1. Unit 7
Islamic Thought: Basic Concepts, Din
‘Ibadah and Da'wah
Prof. Dr. Anis Ahmad*
Prof. Anis is meritorious professor of comparative ethics and religion and Vice
Chancellor, Riphah International University, Islamabad. He is also Editor of
Quarterly Journal West & Islam, Islamabad. He can be contacted at
anis@riphah.edu.pk and anis@anisahmad.com
2. 1 General meaning of “Religion”
• Derived from Latin religare (to bind fast), religion is interpreted in
the West and the East as a set of doctrines, rituals, offerings ceremonies,
festivals and prayers. Western thinkers interpret it as a feeling of
dependence (Schliermacher); poetic thinking (Herder); Myth (Eliade);
an illusion and a mass neurosis (Freud); a bridge between magic and
science (Santayana); experience of the holy (Otto); and as man’s
Ultimate concern (Paul Tillich).
• Major world religions including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism,
Judaism and Zoroastrianism more or less share in this concept of
religion.
3. 2
• Representative Philosophical views on Religion
Voltaire (1694 – 1778)
• French Scholar
• Critical of Roman Catholicism as a tool of priests and
the religious establishments
Moses Mendelssohn (1729 – 1786)
• German Jewish Philosopher
• Regarded Judaic tradition as a body of revealed
legislation whose practice made people realize
universal truths.
4. 3
Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804)
• German Philosopher
• Considered personal moral conviction as basis for
God’s existence
Aguste Comte(1798-1857): Evolution of Human thought
• Theological, mythical thinking
• Metaphysical, abstraction.
• Positivism scientific thinking. Correlating the facts of
observation with each other.
5. 4 Religious and Secular Divide
Mircea Eliade (1907 –1986)
The Western and the Eastern mind both believe in a dualism of:
Sacred and profane;
Religious and secular;
Worldly and spiritual
(Mircia Elide, The Sacred and Profane, The Nature of Religion, NY,
1959)
6. 5 Popular Muslim perceptions of madhhab (religion)
• Religion is a matter of worship such as prayer (salah), fasting (saum),
zakah, and pilgrimage (hajj).
• It is a spiritual encounter with the Ultimate, a matter of qalb, a mystical
experience, it has no place for reason ‘aql
• It means implementation of legal punishments (hudud) and regulations
(shari‘ah laws).
• It is a personal matter, society and state has no business with it.
7. 6 The Qur’anic View of “din”
Islam is din, a comprehensive way of life and not a madhhab or
religion.
The term din appears at around 85 places in the Qur’an; madhhab, an
Arabic word, is not used even once.
“The true din with Allah is Islam (submission to His Will):”
al-i-’Imran, 3:19
8. 7 Islam as the final and complete way of life, code,
din
“This day have I perfected your din for you, completed My favour
upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your din (way of life).”
al-Maida 5:3
9. 8 Din also refers to the Day of Judgment
“The Master of the Day of Judgment”.
al-Fatihah 1:4
10. 9 Din incudes implementation of law
“The woman and the man guilty of adultery (or fornication) flog each
of them with a hundred stripes: And let not tenderness for them deter
you from what pertains to Allah's din, if you do truly believe in Allah
and the Last Day, and let a party of believers witness their
punishment.”
al-Nur 24:2
11. 10 Din calls for observing social obligations
“Have you observed him who belies din (day of judgment), that is he who
repels the orphan, and urges not the feeding of the needy…”
al-Ma‘un 107:1-2
12. 11 Din stands for removal of insecurity, oppression,
exploitation and realization of law and order in
society
“Keep on fighting against them until mischief ends and the Way
prescribed by Allah prevails”
al-Baqarah 2:193
13. 12 Din includes governance and statecraft
“All authority (Sovereignty)to govern rests only with Allah. He has
commanded that you serve none but Him. This is the right way of
life (al-din al qayyim), though most people are altogether unaware.”
Yusuf 12:40
14. 13 Din integrates the spiritual and the material
“Believers! When the call for prayer is made on Friday, hasten to
remembrance of Allah, and give up all trading. That is better for you if
you, only knew. But when the Prayer is ended, disperse in the land, and
seek Allah’s Bounty and remember Allah much so, that you may
prosper”.
al-Jum’ua 62:9-10
Islam rejects the idea of reducing din to ‘religious’ rituals and
ceremonies.
It integrates Allah’s obedience in economic, social and political realms.
15. 14 Din is defined as a total way of life
“O you who believe! Enter into Islam whole-heartedly; and follow not the
footsteps of the evil one; for he is to you an avowed enemy.”
al-Baqarah, 2:208
16. 15 ‘Ibadah in Islam
• ‘Ibadah is often translated as worship, which is indeed one
meaning of the term. Worship is understood as an act of
devotion, ritual or certain ways of salutation, offerings or
service on a specific time and space, e.g observing sabath on
Saturday by the Jews or Church services on Sunday in
Christianity.
• ‘Ibadah has much wider connotation in Islam.
17. 16
• The root word ‘abd means to become subservient , subdued ,
submissive. The literal meaning of ‘ibadah is to express utter
humbleness and humility. It is used in the Qur’an for acts of worship
salah, sawm, zakah, hajj.
• ‘Abid means a person who is observing fully ‘ibadat, its pl. ‘Abidin
means a group of worshippers.
18. 17 Ibadah as objective of human creation
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to serve Me”
al-Dhariyat 51:56
19. 18
• Din and Tawhid demand that all acts of ‘ibadah should be
exclusively for the Creator, Lord. This is fully expressed in al-
Fatihah:
“You alone we worship, You alone we seek for help”
al-Fatihah:1-4
“Your Lord has decreed that you worship non but Him”
al-Isra :17:23
20. 19
‘Ibadah demands dissociation from all deviation and rebellion acts.
“For We assuredly sent amongst every People a messenger, (with the
Command), "Serve Allah, and shun the evil”
al Nahl 16:36
"Did I not enjoin on you, O you Children of Adam, that you should not
worship Satan; for that he was to you an evident enemy?”
Yasin 36:60
21. 20
• The calcification of fuqaha of ‘ibadat , mu‘ milat and ‘uqubat in a
sense confines ‘ibadah to rituals i.e salah , zakah, saum,and hajj.
• In Makkah saum , zakah and hajj were not ordained but believers were
asked to become ‘ibad, servant of Allah.
• An ‘abd (pl ‘ibad) and an ‘abid (worshiper) does not mean one and the
same.
• An ‘abd is a person who observes Allah’s commands in every single
action performed in society as reflected in al-Furqan 25:63-67
22. 21
• To be an ‘abd is an honor bestowed on Allah’s Messengers.
“And remember Our servant Job, when he called to his Lord” Saad 38:41
“and remember our servant David” Saad 38:17
“Never would the Messiah disdain to be a servant of Allah” an-Nisa 4:172
“Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-haram to
al-Masjid al- Aqsa”
al-isrā 17:1
23. 22 ‘Ibadah is also a comprehensive concept
“Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living
and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds”.
al-An‘am 6:162
24. “The (true) servants of the Merciful are those who walk humbly on the earth
who, when the ignorant people behave insolently towards them, say, "Peace to
you. who pass their nights in prostrating themselves and standing before their
Lord: who pray, "Our Lord, save us from the torment of Hell, for its torment
is killing. it is an evil abode and an evil resting place. who, when they spend,
are neither extravagant nor miserly but keep the golden mean between the
two (extremes).
(Continued) Al-Furqan 25:63-67
22.1 An ‘abd of Allah is known by his behavior
25. “…who do not invoke any god but Allah nor kill a soul, which Allah has forbidden,
unjustly, nor commit adultery. He who does this shall be punished for his sin. and his
torment shall be doubled on the Day of Resurrection, and he shall abide in a state of
ignominy. except the one who may have repented (after those sins) and have believed
and done righteous works, for such Allah will change his evil deeds into good deeds,
and He is very Forgiving and Merciful. In fact, the one who repents and does
righteous deeds, returns to Allah in the manner that he should. (And the servants of
the Merciful are those:) who do not bear witness to falsehood and who; if they have
ever to pass by what is vain, pass by like dignified people: who do not behave like the
blind and the deaf, when the Revelations of their Lord are recited to them for
admonition”. Al-Furqan 25:68-73
22.2
26. 23 ‘Ibadah and economic activity
‘Ibadah in Islam is not confined to the masjid
“O you who believe! When the call is heard for the prayer of the day of
congregation, haste unto the remembrance of Allah (fas‘au ila dhikr Allah)
and leave your trading. That is better for you if you did but know. But when
the prayer is concluded, freely spread in the land and seek Allah’s bounty yet
remember Allah much, so that you may be successful”.
al-Jumu‘ah 62:9-10
27. 24 Personal and social ‘ibadah
• ‘Ibadah is not confined to personal tazkiyah and tadhkir. The
Qur'an commands saving own self and family from hellfire.
“Believers, save yourselves and your families from the fire …”
al tahrim 66:6
Saving ‘ayal of Allah is also a personal , social and global
responsibly.
28. 25 Da‘wah
• Da'wah simply means ,dissemination ,call or invite toward the core
Islamic massage of tawhid , Oneness, Uniqueness, Transcendence and
Ultimacy of the Creator, subhanahu wa ta'ala
• Invitation to study and follow life of Allah’s final messenger as role
model for humanity.
• Every Muslim male or female is visualized by the Qur’an as a da‘iyah or
da‘i(one who invites).
• The Qur‘an has also used other words which carry meaning of da‘wah
such as indhar to caution or warn, or tadhkir to remind or iblagh to
communicate. The word da'wah embraces all these aspects.
• With very few exceptions all world religions try to share, if not preach or
propagate their teachings.
29. 26
• The Qur’an asks the Prophet to disseminate what ever is
revealed to him.
“O Messenger ! Communicate (disseminate) what has been
reveled to you from your Rabb, for if you fail to do that, you
have not fulfilled the task of His messengership. Allah will
certainly protect you from the evil of men. Surly Allah will not
guide the unbelievers ( to succeed against you). al-Mai’dah 5:67
30. 27 Individual and collective obligation
• The Qur’an links falah ,felicity and success of believers with their
proactive role as du'at.(pl of da‘iyah).
“Let there arise out of you a community (ummah) of people inviting all
that is good, enjoining all that is right, and forbidding all that is wrong
They are the ones to attain felicity”.
al-‘Imran 3:104
31. 28 Prime responsibility
The Muslim Ummah (community) is commissioned to work for
creation of peace , justice, balance, harmony moderation and fairness.
“And this is thus that We appointed you to be community of the
middle way , so that you might be witnesses unto all mankind and the
Messenger be a witness unto you”
al-Baqarah 2:143
32. 29 Allah’s prophets only remind their people
about Truth
“So render good counsel, if the reminder will benefit;
al-A‘la 87:9
“And keep reminding, for indeed, the reminder (exhortation)
benefits the believers”.
al-Dhariyat 51:55
33. 30 Da‘wah means basharat (good tidings) as well
as indhar
“O Prophet, indeed We have sent you as a witness and a
bringer of good tidings and a warner”.
al-Ahzab 33:45
34. 31 Inviting towards ma‘ruf
“You are the best community (ummah) produced [as an example] for
mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in
Allah…”
al-Imran 3:110
• Therefore a dedicated group of people should continuously do ‘amr bi al–
ma‘ruf and nahi ‘anil Munkar.
35. 32 Methodology of da‘wah
“Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good
exhortation, and reason with them in the best possible manner”.
al-Nahal 16:125
• Path of Allah
• Reason, hikmah
• Mu‘izah hasanh
• Jidal, dialogue
36. 33 Psychology of da‘wah
“Make ease and avoid hardship, give good things and do
not spread hate”.
العلم کتاب بخاری
بالیسر االمر فی باب الجھاد کتاب مسلم
37. 34 Da‘wah with sabr and istaqamah
Narrated `Ikrima: Ibn `Abbas said, "Preach to the people once a week, and if you won't,
then preach them twice, but if you want to preach more, then let it be three times (a week
only), and do not make the people fed-up with this Qur'an. If you come to some people
who are engaged in a talk, don't start interrupting their talk by preaching, lest you
should cause them to be bored. You should rather keep quiet, and if they ask you, then
preach to them at the time when they are eager to hear what you say. And avoid the use
of rhymed prose in invocation for I noticed that Allah's Apostle and his companions
always avoided it.«
Hadees Number 6337 - Chapter 80 from Invocations. of Sahih Bukhari.
38. 35 Most appropriate communication
“Go, both of you, to Pharaoh. Indeed, he has transgressed. And
speak to him with gentle speech that perhaps he may take heed
or fear [ Allah ].”
Taha 20:43-44
39. 36 Prioritization in da‘wah
“He frowned and turned away. That the blind man came to
him, [interrupting]. How could you know, [O Muhammad],
perhaps he would cleanse himself, Or he might be mindful and
the good counsel might avail him.”
Abasa 80:1-4
40. 37 Content of Da'wah
“ Your God is one , there is no god (ilah) except Him, the Beneficent , the
Merciful.
al-Baqarah 2:163
He is unique :
“Say he is Allah, the Unique, Allah the Independent (The Eternal,
Absolute;) He begets not, nor was begotten; and there is nothing
comparable to Him”.
al-Ikhlas 112:1-4
41. 38 Use of polite language
• It rejects associationism (shirk) but does not allow use of
abusive language.
“ Do not revile those other then Allah whom they invoke
because they will revile Allah in ignorance an out of spite ”.
al-An'am 6:108
42. 39 Call to reason
“There many signs on earth for those of sure faith , and also in your own
selves do you not see”.
adh-Dhariyat 51:20-21
“Do they , then , not reflect on the Qur’an ?or are there locks on their
hearts”.
Muhammad 47:24
43. 40 Da‘wah of Moderation and balance
“O children of Adam, wear your beautiful apparel you and eat and drink
yet do not overdo things (exceed limits).He loves not the
extravagant(extremist)”.
al-A'raf 7:31
“…and be not extravagant Allah loves not the prodigals”
al-An‘am 6:141
44. 41 Da‘wah through social obligations
“It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards East or West; but it
is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the
Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him,
for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask,
and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular
charity; to fulfil the contracts which you have made; and to be firm and
patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of
panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing.” al-Baqarah 2:177
45. 42 Da‘wah with transparent exemplary character
“O you who believe! Why say you that which you do not? It is most
hateful in the sight of Allah that you say that which you do not.”
al-Saff 61:2-3
46. 43 Cooperation in good deeds
“And help you one another in righteousness and pious acts, help not
one another in sin and transgression but keep your duty to Allah. Allah
is (indeed ) severe in punishment.”
al-Ma’idah 5:2
47. 44 Seeking help from Allah only
“Do not appeal to any other deity along with Allah ,no god except Him.
Everything is to perish except His face. Authority belongs to Him and to
Him you (all) be returned.”
al-Qasas 28:88
