What is Deen?

Prophetic Tradition

The second rightly-guided Caliph, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates: One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and salutations be upon him), there came onto us a man with extremely white [and clean] clothing and extremely [neat and youthful] black hair. There were no signs of travel visible on him and none of us knew him. He [came and] sat next to the Prophet PBUH and supported his knees up against the knees of the Prophet PBUH and placed his hand on his thighs. He said, ‘O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.’  The Prophet PBUH answered, ‘Islam is to testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish salah (i.e. prayers), to pay the zakah, to fast in Ramadhan, and to make pilgrimage to the House [of Allah] if you have the means to do so.’ He (i.e. the stranger) said, ‘You have spoken correctly.’ Umar RA explains, `We were amazed that he asks the question and then says that he had spoken

correctly`. He said, ‘Tell me about Iman.’ The Prophet PBUH replied, ‘It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day and to believe in the divine decree, [both] the good and the evil thereof.’ He [once again] said, ‘You have spoken correctly.’ He then enquired, ‘Tell me about Ihsan.’ The Prophet PBUH responded, ‘It is that you worship Allah as if you see Him. And even though you do not see Him, [you know] He certainly sees you.’ He said, ‘Tell me about the Final Hour.’ The Prophet PBUH replied, ‘The one being asked does not know more than the one asking.’ He said, ‘Tell me about the signs of the Final Hour.’ The Prophet replied, ‘The slave-girl shall give birth to her master, and you will see the barefooted, lightly-clothed, destitute shepherds competing in constructing tall buildings.’ Then he (i.e. the stranger) went away. I remained for some time. Then the Prophet said to me, ‘O Umar, do you know who the questioner was?’ I said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He explained, ‘It was [the angel] Jibra`il who came [in the appearance of a human] to teach you your deen (religion).’ [Sahih Muslim]

Explanation

This incident transpired after the farewell Hajj just before the Prophet`s demise. This Hadith has been termed as the umm al-sunnah (Mother of the Sunnah) as it is the basis and synopsis of all knowledge of Sunnah and the Prophetic mission just as Surah al-Fatihah is known as the umm al-Qur`an (Mother of the Qur`an) since it briefly encompasses the message of the entire Qur`an. It is for this reason that some books of Hadiths, such as Sahih Muslim, have commenced their books with this very narration. This Hadith is also termed as Hadith Jibr`ail. In fact, the door that Jibra`il entered to ask Prophet these questions is now known as Bab Jibra`il at the Prophet`s Masjid in Madinah Munawwarah.

It is among the etiquette of seeking knowledge to have a nice and clean apparel, and to show a high degree of respect and humility to their teacher. It is thus that Jibra`il came dressed nicely and sat before the Prophet PBUH with utmost respect and humility.

Our religion (deen) comprises of three elements: Islam, Iman and Ihsan. Islam consists of five pillars: shahadah (testimony of faith), salah (establishing the prayer), zakah (giving alms), sawm (fasting in Ramadan) and Hajj (making pilgrimage to God`s House). Iman consists of six articles of faith: belief in Allah, the angels, the books, the messengers, Divine Decree and the Last Day. Ihsan literally means perfection or excellence and it is not confined to worship only. Here it refers to reaching perfection in belief, worship, social conduct and every aspect of life, including how we treat everyone around us, through continuous striving and developing God-consciousness “as if you can see Allah”. It is not the quantity or outward performance of deeds that matter but the quality – the love, concentration, sincerity and firm conviction that they are executed with. According to some scholars, Ihsan has two stages, that is, that the highest level of Ihsan is to spend each moment “as if you can see Allah” and the lowest level is to spend each moment, if not seeing Allah then, with the consciousness that “He sees you”. However, others opine that Ihsan cannot be categorised into these two types but that it is to worship God as if you are in the court of God and with the consciousness that “He sees you”.

This Prophetic tradition entails within it all inward beliefs and outward actions. The Prophet PBUH defined Islam as [the five pillars of] outward actions and Iman as [the six foundations of] internal beliefs. Iman (i.e. beliefs) manifests itself into Islam (i.e. actions). However, these two terms may be used interchangeably if they appear alone.

A person must submit himself (i.e. Islam) to the Will of Allah and worship Him by executing [outward] actions ordained by Him. But importantly, these actions should be coupled with firm belief and conviction (i.e. Iman) so as to strengthen our rapport with Allah and thereby experience the sweetness of faith and righteous actions. To execute actions with firm belief and perfectly in such a way that one is dutiful to Almighty with full consciousness of the fact that “He sees you” (i.e. Ihsan) will allow a person to reach divine proximity to Almighty Allah.

Since the purpose of Islam, Iman and Ihsan is the pleasure of Almighty Allah and success in the Hereafter, the Prophet PBUH was asked about the Final Hour. Here, the Prophet PBUH implied that neither any angel nor human possesses that knowledge, but that the knowledge of it is exclusively reserved for Allah Himself. It does not matter when and how the final Hour will transpire but that we continuously strive to do righteous actions, seek His forgiveness and please Him. Furthermore, the Prophet PBUH taught humility and that one should not hesistate in expressing his lack of knowledge in matters of religion.

Our own Final Hour is our appointed time of death. It is more important for us to focus on how we are preparing ourselves for this momentous event than it is for us to become immersed in when and how it would approach us. Our purpose is to continuously strive for Allah`s pleasure and eternal paradise regardless of whether death is destined for us today or tomorrow.

The Prophet PBUH then provided two signs of the Final Hour in this tradition. The first sign, “the slave woman will give birth to her master,” indicates to the lack of discipline, respect, honour and gratitude demonstrated by children to their parents before the Day of Resurrection. However, other explanations for this expression have also been provided.

The second sign, “the barefooted, scantily-clothed, destitute shepherds competing in constructing lofty buildings” indicates to the change in situation where poor people or unqualified and unworthy individuals would be bestowed with leadership, authority and money and they would compete in constructing extravagant and lofty buildings.

Posted in Uncategorised on 5th May 2016 by Our Imam | 1579 Views