Understanding Q2:256 (No compulsion in Deen)

DRAFT 

Kufr, Fusuq, Isyaan, Ghaiy, || Rushd, Islam & Iman: what they mean in the context of Allah's Deen 

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ

And when My servants question thee concerning Me, then surely I am nigh. I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he crieth unto Me. So let them hear My call and let them trust in Me, in order that they may be led aright.

[Al-Quran 2:186, Translation: Pickthall]

Allah responds immediately. Allah is asking us to also listen to Him, trust His Guidance (The Quran), may be, then, we will have sound judgement, the ability to make legally right choices and decisions (see Rushd below). 

لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ ۖ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ ۚ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِن بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىٰ لَا انفِصَامَ لَهَا ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error. And he who rejecteth false deities and believeth in Allah hath grasped a firm handhold which will never break. Allah is Hearer, Knower.

[Al-Quran 2:256, Translation: Pickthall]

There is no compulsion in the Deen (Law of Recompense). The legally correct has been made distinct from the legally wrong. On the Day of Deen, Allah, The Owner of the Day of Deen, will judge according to His Deen. 

Allah's Deen has been spelled out. Individuals and nations have the freedom to choose Allah's Deen, or not. There is no compulsion in this world. People can get away disobeying Allah's Deen, and may even find legal cover for their violations in the laws they legislate themselves. However, the word Deen means law of recompense, so, on the Day of Judgement, we will be recompensed according to Allah's Deen. 

The same Deen has been revealed to all prophets. The Torah, The Injeel, and The Quran, each have their own set of revealed laws (Shariah). In Q5:49, the Prophet ﷺ has been asked to judge according to what Allah has revealed in The Quran. The last statement in Q5:49 is that most humans are defiantly disobedient. The next ayat then questions: 

أَفَحُكْمَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَبْغُونَ ۚ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّهِ حُكْمًا لِّقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ

Is it a judgment of the time of (pagan) ignorance that they are seeking? Who is better than Allah for judgment to a people who have certainty (in their belief)?

[Al-Quran 5:50, Translation: Pickthall]

... 

Surah al-Hujarat (The Private Apartments) is the forty ninth surah in The Quran. It contains eighteen ayaat. The surah uses all the words in the subtitle of this post except 'ghaiy'. In ayat 16, it questions: 

So, when using the following terms in the context of Allah's Deen: 

Kufr means to outright reject Allah's Deen, 

for example: 

• those who do not judge according to Allah's Book (Q....  )
• People of the Book reject Allah's ayaat (Q3:98) 

...

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَسْتَحْيِي أَن يَضْرِبَ مَثَلًا مَّا بَعُوضَةً فَمَا فَوْقَهَا ۚ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَيَقُولُونَ مَاذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهَـٰذَا مَثَلًا ۘ يُضِلُّ بِهِ كَثِيرًا وَيَهْدِي بِهِ كَثِيرًا ۚ وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِ إِلَّا الْفَاسِقِينَ

Indeed, Allah is not timid to present an example - that of a mosquito or what is smaller than it. And those who have believed know that it is the truth from their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, they say, "What did Allah intend by this as an example?" He misleads many thereby and guides many thereby. And He misleads not except the defiantly disobedient,

الَّذِينَ يَنقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللَّهِ مِن بَعْدِ مِيثَاقِهِ وَيَقْطَعُونَ مَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ أَن يُوصَلَ وَيُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ۚ أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ

Who break the covenant of Allah after contracting it and sever that which Allah has ordered to be joined and cause corruption on earth. It is those who are the losers.

كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَكُنتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا فَأَحْيَاكُمْ ۖ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ

How can you disbelieve in Allah when you were lifeless and He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you [back] to life, and then to Him you will be returned.

[Al-Quran 2:26-28, Translation: Saheeh International]

Fusuq means to defiantly disobey 

for example: 

• the Fasiq (defiantly disobedient) do Kufr (reject Allah's Book)  (Q2:99) 
• many People of the Book are Fasiq (defiantly disobedient) (Q3:110)  
• the Fasiq (defiantly disobedient) do not judge by what Allah has revealed (Q5:47) 
• most among humans are Fasiq (defiantly disobedient) (Q5:49)

Isyaan means disobedience 

for example: 

• Adam disobeyed his Lord, ... (Q20:121) 

Ghaiy means to make a legal error 

for example: 

• Iblis blames Allah for making him err (Q7:16, Q15:39) 
• Iblis promises to make humans err (Q38:82) 
• Adam عليه السلام disobeyed his Lord, so he erred (Q20:121) 
• Noah عليه السلام said that his advice will not help if Allah wants to let them err (Q11:34) 
• Moses عليه السلام said to the man who kept picking fights, and calling for help, that he was clearly in error (Q28:18) 
• Muhammad ﷺ has neither strayed, nor erred (Q53:2) 

....

Rushd means legally right conduct / sound judgement 

for example: 

• there is no compulsion in the Deen (Law of recompense): sound judgement has been made distinct from ghaiy (Q2:256)
• when orphans reach maturity, and have sound judgement, hand over their wealth to them (Q4:6)
• the young men prayed for sound judgement in their affair (Q18:10) 
• whoever Allah misguides, he can have no murshid (rightly-guiding friend) (Q18:17) 
• when intending to do something in future, say in sha Allah; if you forget to say 'in sha Allah', then when you remember, say that maybe my Lord will guide me to what is closer than this to rashada (legally right statement)   
• Moses requested to be allowed to follow the servant of Allah, so as to learn Rushd from him (Q18:66)  
• the boat was damaged so the hardworking people could continue earning their living, as all the good boats were being seized by a king 
• the child (who would grow up to be evil) was killed before he could cause grief to his righteous parents in their elderly years,  with the hope that Allah will replace him with a better person 
• the wall was rebuilt, in the arrogant neighbourhood, to protect the wealth of orphans till they were old enough, as a Mercy from Allah, because their father was a righteous man 
• we gave Abraham sound judgement (Q21:51) 

Islam means submission to Allah's Deen 

for example: 

• Allah commanded Abraham to submit (...), so he submitted (...) (Q2:131)
• ask the people of the Book and the people of Makkah, do you submit (Q3:20)

....

Iman means to believe in Allah, and the Judgement of the Last Day (the resurrection and the accountability)  

for example: 

• Allah asked Abraham if he didn't believe, when he requested to be shown how Allah gives life after death (Q2:260)
• ... 

....

See also: 

The Right Religion (Deen) 

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