September , 2002 Vol. 18 , No.9
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful Submitters Perspective
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Pillars of Submission
Muslims (Submitters) are required to observe religious duties and do righteous things to prove their faith to God. Faith alone does not guarantee redemption. We must worship our Lord to attain goodness in this world and in the next (15:99).
Religious duties are also necessary to feed our souls (6:158, 10:90-92), the same way we feed our bodies with food and drink. Unfortunately, over the years the religious duties were corrupted by the addition of man-made rules and regulations; as such the religion of Islam was made too difficult for the people. This is in spite of the fact that God told us in the Quran that He does not want to make the religion difficult for us (5:6). As a believer in "True Islam," the only book to uphold is the Holy Quran. The Quran is the only book we need, and following other than God's revelations is a gross sin:
Why do they not study the Quran carefully? If it were from other than God, they would have found in it numer-ous contradictions. (4:82)
Shall I seek other than God as a source of law, when He has revealed to you this book fully detailed? Those who received the scripture recognize that your Lord revealed it, truthfully. You shall not harbor any doubt.
The word of your Lord is complete in truth and justice. Nothing shall abrogate His words. He is the Hearer, Omniscient. (6:114-115)
Adam was the first messenger of God, and all messengers after that, preached the message of Islam - to worship One God alone. It was the first commandment to all messengers from Adam up to and including Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad.
Abraham is the "original" messenger of Islam as God taught him all of the religious duties Muslims practice today (2:128). Muhammad's role was to deliver the Quran to mankind. God revealed the Quran to Muhammad in one night (the Night of Power - see Chapter 97)
It was released gradually to Muhammad and the believers in order to fix it in their memory (25:32). Muhammad is the last prophet of God, but not the last messenger. The Holy Quran is the final and complete message of God to mankind. No other scripture will come. The Quran contains all we need for salvation. Previous scriptures were suited for previous stages of human development. They have now been tampered with and been filled with some idolatry, additions, and subtractions to the original scriptures. The Quran confirms the previous scriptures and su-persedes them. (5:48).
Duties of Muslims (Submitters)
There are essentially five duties that Muslims are required to observe to ascertain their faith in God. These are tra-ditionally known as the five Pillars of Islam:
1) Declaration of Faith (Shahada)
2) Contact Prayers (Salat)
3) Obligatory Charity (Zakat)
4) Fasting (Seeyam)
5) Pilgrimage (Hajj)
Declaration of Faith (Shahada)
This is the most important article of faith for a Muslim. This is to declare that there is only One All-Knowing, All-Powerful God:
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)
The Shahada to declare is:
La elaha illa-Allah. There is no god except God (Allah).
The majority of Muslims around the world add the name of the Prophet Muhammad, or even the name of his son-in-law and cousin Ali, or other names after this declaration. This is wrong as the Quran says:
When God alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink with aversion. But when others are mentioned beside Him, they become satisfied. (39:45)
It is interesting to note that the Shahada for the majority of Muslims is "There is no god except Allah, Muhammad is His Messenger". The Prophet's name directly follows God's name. As the above Quranic verse states, this is for those who do not believe in the Hereafter.
Contact Prayers (Salat)
After one accepts the Shahada, one must learn and perform the contact prayers. The Quran mentions Salat more than any other commandment. A Muslim is required to pray 5 times a day and a congregational prayer on Friday.
The Contact Prayers are food for the soul. The prayers are for our own benefit, and not for God. God is in no need of our praise. In addition, by performing the five daily prayers, it allows us to be more conscious of God in our lives.
The required times for Contact prayers are:
Dawn: This is defined when the white thread of light becomes distinguishable from the dark thread of night (2:187) before sunrise. The dawn prayer is mentioned in the Quran twice (11:114, 24:58). The Quran mentions the recita-tion of the Holy Quran at dawn in 17:78. This prayer consists of two units.
Noon: This is defined as when the sun declines from its highest point at noon as it moves towards sunset (17:78). This prayer consists of four units.
Afternoon: This is in the middle of the afternoon, about 3-4 hours after the noon prayer (2:238). This prayer con-sists of four units.
Sunset/Evening: This prayer is just after sunset (11:114). This prayer consists of three units.
Night: This prayer should be performed about two hours after the sunset prayer (11:114, 24:58). This prayer con-sists of four units.
There is also the Friday congregational prayer (Salat al-Jumu'ah) (62:9). This prayer consists of two units and a two-part sermon. This prayer is important. We should stop what we are doing and attend the prayers. This is not a Sabbath day like the Christians or Jews observe, for after the prayer, we can continue our work. This Friday prayer replaces the regular noon prayer on that day.
Obligatory Charity (Zakat)
This is to be given anytime you earn income. This is to be calculated from the net income you receive. For example, if your paycheck is $1000, then $25 of it should be given to the following people in the following order:
They ask you about giving: say, "The charity you give shall go to the parents, the relatives, the orphans, the poor, and the traveling alien." Any good you do, God is fully aware. (2:215)
This is the order of distribution of Zakat. If your parents do not need help, then you may go to your relatives (sib-lings, etc). If they do not need help, it goes to the orphans, the poor, and travelers. This is compulsory, and neces-sary for God's redemption along with Salat (7:156).
Fasting (Seeyam)
The Quran mentions this in 2:183-187. Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar calendar, is the month of fasting. In North America, the lunar calendar moves through our Gregorian calendar. This means that Ramadan moves through the seasons. Muslims are required to fast from dawn to sunset. Fasting means to abstain from food, drink, and sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset. This allows us to learn self-discipline and restraint. It allows our soul to control our body and not our physical appetites to control us. Fasting is important for our salvation, because God wants strong souls in Paradise:
O you who believe, fasting is decreed for you, as it was decreed for those before you, that you may attain sal-vation. (2:183)
Pilgrimage (Hajj)
The final pillar is a pilgrimage to Mecca. This is for Muslims who can afford the trip financially and physically. The pilgrimage is a commemoration of Abraham's submission to God.
We appointed Abraham to establish the Shrine: "You shall not idolize any other god besides Me, and purify My shrine for those who visit it, those who live near it, and those who bow and prostrate. In addition, proclaim that the people shall observe Hajj pilgrimage…" (22:26-27)
While in Mecca, pilgrims wear plain sheets and shoes. This is to have no distinction between the rich and the poor. Then, pilgrims circumambulate the Ka'ba seven times, then walk the distance between Safa and Mawra (water springs) seven times, then proceed to Mount Arafat for prayer. Afterwards, the pilgrims go to Muzdalifah for the Night prayer.
Then, the pilgrims go to Mina for two or three days for the symbolic stoning of Satan, the commemoration of God, and the sacrifice of an animal. The sacrifice of the animal during Hajj is symbolic of Abraham's faith. Before leaving, pilgrims circumambulate the Ka'ba seven times as a farewell.
The Quran outlines the details of Hajj. The Quran only mentions one sacred shrine. Many Muslims today have in-cluded the Prophet's Mosque in Medina as part of the pilgrimage. This is where the Prophet's tomb is. Ironically, in the same hadiths that the majority of Muslims follow, the Prophet condemned turning tombs into places of worship like the Jews and Christians did.
Note to all: This article does not substitute the studying of the Holy Quran. This article can be used as a guide but it is recommended that believers read, study, and contemplate the Holy Quran (2:62, 5:69).
May God make us observers of His commandments. All praise is due to God alone, the Lord of the universe.
Michael S.
CONFERENCE 2002
You shall hold fast to the rope of GOD, all of you, and do not be divided….(3:103)
The 17th annual United Submitters International Conference was held in Tucson, Arizona August 9-11, 2002. As always, it was a wonderful blessing to get together with submitters from around the world.
The Friday prayer was led by Amir Kia, who managed to arrive from halfway around the world just in time. In his Khutba, he talked about fashion, with the reminder that, while we may worry about getting our clothes just right, our most important garment is the garment of righteousness. O children of Adam, we have provided you with gar-ments to cover your bodies, as well as for luxury. But the best garment is the garment of righteousness. (7:26) Clothes protect our body from the elements, but the garment of righteousness is God's protection for our soul. So we should spend much more of our time worrying about how our garment of righteousness looks than how our clothes look.
Abdullah opened the conference with his welcoming remarks, expressing appreciation for all of the submitters who had come, especially those who had traveled far, to attend the conference. He envisioned that the light from the submitters was shining brightly in Tucson this weekend, and he reminded us that that light would attract Satan. We need to be careful not to let him divide the community and disrupt our conference.
Tell My servants to treat each other in the best possible manner, for the devil will always try to drive a wedge among them. Surely, the devil is man's most ardent enemy. (17:53)
Over 200 people were in attendance and they introduced themselves to laughter and applause. As always, the new submitters were cheered and congratulated. It's important to remember that only a minority of the minority will follow God's guidance and strive on His path. So it's a blessing indeed to be counted among the submitters.
Throughout the conference, we were treated to beautiful renderings of songs in commemoration (zikr) of God. Eve-ryone joined in and the room echoed with the sounds of praise and glorification. Such zikr unites us as one voice, lifts the soul and fills the hearts with joy.
The first talk set the mood as Rahim Talai asked if we remembered today to thank God for His blessings. God gives us so much every day and we often forget to be appreciative. All of the talks offered interesting points of view on submission and all of God's miracles around us. Once again, young submitters gave wonderful talks, having done excellent research. Power point has greatly enhanced the quality of presentations, opening new avenues to graphi-cally express their ideas.
The final talk electrified us all, as Sabah Currim gave a wonderful visual presentation of the awesome power of lightning. It was the perfect finale to a conference charged with spiritual energy.
He is the One who shows you the lightning as a source of fear, as well as hope, and He initiates the loaded clouds. The thunder praises His glory, and so do the angels, out of reverence for Him. He sends the lightning bolts, which strike in accordance with His will. Yet, they argue about GOD, though His power is awesome. (13:12-13)
Indeed, God's power is awesome and this year's conference gave us another chance to reflect on all of His bless-ings. We must remember that though we come from very diverse backgrounds and have different opinions and ideas, we are united in our submission to God.
GOD loves those who fight in His cause united in one column, like the bricks in one wall. (61:4)
All Praise be to God.
Lydia and Nargis
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