By Rose of Madinah

إِنَّ ٱلدِّينَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمُ ۗ وَمَا ٱخْتَلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْعِلْمُ بَغْيًۢا بَيْنَهُمْ ۗ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ

“Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islām. And those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them – out of jealous animosity between themselves. And whoever disbelieves in the verses of Allah, then indeed, Allāh is swift in [taking] account.“
Quran 3:19

The word Deen (Arabic: دين) or Religion has many wider connotations before it took a formal understanding under Islam as ‘Religion or a Way of Life’.

It may be summarized as being indebted or subjugated to a True Lawgiver which commands subordination due to the credentials the Lawgiver possess. Broadly it has 3 main components:

Obeying the Commands of the Lawgiver
Submitting to the Will and Preferences of the Lawgiver
To attain the Reward and Pleasure of the Lawgiver

A debtor will be indebted to a creditor due to the fact he has loaned resources from the creditor to survive and meet his needs. Therefore, he is obliged to uphold the terms and conditions set by the creditor despite his dislike for it. But if one were to realise that the creditor is always generous and pardoning and always relieves debts, it will be difficult not to appreciate such a honourable being. In fact, one will be inclined to fall in love with such noble attributes. Further, if one were to realise that the repayment terms and stipulations were designed to benefit the debtor instead of the creditor, one would strive to be devoted to the creditor with a loyalty that will surpass this transactional relationship. It becomes love.

Therefore, one has to first realise that one is always in the state of indebtedness before Allah for attaining the debt of existence and life. And it will be impossible for creations to truly repay Allah for the majestic value of existence for we are not able to find any resources or efforts that can match its value. Therefore, Allah the Creditor Himself has designed for us a repayment mode in which the benefactor is us again for He is not in Need of anything. The repayment mode is called Deen with its simplest form of repayment being acknowledgment, gratitude and submission. He therefore granted us Islam, Iman & Ihsan with the desire to allow us to climb the ranks of closeness and honor with Him and also additionally grants further assistance to do so. His unmatched Generosity is something which is beyond our humanly grasp which is why seeking His Direct Knowledge is the highest and most adventurous of pursuits.

Umar ibn al-Khattab reported: We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, one day, a man appeared with very white clothes and very black hair. There were no signs of travel on him and we did not recognize him. He sat in front of the Prophet, rested his knees by his knees, and placed his hands on his thighs. The man said, “O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.” The Prophet said, “Islam is to testify there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish prayer, to give charity, to fast the month of Ramadan, and to perform pilgrimage to the House if a way is possible.” The man said, “You have spoken truthfully.” We were surprised that he asked him and said he was truthful. He said, “Tell me about faith.” The Prophet said, “Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in providence, its good and its harm.” The man said, “You have spoken truthfully. Tell me about excellence.” The Prophet said, “Excellence is to worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He surely sees you.” The man said, “Tell me about the final hour.” The Prophet said, “The one asked does not know more than the one asking.” The man said, “Tell me about its signs.” The Prophet said, “The slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and you will see barefoot, naked, and dependent shepherds compete in the construction of tall buildings.” Then, the man returned and I remained.

The Prophet said to me,

“O Umar, do you know who he was?” I said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” The Prophet said, “Verily, he was Gabriel who came to teach you your religion.”
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim

As a refugee living in His Kingdom, one is therefore obliged as a honor to first learn the requirements and the job descriptions for receiving the loans and the salaries from our Lord. And the requirements are recorded in Islam, Iman & Ihsan. And the first among them would be to know and understand our true reality and status in the hierarchy of existence: A Needy Being before The Provider. Responsibility and integrity entails that we work for what we receive and that nobility lies in appreciative reciprocation instead of arrogantly usurping the resources like a freeloader.

Learn, Act, Serve & Attain

5 Pillars of Islam (Basic Belief & Practice)

Shahadah: The testification and seeking knowledge about it.
Salat: The five daily prayers.
Sawm: The fasting during Ramadhan.
Zakat: The purification of wealth through alms giving.
Hajj: Obligatory upon those are able to perform it.
6 Articles of Iman (Faith / Creed)

Al Iman : To affirm in your heart what you say by the tongue and to manifest it through your actions.

Belief in Allah with absolute certainty and without any doubt, that His existence is not like the creation, He does not resemble the creation, and His 20 necessary attributes
Belief in His Angels: They will always obey Allah and fulfil the orders of Allah.
Belief in the books sent to the Prophets: Among them the Torah, Zaboor, Injeel, Quran.
Belief in the Prophets of Allah: From Nabi Adam (AS) to Nabi Muhammad ﷺ a total of 124,000 prophets. The Quran explicitly mention 25 Prophets by name
Belief in the Final Day (Day of Judgement): The resurrection and crossing of the sirat.
Belief in Allah’s Divine Will & Decree: The good and bad everything comes from the Will and Decree of Allah.

3 levels of Imaan

Imaan Taqlid: Imitative Faith: following blindly as nominal/ cultural Muslims which is accepted only until upon reaching puberty.
Imaan Tahqiq: Reaching a level of Imaan affirming the belief in Allah.
Imaan Tasdiq: Reaching the level of Imaan of truthfulness in the belief in Allah

Pillars of Ihsan (Perfection of Faith and Practice)

To worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He surely sees you. (Muraqabah & Mushahadah)
Tasawwuf
The path towards purification of the heart