Worship of one universal God across Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam, drawing on the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita and the Quran, and arguing that intercessors divide believers. An essay holds that the prophet Muhammad followed the Quran alone, citing his marriage to Zeid's former wife. Also a report on the 11th International Submitters Conference in Houston and a personal prayer of submission.
“God bears witness that there is no god except He,
and so do the angels and those
who possess knowledge. Truthfully and equitably, He is the absolute god;
there is no god but He, the Almighty, Most Wise.” (3:18)
Several surveys conducted by research groups
have shown that most adults think God is the same in all religions. 65%
of Americans in the Barna Research Survey felt that they all pray to the
same God, although they call Him by different names.
The population group surveyed was randomly selected and was composed
of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc. While it is clear from such
studies that we believe in the same Universal God, it has been customary
for each religious sect or congregation to consider their God as being
only theirs and being unique to their belief.
It is very surprising that highly educated people who put great thought
into what college to seek admission to, what kind of car to buy, etc.,
would accept unhesitatingly, without question, in fact, blindly, the religion
they were born into, when it is in reality the most important decision
in their lives. Actually, even
though the majority of us believe in God,
we have a human factor attached to the worship of God in one form or another.
The majority of us cannot envision praying to God directly. Most believe
that an intercessor, usually in the form of a dead saint or prophet, is
necessary for the ultimate contact.
It is this human factor that is causing division, hatred and bitter wars
among the very people who profess to believe in God. Common sense then
tells us that if we discard the human factor and pray to God alone, regardless
of the name used for God or for the religion, we would then be united
and capable of solving our problems.
The Lord Our God is Lord alone. Therefore you shall adore
the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all
your strength. (Deut. 6:4 5 and Mark 12:29)
The Quran which is the Final Testament considers all religions devoted
to God alone as being valid and acceptable, as long as certain minimal
criteria are met.
to God alone guarantees salvation:
Surely those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians,
and the converts, anyone who believes in God and the Last Day and leads
a righteous life will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have
nothing to fear nor will they grieve. (Quran 2:62)
While the Old Testament talks about God as Lord of the heavens and the
earth, so does the Quran. The Old Testament has this to say about God:
Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart,
that the Lord He is God, in the heavens above and upon the earth beneath.
There is none else. (Deut. 4:39)
The Quran says in verses 35:65-68:
Say, “I warn you, there is no other God besides God,
the One, the supreme, the Lord of the heavens and the earth and everything
between
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One Universal God
them, the Almighty, the Forgiving.”
Reflection on the above verses by any individual who is literate
and open minded will unerringly lead him to the natural religion
approved of by God—that of worshipping Him alone. It is the duty
of all humans, be they Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, or any
other religion, to recognize the absoluteness of God as Lord of
the Universe and not place any idols beside Him.
As the Bhagavad Gita tells us:
He who worships Me alone, lives in Me. (Bhagavad
Gita 6:30)
In the Quran 30:28:
He (God) cites for you herein an example from among
yourselves: Do you ever elevate your servants or your subordinates
to the level where they rival you, and to the point that you pay
them as much allegiance as is being paid to you? We thus explain
the revelations for people who understand.”
God elaborates further in the Quran 30:30:
Therefore, you shall devote yourself to the religion
of strict monotheism. Such is the natural instinct placed into the
people by God. Such creation of God will never change. This is the
perfect religion, but most people do not know.
Universal unity among the true believers is thus an indication
of their utmost understanding of the real religion, and is a reflection
of their devotion to the creator of the universe.
Atef Khalifa
11th Annual International Submitters Conference
In The Name Of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful
The submitting men, the submitting women, the
believing men, the believing women, the obedient men, the
obedient women, the truthful men, the truthful women, the
steadfast men, the steadfast women, the reverent men, the
reverent women, the charitable men, the charitable women,
the fasting men, the fasting women, the chaste men, the chaste
women, and the men who commemorate God frequently and the
commemorating women; God has prepared for them forgiveness
and a great recompense. (33:35)
The 11th annual International Submitters Conference was held
from August 9-11 in Houston, Texas, and was attended by about
200 people from different parts of the world.
There was a lot of excitement as believers got together.
It was a joyful reunion for many and a delightful introduction
for others. Praise God for granting us this wonderful opportunity
to meet and interact with each other.
The Jumah khutba (Friday sermon) by Brother Abdullah
Arik focused on the importance of being united in the fundamentals
of our faith, being tolerant and not being judgmental. It
was a wonderful beginning for the conference. The khutba was
followed by a welcome and self introductions, which is a fun
way of getting to know who's who.
The personal sharing of brothers and sisters
from all over the world was a wonderful experience. There
were many first time speakers this year plus a few from previous
years, and the blending of fresh ideas with the wisdom of
long time submitters was very enriching.
The community reports were quite inspiring. The numbers are
increasing—alhumdulillah—and there is
active participation in a wide spectrum of projects.
The emcees did a great job of fitting in as many speakers
as possible. It was wonderful how many people wanted to share
with the whole community. The daily zikr and Quranic recitations
were beautiful (especially during the thunderstorms!) and
crossed all language barriers. The hotel, food and other arrangements
were excellent. May God bless the Houston and Tucson communities
for all their efforts.
It is always sad when the conference comes to an end, and
we each go our own ways, but—inshallah—there
is the next conference to look forward to. The love, warmth
and sharing of the believers is a wonderful gift from God.
May God, in His infinite grace and mercy, continue to guide
and keep us on the right path. God bless you all.
Nargis Currim
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A
Prayer of Submission
In The Name Of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful
I stand before You, dear Lord, the one God Almighty, that
I may offer humble words in praise of Your glory. A glory
that is made manifest in the vastness of the universes, as
well as in the complexity of the smallest leaf or the sweet
smell of a beautiful flower.
From the instant You shaped my soul as an expression of supreme
creation, You trusted me with the most important choice. With
what little strength I have, I implore You to guide me that
I may one day be worthy of that trust.
When I reflect on You, dear God, I cannot help but think
of myself as a disappointment to You. At the same time, I
imagine that You are looking down at me and smiling because
You know what I do not. And perhaps the gentle thunder of
a morning storm is Your laughter as You watch and guide my
journey with infinite patience. Ever so slowly and with careful
precision, You increase my ability to understand and comprehend
Your glory and Omnipotence. All the while, knowing very well
that if You were to expose my earthly form to the full magnitude
of Your greatness, I would shatter into nonexistence.
You know, better than I, what is in my heart. I do know,
however, that my heart has been hardened by arrogance and
ignorance, by rebelliousness and resistance, and by the weakness
that invites Satan’s attacks. This I know from experience,
and my remorse is great and yet not great
enough. In my present weakness I would surely
explode if I were to truly feel the full weight of the shame
and remorse that my deeds and choices warrant. But I also
know that in the deepest reaches of my soul, hidden beneath
the hardened layers of my heart, is the smallest of seeds.
This seed is firmly implanted by the strongest hand. This
seed is the seed of Submission, and this I know by the words
of Your glorious revelations. Although this seed was planted
by You before my earthly embodiment, I know that it is my
great responsibility to nurture this seed that its roots may
grow and break free through the hardness of my heart, ever
expanding towards the perimeter of my soul until the limits
of my soul are forced to stretch and finally grow.
I pray, dear God, that You look on me with patience and mercy.
I know that my actions thus far have fallen short of righteousness,
but deep within me, in the faintest of whispers, that seed
sings Your praise and glorifies You ceaselessly.
Please guide us, O Lord, that the whisper may grow to a deafening
roar, that we may rival the songs of all the heavens as our
souls sing Your praise. Guide us, dear God, that the light
of our submission may dwarf the sun and shake the universes.
Strengthen us, dear Lord, that on that final day, we may look
on You with clear eyes and finally know the meaning of Your
love.
PRAISE BE TO GOD.
Raymond Dudley
Following the Quran
These suras (chapters) are two and four. (4:3) tells us that we
can marry more than one wife. (4:23) lists the women prohibited
in marriage. This list does not include divorced wife of an adopted
son. (2:221) tells us not to marry idolatress.
Obviously Zeid’s wife was a believing woman, and she was
not blood related to Muhammad. Therefore he could marry her.
The chronological sequence of revelation for the suras 2, 4 and
33 are 68, 74 and 77, respectively. We see that Sura 2 and 4 were
revealed before Sura 33 and in quick succession.
This proves that Muhammad did indeed follow the Quran, and whenever
he failed he was strongly reminded to do so, and God made him abide
by it. Hence if anybody seeks to follow the footsteps of the prophet,
then he or she should follow the Quran alone.
We have cited for the people every kind of example
in this Quran, that they may take heed. An Arabic Quran, without
any ambiguity, that they may be righteous. God cites the example
of a man who deals with disputing partners (Hadith), compared to
a man who deals with only one consistent source (Quran). Are they
the same? Praise be to God, most of them do not know. (39:27-29)
Ijaz Chaudry
Page 4
Following the Quran, an integral part
of Submission (Islam)
One of the best examples of a Submitter (Muslim)
was the prophet Muhammad. We would do no harm in following his example
as a Submitter, because he was indeed a prophet and a messenger. The question
arises how we can follow his example when he is not with us now, and the
information regarding him is imprecise and fabricated (the first Hadith
was written 200 years after the prophet’s death). One way to obtain
precise and accurate information regarding Muhammad’s way of life
would be to look at the source of his knowledge. Obviously he was God’s
messenger and would only follow the knowledge provided to him by God.
Therefore it only makes sense to look at the only revelation he received
from God, the Quran.
(5:48-50) informs us that the prophet Muhammad was specifically asked
to rule among his people in accordance with the Quran. (69:40-47) Muhammad
was forbidden any other religious teachings besides the Quran. (17:73-75)
Muhammad was ordered to adhere strictly to God’s revelations and
deviation from it meant
severe punishment. (6:19) Muhammad only preached
the Quran, any other source (e.g., Sunnah and Hadith) is equivalent to
the setting up of other gods beside God. This is emphasized also in verse
(6:114):
Shall I seek other than God as a source of law, when He
revealed this book fully detailed?
We know that Muhammad followed the Quran and he was a living example
of it (6:114-115). There is an example in the Quran, where the prophet
Muhammad can be seen following the Quran. In this example Muhammad initially
made a grave mistake and did not follow the Quran, whereupon God reminded
him to follow the Quran and made him abide by the Quran (33:36-38).
Recall that you (Muhammad) said to the one who was blessed
by God, and blessed by you, “keep your wife and reverence God,”
and you hid inside yourself what God wished to proclaim. Thus, you feared
the people, when you were supposed to fear only God.
When Zeid was completely through
with his wife, we had you marry her, in order to establish the precedent
that a man can marry the divorced wife of his adopted son. God’s
commands shall be done. (33:37)
The prophet is not committing an error by doing anything
that is made lawful by God. Such is God’s system since the early
generations. God’s command is a sacred duty. (33:38)
(33:38) points out that Muhammad was aware that he could marry Zeid’s
wife after Zeid divorced her, but initially he did not. Therefore, there
should be some information regarding marriage laws for the believers prior
to Sura (Chapter) 33. Two essential facts should have already been mentioned
in the Quran for Muhammad to establish that he could marry Zeid’s
ex-wife.
a) One can marry more than one wife.
b) Prohibitions in marriage.
Mashallah both these facts were revealed before Sura 33 (based on the
order of revelations).
About this work
Kind
Document
Author
International Community of Submitters
Publisher
International Community of Submitters / Masjid Tucson