Understanding ‘Deen’

Chapter, they saw it as a sign that his time was nearing. Here, I will quote some excerpts from classical tafsir texts to clarify this interpretation. “( ُ ‘—”) إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَِّ وَالْفَتْح nusr’ means assistance and prevailing over the enemy, and ‘fath’ refers to the conquest of lands. The meaning is the victory of the Prophet œ over the Arabs, specifically the Quraysh, and the conquest of Makkah. “ ِ وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِ دِين —” اللَِّ أَفـْوَاجًا when you see the people entering Allah’s religion in multitudes, referring to the people of Yemen embracing Islam in large groups, whereas earlier they entered one or two at a time. (Madarik al-Tanzil, Vol. 3, p. 688) In Tafsir Abi al-Su’ud, it is explained: “They enter Allah’s religion”—that is, the religion of Islam—“in large groups,” such as the people of Makkah, Ta’if, Yemen, Hawazin, and other tribes of Arabia, who previously entered Islam one or two at a time (Tafsir Abi al-Su’ud, Vol. 9, p. 208). In Ruh al-Ma’ani (Vol. 15, p. 492), it is stated that the meaning of people entering Allah’s religion in groups is that large numbers began to accept Islam without fighting. This event took place between the conquest of Makkah and the Prophet’s death. Before this, people accepted Islam individually or in pairs.