Incarceration as a possible blessing in disguise opens the issue, in a reprinted article by Dr. Rashad Khalifa urging prisoners who find pure Islam to join God's kingdom. A prisoner in Texas writes asking for Quranic materials and legal standing for his study group apart from Sunni doctrine. Also included are verses on the righteous from Sura 25, a reflection on idolizing cars, and details of the 1996 Houston conference.
“...You may dislike something which is good for you,
and you may like something
which is bad for you. God knows while you do not know.” (2:216)
Page 1
What appears to be a real disaster may actually
be a great blessing in disguise. Our incarcerated brothers may provide
a perfect example.
Discovering God and joining His kingdom is the greatest achievement any
human being can attain. If incarceration is what it takes for anyone to
reach this precious goal, it is a small price indeed for such a great
treasure.
The Quran teaches us that if a disbeliever possesses all the treasures
of the world, even twice as much, he would readily give it all up in exchange
for a believer’s achievement.
Those who respond to their Lord deserve the good rewards.
As for those who failed to respond to Him, if they possessed everything
on earth—even twice as much—they would readily give it up
as ransom. They have incurred the worst reckoning, and their final
abode is Hell; what a miserable
destiny. [13:18, also 10:54, 39:47]
If you are a prisoner who discovered the true path to God, and have decided
to follow God’s true religion, you are far more fortunate than a
billionaire who has failed to discover God. If you discovered Islam in
prison, then incarceration was the greatest blessing that ever happened
to you.
It is an established fact that this life is insignificant, when compared
to the real life of the eternal Hereafter. Mathematically, when you divide
any number by infinity, the product is zero. So even a thousand years
in this world is equal to ZERO when compared to the infinite Hereafter.
With this Quranic understanding, we realize that it doesn’t really
matter whether we are poor or rich in this world, fat or thin, tall or
short, black or white, male or female, beautiful or ugly. Furthermore,
this life, no matter how long, passes like the blink of an eye 16:77.
When God loves someone, He may afflict him
or her with a temporary problem just to get his or her attention. This
is what Quran teaches in verses 6:42 and 7:94.
We have sent (messengers) to communities before you, and
we put them to the test through adversity and hardship, that they may
implore. 6:42
Incarceration may be God’s way of blessing you, and getting your
attention. It means that God cares about you. If you respond positively
to God’s care, and decide to join His kingdom, then He makes it
up to you manifold. He will appoint you a KING ON EARTH. This is God’s
inviolable promise as we see in the Quran:
God promises those among you who believe and lead a righteous
Continued on page 2
Blessing in Disguise?
Page 2
Cont’d from page 1
life, that He will make them sovereigns on earth,
as He did for those before them, and will establish for them the
religion He has chosen for them, and will substitute peace and security
for them in place of fear. All this because they worship Me alone;
they never set up any idols beside Me. Those who disbelieve after
this are the truly wicked. 24:55
There is one important catch: you must
be absolutely positive that you have found the pure Islam, not the
Islam that is distorted by traditions and superstitions.
[Editor’s note: This article was originally
written by Dr. Rashad Khalifa. It was published in Muslim Perspective,
February, 1985.
For all of us who make mistakes, let us remember
not to despair of God’s mercy; let us repent, reform and reflect
on the following verses from Sura 25 titled “the Statue Book.”
These are some of the traits of righteous people.]
The worshipers of the
Most Gracious are those who tread the earth gently, and when the
ignorant speak to them, they only utter peace.
In the privacy of the night, they meditate on their
Lord, and fall prostrate.
And they say, “Our Lord, spare us the agony
of Hell; its retribution is horrendous. It is the worst abode; the
worst destiny.”
When they give, they are neither extravagant nor
stingy; they give in moderation.
Last Reminder
11th Annual International Conference
United Submitters
August 9-11, 1996
Houston, Texas
The conference registration fee is $57 per person. The fee is $29
for children 5-12 years old. Children under 5 are free. The registration
fee covers two lunches and two dinners, and miscellaneous conference
expenses. It does NOT include the hotel room charges.
We made special arrangements with a first class hotel and reserved
rooms for our group. The special rate is $72 per room per night
(for example, a single adult pays $72 total for 2 nights assuming
double occupancy). The room rate includes full breakfast. Participants
pay the room charges to the hotel directly on departure.
Please make your plans right away to attend the conference. If
you travel by air, you need to fly into Houston Intercontinental
airport. The hotel has free shuttle service from the airport.
Registrations for the conference must be received by July 21. Please
send the registration fees to:
ICS/MASJID TUCSON
PO BOX 43476
TUCSON, AZ 85733-3476
Registration highlights and notes:
Adults: $57
Children (ages 5-12): $29
Children under 5: Free
Room charges paid to the hotel directly at check-out.
You do not have to make reservations for the hotel. We make
the reservations for you. Please do not delay your registration.
You can stay at the hotel before and after the conference dates
at the special rate for ICS.
Notify us right away if you would like give a talk at the conference.
Indicate your topic. The time allotted for talks is 15-20 minutes.
Attendance at the conference is by registration and invitation only.
We appreciate your prompt response. God willing, we will see you in
Houston.
They never implore beside God
any other god, nor do they kill anyone—for God has made life
sacred—except in the course of justice. Nor do they commit
adultery. Those who commit these offenses will have to pay.
Retribution is doubled for them on the Day of Resurrection,
and they abide therein humiliated.
Exempted are those who repent, believe, and
lead a righteous life. God transforms their sins into credits. God
is Forgiver, Most Merciful
Those who repent and lead a righteous life,
God redeems them; a complete redemption.
They do not bear false witness. When they encounter
vain talk, they ignore it
When reminded of their Lord’s revelations,
they never react to them as if they were deaf and blind.
And they say, “Our Lord, let our spouses and
children be a source of joy for us, and keep us in the forefront
of the righteous.”
These are the ones who attain Paradise in return
for their steadfastness; they are received therein with joyous greetings
and peace.
Eternally they abide therein; what a beautiful destiny;
what a beautiful abode.
Say, “You attain value at my Lord only through
your worship. But if you disbelieve, you incur the inevitable consequences.”
25:63-77
A Voice From Behind Bars
Page 3
As Salaam Alaikum,
Warm greetings of peace to the company of the true believers...
and I come to you with a sincere heart in knowing the true practice
of Islam. I’m so very tired of being fed these so-called doctrines
of Islam that are not supported by the Quran. Here in this institution,
if you do not follow the way in which you are taught (Sunni or traditional
Islam), then you are often considered to be an outcast of some kind.
My concept of this is that, no one should be punished in any sort
of way for wanting to follow what the Quran and only the Quran states.
I’m not looking for traditions, I’m looking for the
proper way to submit my will to God only. I have had the chance
to read some material by brother Rashad Khalifa (may God grant him
peace) and it opened my eyes to the many things I have been taught
which are all wrong.
I was played for a fool in the Christian religion and feed false
doctrine of the Creator. And now those who call themselves Muslims
are trying to feed me the same mass in a different shade of color.
But all praise be to God, I have studied and I can see for myself
what truth is all about. I refuse to worship a man under any circumstances,
for God needs no partners of any kind and He surely doesn’t
need anything to support or make His Book.
I was given your address because it is said that your organization
has solid proof the Quran is God’s word and the things which
you teach are supported by the Quran. This is what I am looking
for and I come to you with a very
sincere heart for your guidance and
teachings.
Due to my position of being in this institution of modern slavery,
I have no means of funds to send you at this time, for any books
and material of Islam and its true teachings. God willing, I will
be out of this situation soon, and I will no doubt spread the truth
which you give me. I want to be Quranic based so I can be among
those who truly submit their will to God.
My quest is truly not alone for I have formed a study group called
Students of Islam (SOI) which consists of at least a hundred to
a hundred and fifty and growing rapidly. If there is anything you
can do to help us in any way, please do. For we are truly seeking
to find the true message in the Quran and not the traditions (Hadith).
My goal and aim is to clear up most, if not all, the misconceptions
of Islam that is being taught in all of the institutions here in
Texas.
I would also like to receive any books and [translation of the]
Quran you may have by Rashad Khalifa. Your help is very much needed
and I don’t know where else to turn, for everything here is
based on the teachings of W. D. Muhammad and Sunni Muslims. I’m
the one who tries to practice submitting my will to God only. I
want to help spread the truth and teach Islam from the Quran. I
have learned to read Arabic but I have very limited material in
which to study. The grammar part is very important, but this I am
still trying to get. However, I can read and write Arabic well enough
to go into the
Quran and find the truth to the best
of my ability.
My last issue to you is a question. How can we make the students
of Islam a legal organization in which we can truly continue to
submit our wills to God without any views that we are not Muslims?
And if we do not wish to follow the Sunni Muslims’ doctrine
in this institution, can our right to services be stopped under
law? My way of life is Islam and I’m a student of Islam and
I strongly feel I have the right to teach it correctly and directly
from the Quran.
If there is anything you can do to help me, it will truly be appreciated.
And I truly apologize for the messy writing (smile), but I have
never had good script. May God continue to shine His peace and mercy
upon all of you and the true believers. God willing I will hear
from you soon.
Your brother in Islam
Isma`il
[Editor’s note:
We have many incarcerated brothers who are in need of Islamic reading
materials, especially the translation of the Quran. Many of these
brothers do not have the resources to purchase the materials they
want. We try to help them out as much as we can. However, our resources
are limited. We often put the requests in a waiting list and send
the materials to them when the resource is available. We encourage
our readers to sponsor sending materials to these sincere and needy
brothers.]
Idol Worship Comes in Different Forms
Page 4
We talk frequently about idols and what they
are. We know from the Quran that idols may not be just statues, or messengers.
Idols could be material things such as money, cars, a business we own,
the job we have. They could be also our spouses, girl friends or children—anything,
anybody that occupies our minds most of the time, and takes priority before
God. This made me think about many things that happened in my life.
For example, my first car. It was a little red car. I fixed the interior
and the car looked really good. I used to wax it all the time, and be
really proud of the car. What happens? One day on the way to work, I had
an accident. The entire front end was crushed. When I got to work, I was
really upset.
Shortly after my car accident, someone gave a khutba (sermon) on Friday
about idols, and I realized that my car had become an idol. I said to
myself that God took the car because I had been thinking more about my
car than God. I had forgotten my prayers, missed the Quranic studies because
this car occupied my mind most of the time. This was a reminder from God.
However, God is really merciful, and He helps us if
we repent, ask forgiveness from God and are
sincere in our repentance.
After that khutba, I went home and found a message on my machine. The
insurance company was going to pay for all repairs. There would be extra
money for me too. I sold the car for much more than I paid for it. I made
a lot of money out of that little car. I said, “Thank you God, I
will never idolize my car again.”
I bought another car. This time a BMW. I said to myself, “I don’t
care about this car as much. I will not idolize my car again.” Well,
soon I was showing it off, telling everyone about it. What happens? The
car’s engine breaks down. I had to put a lot of money into that
car. I said, “I’m sorry, God. I’ll never idolize my
car again.”
Sometimes we get tied up in our daily lives, and make idols out of many
things without even realizing it. We need to remember and fear God more
than anything else in this life. If things are not working out for us,
we should consult the Quran, find the answer, and correct our actions.
God guarantees that He will make us kings and queens on earth if we do
this. Following the word of God should be our number one priority.
Any blessing you enjoy is from
God. Yet, whenever you incur any adversity you immediately complain to
Him. Yet, as soon as He relieves your affliction, some of you revert to
idol worship. 16:53-54
You shall submit to Him, reverence Him, observe the Contact
Prayers (Salat), and?whatever you do?do not ever fall into idol worship.
30:31
When adversity afflicts the people, they turn to their
Lord, totally devoting themselves to Him. But then, as soon as He showers
them with mercy, some of them revert to idol worship. 30:33
It has been revealed to you, and to those before you that
if you ever commit idol worship, all your works will be nullified, and
you will be with the losers. 39:65
Daniel Ley
About this work
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International Community of Submitters
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International Community of Submitters / Masjid Tucson