Religion's corruption is pictured as a journey along a once beautiful path, drawn from Dr. Douglass Brown's forthcoming book Hislam, which names all worship of God never authorized by Him and points back to Submission. A second article reflects on Quran 5:4, describing how dogs and falcons are trained for hunting, the history of falconry, and God subduing these creatures for human use.
You start out on a journey along a beautiful
path. You see animals and insects, large green trees, a clear creek glistening
in the sunlight, and colorful insects pollinating beautiful flowers. Your
feet gently rest upon warm soil. You breathe clean air and look up at
a vast blue sky filled with flying birds. You pluck fruit off of long
hanging branches along the path. You swim and wash yourself in an ever-widening
clear creek filled with fish. You see calm ponds filled with beautiful
lotus flowers. The path has its dangers. The dangers can be overcome and
avoided if you follow the directions you were given when you
started on the journey.
As you travel on the path, you begin to notice changes. You see fewer
animals and insects. The creek is murky and narrow with less aquatic life
in it. The large fruit-laden trees begin to give way to dead flowerless
brush filled with thickets of sharp weeds. You do not see many flower-laden
ponds. You begin to tire frequently, and take shorter breaths. In contrast
to the landmarks and signs you saw when you started out on the journey,
you now see an increasing number of man-made signs pointing in directions
that are not in the original traveler’s manual.
Self-appointed guides insist that you follow
their directions. Travelers constantly squabble and many divide themselves
into different groups. Each group claims that its way is the best way
and if you do not join them you will be lost. Groups carve out their own
paths away from the main path, write their own guidebooks, and outline
steps to take in order to walk on their paths. The changes have been evident
for a long time but you did not initially realize what has taken place.
Travelers follow each other’s opinions instead of heeding the original
directions provided by The Guide.
Cont’d on page 2
Hislam
Page 2
Cont’d from page 1
You wonder if you should continue with your current sojourners,
find another group, or embark on your own course. Amazed, you exclaim,
“What happened to the beautiful path I started out on...
the path I thought I was on... what happened to the beautiful path!”
When other sojourners hear you, they utter, “What is wrong
with you? “What other path are you talking about? You’re
going in the right direction.” You again ask, “How can
I get back to the right path...the path I was on?” They simply
respond, “Something is wrong with you.” Something is
wrong with you in their eyes. Even though each one of them started
out on the same beautiful path, they can no longer imagine or see
it.
The beautiful path is now a vast obstacle course. The current path
reflects the state or condition of religion. Religion has been so
corrupted that its original face is beyond recognition unless a
person is guided to the truth. Over a long period, religion has
been disfigured and fashioned into a vast spiritual obstacle course
laden with:
Idolatry.
Hundreds of cults (a.k.a., denominations, ‘schools of
thought’).
Blasphemous doctrines akin to spiritual ‘trapdoors.’
Legions of professional clergy.
Rules, rites, and rituals never authorized by God.
‘Norm troopers’ directed to enforce man-made doctrines,
and
Groups hosting “select” seekers who exclude others.
Religion is not the opiate of the people, but the distortion of
religion is clearly an opiate. Distorted corrupt religion induces
spiritual sleep. But, amidst such corruption, confusion, and chaos,
there are righteous souls who, by God’s leave, are guided
back in all times to the true worship of God. They have nothing
to fear nor will they grieve.
Proven Truth:
Surely, those who believe, those who are
Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes
in God, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous
life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing
to fear, nor will they grieve. (Quran 2:62)
In this imagined journey, the other creatures, plants, and life
forms are in harmony with the greater divine scheme. Each life form
has its purpose. You are endeavoring to find your purpose. All are
in submission to the Creator. The fruit, creek, and fresh air symbolize
the blessings derived from worshiping God alone. Changes along the
once clear path represent the gradual corruption of religion.
Unfortunately, many people are content with
the corruptions. Hopefully, you still
want to remain vigilant in your search for spiritual truth. Your
questions about changes on the path are echoed by others who also
recognize that something has gone awry with religion. What is considered
normal religious practices to others is spiritually harmful and
toxic to you. This imaginary journey pauses at a ‘place’
where you say you want to get back on the right path.
Many current doctrines and practices in the three monotheist religions
divert you from the right path. Hundreds of other religions and
beliefs systems are as distorted as the monotheist religions. One
web site estimated that there are more than 4,200 religions, denominations,
sects, religious bodies, faith groups, and spiritual movements in
the world. But, there is only one original spiritual path - the
religion ordained by God for creation (Submission).
[Ed.’s note: The article is based on excerpts
taken from the introduction of the book titled “Hislam”
by Dr. Douglass Brown. God willing, the book is in the process of
being published. We will inform you as soon as it is off the press
and available for everyone. As Dr. Brown explains in his book, “Hislam”
is an acronym that designates the corruption of the human worship
of God. Synonymous with corrupt spirituality, Hislam encompasses
all expressions of spiritual falsehood. “Hislam”
is not Islam. The “ His” in “Hislam”
refers to the introduction, acceptance, and practice of beliefs
and behavior never revealed and authorized by God. Someone other
than God (i.e., the “his”) owns or is the source of
the innovations and false practices.]
TRAINED DOGS AND FALCONS
They consult you concerning what is lawful for them;
say, “Lawful for you are all good things, including what trained
dogs and falcons catch for you.” You train them according
to God’s teachings. You may eat what they catch for you, and
mention God’s name thereupon. You shall observe God. God is
most efficient in reckoning. 5:4
Page 3
I’ve always been fascinated by this verse. God dispels any
negative notions about animals and their association with humans
by saying that they catch good food and that we train them according
to God's teachings. Any mention of dogs always catches my attention.
I understand training dogs—it’s what I do. But this
verse also includes falcons, and I realized I had no idea how falcons
were trained and used.
In the above verse, God mentions only dogs and falcons. Interestingly,
they are about the only animals regularly used to help humans hunt.
In ancient Egypt, cats were sometimes taught to retrieve birds that
their masters
brought down with a boomerang. While
modern cats are very domesticated, they are very rarely trained
to do anything. Wild cats such as the cheetah and the caracal have
been used in India and Asia. Both display speed and agility and
can be tamed, but both are endangered and rarely seen. We’re
left with dogs and falcons.
Dogs have been bred over the last few centuries to perform specific
tasks for their owners. There are different kinds of hounds that
use their noses, eyes and ears to find and chase prey; there are
pointers and setters that alert to the prey; spaniels that chase
and flush prey; and retrievers that retrieve the fallen prey.
Falconry involves the use of a wide variety of birds of prey—eagles,
owls, hawks, true falcons, down to the tiny kestrel. As in dog training,
understanding the animal is important to success. The kestrel is
the most easy-going of all but is barely larger than a robin so
it’s a good bird for beginners but can’t be expected
to bring down anything larger than a mouse.
On the other extreme, the eagle is very difficult to use because
it’s so big and strong. Carrying one on the arm is exhausting,
and its grip on the wrist is like a vise. Arguably the best hunter
is the peregrine falcon. It has a wingspan of 40-46 inches and dives
between 100-120 MPH. Part of the joy for modern falconers is the
sheer pleasure to be derived from watching one in action, a master
of the air. One falconer wrote: “It’s a unique hunting
partnership—you tame her, tend her, train her and work her
to the peak of physical condition, then release her to the elements
while you become no more than a mere spectator of a totally natural
event.”
Falconry is a very ancient form of hunting, going back to China
before 2000 BC. It shows up in some of the oldest Egyptian wall
paintings. The Romans introduced it
throughout Europe, and it became extremely popular among English
nobility in the early part of the last millennium. In fact, the
type of bird an Englishman carried on his wrist when he went hawking
marked his rank. A king carried the gyrfalcon, an earl the peregrine,
a yeoman the goshawk, a priest the sparrow hawk, and a servant the
kestrel. The Middle East has always embraced falconry, as evidenced
in bas-relief from 1700 BC and by its inclusion in the Quran.
I was interested to learn that the training of falcons has a lot
of similarities to dog training. While there are a lot of books
out on the subject, they acknowledge that trying to train a bird
“by the book” is out of the question. Hawks, like dogs,
have both inherent traits and individual characteristics that shape
them and must be taken into account. But the approach is gentle
and deliberate, not pushing the animal beyond its capacity.
First the bird gets used to its new surroundings. Today most birds
used in the sport of falconry are bred and raised in captivity,
eliminating the need to trap wild birds. But of course, when they
were truly used for hunting, a wild bird was all there was. If an
adult bird was captured, it would take longer to adjust to working
with man, but it already knew how to hunt so training was easier.
Nestlings would bond more quickly but had not been taught to hunt
by their parents so more training was required.
The falconer might stay long hours in a darkened room next to the
bird in its cage, talking quietly and stroking the hawk. This is
vital in the early stages if the bird is to accept and tolerate
its new partner.
Cont’d on page 4
Trained Dogs And Falcons
Page 4
Cont’d from page 3
It’s generally agreed that birds will bond with their owners to
the point where some degree of communication is possible. But it’s
not a relationship of love and trust, as you might find with a dog. In
dog training, you use praise and food to teach; in falconry, it’s
all food. By controlling the amount of food, the times the bird is fed,
and the fact that it must look to its owner to receive food, the hawk
will learn to do what is expected in order to receive that food.
To begin, the falconer attaches a short leather cord to the bird’s
feet and holds that in his hand while he teaches the bird to stand on
his gloved fist where it’s fed tidbits of meat. He then teaches
the hawk to jump from its perch onto the gloved fist to receive the meat,
gradually widening the distance until the bird will fly 50 feet or more
from its perch to the falconer’s fist. All to be fed.
Eventually, the trainer moves to an open field.
You can do some practice with a line attached to the bird, but for it
to really do its job, it must fly free. How do you keep a wild bird from
simply flying away? Well, sometimes you don’t. A bird that was captured
as an adult is more likely to flee when given the chance. But if the training
is done correctly, the bird has learned that the simplest way of obtaining
food is to fly to its handler. So they perch in trees or fly in slow circles
around their handlers and come when called. A partnership has been formed.
And when the hawk captures the rabbit or quail, it must surrender it to
the human. Hunting is the natural instinct of these birds, but giving
up what they catch must seem very strange. This is a gift from God. Only
God subdues the wild bird to the will of a human being. …"Glory
be to the One who subdued this for us. We could not have controlled them
by ourselves. 43:13
Hunting today is mostly for sport and show, but one amazing use of hawks
in modern
times is at airports. Flocks of flying birds
are sometimes sucked into jet engines causing the plane to crash. After
one such accident at JFK in New York, officials decided to try an experiment.
For over ten years now, hawks have been used to chase off other birds
from the area at the end of runways, and there hasn’t even been
a near miss in all that time.
In ancient times and in some places today, hunting with falcons is all
about survival. Human beings are quite ill-equipped to catch game—we’re
not fast, not strong, not agile. We think we’re smart, using our
superior intellect to train these birds and dogs to do our bidding. But
it’s all a blessing from God that He allowed us to use other creatures
to help us in this endeavor.
…You train them according to God’s teachings.
You may eat what they catch for you, and mention God’s name thereupon….
5:4
Lydia
About this work
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International Community of Submitters
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International Community of Submitters / Masjid Tucson