mamat ni ada buat perbandingan "deen" (sistem kehidupan) dan "madhab" (agama)
DIN—this word has been used in various contexts, among them being ascendancy, sovereignty, management, conduct of affairs, ruling power, mastership, ownership, exercise of power, code of law, constitution, law of requital, an order.
The Quran has described Islam as Ad-Din, which is generally translated as religion. However, in the light of the above meanings, it should be clear that this is not only incorrect, but distorts and negates the very meaning of din. Islam is not a religion (madhab), and it has never been described as one in the Quran. Islam is a way of life, a system, a code of law. In the external universe Islam signifies the Divine Order that governs life and the movement of the entire universe. The whole purpose of the Quran is to establish a universal order based on the Divinely ordained values of life. This is ad-din;
Islam: A Challenge to Religion
A comparative study of religion or madhhab, and din, should help us understand the vital and fundamental characteristics of each and the differences between the two:
1. Madhhab is merely some sort of subjective experience and is concerned only with the so-called private relationship between God and man.
Din is an objective reality and a system of collective life.
2. Every follower of a madhhab is satisfied that he has established a communion with the Almighty, and the objective of each individual is his own salvation.
The aim of din 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.
3. Madhhab 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 din, the development of a collective and harmonious life correctly indicates whether or not the people are pursuing the right course.
4. Madhhab is hostile to scientific investigation and is an adversary of reason, so that it could flourish unhampered with the aid of a blind faith.
Din 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.
5. Madhhab follows the susceptibilities and prejudices of men and pampers them.
Din seeks to lead men to a path of life that is in harmony with the realities of life.
6. In every age, therefore, madhhab sets up new idols and mumbo-jumbos in order to keep the people's attention away from the real problems of life.
But din is rational and radical: it breaks all idols, old and new, and is never variable in its principles.
7. Madhhab induces a perpetual sense of fear in the minds of men and seeks to frighten them into conformity;
While din treats fear as a form of polytheism and seeks to make men courageous, daring and self-reliant.
8. Madhhab prompts men to bow before every seat of authority and prestige, religious as well as temporal.
Din encourages man to walk about with his head erect, and attain self-confidence.
9. Madhhab induces man to flee from struggle of life.
But din calls upon him to face the realities of life squarely, whatever the hazards.
10. Madhhab 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.
Din, 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.
11. Madhhab encourages belief in fatalism, and this tends to dissuade man from active life and self-development.
Din gives man power to challenge fate, and provides energy for a life of activity and self-development.
12. Madhhab 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.
Din, 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 din.
13. Madhhab enjoins religious meditation in the name of worship and thus induces self-deception.
Din 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.
14. Madhhab frowns and sneers at all things of art and beauty.
Din defies those who forbid the enjoyment of the good and beautiful things of life which God has created for the enjoyment of man.
15. Madhhab denounces everything new and declares all innovation as sin.
Din 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.
It should now be easy for us to see the fundamental difference between din and madhhab. Islam means saying "Yes" to life; while the response of religion is "No"!
