Understanding ‘Deen’

not acknowledge Him as the sole Supreme Authority), nor in the Last Day (that is, the Day of Reckoning and the Day of Recompense), nor regard as forbidden what Allah and His Messenger have declared forbidden, nor adopt the true religion as their way. Fight against them until they pay the jizyah by their own hand and live in submission.” (Quran, 9:29) The translation I provided above is the one from the book’s author. Following this, the author states: In this verse, ‘Deen al-Haqq’ (the religion of truth) is a technical term, and its meaning is clarified in the first three phrases by Allah Himself. We have numbered the translation to show that all four meanings of the word Deen are explained in these phrases, and then their collective understanding is called Deen alHaqq.” (p. 93) The interpretations derived from this verse, to the best of my knowledge, have not been mentioned by any commentator, nor do the words of the verse support such explanations. The attempt to derive the “first” and “second” meanings of Deen from the phrase “( ” ال یومنون ابهلل they do not believe in Allah)—specifically, that they do not recognize God’s “sovereignty and