Karbala and Beyond

د، ذ, D

Dafn دفن: burial. In Islam, there are numerous rules relevant to burying the dead. One is that their dead must not be buried together with followers of other creeds. Muslims have to have their own cemeteries when they live in non-Muslim countries. The corpses have to be given their burial bath then clothed in clean white cotton sheets, shrouds. It is highly recommended to write verses of the Holy Qur'an on these shrouds. It is also recommended a small copy of the Holy Qur'an be buried with the deceased person, and two will be even better, one on each of his/her sides.

Visiting graves has always been an Islamic tradition especially on certain religious occasions when the Qur'an is recited at the grave of a loved one whose soul, rest assured, will hear the recitation and appreciate it tremendously. The body dies, but the soul is immortal. Performing prayers on behalf of the dead, especially the parents, has numerous rewards of which only the Almighty is familiar.

Doing acts of charity on behalf of the dead has its rewards to both the doer and the person for whom they are done. Graveyards, cemeteries, burial grounds and the like have their own sanctity in Islam and must meet certain conditions to qualify to be called as such. There are also rules restricting the burying of Muslim dead to certain ways and certain places which must be distinguished from those of non-Muslims. A Muslim must not be buried at non-Muslims’ cemetery. “Life” in the grave is a big topic in Islam and is worth researching. This text touches on it lightly due to space constrictions.

Dahr دهر: time, age, eternity, forever

Da'i داعي: Muslim missionary involved in da'wa دعوه, propagation of Islam. It can also have a general meaning referring to someone who calls others to a certain belief or ideology or to a gathering, meeting, banquet, wedding, etc.

Daim دائم: Permanent, continuous; if preceded by the definite article, i.e. الدائم, it will then refer to the Almighty Who is always there and neither time, nor place, nor anything material applies to Him, the One and only God of everyone and everything.

Da`iyy دعي: One whose father is unknown and someone joins him to his own lineage, a foundling, illegitimately born

Dajjal دجال: Impostor, charlatan, deceiver, pretender

Daleel دليل: evidence, proof, argument, indication, clue, guide, directory

Darij دارج: current, common, familiar, parlance, colloquial, vernacular

Da'wa دعوه: inviting others to Islam, any missionary activity

Dayn دين: debt. It may be debt to other people or to the Almighty. Some people die leaving debts behind which they owe to others who had loaned them to the Almighty to Whom they owe everything and Who required them to do what is surely within their human ability. These debts, to people or to the Almighty, must be paid by the relatives of these unfortunate dead, and there is hardly one who leaves this temporary abode without leaving behind him/her many debts. This is why Islam emphasizes the need for writing wills. Remember that whatever you owe people, or you owe your Maker, in this life will be so hard for you to pay in the life to come.

Deen دين: religion, creed, faith. Islam is all of this and much more; it is a complete and perfect way of life. Islam is referred to as a "deen" while it is much, much more than that, it is a complete, perfect and flawless way of life which leads to one's happiness in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. It regulates one's relations with other people on one hand and with his/her Creator on the other. It is provides a complete social, political and economic system.

Deewan or Diwan Diwan ديوان: a collection of poem; also a place of meeting

Dhaleel ذليل: undignified, lowly, contemptible, one living in an undignified one

Dhamm ذم: slander, maligning, vilifying, speaking ill of someone. This is the habit of many people which will in the end lodge them in hell unless they regret, repent and amend. Beware of speaking ill of people unless they are publicly exposing their own sinning and perhaps even bragging about it. In such case, you should condemn them as should everyone else.

Dharee`ah ذريعه: pretext, excuse, ostensible motive, excuse

Dhikr or Thikr or Zikr ذكر: remembrance or the praising of Allah.

Dhimmi or Thimmi or Zimmi ذمي: a non-Muslim individual who lives under the protection of a Muslim state. He is exempt from Islamic duties and obligations, including military service, but he must pay a protection tax called jizya.

Dhurriyya ذريه: offspring, issue, progeny, descendants, children

Dinar or Deenar دينار: an Islamic (now Arab) gold currency varying in weight

Dirham درهم: (historically an) Islamic silver currency weighing approx. 3.12 grams

Diyya دية: blood money, monetary compensation for manslaughter or intentional murder

Du `a' دعاء: supplication, invocation, prayer

Du'at دعاة: plural of da'iya or da`iyah, a caller to Islam or any ideology

Dukhan دخان: smoke. Chapter 44 of the Holy Qur'an is called "Al-Dukhan", the smoke. If you read the first 16 verses (out of a total of 59), you will notice how the Almighty warns those who disbelieve in the message brought from Him to Prophet Muhammad (ص):

"Keep waiting, therefore, for the day when the sky brings an evident smoke that shall overtake men" (Qur'an, 44:10-11).

The Prophet, in a tradition dealing with the signs that denote the approach of the Day of Judgment, is quoted as having said, "The first of such signs is the smoke [to which reference is made in these verses]." He was asked what smoke it would be. He said, "It will cover the east of the earth and the west; it will remain for forty days and nights. It will affect the believer just like a cold [catarrh]. As to the unbeliever, he will feel as though he is intoxicated. It [smoke] will come out of his nostrils, ears and rear end."

Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (ع) is quoted as having said, "There will be a smoke that will overwhelm both ends of the earth (east and west or north and south), causing the death of two thirds of the world's population." This "smoke" can now be said as caused by the explosion of nuclear and hydrogen bombs and by the poison gases they release.

Dunya دنيا: this world or life as opposed to the Hereafter, mortality