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A
comparative study of religion and Deen, should help us
understand the vital and fundamental characteristics of each and the
differences between the two: |
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Religion |
Deen |
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Religion is merely some sort of subjective experience and
is concerned only with the so-called private relationship between
God and man. |
Deen
is an objective reality and a system of collective life.
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Every
follower of a Religion is satisfied that he has established a
communion with the Almighty, and the objective of each individual is
his own salvation. |
The aim
of Deen on the other hand is the welfare and progress of all
mankind, and the character and constitution of a society indicates
whether or not it is founded upon the Divine Law. |
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Religion does not afford us any objective. criterion by which
we could determine whether or not our actions are producing the
desired results. |
In a
social order governed by Deen, the development of a
collective and harmonious life correctly indicates whether or not
the people are pursuing the right course. |
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Religion is hostile to scientific investigation and is an
adversary of reason, so that it could flourish unhampered with the
aid of a blind faith. |
Deen
helps in the
development of human reason and knowledge, allows full freedom to
accept or reject on the basis of reason and arguments, and
encourages investigation and discovery of all the natural phenomena
to illumine the path of human life and its advancement in the light
of the Permanent Values. |
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Religion follows the susceptibilities and prejudices of men and
pampers them. |
Deen
seeks to lead men to a
path of life that is in harmony with the realities of life. |
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In
every age, therefore, Religion sets up new idols and
mumbo-jumbos in order to keep the people's attention away from the
real problems of life. |
But
Deen is rational and radical: it breaks all idols, old and new,
and is never variable in its principles. |
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Religion induces a perpetual sense of fear in the minds of men
and seeks to frighten them into conformity; |
While
Deen treats fear as a form of polytheism and seeks to make
men courageous, daring and self-reliant. |
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Religion prompts men to bow before every seat of authority and
prestige, religious as well as temporal. |
Deen
encourages man to walk about with his head erect, and attain
self-confidence. |
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Religion induces man to flee from struggle of life. |
But
Deen calls upon him to face the realities of life squarely,
whatever the hazards. |
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Religion treats the world of matter with contempt and calls
upon man to renounce it. It promises paradise only in the Hereafter
as a reward for the renunciation of the material world. |
Deen,
on the other hand, enjoins the conquest of matter and leads man to
immeasurable heights of attainment. It exhorts him to seek
well-being and happiness in this world as well as felicity in the
life Hereafter. |
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Religion encourages belief in fatalism, and this tends to
dissuade man from active life and self-development. |
Deen
gives man power to challenge fate, and provides energy for a life of
activity and self-development. |
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Religion seeks to comfort the weak, the helpless and the
oppressed with the belief that the affairs of this world are
governed by the Will of God and that its acceptance and resignation
helps to endear them to God. This sort of teaching naturally tends
to morbidity, and emboldens their religious leaders who profess to
interpret the Will of God, so that they indulge in their misdeeds
with perfect impunity and persuade the adherents to a complete and
quiet submission. |
Deen,
on the other hand, raises the banner of revolt against all forms of
tyranny and exploitation. It calls upon the weak and the oppressed
to follow the Divine Laws and thereby seek to establish a social
order in which all tyrants and oppressors will be forced to accept
the dictates of right and justice. In this social order, there is no
place for dictators, capitalists or priests. They are all enemies of
Deen. |
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Religion enjoins religious meditation in the name of worship
and thus induces self-deception.
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Deen
exhorts men to assert themselves and struggle perpetually for the
establishment of the Divine Social Order, and its betterment when
attained. Worship in din really means obedience
to the Laws of God. |
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Religion frowns and sneers at all things of art and beauty.
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Deen
defies those who forbid the enjoyment of the good and beautiful
things of life which God has created for the enjoyment of man. |
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Religion denounces everything new and declares all innovation as
sin.
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Deen
holds that the needs and demands of human life keep changing with
the change in the conditions of life; change and innovation are,
therefore, demanded by life itself. Only the Divine Laws are
immutable. |
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It
should now be easy for us to see the fundamental difference between
Deen
and
Religion.
Islam means saying "Yes" to life; while the response of religion
is "No"! |
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