As the verb form of din, dana has various meanings, such as subjugation, obedience, and servitude. Citing Abu Ubaid (d. 224 AH) and Amr bin Kulthum (d. around the 6th century), Goudarzi challenges Ubaid’s interpretation of din as merely “obedience.” He argues that in classical Arabic literature, din conveys more nuanced meanings, such as enslavement, subjugation, or command (as suggested by Amr).
Goudarzi also examines QS Yusuf (12): 76, where Joseph takes his brother Benjamin to punish him “fi din al-malik” (according to the king’s law). Goudarzi finds previous interpretations by traditional scholars insufficient. Upon closer analysis, including its relation to surrounding verses, Goudarzi contends that the phrase is better understood as “the king’s servant/slave.”
Moreover, the development of the term din also encompasses the idea of ritual worship. Goudarzi refers to the 6th-century poet al-Nabighah al-Dubyani, who used din to indicate a ritual of pilgrimage, as well as a Hadith from Ibn Abbas (d. 68 AH), where Arabs before Islam are described as adhering to two dins: Hillah and Hums.
This suggests that certain cultic practices can also be tied to the word din. While modern scholars may debate whether din signifies “worship,” Goudarzi remains convinced that some verses in the Qur’an, though not all, reflect this meaning. His view aligns with scholars like Nicolai Sinai and Matthew Niemi.
Verses like QS Al-Kafirun (109):6, “For you is your din and for me is my din,” seem to reflect a notion of “worship,” where the contrast lies in what each party worships. The idea of exclusive worship is particularly fitting when paired with verbs like akhlasa or mukhlish, as in mukhlisina lahu al-din (“those who devote their worship exclusively to Allah”). In this context, scholars like Régis Blachère and others cited by Goudarzi prefer to interpret din in this manner.