Men and women are equal in the sight of God, who judges by righteousness alone, with Quranic verses on accepting God-given differences and appreciating His blessings. A second article reads the splitting of the moon in 54:1 as fulfilled by Apollo 11 in 1969, supported by the number 19. Readers comment on dogs in Islam, and the 20th annual Submitters conference in Seattle is announced.
We learn from the Quran that men and women
are equal in the sight of God. In fact, not only our gender, but also
any other physical or material differences we might have, such as our
race, color of skin, beauty, or money in the bank, are irrelevant for
our salvation to God. What God judges us with is our righteousness.
O people, we created you from the same male and female,
and rendered you distinct peoples and tribes, that you may recognize one
another. The best among you in the sight of God is the most righteous.
God is Omniscient, Cognizant (49:13)
God explains in this verse the reason for His creating us physically
different and distinct. In another verse,
He explains to us why some of us are blessed more than others socially
and materially.
He is the One who made you inheritors of the earth, and
He raised some of you above others in rank, in order to test you in accordance
with what He has given you. Surely, your Lord is efficient in enforcing
retribution, and He is Forgiver, Most Merciful. (6:165)
Is God favoring some people over others? No, God does not play favoritism.
He is the Most Just. Even though we may not think our circumstances are
just at times, God
knows while we do not know. Who we are, what
we are given, what we are going through in life is exact and the best
way for us to prepare ourselves for the Hereafter, based on God’s
knowledge about us.
Your Lord knows you best. According to His knowledge,
He may shower you with mercy, or He may requite you. We did not send you
to be their advocate. Your Lord is the best knower of everyone in the
heavens and the earth. In accordance with this knowledge, we preferred
some prophets over others. For example, we gave David the Psalms. (17:54-55)
Cont'd on page 2
Equality
Page 2
Cont’d from page 1
So, if we are born to a certain gender, color, or family, there
is a reason for it. Only God knows that reason and the wisdom behind
it. However, as we get older and hopefully wiser, we might be able
to see and appreciate, by God’s grace, some of this wisdom
by looking back on what happened in our lives. Since, we cannot
see the future, we have to accept and submit to our current circumstances,
and make the best of it.
God always reminds us in the Quran to get our priorities straight.
Our lives in this world are temporary. If we give priority to this
life over the Hereafter, we may end up with losers in our eternal
life even though we may achieve our worldly goals.
Whoever seeks the rewards of the Hereafter, we multiply
the rewards for him. And whoever seeks the materials of this world,
we give him therefrom, then he receives no share in the Hereafter.
(42:20)
God does not want us to be secluded and not to enjoy this life.
On the contrary, God wants us to be better off in this life if we
can. He would rather see us wealthy with resources than poor and
dependent on others (16:75). But He wants us to be cognizant of
the source of the blessings and be appreciative of them.
Use the provisions bestowed upon you by GOD to seek
the abode of the Hereafter, without neglecting your share in this
world. Be charitable, as GOD has been charitable towards you. Do
not keep on corrupting the earth. GOD does not love the corruptors.
(28:77)
We should concentrate on the blessings God has given us, and how
we can use them best to better
our lives while leading a righteous
life. We need to focus on seeing the glass half full, instead of
half empty. If we are appreciative of God’s blessings, we
should count what we have, not what we lack. In return, God will
bless us with even more. It is a win-win situation!
Your Lord has decreed: "The more you thank
Me, the more I give you." But if you turn unappreciative, then
My retribution is severe. (14:7)
We need to trust in God that our lives are tailored for us perfectly.
Therefore, we should not be covetous of the blessings He has given
to other people.
And do not covet what we bestowed upon any other
people. Such are temporary ornaments of this life, whereby we put
them to the test. What your Lord provides for you is far better,
and everlasting. (20:131)
Also, the physical differences in men and women are not something
to covet, but to use for complementing each other, and to strengthen
our family, community and so on.
You shall not covet the qualities bestowed upon
each other by GOD; the men enjoy certain qualities, and the women
enjoy certain qualities. You may implore GOD to shower you with
His grace. GOD is fully aware of all things. (4:32)
We have to thank God that He created all of us unique, with different
color, shape, size and abilities. If we were all the same like cloned
people, coming out of the same mold, think about how boring and
chaotic the world would be. So, let us enjoy our God-given differences
and all the blessings He bestowed on us, be appreciative of them
and maintain a positive attitude in life.
Abdullah
Readers’
Comments on Dogs in Islam
Now THIS is what I feel Islam is all about.
I have looked over many of your articles, and love them. I was
raised in the Anglican Church, and was going to be a priest, and
during my studies, I have found how when man puts in something a
prophet was suppose to have said, it can change a religion forever
and is nothing like it once was.
I like you article on Dogs. You know, it is said Dogs can also
see things we cannot—like things in the spirit world. Maybe
this is why Satan causes the “Hadith” to speak against
them, because they might warn up of him, or his followers. I think
the Quran is great, however the Hadith takes away from the Quran,
and make Islam look very silly, and full of fables. I have seen
the idol worship in Islam. It is there. Muhammad is given a place
right along side God, and it is wrong. I would like to speak to
someone. I can follow this Islam with a clear mind.
C. W.
Salam alaikum.
Since I found the right path in Islam, I was not sure whether
I would be able to keep my wonderful German shepherd dog. I had
him since he was a puppy and I feel like he is a member of my beautiful
family and could not bear the thought that I would loose him because
of my beliefs. I was told by one Muslim that he could not have dogs
because of Islam and that made me very upset and kept ignoring the
issue so that I do not find out that I could not keep him. Even
if it was true I do not think I would of been able to give him up
and I prayed to the day I die that Allah would forgive me for this.
I must thank you for your research into this important topic which
made me almost cry when I read it. Thank you again and peace be
upon your souls.
M. K.
Splitting of the Moon:
Quranic Prophecy
Page 3
There is a very fascinating prophecy
in the Quran regarding the Moon landing that was done by NASA in
1969. Sura (Chapter) 54 of the Quran is entitled “The Moon”
and starts right away by giving us news about the splitting of the
moon as a sign that the end of the world is drawing close.
“The moon has split and the hour has
drawn closer.” (54:1)
Now when did the prophecy come to pass? To answer that, one must
keep the prophecy in mind: “The moon has split.” This
is a metaphor. Parts of the moon have left its surface. They no
longer are part of the moon. So, the prophecy does not refer to
the landing on the moon or to the first step made by Neil Armstrong
but to the fact that Armstrong and Aldrin collected 21 kilograms
of lunar rocks to bring back to earth.
The prophecy of Moon splitting was fulfilled at the very moment
the astronauts left the moon (split the Moon) in the lunar module
containing 21 kilograms of rocks that had belonged to the moon.
This can be confirmed by checking the definition of “split”
in any dictionary. Among the definitions given by Dictionary.com
are – “to divide, disunite, separate.” The date
this prophecy came to pass was on July
21, 1969. The moment the prophecy was
fulfilled is confirmed by the hour of departure of the lunar module,
which left the lunar surface at 17:54:1 (Universal Time). As we
know, verse 54:1 is the verse that deals with the prophecy. The
minute and second of the departure (Moon splitting) is the same
as the chapter number and verse number of the prophecy.
Also the mathematical miracle of the Quran based on number 19 confirms
this prophecy too:
The prophecy of Moon Splitting came to pass on July 21, 1969. Let
us write those numbers down in the format used by most countries:
21/07/1969. We get 21071969 and 21071969 = 19 x 1109051 (Multiple
of 19). It is interesting to note that the American date of landing
is also coded. The lunar module landed on 7/20/1969 according to
the USA time zones. Indeed: 7201969 = 19 x 379051 (again multiple
of 19).
It is also interesting that the word “moon” in 54:1
is the 19th occurrence of this word from the beginning of the Quran
out of 26 total occurrences. This links this landing to the 19-based
mathematical miracle of the Quran.
So, the prophecy described in verse 54:1 was fulfilled on 21 July
1969
at 17:54:1 (Universal Time) when the
lunar module left the moon carrying 21 kilograms of lunar rocks.
Let us add the Sura number (54), the verse number (1), the day (21),
the month (07) and the year (1969); we get: 54 + 1 + 21 + 7 + 1969
= 2052 or 19 x 108 (again multiple of 19).
There are 4845 verses from the beginning of the Quran to verse
54:1, and 4845 is a multiple of 19 (19 x 255). Also from the prophecy
in verse 54:1 in the Quran to the end of the Quran, there are 1389
verses. Remarkably, the year 1389 in the Islamic calendar is equivalent
to the year 1969 which is the year that the first man landed on
the Moon!
Also, Sura 54 itself has 55 verses. Now if we write 551389 next
to each other, it will give us the exact day, month, and year that
Apollo 11 landed on the moon: 07/20/1969. In other words, 5/5/1389
(in Islamic calendar) = 07/20/1969.
We also get an interesting result if we add the digits of 1389
or 4845. They both result in 21. We get 1+3+8+9 = 21 and 4+8+4+5
= 21. It was the 21st of July of 1969 that NASA lifted off the Moon
(splitting it)!
Cont’d on page 4
Moon Splitting
Page 4
Cont’d from page 3
Who can control all of these except God the Almighty? So, nobody can
deny that verse 54:1 refers to the fact that the astronauts Neil Armstrong
and Edwin Aldrin left the moon with parts of the moon. The first five
verses of Sura 54 (The Moon) says:
The Hour has come closer, and the
moon has split.
Then they saw a miracle; but they
turned away and said, “Old magic.”
They disbelieved, followed their
opinions, and adhered to their old traditions.
Sufficient warnings have been delivered
to alert them.
Great wisdom; but all the warnings
have been in vain. (54:1-5).
This important sign of the approaching end of the world in 54:1 came
to pass in 1969 when human beings landed on the moon and
brought pieces of the moon to earth. At the
same time, God’s mathematical Miracle was being gradually unveiled.
It is very interesting that right after the prophecy in 54:1, God says
that people will see a miracle but many will not believe. This miracle
refers to the Mathematical miracle of the Quran based on the number 19
that was discovered in 1974 (5 years after 1969). The number 19 and its
purpose are mentioned in Sura 74 of Quran and Dr. Khalifa discovered the
miracle of 19 in year 1974.
All praises be to God alone.
Reza G
Bible Verses
Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your
God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)
Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans
will succeed. (Proverbs 16:3)
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as
working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive
an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. (Colossians 3:23-4)
God Willing
20th
Annual Conference
United Submitters
August 5-7, 2005
Seattle, WA
God willing we will be including the details on the registration
for the conference and hotel information in the next newsletter.
God willing we will be also letting you know by other
means, such as through internet or telephone.
We set up a web page on the internet to circulate the conference
information at
www.masjidtucson.org/conference/
God willing, the page will be updated as the details are
worked out.
Remember that this is a great opportunity to be with Submitters
from all around the world.
God willing, start making your plans to meet the family
of submitters.
About this work
Kind
Document
Author
International Community of Submitters
Publisher
International Community of Submitters / Masjid Tucson