalism w/o religion will be blunder

As long as there is poverty these will be gods

God is a beautiful manifestation of human
wishes
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Question about need for religion
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 CoExistence 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)
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