DEEN AND MAZHAB
(differnence and concept that islam is not a religion or mazhub but a deen a complete code of life.)

Meaning of Deen

Allah says
"Certainly, the religion (deen) with Allah is the submission (Islam) (to His Will and guidance). Those who had been given the book (of laws) differed only after knowledge had come to them, through transgression among themselves. Whoever rejects Allah (His revealed verses), will certainly find Allah swift at reck**ing (will be punished).

This shows that the beliefs and the practices in life should be based on obedience of God's guidance through revelations. The word deen is generally translated as religion, but actually it means the beliefs of one about conducting affairs in life and the practices in accordance with those beliefs in the society as a community and not only personally. Religion gives the impression of belief in God and following Him without any concern with the society, but for one's good in the life after death.

Whereas, in deen, we follow God's guidance in this life as a whole nation and expect the rewards in this life as well as in the hereafter. Deen means obedience to God's laws, the true faith, the religion (J. Penrice), moral laws (M. Asad). Hence, deen means a code of life given by God, and religion means faith in God and His worship ritually, which has nothing to do with man's actions in the society as a whole. Religion is defined as belief in God or gods, divine powers to be obeyed and worshipped as a ruler or rulers, and the expression of such a belief in conduct and ritual. It is also defined as a system of specific belief and worship often involving a code of ethics and a philosophy such as humanism as a religion. For religion the Arabic word is Mazhab (a way of living according to one's beliefs). But Deen implies a code of life given by God, instead of human beings. In Mazhab human beings set the laws according to their understanding of the Hadith or Fiqh. These laws may not be in accordance with the Quran. They may be additional or different.


The concept of Deen covers the whole life and not just ritual worship or belief in God; whereas, the concept of religion covers only belief in God and His worship ritually. It is considered a personal matter between a person and his or her God. But in Deen a nation has to follow the code of life collectively as well as personally. Thus the range of Deen is much wider and covers all actions, public and private. Hence the right word for Deen in English is God's code of life given by His revealed word.

Different Concepts of Deen
The Quran clearly explains that the true concept of Deen is to follow God's guidance only; whereas, the concept misconceived by human beings is belief in God and worshipping Him ritually. Man's concept of Deen has nothing much to do with following His commands about leading one’s life. God gave the Deen to the prophets, but the human beings distorted the revealed message and replaced it with their own laws by changing God's laws. About the Jews doing so, the Quran says in ,
Have you any hope (O Mohammed) that they (the Jews) will be true to you when a part of them used to change the word of God (His revealed message), after they had understood it, knowingly.

About additions and alterations in the word of God, the Quran says in,
Therefore, woe be to those who write the Book (of Law) with their own hands, and then say, This is from Allah that they may purchase a small gain therewith. Woe unto them for that their hands have written, and woe unto them for that they earn thereby.

Thus, we find that God gave His true Deen to the human beings through the Prophets, but they changed it by their own beliefs saying that they were from God thereby creating their own concept of Deen. The pagan Arabs also believed in Abraham’s Deen, which had been distorted by their elders and they believed in it as a true religion. But God clearly tells them that the true Deen is one that is given by Mohammed, the true Prophet of God. These two different concepts have been explained in Sura 109. It says ,
"Say, O disbeliever ,I worship not that which you worship Nor will you worship that which I worship And I will not worship that which you worship. Nor will you worship that which I worship, unto you is your religion (deen) and unto me is my religion (deen)"

We find here that the Prophet’s religion was the revealed word of God and the pagan Arabs rejected it. Their religion was the belief in whatever their religious leaders told them about their gods and the practices to worship them. They had no place for good conduct. Only rituals were important things in their religion. But in the true religion of God serving Him by obeying His commands was important. The difference pointed out here is worship of God and the worship of gods considered as the daughters of God.

Ibaadah actually means service or working for the fulfillment of one's duties, which is real worship. In Arabic abdun means a servant or slave. At that time the Prophet only followed commands such as avoiding shirk, not taking others as gods; whereas the pagan Arabs were engaged in ritual worship only, which is just lip service. The Jews were also following their religious leaders who had a distorted view of the revealed religion of God with changes made by them. In the true Islam the ritual worship started after thirteen years in Madina. The point here is that God’s revealed message in the form of the Quran is the only true Islam and the true Deen. The religious leaders’ concept of the Deen is their own opinions about God. They ask their followers to believe in those opinions and act accordingly in life. For example, the pagan Arabs asked them to consider the idols as the daughters of God who will intercede for them before Him.


Deen means the beliefs and practices as told by God through the Holy Prophet. This is that they should submit themselves to God's guidance and obey His commands given through the Prophet. It is not the religion of ritual worship only. The actual worship is the obedience to His commands. His command is to develop taqwaa, doing their duty to God by following all His instructions given in the Quran, the revealed word of God.

Islam and Guidance:

Another aspect of Islam is God's guidance that is to be followed by all Muslims. This guidance is mainly about how one should lead his or her life in this world. God has asked all to submit to whatever He says and not to follow the religious leaders who distort His message. As He says:

So if they dispute with you (O Muhammed) say, “ I have submitted my face (whole attention) to Allah. And so have those who follow me. And say to those who have God's Book to read and to those who have no Book to read, Do you submit to God If they do, they are in the right guidance, but if they turn back, your duty is only to convey the message.

Here every one is told that the right way to believe and to act accordingly is to follow God's commands and not those of the religious leaders or their forefathers. They must all follow God's commands. This is the true religion, the beliefs and the practices enjoined upon by God. In 3:85, He says:

If anyone desires a religion (deen) other than submission to Allah (Islam), never will it be accepted of him; and in the hereafter, he will be among those who have lost.

Thus we find that Islam is the only true religion acceptable to God, because man's concept of religion is a distorted and changed version of the true religion. The right way to believe and to adopt any faith and practice is to take the guidance from God. Hada in Arabic means to lead in the right way, to follow a right course of action. Hence God says that Islam, obedience to Him, is the only right way to lead one's life. God says:

So for those whom Allah wills to guide (to the right path), He opens their breast to Islam; and for those whom He wills to leave them in their wrong path, He makes their breast close and constricted, as if they had to climb up to the skies. Thus does Allah lay abomination on those who refuse to believe.

Here Islam is described as guidance from God. Everyone should obey God. This is the right thing to do. Man's religion is not God's religion. Man has made up his own faith and practices for his own interest or that of his own community; but God's religion is for the good of all human beings. It is the light from God, which makes all the beliefs, and practices clear for him. As God says:

Is one whose heart Allah has opened to submission to Him (Islam), so that he has received the light (guidance)) from Allah, (not better than one hard-hearted)? Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrances of God (His message). They are manifestly wandering in error.

Therefore one must obey God’s commands and always remember them so that he may follow them.According to God,
:
Allah has revealed the best statements (ahsanal hadith) in the form of a book, consistent with itself, and repeating (its teachings); whereat does creep the flesh of those who fear their Lord (and they dont disobey) so that their flesh and their hearts soften at Allah's remembrance (of His message). Such is Allah's guidance (huda Allah) wherewith He guides whom He wills. And him whom Allah sends astray (on the wrong path), for him there is no (one to) guide.

Here God clarifies that man's religion is wrong and His religion, the code of life (deen) is the right thing to follow.Islam is a complete code of life,a complete guide and a true embodiment of the principles God has given for the benefit for the whole humanity.