not meant to be followed blindly. They are to be applied with
intelligence and forethought. Iqbal, who has grasped the essence of
deen, remarks that it enunciates “basic principles of a universal
import directing the evolution of human society on a spiritual
basis.”(7) Hard and fast rules, therefore, have no place in deen. Deen
has fully served its purpose if it has delineated the ideal of life in
bold lines, has explicated the principles governing its pursuit and has
inspired in man zeal and devotion for the ideal. The deen of Islam
does not lay on man a heavy burden of rules and regulations. It
merely gives him guidance where he needs it and provides him with
permanent values. Man should seek the aid of deen in obtaining
inspiration and vision; he should look elsewhere if he is interested
only in the performance of ritual and ceremonial. Looked at from
this angle, deen is not an opiate, as the Marxians contend, but a
stimulant and a spur to action. Deen does not induce in us
contentment with things as they are; it spurs us on the efforts
directed to the establishment of a better order of society. On the
other hand, religion inculcates a passive resignation and complete
submission to authority, however oppressive and unjust it may be.
At best, it counsels us to have recourse to passive resistance. Deen
calls upon us to fight against injustice and oppression and to actively
promote the cause of justice.
Another characteristic of deen distinguishes it from religion in its
general sense. Deen is forward-looking: the ideal it embodies
beckons to man from the future. Like a beacon it guides his steps
towards a glorious destiny. Deen does not want man to keep gazing,
awestruck, at some golden age in the remote and dim past: man’s
duty is not to retrace his steps but to advance in the direction of
futurity. Deen is prospective, not retrospective. It is a vis a front not a
vis a tergo. That is why deen is a source of hope and attaches supreme
importance to hope; so much so that to relinquish hope is reckoned
as kufr (the Qur’an, 39:53; 12:87).
Finally, the Qur’an insists upon explicit conviction, which it calls
eiman. A number of verses in the Qur’an make it clear that
compulsion has no place in the sphere of deen. Deen must be
accepted freely and voluntarily by man. A religion which is forcibly
imposed on an individual has no value for him or for the world at
large. Man has the right to exercise free choice in the matter of deen.
The Function of Deen 67