The Quran as complete, fully detailed, and all we need for salvation, with no need for hadith and sunnah, its mathematical miracle of 19 as proof of authenticity, and God as the Teacher who gives understanding. A report covers the 16th annual United Submitters International Conference in San Francisco in August 2001, followed by readers' letters about submission.org.
The word of your Lord is complete, in truth and justice. Nothing
shall abrogate His words…. (6:115)
The following are some thoughts on the topic
of the Quran and how it relates to our lives and us. God willing, we,
the Submitters, base much of our lives on the Quran, God’s word,
and sometimes it’s a good idea to refresh our memory, revisit some
areas we take for granted.
What does God have to say about the Quran? Why this book? How do we know
it’s right? Is it just the beginning or is it all we need? Should
we be reading it? One thing I’d like to note is that there’s
a lot more to it than what’s presented in the following paragraphs.
And different reasoning appeals to different people. This is intended
in that sense more to just get us thinking.
The words of the Quran speak in 19:64, saying,
“We come down in accordance with the commandments
of your Lord. To Him belongs the past, present and the future. Your Lord
never forgets.” God revealed this Quran over 14 centuries
ago, in the days when people traveled the world on camel-back and way,
way before we even knew of things like submarines, satellites or computers.
Yet the words of the Quran are relevant for us even today, and will be
so a hundred years from now. God makes that clear when he says that the
past, the present and the future all belong to Him. So, while “As
you rest on top of them, you shall appreciate such a blessing from your
Lord, and say, ‘Glory
be to the One who subdued
this for us. We could not have controlled them by ourselves.’”
might have been said by a person on horseback on the plains of Arabia,
today we may say it as we ride in our cars. It’s just as appropriate
now as it was then.
It’s also significant that God says “…Your
Lord never forgets...” God did not forget to tell us anything
that was relevant for our salvation. Some people, in their zeal, presumed
that since the details of how to clip one’s nails or how to sleep
are not mentioned, we must find them elsewhere, hence the adoption of
hadith and sunnah, or “the way of the prophet.”
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QURAN: All we need
Yet we know that God’s sunnah and hadith are the best, and
the only ones we should follow (45:6, 6:114). So whatever God has
decreed for us to have, whatever is essential for our salvation,
is here, in this book. And while God does not tell us how to cook
chicken soup, He does tell us to mention His name before eating
it. And that’s what’s important for our souls. If God
wanted to, He could have spelt out every last detail. We learn from
18:109 that “If the ocean were ink for the words of my
Lord, the ocean would run out, before the words of my Lord run out,
even if we double the ink supply.” It’s not like
He could not have given us more – more detail, more laws,
more commandments.
God tells us that the Quran is complete, perfect, and fully detailed
(6:19, 38, 114, 115; 50:45). Verse 6:38 says “...we
did not leave anything out of this book...” And 6:115
“The word of your Lord is complete, in
truth and justice. Nothing shall abrogate His words. He is the Hearer,
the Omniscient.” Therefore, if God wanted to tell us
how to cut our nails or cook chicken soup, He certainly has the
words to do so. We don’t need another source, human-made,
to fill in those details.
And not only is the scripture fully detailed, it is infallible.
2:2 This scripture is infallible; a beacon
for the righteous. Another point we see here is that for
those who believe, the Quran is a beacon. God tells us it is also
a source of enlightenment and guidance, healing and
a mercy (10:57, 7:52). Also, unlike
over 30 encyclopedic volumes of Hadith, God tells us that the Quran
is “easy to learn” 54:17 We made
the Quran easy to learn. Does any of you wish to learn? If
a person sincerely seeks to learn, God opens up his/her heart and
makes the Quran accessible to that person (56:77-9), while shielding
it from the insincere (17:45-6).
Not only is the Quran accessible, but also we know that God is
the Teacher (55:1-2). He teaches us what we need at the time we
need it. This is why we read the Quran hundreds of times without
getting bored. We can read a novel, for example, only once. But
the Quran can be read an infinite number of times, and we derive
new and valuable information from it every time.
Shakespeare is required study in most schools and it’s difficult,
often incomprehensible, and frequently boring to read and try to
understand his works. But how different it would be if Shakespeare
himself appeared in the classroom and you could learn it directly
from him, or if Einstein came and taught you physics. That’s
exactly what God does. He gives us our understanding.
Satan will do his best to keep us from this Quran and the wisdom
inherent therein. Hence the commandment in 16:98 to seek refuge
in God from Satan the rejected — specifically mentioned with
regard to reading the Quran.
Another indication of the importance of Quran is that God uses
His own attributes to describe the Quran. He calls the Quran “`Azeem
= Great”
(15:87), “Hakeem = Full
of wisdom” (36:2), “Majid = Glorious”
(50:1), and “Karim = Honorable” (56:77). This
of course does not mean that one wraps it up in silk and places
it on the highest shelf never to be read. God tells us quite specifically
to do the opposite. We are told to read the Quran from cover to
cover (73:4) and especially to recite it at dawn, as it “is
witnessed” (17:78). Of course, any time we read the Quran
is good, and God tells us in 10:61: You do not
get into any situation, nor do you recite any Quran, nor do you
do anything, without us being witnesses thereof as you do it....
One of the big questions people have is with regard to the authenticity
of any scripture or work. There are hundreds of books and sects
out there; which one is right? How does one know that every word
in here is from God and that no distortions have crept in? Well,
simply because God Himself tells us so. The mathematical miracle
of the Quran is divine proof that every word in it is from God.
Absolutely, we have revealed the reminder, and,
absolutely, we will preserve it. 15:9
A.L.R. These (letters) are proofs of this scripture;
a profound Quran. 15:1
Say, “If all the humans and all the jinns
banded together in order to produce a Quran like this, they could
never produce anything like it, no matter how much assistance they
lent one another.” 17:88
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ANNUAL
CONFERENCE REPORT
Our Lord, let not our hearts waver, now that You
have guided us. Shower us with Your mercy; You are the Grantor.
Our Lord, You will surely gather the people on a day that is inevitable.
GOD never breaks a promise. (3:8-9)
The 16th annual United Submitters International Conference was
held in San Francisco, California August 10-12, 2001. It was a tremendous
blessing for all of us who were in attendance.
As usual, it began with joyous greetings and hugs in the lobby
and the sense of keen anticipation. Everyone seemed in such good
spirits. It is always so special to see all of our believing family
and catch up on the past year’s events.
Friday prayer was led by Dr. Mahdi A. In his Khutbah (sermon), he
reminded us not to neglect the miracle of Quran. It’s a gift,
and those who reject it or conceal it are the disbelievers.
Accepting the Quran with all its revelations allows our souls to
advance, while denying it causes us to regress.
This is one of the great miracles. A warning to the
human race. For those among you who wish to advance, or regress.
(74:35-37)
You shall believe in what I have revealed herein,
confirming what you have; do not be the first to reject it. Do not
trade away My revelations for a cheap price, and observe Me. (2:41)
Abdullah opened the conference itself with his welcoming remarks,
thanking God the Almighty for giving us the opportunity to get together
to commemorate Him; congratulating all of the submitters who had
made the effort to strive in the cause of God by attending the
conference to be with their “real” family.
Those who believe, and those who emigrate and strive
in the cause of GOD, have deserved GOD's mercy. GOD is Forgiver,
Most Merciful. (2:218)
As all 250 people introduced themselves, it was wonderful to see
so many new faces, people joining us for the first time. The introductions
included people telling how long they had been in submission, and
it was great to hear so many of the youngsters say: “I’ve
been a submitter all my life.”
The speakers put forward interesting concepts on their understanding
of submission. The talks made us laugh and made us cry. They told
us of things we never knew and reminded us of things we need to
remember, and all in all they helped make us more appreciative of
God’s blessings and guidance. It was especially inspiring
to listen to the talks and skits given by our young people. The
depth of their understanding is remarkable.
The zikr and Quran recitation were beautiful as always. This year
the presentations included recitals of Al-Fatehah in several languages,
plus violin and flute music.
You shall sing the praises of your Lord, and be with
the prostrators. (15:98)
When it came time for Abdullah’s closing remarks, everyone
was energized and revitalized and ready for another year of spreading
the message. But it was sad to say our goodbyes. We were fortunate
to share a bus tour of the city and a cruise in San Francisco Bay.
We really want to thank the Bay Area community for their hard work
in putting on such a wonderful conference. May God bless us all.
O you who believe, you shall be steadfast, you shall
persevere, you shall be united, you shall observe GOD, that you
may succeed. (3:200)
Nargis and Lydia
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QURAN: All we need
Those who have rejected the Quran’s proof when it
came to them, have also rejected an Honorable book. No falsehood could
enter it, in the past or in the future; a revelation from a Most Wise,
Praiseworthy. 41:41-2
And God tells us within the Quran exactly what the proof is. It remained
hidden for 1400 years but it was always there, in Sura 74: The Hidden
Secret.
Over it is nineteen. We appointed angels to be guardians
of Hell, and we assigned their number (19) (1) to disturb the disbelievers,
(2) to convince the Christians and Jews (that this is a divine scripture),
(3) to strengthen the faith of the faithful, (4) to remove all traces
of doubt from the hearts of Christians, Jews, as well as the believers,
and (5) to expose those who harbor doubt in their hearts, and the disbelievers;
they will say, “What did God mean by this allegory?” God thus
sends astray whomever He wills,
and guides whomever He wills. None knows the soldiers of your Lord except
He. This is a reminder for the people. 74:30-31
Upon reflection it’s easy to reaffirm that the Quran is the source
of our guidance; that it’s from God and that we should study it
carefully, recognizing and appreciating God’s teachings therein.
This Quran could not possibly be authored by other than
God. It confirms all previous messages, and provides a fully detailed
scripture. It is infallible, for it comes from the Lord of the universe.
10:37
Faiz C.
Note: More insight on the subject can be found in Appendix
18 “Quran:
All You Need For Salvation” and in Appendix 20 “Quran:
Unlike Any Other Book” in Dr. Rashad Khalifa’s English
translation of the Quran, 1989,
1992, or 2000 Editions.
Ask for a free catalog or check our web site on internet at www.masjidtucson.org.
Comments on
submission.org
Accept my sincere congratulations at developing this site....
more power to you... it is such a relief to see the "real" spirit
of Islam reflected in this site which is missing from the hearts and behavior
of Muslims today.... we have to do everything possible to educate the
Muslims and non-Muslims about what Islam means and what it stands for
as the Muslims of today are drifting away from the spirit of the religion
and concentrating only on the physical appearance.
Sincere congratulations and may Allah give you more strength
to continue on this path.
Best regards,
E. M. A.
Peace and may Allah's blessings be upon you.
I just wanted to express my joy in reading your well-grounded
webs on the hadith. I thought I was the only one who thought they (hadith)
were the source of 'the decline of rational' in Islam. I was so happy
to read educated essays on these gross books. Thanks again, if you have
any mailing lists, put me on.
Your brother
Yusuf
About this work
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International Community of Submitters
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International Community of Submitters / Masjid Tucson