What is Religion ?

This word that most people are willing to die for, that wars have been fought over, that people have been persecuted and isolated forIs something most people dont really know much about! As amazing as that sounds, it is absolutely true. Different people have different understanding of the word religion. Some think it is a club which only the chosen ones belong;
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Some think it is mandatory on all people (even children). Some think it is for the poor to give them hope. Some think it is just rituals and has no real significance in real life.

Yet, none of the above views gave us a definition as to what religion really is! Is religion a bunch of laws and rituals which must be followed? Or is it much more than that? Let us turn to the Quran for a definition: The only religion approved by GOD is "Submission." Ironically, those who have received the scripture are the ones who dispute this fact, despite the knowledge they have received, due to jealousy. For such rejecters of GOD's revelations, GOD is most strict in reckoning. (Quran 3:19) This sound pretty severe! Does this mean that GOD is ordering us to follow some religion which goes by the name of Submission? Are we to simply hunt down this submission and take its laws and rituals and that is it! When we find this submission, do we then force everyone else to follow and accept it?: Are they seeking other than GOD's religion, when everything in the heavens and the earth has submitted to Him, willingly and unwillingly, and to Him they will be returned? (Quran 3:83) If everything in the heavens has submitted to His religion, then who are we to argue?. He is the One who sent His messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, to make it EXPOSE all other religions, in spite of the idol worshipers. (Quran 9:33)

How can a religion expose other religions?

Dose this mean that in this submission when we pray with our hands to our sides, it will expose those other religions who pray with their hands folded?

Or, does it mean when we give our charity, it will expose the other religions who also give charity? Obviously none of this is making any sense! The count of months, as far as GOD is concerned, is twelve. This has been GOD's law, since the day He created the heavens and the earth. Four of them are sacred. This is the PERFECT religion... (Quran 9:36)

How are 12 months considered a perfect religion?

What about using 19 months or 10 or 13?. That is still a religion! But by saying you have 12 months is a more perfect religion?

What is Religion?
I think we are now close to the heart of the matter. Obviously, religion is not merely a collection of laws and rituals which people are simply walking around with saying religion, religion! Let us look at the story of Joseph which gives away the true meaning of religion. When we read the story of Joseph (Sura # 12), we follow that Joseph went to Egypt and after a few incidents became one of Pharaohs high counselors responsible for the distribution of food and commerce. Joseph is approached by his brothers (who tried to kill him in the beginning). He wants to gain his younger brother by setting a scheme whereby the Kings golden measuring rod is placed in his younger brothers belongings. The scheme of Joseph is to let his brothers reveal the law of theft according to their own religion. This law is the one used by Abraham and Jacob and is the one revealed by GOD: They (Egyptians) said, "What is the punishment for the thief, if you are liars?" They (Josephs brothers) said, "The punishment, if it is found in his bag, is that the thief belongs to you. We thus punish the guilty." (Quran 12:74-75) After snaring them in his trap, and letting them expose their own law which they follow (rather than using Pharaohs), Joseph was thus able to keep his younger brother with him: He then started by inspecting their containers, before getting to his brother's container, and he extracted it out of his brother's container. We thus perfected the scheme for Joseph; he could not have kept his brother if he applied the king's RELIGION. But that was the will of GOD. We exalt whomever we choose to higher ranks. Above every knowledgeable one, there is one who is even more knowledgeable. (Quran 12:76)

The King of Egypt did not have a religious sect that he was implementing on the crime of theft, but he did have a SYSTEM. It was thus Joseph bypassed this system and replaced it with the one used by his brothers! Religion = System Thus GOD clarifies the revelations, that we may understand It is not a religion that GOD has given us which is made up of strange components and ritualsBut rather it is the PERFECT SYSTEM which He has been decreeing through all his prophets: He decreed for you the same SYSTEM decreed for Noah, and what we inspired to you, and what we decreed for Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: "You shall uphold this one SYSTEM, and do not divide it." (Quran 42:13) You see: GOD is our Maker. He did not construct our minds, bodies, life, souls, the universe, gave us access to the spirit, etc. Just so we could stumble and be lost in this world. We are on Earth with free-choice. We are free to choose whatever paths we desire We are free to come-up with as many systems as we like However, He is giving us a great mercy by telling us that His system is the PERFECT system: The count of months, as far as GOD is concerned, is twelve. This has been GOD's law, since the day He created the heavens and the earth. Four of them are sacred. This is the PERFECT religion... (Quran 9:36) You see, there is nothing to stop us from using 11, 10 or even 13 months (that is what some of us do). However, although these systems may work, GOD is telling us that His is PERFECTWe will not stumble when we properly use a 12 month count which will keep us in-line with the seasons and the movement of our planet.

What have our systems done for us?:

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The Roman system of the senate and the emperor made Rome turn on itself The Monarchy system of France caused all power and wealth to be concentrated while the populace went hungry (French revolution was the result); The military system of the Mongols left them with no identity after all their conquest; The Dynasty system of China also crumbles when many parties wanted the power that was in the hands of the emperor.

What about our existing systems:

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Communism (crumbled in late 1980s due to its inability to recognize individual uniqueness and talent);

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Capitalism (created much wealth for the individuals, caused money to be the only goal in life, made families dysfunctional, created misery to the masses); The monarch systems of the Middle East cause massive in-balances of power and wealth which has led to the wealth being sucked dry, while the populace gets poorer and poorer; The Dictatorships established around the world lead to massive corruption and usually civil wars or strife.

Yet, the funny thing is, with all these obvious problems, people still TURN-AWAY from the PERFECT religion They cannot believe that GOD can provide them with better than what they can come-up with! They cannot understand that He who creates, is NOT like one who is created! All we need to do is just reach out our hands and grab hold of the rope that has been thrown down from heaven to us Are they seeking other than GOD's system, when everything in the heavens and the earth has submitted to Him, willingly and unwillingly, and to Him they will be returned? (Quran 3:83) Do we see the Sun having a problem with its orbit?. Or do we see the Moon smashing into the Earth? Each of these objects has taken the SYSTEM that was designed by GOD and followed itHad they designed their own system, they would have been destroyed or knocked out of orbit eons ago. Yet, we still falter! We still think we know best! What we do not realize is that our bodies and minds are only the HARDWARE. We had no problem accepting our hardware from GOD and taking them when we came to Earth Yet, it is the Operating System that we have a problem accepting! We keep running different programs and systems, when in the end, it is only ONE SYSTEM that is compatible with us: He is the One who sent His messenger with the guidance and the system of truth, to make it EXPOSE all other systems, in spite of the idol worshipers. (Quran 9:33) It is only now that we understand what this religion is, that we can understand how it will EXPOSE all other religions.

The perfect system of GOD, when put into use, will show the weaknesses and fallacies of all other systems invented by man The system of GOD is the only one that not only caters to the physical needs of the human being, but it also recognizes his spiritual part and addresses those needs as well. The human that follows the system of GOD by submitting to it, is not only a self-sufficient person, but is also a happy person with strong family ties, intellectual endeavors, philosophical views, community awareness, and, above all, a realist.

What else can we say?

Today, I have completed your religion, perfected My blessing upon you, and I have decreed Submission/Islam as the SYSTEM for you (Quran 5:3) You have probably already tried many systems for yourselfGive submission a goIt is the only one from the manufacturer!

5 Pillar Myth
God Has provided mankind with a SYSTEM and not a set of rituals...In this page we will present the 'true' pillars that all Muslims will unite around, as well as presenting select articles which will show different understanding of today's pillars. In today's version of Islam, we hear that the religion has been built upon 5-Pillars which, if upheld, grant the person a very high chance of his/her succeeding in this worldly life and entering paradise... The 5-Pillars are described as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Witnessing there is no god but GOD, and that Mohammed is His messenger; The daily Prayer/Salat - 5-times per day; The obligatory charity (zakat) amounting to 2.5% per annum; Fasting the month of Ramadhan; Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once. Although the above has now been taught to over 1-billion people worldwide as being 'Islam'...What perhaps may become obvious to readers of this site is that GOD Has provided mankind with a SYSTEM (click for 'What is Religion?') and not a set of rituals...

In this page we will present the 'true' pillars that all Muslims will unite around, as well as presenting select articles which will show different understanding of today's pillars.

THE 'TRUE' PILLARS OF ISLAM

"Abraham was a nation, humble to GOD, a monotheist; he was not of those who set-up partners. Thankful to what provisions he was provided; He selected him, and guided him to a Straight Path. And We have given him good in this world, and in the hereafter he is one of the upright. Then We inspired you: 'follow the creed of Abraham, monotheism; he was not from those who set-up partners." (16:120-123) Monotheism (the path of the One GOD) is directly related to the 'Straight Path': "Say: 'my Lord has guided me to a Straight Path, an upright religion, the creed of Abraham, monotheism; he was not from those who set-up partners'. " (6:161)

THE STRAIGHT PATH

Here now is the LAW which all Submitters are to uphold and honor: "Say: 'come let me recite to you what your Lord Has forbade for you: that you should not set-up anything with Him. And be kind to your parents; and do not kill your unborn children for fear of poverty, We provide for you and for them; and do not come near evil, what is openly of it, or secretly; and do not kill the soul which GOD Has forbidden, except in justice. That is what He enjoined you that you may comprehend'. 'And do not come near the money of the orphan, except for what is best, until he reached his maturity; and give honestly full measure and weight equitably. We do not burden a soul except by what it can bear. And if you speak then be just even if against a relative; and with pledges made to GOD you shall observe. This He Has enjoined you that you may remember'. And this is *My path, a Straight One, so you shall follow it, and do not follow the other paths lest they divert you from His path. That is what He has enjoined you to that you may be righteous." (6:151-153) *Please note that this is the SAME Straight Path that was revealed not only to Abraham, but to Moses and his people (the exception being the Sabbath which was made as a punishment for some of the Children of Israel 16:124).

Submitters (Muslims) vs. Believers (Mumins)

Are you a Muslim (Submitter) or a Mu'min (Believer)? The question may seen 'irrelevant' for most people who follow the Quran, but by the end of this article (GOD Willing) you will realize just how important it is to know what is required of you by the Almighty. The terms 'Muslim' & 'Mumin' are used interchangeably by Islamic societies and almost everyone who is a 'Muslim' is also regarded as a 'Mumin' by their standards. The following are the 'traditional' definitions which regulate a 'Muslim' and 'Mumin':

Muslims according to 'tradition':

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A 'Muslim' according to such 'tradition' is anyone who accepts the 5-pillars: Declaration of Faith 'Shahaada'; Salaat 'Prayer' 5-times a day; Fasting month of Ramadhan; Giving obligatory Charity 'Zakat'; Performing Hajj to Mecca.

If you are doing the above items, then according to tradition you are within the fold of 'Islam' and are treated as part of the great large 'family' of over 1 billion people.

Mumins according to 'tradition':

The definition given by the same scholars of a Mumin is as follows:
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Believe in GOD; Believe in His Angels; Believe in His Books; Believe in His Messenger; Believe in J-day; Believe in Destiny 'Qadr' its good and its bad.

If you note that part of the definition of 'Muslim' was to accept Mohammed as GOD's messengerIf you have done so, then you have also accepted the Quran which talks about GOD, the Angels, the prophets, and J-day being a reality!. Thus, if you follow the 5-pillars of Islam, then you would also have to accept the 6-pillars of Iman, which makes such a person a Muslim & a Mumin at the same time. This all seems very EASY so far Let us move now from 'tradition' and examine what GOD says in His Book:

Are Muslims & Mumins one in the same?

According to the Book of GOD, there is a drastic difference between one who is a 'Submitter' and one who is a 'Believer': "The Nomads said: 'We have faith (A'manna).' Say: 'You do not have faith; what you should say is, `We have Submitted (Aslamna),' until faith is established in your hearts.' If you obey GOD and His messenger, He will not put any of your works to waste. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful." (49:14) Here we read that the people who professed 'Faith' have been admonished by GOD for saying what CANNOT be true!. They are trying to run before they have learnt to even standthey could not be 'Faithful' even if they wanted to, but they could be 'Muslims' if they desired the path of GOD.

Who Are the Muslims?

Since GOD has clearly shown us in (49:14) that the Submitters & Believers are not one in the same, we must explore the next logical question: 'Who are the Muslims'?. "Who can utter better words than one who 1) invites to GOD, 2) works righteousness, and says, 3) "I am one of the Submitters"?" (41:33) "My Lord, 1) direct me to appreciate the blessings You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and 2) to do the good works that please You. Let my children be righteous as well. 3) I have repented to You; 4) I am a Submitter." (46:15) "Say: 'I have been given divine inspiration that your god is One god. Will you then Submit?" (21:108) That seems simple enough!. We are simply to acknowledge the One GOD, appreciate Him, and work *good to be a Submitter/Muslim * It must be noted that 'idolatry/shirk' nullifies any good work and ends with a person in hell (5:72)

One GOD?
If the Submitter/Muslim only needs to "accept One GOD" , then how can he/she know about these things/concepts if he/she does not accept GOD's messengers or GOD's Book?. "Recall that your Lord summoned all the descendants of Adam, and had them bear witness for themselves: "Am I not your Lord?" They all said, "Yes. We bear witness." Thus, you cannot say on the Day of Resurrection,"We were not aware of this. Nor can you say, "It was our parents who practiced idolatry, and we simply followed in their footsteps. Will You punish us because of what others have innovated?" (7:172-173)

The issue of believing in 'GOD Alone' transgresses beyond any Books or any messengersit is an inherent component (Nature/Fitra) of man's very own existence...a part of his 'self'. GOD is ONEThis is a fact that all mankind has testified to since the beginning of our creation. "Therefore, you shall devote yourself to the religion of 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." (30:30) To be a Submitter/Muslim is simply to hold to this 'natural' article of fact and not be swindled into following 'others' who have promoted idolatry and to associating partners with the AlmightyThere is no need for a 'Book' or anything to testify to this fact (note how NO people can claim they did not know this fact on J-day - that includes those who received the Quran and those who were on a desert island).

Doing Good Works?

If the acknowledging One GOD is ingrained into the human beingWhat about the other element of a Submitter 'Doing Good Works?'. When a person has chosen the stay on the path of GOD Alone, then the following elements will determine what he/she considers to be right & wrong (most people on Earth know this without the need for any scripture...i.e. it is INHERENT): Say, "Come let me tell you what your Lord has really prohibited for you: You shall not set up idols besides Him. You shall honor your parents. You shall not kill your unborn children from fear of poverty-We provide for you and for them. You shall not commit gross sins, publicly or privately. You shall not kill - GOD has made life sacred - except in the course of justice. These are His commandments to you, that you may understand. You shall not touch the orphans' money except in the most righteous manner, until they reach maturity. You shall give full weight and full measure when you trade, equitably. We do not burden any soul beyond its means. You shall be absolutely just when you bear witness, even against your relatives. You shall fulfill your oaths to GOD. These are His commandments to you, that you may take heed. (6:151-152)

How is it that nearly all of mankind can agree on these things being important (i.e. no one disagrees that killing is bad!), while they all do not agree on Worship or Messengers or Fasting or Pilgrimage?. Is this not evidence that the knowledge of 'good' & 'evil' has been instilled in the very nature of mankind and that a person who has 'Submitted' will know the truth of what needs to be done simply by referring to himself/herself?

Conclusion: Submitter/Muslim:
It must be mentioned at this stage that MANY of the elements that are 'traditionally' defined as being a requirement for 'Submission/Islam' are not in-fact the case!. The Submitter is not required to perform any obligatory Worship/Salat, nor give his annual Charity, nor fast for 1-month, nor perform any pilgrimage!. The Submitter is not required to accept the Quran, or any of the previous Books, or any of the messengersHe simply: a) accepts One GOD, and b) does good works. This has been the way Abraham, the great example to mankind : "Who is better in his religion than one who a) submits himself to GOD, b) while he does good, according to the creed of Abraham: monotheism? GOD has chosen Abraham as a beloved friend." (4:125) As alarming as this news may come to the 'traditionalists', it is the absolute truth according to GOD's own words to mankind. We should not be looking to the 'Sunnis' or 'Shia' or even 'Quran' followers to find the Submitters/MuslimsWe should be looking to any person who has taken the path of 'Monotheism' and has devoted himself/herself to GOD Alone and to doing good works. The Book of GOD has been sent to guide the 'righteous/Mutaqeen' , while the Quran (the book of cosmic laws and facts) has been sent as a beacon to 'mankind'.

Who Are the Faithful?

This is perhaps the issue that has been causing the most confusion The lack of clear 'understanding' as to what or who the faithful are has made many unable to distinguish between the two, and has created confusion by attributing traits of faithful to those of Submitters!. 1. They have faith in GOD & His Messenger: "Mu'mens (faithful) are those who: have faith in GOD and His messenger" (49:15)

This is much more than simply acknowledging One GOD, this is about establishing belief and faith in the heart and accepting GOD's messenger by taking on the responsibility of accepting the Book. 2. They attain the status of having no doubt: "and Attain the status of having no doubt whatsoever" (49:15) They are faithful in what has been revealed, and its words only grants them more faith. 3. They Strive with their money and lives: "and Strive with their money and their lives in the cause of GOD. These are the truthful ones." (49:15) Having faith is just the '1st-step' to their journeythey are ones who put their money where their mouth is and strive towards GOD with their money and lives. 4. Their Hearts tremble when GOD is mentioned: "The true faithful are those whose hearts tremble when GOD is mentioned" (8:2) 5. Their faith is strengthened by hearing GOD's revelations: "and when His revelations are recited to them, their faith is strengthened" (8:2) 6. They trust in their Lord: "and they trust in their Lord." (8:2) 7. They observe the Obligatory Worship/Salaat: "They uphold the Worship (Salat)" (8:3) Due to the journey that these people have undertaken, more spiritual linking with GOD is required through the method of establishing the 'Salaat' and constantly reciting the words and commands of the Lord. 8. They give to charity: "and from our provisions to them, they give to charity." (8:3) They are also givers to charity in order to attain the 'purification/Zakat' that can cleanse the soul and perfect the journey towards GOD. Result: "Such are TRULY THE FAITHFUL. They attain high ranks at their Lord, as well as forgiveness and a generous provision." (8:4)

As we can read, these people are of a totally different class and have incorporated many 'new' elements beyond those that we started by the Submitter/Muslim.

Why would a person want to be a 'Faithful'?

Since it is enough to simply believe in GOD and to do good workswhy would a person involve himself with the messengers and the scripture which bring a myriad of laws and commands?. "When it is recited to them, they will say, "We have faith in it. This is the truth from our Lord. Even before we heard of it, we were Submitters." (28:53) When such people decide to take the next advanced step and uphold the traits of the 'Faithful' in the Book, they attain TWICE the reward: "To these we grant twice the reward, because they steadfastly persevere. They counter evil works with good works, and from our provisions to them, they give." (28:54) One reward for being a 'Submitter', and one reward for being a 'Faithful'. It is simply a matter of 'greed'! As we know that heaven is separated into levels depending on how far each person went towards GOD in this lifeit only makes sense that GOD would give us the knowledge to know how we can attain a higher rank, and how we may even be amongst the prophets & the martyrs!. The Faithful = The Righteous. Since the 'Faithful' have decided to go beyond simply believing in GOD and have now accepted His messengers (49:15)then they become regulated by new requirements making them 'righteous'. "This scripture is infallible; a beacon for the righteous (Mutaqeen); who have faith in the unseen, uphold the Worship (Salat), and from our provisions to them, they give to charity. And they have faith in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and with regard to the Hereafter, they are absolutely certain. These are guided by their Lord; these are the winners." (2:2-5)

These people now have accelerated beyond the basic a) One GOD, and b) doing goodThey now have faith and have thus entered into a new field altogether: "Righteousness is not turning your faces towards the east or the west. Righteous are those who have faith in GOD, and the Last Day, and the angels, and the scripture, and the prophets; and they give the money, cheerfully, to the relatives, the orphans, the needy, the traveling alien, the beggars, and to free the slaves; and they uphold the Worship (Salat) and give the Purification (Zakat); and they keep their word whenever they make a promise; and they steadfastly persevere in the face of persecution, hardship, and war. These are the truthful; these are the righteous (Mutaqeen)." (2:177) The commands regulating the 'Righteous' go far beyond simply 'doing good', and enter into upholding all the commands of GOD (6:151-153 - These go beyond the basic commands required to simply 'do good'). The righteous also require new elements to help them achieve their journey such as: Establishing a regular reading of the Book during Worship (Salaat) - 4:103; Giving from their money to purify themselves (Zakat) - 2:177; Fasting for periods of time to establish patience (Siyam) - 2:183.

Conclusion:
The followers of the Book revealed through the messengers are no longer 'Submitter/Muslimeen', but they have advanced to become 'Faithful/Mumineen'.

What has gone wrong in our society today is that people are all promoting the actions prescribed for 'Faithful' as if they should be done by 'Submitters'!. That is like giving an F -15 to a novice who is in need of a Cessna!. A person cannot appreciate or understand the values of Salat & Zakat if they have not taken the path of a) One GOD, and b) doing good works. Only when such people attain 'certainty' can they move-on to the advanced level of having faith in the Messenger and then establishing the rules of 'Righteousness/Taqwaa' in their lives.

5 Types of Humans
---------------------------------Only God can judge me! How many times have we heard the above statement made by people when the discussion regarding their faith or actions becomes too heated? The problem with the only God can judge me statement is that God has already judged people by their words and actions and told us, in His Book, where this person or that person is heading unless there is a drastic change in the actions/behaviors that will change the persons classification. And if We wished, We would show them to you (the hypocrites) so you would recognize them by their looks. However, you can recognize them by their speech. And God is fully aware of your works. (47:30) They swear by God that they did not say it, while they had said the word of rejection, and they rejected after they had submitted, and they were concerned with what they could not possess; and they could not find any fault except that God and His messenger had enriched them from His bounty. If they repent it is better for them, and if they turn away, then God will punish them severely in this world and the next. They will not have on earth any ally or supporter. (9:74) Accordingly, we find that the Scripture identifies all humans under `5 distinct categories` with a measure of a persons words/actions determining where they would fit: 1. The Muslim/Submitter The first category of people are those who have willingly surrendered/submitted to God both in words (by declaring their submission) and by action (in following that which God has revealed). Words:

The first step towards Submission/Islam is for a person to acknowledge (in words) that he/she is submitting to God. It was said to her (the ruler of Sheba): `Enter the palace.` So when she saw it she thought there was a pool, and she uncovered her legs. He said: It is a palace paved with crystal. She said: `My Lord, I have wronged myself; and I submit with Solomon to God, the Lord of the worlds.` (27:44) The Nomads said: `We believe.` Say: `You have not believed; but you should Say:'We have submitted', for belief has not yet entered into your hearts. If you obey God and His messenger, He will not put any of your works to waste. God is Forgiver, Merciful. (49:14) Surely, those who said: Our Lord is God, then they lead a righteous life, there is no fear for them, nor will they grieve. (46:13) Actions: The second step for a person to reaffirm his/her faith is to walk the path of righteousness and do good at all times (the definitions of good and righteousness can be found in the Scripture for those who are interested to know). And who is better in the system than one who submits himself to God, and is a good doer, and he followed the creed of Abraham in monotheism? And God has taken Abraham as a friend. (4:125) Surely, those who said: Our Lord is God, then they lead a righteous life, there is no fear for them, nor will they grieve. (46:13) Say: I have been commanded to serve God, devoting the system to Him. And I was commanded to be the first of those who submit. (39:11-12) No, whosoever submits himself to God, while doing good, he will have his reward with his Lord. There will be no fear over them, nor will they grieve. (2:112) The reward for this path of simple submission and doing good is a paradise whose width is the heavens and the earth And thus We have inspired to you an Arabic Quran, so that you may warn the capital town and all around it, and to warn about the Day of Gathering that is inevitable. A group will be in the Paradise, and a group in Hell. (42:7) 2. The Mumin/Faithful The second type of people is an advanced stage of submission whereby the persons actions have gone beyond simply doing good and have extended into the realm of striving and dedication through activism. Believers are those who believe in God and His messenger, then they became without doubt, and they strive with their money and their lives in the cause of God. These are the truthful ones. (49:15)

The believers are indeed successful. Those who are humble in their contact prayer. And they abstain from vain talk. And they are active towards betterment. (23:1-4) Submission is the beginning of the journey, which may or may not end with the person being a full fledged believer: Initial state Submission Advanced state Faithful/Believer The reward and result of being at this advanced level is to seek the highest level of Paradise, along with the martyrs and the devotees. And you will be in three groupings. So those on the right, who will be from those on the right? And those on the left, who will be from those on the left? And those foremost, who will be from those foremost? They will be the ones who are brought near. In gardens of bliss. Many from the first generations. And a few from the later generations (56:7-14). 3. The Mushrik/Idolater This is a category of people who acknowledge the existence of God, but who have set-up partners with Him (most of the time not knowing they did so). And the Day We gather them all, then We say to those who set up partners: Where a re your partners whom you used to claim? Then, their only excuse was to Say: By God, our Lord, we did not set up partners! See how they lied to themselves; and that which they invented deserted them. (6:22-24) The idolaters main reason for setting-up partners is the false belief that such partners would bring them closer to God or even save them on judgment day. Absolutely, to God is the true system. And those who set up allies besides Him: We only serve them so that they may bring us closer to God. God will judge between them in what they dispute. Surely, God does not guide him who is a liar, a rejecter. (39:3) Idolatry is caused by a lack of faith in God and/or a lack of faith in judgment day (hence the idols/partners are taken as an insurance policy due to the semi-conscious belief of the idolater that Gods word alone may not be enough)

This is because when God Alone was mentioned, you rejected, but when partners were associated with Him, you believed. Therefore, the judgment is for God, the Most High, the Great. (40:12) The bad news for all idolaters is that their destiny is Hell if their idolatry is maintained until death. God does not forgive that partners be set up with Him, and He forgives what is beside that for whom He wills. Whoever sets-up partners with God has indeed invented a great sin. (4:48) Rejecters indeed are those who have said: God is the Messiah son of Mary! And the Messiah said: O Children of Israel, serve God, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever sets-up partners with God, then God will forbid Paradise for him, and his destiny will be the Fire; and the wicked will have no supporters. (5:72) According to the Scripture, idolatry represents the second majority of humanity (the 1st majority being rejecters) and, whose fate is Hell. And most of them will not believe in God except while setting-up partners. (12:106) It is not for the prophet and those who believe that they should seek forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they are relatives, after it has been made clear to them that they are the dwellers of Hell. (9:113) 4. The Kafir/Rejecter Unfortunately, this category of people represents the vast majority of humanity. And most of the people, even if you are diligent, will not believe. (12:103) The case of rejecters is a simple rejection of God, His attributes, His messengers, His books, etc.. These are the ones who rejected the revelations of their Lord and His meeting. So their works were in vain, and We will not give them any value on the Day of Resurrection. (18:105) Also, these are people who reject the rulings of God, and distort His teachings: And whoever does not judge with what God has sent down, then these are the rejecters. (5:44) Rejecters indeed are those who have said: God is a trinity! There is no god except One god. If they do not cease from what they are saying, then those who reject from among them will be afflicted with a painful retribution. (5:73) The rejecters are known not only to deny God or His revelations, but in their arrogance they also engage in a mocking of Gods revelations or of the faithful.

And similarly, We have sent down to you the Book. Thus, those whom We have given the Scripture will believe in it. Also, some of your people will believe in it. The only ones who mock Our revelations are the rejecters. (29:47) As with the idolaters, the retribution for the rejecters is Hell: God has cursed the rejecters, and He has prepared for them Hell. (33:64) 5. The Munafiq/Hypocrite This is the most despicable group of all and is ranked even below the level of rejectersA special painful retribution, more than any other, has been set-aside for this group. The hypocrites will be in the lowest level of the Fire; and you will not find for them a victor. (4:145) The Hypocrites are primarily rejecters who act/pretend to be submitters/believers so as to gain intelligence or so as to corrupt the camp of the believers from within. What is the matter with you that you are divided into two groups over the hypocrites, while God has regressed them for what they have earned? Do you want to guide those whom God misguides? Whoever God causes to be misguided, you will never find for him a way. They hope that you would reject as they rejected, then you would be the same. Do not take any of them as allies until they emigrate in the cause of God. If they turn away, then take them and kill them where you find them; and do not take from them any ally or supporter. (4:88 -89) A trait of the hypocrites is that their words eventually give away their real position as they have been known to state words which are veiled challenges to Gods own words as a subtle mocking of His system. When the hypocrites come to you they Say: We bear witness that you are the messenger of God. And God knows that you are His messenger, and God bears witness that the hypocrites are liars. They have chosen their oath as a deceit, thus they repel from the path of God. Miserable indeed is what they do. (63:1-2) The above is being said by the hypocrites as a subtle challenge to Gods claim that He suffices as a witness: Any good that befalls you is from God, and any bad that befalls you is from yourself. We have sent you as a messenger to the people and God is enough as a witness. (4:79) ------While there is a risk that categorizing oneself or others could be counterproductive and lead to some subjectivity, the upside is that having such categories and reflecting on our lives and behaviour will enable a person to take corrective action at the earliest stage and avoid the dire situation of waiting till the approach of death to correct the wrongs and do what is right it is then too late.

After all, the end result of the choices that we make in this world are to either spend an eternity in Hell, or, and eternity in Heaven!

Does God Lead people astray?

By Kashif Ahmed Shehzada This articles briefly presents a reply to the commonly held belief in many faiths that it is God (Allah) who has pre-determined the fate of people, and what ever good or bad happens to them in life is not a result of their own actions but was pre-written for them in their fate. If people are astray, then it is God to blame for that as well, according to this widely held notion in various Religions.

With the name of Allah, the Almighty, the Most Merciful Some time ago we received the following question by e-mail, and it indicates that some people can arrive at this conclusion superficially reading some Quranic passages. The questioner asked: "It is stated in Surah 14:4: And we did not send any apostle but with the language of his people, so that he might explain to them clearly; then Allah makes whom he pleases err and he guides whom he pleases, and he is the mighty, wise. He might be mighty, but what kind of God is it who leads us astray? He says he makes whom he pleases err. Is he making me err? Does that mean I will be held accountable for my err, or is the blame on Allah? Why would Allah make me err, and would I go to hell for being made to err? I don't understand?" The following is a response to the above.

Do we have a free will to choose our line of action?

Many people observe the common used expression in the Quran, ie 14.4 ....Then ALLAH leaves to go astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And He is the Mighty, the Wise. And by just taking this portion they come to the conclusion that people do not have any free will of their own and rather, everything that they are doing is not a result of their own

intention and choice but has been divinely ordained for them in their 'fate' or 'destiny', and no matter what they do, they can not change their 'destiny', and are helpless. However this is a result of a narrow minded approach towards the Quran and is a conclusion formed by just looking at a portion of the verse and not observing the other verses regarding this subject at other suras. First of all let us see what does the Quran say whether we have the free will to chose our line of action or is everything we do pre planned for us ? The following verses inform us clearly about this matter; 18:29 Say: The truth is from your Lord : Let him who will believe and let him who will reject (it) Above verse clearly states that, to accept or reject the truth rests on a persons free will. 76:4 We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful. 73:19-Verily this is an Admonition: therefore whoso will let him take a (straight) path to his Lord! 25:57 Say: No reward do I ask of you for it but this: that each one who will may take a (straight) Path to his Lord. The above verses clearly establish that human beings do have the free will to choose either way, or any path of action according to his own discretion. Allah further informs; 29:69 And those who strive in Our (cause) - We will certainly guide them to our Paths: For verily God is with those who do right. Had our fate already been decided or sealed, Allah would have never mentioned that man is to strive in His cause, as it would have been meaningless to strive and struggle for something which has already been decided. Hence by informing that to strive in His cause we would be guided to His ways it is confirmed that it is our struggle and action that will lead us to the path and pleasure of Allah and not what has been pre destined for us in our 'fate'. We are further reminded: 39:7 If ye reject (Allah) Truly Allah hath no need of you; but he liketh not ingratitude from his servants: if ye are grateful He is pleased with you. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. In the end to your Lord is your Return when He will tell you the truth of all that ye did (in this life). for He knoweth well all that is in (men's) hearts. If our fate was already decided, Allah would have never said; "...but he liketh not ingratitude from his servants.." As it would not be fitting to say that a certain action is not liked by Allah when it is Allah himself who has written that action for man in that persons fate ! Again we are reminded that to take guidance of Allah rests upon a persons free will and choice, and he is not under any compulsion, but it is entirely up to him whether he chooses Allah's guidance or not. Allah informs us through His messenger: 80:11 By no means (should it be so)! For it is indeed a Message of instruction:

80:12 Therefore let whoso will keep it in remembrance. Finally Allah in clear terms informs us that you have the freedom to act according to your choice, but your actions are under the supervision of Allah's laws of requital. 40:41 .......Do what ye will: verily He seeth (clearly) all that ye do. Allah gives you the freedom to work as you will. The above verses are proof that you have the freedom of choice when it comes to selecting the path of Allah and you are not under any pre ordained compulsion or any state of helplessness that what ever you are doing is not because of your will but was already decided in your 'fate'. You very much have the freedom to chose the path you wish and use your free will in chalking out a line of action for yourself. You have the free will and freedom of choice to work as you like, but every action you do produces a result. Every action you do produces a result. An action consistent with the laws of Allah produces a good result and working against those laws produces a negative result. You have been given the free will to chose as you wish, but it is not in your hands to change the results of the actions you did , i.e. you have the freedom to eat very dangerous toxic substance or poison, and as a result you can die. You did that act of your own free will, but it is not in the scope of your will to change the result of that action, i.e. it is not possible that you consume poison and as a result get very good health, instead of dying or harming your physical condition. Whatever law Allah has framed for that poisonous substance, you will get the results of that law. The type of act you do, that type of result you will get; 53.31 And Allah's is what is in the heavens and what is in the earth, that He may reward those who do evil according to what they do, and (that) He may reward those who do good with goodness. Every action and deed you do will be rewarded according to its nature; 45.22 And Allah created the heavens and the earth with truth and that every soul may be rewarded for what it has earned and they shall not be wronged. If you do an act consistent or in consistent with the laws of Allah, you will get its result on your self. You cannot transfer the results of your wrong doings to anyone else. You have to pay for what you did. You have to carry your own weight Some other person can not be held accountable for what you did. 45.15 Whoever does good, it is for his own soul, and whoever does evil, it is against himself; then you shall be brought back to your-- Lord. The type of results you get is not because Allah had already decided your fate and you had no say in it and were helpless. The results you get depend on the actions and deeds you do. 27:90 And if any do evil their faces will be thrown headlong into the Fire: "Do ye receive a reward other than that which ye have earned by your deeds?

37.38 Most surely you will taste the painful punishment. 37.39 And you shall not be rewarded except (for) what you did. If your actions and deeds where not consistent to the laws and commandments of Allah, you will get the results for those deeds as Allah has ordained: 52:13 That Day shall they be thrust down to the Fire of Hell irresistibly. 52:14 This: it will be said: Is the Fire - which ye were wont to deny! 52:15 Is this then a fake or is it ye that do not see? 52:16 Burn ye therein: the same is it to you whether ye bear it with patience or not: Ye but receive the recompense of your (own) deeds. If your actions were consistent and in accordance with Allah's laws you will get their results likewise; 52:17 As to the Righteous they will be in Gardens and in Happiness 52:18 Enjoying the (Bliss) which their Lord hath bestowed on them and their Lord shall deliver them from the Penalty of the Fire. 52:19 (To them will be said:) "Eat and drink ye with profit and health because of your deeds Each and every action will be recompensed and rewarded. Whether it is done by a man or a woman: 3:196 So their Lord answered their prayers, saying, `I will suffer not the work of any worker from among you, whether male or female, to be lost. You are from one another.... You will most certainly be held accountable for the type of actions you chose to do, and the blame is definitely not on Allah. 7:147 I shall soon turn away from My Signs those who behave proudly in the land in an unjust manner; and even if they see all the Signs, they will not believe therein; and if they see the way of righteousness, they will not adapt it as their way; but if they see the way of error, they will adopt it as their way. That is because they treated our signs as lies and were heedless of them. 7:148 And those who reject Our Signs and the meeting of the Hereafter - their works are vain. can they expect to be rewarded for anything except for what they do ? If you chose to behave in the manner described in the above verse, then you will be turned away from the signs of Allah according to the law of Allah which is expressed as His will. You are to blame yourself for this as you chose to behave in this manner by your free will. It is you yourself who is responsible for the negative results you get for your actions and Allah is not to be blamed. He reminds in clear terms;

10:45 Certainly, Allah wrongs not men at all; it is they who wrong their own souls. The following verses are more specific in informing that in case you do an act inconsistent with Allah's law because of that you will be held accountable, and it is not Allah who is to blame: 16:33 Do they wait until the angels come to them or there comes the Command of thy Lord ? So did those who went before them. But Allah wronged them not :nay they wronged their own souls. 16:34 But the evil results of their deeds overtook them and that very (Wrath) at which they had scoffed hemmed them in. You are yourself responsible for your actions, and in case you do wrong then the blame is on you, not on Allah, as the verse reminds; 41.46 Whoever does good, it is for his own soul, and whoever does evil, it is against it; and your Lord is not in the least unjust to his servants.

The will of Allah expressed as His laws:

Allah has expressed His will as His laws. His laws are ordained and in action in the physical universe, i.e. in the phenomena of nature as well as in the form of His guidance for Mankind contained in Al-Quran, which governs human affairs, and which also is unchangeable and permanent. Now the will of Allah is expressed in the Quran, but Allah has given us the free will to either accept those laws and derive the benefit from them in this world as well as the next life. Or go against those laws and suffer the consequences again in this world as well as the next. On one hand the Quran gives us the description and results of following the commandments of Allah, while on the other it also describes what would be the consequences of going against them. Both ways, if we select the path of Allah, or reject it, the results have been defined. Remember, the will of Allah is manifested by His permanent laws in the physical universe as well as human affairs. It is the law of Allah which is permanent and fixed, not the fate of mankind. If man follows the commands of Allah he will get the results as ordained in law, if he goes against them he will again get the results as in Allah's law. Man has been given the free will to select either way. Follow the commandments or go against them. In both ways the results will be produced accordingly, and those results cannot be changed. Now I'll give examples of this from general science as well as Quranic verses Allah has ordained the law for fire that if we put our hand in it, our hand will get burned. The burning properties of fire are ordained as a law by Allah. It isn't possible that we put our hand in fire and get the result as if we had placed it in a cool place. Our burned hand will not get healed unless we treat it with medicine, and apply another law of Allah in the form of healing properties of the medicine. Putting our hand in the fire was an act which we committed by ourselves. It was our job to know and be aware that fire can burn, and in case we didnt, then it is our own fault, and not the consequences of our fate. Coming to the portion of the verse which is causing confusion:

14.4 ....Then ALLAH leaves to go astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And He is the Mighty, the Wise. Now who are the people who are astray and what are their characteristics, this is abundantly clarified in the Quran at many places. Some verses that define those who are astray according to the law (will) of Allah are given below. Do note, if you have the qualities as mentioned in those verses then you are also astray according to Allah's laws.

Who are the people who are led astray according to the law of Allah?
1- Those who are transgressors (fasiqoon): 2.26 Surely Allah is not ashamed to set forth any parable-- (that of) a gnat or any thing above that; then as for those who believe, they know that it is the truth from their Lord, and as for those who disbelieve, they say: What is it that Allah means by this parable: He causes many to err by it and many He leads aright by it! but He does not cause to err by it (any) except the transgressors" 2-Those who are take shayateen (satans) as friends and protectors: 7:30 Some He hath guided: Others have (by their choice) deserved the loss of their way; in that they took the devils in preference to God for their friends and protectors and think that they receive guidance. 22:4 About the (Evil One) it is decreed that whoever turns to him for friendship him will he lead astray and he will guide him to the Penalty of the Fire. 3- Those who disobey Allah and His messenger: 33:36 .... and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he surely STRAYS off a manifest straying. 4- Those who are oppressors and are unjust (zalimun): 14.27 Allah confirms those who believe with the sure word in this world's life and in the hereafter, and Allah causes the unjust to go astray, and Allah does what He pleases. 5- Those who do not use their faculties of reasoning and listening to analyze the message of Allah: 25.44 Or do you think that most of them do hear or use their reasoning? They are nothing but as cattle; nay, they are straying farther off from the path. 6- Those who follow the opinions of their chiefs and great men instead of the message of Allah 33.67 And they shall say: O our Lord! surely we obeyed our leaders and our great men, so they led us astray from the path;

7- Those who are blind and heedless to the message of Allah: 17:72 But those who were blind in this world will be blind in the hereafter and most astray from the Path. 8- Those who follow the opinions of the people who are in a majority: 6.116 And if you obey most of those in the earth, they will lead you astray from Allah's way; they follow but conjecture and they only lie. 9- Those who follow their desires: 6.56 Say: I am forbidden to serve those whom you call upon besides Allah. Say: I do not follow your desires. for then indeed I should have gone astray and I should not be of those who go aright. The above verses describe who are those people who are led astray. Anyone who has above mentioned qualities manifested in him (or her) is astray according to the law of Allah. Compare above with what Quran says about who are the people who will get Allahs guidance? See these verses 39:18 , 13:27 , 6:125 etc. Above verses are clear in establishing that man has the freedom of choice to select right or wrong in his life. He will be rewarded according to the type of actions he does. Allah is not to be blamed for his wrong doings but he is to blame himself. People are led astray not because Allah wants them to go astray but by choosing those qualities for themselves which Allah has termed to be of those who are astray from his path. Their free selection of those qualities e.g. transgression, disobedience, following desires, not using reasoning and intellect in ascertaining the truth etc is what is making them astray and not Allah.

Conclusion:
It will be apparent from engaging into a deep study of the Quran and by cross referencing its verses that it does not require belief in fatalism nor in predestination, but only in premeasurement; that is to say the fixity of the laws and the intelligence to follow them. Human beings have the free will to follow whatever course of action that have decided to choose for themselves, however the results of their actions will be in accordance with the laws that have been measured for such actions. If they suffer, then it is because of their own choices, and they should not put the blame for their misgivings on Allah.

God Alone
What does it mean to believe in "GOD Alone"? We believe that this concept needs to be cleared-up, since it represents the back-bone of the people behind this website.

All Muslims believe in the Quran. Even the worst of them promote the Quran on their websites and in their lives. Yet, they do not follow "GOD Alone"!. Even Quranic based websites...Do not follow "GOD Alone".

You see, GOD does not live inside the Quran...It is merely a "medium" of communication that He uses to talk to us. The Sunnis and Shia and Submitter and others believe they took their religion from GOD through the Quran...

The Sunnis say GOD told them to follow the "Messenger" and to "take what he gives them". The Shia say that GOD told them to follow "Ahlul Bait" and their descendents. The Submitters say GOD told them to follow "19" and the writings of Rashad Khalifa. The fact of the matter is: GOD never told these people ANYTHING!!! They invented lies and attributed them to GOD... They even started forcing people to accept their lies and branding those who disagree as "Apostate and Rejecter". Following GOD Alone simply means: Following GOD Alone. Yes, its that simple!. No tricks, no catches, no loopholes... The Quran is NOT GOD, nor are human beings or even the Angels... GOD can only be represented by Himself. We open our heart to His guidance and ask Him to show us the right from wrong. He speaks to us through His words in the Quran, and we LISTEN rather than talk and force meanings. When GOD tells us to fast, we ask Him to explain to us through His words where, when and how.

When GOD asks us to pay charity...We ask Him ALONE for guidance.

"You ALONE we worship, you ALONE we seek" (Quran 1:5)

If we cannot find it clearly written in the Quran, then GOD never said it!. That is as easy as it gets... We have found that our lives and souls have been liberated by this approach, and that we are able to serve Him the way He should be served... Put your faith in GOD Alone and He will guide you:

"Say: 'Does any of your idols guide to the truth?' Say: 'GOD guides to the truth. Is one who guides to the truth more worthy of being followed?, or one who does not guide except after he is guided? What is wrong with your judgment?" (Quran 10:35)

This website will not guide you. Nor can it do anything for you. We can only be "instruments" if the Lord chooses to guide you... Praise be to Him who initiated the heavens and the Earth...

Islam

What is Islam? This must be the first and foremost question that comes to anyone's mind when they hear the word "Islam", especially for the first time. "Islam" is an Arabic word which literally means "Submission". A person may "Submit" to many things around him/her on a daily basis (money, power, people, family, fear, etc..). Yet in the context of religion, it is Submission to the system of the One GOD.

Islam = Submission to God. Therefore any who follow this natural instinct of submitting to God are called "Muslims".

Who is Allah?
Many people believe that the god of the Muslims (Submitters) is a GOD named 'Allah' who is unique to the Arabs. "Allah" is simply Arabic for 'The GOD". The GOD of Submission is described as the 'Lord of the Universe' who Has created heavens & earth, and who Has created mankind and all that we perceive. He is a GOD of good, love, and justice... "GOD advocates justice, charity, and regarding the relatives. And He forbids evil, vice, and transgression. He enlightens you, that you may take heed." (Quran 16:90) He is One GOD, with no partners, no equals, and no son.

Who is Mohammed?
A Prophet of GOD appeared in the Arabian Peninsula 1,400 years ago announcing a miraculous moment for mankind...GOD had chosen a new Prophet after nearly 600-years since the departure of Jesus Christ. The description given to this new prophet was "Mohammed", which means "Most Praised". This new Prophet re-delivered the laws of GOD to help bring mankind back into the light and away from evil and darkness...Through 'inspiration' he was given the words of the last testament to mankind, The Quran.

What is the Quran?

The 'Quran' is the "Book of Reading" which was delivered by His last Prophet to mankind 1,400 years ago. It contains a repeat of all the laws given through Abraham, Moses, and Jesus...It is a 'culmination' of all the previous messages and a beacon and light to guide all mankind. The Quran is split into 114 chapters (also called 'Suras' in Arabic). These chapters contain a mixture of 'law, history, prophecy, and science'. According to the words of the Book, it is the LAW which is the main purpose of its revelation: "He sent down to you the scripture, containing law giving verses, which constitute the essence of the book-as well as similar/multiple-meaning verses..." (Quran - Chapter 3, verse 7) The last testament OVERRIDES all previous scriptures and sets the standard for a new world order.

How do we know there is One GOD?. The answer to this question is simpler than you may think. If you had a house and I came into it, you would tell me to leave because it is YOUR house (i.e. you would claim it as your own). You would probably even produce documents to prove it is yours, so I would have no option but to accept the fact that it is your house. The Universe, Earth and all around it follow the same premise (i.e. they are like the house). The One who claims ownership to them MUST BE the owner if no one else can come forward and make the same claim: "Have they found gods on earth who can create?. If there were in them other gods beside GOD, there would have been chaos. Glory be to GOD; the Lord with absolute authority. He is high above their claims." (Quran 21:21-22) This is the same claim that came with all the Prophets, from Abraham to Moses to Jesus "Here Oh Israel, Your Lord is ONE GOD".

What is the 'proof' of Prophethood?

Messengers & Prophets have been constantly sent to humanity since the very beginning of our creation. Noah, Abraham, Lot, Hud, Salih, Shuaib, Jonah, Joseph, Jacob, Isaac, Ismail, Moses, Aron, and Jesus are just some of the Messengers that GOD has sent to make His claim on the Earth and all who live in it. The 1st requirement for an emissary of GOD is for the person to be an 'exemplary example' for mankind, and the last Prophet of GOD was certainly such as testified by the scripture: 'Those who follow the messenger, the gentile Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures),- in the Torah and the Gospel;- he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure);He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him,- it is they who will prosper.' " (7:157) "You have indeed in the Messenger of GOD a good example for any one whose hope is in GOD and the Final Day, and remembers GOD frequently." (33:21) "No prophet could be false to his trust. If any person is so false, He shall, on the Day of Judgment, restore what he misappropriated; then shall every soul receive its due,- whatever it earned,- and none shall be dealt with unjustly." (3:161) "And you (Mohammed) are of a great character" (68:4) The 2nd requirement is that Messengers do not come empty handed, they were supplied with PROOF so that no one would doubt that they spoke with the authority from GOD.

Some of these messengers were given 'unique' gifts to show the people. Joseph knew the interpretation of dreams, Moses had a staff which produced great miracles, Jesus was given the ability to heal the sick and even resurrect the dead. Other such as Abraham, David, Moses, Aron, Jesus & Mohammed all came with divine scriptures which contained information that no man could know. These scriptures talked about GOD, the creation of the universe, the different creatures in existence, man's purpose of Earth, the laws, death, the resurrection, and Judgment.

Why have more than one Messenger or Scripture?

This is the first question that occurs to people when they hear of all the different messengers and all the scriptures they revealed to mankind. If we were a sensible race of beings, then GOD would not have done that. But unfortunately such is not the case. Human beings have a history and a tendency to reject, fight, and corrupt any message sent to them: "We have permitted the enemies of every prophet-human and alien devils- to inspire in each other fancy words, in order to deceive. Had your Lord willed, they would not have done it. You shall disregard them and their fabrications." (Quran 6:112) This arrogance usually ends-up with the Messenger either dead or his message rejected. Then after he has been killed or rejected, the people start to say: 'maybe he was a Messenger'. Then slowly but surely they start to elevate him using a 'distorted' message until he is no longer a man, but becomes at par with god Himself.

Will there be more Messengers?

Prophets are defined by the scripture as 'those who receive the revelation': "The people used to be one community, then GOD sent the prophets as bearers of good news, as well as warners. He sent down with them the scripture, bearing the truth, to judge among the people in their disputes..." (Quran 2/213) The bad news is: 'There will be no more Prophets bringing any new scripture'. "Muhammad was not the father of any man among you. He was a messenger of GOD and the final prophet. GOD is fully aware of all things." (Quran 33/40) The good news: 'There will ALWAYS be messengers" to remind the people of GOD. "To each community is a messenger. After their messenger comes, they are judged equitably, without the least injustice." (Quran 10:47)

Why is the Last revelation so different?

Since all the previous scriptures have been distorted/tainted (Torah, Psalms, Gospel), what makes the latest revelation any more different?. The 'key' difference to the last scripture is the 'way it is structured'!. As we mentioned before, the last revaluation contains various elements (law, prophecy, science, history), which have all been 'INTERMINGLED' within each other. For example, a chapter which starts off talking about the universe, would suddenly shift to giving a law, then shift back to history or to prophecy. This structure has two effects: It makes the last testament near impossible to distort as taking out one law requires sifting through many non-related verses; It makes understanding the law only possible with EFFORT. Why are we here?. This is possibly the 'most important' question which many people & religions simply try to ignore or skip. Some think we are here to simply 'worship' GOD and carry-out His bidding (as slaves) in return for GOD sparing us the agony of hell. Some think we are here because our parents sinned (Adam & Eve) and thus need to accept this or that person for our 'salvation'... What is more serious than all those statements is the one that few are willing to believe: 'we are here for a CRIME committed by us before coming to Earth'!. Yes, we were all existing BEFORE this life: "Recall that your Lord summoned all the descendants of Adam, and had them bear witness for themselves: 'Am I not your Lord?' They all said, 'Yes. We bear witness.' Thus, you cannot say on the Day of Resurrection, 'We were not aware of this.' Nor can you say, 'It was our parents who practiced idolatry, and we simply followed in their footsteps. Will You punish us because of what others have innovated?. We thus explain the revelations, that they may redeem themselves." (7:172-174) As bizarre as it may sound, this is exactly why we are all here...Earth is nothing but one giant 'prison' where redemption is only possible once we prove that we are capable of coming back to the heavenly community. "Know that this worldly life is no more than play and diversion, and boasting among you, and hoarding of money and children. It is like abundant rain that produces plants and pleases the disbelievers. But then the plants turn into useless hay, and are blown away by the wind. In the Hereafter there is either severe retribution, or forgiveness from GOD and approval. This worldly life is no more than a temporary illusion." (57:20)

Know that you have not been created in 'vein', nor is this part of some great cosmic joke, nor is GOD out to punish anyone who does not deserve the retribution...We are here only due to GOD's mercy in giving us ONE LAST CHANCE to come-back to Him and attain forgiveness for all the things we have done...Wake-up and seize the opportunity before you miss your last and only chance!. The only way for redemption is to show that we are capable of listening to the laws of the Almighty and implementing them in our life here on Earth...We must all be able to 'serve & obey' GOD Alone, and not serve our 'egos, leaders, humans, wealth, power, etc..' (we go back to the issue of Submission). "Those who say: 'Our Lord is GOD', then they Straighten themselves, they shall have no fear nor will they grieve" (46:13)

And 'how' do we 'Straighten Ourselves'?.

If you take nothing else from the Scripture, then let it be the CORE of the revelation, the 'Straight Path' which leads us back to GOD: The Straight Path (Quran 6:151-153): 1. You shall not incorporate anything besides Him (GOD). 2. You shall honor your parents. 3. You shall not kill your unborn children from fear of poverty-We provide for you and for them. 4. You shall not commit sins, obvious or hidden. 5. You shall not kill - GOD has made life sacred - except in the course of justice. 6. You shall not touch the orphans' money except in the most righteous manner, until they reach maturity. 7. You shall give full weight and full measure when you trade, equitably. 8. You shall be absolutely just when you bear witness, even against your relatives. 9. You shall fulfill your oaths made to GOD.

War in the Quran

In this article, we will dispel the myths surrounding warfare in the Quran and show exactly 'what' the GOD of Submission (Islam) teaches. "And kill them wherever you find them..." (Quran 2:191) The above part of a verse has been duplicated in countless sites and many publications to be used as a testimony for the 'violence' and cruelty that is encouraged by the words of the Quran... 1. Fighting is only allowed against Aggression or Persecution. "You may fight in the cause of GOD those who fight you, but do not aggress. GOD does not love the aggressors. (2:190) "They question you with regard to warfare in the sacred month. Say: Warfare therein is a great (transgression), but to turn (men) from the way of GOD, and to disbelieve in Him and in the Inviolable Place of Worship, and to expel His people thence, is a greater with GOD; for persecution is worse than killing. And they will not cease from fighting against you till they have made you renegades from your religion, if they can. And he who becomes renegade and dies in his disbelief: such are they whose works have fallen both in the world and the Hereafter. Such are rightful owners of the Fire: they will abide therein." (2:217) Contrary to the wishes of many who would rather picture Islam as a warmongering system, the Quran does not allow warfare except in 'self-defense'. "And kill them where you find them, and evict them whence they evicted you. Oppression is worse than murder. Do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque, unless they fight you therein. If they fight you, you may kill them. This is the just retribution for those who disbelieve. (2:191) Look again at that fearful verse used at the beginning of this article... Well, it happens to be a direct continuation from 2:190 where people are told to fight is self defense. We are allowed to fight and kill those who fight and kill us, and to evict them from where they evicted us...Sanctuary is given at the Holy Shrine, however, this is not-valid if they continue to fight at this sacred location. 2. Deterrence is the key. "You shall prepare for them all the power you can muster, and all the equipment you can mobilize, that you may frighten the enemies of GOD, your enemies, as well as others who are not known to you; GOD knows them. Whatever you spend in the cause of GOD will be repaid to you generously, without the least injustice. (8:60) The Quran is a book of life, and a book of wisdom. The above verse encourages a strategy of displaying forces and making sure everyone is aware of them. This is usually the best deterrent to avoid warfare and makes those with ill intentions think twice about beginning a war or attacking out of feeling superior.

3. Military Service is Encouraged. "Warfare has been ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that you hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you. GOD knows, but you do not know." 2:216 "O you prophet, you shall exhort the believers to fight. If there are twenty of you who are steadfast, they can defeat two hundred, and a hundred of you can defeat a thousand of those who disbelieved. That is because they are people who do not understand. (8:65) To make it clear from the beginning, Islam as a system invites people to stand ready to fight at all times...The Quran does not adapt a 'walk-away' attitude, but puts aggressors down from the beginning and demands its followers to be aware of such responsibilities. 4. Fighting is allowed to defend other believers. "...As for those who believe, but do not emigrate with you, you do not owe them any support, until they do emigrate. However, if they seek your help, as brethren in faith, you shall help them, except against people with whom you have signed a peace treaty. GOD is Seer of everything you do. (8:72) "And why should you not fight in the cause of God and the weak and oppressed among men, women, and children who say, "Our Lord rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors. And give us from You, a protector. And give us from You, a helper" (4:75). Believers who are attacked may seek help and military action may be used in these cases. The exception is clearly if a treaty exists with the country/people who are housing them and the conditions of such treaty has not been broken (see 9:1-15 for dealing with broken treaties). 5. The concept of 'Jihad'. "And strive (Jahidu) in the cause of GOD as it deserves striving (Jihad)" (22:78) Jihad is thought of in the West and even in some Islamic circles as 'Holy War'. In-fact, the word as per its usage in GOD's holy book means 'To Strive': "But the messenger and those with him strove/jahadu with thier money and their lives.." (9"88) "GOD has preferred those who strive/mujahideen with thier money and thier lives over those who sat..." (4:95) Even your parents can 'strive' against you: "And if they strive/jahadaak that you set-up partners with Me that which you hav no knoledge of, do not obey them.." (29:8, 31:15) Obviously your parents are not doing a 'holy war' against you. 6. Equivalence in warfare is the rule.

"...if you are attacked, then you shall attack by the same equivalence. And reverence GOD and know that GOD is with the righteous" (2:194) "And if you punish, you shall inflict an equivalent punishment. But if you resort to patience (instead of revenge), it would be better for the patient ones. (16:26) This is the law for equivalence. If 100 of your soldiers are killed, then a maximum 100 of the enemies soldiers may be killed...You cannot kill more than has been killed with you, and if you hold-off and are not quick to seek revenge, then it is always better. 7. Desertion is not advisable. "O you who believe, if you encounter the disbelievers who have mobilized against you, do not turn back and flee. Anyone who turns back on that day, except to carry out a battle plan, or to join his group, has incurred wrath from GOD, and his abode is Hell; what a miserable destiny! (8:15-16) Although there is no law against desertion from the battle field, those who believe in GOD would not be very smart to do so as the consequences are related to the after-life. 8. Prisoners of War. "... Some of them you killed, and some you took captive. (33:26) "O you prophet, tell the prisoners of war in your hands, "If GOD knew of anything good in your hearts, He would have given you better than anything you have lost, and would have forgiven you. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful." (8:70) In the laws of GOD, prisoners can be taken during warfare and held until such time as there release is possible. Prisoners are neither to be killed nor tortured...these are not practices which have any legitimacy. 9. Spoils of War. "They consult you about the spoils of war. Say, "The spoils of war belong to GOD and the messenger." You shall observe GOD, exhort one another to be righteous, and obey GOD and His messenger, if you are believers. (8:1) "He made you inherit their land, their homes, their money, and lands you had never stepped on. GOD is in full control of all things. (33:27) Spoils of war belong to the state to be distributed as per the Quranic requirements (orphans, needy. etc..). The land and goods of enemies is confiscated in these battles. 10. Warfare is stopped if the other party ceases. "If they refrain, then GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful." (2:192) "If they seek peace, so shall you, and put your trust in GOD. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient. (8:61)

This is the GOD of Submission...A GOD who only allows violence when it is carried out against a person, and is quick to call for peace once the violence is ended. There can be no justification for war and killing to continue simply because it was started by means of aggression... 11. Payment of Compensation (Jizya). "You shall fight back against those who do not believe in GOD, nor in the Last Day, nor do they prohibit what GOD and His messenger have prohibited, nor do they abide by the system of truth-among those who received the scripture-until they pay the penalty, willingly or unwillingly." (9:29) Sura 9 deals with the breaking of treaties and warfare. The penalty for those who have have broken the law and have fought against the believers is to pay 'compensation' for their action. 12. Reconciliation of Believers. "If two groups of believers fought with each other, you shall reconcile them. If one group aggresses against the other, you shall fight the aggressing group until they submit to GOD's command. Once they submit, you shall reconcile the two groups equitably. You shall maintain justice; GOD loves those who are just." (49:9) Although this does not deal with warfare directly, it lays the ground for what to do when two groups of believers fight. 13. Final Reminder. "...anyone who kills any person who had not committed murder or horrendous crimes, it shall be as if he killed all the people. And anyone who spares a life, it shall be as if he spared the lives of all the people..." (5:32)

God's System of Doom

When we read the stories of previous generations as related in The Reading (Quran), most of us are unable to relate to them thinking that they are 'tales from the past' which no longer have any significance in our age of science & technology. "We have sent down to you a scripture containing your message. Do you not understand?" (21:10) "We narrate to you the best narration's through the revelation of this Reading (Quran). Before this, you were totally unaware." (The Reading 12:3) The GOD tells us that what is being told is SIGNIFICANT to us and that in it are lessons which we must learn from:

"In their history, there is a LESSON for those who possess intelligence. This is not fabricated Hadith; this (Quran) authenticates all previous scriptures, provides the details of everything, and is a beacon and mercy for those who believe." (The Reading 12:111) We learn of people who existed before us like the people of 'Aad', 'Thamud', 'Noah', 'Pharaoh', 'Lot', etc... "Have you noted what your Lord did to `Ad?. Erum; with the pillars. The one which the land never saw its like!. Also Thamud, who carved the rocks in the valley. And Pharaoh who possessed might. They all transgressed in the land. They spread evil throughout. Consequently, your Lord poured upon them a whipping retribution. Your Lord is ever watchful." (The Reading 89:7-14) Some of these nations we are told were even more powerful that we are today!. "Have they not roamed the earth and noted the consequences for those who preceded them? They used to be more powerful, more prosperous, and built the earth more than you did. Their messengers went to them with clear signs. Consequently, The GOD was not the One who wronged them; they are the ones who wronged their own souls." (The Reading 30:9) But, why does The GOD tell us about them?. Yes, they were mostly evil, but how can this information serve us today?. Well, in the narration's of these stories, what unfolds is a SYSTEM that has been ordained by The GOD which precedes the destruction or annihilation of a nation. If we are smart, we can identify this system BEFORE it is too late and before the destruction or doom on a nation kicks-in (like a check-list). Remember, The Reading (Quran) gives sight to those who uphold it, making them seers when everyone else may be oblivious to their surroundings...Let us be from 'the people of intelligence' rather than just blind followers of the blind. "The ones who listen to all that is said, then follow the best. These are the ones whom The GOD has guided; these are the ones who possess intelligence." (The Reading 39:18)

God's System:
1. Evil being committed. The first element that begins the trigger of GOD's system of destruction for a nation or community is that its people start to 'commit evil!'. "The consequences for those who committed evil had to be evil. That is because they rejected The GOD's revelations, and ridiculed them." (The Reading 30:10) Although this may be a broad description, the evil that previous nations have been destroyed for includes:

Slavery & Persecution (Pharoh and his people persecuting the Hebrews 7:127) ; Cheating in Trade & Monopolizing (People of Midyan 7:85); Fornication and Homosexuality (Lot's people 7:81); When we look around us today, we find that most countries in the world carry one or more of the above elements which warranted the destruction of the previous people...Does that mean it is their time?. 2. The Leadership. Once a nation or community fall into the practice of certain evils, then GOD's system allows their leadership to be REFLECTIVE of the people: "If We are to annihilate any community, We allow the carefree to rule it, they thus commit vast corruption therein. Then it deserves the retribution, and We annihilate it completely." (The Reading 17:16) If the people have activated the 1st point of GOD's system for doom, then the leadership will arise that will activate the 2nd point of the checklist. This leadership can be one man, a political party, or any other powerful lobby which will work against The GOD's system of justice, peace and freedom from all persecution and tyranny. If you feel that there is a country that practices some of the evil listed in point # 1, then look to its leadership to see if it is allowing and promoting corruption. 3. Warnings are Issued. The GOD having all Glory & Mercy does not only provide warning signals for those who take heed, but He also allows His message (warning) to be spread one last time for any who wish to save themselves. "We never annihilate any community without sending warners." (The Reading 26:208) 4. Mass wealth. When the people have committed evil and the leadership also promotes such corruption, then The GOD's system allows that nation / community to be given wealth (sometimes excessive) to increase their transgression. "When they thus disregard the message given to them, we open for them the gates of everything. Then, just as they rejoice in what was given to them, we punish them suddenly; they become utterly stunned." (The Reading 6:44) Thus, if you are seeing a country which commits evil, has evil leadership, has been warned, and is being given wealth! then you'd better be on your way out A.S.A.P. 5. The Destruction Comes.

After the 4 steps above are met, the community or nation is then flung into destruction (be it war, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc..). "Many a community we annihilated for turning unappreciative of their lives. Consequently, here are their homes, nothing but uninhabited ruins after them, except a few. We were the inheritors." (The Reading 28:58) It must be noted that the above 5-steps represent a 'Macro' scale of GOD's system for destruction. However, it is also possible to see this system put into effect on a 'Micro' scale if a person or family is 'warned' and they do not heed the warning or embrace GOD Alone (they will be elevated perhaps in wealth or power, but then dropped into misery or destruction just as fast).

The Future
The industrial revolution has quickly advanced technology making the world into 'One Global Village'. Thus, we are no longer isolated by our geographic locations or distances... TV broadcasting has reached almost every home through satellite technology, the advancement of flight has made trade between nations a must for survival...the Internet has reached millions of homes with its vast array of data...The WTO, UN, IMF, World Bank, etc... Thus, what is occurring is something that has not been seen since the time of Noah (when his society dominated the world) nearly 13,000 years ago. The fornication and evil is no longer limited to just one or a few nations...but it has entered every home and the politics and politicians have formed one 'secret' club where they divide the world spoils amongst themselves... "Why do they not reflect on themselves? The GOD did not create the heavens and the earth, and everything between them, except for a specific purpose, and for a specific life span. However, most people, with regard to meeting their Lord, are disbelievers." (The Reading 30:8) The danger of this 'global village' may now be clear. We are at risk for a GLOBAL destruction as these governments conspire and plot evil with each other...and they trigger the system that has been put-in-place by The GOD.

Signs
There are a few alarming events that have occurred recently which warrant serious attention from the students of The Reading (Quran) everywhere: 1. Reaching the Moon - 1969 "The hour is near and the Moon is breached" (The Reading 54:1)

This verse has been mangled in the traditional translation as the Moon being 'split' which is why very few have been concerned with its occurrence. However, 'The Reading' tells us that reaching the Moon is a sign that our destruction may be very near. Also, the entire Sura (54) speaks of the destruction of all previous generations (Noah, 'Ad, Thamud, etc..). "They disbelieved, followed their opinions, and adhered to their old traditions." (The Reading 54:3) The above verse sounds very familiar to most of us as it has been the reaction of 'traditional' scholars for centuries. 2. The 'Creature' (dab'a). "And when they have DESERVED the retribution, We will produce for them a creature, made of earthly materials, declaring that the people are not certain about our revelations." (The Reading 27:82) Traditional translations link this with Hadith narration's of a 'snake-like' creature which appears in the mountains of Mecca and speaks to the people. Although I for one would be fascinated to see a dragon being interviewed on CNN, somehow myths & fairy tales do not serve The GOD's purpose or His system. The translation of the 'Dab'a' being the computer (made from silicon and containing data or signals which move through it) is indeed a unique, but very intriguing one. As most of us know, computers did not start to become commercialized until the early 70's (after the landing of man on the Moon!), also, now in the 21st century, there is not a home or school that can do without the computer. But, how can the computer warn the people?. Well, how is it you are reading this article?. Is it not the Internet that has made possible communication when it was not possible before?. There are very few now who have not been exposed to the message of GOD Alone through the Internet (in an e-mail, or chat, or discussion, or site)...Thus, the message is being propagated like never before through this medium (eventhough most reject it). If the computer, or Internet, is indeed the 'Dab'a', then that spells some major trouble brewing as its appearance will only come when the people have 'DESERVED' the retribution!. If you recall the points of destruction that we have listed above, then you will note that we have entered into the time where the message is being propagated like never before (points # 3&4). This would indicate that the countdown has indeed begun, and we are at the final stage of an eminent event!. 3. The Smoke.

One of the prophecies in 'The Reading' that has not yet occurred is that of the 'smoke': "Therefore, watch for the day when the sky brings a profound smoke. It will envelope the people; this is a painful retribution." (The Reading 44:10-11) This is the only verse that we can find which talks about a 'future' event related to the destruction of most people. If we look at this verse in light of the prophecy of the Moon, and the Computer, then it becomes relevant that this will be the next event to come... There are 3 explanations that may exist for 'what' exactly this smoke will be: Nuclear Cloud. This is a possibility since the detonation of an atomic bomb generates a mushroom like cloud which is a 'trademark' of this weapon. What we could see is a 3rd World War in which nuclear weapons are used on a global scale causing much pain for whoever survives the initial blasts. Asteroid. A large asteroid striking land on Earth would cause massive Earthquakes and tremors as well as a cloud of dust which would block the sun for a number of year (thus eliminating most life). It is believed that the people of Noah were destroyed with a large asteroid which struck the ocean (cracking the sea floor and releasing lava which boiled the sea water and caused an end to the last ice age). Pollution. The Industrial Revolution which began at the end of the 19th century has produced a world full of 'machines' and products. These inventions have been causing a sharp increase in the level of pollutants in the atmosphere and have been discovered to be causing the erosion of the 'ozone' layer (which protects us from the sun's harmful rays) as well as causing a 'greenhouse effect' by locking in the heat of the sun. Such pollution may expose mankind to all kinds of cancers and disease, which have no present cure. However, for a 'large scale' destruction to occur, it would require that a messenger be sent to its 'most prominent' (remember, the destruction of a community or nation only requires a 'Warner', not a 'Messenger'). "Your Lord never annihilates the communities without sending a Messenger to its most prominent one, to recite our revelations to them. We never annihilate any community, unless its people are wicked." (The Reading 28:59)

Conclusion

There will be more destruction coming, its signs are everywhere for us to see...The destructions will be on a 'limited' scale, or restricted to certain nations/countries as and when they active The GOD's system for their destruction. Reflect on the following communities/nations and see which have already incurred the retribution and which may already be triggering its coming: Iraq?; U.S.S.R.?; Afganistan?; Lebanon?; Syria?; Sudan?; Bosnia?; Germany?; England?; Israel?; China?; U.S.A.?. However, there will also be a 'large-scale' destruction in the not too distant future...It will not be the end or J-day as there will still be survivors from this 'smoke' (good and bad): "We will relieve the retribution for awhile; you will soon revert." (The Reading 44:15) Thus the smoke will eventually lift or its effects will fade away...and life will return to Earth (not as industrialized or advanced as we know it) until the final trumpet is blown and it is time... The good news is that the system of 'GOD Alone' will once again rise as all other systems will simply be destroyed, and the beleivers will be allowed to survive. "...It is our immutable law that we save the believers." (The Reading 10:103) Do you think this is fantasy?: "There is not a community that we will not annihilate BEFORE the Day of Resurrection, or inflict severe retribution upon them. This has been underlined in the book." (The Reading 17:58) The GOD tells us of His system for life & death...only those who posses intelligence will take heed. Expect that the message of 'GOD Alone' will be spreading over the next few years like never before, for most this will be the 'beginning' of the 'end'. "When triumph comes from The GOD, and victory. You will see the people embracing The GOD's system in throngs. You shall glorify and praise your Lord, and implore Him for forgiveness. He is the Redeemer." (The Reading 110:1-3)

No Doubt (Jihad)
One of the most seriously misunderstood aspects of Islam is it's position on fighting. This stems both from a widespread, general ignorance of Islam and a tendency to view the violent behavior of groups and individuals with only nominal ties to Islam as representative of Islam. For Muslims, the Qur'an contains God's own words and is not the work of inspired men. It is therefore, the ultimate authority which defines the beliefs and practices of Islam.

Often, people take verses, or parts of verses from the Qur'an, ignoring context and related verses, to make Islam appear warlike and violent, or to justify hostility and aggression. But a careful examination of the Qur'an yields a very different view. The word jihaad is familiar to most Americans and seems to evoke images of wild eyed, fanatics slaughtering infidels in a holy war. But what is the Qur'anic concept of jihaad and how does it relate to war and fighting? There is no concept of holy war (al-Harb almuqaddas) in the Qur'an. The noun jihaad occurs 4 times in the Qur'an. The verb jaahada ( struggle, strive) in various forms to appears 29 times. None of these refers directly to fighting, let alone specifically to military action. In 14 of the 29 places the verb jaahada appears in the Qur'an, striving in the cause of God is used in very a very general context as a quality of those who believe. Many of these verses have nearly identical wording: alatheena amanuu wa haajaruu wa jaahaduu fi sabeelallah bi amwalihim wa anfusihim. [those who believe and emigrate and strive in the cause of God with their wealth and their selves] (2:218; 3:142; 5:57; 8:72,74,75; 9:16,20,44,88 ; 16:110; 29:6,69; 49:15). Two other instances tell how hypocrites hate to strive in God's cause and try to avoid it (9:81,86). Where the Qur'an specifically commands striving, there is no reference to warfare (5:38, 9:41,73, 22:78, 25:52, 66:9). Verses 29:8 and 31:15 give believers permission to disobey parents who strive (jaahadaa) to make them associate partners with God. Even under such circumstances the believer is ordered to be considerate and just toward the parents. We learn from the Qur'an that believers must be willing to exert great efforts in the cause of God, using our wealth and ourselves. These efforts (jihaad) may, or may not include fighting (qitaal). Fighting is called for only under certain circumstances and then, is strictly regulated in the Qur'an. One often misused verse is 2:216; "Fighting is prescribed for you and it is hateful to you. It is possible that you hate a thing that is good for you, and that you love a thing that is bad for. God knows and you do not know." But this is, by no means the only verse that deals with fighting. What else does the Qur'an say about fighting? When, where, why, how, and with whom is fighting allowed? We find fighting commanded in these words: Fight in the cause of God THOSE WHO FIGHT YOU. But DO NOT COMMIT EXCESSES. God does not love those who commit excesses. And slay them where encounter them. And expel them FROM WHERE THEY EXPELLED YOU. Unrest and oppression are worse than killing. Do not fight them at the sacred mosque, unless they fight you there. But IF THEY FIGHT YOU, slay them. Such is the reward of the disbelievers. (2:190-191 emphasis added). These verses order fighting only those who fight you, suggesting only defensive combat. This is supported by the verses immediately following: BUT IF THEY CEASE, God is Forgiving, Merciful, and Fight them UNTIL THERE IS NO MORE UNREST OR OPPRESSION and religion is for God. But if they cease, LET THERE BE NO HOSTILITY EXCEPT TO OPPRESSORS (2:192-193 emphasis added). Combat is not limited to self-defense, however, but also includes defense of others; And why should you not fight in the cause of God and THE WEAK AND OPPRESSED AMONG MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN who say, "Our Lord rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors. And give us from You, a protector. And give us from You, a helper" (4:75 emphasis added).

The Qur'an indicates whom to fight, as we saw in 2:193 above. It also details specific behaviors in which they engage that justify fighting them: The unbelievers plotted to resist you, or kill you or, expel you....The unbelievers spend their wealth to hinder (people) from the path of God....They are those with whom you made a covenant. BUT THEY BREAK THEIR COVENANT EVERY TIME and they are not conscious of God....But IF THEY VIOLATE THEIR OATH SAFTER THEIR COVENANT, AND DEFAME YOU FOR YOUR FAITH, fight the leaders of the unbelievers. For their oaths mean nothing to them. Perhaps they will be restrained. Will you not fight people who VIOLATED THEIR OATHS AND PLOTTED TO EXPEL THE MESSENGER, and ATTACKED YOU FIRST?(8:30, 36, 56, 9:12-13 emphasis added). Knowing when to stop fighting is also critical and is dealt with by the Qur'an in no uncertain terms: And fight them UNTIL THERE IS NO MORE UNREST AND OPPRESSION, and religion is for God.... But IF THEY LEAN TOWARD PEACE, YOU LEAN TOWARD PEACE and trust in God. He is the Hearer, the Knower (8:39, 61 emphasis added). Finally, the Qur'an calls for good relations with all who uphold their treaties and do not fight against the Muslims: As long as they stand true to you, stand true to them. For God loves the pious....God DOES NOT FORBID YOU, regarding THOSE WHO DO NOT FIGHT YOU FOR THE RELIGION, NOR EXPEL YOU FROM YOUR HOMES, FROM DEALING WITH THEM KINDLY AND JUSTLY. For God loves the just (9:7, 60:8 emphasis added). These and other verses in the Qur'an make it clear that fighting is required in self-defense, or in defense of the weak and oppressed. But aggression is forbidden and fighting is allowed only against direct combatants, or their active supporters.

Why are Prayers Unanswered?

How many times have you asked GOD for something?. Did GOD answer your prayer every time?. Did GOD answer your prayers at all!. "When My servants ask you about Me, I am always near. I answer their prayers when they pray to Me. The people shall respond to Me and believe in Me, in order to be guided." (2:186) How can this be!. If GOD is telling us in His holy book that He answers prayers...Then WHY is He ignoring mine!!!. This is really the dilemma that most of us go through on a regular basis, and which eventually works at eroding our faith, belief, and contact with GOD. If GOD is hearing us, why doesn't He answer?. Is it because I am bad?. Or is it because I am not praying the way He wants, or fasting the way He told us, or doing all the commands that He has sent?. We tear ourselves apart trying to work out where the 'mistakes' are and why we are being ignored... But, is GOD really ignoring us?. Can the words of the Lord be 'untruthful'?.

"GOD's promise- and GOD never breaks His promise- but most people do not know." (30:6) Let us tackle this issue using GOD's own words for guidance: "This Quran guides to the best path, and brings good news to the believers who lead a righteous life, that they have deserved a great recompense." (17:9)

1. Can we ask GOD for 'worldly' items?. This is really the 'million $' question!. Many people have been able to convince themselves that GOD hears all prayers, but that the rewards are all attained in the next life...not this Earthly one. Let us see if that is true: "He said, "My Lord, forgive me, and grant me a KINGSHIP never attained by anyone else. You are the Grantor. We committed the wind at his disposal, pouring rain wherever he wanted." (38:35-36) It appears that Solomon request for a pure 'Earthly' Kingship was answered!. "...Whenever Zachariah entered her sanctuary he found provisions with her. He would ask, "Mary, where did you get this from?" She would say, "It is from GOD. GOD provides for whomever He chooses, without limits." (3:37) Here we find GOD providing 'Earthly' sustenance for Mary!. "That is when Zachariah implored his Lord: "My Lord, grant me such a good child; You are the Hearer of the prayers. The angels called him when he was praying in the sanctuary: "GOD gives you good news of John; a believer in the word of GOD, honorable, moral, and a righteous prophet." (3:38-39) And Zachariah asking for an "Earthly" son!. Now that we have seen that asking for worldly items is a 'Reality'...Let us see what else we can ask for. 2. Can we ask GOD for things in the Hereafter?. "And GOD cites as an example of those who believed the wife of Pharaoh. She said, "My Lord, build a home for me at You in Paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his works; save me from the transgressing people." (66:11) Pharaoh's wife seeks a 'Heavenly' reward from GOD. "My Lord, forgive me and my parents, and anyone who enters my home as a believer, and all the believing men and women..." (71:28) Noah seeks 'forgiveness' from the Lord (a heavenly reward). "Anyone who commits evil, or wrongs his soul, then implores GOD for forgiveness, will find GOD Forgiving, Most Merciful." (4:110) GOD's 'forgiveness' is (of course) Heavenly!. Thus, we can ask for things in this life as well as the after -life!.

Now, if the Quran establishes both of the above facts, then WHY is it our prayers go unanswered!!!.

PRE-CONDITIONS: The Quran tells us that GOD answers the calls that implore Him with 'conditions':

Condition # 1: GOD Alone is Implored. "If you are afflicted in the middle of the sea, you forget your idols, EXCEPT HIM. But as soon as He saves you to the shore, you revert. Indeed, the human being is unappreciative." (17:67) "When they ride on a ship, they implore GOD, devoting their prayers to ONLY HIM. But as soon as He saves them to the shore, they revert to idolatry." (29:65) "When violent waves surround them, they implore GOD, sincerely devoting their prayers to ONLY HIM. But as soon as He saves them to the shore, some of them revert. None discards our revelations except those who are betrayers, unappreciative." (31:32) "Who is the One who rescues those who become DESPERATE and call upon Him, relieves adversity, and makes you inheritors of the earth? Is it another god with GOD? Rarely do you take heed." (27:62) This condition is of a 'general' nature for those people who from time to time, especially when in great distress, implore on Him Alone from the heart... Many people who believe in 'Special Abilities' for Jesus, Mohammed, the Saints, the Scholars, etc... will go-through life without having GOD answer their prayers or needs (GOD will however show every human being the way- Let him who wills believe, and he who wills reject). However, in EXTREME cases, these very same people will unknowingly and unwittingly implore on 'GOD Alone' from the heart to save or help them...Yet, as soon as their crisis is over, they go back to having idols in their hearts and forget that it was Him 'Alone' that saved them (29:65). Condition # 1: makes it clear why most of us go-through life without having GOD answer our calls and prayers...We all have many 'idols' in our lives (money, children, ego, power, prophets, saints, wise-men, etc..) which DISQUALIFIES us from having GOD answer our prayer. Even the Prophets were not answered when they let something 'other' than GOD Alone get in the way: "And Zan-Noon (Jonah), abandoned his mission in protest, thinking that we could not control him. He ended up imploring from the darkness: 'There is no god other than YOU. Be You glorified. I have committed a gross sin. We responded to him, and saved him from the crisis; we thus save the believers." (21:87-88)

Condition # 2: GOD Alone is Followed. The real secret for knowing how to have your prayers ALWAYS answered (not just in times of distress) is to 'Live The Life' that is the path of 'GOD Alone': "Those who proclaim: "1. Our Lord is GOD," then * 2. lead a righteous life (Istaqamu), the angels descend upon them: 'You shall have no fear, nor shall you grieve. Rejoice in the good news that Paradise has been reserved for you. We are your allies in THIS LIFE, and in the Hereafter. You will have IN IT anything you desire for; you will have anything you ask." (41:30-31) * The 'Straigh-Path' (Siraat Mustaqeem) can be found in the following verses: 6:151-153. You see, many people say and believe that the 'Lord is GOD'...Yet their prayers go unanswered.

Many people 'lead a righteous life'...Yet their prayers go unanswered. It is only when these 2 elements are put TOGETHER that the 'Special Formula' for having your prayers answered can come to work!. The Angels become 'assigned' to these people as their 'Allies' and they carry the responsibility (from GOD) of meeting the needs and desires of these people (in this worldly life). These TWO conditions are further enforced in the next verses: "Who can utter better words than one who: 1. invites to GOD, 2. works righteousness, and says: 'I am one of the Submitters?" (41:33) Thus, a Submitter is defined by these two terms (believes in GOD, works righteousness). Condition # 2 : To have your prayers ALWAYS answered, you should be a Submitter (Believe in GOD & Lead a Righteous Life). Being a Submitter, is also the surest way to enter Paradise: "Surely, those who say: 1. Our Lord is GOD, then 2. lead a righteous life (Istaqamu), will have no fear, nor will they grieve. They have deserved Paradise, where they abide forever; a reward for their works." (46:13-14)

Condition # 3: What you ask is what you Get. When speaking to GOD, we will ask for many things, and we will think of what to say and whether we want this or that thing...GOD does NOT respond to your 'words', but He will respond to what is asked from the 'Heart'. Sometimes, a person may express a particular need or wish in his prayer directly, while thinking something to himself that expresses a different desire. GOD responds to the innermost desire. Remember what the Angels have been committed to in Condition # 2? "We are your allies in this life, and in the Hereafter. You will have in it anything you desire (tashtahoon); you will have anything you ask." (41:30-31) The verse makes clear that what you 'Desire' will take PRECEDENCE over what you 'Ask for'. So, if you are asking for a 'New House', but really desire a 'Child'...Then do not get upset if you are granted the 'Child' and not the 'House'.

Condition # 4: Only what is Good for you is given!. While you may have truly asked for certain things (like change of job), GOD may not respond to your prayer since in it will be more harm than good. GOD (in His ultimate Mercy for mankind) will only give you what is better (not worse). "Fighting may be imposed on you, even though you dislike it. But you may dislike something which is good for you, and you may like something which is bad for you. GOD knows while you do not know." (2:216)

If a child asks a parent for a 'snake', then the parent out of 'Love' for his/her child can never meet such a request...The Lord is more Merciful and Loving than any human being can EVER be, thus only the good things will be given (even-though we may not see that). "Proclaim: 'If you possessed my Lord's treasures of mercy, you would have withheld them, fearing that you might exhaust them. The human being is indeed stingy." (17:100)

Condition # 5: Patience in Observed. Now that we understand how to have our prayers answered, we must also understand that GOD responds 'As' and 'When' He sees fit: "He is not questioned about anything He does, while all others are questioned." (21:23) The Lord is our creator, GOD, and Master...He would never do anything to 'Harm' us or inflict 'Pain' or 'Suffering' to His servants...Thus, we must allow GOD to answer our calls in the 'Best Manor' that He deems rather than in our own 'Selfish' manor, which may cause more harm than good. "Moses said to his people, "Seek GOD's help, and be patient. The earth belongs to GOD, and He grants it to whomever He chooses from among His servants. The ultimate victory belongs to the righteous." (7:128) "But if We give him a taste of (Our) favors after adversity hath touched him, he is sure to say, "All evil has departed from me:" Behold! he falls into exultation and pride. Not so do those who show patience and constancy, and work righteousness; for them is forgiveness (of sins) and a great reward." (11:1011) "I have rewarded them this Day for their patience and constancy: they are indeed the ones that have achieved Bliss..." (23:111) "We did not send any messengers before you who did not eat food and walk in the markets. We thus test you by each other; will you steadfastly persevere? Your Lord is Seer." (25:20) A Submitter doesn't keep asking "why wasn't this or that prayer answered?" or "why do these bad things happen to me, while I'm a good person?", etc., but rather looks to see how GOD is always responding to and giving him and how He never fails to answer prayers on terms far better than what we like to impose.

Condition # 6: GOD Alone is Remembered. Once we ask GOD Alone for help or for 'something', we must NOT turn our backs to Him and expect that He will still be there to help us. "He (Joseph) then said to the one to be saved: 'Remember me at your lord.' Thus, the devil caused him to forget his Lord, and, consequently, he remained in prison a few more years." (12:42) In the story of Joseph, we see how a 'righteous' man, a Messenger, was left to spend years in -prison because he did not 'Remember' to implore GOD Alone!. Always keep GOD is your heart and in your mind...Without Him, we are all absolutely NOTHING.

WARNING!!!

Although the above tells us how to have our prayers answered, we should heed the advise of GOD who tells us: "...Some people would say: 'Our Lord, give us of this world,' while having no share in the Hereafter." (2:200) Do not be fooled by this world alone...For it is but an illusion. "The life of this world is no more than illusion and vanity, while the abode of the Hereafter is far better for the righteous. Do you not understand?!" (6:32) "Anyone who seeks the materials of this world should know that GOD possesses both the materials of this world and the Hereafter. GOD is Hearer, Seer." (4:134) What your prayers should encompass is: "Others would say: 'Our Lord, grant us good things in this world, and good in the Hereafter, and spare us the retribution of Hell. These will receive the share they have earned. GOD is most efficient in reckoning." (2:201-202) There is no crime in being greedy for both this world AND the next, as long as the one being asked is GOD Alone!.

CONCLUSION: Now that we have shown how GOD's system is at work, you should ask yourself: 'Are ALL my prayers being answered?'. If the answer is 'No'...then you need to examine 2 elements in your life: Do you believe in GOD Alone (no power or place for anything or anyone else)?; Do you lead a 'Righteous' life? (as drawn-out by the 'Straight Path' 6:151-153).

Quran and Self-Reference

There was a fundamental crisis in mathematics about a hundred years ago, a basic disturbance that affected all of logic till it was repaired. Logicians realized that for centuries they had left out the concept of "Self-reference." For centuries, Aristotles rule of the "Excluded middle" had been used. This rule is a proposition that states, "Every proposition is either true or false." Somebody was smart enough to question that very proposition. What if that proposition that states that every proposition is either true or false is false? People had overlooked that for centuries. Not so the Koran. If the Koran is what it claims to be then it should be aware of self-reference, as applied to its own statements.
Taken from the site: http://www.rationalreality.com/ Copyright Muhammed Asadi 1999

Paul Davies, professor or Mathematical Physics at the University of Adelaide in Australia, in his book, The Mind of God (1992), talks about how Self-reference shook the very foundations of logic and how it was resolved (emphasis is mine):

In spite of its superficial plausibility, the formalist interpretation of mathematics received a severe blow in 1931. In that year the Austrian mathematician and logician Kurt Godel proved a sweeping theorem to the effect that mathematical statements existed for which no systematic procedure could determine whether they are either true or false. The fact that there exist undecidable propositions in mathematics came as a great shock, because it seemed to undermine the entire logical foundations of the subject. Godels theorem springs from a constellation of paradoxes that surround the subject of selfreferenceThe great mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell demonstrated that the existence of such paradoxes strikes at the very heart of logic, and undermines any straightforward attempt to construct mathematics rigorously on a logical foundation. Godel went on to adapt these difficulties of self-reference to the subject of mathematics in a brilliant and unusual manner. He considered the relationship between the description of mathematics and the mathematics itselfIn this way, logical operations about mathematics can be made to correspond to the mathematical operations themselves. And this is the essence of the self-referential character of Godels proof. By identifying the subject with the object- mapping the description of the mathematics unto the mathematics- he uncovered a Russellian paradoxical loop that led directly to the inevitability of undecidable propositions. (Davies 1993:100-101).

Godel and Einstein Self-reference takes into consideration the "use" and the "mention" of words. When you "use" a word, it is the meaning of the word that is implied. When you "mention" a word, you are talking about the word and not its meaning. Every sentence can thus talk about the words it is using or the meaning of the word. As an example: If I say, " Youth comes before manhood," it would be logically incorrect unless specified. The reason being that in the dictionary, "Manhood (the word and not its meaning)," comes before "Youth (the word)." Since the Koran talks about numerous things and uses many words sometimes repeating them many times, if the author of the Koran was a man or group of men we should find many opportunities to find such logical errors of self reference in the book. However we find something amazing when we apply the self-reference check. If I said, "There is a mistake in the Bible,"to a crowd of pastors, there would be a great uproar and people would respond with emotion, "No there is no mistake in the Bible. Show us a mistake." I could logically show a mistake in the book by reading a passage like, "David made a mistake" See, the word "mistake" is in the Bible. Now if the Bible were to say, "There is NO mistake in this book," it would be falsified and disproved logically, by that example. This is no trick; it involves delicate matters of logic. However, safely for now [not so otherwise] the Bible never makes such a claim, but the Koran does!

"Do they not consider the Koran with care. If it had been from anyone other than God, it would contain many (Kathirun) contradictions (Ikhtelaafun-)." Koran 4:82 The meaning of the statement (use of words) is clear. Considering the nature of the Book and its diverse topics and areas of discussion, if the Book had a human origin, it should be easy to find discrepancies in it. If we consider the "mention" of the words a different picture emerges. Let us see if the Koran passes its own falsification test on the criteria of "self reference" using the "mention" of words. In the "mention" of the word contradictions (Ikhteelafun), the meaning that emerges is; if the book had a human origin it should contain many (Kathirun), Ikhteelafun (contradictions, the word). Many denotes more than one. To check how many times the word "Ikhteelafun (contradictions)" occurs in the Koran, we make use of the index of every Arabic word in the Koran. Due to the work of Faud Abd al Baqi, we possess such an index of the Koran today, titled, Al- Moojam al Mofahris. Indeed the author of the Koran is aware of self-reference and the Koran passes the test of the "mention" of words as the word "Ikhteelafun (contradictions)," is just mentioned ONCE in the whole Koran in this particular verse. Not many (Kathirun) times, but only once. Some people band together the last two words of this verse: Many (Kathirun) Contradictions (Ikhteelafun). Then they say see the Koran mentions the words Ikhteelafun Kathirun (Many

Contradictions) and the verse says that if it came from other than God it would contain Ikhteelfun Kathirun (Many contradictions). This is a very smart move in trying to prove the Koran false but its not smart enough. People who try to disprove the Koran by taking the last two words in conjunction are implying, in the mention of words, that if the Koran contains the words "Ikhteelafun Kathirun (many contradictions)," it came from other than God. The statement in the Koran is not saying that. It is saying that books from other than God can contain the words "Ikhteelafun Kathirun," but so also can a book from God. Thus they fall into the famous Fallacy of the Converse in logic. Rain means wet streets but wet streets do not necessarily mean rain. Similarly, the Koran did not say, "If it contains Ikhtelafun Kathirun (many contradictions) it came from other than God." It does not say that.It is because the qualifier for the verse, "Kathirun", i.e. "many" is taken out

Jesus is like Adam: The example of Jesus with God is like that of Adam. He created him from dust and said to him, "Be," and he was (Koran 3:59) The meaning of the statement is clear. Jesus being born without a father is like Adams creation. The new "mitochondrial eve" theory of humankinds descent gives even more credence to this comparison as it was a woman from whom the human race descended and Jesus had a mother only, as well. However, in the mention of words, it says that the word "Jesus (Eesa)," in the Koran is like the word "Adam." It is surprising to note that indeed the word "Jesus (Eesa) [page 494 of the Index]" in its mention in the Koran is like the mention of the word "Adam [page 24 of the index]," Both words occur in the Koran twenty five times. Not only that, it is in the same order of succession. Th verse that e mentions that they are like each other is the seventh time the word "Jesus" is mentioned and the seventh time "Adam" is mentioned.

The example of a "Dog": "The example of him [who forsook our signs] is as the example of the dog. If you attack him he pants with his tongue out and if you leave him alone he does the same. Such is the example of THE NATION WHICH DENIES OUR REVELATIONS (7:176)." The Arabic word used for dog is "Kalb(singular)". The word for "dog" in the singular occurs in the Koran five times. The statement, "Nation which denies our revelations," occurs five times in the Koran also. Chapter 7:176 is the first time the word "dog (singular)" is mentioned in the Koran (see page 614 of the above mentioned index), and the first time the statement,, "The nation which denies our revelations (page 583-584 of the index)," is mentioned. Therefore the example of the "The nation which denies our revelations" is as the example of a dog (Kalb), in the mention or words.

Not alike: "The blind (al-Aama) and the seeing (al-Baseer) are NOT alike. Nor are the depths of darkness (azZulumaat) and the light (an-Nur). Nor is the shadow (az-Zill) as the heat (al-Haroor)(Koran 35:19-22) [Note: Please make sure while checking the count in the index that you take note of the word "the". For example, "the light (an-nur)," is different from just "light (nur)." Therefore attention needs to be paid, while counting, to the "specific" or the "general" usage of the word.] The word "the blind (al-aama)" occurs in the Koran eight times (page 488 of the index). The word used for "the seeing" above, (al-baseer), occurs nine times (page 121-122 of the index). Therefore "the blind" and "the seeing" are not alike. The statement of the Koran above which mentions that "th blind" and e

"the seeing" are not alike is the fifth time in succession that the word "the seeing" is used in the Koran and also the fifth time in succession that the word "the blind" is used. The word used for "the depths of darkness," (az -Zulumat) occurs twelve (see page 438-439 of the index) times in the Koran; the word for "the light," (an-Nur), occurs thirteen times (see page 725 of the index). Thus "the depths of darkness (az-Zulumat)," are not the same as "the light (an-Nur)." The other trend that we noticed above, shows up in these words too. The statement above which mentions that "the light" is not as "the depths of darkness," is the tenth time both words are used in the Koran, if we take into consideration the use of the words in successive progression in the book. Another amazing thing that we notice is that the same statement is repeated in chapter 13: 16, and the same trend emerges [which makes it impossible to be coincidence]:

"Say: Are the blind and the seeing equal, or are the depths of darkness equal to the light" (Koran 13:16) If we check the succession, it is the sixth time that the word "the depths of darkness (az-Zulumat)," is used and the sixth time the word "the light (an-Nur)," is used in the Koran. We can do the same with the first part that we already covered above." The blind (al-Aama)" are not as "the seeing (al-baseer)". In the verse above, chapter 13, it is the third time the word, "the blind (al-aama)" is used and the third time the word "the seeing (al-baseer),"is used [in the verse which says one is not like the other] in the Koran. In chapter 35 above we saw that it was the fifth time that both words were used in the Koran. Another trend is emerging from the above also: Whenever the Koran says that something is not like the other, the positive mentioned (for example "the seeing" (+) as opposed to "the blind" (-) and "the light" (+) as opposed to the "depths of darkness" (-)) are always one more than the negative. As we saw above, "the seeing (al-baseer)," is mentioned nine times as opposed to the eight of "the blind (alaama)." Similarly, "the light (an-Nur)" is mentioned thirteen times as opposed to the twelve times that "the depths of darkness (az-zulumat)," is mentioned. The above examples should be enough to confirm this amazing trend in the Koran but let us try one more. The statement above in chapter 35 continues:

"nor is the shadow (az-Zill) as the heat (al-Har or al-Haroor) (Koran 35:22)" The word used for "the shadow (az-Zill)," is mentioned in the Koran four times (see page 434 of the index) and the word "the heat (al-Har)," is mentioned three times. The statement (35:22) which mentions that "the shadow" is not as "the heat," is the third time both words "az-Zill" and "al-har" are used in the Koran.

Did the Koran fail ? "Say: The evil (al-Khabees) and the good (at-Tayyab) are not alike(Koran 5:100)" When we come to this particular statement in the Koran on dissimilarity, the items mentioned occur an equal number of times. The word "evil (al-Khabees)," is mentioned seven times (see page 226 of the index) and the word, "the good (at-Tayyab)," seven times also (see page 432). Did the Koran fail? According to our trend above, the negative (the evil) should be one less than the positive (the good). How come "the evil" is one more than what it should be? The Koran fails only if we cut off the statement in the middle of the sentence. The verse continues:

"Say: The evil and the good are not alike; EVENTHOUGH the plenty of the evil amazes you. So be careful of your duty to God, O people that understand, so that you may SUCEED (Koran 5:100)"

If we are careful, just like the above statement mentions, we notice that God joins together all the evil (al-Khabees)" in the use of words, i.e. all different forms of the word and not only "the evil (al-Khabees), in order to differentiate between evil and good. Thus "evil (al-Khabees)" is separated from "good (atTayyab)."

"That God may separate the evil from the good and place the evil (Khabees) one upon the other also heap them ALL TOGETHER(Koran 8:37)" Now acting on the advice of the above verse in the "mention" of words, if we "heap together" all the "evil (Khabees)," in its different forms of use in the Koran, and the many root forms, we end up with sixteen times that the word "evil" is mentioned as against seven that the word "good" is mentioned. Thus the good and the evil are not alike if we "heap them together," even though the plenty (sixteen as against seven) of the "evil" amazes us. This itself says volumes for the inimitability of the Koran. How could a man or group of men have produced such a mathematically/logically sound book without having any formal education in logic or mathematics and without access to any computer software or indexes?

Month and Days: In the above-mentioned index of the Koran, if we look at the times the word month (Shahr) is mentioned, it turns out to be twelve. There are twelve "months" in the Koran. The number of times the word "day" in the singular (Yaum or Yauma) is mentioned turns out to be three hundred and sixty five. This discovery in the Koran proves as mentioned above that the Koran cannot be the work of a man or group of men living in the Arabian Desert over fourteen hundred years back. This also serves to provide evidence that the Koran hasnt been tampered with. The statements that mention, "this is like that," for example is the same in succession in the "mention" of words. The verse that says that "Jesus is like Adam," for example are the seventh time both Jesus is mentioned and the seventh time Adam is mentioned. If there were any tampering, in the setting of the chapters or the numbering of the verses or additions or deletions, this sequence would break down.

Indeed, We have created everything with a measure (Koran 54:49) With God, everything is measured (Koran 13:8)

Acknowledgements & Bibliography: 1.This discovery is based on the lecture, "The Amazing Quran." . The accuracy of the "mention of words," in the index Al Moojam ul Mofahris was checked many times over by myself. Page numbers are provided for anyone who would like to verify. 2. Asadi, Muhammed. 1992. Koran: A Scientific Analysis. Lahore, Pakistan. 3. Davies, Paul. 1993. The Mind of God. New York. Touchstone Books.

Note: The Bible is not free from paradoxes (contradictions) of self-reference. The famous "Epimenides paradox" is well known. Paul, writing to Titus, says about the Cretans: 12. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own said, The Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. 13. This witness is true.

(Titus 1:12-13- The Bible)

An analysis based on self-reference tells us that if the statement that Cretans are always liars is true, then since "one of themselves (a Cretan)" said this, it must be a lie, since Cretans always lie (according to the statement made). So if the statement is true then it is a lie (based on self-reference). Only if the statement that "Cretans are always liars" is false can this "witness" be true. So it is a paradox, a contradiction that cannot be resolved. This shows that the author of Titus had no idea what he/she was talking about

Al Rahman, Al Raheem: The Most Important "Pair"

The first aya of Al-Fatiha firmly establishes that these two names refer to Allah, the Supreme Power, and to Him exclusively. They are used together (as a pair) and separately (individually) throughout the Quran extensively to describe or refer to Him in various contexts. The context of usage of these names in the Quran clearly defines their meaning. It is also important that their usage in Al-Fatiha, in aya 1 and again in aya 3, points out the fact that they are, in fact, a pair - as well as indicating the significance of being a pair. First, the two names etymology stems from the same root: RAHM, which could mean womb or place of origin, the latter of which is here more applicable. Derivitives of this word are mainly in reference to raheem or merciful, and words of the same family of meaning, such as rahma or mercy, but the name Al-Rahman stands alone in its meaning, different than raheem or merciful, but leading students of Arabic to conclude that its name may be largely similar to Al-Raheem. The Quran, as we shall show below, shows us that the real meaning is, in fact, opposite to the meaning of Al-Raheem. But the shared root indelibly links these two names - as a pair. What is wrong with a pair of opposites? The entire creation is based on it!

The Second Most Important Word: Al-Rahman The Almighty The second most important word in the Qur'an, and easily the most commonly misunderstood word, is the attribute-name Al-Rahman. As you have seen above, we are explaining the meaning of this name with the word "The Almighty", which is by far the closest English expression to the meaning of this name. Almost invariably, English translators and explainers use an expression that is a variant of "Merciful" to express the name Al-Rahman (glory to His name in the highest). Some, such as Yusuf Ali, use the word "Beneficent", others use the word "Most Gracious" (Yusuf Ali uses this occasionally, Rashad Khalifa uses this exclusively), and T. Irving uses the word "Mercy-giver" (which maintains some of the sense of a relationship between the two words, but still misses the point), to name some examples. All base their interpretation on the very same mistake made by Arabic-speaking explainers, who presume that because both words appear to have the same root, "rahm", which sounds very close to "rahim" or "womb", then both names must have a similar meaning. None base their interpretation on examination of usage in the Qur'an: how does Al-Rahman use His name in His message, the Qur'an? And who is more qualified to interpret the name Al-Rahman than Al-Rahman? Usage, not etymology and certainly not dictionaries, is always the ultimate determining factor in word-meanings, and this is no exception. How a name is used in the Quran should be our determining factor in deciding what is the meaning of that name, and this is even more true for a name mentioned so often, and given such importance and prominence, as the name Al-Rahman (glory to Him in the highest). When one examines every single reference to this great attribute-name in the Qur'an, one finds with unvarying consistency

that all point to one clear and unwavering and undeniable meaning, and that is referring to the power and authority and all-encompassing might of Allah, glory to Him in the highest! The name encompasses the meaning of all the attributes that are exclusively His as The Almighty! First, the Almighty Himself described the name Al-Rahman as being commensurate with the name Allah, and the two names can be used interchangeably, as described in Surat Bani Israeel (17):110. Notice also that the name Al-Rahman cannot be used in a possessive form like rabb (Lord) or the English word God (e.g., my God). That is also true, of course, for the great name Allah (glory to His name in the highest). These two names stand alone: One. A person cannot say my in front of either the name Allah or the name Al-Rahman. Also, when the two names, Al-Rahman and Al-Raheem, are invoked together (in succession) in the Quran, their usage clearly declares the ultimate Authority and Power of Allah, glory to Him (refer to Surat Al-Baqara (2):163, Surat Fusillat (41):2, and Surat Al-Hashr (59):221). Therefore, we shall examine the Quran directly and see which meaning in fact is most suitable for the name Al-Rahman, according to how this name is used in His own message to us. Surat Maryam (19) is the Sura in which the name Al-Rahman is mentioned most frequently (16 times). In aya 18 of this Sura, Maryam asks for protection from Al-Rahman against one whom she perceives as a man entering her private chambers, but who in fact is the Archangel Jibreel (Gabriel). She is asking for protection from the Most Powerful, the Almighty, not mercy from "the Beneficent"! She declares this asking for protection from Al-Rahman to the intruder in order also to frighten the intruder, for which situation the appellation the Merciful or The Most Gracious would hardly instill fear, and hence be unsuitable. Obviously, Maryam knew the meaning of the name Al-Rahman and we are shown here by Al-Rahman himself (who, according to Surat Al-Rahman 55:2, teaches us the Quran) that she used His name appropriately. Also in Surat Maryam (19):45 , Prophet Ibraheem says to his father, a disbeliever and idol- worshipper, "I fear you could be struck with the wrath of Al-Rahman, and [in retribution] Satan would be your guide." Is this the act of The Merciful, or The Beneficent, or The Most Gracious, to wrathfully leave Satan as the guide of someone? Does this act express His mercy and beneficence? Or is this the act of The Almighty, the Ultimate Authority, the All-Powerful Avenger? Does it express His authority and power, His setting of limits, His meting out of justice by condemnation and destruction of evil? It is within the bounds of His authority and power (and justice), but it is not within the definition of "mercy or beneficence or graciousness to exert wrath or cause torture (for the Arabic word aazab literally means torture as well). Even though it could be argued that in the greater scheme of things, torture to the unbelievers is a mercy to the whole of creation, we are discussing which of two complementary or opposite attributes is expressed here. (Should we, for the sake of such circuitous arguments, also say that mercy to the believers tortures or at least punishes the disbelievers? Yes - and He is both AlRahman, Al-Raheem from any vantage point!) Allah mentions many of His attributes in the Quran with distinct names for a reason, and there being relative elements of two sides in an attribute in no way argues against the distinct meaning that is inherent in a name. In Surat Maryam (19): 85-96, one of the most powerful and clarifying illuminations of the meaning of the name Al-Rahman, used here repeatedly, forcefully condemns the idol-worship of Aissa (Jesus) by Christians and any allegation that the Almighty (all glory to Him in the highest) shares power with any other, or procreates. No, He is the Creator, alone, and there is none like Him, and all others and all else are creatures, categorically different, and all are utterly and completely subjected to His authority and are His worshippers: recognize it or not! These ayat mention that the mountains, the heavens and the earth all prostrate in awe and worship of Al-Rahman. They vividly describe how this blasphemy invokes His wrath. Is this the description of "The Beneficent" or "Most Gracious"? Do these ayat describe a benevolent benefactor (as in "beneficent") or a generous host (as in "gracious"), graciously accommodating His guests or the recipients of His largesse, or a kind-hearted ruler forgiving His subjects, or do they describe NONE but THE ALMIGHTY??? For a word of such magnitude, such immense significance, an inept substitute for the true meaning cannot be simply brushed off as a minor "mistake". The consequences of this "mistake" are a chain reaction of "mistakes" and errors in understanding the Qur'an that have led many to accept two unacceptable premises: 1) That Allah's mercy is the attribute with which He predominantly deals with humankind, thus relieving us of the anxiety and fear associated with His overwhelming Power and Authority and potential anger; and 2) That the Qur'an's meaning is more symbolic than literal and should be interpreted by thos longe accepted 'ulama' or scholars who supposedly know how to interpret the symbolic meanings better than "regular people" who are not specially knowledgable or gifted. In reality, it is one of the facts having highest priority in the Qur'an, that Allah (glory to Him in the highest) is both the Almighty and the All-

Merciful and, in His relationship to His creatures, these attributes are in exact equivalent proportion on the most profound level. Just as the name Al-Raheem (the All-Merciful) is mentioned in the Qur'an (in reference to Allah) exactly twice as many times (114 times) as the mentioning of the name Al-Rahman (The Almighty) (57 times), so His power, being the "heavier" element, is balanced with twice as much mercy, such that His mercy "is as wide as everything" or encompasses all that exists (Surat Al-Aaraf 7:156). In every instance of the usage of the name Al-Rahman in the Qur'an, the only appropriate interpretation is expressed in the name The Almighty. In another clear example, we have the description in SuratTaha: 1-5, culminating when "Al-Rahman 'ascends' on His throne (more accurately 'assumes power on', for estowa has no sense of 'going up' as does the term 'ascend' and Allah is higher than His throne)." This is the perfect image of power and authority, the assumption of full authority over everything. The concept of mercy is irrelevant here: that is not its time, its place. Note translations of the Towrah (Torah) of Moosa (Moses) use the word "Mercy-seat"; could this not be a mis-translation of the name Al-Rahman as "Mercy" and Al-aarsh (throne) as "seat"? Bear in mind that these two names, Al-Rahman, Al-Raheem are part of the most ancient and profound and universal/eternal thikr! Misconceptions also have begun deeper in history than we may think. In the beginning of Surat Taha (20), which in a sense completes the description of Al- Rahman in Surat Maryam (19), even the approach to the name Al-Rahman in this Sura is preceded by fear (aya 3): the proper attitude of mumineen (faithful people) to the Almighty (we fear His power, not His mercy). Then the source of the Quran is clearly declared (aya 4): the Creator of the earth (closest to us) and the high heaven (farthest from us, closest to Allah). Aya 5 declares His authority (not His mercy or beneficence) as Al-Rahman, glory to Him in the highest. Aya 6 declares His ownership of (to Him belongs) the heavens, the earth, and all that is between them, and what is within the earth, inclusive, and Aya 7 declares His complete omniscience. This sequence is culminated in aya 8, where the Power-Statement or la illaha ila Allah (there is no god but Allah) is given. This specific statement is of great power and significance, to the point where its declaration is considered equivalent to the declaration of o nes Islamic faith, called the shahada. Its use in the Quran is always with power and most emphatic. Here it completes the image of Allahs total authority. The cumulative effect of these words and their relationship to the name Al-Rahman emphasizes and powerfully demonstrates to us the obvious fact that this name refers to none other than the Almighty! There are many appropriate places to invoke His mercy, His benevolence, and His grace, but this is not one of them! Furthermore, this portion of Surat Taha (20):1-8 ends with mentioning that His are the best names or al-asma alhhusna. Although alhhusna is often translated as beautiful it actually means the infinitive of good both in the esthetic sense (beautiful) and in the general sense. In the general sense, one of the attributes of goodness in a name is its appropriateness. Notice that in the Quran, He repeatedly ends many ayat with a pair of names, showing us appropriate attributes to the issue or story revealed in that aya. Again, it is as if the important point for us to know is His particular attribute, as if He is telling us about Himself, first and foremost. The fact that His names are the culminating fact revealed by these 8 ayat would indicate that these 8 ayat are telling us something directly about the meaning of the name Al-Rahman, which was also referred to in Surat Bani Israeel (17):110 as one of the asma alhusna. Specifically, they show the appropriateness of this great name to the most graphic description of His power and authority, the power and authority which solely belongs to The Almighty! In this same SuratTaha, following a devastating description of the Day of Judgment and Allahs terrible power on that Day, ayat 108 and 109 give a powerful and terrifying description of Al-Rahmans authority and power on that Day: wherein all will be totally submitted to Him, and you will not hear except slight whispers, and no intercession will be allowed except that for which He has already made a decision and granted permission (and even that permission is for the angels only - humans cannot intercede on behalf of other humans). These two ayat are followed by aya 110 describing vividly Allahs omniscience and aya 111 stating that all faces will be submitted to the Living, the Eternal (Al-Hayy Al-Khayyum) and that those who carry the burden of even a single act of oppression (sin) will be doomed (without His forgiveness - where is the alleged allusion to mercy and beneficence here?). This entire sequence also emphasizes the power and authority and devastating wrath of the Almighty! In order to conduct your own study if this great attribute-name, we have listed below all references to the name Al-Rahman for you to investigate and see how consistently the name refers to the attribute of omnipotence, and those attributes which are derived from omnipotence, but not the attribute of mercy or "beneficence" or "graciousness". Also note that the name Al Rahman (glory to His name in the highest) is not derived from an adjective that can refer to anything or anyone else than the Almighty. Other attribute-names, such as Al-Qadir (the Capable), Al-Ghufur (the Forgiver), and even Al-Raheem (the Merciful), are all derived from roots, removing the prefix Al-, that are applicable to human beings and others, and it is only their being in the Al- form that makes them solely applicable to Allah (glory to

Him in the highest). The highest exclusivity is reserved for the name Al-Rahman and this emphasizes the name's greatness, significance, and meaning as referring to the Almighty, and also referring, in that sense, specifically to His being One, His being categorically unique. The Sura named Al-Rahman is one of the most powerful in the Quran, describing in vivid details His creation in this world and the next, that creation being clear evidence of His power and supremacy as the Creator. In that Sura, this name is mentioned only once, in the first aya, and in fact, forms the entire aya. This fact alone emphasizes the importance of this name. The very next aya mentions that He (Al-Rahman) teaches (us) the Quran, then the following ayat mention that He created humankind, and taught humankind to distinguish between things (including right from wrong). His creation of the sun and moon and the heavens, and the prostration of the stars and the trees, all are mentioned and all show His great and ultimate power over all things as The Almighty. He also includes a warning in this first set of ayat in this Sura to people not to be inequitable in weighing (i.e., not to cheat others for ones own personal gain). Creation, teaching (the imparting of knowledge requires that first there be that knowledge, and then the power and authority to communicate it), subjecting all creation to Him, and warning against wrong actions, are all acts of The Almighty. The very refrain in this Sura challenges humans and jinn to deny any of His marvels, and does not offer mercy for those who deny them. Is this the description of a gracious host or is the appropriate name for this set of acts merciful - or is it most appropriately understood to be the description of The Almighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, the Ultimate Avenger, the Supreme Power, The Creator, glory to Him in the highest? Yes, He is also the All-Merciful - but we must first fear His power and authority before we can be eligible for consideration for His mercy! Do you not see that the name Al-Rahman is always invariably mentioned before the name Al-Raheem? Do you not see that both attributes are described separately and very freq uently in the Quran, to show us that these two opposite (complementary) attributes, absolute power and absolute mercy, are and can only be, His alone, and this dynamic and extreme attribute of possessing the ultimate and absolute of the most basic of all opposites is, in fact, the very seat or modus operandi of His power? This is not conjecture. This is obviously what He wants us to know, and what mumineen of other eras described in the Quran also knew. Afa la taaqiloon? Will you not use your minds? These are all references to the name Al-Rahman in the Quran, listed by the number of the Sura followed by a colon (:) followed by the number of the aya: 1:1, 1:3, 2:163, 13:30, 17:110, 19:18, 19:26, 19:44, 19:45, 19:58, 19:61, 19:69, 19:75, 19:78, 19:85, 1 9:87, 19:88, 19:91, 19:92, 19:93, 19:96, 20:5, 20:90, 20:108, 20:109, 21:26, 21:36, 21:42, 21:112, 25:26, 25:59, 25:60, 25:60, 25:63, 25:63, 26:5, 27:30, 36:11, 36:15, 36:23, 36:52, 41:2, 43:17, 43:19, 43:20, 43:33, 43:36, 43:45, 43:81, 50:33, 55:1, 59:22, 67:3, 67:19, 67:20, 67:29, 78:37, and 78:38. In all of these instances, the name Al Rahman means The Almighty.

Al-Raheem The All-Merciful The name Al-Raheem, The All-Merciful (glory to Him and all His names in the highest), is generally correctly understood and interpreted by itself, as an attribute-name, but not in its significant and critical relationship with the name Al-Rahman. That is simply because the name Al-Rahman has been wrongly interpreted, and thus no dynamic relationship has been evident between two names concluded to have similar meanings. But when we look at the two names together considering the true meaning of Al Rahman to be as the name The Almighty, we can immediately see two names representing attributes that are diametrically opposite (or one could say, complementary) in meaning. Power and might are associated with authority, punishment, retribution, and the ability to overwhelm and conquer all who are without power - and in the context of the Almighty, all else has no power relative to Him. Mercy, on the other hand, is associated with forgiveness, kindness, leniency, the act of extending help and relief to those without power, of giving without asking in return, of considering the point of view and situation of one outside oneself, someone different, of being responsive and receptive. And in the case of Allah (glory to Him in the highest) all else is unlike Him, hence different, and all else is the recipient of His mercy. It is His mercy that connects to us, that deals with our wants (from our point of view or situation) and needs, and through which we can relate to Him. For we are, relative to Him, powerless, and unable to perceive or contact Him, except through His mercy (and Power which enables His mercy). And so we have two crucial attributes: absolute power and authority on the one hand, and all-encompassing mercy on the other. The relationship between these two attributes, two opposites, is absolutely dynamic, profoundly so, and that profound dynamic indicates something of the profoundly dynamic nature of the Supreme Power, of Allah - glory to Him in the highest!

Just entering into this understanding, we can clearly see that Allah is not a static provider of mercies and benevolence, as many perhaps unconsciously picture Him, but rather an unfathomably dynamic and powerful Creator and Sustainer and Caretaker of, directly interacting with, all that exists - continuously, actively creating in the past, present and future, not One who created everything only in the past and now leaves everything to just continue along a path pre-set by Him, as some picture it. (Note that one of the meanings of creation is transformation, to completely change one thing into an entirely different thing, an act which is the done only by Allah, and which cannot be done to Him - by definition!) The Qur'an mentions repeatedly that Allah creates whatever He wills (Surat Al- Rom 30:54, Al-Shura 42:49, Al-Qasas 28:68), in the present tense, and describes the conception and growth of each human fetus as an act of creation by the Creator, (see Surat Al-Zumar 39:6, Abas 30:19) and the germination and growth of plants from seeds as an act of creation by the Creator, in each individual instance, or, as He so eloquently asks in Surat Al-Waq'aa : (in paraphrase) relating to the plants we people plant in the ground: "Did you cause them to germinate and grow, or did We grow them?" This means that He is constantly and continuously interacting with all creation. Think about the unfathomable, unimaginable ability of such action, or such a reality, of our Creator, who both continuously creates, Al-Rahman, and continuously watches and listens to and sees and provides for and responds to all that exists, Al Raheem, and imagine how these two vital attributes, without which nothing could exist in the first place, let alone survive, are simultaneously active attributes of Allah, yet direct opposites, and perhaps you can begin to imagine the immense power and dynamic that this understanding of Allah (glory to Him in the highest) brings! The dynamic interrelationship between these two attributes of Allah (glory to Him in the highest) is of tantamount importance in the Qur'an, which continuously defines and clarifies it, giving examples and applications. Simply by examining the Author's usage of the two names in the Qur'an, one can see how significant the interaction between the two attributes really is. Why, for example, in the fundamental and all-important Surat Al-Fatiha, does Allah (glory to Him in the highest) mention these two names a second time, in a separate aya (number 3), after already having mentioned them in the Invocation in the first place? This is not only to show their immense significance, but also to show what that immense significance is (to the extent we are able to grasp it, that is). It is first a way of making us repeat and mention these names again, and thus, ponder their meaning, and consider that their meaning must be special. This "opens us up" for the second point, namely, that these two attributes are together as a pair. Again, this conforms with the description of (what could be considered to be) Al-Fatiha in Surat Al-Hijr (15): as "seven pairs". This leads us to wonder, "Why are these attributes considered as a special pair?" Upon thinking about this question, we must realize that Allah wanted us to consider them as a pair because in doing so, the opposition of their meaning takes on a dynamic power of its own, showing Allah to be Capable, in the most categorically ultimate sense, of being both Almighty and All-Merciful simultaneously, meting out punishment to the oppressors and those who ignore or deny Him, and rewarding the righteous and those who are faithful to Him, and forgiving those who seek His forgiveness with a contrite heart. He is the infinitive of both attributes: power and responsiveness, authority and forgiveness, and no other than Him is, or can be, both simultaneously in the fullest sense. Note that these two names define attributes of Allah (glory to Him in the highest), and that these two attributes are active - that is, they both describe how He acts. These acts define His relationship to the creation, which consists of all that is not Him (glory to Him in the highest). Every act of Allah, every attribute of Him, can be categorized as either an attribute of Al-Rahman, the Almighty, or Al-Raheem (the All-Merciful). In that sense, these two names encompass the entire scope of the attributes of Allah (glory to His name). They are also in perfect balance: the penetrating power of The Almighty mentioned 57 times in the Qur'an - is balanced by the all-encompassing grace of The All-Merciful mentioned exactly twice as many times in the Qur'an, or 114 times, in reference to Allah (glory to Him in the highest). The "massive weight" of authority and power is thus balanced by the "encompassing embrace" of mercy. We need certain powers and capabilities, which He has given us, and we need His capability and power to help us, but we need His mercy even more - in fact, exactly twice as much! Note that Allah's authority and power being total - an attribute none but Him can logically and conceivably have - enables His mercy to be all-encompassing - also an attribute none but Him can logically and conceivably have, and that therefore the two attributes re presented by the names AlRahman and Al-Raheem (glory to Him in the highest) define each other as being exclusive to Him. In fact, the invoking of these two names together invokes the meaning of the powerful phrase la ileha illa Allah, there is none to be worshipped except Allah. None but Him is or can be almighty or all-merciful, let alone both simultaneously. These perfectly and dynamically juxtaposed opposite attributes practically and simply define for us the most profound truth about who Allah (glory to Him in the highest) is.

On this same issue, the name Al-Rahman (glory to His name in the highest) can only be applied to Allah (glory to Him in the highest), and has no adjective derivative form to apply to others, while the name AlRaheem is exclusive to Him only with the Al- prefix - the adjective raheem is derived from this name and means "merciful" in the generally applicable sense. In fact, it is applied to the Prophet Mohammad in Surat Al-Towba (9:29) (Note there are those who say this particular aya and the one that follows it were injected later into the original Quran, an opinion about which is some controversy, of course). This expresses the fact that we cannot share power in any sense with the Creator, but can, by acting with mercy, exhibit on a very limited scale, that attribute. This is what He intended for us to do: i.e., show mercy. And in order to be clearly distinguished from almighty power, the mercy we show is not based on being all-capable, which we obviously are not. Thus, "showing mercy" does not mean doing everything impeccably or without mistakes, although doing so would definitely be a "mercy" to others, but rather refers specifically to responsiveness to others - including the willingness to forgive, to give to others with kindness and thoughtfulness, and to help. Understanding the meaning of these two names is the most profound and fundamental knowledge, and critical to the true understanding of the meaning of the entire Qur'an. People in general tend to want one or the other attribute to be effective according to their own personal needs and desires, a sort of mercy and/or power on demand. Allah shows us repeatedly in the Quran how He acts with Supreme authority and with Supreme mercy, and we have absolutely nothing to do in the matter but submit to Him. The Qur'an teaches us that it is of paramount importance for us to know who Allah (glory to Him in the highest) is, as much as we possibly can, and the constant repetition and prominent placement of these two names only emphasizes how central to that knowledge is the proper understanding of the meaning of the names Al-Rahman, Al-Raheem. Allah (glory to Him in the highest) is the ultimate Truth, the ultimate Reality, and so it is useless and a waste of time at best, and a devastatingly destructive act at worst, to try to deny or distort any facts regarding His Reality to fit our personal preferences, weaknesses, etc. On a massive scale, Christians have relegated the concept of The Almighty to the "Old Testament" and the concept o The All-Merciful f to the "New Testament", as if, and The Almighty condemns and is far above and unaffected by what they falsely allege, they want to portray the "Old Testament" Creator, the Almighty, as a cruel taskmaster, with insufficient mercy, in whic h case it became necessary to "take the form of" or incarnate as a human being and thus develop sufficient sympathy to enhance and increase His mercy (what impudent liars!) to the point where it wipes out His wrath and its consequences, that "incarnation" having taken the consequences, including a temporary "dip" in hell, of all subsequent human beings, who can now supposedly act with impunity without fear of retribution. In other words, they invented a lie by which they believe they will meet, on the day of Judgment, Al-Raheem only without facing the judgment of Al-Rahman! What a disastrous Day they will find themselves in facing The Almighty and His wrath for that very lie! Others take a different tactic to lie to themselves about this same issue. The Jews, for example, want their Maker to be Al-Raheem for them exclusively - as His "chosen people" - and this alleged "right" or privilege to be accorded not by their deeds, but rather by their lineage or geneology, that is, by inheritance. Thus, they too seek to avoid meeting Al-Rahman on the Day of Judgment by fictitiously claiming that they have an inherited right to be dealt with only by Al-Raheem. Do they not see that only Al-Rahman can be Al-Raheem, and that the two attributes are inseparable? Do they pretend not to know that Al-Rahman is the Almighty, in complete and sole control and authority over the Day of Judgment? How can one conceivably show all-encompassing mercy without capability to know what is merciful for each individual, which in turn requires all-inclusive power and knowledge, which is the exclusive domain of Al-Rahman? Many Muslims also seek to ensure that they ultimately will meet only Al-Raheem, that their final meeting with Allah (glory to Him in the highest) will be full of mercy, rewar d and relief, and not have to face the terrifying prospect of the judgment of Al-Rahman. Many a Muslim funeral has a sheikh asking for the departed individual to go to paradise without passing through judgment or reckoning. Do they think that because a sheikh asked for this that it could possibly happen? Apparently, none of them read the Quran! Because the Qur'an so repeatedly, emphatically and unequivocably expresses the fact that Allah is Al Rahman, Al-Raheem both, and acts with both attributes simultaneously yet appropriately, those who seek to be called Muslim yet avoid facing the reality about who they are worshipping spend more time reading hadeeths which often take a less clear-cut approach and allow more narrow-mindedness and at the same time relief from accountability than the Qur'an. This includes hadeeths claimed to be quotes from the Prophet Mohammad and those claimed to be direct statements from Allah Himself (glory to Him in the highest), but not included in the Qur'an (itself problematic), also called hadeeths qudsi. Many hadeeths actually contradict the Qur'an, both in meaning and in presentation. Many are used to micro -

manage Muslims' lives down to the last nitpicking detail. And many are used to provide evidence that Muslims have, by simply mouthing a simple creed, carte blanche to paradise and will meet Al-Raheem on the Judgment Day "b'ghayer hassab" or "without an accounting (of their deeds)." This latter "Muslim version" of the Christian and Jewish desire to change reality by lying about it culminated in the changing of the actual understanding of the meaning of the name Al- Rahman to be essentially the same as the meaning of the name Al-Raheem. Many an imam has rhapsodised on this fact, as to how His mercy is so great that He invoked it twice, etc., etc. Do they not read the Qur'an, which clearly states that whom we will all meet in the Day of Judgment is Al-Rahman, whose name carries the same weight and authority as the name Allah (Surat Bani Israeel 17:118), the Almighty, and that all people without exception must face the terror of His potential wrath, and His judgment, before being granted, if eligible (and Al Rahman alone determines eligibility here), His mercy, courtesy of Al-Raheem? Note also the similarity of the sound and meaning of these great names to the Chinese words "yin" and "yang", or, to put them in the right order, "yang" and "yin". These words are now merely concepts, but when Allah sent His names to the Chinese people they were the same words with the same meaning: "yang" being the principle of Al-Rahman, referred to in the ancient Chinese text Yi Jing as "The Creative", representing the concept of power and creativity; and "yin" being the principle of Al-Raheem, referred to in the Yi Jing as "The Receptive", or the concept of receptivity, mercifulness, responsiveness. Even the symbol of "yin" and "yang", a perfect circle enclosing the two dynamic attributes appropriately pictured as two dynamically intertwined shapes each of whose center has the color representing its opposite attribute, shows the inseparable and dynamically interactive nature of the two principles. This is exactly true of the two attributes of Al-Rahman, Al-Raheem. They are exact opposites, inseparable, dynamically interactive, in perfect balance, and two aspects of an indivisible, powerful, ineffable One! They are, as this unique combination of ultimate attributes, the force that moves and operates the universe, the entire creation (regardless if one calls it "universe" or "universes"). Or, more accurately, Allah (glory to Him in the highest), is the One who moves and operates and completely controls the universe or entire creation with His two great attributes in perfect and profound dynamic interaction and balance. And there can be none other than Him - only one can be Al-Rahman, Al-Raheem, for the very definition of One who encompasses these two attributes perfectly can only be the Supreme Power!

Surat Al-Falaq & Surat Al-Nass: The Final Pair

That the Qur'an is a monumentally well-integrated Book must be borne in mind when attempting tafseer (explanation), and this becomes amazingly evident in examination of the last two Suras of the Qur'an, Al-Falaq and Al-Nass. The Qur'an's dynamic symmetry bears the stamp of the Creator: the never-ending dynamics of symmetry which is both clarifying and stupefying. Analysis of Qur'anic structural patterns is also probably one of the most revealing techniques one can use in gaining a more profound understanding of the Qur'an. So the first structural pattern evident in Surat Al-Fatiha, the dynamic symmetry/interaction of the complementary/opposite names Al-Rahman, Al-Raheem in the initial invocation, as well as the fact that those were pairs, is matched again in these two final Suras, clearly forming a "pair", and exhibiting the same kind of dynamics between the same complementary/ opposite pairs. The two Suras have always traditionally been considered as a pair, to be read together, and there are many hadeeths to this effect. But we like to examine the Qur'an itself, and draw our conclusions from the Qur'an with no outside references as much as possible. What specifically makes these two Suras a pair, and what significance does this fact bear on the meaning of the content? And are there pairs within each Sura, and do they bear any relationship or resemblance to the pairs found in, for example, Al Fatiha, and how would this affect our interpretation? As we shall show, these connections are invaluable in helping to understand the meaning of expressions and the significance of usage of words in these Suras. Both Suras begin with the exact phrase "Qul (say) aaoothu (I seek refuge/protection) birubb (in the Lord) al- (of the) ..." Both Suras, after "filling in the blank" following that exact phrase, continue with the expression "min sharr (from the harm of) ..." followed by "filling in the blank" following that phrase. So essentially the two Suras follow the same sentence structure. They are also, in content, Suras of supplication to Allah for protection from various specified types of danger/ harm. Generally speaking, Surat al-Falaq seeks refuge from external danger/harm, and Surat Al-Nass seeks protection from internal danger/harm, in the form of Satan the whisperer. However, in Surat Al-Falaq, the first "blank" is filled in with one word: falaq or "the dividing line" or "the split/cut zone" dividing two sides of something. Creation is the total and definite transformation of one thing into an entirely different thing. So the area/time between transformations (i.e., the two sides in

the transformation, the "before" and "after" as it were), are called in Arabic "falaq". "Rabb al Falaq" therefore refers to the Lord of the Divide between different things, a "realm" over which Allah alone has authority, since this is the most "central" element of creation - that is, the division between totally different things, and the transformation of one into another. [Al-Imran 3:27] "You merge the night into the day, and merge the day into the night. You produce the living from the dead, and pro duce the dead from the living, and You provide for whomever You choose, without limits." He transforms, even between "being" and "nothingness", but we creatures only participate in the processes and events of those transformations, with no real control, except within the scope of limited choices we must make. The differences between the two Suras also form a matching symmetry with ayat in Al-Fatiha. In Surat Al-Fatiha, each aya contains either matched or unmatched pairs, the "matched" pairs being diametrica l opposites and the "unmatched" pairs being exactly that: having no particular symmetrical relationship but only a logical or linguistic relationship. We explained in our tafseer (explanation) of that Sura that the "matched" pairs represented the "left" or "intuitive" or responsive side (of the self or even of the brain), and the "unmatched" pairs represented the "right" or "active/logical/decision-making" side (of the self or the brain), and the content of the corresponding ayat perfectly correlates to this hypothesis. Now with the last two Suras of the Qur'an, we have a pair of Suras: the first, Surat Al-Falaq, consists of five ayat (an odd number) whose content progresses logically from the first to the last aya to form a complete concept without symmetrical repetition or matching elements; and the second, Surat Al-Nass, consists of six ayat (an even number) whose content forms matched pairs. Consistent with this observation, Surat Al-Falaq, whose structure is logical and progressive, concerns outer/external dangers, those things which are best protected by proper use of the logical/ analytical part of the mind; while, on the other hand, Surat Al-Nass, whose structure is based on repetition and the opposition of matched pairs, concerns inner/internal dangers, those things within the mind/soul of the person which are best protected by use of the intuitive/clairvoyant part of the brain. Now by analyzing the structural elements of these suras and their relationship to the content, meanings of terms contained within these suras can be determined on the Qur'an's own terms, rather than relying upon outside sources such as dictionaries, hadeeths or traditional tafseer (explanation) literature. One such example in this case is the expression "annafathati fee al-'uqad" , literally "those who blow on knots". This expression is most commonly explained to mean "sorcery", referring to a traditional interpretation that in the period of Prophet Mohammad, sorcerers used to blow on knots as a method of performing their sorcery. More recent interpreters have disputed this view and interpreted the expression to have a more general meaning such as "troublemakers" (Rashad Khalifa), taking it to be more of an idiomatic expression than a definitive reference to sorcery . But how would our interpretation of this expression be affected by the structural analysis of these two suras? The answer to this question must begin by analysis of the Sura in which this disputed expression occurs, namely, Surat Al-Falaq. As we said, this Sura contains unmatched pairs in logical progression. What, then, is this "logical progression"? The first aya, consistent with the structural similarity in the two suras, is an imperative command to "say" or "declare" seeking protection from the Lord - in this case, "of the divide", as explained above, referring to the central element in the Creator's control over creation: His sole and exclusive ability to transform one thing to a totally different thing and to cause anything to "pass through" the "divide" that separates and distinguishes different things. The first "sharr" or "harm" from which we should seek protection is the general harm of "ma khalaq" or "that which is created". This category is not only general, but is inclusive of everything except Allah, glory to Him in the highest. The first "divide" or distinction, then, is between Creator and creation, and the first possible "harm" to the creation or part of it is from the creation itself or another part of it. Thus, it is made clear that all harm or danger comes from creation, but not from the Creator. The first subcategory under "creation" is "ghasiqin itha waqab" or "darkness as it spreads". This is significant in that "darkness" refers to that which prevents visibility or perception. Darkness is the opposite of light, which illuminates and makes visible and perceptible. Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth, and in this expression (from Surat al-Nur), we are thus informed that it is the Creator who makes things clear and visible. The correlary would logically be that darkness must be from the creation, not the Creator. And this sura confirms this fact, making darkness the first "harm" specified under the category of creation. The fact that the darkness "spreads" is also significant in that the time of day of least visibility is not night, when lights can illuminate (such as the light of fire or artificial light, or even moonlight), but rather dusk, when darkness is "spreading", and the time is neither fully light nor fully dark, and cannot be properly illuminated. This further relates to the expression "falaq" or "divide", in that this is the transitional time dividing day and night, over which Allah alone presides (as Transformer).

Darkness and lack of visibility/perception are obviously harmful in that they can cause accidents and mistakes due to lack of control on the one hand, and can encourage crimes and harmful acts by people with bad intentions whose bad deeds can be more easily accomplished in the dark, which covers and protects them from detection both by their victims and by those who seek to protect others from being victimized, or who could catch and punish those criminals. This shows both the danger and moral significance of the change between light and darkness. As mentioned above, logic and use of the mind can assist in protecting against this harm, for example, by inventing ways to illuminate and enhance visibility. In a sense, the development of telescopes and mathematical means of calculating the distance of stars helped enhance our visibility of the universe and hence, our understanding of it, thus making it both more impressive a marvel in scope and design, and at the same time more "accessible" to our control and understanding, and making us less vulnerable to erroneous beliefs and mythologies regarding creation and the universe. These are merely two of many examples of ways Allah has given humankind to combat the harm of impaired visibility. The next subcategory under "harm" from "creation" is the controversial "innafathati fee al-'uqud" whose meaning we are trying to determine. Given the logical progression of the first two categories, this must be the next specific category in line. But why "blowing on knots"? There is so much danger in the universe - why limit this to sorcery? Note that the key word here is "falaq" or "divide". "Knots" are the "connection" or, more accurately, "re-connection" of something divided or cut off. One can also make knots in a whole rope or string, not only in cut ones, but the knots then form a "divide" o their own, f preventing the rope or string from being passed through a hole that it could have passed through were there no knot. So knots both connect that which is divided and divide that which is connected! This is significant because a knot here, then, clearly represents "crossing over" or "passing through" a divide or "falaq" - either by creating a distinction or impasse or by forming a bond where there was previously impasse and disconnect. Now that we have determined the significance of the knots, what is meant by blowing on them? Blowing also has significance in the Qur'an. When Adam was created, Allah "blew into him from" His "spirit", and immediately thereafter the angels prostrated before Adam, a sign of Adam's high status resulting from this "blowing". "Blowing" is also associated with "breath", which is the first essential requirement of life the means of obtaining oxygen, air. It is a "spiritual" act, in that it forces "air", the element that most closely symbolizes "spirit" due to its invisibility (note this: its "invisibility"!), onto the recipient of the "blowing". Sorcery could be described as "spiritual", in that it is a means of affecting physical reality with means that are not fully perceived. Note this: not fully perceived - and recall the discussion above regarding lack of perception, and you have the sense of "logical progression" we were looking for. The concept of spirituality in the Qur'an is not entirely the same as the Western concept, in that the Qur'an generally treats the soul as being a separate but actively combined element with the physical reality in life, which separates from the body at death, but continues to live in "suspended animation" until Judgment Day, when it is revived in another physical reality, one that has been totally transformed from the previous one. The soul is also the morally active and directive part, that with which one's self is identified, the body being also active but only insofar as the soul activates it and thus stimulates an interactive dynamic relationship called "life". For something to be "spiritual" in this case means that it transcends physical limitations but still has physical interactions and effects. It is to the realm of this divide, between the spiritual and the physical, that this aya refers. Those who "blow on knots" are those who cause a spiritually activated effect on the physical reality of "falaq" or the distinctions between things, and thus can create havoc with life. For example, it could refer to sorcery as a means of spiritually affecting the "knot" between husband and wife, creating discord. It could refer to the "blowing" by too much talk (words are associated with "blowing" and creation - as Allah says "be" and it is as a means of creation - and also with spirit in that it is words that Allah taught Adam and thereby impressed the angels with Adam's worthiness for his high status) on the knots connecting family or friends (such as in backbiting and gossip), or the knots securing a person's reputation and status from slipping into disrepute, or the knots connecting one's logic with certain beliefs (e.g., talking someone out of faith or talking them into an irrational fear). Thus, the sorcery interpretation fits the expression, but is too limited and only one small example of the larger category delineated beautifully by this very distinct and well-placed expression. This expression refers, rather, to the entire scope of actions that interfere or seek to interfere with the sensitive areas of relationships and the distinction between things by using spiritual power over physical existence in a harmful way. It is a further progression of how limited visibility - in this case, the physical realm's limited visibility of the spiritual realm - can be used specifically to harm others in a wide range of venues. It is also one more "subdivision" in the progression of such subdivisions, each dividing the previous category into more specific subcategories.

The final category is "hasidin itha hassad" or "the envier when he envies". This aya nee to be reds examined as well, since envy is not considered much of a power in Western thought, and the idea of its being given much consideration is even viewed in the West as "backward", relegated to irrational fears by third world cultures of the "evil eye" in the camera, etc. Upon analysis, however, the profound significance of this final aya in this sura will be shown to break through such misconceptions. The question is, what is "hassad" or "envy"? It is the strong feeling or emotion of desire on the part of one party to have or even to be what another different party has or is. It simultaneously also implies dissatisfaction with what the original "envying" party has or is. That dissatisfaction is usually the direct result, rather than the cause, of wanting what the other party has or is. The envier first perceives that another person has something he/she does not, or is something that he/she is not, and then becomes overwhelmed by an inordinate desire to possess or become that perceived "something", cau sing the envier to look upon himself/herself as somehow lacking and deficient. The envier becomes unstable, discontent and possessed by a powerful motivating force to act upon others in a destabilizing way. Persons content with themselves and their lot are stable, and do not disturb others, having no need or desire to do so. Envy, on the other hand, leads to disruptive actions and thoughts that affect the object(s) of envy in a powerful and harmful way. Envy is also an emotion, a desire, but one that has serves no positive purpose, that has no "good side". It could even be descibed as the "bad side" of desire and emotion: love becomes unstable and destructive when tinged with envy, and the same holds true for anger and even fear (fear can cause one to take beneficial safety precautions, but when tainted with envy, the primary goal becomes destruction of the object of one's fear). The "first world war" between Qabeel (Cain) and Habeel (Abel) was sparked by nothing other than envy. Even more telling, the "fall" of Satan and his disobedience to Allah was triggered solely by his envy of Adam, to whom Allah gave a higher status than Iblees (satan's name before the fall). So this, the final "category" of "harms" discussed in this Sura, is also the specific "harm" which led to all human misery. All satanic whisperings and misleadings are the result of satanic envy of human exaltation (when obedient to Allah). One could almost say that envy is the root of all evil, or at least the ultimate motivating force. People do wrong things that are not envy-based, such as people lying about Allah, worshipping Jesus as an idol. But although the person's motive for this idolatry may not be envy per se, envy was the ultimate motive for the invention of this lie in the first place, and followers of this envybased "cult" are following an unstable path that cannot be "straight" or "direct" (requires stability). The worship of any human being could even imply one "envies" Allah himself and His authority and power, then falsely attributes such authority or power to a human being like himself. Thus, the first "division" is the distinction between Creator and creation; the second "division" is the distinction between darkness and light, and specifically asks for protection against the "twilight zone" where one changes into the other and visibility is least; the third "division" is the distinction between body and soul, the physical and the spiritual, and asks for protection against those who perform acts in the "gray area" between the two, where spirit affects physical bonds and unseen "spiritual" forces act upon the very knots with which we cement or conduct our physical existence; and the final "division" is the distinction between the stable and the unstable, specifically asking for protection from those whose instability, "radiating" from them as an active force which is envy, causes them to cause harm to those around them. Going down to another level of examination, we can also see that a description or even definition of alshaytan or "satan" emerges from the logical progression of this Sura. First, harm must come from "creation", not Creator. Second, the greatest dangers come from the area of least visibility, acting in cover of darkness and never in the light, using the disability of perception to cause harm. Third, even greater dangers come from the situation where lack of perception creates a "spiritual" realm that transcends normal physical limitations and thus can amplify the harm or extend its reach or power. Fourth, and finally, the greatest danger comes from instability, in the form of envy, which is a nonphysical (hence, "spiritual" in some sense) force that causes harmful action to be taken, both deliberately and as an uncontrolled energy that "radiates" "bad vibrations". Sata is described as a n spiritual creation outside the range of our perception, hence invisible, and most distinctively, eminently envious of humankind, prominently and primarily acting out of this envy as the motivating force behind satanic action. All of the "harms" mentioned in this sura apply to satan, and even fit perfectly the definition of satan derived from the Qur'an directly. This analysis further shows that the "harms" from which we seek protection in this Sura are not random, or simply selected because people tend to fear these specific dangers, but for a profound reason, directly relating to the design and message of the Qur'an. They show the most potent danger from which we need Allah's direct and powerful protection is the danger of satanic influence/control. In each case, logic and thoughtful reasoning, combined with faith in Allah as One (the ultimate Logic), can assist in protecting against these dangers. Knowledge of the creation by observation and logical interpretation helps us to overcome irrational fears of the creation, and to have better control over it. Knowledge is a light that can overcome the lack of perception which darkness or a "twilight zone" can produce.

Knowledge and logical use of the mind break through "occult" powers when they are used in combination with the light of faith in Allah alone, rendering such "powers" ineffectual. And it is the mind's logic that leads us to understand the inherent weakness of instability, the greater power of stability against the destabilizing force of envy, and can assist us in taking measures to avoid increasing the envy or contact with the envier. But ultimately in all cases, we truly cannot protect ourselves and need Allah's transcendent protection from all these "harms". Which brings us to the beginning of this Sura again: we are told to ask Allah (alone) as "Lord of dividing (separating into two)" for protection from these dangers or "harms" using these very words. This logical progression, these specific descriptions, these very words, have a powerful effect on the danger which culminates in what is described as "satan", the destabilizing and occult forces of darkness. The power of words, particularly of du'aa or supplication directly to Allah alone, is frequently mentioned in the Qur'an as being of great efficacy and help in many situations and dangerous circumstances. Prophet Yunus was given a specific du'aa to save him from the belly of the whale or "sea creature". Had he not implored using this du'aa, he would have stayed in the belly of the sea creature until Judgment Day (10: ). Adam was given a specific du'aa with which to implore Allah after "the fall" and his sin in obeying satan and disobeying Allah. This du'aa was answered by forgiveness from Allah and a chance at redemption, something not possible for satan. The Qur'an also gives us many du'aa to use in imploring Allah, and encourages us to use them specifically. These two Suras, Surat al Falaq and Surat al-Nass, form a powerful pair of du'aa to protect us from a full range of danger a nd harm, and at the same time enlighten us as to what is dangerous and evil and what is not by defining "satan", the ultimate evil, and showing us specifically what it is about "satan" that constitutes his evil or danger. It is therefore even more appropriate that this Sura be followed by Surat al-Nass, a Sura specifically seeking protection from the "inside", from the influence of satan, i.e., from our own weakness. In this case, this refers to spiritual weakness, susceptibility to the "whisperings" (again, note the close relationship in terms of physical semblance between the idea of whispering and the idea of blowing as in "blowing on knots") of Satan from within ourselves or from satanically-motivated people. The most striking difference between Surat al-Falaq and Surat al-Nass one notices at the outset is that Surat al-Falaq implores one name for Allah in seeking protection against four "harms", while Surat alNass implores three names for Allah in seeking protection against one "harm" described at great r e length. Why is this? The four "harms" mentioned in Surat al-Falaq are "outer" dangers, that is, dangers from outside ourselves, and the realm of Allah as Creator (the name "Lord of the Divide" relates to His role as Creator) easily takes care of all outside dangers, including any harm that coud come from the entire creation. On the other hand, the danger of our own inner weakness in succumbing to evil influences is an "inner" danger, coming from within ourselves. It is a matter of our own soul and our own will and nothing external, except in the sense that Allah has "externalized" Satan for us by naming this influence as a character whom we can take as an enemy and fight against, thus "doing battle", as it were, with our own "bad side". And it is we ourselves who now ask for protection from ourselves, or the "bad side" of ourselves, our weakness or potential for weakness against evil influence. Note again: we are imploring and therefore in that very imploring are doing something to fight against "Satan" or against evil influences. So in this Sura, the imploring itself is multiplied or strenthened by the increased usage of names of Allah, and these names are used in the order and specific meanings of each one with logic and purpose here. First, we call upon "rabb al nass" or "Lord of the people". The word "Lord", as we described in tafseer Surat al-Fatiha, is a relationship word, one that can be used with possessives as in "my Lord" or in Arabic, which is our concern here as it is the language of the Qur'an, "rabbi". It not only connotes authority over the people but also a certain closeness, implying the One who "raises up" or who supervises the "upbringing" of those for whom He is "Lord". Even the word "lord" as used in old English in reference to the feudal relationship between lord and servant has a positive emotional content, where loyalty is a deeper bond between the two that yet also maintains the distinct class levels of superiority of lord and inferiority of servant without degradation of the latter (the servant is considered uplifted morally by his relationship to the lord). So here we call upon the first relationship with Allah where we feel comfortable, the "natural" first imploring. The second name, "malik al nass" or "King (ruler) of the people", distances Allah by emphasizing His authority and power as "ruler", not only on a one-on-one basis as implied by "Lord" but over all people collectively. The third name, "ileh al nass" or "God of the people", invokes Allah's true and ultimate authority as God, that is, as the Omnipotent, the Almighty, the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists, as the One to be worshipped. Worship, of course, is the exclusive proprietary expression of submission to a god, not a king or lord, even in the vernacular of interhuman expression. Therefore, this is the final and ultimate

culmination of our understanding of Allah and our calling upon Him. Note that I said "our" understanding - for we are fighting ourselves here, and so the imploring itself is what is important, and it is what can effectively help "win" the battle of good vs. evil within ourselves. "Imploring" means, in Arabic, du'aa and as we described above, in du'aa, the words are what counts, are of greatest significance. The progression from one on one "closeness" to the ultimate distinction of Creator also helps support our intuitive understanding of Allah in a thorough and complete way which further supports our "good side", the side that calls upon whom we know to be Allah and in so imploring do not deny, but affirm. So the change in words, i.e., change in names, forms the complete du'aa that the Omniscient chose for us to implore Him with effectively against this most potent and insidious danger. That danger is further elaborated for our own understanding of what's involved. First is "al wiswas al khanass" , the "whispering" of the "sneaky whisperer" - the act of influence itself is here described as verbal, since whisperings are usually voiceless words, but only air (remember "spirit" and "blowing" described earlier) and nearly silent, in lower tones, as if to "cover" themselves with the "darkness" of inaudibility or near-inaudibility and limit perception of them by any but the intended victim - also reminiscent of the covering of perception alluded to in Surat al-Falaq). The words also imply "sneaky" or deviousness on the part of the "whisperer". This makes total sense, since the effort described here is an effort of a person to deceive himself, "externalized" by giving a personality to the person's "bad side", against whose influence the person's "good side" can resist and stand firm. By clearly distinguishing ("falaq") the "bad side" from the "good side" of a person's internal makeup, it is possible for such resistance to take place, and this itself helps overcome efforts at self-deception. Thus the "whisperer" is further described as "ilethi yuwaswisu fee sudur alnass" or "who whispers into the chest of the people". "Chest" or "sudr" here refers to the area of the body containing the heart, the "seat" of influence and emotion, from which can arise desire and motivation. It is also the "seat" of the "self". So it is the most vulnerable part of the human being, and has influence on that less vulnerable part, the mind. It is through the heart that a bad influence can wear away at logic or understanding, even causing a motivation that goes against one's own intuition or what "feels" right. This aya shows us where our vulnerability lies. From there we can deduce that the less-vulnerable mind could be a starting place to help conquer this bad influence. But first we must re-establish self-trust and reliance on our basic intuition. First we must "cure" the "disease" of bad influence in the heart. (Note the Qur'an frequently warns against "those in whose heart is a disease".) One last description completes the image of this influence: "min al jinnati wa alnass" or "of the jinn or of the humans", that is, this influence could be from unseen "jinn" or spiritual sources both residing in ourselves and outside ourselves or could be from human beings themselves whose bad influence can also affect us profoundly, should we allow it to. We are thus warned against both jinn and humans as sources of this influence against which we must be strong and alert. Knowing that Allah is "Lord, King and God" over all "people", including the "people" called "jinn" whom we cannot see but nonetheless exist, supports our standing firm against bad influences knowing that good is always in authority over evil, always the stronger, always the superior, always more powerful and always victorious. Just as these two suras are a "pair", defending us against outer and inner danger to our selves, so the opposite pair of good and evil is the one we must ultimately learn to distinguish to save ourselves from damnation. Knowing this is the act of a mind, but also is intuitive God-given knowledge. It is enough knowledge and faith to stand against any internal onslaught, against the tendency to be deceived, because what is weak, inferior, powerless and a loser can only appear but not actually be successful or powerful - can only influence by creating a false illusion. It is our responsibility not to be "taken" by such deception, to stand firm and not be weak against something that is in fact even weaker and more vulnerable than we are, against something that in fact is already doomed with no hope for redemption. And yet the Qur'an informs us that most people doom themselves by the incredibly mindless act of allowing evil influences to affect them with "free reign", without even the simple but powerful act of calling upon their own Creator to protect them from themselves. And with this, the Qur'an leaves us to decide our fate.

Seeking God Alone

By. Brother Omar Elmoughrabi

Peace and Blessings to those who read these words. May these words have the blessing of the Most High and assist those that read it. I wanted to just put in my two bits when it comes to preaching the Koran only theory and its implications if one follows it by the word, but not the spirit of wh at is being said in the Koran. Firstly, I do agree with the notion that the Koran is fully detailed and it is complete for the salvation of individuals that want to find the One True God. Please place a caveat in the beleif of Koran only that needs to address also that the Koran can lead to destruction also. It is said in the Koran that this revealed book will lead into Bliss or total destruction. Although God points out both paths in clear and specific terms. It is said in the Koran that the book of Bliss and the Book of misery are both mathematically structured books. So let us all be carefull of what we choose and what we follow. The best path of course is the path least desireable for humans. The feeding of the poor, even in the times of need. Helping those that are oppressed because religious conviction. Prayer, devotion to the One True God and Charity of all kind being the two most important things that a person should do in order to attain certainty. I say they are the most important because they are mentioned disporpotionatly high occurences of the two. Remembrance of God being the top most priority, giving thanks in the times of need and in the times of plenty. Remembering that all things and all power ultimately belongs to God and nothing in His creation have any power whatsoever besides Him. All are dependent on Him and He is dependant on nothing. Knowing His qualities, of which are mentioned in the Koran. The list is of course endless. Secondly, verify all things for yourself. Just because a translator said it is so, you must use all the resources available to you in order to better desiminate the information for yourself, using logic, common sense and of course God as the only True Guide. Don't take somebody's opinion for it at face value. Play the devil's advocate at all times and be very critical in your thinking at all times in order that you may attain this certainty. Even properly used logic can lead you astray, if you don't have God on your side. Thirdly, you must really find it in yourself to evaluate all things that you do in your life to see if it contradicts with God's way - as you see it interpreted in the koran. Again being critical of everything you do is important here, because even the simplist things in our sight, is a gross offense in His eyes. The idea here is to have the right attitude in order to attain pleasure in the eyes of the One True God. In this there is a lot of striving to do. This is the holy struggle (jihad) that God talks about. It is an internal battle with your concience in the middle, between what is obviously good and what can be a hidden evil or bad deed. Think about this next time you look at a good looking woman/man - it will become clearer in your mind. The way we think and act are very important facets of religious and spiritual thought and cannot be ignored. The signs are of course within ourselves and also all around us to investigate and criticise. Fourth, The idea of critical thinking is the most important facet of good healthy thought patterns. In the end of the battle of the intellect, you attain a better understanding of the subject and eventually come to a successful conclusion to the endless discussion in your head - God Willing of course. Critical thinking means that whenever we hear information, assume it is false until it is proven fact, after due dilligence is completed and exhausted. Gather all evidence and use all the power and resources at your disposal in order to attain this 'certainty' of thought. Constant prayer and true devotion is the only way to attain these qualities. The study of the religion of God is certainly a devotion to God and will surely be counted in your favor. Five - You will certainly be tested using various facets of weaknesses in the human psyche. Whatever your weakness - God will certainly test you in order for you to see that it is the weakness you must muster and control in order to attain God's pleasure. It may be money, family, friends, possessions, human behaviour or thought. He shows us these weaknesses in order for us t be aware of them and o eventually reach a stage of control - with God's help. If you think you can do it on your own - that is just ego stroking and misleads very easily. Six - Put your trust entirely in the One True God. Place all your questions to Him alone - we don't need anything on this existence to become closer to God. All we need is Him and our constant seeking of Him and only Him. Even when we read the koran, or its translation or the opinion of others, one must allways seek God's guidance otherwise you have easily fallen into shirk (placing others beside God). Its no wonder that the majority of people will be led astray. So, when you do read the Koran - seek refuge in God, from Satan the Rejected. When you listen to others opinion - seek God's help in understanding the opinion or translation of the Koran. Even if you read 1000 translations of the koran you will never attain the certainty of having God clarifying it for you. If you truly seek Him alone, you will ask Him for help also - this would be true devotion to God.

Finally be aware of God at all times. He is in the trees, in the birds, in the child, in the poor that beg for assistance, in the crying baby, in the baby that is laughing, in the kind words that you say to one another, in the feeding of the poor and the needy, in the morning rays in the darkness of the night, in your laughter, in your tears, in the injured and in the healthy ones, in the treatment of others throughout our lives, in the times of plenty and the times of need, in sickness and in health, in all His marvelous creations, there is plenty of proof of Him and thus when you see it and witness all these events and much more, Thank Him for showing these signs for you. Thank Him with all your heart with all your soul with all your might, let your heart soften to His signs and to His Beautiful Words, and let your tears flow and bow down to Him and let Him help you through your life. At that moment you will know never to despair of His Mercy and Forgiveness. The more you Thank Me the More I Thank you. The more you remember Me the More I will remember you in the Day of the Great Meeting.

God Bless us all. Verify all these themes I mentioned in the various Koranic search engines available to you.

The meaningfulness of Life

It is a daunting subject that we have undertaken to discuss. Most writers today would consider it an irrelevant topic. But it is a fact that mankind has asked this question of the meaning of life since the beginnig of his historical existence on earth. The existence of religions, arts and philosophies testify to mans quest for meaning. Yet are we any nearer to solving the mystery than our first theologians, artists and philosophers in the Middle East, Greece, India, Persia or China? It does not seem so. On the contrary, going by the present state of chaos in the world, we are as far away from getting an anwer to lifes mystery as we can be. We, therefore, have to try and try again until we come nearer to its understanding. Alija Ali Izetbegovic, now president of Bosnia-Herzergovina, in his profound book 1 has reminded us that Islam is the middle way between ascetism, or religion in the narrow sense of the term, and materialism. Islam is a harmonious blending of spirit and matter. It does not reject the world, as mysticism does; nor does it reject the spirit, as the materialist does. He says: There are three integral views of the world: the religious, the materialistic, and the Islamic. They reflect three elemental possibilities -- conscience, nature and man, each of them manifesting itself as Christianity, Materialism and Islam. All variety of ideologies, philosophies and teachings from the oldest time up to now can be reduced to one of these three basic world views. The first takes as its starting point the existence of the spirit, the second the existence of matter, and the third the simultaneous existence of spirit and matter. If only matter exists, materialism would be the only consequent philosophy. On the contrary, if the spirit exists, then man also exists, and mans life would be senseless without a kind of religion and morality. Islam is the name for the unity of spirit and matter, the highest form of which is man himself. The human life is complete only if it includes both the physical and the spiritual desires of the human being. All mans failures are either because of the religious denial of mans biological needs or the materialistic denial of mans spiritual desires. 2 The materialist concept, by rejecting the spirit, denies an important aspect of life and hence distorts it. Thus a social system based on the materialist philosophy, as communism is, is bound to deny morality, creativity and freedom, since these belong to the realm of the spirit. This is its own death warrant and the death of the communist system is now an accomplished fact. Capitalist liberalism is no less materialist than communism. In fact, they are twins, born of the same materialist philosophical parents. But since Western liberalism has been tempered somewhat with social responsibi ity of the state, a l legacy it derived from the American Revolution, it was able to prolong its life. In spite of this, unfettered individualism, which is the essence of liberalism, will sooner or later, sooner rather than later, lead it to its destruction. The present period in world history seems to us to be a period of the death throes of liberalism -- a desperate spurt to stay alive of a living entity already doomed to death. 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Islam Between East and West, American Trust Publication, Indianapolis, U.S.A. 1984. 2 Ibid., p.1. 3 The liberal truimphalism announced by Francis Fukuyama after the collapse of communism in 1989 is obviously illusory. The s ystem is being kept alive largely through usury and the moral apathy of Western societies. See his book, The End of History and the Last Man, Penguin Books, New York, 1992.

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The collapse of Marxism and liberalism, however, is not due to any cycle of life and death of any society or civilization, as propounded by Ibn Khaldun 4 and Arnold Toynbee. 5 Both of them postulated and described cycles of birth, development dan degeneration of societies and civilizations. The birth an d development are due to the creative spirit embedded in that society; the degeneration and death to the loss of that creative spirit. Liberalism and Marxism are two universal materialist philosophies of the modern era and their collapse is complete and final, due to their inherent error. It is not due to mismanagement or fatigue. Therefore, there is no such thing as a revival of liberalism or communism, except in the sense of a temporary backward step in history in the absence of a better alternative. When the Quran states a term for every nation, 6 it is referring to the first phenomenon of historical cycles. The second phenomenon refers to an error of philosophical conception. What is life, then? What is the purpose of our being here? Denying the spirit, the materialist does not believe in any purpose. One modern materialist philosopher, Bertrand Russell, describes this meaninglessness poignantly and almost poetically: Such, in outline, but even more purposeless, more void of meaning, is the world in which science presents for our belief. Amid such a world, if anywhere, our ideals henceforward must find a home. That Man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the need they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the aspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius are destined to extinction in th vast death of e the solar system, and that the whole temple of Mans achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of a universe in ruins -- all these things, if not quite beyond dispute, are yet so nearluy certain, that no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand. Only within the scaffolding of those truths, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the souls habitation henceforth be built 7 On the other hand, Islam teaches the purposefulness of life. In one of its clearest statements, the Quran declares: We did not create the heavens and the earth and everything between them just to play. If We needed entertainment, We could have initiated it without any of these, if that is what We wanted to do. Instead, it is Our plan to support the truth against falsehood in order to defeat it. 8 --------------------------------------------------------------------4 The Muqaddimah, 3 vol., 1958 (trans. by F. Rosenthal). 5 A Study of History, 10 vol., 1934, 1939 & 1954. Abridged e dition made by D.C. Somervell, 1960. 6

For each community, there is a predetermined life span. Once their interim comes to an end, they cannot delay it by one hour, nor advance it. (Quran, Al-Araf: 34)
This occurs when a community, after going throug h the stages of growth and prosperity, forgets the moral law and abondans itself to decadence, as often happens. 7 Bertrand Russell, Mysticism and Logic, Allen and Unwin, London, 1910; p. 41. 8 Al-Anbiya: 16-18.

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Thus, the whole universe has been created by God in accordance with the laws of truth in such a way that all falsehoods that temporarily pervade life will be ultimately exposed and defeated. Man, therefore, has a moral duty to fight against evil and falsehood in order to establish good and the truth 9 in accordance with the divine plan to establish the truth. Studying the entire history of mankind, we can see the evolution of human society, definitely progressing, if at most times all too slowly, sometimes regressing, yet definitely moving forward from stage to stage: from pimitive society to civilized society, localized in the beginning and leading to the formation of an international scientific -technologicallybased society in the 20th century. The philosophies guiding these stages are the same: materialist, ascetic and Islamic. When the Islamic philosophical element is predominant or strong, the evolution is fast; otherwise it is slow and society may even regress. 10 It is often complained by non-believers and sceptics that a suffering human being or child did not ask to be born: why then did God create him and put him into this suffering? To answer this question, one has first to define the concept of suffering. Two types of suffering have first to be identified, that is physical and spiritual suffering. Being materially poor, one may suffer from material deprivation like hunger or lack of other material goods. Yet spiritual deprivation, a feeling of loneliness, aimlessness, hopelessness and despair is surely more painful. A spiritually strong person not only will not suffer spiritually; he also may not suffer materially, because being spiritually strong, he is resourceful enough to earn his living. A spiritually strong society will also be able to look after its deficient children, like the poor and the physically-handicapped. So the question of suffering really does not arise. --------------------------------------------------------------------9

The human being is utterly lost, except those who lead a righteous life, exhort one another to uphold the truth, and exhort one another to be steadfast. (Al-`Asr: 2-3)
10

The One Who created death and life for the purpose of distinguishing those among you who would do better. (Quran, Al-Mulk: 2) ---------------------------------------------------------------------

As to mans consent to come into this world, no man refuses to benefit from the joys of this world, like wealth, position, power, love, friendship, reading, food, conversation, music, literature, family life and so on. Although some extremely spiritual men, like Buddha and Jesus Christ, may forgo some of these pleasures, most of them do not; neither is it normal for human beings to do so. Therefore, we can conclude that symbolically man agrees to be born into this world and is pleased to be in it, although under certain conditions some of his kind would commit suicide. This brings us face to face with the question of mans mortality or immortality. If a mans life ends with his death, then life is meaningless. On the one hand, man propagates himself physically, intellectually, morally and spiritually. His children and grand-children not only continue his physical life but also intellectual, moral and spiritual live. There is continuity throughout. On the other hand, death only takes away the physical man; his spirit does not die with him, because spirits belong to the realm of the divine. 11 According to the Quran, this spirit will get resurrected in another world on the Day of Judgement. This spirit will get a new body and continue the mans journey of life. 12 This will continue until Gods plan of sepearating the truth from falsehood and making the truth prevail is fully realized. Since man dies on this earth and will be resurrected on this earth 13 and since Heaven is as wide as the universe 14, it can be postulated that in the coming decades, three more decades at most, man will live on other planets and in outer space. As changes on earth was made with mans p articipation, so we can expect that future changes, including the Final Judgement, will be made with mans participation. 15

Thus, it seems clear that we cannot take life to mean our brief earthly life. This earthly life, important as it is, is simply a stage in a mans long journey to ascend to od, his Maker, and to share in His perfection and freedom. The earthly life is an important prepatory period for the coming stages of his almost immortal life. 16 --------------------------------------------------------------------11 Mans distinction from the other orders of created beings is his possession of the divine spark of creative reason within him. For this reason he is superior to all other beings, including the angels.

Your Lord said to the angels, `I am creating a human being from aged mud, like the potters clay. Once I perfect him and blow into him from My spirit, you shall prostrate before him. (Quran, Al-Hijr: 28-29)
Of all created beings, only man has this divine spirit in him. Thus he is Gods vicegerent, and the whole of creation, including the angels, are commanded by God to serve him. 12

On that day, We shall fold the heavens like the folding of a book. Just as We initiated the first creation, We shall repeat it. This is Our promise; We shall certainly carry it out. (Quran, Al-Anbiya: 104)
13

He said, `On it you will live, on it you will die, and from it you will be brought out. (Quran, AlAraf: 25)
14

You should eagerly race towards forgiveness from your Lord, and a Paradise whose width encompases the heavens and the earth; it awaits the righteous. (Quran, Ali-Imran: 133)
15 Mans participation in the divine creative work of perfecting the world can be deduced from the Quranic concept of mans vicegerency on earth as well its concept of the divine subjection of universal forces to mans purpose. (See notes 11 and 19.) Mans self-judgement on Resurrection Day is indicated in such verses as this:

We have recorded the fate of every human being; it is tied to his neck. On the Day of Resurrection, We shall hand him a record that is accesible. Read your own record. Today you suffice as your own reckoner. (Bani Israil: 13-14)
16

O man! You are toiling towards your Lord, and you will meet Him. (Quran, Al-Inshiqaq: 6)
This verse, coupled with other verses speaking of mans journey of life, indicates his evolution.

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At this point, it is pertinent to raise the question of time and space. Civilization, as far as we know, is about five thousand years old, and man about a million years. Is this flow of time fixed? Could it have happened faster? If it could, what are the determining factors? Since Einstein and Heisenberg, physics has answered for us that both time and space are not fixed or static; they are relative and elastic. 17 The Quran has also revealed to us this fact a long time ago. 18 So, mankind could have progressed in an all-round way in a much shorter time and with much less pain and suffering than it has taken. The conditions are that man must exert himself , first morally and spiritually and, of course, also mentally and physically to make the world save and better for himself. The whole universe has been created for him. 19 The earth and the whole universe is both a test of his fidelity to God as well a battle-ground for the realization of his fullest potential as Gods vicegerent. 20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------

17 The principle if indeterminacy seems to introduce a new kind of incalculability into nature. The uncertainties hitherto decribed might possibly be due to ignorance, and might pass into determinism again as knowledge increase. It is dangerous to build on them a philosophy of free-will. But ... the work of Schrodinger and Bohr indicates that there is an uncertainty in the nature of things. The alternative uncertainties that, if we try to calculate the position of an electron, its velocity become incalculable, and if we wish to determine its velocity its position becomes indeterminate, have been thought by some to indicate that, in the ultimate analysis, the scientific argument for determinism breaks down. But others hold that this indeterminacy merely expresses the inadequacy of o ur system of measurements to deal with problems outside the realm of physics. (W.C. Dampier, A History of Science, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1968; pp. 480 -81) 18 The following verses show the relativity of time and space.

They challenge you to bring retribution, and God neever breaks His promise. A day of your Lord is like a thousand of your years. (Al-Hajj: 47) The angels and the inspiration ascend to Him in a day that equals fifty thousand years. (Al-Marij: 4) Our commands are done within the blink of an eye. (Al-Rahman: 50)
19

Do you not see that God has committed in your service everything in the heavens and the earth, and has showered you with His blessings, obvious and hidden? Yet, some people argue about God without knowledge, guidance and an enlightening scripture. (Luqman: 20)
20

We have decreed death for you. Nothing can stop Us from changing your attributes and transforming you into something you do not know. (Al-Waqi`ah: 60-61) ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Let us have a brief practical look at time and space. We know of the slow development of transportation from intiquity to very recent times. First, we moved on our bare legs and carried things on poles; then we harnessed the domasticated animals, like horses, camels and dogs, and used slide cars and sleighs; we also invented the raft; then came a big invention: the wheel and the use of roads; we also harnessed the wind and invented sailing ships. All these took us from the beginning up to recent times, that is, about two hundred years ago. Then from stemships, to engines, to locomotives and to nuclear -powered ocean-liners and rocket-ships, it is pretty quick development, only around 150 years. The next 50 to 100 years will bring yet more astonishing developments. Man has not only conquerd the earth; he has already begun to conquer space! All these are taking place, of course, in the Quranic phrase, with Gods leave, that is, in accordance with His will or His law. 21 From the earliest times, man has puzzled over the question of freedom and determination. How free and determined are we in our actions? Coupled with this question is the question of Evil. If God is all powerful, why does evil exist? How can an all-compassionate God allow the genocide in Bosnia, for example? Of course, we cannot entertain the wrong thought of atheists and disbelievers who think that that is a conclusive argument for the non-existence of God. But we certainly have to give some satisfactory explanations for these puzzles. That man, to some extent, has freedom of action is proved by his ability to act freely in certain circumstances. For instance, he can choose his place of residence, his work or profession, his food and clothes, his life-partner and many other things. But to a great extent, a man, especially an ordinary man, without influence and power, cannot prevent wars and diseases and cannot determine the type of government or politico-economic system that he wants for his country, however important these matters are to him personally. However, these thoughts suggest to us two creative forces that are avilable to him to render him free to decide these things. They are the combined power of men acting together and the power of science and technology. The first creative force that man as an individual has at his disposal we already know, that is, his mind or intelligence. Using his mind to combine with other individuals to attain a like purpose through united actions, or through the fruits of scientific research, he can attain far greater freedom than if he were to

act individually or by brute force. For instance, the people of the Thirteen Colonies, acting together, launched the great American Revolution against the British Empire and created the first modern republic. Through the use of his mind and scientific research, man conquered the air and is now able to fly far better than the birds. Thus, his mind, and through the rational use of his mind to discover the knowledge of laws of the universe, i.e science -- his mind and science -- these are the sources of his almost unlimited power that gives him his freedom. Freedom is, therefore, not static and not given a priori to man. He has to struggle to achieve freedom step by step. But, speaking absolutely, man is free. --------------------------------------------------------------------21

Who can intercede with Him, except in accordance with His will? (Al-Baqarah: 255) ---------------------------------------------------------------------

This does not mean that there is no determination. Freedom and determination must not be conceived as opposites. All created things exist in pairs, as the Quran tells us. 22 For man you have woman; for matter you have spirit; for good you have evil; for tall you have short; for white you have black. This law applies to all things. The same goes for freedom and determination. God created the world according to law; therefore, He knows everything, including the falling of a leaf. 23 Yet, this law includes everything, including a mans free action. Take the case of ones action tomorrow. We cannot have exact knowledge of what we shall do tomorrow, however much we plan, for we may decide on doing them as we go to sleep, or early in the morning as we get up, or even cancel or modify some of them in the early part of the day, depending on circumstances. But God knows exactly what we are going to do. Therefore, looking from Gods point of view, everything has been decided for us (His decision includes allowing us to do certain things we want to do and not allowing us to do certain other things, all in His infinite wisdom); but looking from our point of view, some of our daily actions are completely free. Such understanding of this question would exclude and reject fatalism, a bane, it is to be noted, among Muslims after the collapse the rationalist philosophy of Mutazilism in the third Muslim century 24 and the emergence of a compromised freedom-and-unfreedom doctrine of the Asha`arites. Again this freedom must not be conceived as chaos. It is lawful freedom, or freedom within the divine laws of justice, truth and mercy. 25 --------------------------------------------------------------------22

Glory be to the One Who created pairs of everything from the earth and from themselves as well as other things they do not even know. (Ya Sin: 36)
23

With Him are the keys to all secrets; none knows them except He. He knows everything on land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls without His knowledge. Nor is there a grain in the depth of the soil, be it wet or dry, that is not recorded in a clear book. (Al-An`am: 59) There is nothing in the heavens and the earth that is absent. Everything is in a profound record. (AlNaml: 75) Everything We created is precisely measured. (Al-Qamar: 49)
24 The Mutazilites, the rationalists of early Islam, upheld mans freedom of action, and hence his responsibilty, and reje cted fatalism of the later Asha`arites. Due the peculiar circumstances of that time, they lost their case to the so -called orthodox party, the Asha`arites, in the fourth and fifth centuries of Islam. However, the rationalist trend continued, through philosophers, thinkers and refo rmers in all Muslim countries, like Ibn Khaldun, Shah Waliullah, Muhamad Abduh, Muhammad Iq bal, Malek Bennabi, Ali Shari`ati, just to mention a few, up to the present time. (See Kassim Ahmad, Teori Sosial Moden Islam, Penerbit Fajar Bakti, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, 1984 ; pp. 8588.) 25 Justice, truth and mercy as the bases of Gods laws are stat ed in many Quranic verses. We give some here.

Say, `My Lord advocates justice, and to stand devoted to Him at every place of worship. You shall devote your worship absolutely to Him alone. Just as He initiated you, you will ultimately go back to Him. ( Al-Araf: 29) It was Gods will to establish the truth with His words and to punish the disbelievers so as to make the truth prevail and falsehood vanish, despite the disbelievers. Al-Anfal: 7-8) He has ordained mercy on Himself. (Al-An`am: 12) ---------------------------------------------------------------------

That evil, with a small `e, exists is only obvious. But to believe in Evil (with a capital `E) as an equal power rivalling God, as the Manichans have believed, is an error. God tells us in the Quran that He did not create men and jins, except to worship Him. 26 Thus the devil, standing for evil in the world, is to serve the purposes of God., however paradoxical this may sound. It should be remembered that we said in the beginning that the divine purpose of the whole creation is to expose falsehood and establish the truth. How is man to know the truth and the good unless there exist falsehood and evil to oppose the truth and the good? Thus are evil and falsehood exposed and defeated. In the beginning, the whole universe submitted to God, its Creator and Ruler, but among Gods creations, out of the moral freedom granted to man, a principle of rebellion arose. Rebellion against God means evil, symbolized in the person of the rebel or the devil. This is the source of evil. By negative example, the devil, by his opposition to the moral man, exposes the immoral man and thus renders the immoral man impotent. This is the meaning of the Quranic statement that even the jins serve God. Therefore, God is not to blame for the existence, at times even widespread, of evil in the world. Man is to blame. Wanting freedom of action, he yet does not use his freedom to fight against evil, even as he complains when evil touches him. The widespread evil that we are seeing too obviously in the post-Cold War world (the horrendous Anglo-American-led aggression against Iraq and its consequent murderous U.N. embargo against that country, the British-sponsored Serbian genocide against Bosnia, to mention just two) is due to mans current state of spiritual blindness and moral apathy. Even then, in the face of such extremes of cruelty, the moral man can be said to have stood up and defeated the foe, both in Iraq and Bosnia. This is proof of ever-recurrent divine protection for the moral law with which He has constructed the universe. 27 This gives us the optimism to look ahead and to work towards the future good of mankind. If we remember well, we should know that God has given us this assurance when He related us the story of creation.28 --------------------------------------------------------------------26

I did not create the jins and the humans except to worship Me alone. (Al-Dariyah: 56)
27

Imploring Him is everyone in the heavens and the earth. Everyday He is in full control. (Al-Rahman: 29) His dominian encompasses the heavens and the earth, and ruling them never burdens Him. (Al Baqarah: 255).
So the pessimists complaint that God is absent from the world should be turned against the passivity of men who expect good to come to them without their exertion to attain it. 28 28. In Al-Baqarah, verses 30-33 inform us of the great future in store for men, in spite of their weaknesses.

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Although we said at the beginning that Izetbegovics book is profound, it is also frightening in several parts. One concerns the question of modern pessimism. The author, in spite of being a committed Muslim, seems a hopeless pessimist (which, however, is not borne by his courageous and unflinching struggle for Bosnia). At the end of the book, one finds this astonishing passage: Therefore, to properly understand our position in the world means to submit to God, to find peace, not to start making a more positive effort to encompass and to overcome everything, but rather a negative effort to accept the place and the time of our birth , the place and the time that are our destiny and Gods will. Submission to God is the only human and dignified way out of the unsolvable senselessness of life, a way out without revolt, despair, nihilism or suicide. It is a heroic feeling not of a hero, but of an ordinary man who has done his duty and accepted his destiny. Islam does not get its name from its laws, orders, or prohibitions, nor from the efforts of the body and soul it claims, but from something that encompasses and surmounts all that: from a moment of cognition, from the strength of the soul to face the times, from the readiness to endure everything that an existence can offer, from the truth of submission to God. 29 Ironically, the author seems to equate civilization with mans increasing feeling of hopelessness. He states: Comfort is the outward, and absurdity is the inward, image of life in civilization. Dial ectically expressed: the more comfort and abundance, the more the feeling of emptiness and despair. On the contrary, primitive societies can be poor and affected by sharp social differences, but all that we know about them indicate a life coloured by strong and rich feelings. Folklore -- the literature of primitive society -can show, in its specific way, the extraordinary living vigour of primitive man. The feelings of disaffection and hopelessness are alien to that poor society. 30 This is surely a wrong reading of civilization. The great studies of human societies and civilizations by Ibn Khaldun and A.J. Toynbee and others following in their footsteps refer to historical cycles of birth, development and decay. The birth and development is due to a great explosion of creativity on the part of the society or civilization and the decay due to that creativitys death. Is there continuity and development? Recent studies, especially by the American historical philosopher Sorokin, point to what he calls multilinear, not unilinear, development.31 That means that human society and civilization develop, but not along a straight line; it develops along a line of concentric circles. History repeats itself, but with a difference -- with a movement upwards. That is the right way of looking at society and civilization. All societies and civilizations contain both good and bad ideas and practices. When the good predominate over the bad, that society and civilization grow. Once the bad predominate, and no action is taken by its members to reverse the trend, that society and civilization is destroyed, and new societies and civilizations are born to take over from where the old left off. 32 Thus, we see the old civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt giving birth to Greek, then to Roman; then the Arabs under Islamic inspiration took over, inheriting from all the then civilizations, including those of Persia, India and China. Then modern Europe took over from the Arabs around the 15th century and carried forward the flag of civilization to all parts of the world through trade and colonization. In the 20th century that civilization is facing doom again for having regressed morally and spiritually, with two world wars already past, and a new world war looming. --------------------------------------------------------------------29 Izetbegovic, Op.cit., p. 226. 30 Ibid., pp. 59-60. 31 See P.A. Sorokin, Modern Historical and Social Philosophies, pp. 291-92. 32 This historical law of the carrying forward of good ideas and practic es in human society in stated in the Quran thus:

He sends down water from the sky, causing the valleys to overflow. The rapids produce abundant foam. Similarly, when they use fire to refine metals for their jewellery or equipment, foam is produced. God thus cites analogies for truth and falsehood. As for the foam, it goes to waste, while that which benefits the people stays close to the ground. (Al-Ra`ad: 17) ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Will the world be destroyed, along with what we call modern civilization, as Bertrand Russell, has forecast? 33 Under the present conditions of widespread pessimism and despair, it is easy to agree with Russell. The good Alija Izetbegovic had come under the spell of that po st-war pessimism before he fought the good fight for Bosnia-Herzergovina and, let it be said, for all humanity, as the brave Iraqis and others who have stood up against the technological might of the modern-day Goliath. No! Morality and right reason cannot agree to this forecast of despair. History is our evidence. If mankind had no other destiny but to be destroyed, then it should have been destroyed a long time ago. 34 How many times in history has the fate of man hung in the balance between continuity and total destruction? The fact that man has survived the many occurances of major floods and earthquakes, big storms and fires, widespread epidemics and diseases in antiquity and medieval times, when modern science and technology was not yet at his disposal is evidence enough of the existence of a grand divine scheme in which his great destiny is placed. Now that man has greater grasp of natural and historical laws than ever before, it is less likely that he is targeted for total annihilation. For that matter, life on earth itself is a miracle, as science has shown. The possibility of its occurance is so minimal that explanation of its non-existence is easier than that of its emergence. 35 Therefore, it is inevitable for us to conclude that mankind has a destiny beyond and far greater than any human being or even any human generation can know. It is thus important that man should understand this and put himself at the service of this destiny, in other words, at the service of God. 36 --------------------------------------------------------------------33 See note 7. 34

If God were to punish the people for their transgressions, He would have annihilated every creature on earth. But He respites them for a specific predetermined time. Once their interim ends, they cannot delay it by a single moment, nor can they hasten it. (Al-Nahl: 61)
35 Many modern biologists who have devoted years of studies to the phenomenon of life have concluded that life is a miracle. Man cannot create life. (See A.A. Izetbegovic, Ibid., pp. 22-31.) The Quran informed us that only God can create life a long time ago:

O people, here is a parable that you must consider carefully: the idols you call upon besides God can never create a fly, even if they banded together to do so. Furthermore, if the fly steals anything from them, they cannot recover it; weak is the pursuer and the pursued. (Al-Hajj: 73)
36 The whole complete life of man is to be devoted to God alone is succintly summed up in this verse:

Say, My prayers, my worship, my life and my death all belong to God, Lord of the universe. He has no partner. This is what I am commanded to believe and I am the first to submit. (Al-An`am: 16263) ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Actually, we must understand that there exists two plans for the world: Gods Grand Design and the devils evil design. Gods design is to put man in His Paradise, whereas the devils design is to put him in Hell. These plans weave and intertwine the historical fabric of mans life in this world. In so far as he puts himself in the service of God and carrying out Gods design, he succeeds; in so far as he fails and puts himself at the service of the devil, he suffers. Mans successes accumulate; his sufferings are temporary, although often repetitive. Ultimately, Gods Grand Design will prevail, since the moral nature of the universe and of man is the fundamental basis of existence, as we have seen. The role of man, using his freedom, is to realize Gods Grand Design with as little pain and suffering and in as little time as possible. In a morally-bound universe, God gives man moral freedom and lets him decide his own fate. This fundamental truth is graphically illustrated in the story of Joseph and his brot hers, where his brothers planned some evil for Joseph, while God had planned good for him. The first part of the story finds Joseph thrown into dire circumstances, culminating in his being accused of molesting the beautiful

wife of the Egyptian governor, in whose house he was a trusted servant, and being wrongfully imprisoned for it. The latter part of the story finds Joseph freed from imprisonment and honoured in Egypt and reunited with his old father, Jacob, and his erstwhile jealous but now-repentant brothers. 37 Here we naturally come to the question of the occurance of miracles and of divine revelation. How do we scientifically explain miracles, miracles being defined as `supernatural events? How do we explain the Quran and other divine books? Is the Quran Muhammads composition, as some Westsern orientalists assert? If not, was Muhammad simply a passive recepient of the message? Does God intervene in natural processes? If He does, does this not make a mockery of His own law? What is law? And, finally, what is God? All the above questions are no doubt related. We cannot try to answer some, while ignoring others that seem to us intractable. But we cannot assert the principles of rationality and science unless we try to answer them. It seems to us that we must attempt to answer them to the best of our ability. Let us take the questions of miracles and divine revelation first. --------------------------------------------------------------------37 Quran, Yusuf: 4-102.

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What we call `natural as opposed to `supernatural is simply what our cognizance (both sensory and rational) tell us is the order of things, or what we call the natural order. But our natural order belongs to a specific category of created beings, i.e. this material world, with its spatio-temporal dimension. Time and space exist for us, but it does not exist for God. Even for us, during sleep or during loss of cosnciousness, we are not aware of time and space. Time and space, therefore, are not absolute realities. They only exist under certain circumstances but do not under certain other circumstances. Once we grasp this truth, we remove the iron-clad separation between the two catogories of the `natural and the `supernatural. Thus, when Mosess stick turned into a serpent, it was a case of the encapsulation of time: the matter, stick (standing for the vegetable world), turned into the matter, serpent (standing for the animal world which comes into being immediately after that), without the normal intervening time. Now, if a stick can turn into a serpent, what is there to stop just anything from happening? Can your enemy destroy you by just wishing evil for you? Can you obtain good by just wishing? In other words, is the world capricious, or is it lawful? This is a basic question. Man has had to answer this question right from the start. For to live, and go on living, the first human beings, as do all human beings, must believe that living is worthwhile. This belief, in a way, is not based on reason. It is based on an instinctive feeling, the feeling that the world is good, and behind the good world is a good and loving Creator. This basic feeling in a human being is natural to him. 38 This is the basis of the right religion of man, as this verse states: Therefore, you shall devote yourselves to the religion of strict monotheism. Such is the natural instinct placed in the people by God. Such creation of God will never change. This is the perfect religion, but most people do not know. 39 Thus, although there is no absolute barrier between the natural and the supernatural, the universe is not capricious, but lawful, created and ruled by a lawful, rational, good and compassionate God. Therefore, the existence of evil in the world is both contingent and temporary. It is contingent upon mans rebellion against God, and temporary upon mans struggle against evil. Once man stops rebelling against God and fights against evil, mans victory over evil is assured and complete. Whe this n condition is achieved, the Hereafter comes into being with its Paradise (Gods Kingdom) and its Hell (the state of exile from Gods Kingdom). The phemomena of revelation cannot be explained except in the context of a rational and moral universe. Neither can the prophet-messengers, among whom number the greats among them -Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad -- be conceived as passive recepients of the revelations. Because God is Compassionate, He continuously sends messages to human communities fro the m earliest times to guide them. 40 Obviously, He must choose His message-bearers from among the morally-commited individuals of each community. Muhammad, whose life-history we know, is a good

example of a morally-committed individual chosen to carry His final message to mankind. Thus, Muhammads moral and intellectual qualities rendered him suitable to receive the great message. --------------------------------------------------------------------38

Recall that your Lord summoned all the descendents of Adam and had them bear witnees for themselves: `Am I not your Lord? They all said, `Yes. We bear witness. Thus, you cannot say on the Day of Resurrection, `We were not aware of this. Nor can you say, `It was our parents who practised idolatory, and we simply followed in their footsteps. Will you punish us for the sins of innovators? We thus explain the revelations to enable them to return. (Al-Araf: 172-74)
39 Al-Rum: 30 40

To every community, a messenger. Once their messenger comes, they are judged equitably without the least injustice. (Yunus: 47) ---------------------------------------------------------------------

That does not mean, however, that with Muhammad, God stopped communicating with human beings. Such a belief would severely restrict Gods overwhelming attribute of mercy. 41 The Quran tells us in no uncertain terms that Muhammad was the last propohet. 42 That simply means that the era of prophethood, beginning with Adam, representing the earliest human communities, came to an end with Muhammad, as mankind enters the international stage and the true Age of Science, when prophets are no longer required. 43 This does not mean that at that point God stops communicating with man. 44 We are told that God is ever active and all the time intervening in the affairs of the world. 45 Only now man, having reached the stage of spiritual adulthood, has to rely more on his mind and science to continue his journey. However, he has Gods final scripture, the Grand Quran, with him to guide him on his onward journey. 46 There has been a notion that man, using his mind alone, can arrive at a correct understanding of universal laws, implying that Gods guidance is not necessary. 47 The facts, however, have not borne this out. It is now generally agreed that the 18th century so-called Age of Reason has been a failure. It had not realized the high hopes that it engendered. Rather it culminated in colonialism, wars of colonialism and peaked in the 20th centurys two terrible world wars of imperia lism. The closing decades of the 20th century, in fact, witnessed a renewed interest in religion, precisely because of the spiritual and moral failures of modern Western civilization. --------------------------------------------------------------------41

He said, `My retribution is incurred by whomever I wish, but My mercy encompasses all things. (Al-Araf: 156)
42

Muhammad was not the father of any man among you. He was a messenger of God and the final prophet. (Al-Ahzab: 40)
43 ... the Pro phet of Islam seems to stand between the ancient and the modern world. In so far as the source of his revelation is concerned, he belongs to the ancient world; in so far as the spirit of his revelation is concerned, he belongs to the modern world. In him life discovers other sources of knowledge suitable to its new direction. The birth of Islam ... is the birth of the inductive intellect. In Islam prophecy reaches its perfection in descovering the need of its own abolition ... (The Reconstruction of Relig ious Thought in Islam, p. 126) 44

Possessor of high ranks, the Ruler of the whole dominion, He sends inspiration, bearing His commands, to whomever he chooses from among His servants, to warn of the Day of Gathering. (Gahfir: 15)
45 See note 27. 46 In the understanding of the Quran, of course, man needs Gods guidance. Although, the Quran is the same Quran as that used by the Prophet and his Companians, its understanding in the modern context must necessarily differ. This is what is referred to in the Quran as hikmah or wisdom, i.e. a rational interpretation of its message. Although classical tafsir has assigned the role of interpretation to the Prophet, this is not an accurate meaning of the Quranic texts. An overall understanding would assign God as t he ultimate teacher of the Quran. (See Quran, Al -Rahman: 1-2; Al-Mudathir: 19 & Al-Ra`ad: 2) Read with other relevant verses, these would mean that God will expalin the meanings of His message through people whom He selects from every generation. 47 We refer to the philosophical romance by the Muslim philosopher Ibn Tufail (1109-1185) where the main character, Hayy ibn Yaqzan, marooned in an uninhabited island, discovered God through the sheer use of his reasoning. See The Journey of the Soul : The Story of Hai bin Yaqzan (trans. Riad Kocache), The Octagon Press, London, 1982.

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Reason is actually a double-edged weapon. Is it the reason of the mind, or the reason of the body? The philosophers of the so-called European Enlightenment, notably Adam Smith, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Thomas Malthus understood and analysed it as the reason of the body. Others, like Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Kant and Hegel concieved it as the reason of the mind. However, the former interpretation carried the day and landed Europe, and the world with it, in the clutches of its own evil works. At this jucture, we should perhaps examine the phenomenon of what is called divine punishment. Punishment must, of course, be paired with reward. One cannot exist without the other. Since this world is part of a rational, lawful and moral universe, we can be certain that good works will be rewarded and evil works punished fully in this life as well as in the Hereafter (which stand for our infinite future life). We know that human laws are not always just and that criminals are not always apprehended and adequately punished in this world. Conversely, in this world, good works are not always, nor adequately, rewarded. Therefore, it only stands to reason to expect that both the rewards and punishments will be fully executed in the Hereafter. 48 This far is clear. But what about the so-called natural disasters, like earthquakes, storms, floods, fires, epidemics and diseases, which, in total, have claimed many thousands, even millions, of human lives, including those of the innocent? What about the wars, especially the two world wars? Even as we pose the question, the answer seems to emerge. The answer is: human failure to act morally and to act in obedience to God. 49 Take the case of the recent Gulf War, with its attendent results of starvation for the whole Iraqi population. Is Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi government alone to blame for the so -called aggression against Kuwait, when we now know that the war could have been avioded had the Anglo -American neoimperialists not had their way? Why did the United Nations Security Council go along with these two powerful members? Why was the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) unable to play its proper role to find a peaceful solution acceptable to both sides? Why did Russia and China, both veto -bearing members of the Security Council, not stop the war when they actually had the power to? Why did Saudi Arabia lend its territory for the conduct of Anglo-American aggression against Iraq? Why did Iran, Egypt, Syria and Turkey, important regional powers, not acted together to stop the war? These questions suggest the answer: current international communitys failure to act morally on the basis of principles. --------------------------------------------------------------------48

That is the day when they will be completely exposed; none of them will hide anything from God. To whom belongs all kingship on that day? To God, the One, the Supreme. On that day, every soul will be paid for whatever it earned. There will be no injustice on that day. God is most efficient in reckoning. (Quran, Ghafir: 16-17)
49

Anything good that happens to you is from God, and anything bad that happens to you is from you. (Quran, Al-Nisa: 79)
This verse should not be understood as meaning that there exist things outside of Gods creation. Evil is a consequence of m ans rebellion against God, in accordance with His laws. This verse alone throws abundant light on the occurance of the so -called natural disasters. Further, consider these:

Say, `Who can protect you from the calamities of the land and the sea? You implore Him loudly as well as secretly: `If only He saves us this time, we shall indeed be grateful. Say, `God saves you this time, and other times as well, then you still set up idols besides Him. Say, `He is able to pour upon you retribution from above you, or from beneath your feet, or He can divide you into factions and have you taste each others tyranny and persecution. Note how We explain the revelations that they may understand. (Al-An`am: 63-65) ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Similarly, we must understand the so-called natural disasters. God relates to us in the Quran the stories of disbeliving peoples of intiquity, the people of Noah, the people of Hud , the people of Pharaohs Egypt among them, who were destroyed by these natural disasters. They were no more or no less natural than Gods punishments to them for their transgressions against His commands. If, as we are told in the Quran, that everything in heaven and earth submits to God, sings His praises and obeys His commands, 50 we must inevitably conclude that these destructive natural forces are behaving exactly as God wills them to do, when they occur. In short, they are punishments from God for our errant ways to make us remember Him and return to obeying Him. 51 The question that arises is why the victims should include the innocent, especially children and old people. To answer this puzzle, one must consider several matters. Firstly, altough a persons life is declared sacred by God, that life is to be served and sacrificed for the purposes of establishing truth and justice. Thus, truth and justice are higher than individual lives so that the principle of sacrificing lives for these noble ends is right and of paramount importance. In fact, it is this sacrifice that will guarantee the continuance of life. 52 It is also this that gives rise to the concept of martyrdom. Secondly, both good and evil are divine instruments to test mans fidelity to God. Thus, they are to be seen in this relative, and not absolute, context. Thirdly, man is not only an individual; he is also a collective. While he must bear the responsibilty of his own actions, he is also responsible for the actions of the collective. For instance, a good socio-economic order will benefit his children and descendents, just as a bad one will harm them. In this perspective, several human generations are, in terms of responsibilty, linked together. What the older generation does or fails to do will be reaped by the younger generation. Looked at from this perspective, the human family is one. They must either do good together, or they will suffer together. No individual is free from the collective and no individual is completely blameless. This would explain the necessary sacrifice that the relatively innocent members of the human family must make for the sins of the other members in the process of attaining felicity for itself. This understanding would encourage man to realize the extreme importance of his fidelity to God and of leading a moral existence. Man must, thus, first commit himself to the belief that the universe is lawful before his mind can be harnessed to explain that conception. In other words, man must have faith in God and this faith is concurrent with his higher reason. It is for this reason that religion, a supra-rational conception, has existed from the beginning of time. This is because every society consists of individuals. The collective, at one end, and the individual, at the other, exist side by side, each working on and influencing the other. In order to create the good society, the individuals must first be good. As God is the source of of all good, the individual must imbue himself with the attributes of goodness. This is the true aim and function of the Muslim rituals of prayer, fasting, obligatory charity and the pilgrimage to Mecca: to cleanse oneself of impurities and to be close to God. 53 As individuals can become corrupt through imbibing corrupt attributes, so can society. Corrupt societies must therefore be reformed or changed by reformed or changed individuals. This is a truth that we sometimes forget, thinking that in order to change society, we must change the system, forgetting that the system itself came into being through our own creative actions.54 Thus, the sovereign individual creative activity is of signal importance in changing society.

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Glorifying Him are the seven universes, the earth and everyone in them. There is nothing that does not glorify Him, but you do not comprehend their glorification. He is Clement and Forgiver. (Bani Israel: 44) His dominion encompasses the heavens and the earth, and ruling them never burdens Him.He is the Most High, the Great. (Al-Baqara: 255)
Everyone in the heavens and earth glorifying God includes those parts of man that he, mercifully, has no control of, like the workings of his body, especially the brain and the liver. 51

We tested them with prosperity and hardship that they may return. (Al-Araf : 168) 52 The Quran often makes this point. Consider this: O you who believe, you shall respond to God, and to the messenger when he invites you to that which grants you life. (Al-Anfal: 24)
This chapter deals with the Battle of Badr, the first battle that Muhammad and his small band of followers had to fight. But, in terms of Muhammads mission, it was a very important and decisive battle, where a small, ill -trained and ill-equipped force of 313 people beat a bigger and militarily superior force of 1,000. The battle proved the superiority of moral power over materi al power. Hence, the battle is also referred to in the Quran as the Day of Discrimination. (Verse 41) Thus, the verse we have quoted means that fighting and dying in the cause of God, i.e. in the cause of justice and truth, is fighting to uphold the dignit y of human lives. However, the clearest expression of this principle is given in this verse:

God has bought from the believers their lives and their money in exchange for Paradise. Thus, they fight in the cause of God, willing to kill and get killed. Such is His truthful pledge in the Torah, the Gospel and the Quran, and who fulfils His pledge better than God? You shall rejoice in making such an exchange. This is the greatest triumph. (Al-Taubah: 111)
53

Surely, the salat prayers keep one away from evil works and vice, and the rememberance of God is the greatest thing. (Al-`Ankabut: 45) ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Amidst his busy daily schedule, Prophet Muhammad was told to praise God and to pray to Him; he was further told to perform the superrerogatory midnight prayer of tahajjud. Why? Because man is apt to be sucked into his worldly affairs, leaving him little time for reflection and contemplation of the larger aims of life. In this way, he would forget the Hereafter, which is truely the more important world for him. The Muslim five daily prayers are indeed a beauty of form and spirit combined. First, its times are strategic, combining discipline, vigour and regularity. Rising early at dawn, the first thing you do is to perform your first prayer of the day. Then you are off to work. Then breaking for lunch at one o clock, you perform your second prayer, and then you continue your work. The third prayer is performed in the evening before you go for games or some other excercise. Then the fourth prayer before your dinner. Before you retire to bed for the day, you perform your last prayer. The timing is the very perfection of discipline and regularity. So are the movements: washed and clean-clad, you stand reverently facing the Ka`abah, the earthly House of God, in Mecca, and you bow down and prostrate to the Only One deserving of prostration. Again the content of your prayer, the Fatihah 55 is beauty itself. The prayer is the individuals perpetual return to God. You can pray alone in the privacy of your house, or you can join the congregation in a nearby mosque, with the exception of the weekly Friday Prayer. This prayer which is a congregational prayer is performed on Fridays at the time of , and replacing, the noon prayer. It is not only a prayer; it is a

prayer combined with a social gathering, with the sermon taking the place of a discussion and a debate on social issues. Thus, the Muslim prayers afford the people not only access to their Lord and Creator, but also to themselves. Thus, the personal and the social elements are nicely combined. As in prayers, so in the other religious devotions of fasting, charity and the pilgrimage. The aim is both personal cleansing and social intercourse necessary for the fostering of the good society. For example, today the Muslim pilgrimage to the House of God in Mecca, rebuild by Abraham and Ismail, in commemoration of Abrahams and Ismails sacrifice, attracts a yearly attendance of around two million people from all over the world. It is a vast concourse of human beings and affords a golden opportunity for developing, spreading and deepening the spirit of internationalism, humanism and cooperation among nations. Unfortunately, it must seriously be recorded here, that the beautiful teachings of monotheism of the great teachers of the true religion -- Moses, Jesus and Muhammad among them -- have been invariably distorted by their later followers. The Jews rejected the prophethood of Jesus and Muhammad and considered themselves exclusively as the Chosen People of God, and thereby opted for the world-view of racism. The Christians rejected the prophethood of Muhammad and deified Jesus, resulting in the same exclusive world-view. Following closely in their footsteps, the Muslims idolized Muhammad, turning him into the favourite of God and greatest prophet and putting him next to God, 56 ending with the same resultant world-view of exclusivism. Thus, one originally monotheistic universalist teaching 57 became three, each claiming to possess the truth to the exclusion of the others, and all antagonistic towards one another. For more than forty years the world has witnessed a deviating Western Christian community allying itself with a deviating Jewish community in a colonial-settler state of Israel, set up by the United Nations, to suppress a deviating Muslim Arab community. What a triangle of entanglements! All originating from the same teaching of monotheism! Surely, such chaos cannot be the finishing point of history, as the ideologue of capitalist liberalism, Francis Fukuyama, would have us believe. Our essay which postulates the meaningfulness of life cannot conclude at the point of perhaps the greatest chaos in human history, the post-Cold War period. As man gropes for light during the waning years of the Twentieh Century, he cannot but expect to be severely punished for yet another transgression after his severe beating in the past two world wars. Can man doubt that his saviour is God, the Most Merciful? This third beating will definitely bring him back to God and to a more just and peaceful world, seeing that he has thoroughly experimented with the world-views of materialism and ascetism and failed. The way is now open for the world-view of Islam, not the Islam of the theologians, but the Islam of the prophets 58, whose teachings are completed and perfected in the Grand Quran. How much pain and suffering man would have saved himself from had he heeded the call of God to follow the Quran earlier on his journey through the world! --------------------------------------------------------------------54 This historical law is stated in the Quran thus:

God does not remove a blessing He has bestowed upon any people unless they themselves decide to change. (Al-Anfal: 53) God does not change the condition of any people unless they themselves make the decision to change. (Al-Raad: 11)
55 The first chapter of the Quran, called Al -Fatihah, translated as The Opening or The Key is a whole prayer, consisting of seven short verses and containing two parts: a hymn to God and a supplication for His help, guidance and blessings. 56 Most Muslims will vehemently deny that they have idolized Muhammad, because they have done so without realizing it. Not on ly the so-called hadith extol him as the the favourite of God and the greatest prophet, in clear violation of Quranic injuctions not to discriminate between Gods prophets, but several Quranic verses have been misused and misinterpreted to achieve this effect. Verse 56 of Surah 33, which calls upon Muslims to support and respect the Prophet (the Arabic word is salla, usually translated as `to bless) is the main vehicle for this idolization. Taken in its proper context, the verse simply means that a leader fighting in Gods cause h as the support and blessings of God and His angels and that it is the duty of his followers to support and respect him. To gain this underst anding, one should read this verse along with verse 43 of the same surah (where God and His angels bless and support the Muslims) and verse 103 of Surah 9 (where the Prophet was told to support and bless his followers). 57 Most Muslims labour under the wrong impression that Muhammad is the prophet of Islam. Actually all prophets, from Adam, th rough Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, ending in Muhammad, teach the same true religion of Islam (whose basic teaching is: `There is no god but Allah; worship Him alone.). The laws and rituals differ, according to time and place, but the basic teaching is the same. We did not send any messenger before you except with the inspiration:

`There is no god except Me; you shall worship Me alone. (Al-Anbia: 25)
Regarding multiplicity of laws and rituals:

For each of you We have decreed laws and methodologies. Had God willed, He could have made you one congregation. But He does puts you to the test through His revelations to you. Therefore, you shall race towards righteousness. (Al-Maidah: 48)
58 The majority of the Muslims, about three hundred years after the death of Prophet Mu hammad, deviated from the teachings of the Quran to follow the teachings of their religious scholars, precisely like the Jews and the Christians. This is the main reaso n for their downfall. Now they must return to the Quran to follow the Islam of the proph ets, if they desire to regain their honour and their proper place in the world.

God who dwells in our hearts

If it had been only a poetic expression we would have appreciated it not more than a Man's Concept of God which may become redundant with the passage of time. But, as it is revealed in the Quran, which reads : '" Hova Ma'akum Aina Ma Kuntum - God is with you, wheresoever you may be ! [ 57:4 ], therefore, it is not merely a wistful expression of human's imagination but this Concept of God is a concrete reality. It cannot be denied or defied with further arguments. It lays the foundation of Faith for those who believe in Quran as Divine Revelation. One cannot profess Islam unless he hold this belief that God is : Omnipresent and Ubiquitous ! He is far above the man's concept of Time, Space and Compassing. But, unfortunately, many people despite of their firm belief in the Universality of God cannot defend themselves from the onslaught of false dogmas of their religions. They hold certain very erroneous beliefs about God's Existence. Their imagination cannot grasp a God Who is Omnipresent and Ubiquitous and express Himself through tangible Laws. They are incapable to derive satisfaction from His obedience through Laws. They dislike to worship an Abstract God. Accordingly, they create a God from their own imaginations and idolize Him in the worship. This weakness of human mind lays the foundation of different religion because the imaginations varies from person to person. Consequently, the mankind got divided and the clergies started to confuse them further. They succeeded in sending a Hindu to the Mander, a Christian to the Church, a Jew to the Synagogue and a Muslim to the Mosque in search of God who dwells in hearts. Now, everyone of us gets satisfaction only when we worship Him in the Mosque or Mander, Church or Synagogue and when we seek His blessings our hands and heads are raised to the sky instinctively. While doing all this we don't have even the slightest sense that - He dwells in our hearts. He is with us wheresoever we are ! He is far above our comprehension. He is - A Being - Who likes to be obeyed and followed rather than worshiped. There is not a single word in the Quran which could be translated into worship. We find repeatedly such words; Ahbadullah, Atteeullah, Ittebahullah - all of these got the meaning of Obedience rather than worship. God shows His existence through His tangible Laws. Whether these are discovered as Laws of Nature or Revealed to mankind through the agency of God's Messengers, we have to follow them. These are the only means which makes us honourabe in the sight of God Who is not far away but very near to us. How much near ? He says: " ... We are nearer to him (man) than his jugular vein [50:16]. And when He says: " (O Prophet) When My servants ask you concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the Call of every Caller when he calls on me: So, let them listen to Me and trust Me. This will put them on the right path. [2:186] " , this means that man has to obey His Laws all those which are commanded both in Nature and the Quran. God never speaks to man directly except the Prophets. And, our belief is that Mohammad (pbuh) was the last prophet. There will be no more prophets. Therefore, the only way to listen to God's call is

through His Book. God answers our calls through Quran. And our answer to God's Calls is to obey His Laws. God's Laws produce tangible results. And, in fact, these results are the true acceptance of our calls or prayers. This is the true Concept of God which the Quran gives to us. All other concepts concerning God are the fabrication of human mind. If we follow this concept we need not to search God in certain places or through certain agencies. We have to look for Him in our heart and mind and approach Him through His Laws. If the whole mankind follow this course the entire face of the earth would become a Paradise. Because, in this way the human being like other living beings would become a law abiding specie. Rather, a better specie due to his power to think and create. Those who take different courses or agencies as " Waseela " other than God's Laws to approach Him or to seek His blessings or to get nearer to him are sheerly misguided. They are doomed here and would get double punishment in the hereafter. And blessed are those who follows His laws. They enjoy the pleasure of this life and would get double reward in the hereafter.

Free Choice
Many people in the past and probably each one of us have asked this question at one point or anoth er. The question is whether human beings are predestined or possess free will. The answer to this question could have profound consequences on how we approach this life and indeed on the very meaning of life. This question has perplexed people and has been on their mind since inhabiting this earth. I believe that, with The God's help, we can use the Quran to shed light on this issue and get closer to the truth.

INTRODUCTION Like most people, I too have been thinking about the question of free will and predestination for a long time. A step forward came when something about verses 18:23-24 made me pause: Do not say to something, I am doing this tomorrow. Except if The God wills, and remember/mention your Lord if you forget, and say: "Perhaps my Lord guides me to what is nearer in rationality" [18:2324] The reason why those verses made me pause is that although I have read them many times in the past, I suddenly realized that, along with most of the Muslims, Sunnis, and Shia in the world, I have not been saying what verse 18:24 is instructing me to say. What we have been saying about our future actions is "if The God Willed" (In sha'a Allah) instead of "except if The God wills (Illa an yasha'a Allah) and perhaps my Lord guides me to what is nearer in rationality." Now on the surface, some might see this as a subtle difference that is immaterial. However, from my experience, the language of the Quran is logically precise and there are in fact significant differences between the two sayings: Linguistically, one is in the past tense while the other is in the present tense.

Logically speaking, one is a conditional proposition while the other is an exception proposition.
Based on this initial observation, I examined the Quranic verses that contain the word "sha'a" or any of its derivatives as relating to The God's will. I specifically started to look at the logical structure of the verses and noted that the word "sha'a" and its derivatives are always accompanied by specific logical propositions.

Interestingly, a distinct pattern started to emerge, but at the same time a problem cropped up when attempting to describe this pattern in English. Clearly distinct logical Arabic propositions were rendered indistinct in English, and were all generally translated by different interpreters as hypothetical IF statements. Unlike the logically precise Arabic of the Quran, English has no easy means of distinguishing a hypothetical IF-condition from a counterfactual IF-condition. Here is an example of each: Hypothetical conditional example (IF statement in English): I don't know whether or not x occurred, but if x occurred/occurs, then y will occur. Counterfactual conditional example: I know that x did not occur, but if x had occurred, then y would have occurred. The most efficient way to overcome this hurdle was to deploy the Arabic logical propositions "as-is" from the Quran for propositions for which no English equivalent was available instead of trying to translate them and perhaps lose the distinct meaning in the process. The different types of logical propositions associated with the various forms of "sha'a" are described in the following section, including the past tense and future tense occurrences of those propositions.

LOGICAL ANALYSIS OF VERSES RELATING TO THE GOD'S WILL Seven distinct types of logical propositions are associated with the various forms of The God "sha'a/yasha'a" (willed/wills) were found:

1. "IN": HYPOTHETICAL CONDITIONAL Logic: I don't know whether or not x occurred, but if x occurred/occurs, then y will occur. Those are equivalent to the English IF conditional. The "IN" or "IThA" propositions indicate that the sha'a decision x is uncertain, therefore the outcome y or its complement y' are also uncertain. In this case, we have no idea about which outcome, y or y' (not y) will result. Since the "IN" and "IThA" propositions are equivalent to the English IF proposition, I will use the translation directly.

PAST TENSE EXAMPLES: The God might remove what is inflicting you, enrich you, make you secure, and make you victorious (See 6:41, 9:28, 12:99, 25:10, 48:27) But (only) Him you call, so He removes/uncovers what you call for, IF He willed, and you forget what you share/take as partners (with The God). [6:41] We can see that both y and y' are uncertain and we don't know which outcome will happen. In this case, y = "The God removes what you call for" and equally possible is y' = "The God doesn't remove what you call for". The God might bring punishment to you (see 11:33) He said: "But The God brings it to you, IF He willed and you are not disabling/frustrating." [11:33] In this case, y = "The God brings it (punishment) to you" and equally possible is y' = "The God doesn't bring it (punishment) to you". The God might take the inspiration/transmission away from the Prophet (see 17:86)

And IF We willed We will take away/eliminate what We inspired/transmitted to you, then you do not find for you with it against Us a guardian/protector. [17:86] y = "The God takes the inspiration/transmission from you (the Prophet)" and equally possible is y' = "The God doesn't take the inspiration/transmission from you (the Prophet)". The God might make me righteous or patient This particular proposition is distinctive because relating to righteousness and patience I couldn't find it anywhere in the Quran spoken directly by The God in the past tense. In all past tense occurrences, it is people who said this proposition as we see in 18:69, 28:27, and 37:102: He said: "That I, I want, that I marry you to one of my two daughters these, on that you hire me yourself for eight debates (years), so if you completed ten, so it is from you, and I do not want to make hardship/difficulty on you, you will find me, IF The God willed from the correct/righteous." [28:27] He Said: "You will find me IF The God willed patient, and I will not disobey from you an order/command." [18:69] So when he reached the struggle/endeavor with him, he said: "My son, I see/understand in the sleep/dream that I sacrifice you, so look/wonder about/consider what you see /understand." He said: "You my father, make/do what you are being ordered/commanded, so you will find me, IF The God willed from the patient." [37:102] So here we have people who have chosen a certain path and are hoping that other people (who have no control over their choice) will find the outcome of this choice favorable (righteousness or patience). y = "The outcome of my actions will be that I will be righteous/patient" and equally possible is y' = "The outcome of my actions will be that I will not be r ighteous/patient". The God might have made us (the descendants of Israel) guided They said: "Call for us your Lord so He clarifies to us what it is, that the cows looked alike/are unverifiable, to us and we IF The God willed are guided." [2:70] The only occurrence in the Quran where the "IN" logical operator is used with "sha'a" as related to guidance is in verse 2:70. Moreover, "sha'a" (willed) is in the past tense. Note however, that it is not The God or any of the messengers who say this statement. It is the descendants of Israel who argued with Moses when they were commanded to slaughter a cow. Compare this to what Moses said, for example, in 26:62 and 28:22: He (Moses) said: "No but truly with me is my Lord, He will guide me." [26:62] And when he (Moses) aimed/turned towards Madyan, he said: "Perhaps my Lord guides me to the straightness road." [28:22] Also look at what Abraham said in 6:79, 26:78, 37:99, 43:27: When he saw the moon rising, he said, "Maybe this is my Lord! Unless my Lord guides me, I will surely be one of the stray people" [6:79] When it comes to guidance, unlike the descendents of Israel, both Abraham and Moses, did not say "in sha'a Allah" (If The God willed). The God's messengers probably knew better. However, I will wait until I gather more evidence before making any conclusions, so I ask the reader to bear with me while we continue the analysis.

PRESENT TENSE EXAMPLES:

The God may do away with or wipe off people (see 4:133, 6:133, 14:19, 34:9, 35:16) And your Lord, The Rich, The Owner of Mercy, IF He wills He wipes you off, and makes a successor/leader from after you, what He wills, as He created you from another nation's descendants. [6:133] We can see that both y and y' are uncertain and we don't know which action The God is going to take. In this case, y = "The God wipes you off" and equally possible is y' = "The God doesn't wipe you off". The use of the present tense may indicate that the action that The God will take is not predestined. The God may have mercy on or torture you Your Lord is more knowledgeable of you, IF He wills He has mercy upon you, and IF He wills He tortures you, and We did not send you a guardian/protector/keeper on them. [17:54] In this case, action y = "The God has mercy on you" and equally possible is y' = "The God tortures you". This particular verse's use of "IN" is distinct in that both y and y' are stated. The God may drown people or make the wind stop And if We will We drown/sink them, so (there be) no cries for help/assistances for them, and nor they be rescued/saved. [36:43] If He wills He stops/quietens the wind/breeze, so they continue/remain still/fixed in place on its back/surface, that truly in that (are) evidences/signs to every/each patient/endurer, thankful/grateful. [42:33] In this case, action y = "The God stops the wind/drowns them" and equally possible is y' = "The God doesn't stop the wind/doesn't drown them".

2. "LW": COUNTERFACTUAL CONDITIONAL: Logic: I know that x did not occur, but if x had occurred, then y would have occurred. The LW proposition excludes a specific outcome from the set of all possible outcomes. In other words, the only possible outcome is y' (not y). Appropriately, this form of logic excludes the outcome without excluding the fact that The God could have made this outcome possible.

PAST TENSE EXAMPLES: The God did not make their hearing and sight go away and the shade motionless (see 2:20, 25:45) Do you not see to your Lord how He extended/spread the shade? And LW He willed, He would have made it still/motionless, then We made/put the sun on it as a proof/evidence. [25:45] In this example, we see that the counterfactual y = "the shade would be made still" while the actual is y' = "The shade is not still". We are certain that outcome y will not occur because of the use of the counterfactual conditional. The use of the past tense indicates that the exclusion of the counterfactual outcome from the set of possible outcomes has already been decided by The God in the past (i.e. it is predestined). The God did not cause believers/those who have faith hardship/destruction (see 2:220, 4:90, 7:155): ...and LW The God willed, He would have empowered them on you, so they would have fought/killed you ...[4:90]

In this case, y = "He would have empowered them on you" while the actual is y' = "He didn't empower them on you." People are not all guided, fight among themselves, and will not be one nation (see 2:253, 5:48, 6:35, 6:149, 10:99, 11:118, 13:31, 16:9, 16:93, 32:13, 42:8) ...and LW The God willed He would have gathered/collected them on the guidance, so do not be from the ignorant/lowly [6:35] In this example, y = "The God would have gathered everybody on the guidance" while the actual is y' = "not everybody is on the guidance". It is predestined that not all people will be guided. This is seen in the use of the "LW" counterfactual conditional with the past tense to exclude the outcome that everybody will be guided from the set of possible outcomes. ...and LW The God willed, He would have made you one nation, but to test you in what He gave you, so race/surpass to the good deeds, to God is your return altogether, so He informs you with what you were differing/disagreeing in [5:48] Here y = "The God would have made us one nation" while the actual is y' = "we are not one nation." The use of the past tense here indicates that The God excluded this outcome in the past and that even trying to unify all of humanity under one nation is in vain and goes against The God's natural system. People will take partners with the God (see 6:107, 6:148, 16:35, 43:20) And LW The God willed, they would not have shared/taken partners (with The God), and We did not make you a protector/observer on them, and you are not on them a guardian. [6:107] y = "Nobody would have taken partners (with The God)" while the actual is y' = "they took partners with The God." Interestingly, in the hereafter, the people who took partners acknowledge the fact that the outcome for them specifically already unfolded (see 6:148 and 16:35). While those who are still living in this low life are called liars for doing the same (see 43:20) since they still have a chance to take a different path that may lead to a different outcome. Again, the significance of this will be discussed in more details later after gathering all the evidence. People who take partners with The God will fabricate and follow religious lies (see 6:112, 6:137) And like that their partners (with The God) decorated/beautified to many of the takers of partners (with The God) killing/murdering their children, to make them be destroyed/perished, and to confuse/mix on them their religion, and LW The God willed they would not have done it, so leave them, and what they are fabricating [6:137] y = "Nobody would fabricate religious lies" while the actual is y' = "people who take partners (with The God) will fabricate religious lies." As we can see, it is predestined and thus inevitable that those who take partners (prophets, idols, mullahs, clerics, mystics, etc.) with The God will fabricate religious lies. So no one should be surprised by the abundance of religious lies such as Hadiths. The Quran was recited on the Prophet (see 10:16) Say: "LW God willed I would not (have) read/recited it on you, and He would not (have) informed you of it. I had stayed/remained amongst you a life time from before it, so do you not reason/understand?" [10:16] y = "The Quran wouldn't have been recited on the Prophet" while the actual is y' = "the Quran was recited on the Prophet."

The God will not send to every village a warner (see 25:51) And LW We willed, We would have sent in every village/urban city a warner/giver of notice [25:51] y = "The God would have sent to every village a warner" while the actual is y' = "The God will not send to every village a warner." The God will not make the people who separated from The God's verses/evidences rise (see 7:176) And read/recite on them whom We gave/brought him Our verses/evidences, so he broke away/separated from it, so the devil followed him, so he was from the misguided. And LW We willed, We would have risen/honored him with it, but he (wanted to) perpetuate/immortalize/eternalize the earth, and he followed his fantasy, so his example is like the example of the dog, if you burden/load on it, it pants, and if you leave it, it pants, that is the example of the nation of those who lied/denied/falsified with Our verses/evidences, so narrate/relay the narration, perhaps they think. [7:175-176] y = "The people who separated from The God's verses/evidences would be risen/honored" while the actual is y' = "The people who separated from The God's verses/evidences will not be risen/honored." Let me stop at those verses, because I believe that they hold the explanation to what is happening to many of the so-called Muslim nations today. As in the example given in those verses, the majority of the people in those nations have indeed separated themselves from The God's verses. They allowed the so called scholars and their Hadiths to come between them and The God's verses. Due to the fact that The God uses LW (i.e. outcome y is not available) and the past tense (i.e. y' is predestined), it is a physical impossibility for such nations to rise and they will remain debased and humiliated.

PRESENT TENSE EXAMPLES: The God does not strike, cover their hearts, erase their eyesight, or transform them (the criminals) (see 7:100, 36:66-67) Or did He not guide to those inheriting the earth after its people, that LW We will, We struck/marked them because of their crimes, and We stamp/cover/seal on their hearts/minds, so they do not hear/listen? [7:100] The counterfactual y = "The God would have struck them and stamped their hearts" while the actual is y' = "The God does not struck them or stamp their hearts." The use of the present tense may indicate that The God makes th counterfactual action y currently e unavailable. The God does not make from people angels (see 43:60) And LW We will, We would have made from you angels in the earth who are in succession/leadership. [43:60] The counterfactual y = "The God would have made from you angels" while the actual is y' = "The God does not make from you angels". Contrast this to what the disbelievers/rejecters say in 23:24 and 41:14: So said the nobles/assembly from those who disbelieved/rejected from his nation: "That is not except a human similar to you he wants to make himself more preferred/favored over you, and LW The God willed He would have descended angels, we did not hear with that in our fathers/forefathers, the primitives." [23:24] Note that the disbelievers use the past tense instead of the present tense that The God correctly used in 43:60. It is becoming increasingly apparent that we should not use the past and the present tense haphazardly when uttering anything about The God's will.

The God does not get victory directly from those who fought the Messenger ... and LW The God wills He would have gotten victory from them, but to test some of you with others, and those who were killed in The God's way, He will never/not misguide their deeds. [47:4] y = "The God would have gotten victory directly from them" while the actual is y' = "The God does not get victory directly from them". The God does not show the hypocrites to the Prophet And LW We will, We would have shown them to you, so you would have known them by their marks/identifications/expressions, and you will know them through their style of speech/word/opinion, and The God knows your deeds. [47:30] y = "The God would have shown them to you (the Prophet)" while the actual is y' = "The God does not show the hypocrites to you (the Prophet)." The God does not make your plants crumbs or your water salty LW We will, We would have made it debris/crumbs, so you continued/remained regretting/wondering. [56:65] LW We will, We made it salty and bitter, so if only you thank/be grateful. [56:70] y = "The God would have made it debris/crumbs/salty" while the actual is y' = "The God does not make it debris/crumbs/salty"

3. "MA": CAUSE AND " WHAT" EFFECT Logic: I know that "what" y occurred is/was a result of x. In this case, what y is/was the effect of The God's will.

PAST TENSE EXAMPLES: The God assembled human beings in whatever shape He willed In any shape/picture what He willed/intended He assembled/composed you (the human) [82:8] In this example, outcome y = "What is the human assembled shape/picture" was simply the effect of The God's will. The God created whatever outcome He willed And if only when you entered your treed garden, you said: 'What The God willed! No strength/power except by The God,' if you see me, I am less/fewer than you in property/possession/wealth and children [18:39] In this example, outcome y = "What outcome resulted (the garden is fruitful or barren)" was simply the effect of The God's will. This verse is instructing us to say "ma sha'a Allah" about the outcomes that already unfolded. Since sha'a is in the past tense, it seems that the outcomes of our actions are predetermined and even though we are free to choose which path to take, we have no control over the outcome that this path leads to.

PRESENT TENSE EXAMPLES : The God creates, rules, be kind to, eliminates, does, hurries, increases in creation, and selects what He wills (see 3:40, 3:47, 5:1, 5:17, 6:133, 12:100, 13:39, 14:27, 17:18, 22:5, 24:45, 28:68, 30:54, 35:1, 39:4, 42:27, 42:49, 42:51). The God affirms/strengthens those who believed/had faith with the word/opinion the affirmed/strengthened in the low life and the ending, and The God misguides the unjust/oppressive, and The God makes/does what He wills. [14:27] In this case, the actions y = "strengthening those who believed/had faith and misguiding the unjust/oppressive (what The God does)" is simply the effect of The God's present will. The God inspires what He wills (see 42:51) And it was not to a human that The God converses/speaks to him, except by inspiration/transmission or from behind a divider/partition, or He sends a messenger so he (the messenger) is inspired what He wills with His permission, that He truly is high/elevated, wise/judicious. [42:51] y = "What the messenger is inspired" is the simply the effect of The God's present will. Let me stop here because this verse clearly negates that the Quran has been eternally around since the beginning of creation as some sects claim. The verb "yasha'a" is in the present tense, implying that what the messenger is being inspired has not been predestined by The God long time ago but is being decided by The God at the time the Quran was revealed.

4. "KYF": CAUSE AND "HOW" EFFECT Logic: I know that "how" y occurs is a result of x. In this case, how y occurs is the effect of The God's will.

PAST TENSE EXAMPLES: I couldn't find any examples of "KYF" used with The God "sha'a" in the past tense.

PRESENT TENSE EXAMPLES: The God forms and spends how ("KYF") He wills (see 3:6, 5:64, 30:48) He is who pictures/forms you in the wombs/uteruses how He wills, no god except He, The Glorious/Mighty, The Wise/Judicious. [3:6] In this example, y = "How our specific form in the wombs is pictured" is simply the effect of The God's present will. Note the difference between 3:6 and 82:8 that we saw above in the past tense example of "MA". Verse 3:6 talks about how people are shaped in the womb while 82:8 talked about what shape the human was assembled in. "How" babies are shaped in the womb is a present ongoing action while "what" shape humankind was assembled in (for example we have a head, two arms, two feet, attached to a torso) is a past, predestined outcome. It is getting clearer and clearer that there is a distinct pattern for the use of the present tense and the past tense as relating to The God's will.

5. "MN": CAUSE AND " WHO" EFFECT Logic: I know that "who" y occurs to is a result of x.

PAST TENSE EXAMPLES: Although, as we will see later, there are some past tense occurrences associated with the "ILA MN" (except whom) logical expression, I couldn't find any past tense occurrence in the Quran associated with the simple "MN" (whom) logical expression and The God's will. This may imply that specifically "who" y occurs to is not predestined in the past.

PRESENT TENSE EXAMPLES: The God gives favor, kingship, knowledge, wisdom, victory, purification, permission, and power to whomever He wills (see 2:90, 2:247, 2:251, 2:261, 2:269, 3:13, 3:26, 3:73, 3:179, 4:49, 5:54, 6:83, 7:128, 10:107, 12:76, 14:11, 24:21, 30:5, 53:26, 57:21, 57:29, 59:6, 62:4) Hegives the wisdom to whom He wills, and who is given the wisdom, so he had been given much goodness/wealth, and none mentions/remembers except those with intelligence. [2:269] In this example, y = "Who The God gives the wisdom to" is simply the effect of The God's present will. The fact that the present tense is used indicates that the action of giving wisdom to a specific person is not predestined and is being determined in the present. At the end of the verse, The God is giving a hint on how one could possibly be from those who are given this wisdom. The God was not to leave the believers on what you are on it until He distinguishes/separates the bad/malicious from the good, and The God was not to show/inform you on the unseen, and but The God chooses from His messengers, whom He wills, so believe/have faith in The God and His messengers, and if you believe/have faith and be forethoughtful, so for you is a great reward. [3:179] Here y = "Who The God chooses from His messengers" is simply the effect of The God's present will at the time. O, you who believed/had faith, do not follow the devil's foot steps, and who follows the devil's foot steps, he orders/commands with the sinful and the atrocious, and where it not for The God's grace/favor/blessing on you and His mercy, there would not be anyone from you who purified/corrected ever, but The God purifies/corrects whom He wills, and The God is hearing/listening, knowledgeable. [24:21] y = "Who The God purifies/corrects" is simply the effect of The God's present will. The God extends provision to whom He wills (see 2:212, 3:27, 3:37, 13:26, 17:30, 24:38, 28:82, 29:62, 30:37, 34:36, 34:39, 39:52, 42:12, 42:19) Say: "Truly my Lord spreads/extends the provision to whom He wills, and He is capable but most of the people do not know." [34:36] In this case, y = "Who The God extends the provision to" is simply the effect of The God's present will. Compare the cause and effect expression "MN" that The God is asking us to use against the counterfactual conditional "LW" used instead by the disbelievers in 36:47.

And if it was said to them: "Spend from what The God provided for you." Those who disbelieved said to those who believed/had faith: "Do we feed whom LW The God wills He fed him? That truly you are in except clear/evident misguidance." [36:47] It is clear that what we say about The God's will reveals our true convictions, even something as small as saying "LW" instead of "MN". The God descends the soul on whom He wills (see 16:2, 40:15) He descends the angels with the soul/spirit from His order/command on whom He wills from His servants, that warn/give notice, that there is no god except Me, so be forethoughtful of Me. [16:2] In this example, y = "Who The God descends the soul/spirit on" is simply the effect of The God's present will. The God guides, misguides, and makes listen whom He wills (see 2:142, 2:213, 2:272, 6:39, 6:88, 7:155, 10:25, 13:27, 14:4, 16:93, 24:35, 24:46, 28:56, 35:8, 35:22, 39:23, 42:13, 42:52, 73:31) The ignorant/foolish from the people will say: "What turned them away from their direction, which they were on?" Say: "To The God are the sunrise/east and the sunset/west, He guides whom He wills to a straight path." [2:142] And those who lied/denied with Our verses/signs/evidences are deaf and mute in the darknesses; whom The God wills He misguides him/her, and whom He wills, He makes him/her on a straight path [6:39] In the above examples, y = "Who The God guides to a straight/direct path" is simply the effect of The God's present will. Notice the hints that The God gives above about those who are not guided. As we saw earlier the use of the "LW" counterfactual conditional with the past tense excludes the outcome that everybody will be guided from the set o possible outcomes. On the other hand, the f specific of "who" exactly will be guided is not predestined. This is clearly seen here through the consistent use of the present tense of "sha'a" together with the logical expression "MN" as relating to guidance to specific people. Except for what the descendants of Israel say in verse 2:70 that we saw earlier, all the occurrences that I found of The God's will in the Quran as relating to guidance is in the present tense. As we saw above, this implies that "who" specifically The God guides is not predestined and is dependent on which path one presently chooses. So why did the descendants of Israel say: "in sha'a Allah we are guided"? They are implying that they are predestined to be either guided or misguided and therefore are not taking responsibility for their freedom of choice. Little did they know that what they said in verse 2:70 would be demonstrated as insincere thousands of years later by this simple logical analysis of the Quran. In fact, what the descendants of Israel said resembles a lot what the people of Pharaoh said in 43:49, for example, by asking Moses to pray to The God for them and the plural form of the verb "guide". The God forgives, singles out with mercy, tortures, and saves whom He wills (see 2:105, 2:284, 3:74, 3:129, 4:48, 4:116, 5:18, 5:40, 7:156, 9:15, 9:27, 12:56, 12:110, 21:9, 29:21, 42:8, 48:14, 48:25) He singles out/specializes with His mercy whom He wills, and The God is owner of the great grace/favor. [3:74] In this example, y = "Who The God singles out with His mercy" is simply the effect of The God's present will (again, implying that it is not predestined). Indeed The God does not forgive setting up partners/sharers with Him, and He forgives what is other than that, to whom He wills, and who sets up partners/sharers with The God, he fabricated a great sin/crime. [4:48] Here y = "Who The God forgives for other than setting up partners/sharers with Him" is simply the effect of The God's present will.

The God strikes with lightning and rain whom He wills (see 13:13, 24:43, 30:48) The God is who sends the winds so it agitates clouds, so He spreads/extends it in the sky how He wills, and He makes it pieces, so you see the rain appears/emerges from in between it, so when He strikes with it whom He wills from His worshippers/slaves, then they are announcing good news/cheerful [30:48] Here y = "Who The God strikes with the rain" is simply the effect of The God's present will. The God gives boys/girls and makes infertile who He wills (see 42:49, 42:50) To The God is the sky's/space's and the earth's ownership/kingdom, He creates what He wills, He grants/presents to whom He wills females, and He grants/presents to whom He wills the males. [42:49] In this case, y = "Who The God grants female/male children to" is simply the effect of The God's present will.

6. "ITHA": CAUSE AND "WHEN" EFFECT Logic: I know that "when" y occurs is a result of x.

PAST TENSE EXAMPLES: These are the only two verses in the Quran that I could find where the logical proposition "IThA" is used with The God willing something in the past tense (see 76:28, 80:22): We created them and We strengthened/supported their bone structure/ties and joints/(strengths), and WHEN We willed, We replaced their equivalent by a replacement [76:28] Then WHEN He willed He revived/resurrected him [80:22] y = "When The God replace/resurrect them " is simply the effect of The God's past will.

PRESENT TENSE EXAMPLES: Verse 42:29 is the only verse where "IThA" is used with The God wills in the present tense: And from His verses/evidences/signs are the skies'/space's and the earth's creation, and what He scattered/distributed in them from a walker/creeper/crawler, and He is on gathering/collecting them WHEN He wills capable. [42:29] y = "When The God gathers the walker/creeper/crawler" is simply the effect of The God's present will.

7. "ILA": HYPOTHETICAL EXCEPTION Logic: I don't know whether or not x occurred, but if x occurred/occurs, then y will be exempted.

PAST TENSE EXAMPLES:

Default: They will be shocked/ "ILA MN" Exception: Who The God might cause not to be shocked/frightened.

frightened.

And a day/time it was blown in the horn, so frightened/panicked were those in the skies/space and those in the earth, except who The God willed, and all came to Him degraded/manipulated [27:87] And it was blown in the horn, so shocked were those in the skies/space and the earth, except who The God willed, then it was blown in it another, so then they are getting up/standing still, looking [39:68] In the above examples, y = "Who The God might cause not to be shocked/frightened" were exempted as a result of The God's will. Default: They will abide immortal in "ILA MA" Exception: What The God might cause not to abide immortal in hell/heaven. hell/heaven.

...The fire is your residence, you are immortally in it except what The God willed, that your Lord is wise/judicious, knowledgeable. [6:128] Immortally/eternally in it as long as the skies/space and the earth continued/lasted, except what your Lord willed, that your Lord is a maker/doer, of what He wants. And but those who were made happy/fortunate, so they are in the Paradise, immortally/eternally in it, as long as the skies/space and the earth continued/lasted, except what your Lord willed, a gift/grant n cut/broken/(interrupted). ot [11:107-108] In the above examples, y = "What The God might cause not to reside immortally/eternally in heaven/hell" were exempted as a result of The God's will. Default: I (the Prophet) do not possess outcomes of benefit or "ILA MA" Exception: What outcomes The God might cause to be benefit or harm. harm to myself.

Say: "I do not own/possess benefit/usefulness and nor harm to myself, except what God The willed, and had I been knowing the hidden, I would have increased from the good/wealth, and the bad/evil/harm would not have touched me, that I am except a warner/giver of notice and an announcer of good news to a nation believing." [7:188] The above verse indicates that knowledge of the hidden would have enabled one to use nformation i about the future to increase wealth and avoid harm. Say: "I do not own/possess to myself harm and nor benefit/usefulness except, what The God willed, to every/each nation/generation is a term/time, if their term/time came, so they do not delay/lag behind an hour, and nor advance/precede [10:49] In the above examples, y = "What outcomes of benefit or harm I have" were exempted as a result of The God's will. Default: Do "ILA MA" Exception: What The God might cause you to forget. not forget.

We will make you read, so do not forget. Except what The God willed, that He truly knows the declared/publicized and what hides. [87:6-7] In this example, y = "What The God might cause you to forget" was exempted as a result of The God's will. Default: They do not comprehend/envelope a "ILA BiMA" Exception: With what The God let them comprehend. thing from His knowledge.

... , and they do not comprehend/envelope with a thing from His knowledge, except with what He willed. ...[2:255]

In this example, y = "What thing they comprehend from His knowledge" was exempted as a result of The God's will.

PRESENT TENSE EXAMPLES: All the present tense examples of the hypothetical exception that I found use the "ILA AN" proposition. Although the exception y is not given, the default is understood to be the complement of y (i.e. y'). Default: I do not fear partners that you "ILA AN" Exception: Except if The God wills other than the default. made (with The God).

And his nation disputed with him, he said: "Do you argue/dispute with me in The God and He had guided me, and I do not fear what you share/make partners (with The God), except that my Lord wills a thing, ..." [6:80] Default: They were not "ILA AN" Exception: Except if The God wills other than the default. to believe.

And had We descended to them the angels, and the dead talked to them, and We gathered on them every thing in front, they were not to believe, except that The God wills, but most of them are being ignorant [6:111] Default: We will not return to your "ILA AN" Exception: Except if The God wills other than the default. false religion/system.

"We had fabricated on The God lies/falsification, if we returned in your creed/system after The God saved/rescued us from it, and it is not for us to return in it except that The God, our Lord, wills, ..." [7:89] Default: Joseph would not have been able to take his brother within the king's religion/system. "ILA AN" Exception: Except if The God wills other than the default. So he began with their bags/containers, before his brother's bag/container, then he brought it out from his brother's bag/container, like that, We plotted for Joseph, he was not to take his brother in the king's religion/system, except that The God wills, We raise whom We will stages/degrees, and above each owner of knowledge is one more knowledgeable. [12:76] Default: They do not "ILA AN" Exception: Except if The God wills other than the default. And they do not mention/remember except that The God wills, ... [74:56] Default: You do not will an "ILA AN" Exception: Except if The God wills other than the default. outcome to occur. mention/remember.

And you do not will except that The God wills, that truly The God was knowledgeable, wise/judicious. [76:30] And you do not will except that The God wills, Lord of the universes. [81:29] Those two verses confirm what we have been consistently finding throughout our analysis. We cannot "will" an outcome that we desire to happen. We are only free to choose a path that might lead to a desirable outcome or not. Therefore, we have the freedom to choose which path to take but no control over the outcome that results from choosing this path. Default: I will do something tomorrow/in "ILA AN" Exception: Except if The God wills other than the default. the future.

Do not say to something, I am doing this tomorrow. Except if The God wills, and remember/mention your Lord if you forget, and say: "Perhaps my Lord guides me to what is nearer in rationality" [18:2324] It is now clear that the default is that The God will let us choose our actions. The exception is that The God might interfere by, for example, making the path that we chose unavailable. Here is an example to illustrate what I mean: A man decides to drive to a place to commit a sin (path a). He goes out to his car and the minute he starts it, the engine blows up. Unable to go, he gets mad and stays home instead (path b). Path "a" is made unavailable by The God's will. The default is that The God lets people choose which path to take but may make that path unavailable. However, The God knows the outcome of this choice and all other possible choices ahead of them, even the outcomes of the paths that they left behind and didn't choose as indicated by verse 2:255: ...He knows what is between their hands and what is behind them,... [2:255] Thus verses 18:23-24 clearly explain what we should say about the actions that we decide to do in the future. We should say: "ila an yasha'a Allah and perhaps my Lord guides me to what is nearer in rationality".

CONCLUSION AND DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH The analysis ended with the same verses 18:23 -24 that started this mission. However, now after examining the various logical propositions and their present and past tense occurrences, we have a much better picture of the underlying pattern. Do the majority of people belonging to the sects say what is in 18:23-24 about their future actions? The answer is no, they say "in sha'a Allah" instead. According to the Quran's consistent use of the present and past tense and the logical propositions, t ey are h wrongly saying that the path that they decide to take is predestined and they have no freedom to decide which path to choose. It is not surprising that this sentence is heavily abused and people often use it to escape the responsibility of choosing the correct path. We can only say "in sha'a Allah" about outcomes but not about the paths that we choose (i.e. our own actions). For example, we can say "in sha'a Allah" the outcome of our action will be safety (see 12:99). We should also say "ma sha'a Alah" about l outcomes that are unfolding in front of us (see 18:39). The use of certain propositions and the past and present tense as relating to The God's will is not haphazard. The past tense is consistently used for outcomes that we have no control over. This is due to the fact that The God decided those outcomes in the past (perhaps even at the beginning of creation in some examples) and consequently they are predestined. On the other hand, the present tense is used for The God's actions that are happening in the present and may be dependant on which path one chooses. We can also conclude that each person has the freedom to choose the path to take but have no control over what outcome this path will lead to. The God knows all the possible paths, the outcome of the path he/she chooses, and the outcomes of all the other paths that were not chosen. All the future outcomes converge into two major possible outcomes: Heaven or Hell. Thus, when we make choices that matter in our lives, we are in fact only selecting between heaven and hell. For those who chose the path to hell, all the other things that they chose to do will not matter and are wasted (see 25:23). If we were able to see the future, then we would all choose the path that leads to the outcome of heaven. Thus, I believe that the path that we will choose is not predetermined (known in advance) due to our own ignorance of the future. Hence, as foretold in the Quran (7:53), those who take the path leading to the outcome of hell will want to go back and choose a different path (now that they know the future). Only The God is The Creator and we don't create anything. We don't create outcomes or paths (choices). We only get to choose between some paths (choices). The God presently guides whom he wills to the straight path that leads to heaven. The God's guidance is conditional and depends on what choices we make. For example, if one chooses to forget The God, then The God will make him/her forget

him/herself (see 59:19). Also, the Quran contains guidance, but only for those who are forethoughtful of The Creator and try to plan ahead for the day of their account by Him (see 2:2). In summary, what we say reflects our convictions. Therefore, I should say: "if The God willed (in sha'a Allah)" about future outcomes and "what The God willed (ma sha'a Allah)" about past outcomes. However, when it comes to my own future actions/decisions I should say: "Except if The God wills (ila an yasha'a Allah) and perhaps my Lord guides me to what is nearer in rationality". To understand this conclusion, one must know the difference between decisions and outcomes. A simple example might help. Consider this, each of us is moving up on a tree. We have freedom of choice at the nodes to decide which branch to take, but we have no control over the branches. So for example, we can't go back and select a different branch if we don't like what we find on that branch. A decision is simply a node (i.e. a point) on the tree where two or more branches emanate, while an outcome is simply a branch. The God created and sees the tree, the whole forest, and us. I believe that this is a perfectly designed test. Here is what the purpose of the test could be: Did the people assume/suppose that they be left to say "We believed/had faith" and they are not b eing tested? And We had tested those who were before them, so The God will know those who were truthful, and He will know the liars/deniers/falsifiers. [29:2-3] This leads me to the one verse that I have not been able to think of any possible explanation f r until o now. The verse I am talking about is the one where The God is asking Moses about what is in his hand: "And what is that with your hand, Moses?" [20:17] Why is The God, The Knowledgeable, asking Moses such a simple question? Moses' reply and our ne wly found understanding of "Free Choice" provided some insight that finally helped me solve this mystery. He said: "It is my cane, I lean on/support myself on it, and I move/shake with it on my sheep, and I have in it other needs/purposes." [20:18] Note that Moses did not say: "this is my cane, it is made of wood". Moses must have understood very well that The God knows what the cane is and what it is made of. Moses knows that the question is not about the cane but about what he chooses to do with it. The question reveals that Moses and people in general are free to choose which path to take. They can use the resources that The God gave them (the cane) to do good (for example, self support and moving sheep) or to do evil (for example, beating others). This is also evident from verses such as 6:165 and 27:40: And He is who made you the earth's successors/leaders, and He raised some of you above some by degrees, to test you in what He gave you, indeed your Lord is quick in the punishment and He is forgiving, merciful. [6:165] When I started this article, I had no idea where this study was going to lead to. This is very exciting but at the same time a little unnerving. It is a little unnerving because for a very brief moment, I asked myself: what if I found a logical inconsistency? I put my faith in The God and proceeded with the analysis knowing that The Quran gives us the following self-reference criteria: Do they not consider the Quran with care? Had it been from anyone other than The God, it would contain many inconsistencies. [4:82] Indeed, I did not find any inconsistencies in the Quran. The above analysis confirms that even logical expressions and present and past tense forms of "sha'a" that are dispersed throughout the Quran have been used with amazing consistency. Moreover, as we saw above their use is systematically conveying a coherent message. However, I must caution the reader that while I was conducting the analysis, I did find many inconsistencies in the English translations of the Quran such as present tense verbs being translated into the past tense and many other inconsistencies that would have made the logical analysis impossible without access to the original Arabic Quran. Therefore, translations of the Quran (including my own) do not pass the test for self-reference. The Quran can be considered as a powerful knowledge base with its own uniform ontology. To try to understand this knowledge, we need to use a logical analysis approach. It is unfortunate that the clergy

and their hadith books have separated the various sects from the Quran to such an extent that even the most straightforward logical analysis such as the one presented here has been rarely conducted. Instead, the majority has been trying to interpret the consistent God-given truth encapsulated in the Quran with inconsistent man-made lies. The Quran explains everything we need to understand our purpose in life logically and consistently. Although, using the Quran we already came closer to the truth in the area of free will and predestination than any previous attempt, we still have a lot of ground to cover. For example: Is freedom of choice unique to humans? What is the trust mentioned in 33:72? What is the forbidden tree? Those are just some questions that I am putting out so that rational thinking people from diverse disciplines can come together and help improve our understanding of the universe in light of the Quran. I will try to answer some of those questions in the near future, except if The God wills and perhaps my Lord guides me to what is nearer in rationality.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: "This is the book, no doubt, in it guidance for the prudent/forethoughtful." [2:2] Tomorrow, I will try to improve my understanding of the Quran and the universe, except if The God wills and perhaps my Lord guides me to what is nearer in rationality. This article reflects my personal interpretation of the Quranic verses as of November 30th, 2002. Please be humble by following the example set by the angels in 2:32, verify all information within for yourself as commanded in 17:36, and remember that simply "none" is the prudent/forethoughtful answer to 45:6.

The Trust
Introduction In the previous study (see FREE CHOICE), a basic and straightforward logical analysis was conducted on the Quranic verses relating to The GODs will. Various logical propositions and their present and past tense occurrences were examined. The conclusion derived from the analysis is that we each have the freedom to choose the path to take but have no control over what outcome this path will lead to. When scientists study the universe, the more they understand of it, the more questions arise. I found the same to be true for the Quran. I will try here to answer some of the questions that arose out of the previous study, namely: - Is freedom of choice unique to humans? - What is the trust mentioned in 33:72? - What is the forbidden tree? As always, only The GOD knows the absolute true answer to those questions as well as all other questions. We will remember the 100% true interpretation only on judgment day (see 7:53). Thus, I am simply hoping that The GOD guides me to get closer to the straight path.

Is Freedom of Choice Unique to Humans?

After developing a clearer understanding of human freedom of choice from the Quran, this is one of the first questions that came to my mind: is this freedom of choice unique to humans? What can we understand from the Quran in that regards? Verses such as 2:34 indicate that angels have freedom of choice. In this case, to prostrate or not to prostrate: And when We said to the angels: "Prostrate to Adam." So they prostrated except Iblis, he refused and became arrogant, and he was from the rejecters. [2:34] The jinn also have freedom of choice as indicated by verse 72:11: And that we from us (the jinn) are the correct/righteous, and from us are other/lesser than that, we were on fragmented ways. [72:11] So the jinn too can choose their way, either the correct/righteous way or the wrong way. In fact, perhaps everything in the skies and the earth has freedom of choice as implied by the following verse: We displayed/presented the trust on the skies/space and the earth, and the mountains, so they refused that they bear it, and they were cautious/afraid from it, and the human bore it, that he truly was unjust/oppressive, ignorant [33:72] It seems that everything in the skies and the earth, including mountains, could have chosen to accept or refuse the trust so they already had freedom of choice.

What is the Trust? (Part 1) Some people have speculated that the trust (Amana) mentioned in verse 33:72 is free will. As we saw earlier, humans have freedom to choose which path to take, but it seems that other creatures, including the humans, had freedom of choice from before the trust was presented. So clearly this cannot be the trust that the humans accepted. So lets clear our minds from any preconceived ideas about what the trust is and listen to what is said in the Quran. We displayed/presented the trust on the skies/space and the earth, and the mountains, so they refused that they bear it, and they were cautious/afraid from it, and the human bore it, that he truly was unjust/oppressive, ignorant [33:72] This verse raises an interesting issue and resolving it could give us an important first clue about the trust. How can the skies/space, the earth, and even the mountains have freedom of choice to refuse or accept the trust? It seems that what we normally perceive as a lifeless thing, such as the mountains, has a hidden side that we are unaware of. The hidden side of those creatures had access to information that made them cautious/afraid from accepting the trust. Another clue is that trust (amana) is closely related to a concept called ahd or covenant/contract. This is clear from verses such as 23:8 and 70:32. And those whom to their trusts and their covenant they are protecting/observing [23:8] I believe that a covenant is the contract/promise that results, for example, from accepting a trust. What is the covenant that the descendants of Adam have with The GOD? The answer is clearly given in the following verses: Did I not make a covenant to you, Adam's descendants, that you do not serve the devil, he truly is for you a clear/evident enemy, and that you serve Me, that is a straight path? [36:60-61] The contract/covenant that we committed to when we accepted the trust is to not serve the devil and serve The GOD alone. But when did we make this covenant and why do we, in this life, not remember that we committed to this beforehand? Perhaps, we too have a hidden side that we are unaware of, just like we are unaware of the mountains hidden side.

Another concept that ahd and thus amana are closely related to is mythaq or pledge. For example, see 2:27, 13:20, and 13:25: Those who fulfill/complete the covenant to The GOD, and do not break/undo the pledge/binding. [13:20] While the ahd or covenant applies to all people, the mythaq or pledge seems to be a subset that applies to certain people. Also, while we may not remember the covenant, we certainly know about the pledge since we implicitly gave it in this life. For example, here is the mythaq of people who are given the book: And as The GOD took/received the pledge (mythaq) of those who were given The Book, to clarify/show/explain it to the people, and do not hide/conceal it, so they discarded/rejected it behind their backs and bought/exchanged with it a small price, so how bad is what they buy/exchange? [3:187] Once the Quran was given to a certain group, they too became those who were given the book and by accepting the Quran, they accepted the pledge in verse 3:187. In order not to break this pledge, they should try to clarify/show/explain it to the people (such as what I am trying to do right now). Did the people who were given the Quran fulfill their pledge? Or did many of them practically discarded the book of The GOD and exchanged it for something less worthy such as the book of Bukhari? If so, then the majority is breaching the pledge (mythaq), thereby breaking the covenant (ahd) and violating the trust (amana). Indeed, what bad exchange! Another question that arises out of 33:72 and 36:60 -61 is that the covenant resulting from the trust, not serving an enemy and serving The GOD, sounds straightforward and logical, so why did everybody refuse to bear the trust except the human? Does the fact that we are now unaware of the hidden side of things, including our own hidden side, have something to do with it? Was this constraint part of the trust? It seems that the trust is not merely a privilege but may have significant constraints associated with it. The story of Adam can help shed some light on this because Adam too made a covenant with The GOD and he too forgot about it: And We had entrusted/made a covenant to Adam from before so he forgot, and We did not find decisiveness/determination in him. [20:115] The story of Adam is recited in several places in the Quran such as: 2:30-39, 7:10-25, 15:26-40, 17:6165, 18:50, 20:115-124, and 38:69-85. The following is the story as told in Chapter 20: And as We said to the angels: "Prostrate to Adam." So they prostrated except Iblis refused/hated. [20:116] So We said: "Adam, that is an enemy for you and your spouse, so let him not bring you both out from the Paradise, so you will be miserable/unhappy." [20:117] "In it for you, that you do not be hungry, nor exposed" [20:118] "And that you do not be thirsty in it, nor heat stricken " [20:119] So the devil inspired and talked to him, he said: "O Adam, do I guide you to the immortality's/eternity's tree, and possession/kingdom that does not wear out?" [20:120] Perhaps another clue about the trust can be found in the forbidden tree that Iblis fabricated a nice sounding lie about to lure them into eating from.

What is the Forbidden Tree? A better understanding of the effect of the tree would help in understanding its meaning.

Traditionally, it is thought that Adam and spouse became naked or their private parts showed when they ate from the tree and that is why they expressed shame. This interpretation doesnt make logical sense because The Creator knows the creation. In other words, The GOD created them and their private parts and knows what they look like naked. Let us continue with the subsequent verse in Chapter 20: So they ate from it, so their physical bodies (sawa-tahoma) appeared to them, and they started to stick on them from the Paradise's leaves, and Adam disobeyed his Lord, so he was misguided/failed. [20:121] Some people have interpreted (sawa-tahoma) as evil intentions. Obviously, it doesnt make sense that they would try to cover their evil intentions with the paradises leaves. This is again confirmed in Chapter 7: "And you Adam, reside you and your mate/spouse the Paradise, so you eat from it where/when you willed, and do not approach/near this tree, so you will become from the unjust/oppressive." [7:19] So the devil suggested to them to show to them what was hidden/concealed from them of their physical body (sawa-tahoma), and he said: "Your Lord did not prevent you from this tree except that you become two angels or you become from the eternals" [7:20] And he made oath to them: "I am to you from the advisors/counselors." [7:21] So he lured/attracted and lowered them, with deceit/temptation/arrogance so when they tasted/experienced the tree, their physical body (sawa-tahoma) appeared to them, and they started to stick on them from the Paradise's leaves, and their Lord called them: "Did I not forbid/prevent you from that tree, and I said to you that the devil is for you an evident enemy?" [7:22] The Sunni clergy were and continue to be heavily influenced by Paulian (the rogue Nazarene sect that hijacked the name of Christ) and Talmudic traditions and thus they interpreted the Arabic word (sawa) as private parts. However, that interpretation is not consistent with the following verse: So The GOD sent a crow digging in the earth, to show him how to cover his brother's physical body (sawa), he said: "Oh my calamity, have I been unable to be like that crow, so I cover/bury my brother's physical body (sawa)?" So he became from the remorseful. [5:31] Clearly the crow showed the son of Adam how to cover/bury his murdered brothers physical body, not how to cover/bury his private parts or his evil intentions. Therefore, I believe that it is not shame of nakedness but the surprise of seeing their physical selves that prompted them to try to cover themselves. This may confirm that we have a dual nature, sensed/physical and hidden. In this world, the physical side is apparent while the other side is hidden from us. Perhaps in heaven, it was the other way around, until eating from the tree made the physical side apparent to Adam and spouse. In the same way that when Iblis disobeyed the Lords command he became a jinn and lost touch with the "angel" side, when Adam and spouse ate from the tree they lost touch with the "hidden" side. Also, according to verses such as 69:17 and 89:22, the angels will come with our Lord on judgment day. Perhaps that is why the devil tempted Adam and mate using the lie of the tree having the power to turn them into two angels. Maybe Adam and spouse thought that this way they would escape being judged on judgment day.

Why Dont We Remember Accepting the Trust? There are many verses in the Quran indicating that there is a hidden side to the universe that we are part of (see 32:17, 7:27, 69:38-39, 50:22, 21:97, 30:7). They know (what is) apparent/visible from unaware/oblivious [30:7] the low life, and they, about the ending, are

In fact, the hidden side of the universe provides access to information that may enable other creatures to make choices that are in line with The GODs natural system. It seems from verse 8:48 that even the devil, who unlike us, has access to this hidden side doesnt dare to do actions that violate The GODs natural system, he merely suggests/tells others to do so. And when the devil decorated/beautified for them their works/deed s, and he said: "No defeater/conqueror from the people for you today and that I am a savior/rescuer for you." So when the two groups saw each other, he returned/withdrew on his two heels, and he said: "That I am innocent/renouncing/separating from you, I see/understand what you do not see/understand, I fear The GOD, and The GOD (is) strong (severe) in the punishment." [8:48] As we saw earlier, the fact that we cant detect or see the hidden side of the universe may explain why we dont remember accepting the trust. Could this be why we are constantly asked to remember in the Quran and the Quran itself is described as a reminder? It seems that the people who will go to heaven will remember that the provisions provided for them were also provided in their previous existence as indicated in 2:25: And announce good news to those who have faith and did/made the correct/righteous deeds, that to them are treed gardens the rivers flow from beneath it. Whenever they were provided from it a fruit of provision, they said: "This is what we were provided from before." And they were given with it similar, and for them in it are purified mates/pairs and they are in it immortally/eternally. [2:25] Also it seems that on the day where people see the greatest disaster they will remember, as indicated by verses such as 7:53, 79:34-35, and 89:23. So if/when the greatest/biggest calamity/disaster came. That day/time the human/mankind remembers what he strived/endeavored. [79:34-35] And on that day hell was brought. On that day the human/mankind remembers, and from where is for him the remembrance/reminder? [89:23] Why would the bringing of hell remind people? Have we all seen hell before? If so, since hell is not here yet, how could we have seen a future outcome? The following verse may provide an indication: And when your Lord said to the angels: "That I am making/creating/putting in the earth a successor/appointee/leader/replacement (khalifa)." They said: "Do you make/put in it, who corrupts in it and sheds the bloods, and/(while) we praise/glorify with Your praise and we (continue to admit Your) holiness/sanctity to You." He said: "I know what you do not know." [2:30] It seems from the Quran that perhaps some creatures such as the angels are able to see some of the future outcomes. Verses such as 37:8 confirm that those in the highest group/elite (al-malaa al-aala) may have at least some ability to see future outcomes. In verse 2:30, they were able to see that a successor/appointee in the earth would corrupt in it and kill senselessly. In fact, the angels seem to be so confident about the future outcomes of that action that they question The GODs decision.

Who is the Khalifa? The word khalifa comes from the root KhaLaF, which has some of the following connotations that are relevant to verse 2:30: Successor (7:169, 19:59, ...) Appointee/leader (43:60, 24:55, ...) Different (30:22, 16:13, ...) Replacement (7:150, 6:133, 11:57, ...)

The clear answer to who the khalifa really is can be found in verses such as 6:165 and 35:39: And He is who made you the earths successors/appointees/leaders/replacement (khalaif), and He raised some of you above some by degrees, to test you in what He gave you, indeed your Lord is quick in the punishment and He is forgiving, merciful. [6:165] Also verse 7:10, which like 2:30 also comes right before the story of Adam confirms that humankind is the empowered successor/appointee/leader/replacement in the earth: And We had empowered you in the earth, and We made for you in it livelihood/sustenance little (is) , what you thank/be grateful. [7:10] Thus it is humankind (us) who is the earths khalifa. This is a unique feature of humankind that makes us different and may help us in getting closer to what the trust is.

What is the Trust? (Part 2) Before we continue, it is worth noting that the angels are not part of the skies and the earth as indicated by 16:49: And to The GOD prostrates what is in the skies/space and what is in the earth from walker/creeper/crawler, and the angels, and they are not being arrogant. [16:49] a

Consequently, we can deduce that the angels were not among the creatures that were offered the trust in 33:72. On the other hand, The GOD told the angels alone about putting a successor/appointee/leader/replacement (khalifa) on earth. So, was being a test for the angels part of the trust? As we saw, one of the connotations of khalifa is replacement, so perhaps humankind was to replace the angels as leaders of the earth. This may explain the following reaction from the angels: ...They said: "Do you make/put in it, who corrupts in it and sheds the bloods, and/(while) we praise/glorify with Your praise and we (continue to admit Your) holiness/sanctity to You."... [2:30] So now, back to our original question. Perhaps one of the ways to approach the 'trust' is to think about what makes us different from other creatures since we are the only ones who accepted the trust. From the Quran, we can find several features that are unique to humankind: As we saw above, humankind is the earths successor/appointee/leader/replacement (khalifa). Our Lord taught Adam all the names (see 2:31). As we saw earlier, we are currently unaware/ignorant of the hidden side of the universe.

Also, humankind may be part of a test for the angels. Also another feature that maybe unique to the human is that The GODs spirit was blown into the human (see 32:9, 15:29, 38:72). However, so far I couldnt find more evidence to confirm whether this is a unique feature of humankind or not.
Hence the trust may entail all of those features that are unique to humankind. Another important clue about the trust can be found at the end of 33:72: We displayed/presented the trust on the skies/space and the earth, and the mountains, so they refused that they bear it, and they were cautious/afraid from it, and the human bore it, that he truly was unjust/oppressive, ignorant [33:72] Why is the human called unjust/oppressive and ignorant for accepting the trust? Accepting the first two privileges (the khalifa and knowledge of all the names) does not seem like a bad decision. However,

accepting those privileges along with the constraint of not having access to the hidden side that as we saw earlier provides crucial information helping other creatures make choices that are in line with The GODs natural system does seem risky. This is especially an unjust/oppressive and ignorant decision, given that it was known in advance that any khalifa would corrupt in the earth. Also, it is a known fact that The GODs punishment is severe (see verses such as 8:48) and that The GOD will punish the hypocrites and takers of partners as indicated in 33:73 immediately following the verse about the trust. I believe that this is maybe why everybody in the skies and the earth did not want to bear the trust and why the human is called unjust/oppressive and ignorant for accepting it. Now add an angel who became a vengeful jinn that is bent on diverting us from the only path that leads to heaven among a very large number of paths that all lead to hell and the outlook for humankind does seem gloomy indeed. Also, while still in the highest group/elite and perhaps was able to see some future outcomes, this vengeful jinn confidently said that the majority of the humans will follow him (see 7:17). In summary, the trust entails being a successor/appointee/leader/replacement in the earth while knowing the names but being unaware of the hidden side of the universe.

How Can We Fulfill the Trust? Verses 2:27 and 13:25 talk about the people who break the covenant and thereby corrupt in the earth as the angels in verse 2:30 knew the khalifa would: Those who break The GOD's covenant (ahd) from after its binding/pledging, and they cut/sever what The GOD ordered connected, and they corrupt in the earth, those are the losers. [2:27] Since we now know that being a khalifa maybe the major component of the trust, it seems that to fulfill the Trust, we must not corrupt in the earth. In turn, in order not to corrupt in the earth, we must fulfill The GODs cove nant and not cut what The GOD ordered connected as indicated by 2:27. As we saw earlier, this is The GODs covenant that we must not break: Did I not entrust/make a covenant (ahd) to you, Adam's descendants, that you do not serve the devil, he truly is for you a clear/evident enemy, and that you serve Me, that is a straight path? [36:60-61] Our purpose in life is to fulfill this covenant with The GOD: And I did not create the Jinns and the humankind except to serve Me. [51:56] To fulfill the covenant and thus accomplish our purpose in life to serve The GOD alone, everything we do in life should be for The GOD (see 6:162-163): Say: "That my Salat and my methods, and my life, and my death, (is) to the Lord of the universes. No partner to Him, and with that I was ordered/commanded, and I am first (of) the Muslims." [6:162-163] See also 20:14: "I am The GOD; there is no other god but Me. So you shall serve Me, and establish the Salat for My Remembrance." [20:14] So it seems that Salat is closely related to fulfilling our covenant and our purpose in life. So the next question is how does Salat relate to our covenant?

How Do Salat and Zakat Relate to Our Covenant?

Verses 9:1-13 confirm that both Salat and Zakat concepts are related to the covenant con cept. Those who broke their covenant with the faithful are to bring forth Salat and Zakat to be forgiven. Verses 9:11 and 9:12 indicate two opposite paths (courses of action) that the people who fought to kill the faithful after making a covenant with them can take: Path 1: "If they repent, and they uphold the "Salat", and they bring forth the "Zakat", then they are your brothers in the system, and We explain the revelations for a people who know. " [9:11] Path 2: "And if they break their oaths after their covenant, and they distort your system, then you may kill the chiefs of rejection. Their oaths are nothing to them, perhaps they will cease." [9:12] Thus, the opposite of "breaking their oaths after their covenant, and distorting your system" is "upholding the Salat, and bringing forth the Zakat". This means that "Salat" is equivalent to committing to their oaths and covenant and "Zakat" is equivalent to purifying the system from their deliberate distortions. In our case, here are our covenant and pledge with The GOD, which as we saw earlier are connected: Did I not entrust/make a covenant (ahd) to you, Adam's descendants, that you do not serve the devil, he truly is for you a clear/evident enemy, and that you serve Me, that is a straight path? [36:60-61] And as The GOD took/received the pledge (mythaq) of those who were given The Book, to clarify/show/explain it to the people, and do not hide/conceal it, so they discarded/rejected it behind their backs and bought/exchanged with it a small price, so how bad is what they buy/exchange? [3:187] From other verses in the Quran, we can see that Salats purpose is: Remembering The GOD (20:14) by remembering His favor and the pledge (mythaq) that we made with Him (5:7) and "hearing and obeying" Him (i.e. prostration/sujood). Fulfilling our pledge by reciting the book (29:45, 17:78) and explaining it (3:187), including explaining its application to our system of laws and community. Verses 4:101-103 describe the shortening of Salat in case of fear by performing only process number 1 above and ending the Salat with the sujood. Now it is clear that Salat helps us in serving The GOD by connecting our covenant and pledge with their actual fulfillment in our system while Zakat helps us in not serving the devil by purifying our system from his distortions. The Salat puts those who have faith in contrast to the rejecters. The rejecters betray/break their covenant, cut what The GOD ordered connected (see 2:27, 13:25), and disconnect their words from their deeds (see 26:226-227). On the other hand, those who have faith connect their covenant and pledge (words) with the fulfillment of their covenant and pledge (deeds) by upholding the Allegiance/Connection Assembly = Salat (see 13:19-22). Purifying our system from the devils distortions (Zakat) is done by convincing people to reject the devils lies as clear from Chapter 80: How do you know? He may yazaka. [80:3] Thus, everyone who wants to give Purification (Zakat) is required to make an effort to purify others by exposing the devils lies, such as the Hadiths, that distort our system. Those who if We empowered them in the earth they upheld the Allegiance/Connection Assembly (Salat) and brought purification (Zakat) and they ordered/commanded with the kind ness, and they forbade disguised-obscenity, and to The GOD (are) the matters' end (results). [22:41]

Conclusion And Directions For Future Research That it truly is an honorable messenger's utterance [69:40] That it truly is an honorable messenger's utterance [81:19] And We had connected for them the utterance, perhaps they remember [28:51] Interestingly, we are finding that the concepts we covered so far from the Quran such as Free Choice, Trust, Covenant, Pledge, Forbidden Tree, Khalifa, Salat, Zakat, our purpose in life, and serving The GOD are all interconnected as was indicated in 28:51. Here is the verse immediately following verse 33:72 that talks about the trust: For The GOD to punish the (male and female) hypocrites, and the (male and female) sharers/takers of partners (with The GOD), and for The GOD to forgive the (male and female) who have faith, and The GOD was forgiving, merciful. [33:73] Remember the test that we are going through in this low life: Did the people assume/suppose that they be left to say "we had faith" and they are not being tested? And We had tested those who were before them, so The GOD will know those who were truthful, and He will know the liars/deniers/falsifiers. [29:2-3] And The GOD will know those who have faith, and He will know the hypocrites. [29:11] Perhaps the test of this low life is an assessment of whether we will betray or observe the trust. Also, continue to read the story of Adam in chapter 20: Then His Lord chose/purified him, so He forgave him, and guided. [20:122] He said: "You descend/drop from it all together, some of you to some an enemy, so when guidance from Me comes to you, so who followed My guidance, so he does not become misguided nor become miserable/unhappy. [20:123] "And who objected/turned away from My remembrance/reminder, so then for him is a narrow/tight/weak life/livelihood, and We gather him on the Resurrection Day blind/confused" [20:124] What is that guidance 20:123 that we are to follow? This is the book, no doubt, in it guidance for the prudent/forethoughtful. [2:2] The Quran helps us with the our purpose in life by, for example, talking about the outcomes that we are going to face in the afterlife and providing knowledge that help us connect all the information we have together to determine our purpose in life. It is simply a reminder to help us choose the right path that will lead to a desirable outcome in the afterlife and warn us about the other paths and the miserable outcome that they will certainly lead to. As I mentioned in the introduction, when scientists study the universe, the more they understand of it, the more questions arise and I found the same to be true for the Quran. One word that was repeated many times in this article is why. Children have this natural instinct to keep asking why. Unfortunately, many education systems, especially in Sunni and Shia nations, have been an agent for suppressing this inquisitive nature so that by the time the child grows into an adult, they are a tamed blind follower. A more natural education system that attempts to harness this inquisitive nature to promote the revival of scientific discovery and civilization is desperately needed. Meanwhile, please coach your children to continue to ask why. Remember our purpose in life:

And I did not create the Jinns and the humankind except to serve Me. [51:56] Also, And had your Lord willed He would have made the people one nation, and they still/continue differing/disagreeing. [11:118] Except who your Lord had mercy upon and for that He created them, and your Lord's word/expression (is) completed: "I will fill Hell from the Jinns and the people all together." [11:119] By putting 51:56 and 11:118-119 together, we can see that despite all people differences/disagreements, what unites those who our Lord has mercy on is the serving of The GOD alone. So even though we may occasionally disagree on some Quranic interpretations, what is really important is that we agree to serve The GOD alone and not the devil and his lies. Many new questions arose while writing this article, for example: Now that we understand from the Quran that the universe has a sensed/physical side and a hidden side, what more can we find out about that hidden side from the Quran?

How do our findings relate to new scientific theories that try to explain the universe such as string theory, m-theory, and f-theory? All those theories suggest that there are indeed hidden dimensions in the universe. Also, what else can we find out about the straight path?
Did I not entrust/make a covenant to you, Adam's descendants, that you do not serve the devil, he truly is for you a clear/evident enemy, and that you serve Me, that is a straight path? [36:60-61] Those are just some more questions that I am putting out for people to think about and I will try to answer some of them in the near future, except if The GOD wills and perhaps my Lord guides me to what is nearer in rationality.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This is the book, no doubt, in it guidance for the prudent/forethoughtful. [2:2] Tomorrow, I will try to improve my understanding of the Quran and the universe, except if The GOD wills and perhaps my Lord guides me to what is nearer in rationality. This article reflects my personal interpretation of the Quranic verses as of December 31st, 2002. Please be humble by following the example set by the angels in 2:32, verify all information within for yourself as commanded in 17:36, and remember that simply none is the prudent/forethoughtful answer to 45:6.

THE PUNCH! (Twelve Life-Shattering conclusions)

The Beginnings of my doubt

I always was of the habit of studying the Quran everyday. I would at the least read one ayat before going to bed. I was in possession of Four different translations, by Mohammad Marmaduke Pickthall, Yusuf Ali, Hilali and N.J. Dawood. My preparatory examinations were nearing and I had to prepare hard on the days of examination. Nevertheless I used to go to the mosque for all the five daily prayers, once near the college and four times near my home.

Our mosque has the discipline to read a book after the Isha prayer. The book dealt with Islam. It quoted a large number of Hadith over a quite a good range of subjects. Due to the examination pressure, I couldnt study the Quran for a few days. I just used to listen to the book being read for five minutes every day after the Isha prayer. In that I encountered a large number of hadith that somehow created the feeling that attaining Heaven isnt that difficult. For example, if one uses miswak to brush the teeth before beginning wudu, his salat will be rewarded seventy fold, etc. Now, my regular study of the Quran had made me used to the strict and hard slaps that the book of God always managed to give me regarding some aspect or another. It somehow always made me fear God and really make me feel that heaven isnt that easy to attain, rather it is very difficult. So when I came across this easiness in the Hadith, I felt somewhat awkward. I thought, what is the matter, why so much of difference in their spirit? The Quran is so very powerful and full of fire whereas the Hadith are just like pygmies compared to the power of the Quran. Why this difference when the Hadith come to us from The Holy Prophet under the guidance of God Almighty? I had to let this doubt remain for I fell sick for a few days and I couldnt appear the exams. I kept listening to the Hadith narrations, but I deliberately wouldnt read the Quran. I saw clearly that the words of the Quran would keep ringing in my ears. I had read that one had to be very righteous, keep seeking Allahs forgiveness, perform all the obligatory duties and also as many supererogatory offerings, to fear God and God Alone and much much more to be somehow considered by Allah for paradise, but here I see that if you want to reach paradise just do this, or do that. I am not saying that that was the only condition, if you relate many hadith you may get some point, but the very spirit in the narration was very very different from the Quran. I just thought, what could be the cause of this difference. When I recovered my health, I asked Allah in my Tahajjud prayer (I regularly pray the Tahajjud) to let me know the truth.

The Research Begins

I am a scholar type of person, hence I had already studied many things about Islam. Hence by Allahs Grace, I was familiar with most of the technical terms used in this field. So, I went to a cybercafe to begin my research and read all the articles available on the origin, structure and science of Hadith and came across sites that advocate the Quran Alone. I sent one of them a feedback that their effort was appreciable, but I wasnt convinced of their viewpoint. How could I just rid of the massive treasure of Hadith and the Sunna that guided my daily life? It was then that I took a resolve to study the Hadith and the Quran and see their interrelationship. I will not impose my desire or habit on my research, I will keep it 100% objective and whatever truth may come up, I will observe it, I told myself. I prayed to Allah to guide me to the right path.

After an enormous amount of research and burning the midnight oil for the sake of the Truth, I have come up with this article that summarizes my observations and the truth as it appears to me. I dont claim that whatever I have inferred from my research is the truth; they just so appear to me. Only God knows the truth. It is he who guides us.

The purpose with which I have put this article on the net is not to go anti-Hadith or anything like that. With my sincere research I have come to these conclusions. If you can show me a better and a different way to look at this then please contact me (a_truth_seeker@rediffmail.com)

Important points for the reader: - In case you may think that I am putting my own translation of the Quranic verses and bending them to suit my own needs, All translation in this article is from Marmaduke Pickthall, one of the most widely accepted translators. I could have included Yusuf Ali as well, but that would make the text very confusing. - You may also think that I am pulling the verses out of context, hence I have chosen only those verses that have a general implication and also have stated the context wherever applicable. - I have quoted the entire verse in each case so that you may not think that I am pulling certain words out of the verse to prove my point. - I have not given any interpretation of what the verses say, but have only explained them. My explanations can be easily verified by a glance at the translation since I have avoided interpretation of any sort to encourage objectivity in this research work. - The current work is an attempt at constructive criticism rather than prejudiced opinion. This work is not meant to hurt the religious feelings of the reader, but simply rather to state my observations.

A Discovery Of The Quran

Since you are reading this article, you are either a Sunni, or Shia, or belong to some sect of Islam. Nevertheless you accept the following truth:
The Quran is the Book of God.

By accepting this you mean: 1. That God exists. 2. He sends guidance to mankind and that 3. The Quran is the irrefutable and unquestionable word of God Almighty, beyond or above which there exists no treatise in Islam.

If you agree with this then proceed with the article, if not then you may close this article and I apologize for having wasted your time. I have a thousand and one ideas regarding everything from disease to divinity. But what have my ideas got to do with the truth or with you? My ideas can be wrong and can lead anyone astray, because I know that there is a shaitan that inspires evil in me as the rule set by God. Hence I decided not to follow my whims and ideas, but rather the Word of God, the Quran, which is free from any mischief and has been protected by Allah himself. It is the only book that we can assume infallibly correct. So Lets us start with this verse of Chapter 11.

11:1-2. Alif. Lam. Ra. (This is) a Scripture the revelations whereof are perfected and then expounded. (It cometh ) from One Wise, Informed, (Saying) : Serve none but Allah. Lo! I am unto you from Him a warner and a bringer of good tidings.

This verse clearly says that the verses in the Quran are perfect in every way and only then are they conveyed to us. It comes from Allah, who is obviously the Wisest and the most informed about everything.

Therefore it clearly follows that we cannot neglect or cast away any statement of the Quran because it is a perfected word coming from the wisest.

With these initial assumptions: that the Quran is perfect and it contains what is best for us, we proceed further

ALLAH SAYS THAT THE QURAN IS CLEAR #57:17 - Allah claims that he has made the Quranic revelations clear so that we may understand. Know that Allah quickeneth the earth after its death. We have made clear Our revelations for you, that haply ye may understand.
Context:

Verse 57:12 addresses the Holy Prophet Muhammad and continues thereon. Hence the you in the above verse is Prophet Muhammad and the revelations is the Quran. #14:52 - The Quran is very clear in what it wants to convey.

This is a clear message for mankind in order that they may be warned thereby, and that they may know that He is only One God, and that men of understanding may take heed.
Context:

Not needed.

#10:15 - The Quran is clear in its message. And when Our clear revelations are recited unto them they who look not for the meeting with Us say: Bring a Lecture other than this, or change it. Say (O Muhammad): It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I only follow that which is inspired in me. Lo! If I disobey my Lord I fear the retribution of an awful Day.
Context:

Not needed.

(1)THESE VERSES SHOW THAT THE QURAN IS CLEAR AND ISNT UNCLEAR THAT WE MAY NEED SOMEONE TO EXPLAIN US EVERYTHING IN IT.

The Verses of The Quran are Plain and Explained #41:3 - Quran claims that its verses are explained. A scripture whereof the verses are expounded, a Lecture in Arabic for people who have knowledge. #22:16 - Quran is a plain and simple revelation, guidance depends only on Allah. Thus We reveal it as plain revelations, and verily Allah guideth whom He will.

The Context:

41:3, the mention of Arabic says that it refers to the Quran. 22:16, this verse in connected with the verses where Allah advises the disbelievers to hang themselves if they cant see the Holy Prophet victorious, hence alludes to the Quran.

* The word expound means to explain.

(2)THE ABOVE TWO VERSES CLEARLY SAY THAT THE QURAN IS PLAIN AND EXPLAINED.

Quran Is Detailed #12:111 - The Quran is a Detailed Explanation In their history verily there is a lesson for men of understanding. It is no invented story but a confirmation of the existing (Scripture) and a detailed explanation of everything, and a guidance and a mercy for folk who believe.

#16:89 - The Quran has explanation of all things And (bethink you of) the day when We raise in every nation a witness against them of their own folk, and We bring thee (Muhammad) as a witness against these. And We reveal the Scripture unto thee as an exposition of all things, and a guidance and a mercy and good tidings for those who have surrendered (to Allah).

#7:32-33 - Allah says that he has Detailed his revelations. Say: Who hath forbidden the adornment of Allah which He hath brought fo for His rth bondmen, and the good things of His providing? Say: Such, on the Day of Resurrection, will be only for those who believed during the life of the world. Thus do We detail Our revelations for people who have knowledge.

The Context: #12:111, The verse 12:102 refers to our Beloved Prophet, and the verses flow thereon, hence, the it in 12:111 refers to the Quran. #7:32-33, The verses here are addressed to the Children of Adam, it immediately follows the verses which show how Adam was expelled from paradise. The admonitions that precede and follow these verses are to Children of Adam, and hence every human. When Allah says Say, it is a clear commandment to every human. And this commandment is now coming from the Quran, hence, Our revelations, refer to all revelations of God in general and the Quran in particular due to context.

The word exposition in 16:89 means an explanation or interpretation of the meaning of an author or a work, a commentary.

These three verses say a lot, but other conclusions will be distorting the verses, so lets stick to the very superficial implications of these verses, i.e.,

(3)THESE THREE VERSES MAKE CLEAR THE FACT THAT THE QURAN NOT ONLY EXPLAINS EVERYTHING BUT HAS DETAILED EXPLANATIONS OF EVERYTHING.

Nothing is Neglected in the Quran #6:38 - Nothing is Neglected in the Quran! There is not an animal in the earth, nor a flying creature flying on two wings, but they are peoples like unto you. We have neglected nothing in the Book (of Our decrees). Then unto their Lord they will be gathered. The Context: The verse 6:33 occurring before this verse addresses to the Holy Prophet Muhammad, and then continues to address him. The verse 6:38 isnt just addressed to the Prophet, but it is a general proclamation.

(4) WE MAY SAFELY CONCLUDE FROM THE ABOVE VERSE THAT THE QURAN ACTUALLY COVERS EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED TO KNOW.

Combining the above conclusions here we get: - The Quran is clear and isnt unclear that we may need someone to explain us everything in it.

- The Quran is plain and explained. - The Quran not only explains everything but has DETAILED explanations of EVERYTHING. - The Quran actually covers everything that we need to know. When the very word of God claims to be the source of everything, why do we need to resort to Hadith, Imams, Sects and things of the sort? Why do we need things other than the Quran to guide our lives? Here if we say, the Quran does contain everything, but not as far as our daily lives are concerned. It is not so very detailed. By saying this we are refuting our former assumption that the Quran is perfect and also we are challenging all the above verses, where God claims that he indeed has Detailed everything! Again, if we say, The Quran is detailed, but we need to be able to understand what all it details, for this we need extra-Quranic material. By saying this we are refuting the very first and second conclusions that the Quran is clear, plain and explained.

What to do then? Can we follow the Quran alone? Take a look at these verses:

ALLAH SAYS QURAN IS ENOUGH #29:51 - The Quran alone is enough Is it not enough for them that We have sent down unto thee the Scripture which is read unto them? Lo! herein verily is mercy, and a reminder for folk who believe..

#45:6 - Allah asks us to believe ONLY in HIM and His Message, the Quran, which is a portent of Allah. These are the portents of Allah which We recite unto thee (Muhammad) with truth. Then in what fact, after Allah and His portents, will they believe?

The context: #29:51, Verse 29:48 before this verse addresses Prophet Muhammad, hence, the Scripture obviously refers to the Quran. The them refers to the unbelievers who dont believe in the Prophethood of Muhammad. They wanted a portent (means an indication or marvel) from God. Then Allah asks whether the Quran is not enough! He clearly indicates that the Quran is a portent, or indication or marvel from God. This portent is again used in #45:6.

Notice how Allah states, in what fact, clearly ruling out any chance of any other object of belief.

(5) THE ABOVE VERSES CLEARLY SHOW THAT GOD WANTS US TO BELIEVE IN HIM AND HIS GUIDANCE (HIS PORTENT), THE QURAN.

Our obvious reaction will be, How can I renounce everything that I have been brought up with, all that I have been taught? In answer to this question, Allah gives us an example from history:

TRADITION IS NOTHING BEFORE THE QURAN

#2:170 - Instead of following the fathers, or the tradition, we should follow what Allah has revealed, The Quran. And when it is said unto them: Follow that which Allah hath revealed, they say: We follow that wherein we found our fathers. What! Even though their fathers were wholly unintelligent and had no guidance?

#39:23 - The Quran is the 'fairest of statements', then how can you claim it is incomplete and needs something else? Allah hath (now) revealed the fairest of statements, a Scripture consistent, (wherein promises of reward are) paired (with threats of punishment), whereat doth creep the flesh of those who fear their Lord, so that their flesh and their hearts soften to Allah's reminder. Such is Allah's guidance, where with He guideth whom He will. And him whom Allah sendeth astray, for him there is no guide.

The Context: #2:170, This verse is addressed to the unbelievers. #39:23, The verse 39:19 addresses the Holy Prophet Muhammad, and the verses continue unbroken in theme, hence, a Scripture consistent refers to the Quran.

Here the unbelievers are not ready to accept what is revealed (The Quran) because it goes against their previous practices. How different are we from them, when we too shrink from following and accepting what God has revealed (The Quran) just because it challenges all that we have? Should we doubt the Qurans ability when God himself tells us that the Quran is the fairest of Statements?

(6) THE QURAN IS THE FAIREST OF STATEMENTS.

Combining all the above six conclusions, we are left with no choice but to seek the Quran alone. But we may ask, Does the Quran ask us to guide our lives and society by following it alone? In answer, take a look at the following verses:

JUDGEMENT SHOULD BE TAKEN FROM THE QURAN #5:44 - Any judgement taken without the aid of the Quran is severely wrong. Lo! We did reveal the Torah, wherein is guidance and a light, by which the Prophets who surrendered (unto Allah) judged the Jews, and the rabbis and the priests (judged) by such of Allah's Scripture as they were bidden to observe, and thereunto were they witnesses. So fear not mankind, but fear Me. And barter not My revelations for a little gain. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are disbelievers.

#5:47-49 - Following or deciding on the basis of anything other then the Quran is not allowed. 5:47. Let the People of the Gospel judge by that which Allah hath revealed therein. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed; such are evil livers. 5:48. And unto thee have We revealed the Scripture with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watcher over it. So judge between them by that which Allah hath revealed, and follow not their desires away from the truth which hath come unto thee. For each We have appointed a divine law and a traced out way. Had Allah willed He could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He hath given you (He hath made you as ye are). So vie one with another in good works. Unto Allah ye will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye differ. 5:49. So judge between them by that which Allah hath revealed, and follow not their desires, but beware of them lest they seduce thee from some part of that which Allah hath revealed unto thee. And if they turn away, then know that Allah's will is to smite them for some sin of theirs. Lo! many of mankind are evil livers.

The Context: #5:44, The verse begins by alluding to the Jews, but the statement barter not My revelations generalizes the following statement to all of Gods revelations, including the Quran. The incident is that the Jews approach the Holy Prophet Muhammad to judge a dispute. Since the verses are in continuation without change of theme, they all allude to the same incident.

As we can see clearly, Allah commands the Holy Prophet that if one doesnt judge by that which Allah has revealed, he is indeed wrong in doing so. This has been repeated in all the three verses! And both the verses, 48,49, warn the Holy Prophet from swaying away from what has been revealed to him, i.e., the Quran. It also warns that those who turn away are evil livers. We can see the strictness with which the Quran admonishes us to stick to it for every sort of guidance and judgement.

But then we may ask, The above judgement was for a legal purpose, what about our daily lives? How can we decide what is lawful and what not? Answering this question there is a verse, which I am going to quote soon. But before that, one more thing: we believe many things as unlawful even if it is not declared so in the Quran, with the justification that it is not detailed. Even if that justification has been ruled out right at the beginning of this article, here Allah, clearly points it out.

#42:21 - All lawful and unlawful is decided by Allah, and Quran is the Word of Allah. Or have they partners (of Allah) who have made lawful for them in religion that which Allah allowed not? And but for a decisive word (gone forth already), it would have been judged between them. Lo! for wrong doers is a painful doom.

Context: This verse refers to those people who had the scriptures before it came to the lineage of Prophet Ismail, to the Prophet Muhammad.

Allah clearly states that he doesnt like people who impose laws of their own, which He has not revealed. This may look to you a far-fetched interpretation, but wait and just take a look at the example of taking guidance regarding lawful things that Allah has put before us in the Holy Quran.

#6:145 Example of Quran as guide, this verse asks us to keep checking our lives and actions with the Quran alone. Say: I find not in that which is revealed unto me aught prohibited to an eater that he eat thereof, except it be carrion, or blood poured forth, or swine flesh for that verily is foul or the abomination which was immolated to the name of other than Allah. But whoso is compelled (thereto), neither craving nor transgressing, (for him) lo ! Your Lord is Forgiving, Merciful. Context: In the verses that precede and follow this one, Allah is giving guidance regarding many things.

Instead of just directly stating which food is lawful and which not, He as put it as if one has been questioned to eat something and refers to the book of God and tells, I find not in that which is revealed unto me

Still in doubt whether the Quran can guide us in this matter? Then have a look at this:

Allah says that the Quran is the source of sharia

#10:37 - The Quran is the Only source of Divine law decreed for Mankind. Allah confirms it Doubly himself! And this Quran is not such as could ever be invented in despite of Allah; but it is a confirmation of that which was before it and an exposition of that which is decreed for mankind. Therein is no doubt from the Lord of the Worlds.

Context: It is very clear that it alludes to the Quran. The word decree means an edict, law or ordinance made by superior authority.

Look at the words used, an explanation of that which is decreed for mankind. This verse really puts a full stop to all argument that the Quran is not a decree for mankind. Further more, God says there is no doubt in this fact!

(7) THE QURAN IS THE ONLY SOURCE OF DIVINE LAW

Combining the above conclusions here, we get: - The Quran is clear and isnt unclear that we may need someone to explain us everything in it. - The Quran is plain and explained. - The Quran not only explains everything but has DETAILED explanations of EVERYTHING. - The Quran actually covers everything that we need to know. - God wants us to believe in Him and His Guidance (His portent), The Quran. - The Quran is the fairest of statements. - The Quran is the only source of Divine Law. With this huge and life shattering bunch of conclusions, what are we left with? What about the sayings and actions of the Prophet? What about the rich literature of Hadith that we have to guide us? Wont we go astray if we drop them and follow only the Quran?

Let us consider the extra Quranic literature: Hadith

A brief history of Hadith: To understand the background to the development of Hadith literature one must sift through the history of Islam from about 250 years after the time of our Prophet during the first century of the Prophet's era no hadiths were written down Stories circulated by word of mouth but they were never written down because the view was well known that the Prophet and the companions did not want anything of the kind to be done, and so there was a very strong feeling against the writing of any sort of 'Hadith' literature. The so-called 'Science of isnad' -- touchstone of a hadith's authenticity -- has tremendous flaws in it. How, then, can we go on giving credence to something that was not written down and yet which, some 250 years after the fact, Bukhari supposedly managed to trace back to its source (i.e. the Prophet) by establishing all the links in a chain which cannot possibly have been genuinely reconstructed! How he (Bukhari) managed to do this without written records, bridging a gap of about eight generations, and simultaneously establishing not only biographical data but also a compelling analysis of the mental faculties of his subjects defies belief! One can quote several hundred hadiths that not only contradict the Quran but also clearly do damage to the Prophet's good name.

Excrepted From: A Study of the Quran Mohammed Abdul Malik. of 69 Prince of Wales Road, Sutton, Surrey, U.K. ISBN: 0 9530907 2 8 Email: MAmalek1@aol.com

It is a commonly known fact that the authenticity of Hadith is never one hundred percent reliable because there is neither and guardian over it, nor any proof of its own authenticity. Compare this with the Quran, where God himself promises to protect it,

#15:9. Lo! We, even We, reveal the Reminder, and lo! We verily are it's Guardian.

If you check the verse 15:1, you will easily come to know that this verse alludes to the Quran.

The only reason with which the patrons of Hadith proclaim their message is that they assume that the Hadith are right, at least the Sahih ones. The very science of Isnad, which has been used to verify and collect the Hadith, deals with the verification of the chain of narrators through whom the Hadith is supposed to have passed, which if found reliable or trustworthy, the Hadith related by them are considered reliable and is classified according to the nature of the chain. By the verification of this chain, in whatever way, one can never ever be one hundred percent sure of the transmission. One can only suppose that the narrators have been truthful, one can only suppose that the saying originated from the prophet, one can only suppose that he has the truth. There has been and can be no 100% guarantee to ensure us the authenticity. The proof of this fact can be found in the very religious doctrine of Islam as proclaimed in the Quran:

#4:118-120: Satan promises only to mislead: Whom Allah cursed, and he said: Surely I will take of Thy bondmen an appointed portion, and surely I will lead them astray, and surely I will arouse desires in them, and surely I will command them and they will cut the cattle's ears, and surely I will command them and they will change Allah's creation. Whoso chooseth Satan for a patron instead of Allah is verily a loser and his loss is manifest. He promiseth them and stirreth up desires in them, and Satan promiseth them only to beguile.

Context:

Verse 4:117 refers directly to Satan and continues to address him. The verse had a mixture of general statements as well as particular ones. The mischief and work of Satan is general and he does so to every human.

Anybody with common sense and especially a Muslim, knows the fact that the devil instigates all humans. The people who have been in the chain of narration are also human. So, even if we verify the authenticity, we can never make it 100% sure that it is free of any falsity. I dont say that the deviation has been deliberate or purposely done saying that is again a conjecture. But we can safely be sure that it is not 100% reliable. Hence, we believe in the Hadith because we suppose them to be correct, but are not Sure that they are correct. This is a conjecture upon which we base our belief in the Hadith.

Now look at what God says regarding conjecture in the Quran:

ALLAH TELLS US THAT MAJORITY FOLLOW CONJECTURE AND HENCE ARE MISLED:

#6:116 - Beware of the crowd. Beware of those who follow an 'opinion' and 'guess'. If thou obeyedst most of those on earth they would mislead thee far from Allah's way. They follow naught but an opinion, and they do but guess. #51:7-11 By the heaven full of paths, Lo! ye, forsooth, are of various opinion (concerning the truth). He is made to turn away from it who is (himself) averse. Accursed be the conjecturers. Who are careless in an abyss!

Context: #6:116, The discourse containing this verse is addressed to The Holy Prophet Muhammad, and the most on earth refers to the disbelievers. #51:7-11, These verses are contained in a discourse that confirms that the Judgement Day will surely come.

The most on earth refers to the disbelievers of that time. This verse has a general significance as well. When Prophet Muhammad started preaching the precepts of Islam and

called people to believe in the book revealed to him, majority turned away because they carried an opinion regarding everything. They only thought that their beliefs are true, there wasnt any concrete evidence that backed their beliefs. Hence Allah says that they go by conjecture. The Quran is backed by evidence of its divine origin. Dont you think that believing the Hadith to be an inseparable part of Islam is based on conjecture? The second verse talks of the coming of the day of judgement. Allah always keeps citing examples and such in the Quran to present the proof that it is the book of God. The conjecturers refers to those people who base their belief only on conjecture and refute anything of strong evidence that comes before them (The Quran) sticking to their conjecture. Such people sacrifice truth for mere conjecture!

If you think that I had to interpret these verses to explain them, then have a look at this one:

THE DANGERS OF GUESSING

#10:36 Conjecture is of no avail before Truth Most of them follow naught but conjecture. Assuredly conjecture can by no means take the place of truth. Lo! Allah is Aware of what they do.
Context:

Not needed.

The underlined statement is a general proclamation against conjecture. It is not dependent on the context, hence I havent cited the context.

I dont think that after the above verse, I further need to argue that our basis of belief on the Hadith is false.

(8) CONJECTURE (THE METHOD OF BELIEF IN HADITH) IS OF NO AVAIL BEFORE TRUTH (QURAN)

Nothing has a warrant to guide other than the Quran All Hadith are invalid because no 'warrant hath been revealed' for it. 7:33. Say: My Lord forbiddeth only indecencies, such of them as are apparent and such as are within, and sin and wrongful oppression, and that ye associate with Allah that for which no warrant hath been revealed, and that ye tell concerning Allah that which ye know not. Context: Verse 7:31 is addressed to Children of Adam (all men) and the discourse continues addressing all humans. The above verse is a statement that Allah asks humans to say to people who bring forth something that goes contrary to what they have been revealed with, The Quran. So, saying such and such Allah commands us to do(associating with Allah), without a warrant being revealed, is wrong. The only warrant revealed is the Quran. If the Quran would have warranted any other source, do you think the Holy Prophet and the Honoured Khalifas would have let 200 years pass before the compilation of Hadith begins?

If you warrant anything else, you earn the curse of Allah

#2:159 - The Quran clearly accurses those Hadith writers who give out guidance that contradicts with the Quran Those who hide the proofs and the guidance which We revealed, after We had made it clear in the Scripture: such are accursed of Allah and accursed of those who have the power to curse.

For the above verse context is not needed because it is a clearly general warning for any group that deliberately hides the guidance that has been revealed. The Quran is a revealed guidance. It again says that the guidance has been made clear in the scripture.

(9) NO WARRANT HAS BEEN REVEALED TO SUPPORT THE HADITH.

Now the question rings in our mind that whether we can leave the Hadith and yet remain in the straight path towards God? Is it possible? Let see:

THE QURAN GIVES THE STRAIGHTEST PATH

#17:9 - The Quran guides us to the straightest path, any other will be less straight and more crooked. Lo! this Quran guideth unto that which is straightest, and giveth tidings unto the believers who do good works that theirs will be a great reward.

(10) THE QURAN GUIDES US UNTO THE STRAIGHTEST PATH.

With these 10 conclusions in mind let us move ahead

The Sunnah: A majority of the Muslims think that obeying the sunnah is obeying Allah, because the Sunnah, i.e., the sayings and actions of the Holy Prophet, are all divinely inspired. They think that every activity of the Holy Prophet is the only way an activity should be done.

Such a viewpoint of accepting every action of the Prophet contradicts and transgresses the limitations given by the Quran.
God asks Muhammad to proclaim that He is a Mortal Like You

41:6. Say (unto them O Muhammad): I am only a mortal like you. It is inspired in me that your God is One God, therefore take the straight path unto Him and seek forgiveness of Him. And woe unto the idolaters

Take a careful look at the words Mortal Like You, God didnt use the phrase mortal but mortal like you. It means that the Messenger is a man just like us, liable to mistakes and all that, but he, by the Mercy of Allah, is inspired with the Scripture. Take a careful look at the phrase straight path. Compare this to the verse before the 10th conclusion, i.e., The Quran guides us in the Straightest Path! Here the Holy Prophet is asking us directly to follow the Quran alone!

The Holy Prophet Frowned (Surah Abasa) 80:1-10. He frowned and turned away because the blind man came unto him. What could inform thee but that he might grow (in grace) or take heed and so the reminder might avail

him? As for him who thinketh himself independent, unto him thou payest regard. Yet it is not thy concern if he grow not (in grace). But as for him who cometh unto thee with earnest purpose and hath fear, From him thou art distracted. Context: This is from a very famous surah. It refers to the incident, when the Holy Prophet was talking with a rich man, a blind man came seeking instruction in Islam. The Holy Prophet turned away and ignored the blind man.

69:43-47. It is a revelation from the Lord of the Worlds. And if he had invented false sayings concerning us, we assuredly had taken him by the right hand and then severed his life artery, and not one of you could have held us off from him. Context: This verse addresses the unbelievers who were saying that the Quran was from a poet etc The Quran says that it is coming from a messenger, Muhammad. Verse 69:40 clearly states the Quran, and hence the it in this verse alludes to the Quran and the him alludes to the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

17:74-75. And if We had not made thee wholly firm thou mightest almost have inclined unto them a little. Then had We made thee taste a double (punishment) of living and a double (punishment) of dying, then hadst thou found no helper against Us. Context: The unbelievers had tried to beguile the Holy Prophet away from the Quran. In answer to his inner struggle, this verse clears his difficulty.

10:15.Say (O Muhammad): It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I only follow that which is inspired in me. Lo! If I disobey my Lord I fear the retribution of an awful Day.

Not once, not twice, here, I have cited four verses, there are many more in the Quran, each warning the Prophet from straying. Each admonishes him and threatens him. Now please tell me if every action of the Holy Prophet was divinely inspired, then why does he need to fear the retribution of an awful Day? If each action of his is divinely inspired then he is not answerable for his actions on the Judgment Day. This violates the above verses, and clearly says that he is not a man like us!

In fact God asks him to state that he knows nothing about what will happen to him!

46:9. Say: I am no new thing among the messengers (of Allah), nor know I what will be done with me or with you. I do but follow that which is inspired in me, and I am but a plain warner.

Notice carefully I only follow that which is inspired in me in 10:15 and again in 46:9 above. Here again the Holy Prophet is commanded to say to follow the Holy Quran, because that was the only thing inspired in him.

If we arent to follow every action of the Messenger, then what does the Obey Allah and Obey the Messenger occurring in the Quran mean? To clarify this let us take a look at the following verses:

#29:18 - Purpose of Sending Messengers 29:18. But if ye deny, then nations have denied before you. The messenger is only to convey (the Message) plainly.

Look at the duty of the Messenger: to convey the Message Plainly. Why plainly? Because it must be as Allah has revealed, without alteration, interpretation or explanation, plainly as Allah has revealed.

#16:35 - Messengers are charged ONLY to convey the message. And the idolaters say: Had Allah willed, we had not worshipped aught beside Him, we and our fathers, nor had we forbidden aught without (command from) Him. Even so did those before them. Are the messengers charged with aught save plain conveyance (of the message)?

Notice again the plain conveyance of the Message!

#36:16-17 - Messengers only convey the Message.

They answered: Our lord knoweth that we are indeed sent unto you, and our duty is but plain conveyance (of the message).

The above verses show the duties of all Messengers in general. What if Prophet Muhammad was sent not just to plainly convey, but also to exemplify? Take a look at these:

#16:82 - Prophet Muhammad was sent only to convey the Quran

Then, if they turn away, thy duty (O Muhammad) is but plain conveyance (of the message).

Notice again the plain conveyance?

#11:12 - Allah says that the Messenger is only a Warner, nothing else. Leaving Anything of the Quran is dangerous. A likely thing, that thou wouldst forsake aught of that which hath been revealed unto thee, and that thy breast should be straitened for it, because they say: Why hath not a treasure been sent down for him, or an angel come with him? Thou art but a warner, and Allah is in charge of all things. --Simplified English: It is a likely thing that you would forsake anything of that which has been revealed to you, and that your breast should be narrowed for it... Context: Before the above verse, in 11:7, the book addresses Prophet Muhammad. The discourse doesnt change in theme, hence, thou art but a warner, obviously addresses Prophet Muhammad.

#45:18 - Allah protects Prophet Muhammad by asking him to follow the Quran alone, which is a Clear road. And now have We set thee (O Muhammad) on a clear road of (Our) commandment; so follow it, and follow not the whims of those who know not.

One may say, Okey, we accept that Prophet Muhammad came to convey the Message, but where is it stated that he came to convey only the message and nothing else? Well, digest this!

#24:54 - Obeying the Quran (the Message) is Obeying the Messenger, here sunnah is ruled out completely. Say: Obey Allah and obey the messenger. But if ye turn away, then (it is) for him (to do) only that wherewith he hath been charged, and for you (to do) only that wherewith ye have been charged. If ye obey him, ye will go aright. But, the messenger hath no other charge than to convey (the message), plainly.

Context: Since the verse begins with say it clearly addresses to the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

Notice again the plainly, do you think this can be a coincidence?

I dont think the above verse needs any explanation! But some may say, But the Prophet asked us to follow him through his Sunnah! Well the Quran answers this as well! #3:79 - Prophet Muhammad said to study and teach the Quran and the Quran Alone. It is not (possible) for any human being unto whom Allah had given the Scripture and wisdom and the Prophethood that he should afterwards have said unto mankind: Be slaves of me instead of Allah; but (what he said was): Be ye faithful servants of the Lord by virtue of your constant teaching of the Scripture and of your constant study thereof.

These verses are so eloquent, that they dont leave any space for explanation! According to the above verse, the only way we can be faithful servants of the Lord is by studying the Quran and teaching it. This is what the Messengers say to their followers. If you somehow prove that Prophet Muhammad said otherwise, then you are actually denying the truth of this verse!

(11) OBEYING THE MESSAGE (THE QURAN) IS OBEYING THE MESSENGER, SINCE THE MESSENGER HAS NO DUTY EXCEPT TO CONVEY THE MESSAGE.

But still you may think, Is still the Quran enough? As a final answer to your almost fading doubt, I can quote these few verses:

#17:89 - If Quran covers everything then why do we need any other support? And verity We have displayed for mankind in this Quran all kinds or similitudes, but most of mankind refuse aught save disbelief.

*similitude means comparision, resemblence, likeness, counterpart

#18:54.And verily We have displayed for mankind in this Quran all manner of similitudes, but man is more than anything contentious.

39:27. And verily We have coined for mankind in this Quran all kinds of similitudes, that haply they may reflect;

Look at the word 'coined' it means invented/fabricated.

39:28. A Lecture in Arabic, containing no crookedness, that haply they may ward off (evil).

Here again the Quran says that it contains no crookedness. And crooked means not straight or bent.

(12) SINCE THE QURAN CONTAINS ALL KINDS OF SIMILITUDE AND IS FREE FROM ANY CROOKEDNESS, WHICH ONLY A DIVINELY

REVEALED SCRIPTURE CAN GUARANTEE, WE CAN ONLY FOLLOW THE QURAN ALONE.

Combining all the above conclusions here, we get: - The Quran is clear and isnt unclear that we may need someone to explain us everything in it. - The Quran is plain and explained. - The Quran not only explains everything but has DETAILED explanations of EVERYTHING. - The Quran actually covers everything that we need to know. - God wants us to believe in Him and His Guidance (His portent), The Quran. - The Quran is the fairest of statements. - The Quran is the only source of Divine Law. - Conjecture (the method of belief in Hadith) is of no avail before Truth (Quran) - No warrant has been revealed to support the Hadith. - The Quran guides us unto the straightest path. - Obeying the Message (The Quran) is obeying the Messenger, since the Messenger has no duty Except to convey the Message. - The Quran contains all kinds of similitude and is free from any crookedness

With all these twelve life-shattering conclusions we can have only one conclusion, and that is:

Follow the Quran Alone to stay away from Hell.

As an addendum, I would like to quote these two verses that allude to the present state of the Muslim community. I was very surprised to find such an exact description of the present situation in the Quran.

39:29. Allah coineth a similitude: A man in relation to whom are several part owners, quarrelling, and a man belonging wholly to one man. Are the two equal in similitude? Praise be to Allah! But most of them know not.

(Note: This is an interpretation by the author and NOT directly explained by the above verse.)

The ' man in relation to whom are several part owners' is the present day Muslim, who is partly owned by The Holy Prophet against his wishes, and also by the numerous scholars, imams and schools of thought in which he believes. As you can see, they are continuously 'quarrelling' as mentioned in the verse. The man belonging wholly to one man refers to pure monotheism, Allah is NOT referred by man here, remember it is a similitude to explain the concept of monotheism.

#31:20. This verse tells us the condition of today's Muslims who are disputing concerning Allah, because they dont take the aid of the Scripture, the Quran. "See ye not how Allah hath made serviceable unto you whatsoever is in the skies and whatsoever is in the earth and hath loaded you with His favours both without and within? Yet of mankind is he who disputeth concerning Allah, without knowledge or guidance or a Scripture giving light."

(Note: This is an interpretation by the author and NOT directly explained by the above verse.)

The various sects of Islam are disputing only because they arent using the Scripture giving light. Someone follows Imam Abu Hanifa, someone, Imam Shafi, someone calls himself sunni, someone shia. All these dispute because each sect holds on to its own set of Hadith or extra-Quranic literature. If all Muslims would hold on to the Quran Alone then they would be guided to the straightest path.

A FINAL WORD: It has been a great experience writing this article. Allah would somehow bring to my notice verses from the Quran just from nowhere. As I would be writing the article, somehow it would arrange itself in so logically coherent a manner that is not a characteristic of my usual works. I thank the Almighty, I thank Allah, for having helped me complete this research and

produce an article that may help others. I sincerely pray to Allah that he may keep me guided and keep showing the right path to me. For without his benevolence and mercy, Mankind is doomed, forget about me!

What's in the name

Introduction There are two types of names, common names and proper names. An example of a common name is "human" which is the common name of the leading race inhabiting this planet. Examples of proper names are first and last names that people go by such as John Smith. Common names attempt to describe the nature of things. In Arabic, the common name is usually based on a predominant property that the object being described possesses. Hence, the common name "ta'ir" (a flying creature) comes from the root "TYR" (to fly). Proper names, on the other hand, are given based on other factors and they do not necessarily reflect the nature of what is being named. Hence, no matter what some people think of him, George "Bush" is not a garden plant. In the quran both common names and proper names are used. While in English proper names are differentiated from common names using capital letters, in Arabic there is no such mechanism. The Arabic word that denotes "proper name" is "ism" (plural "asma'a"). It seems that the ability to give things proper names has gotten humankind into trouble. An example of proper names that have gotten people into trouble is given in chapter 53: 53:19. Have you considered Allaat and Al-'Uzzah? 53:20. And Manaat, the third one? The names Allaat, Al-'Uzzah, and Manaat are all proper names as clear from 53:23: 53:23. These are but names ("asma'a") that you named, you and your forefathers. The God never authorized such. They follow conjecture and what the selves fantasize, while the guidance has come to them from their Lord. Those are proper names that people have given to those given control/("mala'ika") as clear from verses 53:27-28, a few verses down from the above verses: 53:27. Those who don't have faith in the ending have named those given control/("mala'ika") feminine names. 53:28. They had no knowledge about this; they only conjectured. Conjecture is no substitute for the truth. Verse 53:23 indicates that although we are required to have faith in them as per verses 2:285 and 4:136, naming those given control ("mala'ika") a proper name not authorized by The God is following conjecture and personal fantasies instead of the guidance that has come from our Lord.

Once people gave them proper names not authorized by The God, they believed in a figment of their own fantasy and not the real those given control ("mala'ika") that we should all have faith in. Fantasies reflect a human being desire for things to be easy for him or her both in this world and in the hereafter. Hence, the people who fantasized proper names not authorized by The God naturally went on to fantasize an intercessional role for those given control ("mala'ika") in the hereafter. 53:24. Or shall the human being have what he desires? 53:25. To The God belongs the ending and the beginning. 53:26. And there are many of those given control in the heavens, whose intercession does not add anything, except after The God gives permission for whom He wills and is pleased with him. By including the hereafter in their fantasy, the hereafter that they believed in became another figment of their own fantasy and not the real hereafter that we should all have faith in. Hence, verse 53:27 links giving those given control proper names and not having faith in the (real) hereafter. Verses 53:19-30 provide among other things a psychoanalysis of the people who do not have faith in the hereafter. I can only humbly and inelegantly (compared to the verses of the book) summarize it as follows: 1. The guidance has come to such people from their Lord. 2. They desire an easy low life and an easy hereafter. 3. What they desire is different from the truth in the guidance. 4. They follow conjecture and personal fantasies instead of that guidance. 5. They fantasize and give concepts proper names not authorized by The God through the guidance. 6. What they believe in becomes the unreal fantasy that they imagined and not the reality. Hence, in reality they don't have faith. 7. Finally, people inevitably end up serving the unrealities that they fantasized instead of The God as clear from verses such as 12:40. 12:40. "What you serve besides The God is nothing but names that you have named you and your fathers, The God did not send down any authority for such. The judgment is for none but The God. He ordered that none be served but He. That is the true obligation, but most of humankind do not know." One of the lessons that we should learn from the example given in verses 53:19-30 is that we shouldn't give concepts proper names not authorized by The God. So now let's link what we learned to other concepts that people have given a proper name to without authority from The God and see if we get the same result. The reading/("al-quran") Since we are basing our analysis on its verses, then it is appropriate to start by asking oneself whether the proper name "Quran" is authorized by The God or not. In other words, should the word that people use to describe it be "quran/reading" or "Quran"?

First, let's see if the word "quran" is used as a proper name or a common description. One of the ways to do this is to check if there is any occurrence of the word quran in the common form. As we start our analysis, we readily see that the common description "a quran" is used many times throughout the quran. For example the following verses make it clear that "quran" simply means "reading" and is not a proper name: 15:1. A.L.R., these are the signs of the book, and a clear reading/quran. 17:106. And a reading/quran that We have separated, so that you may explain it for the people over time; and We have brought it down gradually. 36:69. We did not teach him poetry, nor does he need it. This is a reminder and a profound reading/quran. 72:1. Say: "It has been inspired to me that a group of Jinn were listening." They said: "We have heard a magnificent reading/quran!" 85:21. No, it is a glorious reading/quran. 10:15. And when Our clear revelations are recited to them, those who do not wish to meet Us said: "Bring a reading/quran other than this, or change it!" Say: "It is not for me to change it from my own accord, I merely follow what is inspired to me. I fear if I disobey my Lord the retribution of a great day!" In verse 10:15, please note that the messenger didn't object to the rejecters using the common description and only objected to making any changes to the reading/quran on his own. Similarly, there are many verses that use the common description to denote that what The God sent down is an Arabic reading: 12:2. We have sent it down an Arabic reading/quran, perhaps you will be logical. 20:113. And it was such that We sent it down as an Arabic reading/quran, and We cited in it many warnings, perhaps they will become forethoughtful or it will cause for them a remembrance. 39:28. A reading/quran in Arabic, without any crookedness, that they may be forethoughtful. 41:1-3. H. M. A revelation from the Almighty, Most Merciful. A book whose signs are detailed, a reading/quran in Arabic for people who know. 41:44. And had We made it a non-Arabic reading/quran, they would have said: "If only its verses were made detailed!" Non-Arabic or Arabic, say: "For those who believe, it is a guide and healing. As for those who disbelieve, there is a deafness in their ears, and they are blind to it. These will be called from a place far away" 42:7. And thus We have inspired to you an Arabic reading/quran, so that you may warn the capital town and all around it, and to warn about the day of summoning that is inevitable. A group will be in the garden, and a group in hell.

43:3. We have made it into an Arabic reading/quran, perhaps you may understand. There are some verses that use the word "quran" to describe other readings, which is yet another indication that it must be a common description as opposed to a proper name: 13:31. And if a reading/quran were to be used to move mountains, or to cut away the land, or the dead were spoken to with it. No, to The God is all matters. Did not those who believe know that had The God willed He would have guided all the people? As for those who reject, they continue to be stricken with disaster or it comes near to their houses, until The Gods promise comes true. The God does not break His appointment. 17:88. Say: "If all the humans and the "jinn" were to gather to bring a reading/quran like this, they could not come with its like, even if they were helping one another." In the above verses, the word "quran" is used to describe hypothetical readings other than the ultimate reading/quran we know. Hence, we see that "quran" is used as a common description and not a proper name. There are also many instances where the reading/quran is pointed to by saying "this" ("hatha" in Arabic). The use of "this" to specify the reading/quran further confirms that reading/quran is not a proper name but is a common description. For example: 10:37. This reading/quran could not have been produced without The God, but it is to authenticate what is already present, and detailing of the book in which there is no doubt, from the Lord of the worlds. 12:3. We relate to you the best stories through what We have inspired to you in this reading/quran; and before it you were of those who were unaware. 17:9. This reading/quran guides to that which is more upright, and it gives glad tidings to the believers who do good work that they will have a bountiful reward. 17:89. And We have cited to mankind in this reading/quran of every example, but most of mankind refuse anything except rejection. 56:77. This is an honorable reading/quran. 17:41. And We have cited in this reading/quran so they may remember, but it only increases their aversion. See also verses such as 6:19, 18:54, 25:30, 27:76, 30:58, 34:31, 39:27, 41:26, 43:31, 59:21. There are other verses that talk about "the quran" ("al-quran") (see 2:185, 4:82, 5:101, 7:204, 9:111, 10:61, 15:87, 15:91, 16:98, 17:45-46, 17:60, 17:78, 17:82, 21:2, 21:114, 25:32, 27:1, 27:6, 27:92, 28:85, 36:2, 38:1, 46:29, 47:24, 50:1, 50:45, 54:17, 54:22, 54:32, 54:40, 55:2, 73:4, 73:20, 76:23, 84:21). For example: 17:45-46. And when you read the reading/quran, We place between you and those who do not believe in the hereafter an invisible barrier. And we place shields over their hearts, so

they should not understand it, and a deafness in their ears. And if you mention your Lord in the reading/quran alone, they run away giving their backs in aversion. In this case, if we didn't have all the verses that talk about "a reading/quran" in the common sense, it would have been a little more difficult to assess whether "the reading/al-quran" is in the common or the proper form. However, given the fact that the reading/quran from The God doesn't have any inconsistencies we can safely say that those instances where the reading/al-quran is mentioned, it is also in the common meaning. For example, when somebody tells you to meet him at the restaurant while you are standing in front of a restaurant, then "the restaurant" is this restaurant that you are standing in front of and it is not the proper name of the establishment. Similarly, when verses speak about the reading/quran while you are reading a reading/quran, then this reading/quran is the one you are reading and not a proper name. In fact given that it is established to the reader as we saw above in many verses that the reading/quran is "this reading/quran" that he/she is currently reading, then saying "the reading/quran" is a device for implying that what the reader is reading is the "ultimate" reading/quran. The next logical query is to try to determine whether "al-kitab"/the book is a proper name, "the Book" or a common description, "the book". The book/("al-kitab") Is it the "book" or the "Book"? Similar to our analysis of the word "reading/quran" we find many verses where the book/"kitab" is mentioned as a common description to denote the book from The God: 2:89. And when a book ("kitab") came to them from The God, authenticating what is with them; while before that they were mocking those who rejected; so when what they knew came to them, they rejected it, so The Gods curse be upon the rejecters. 6:92. And this is a book ("kitab") We have sent down, blessed, authenticating what is present with him, and that you warn the capital of the towns and those around it. And those who have faith in the hereafter have faith in it, and they are protective over their "salat". 7:2. A book ("kitab") which has been sent down to you, so let there not be any burden in your chest from it, so that you may warn with it; and a reminder to the faithful. 7:52. And We have come to them with a book ("kitab") that We have detailed with knowledge; a guide and a mercy to those who have faith. 11:1. A.L.R., a book ("kitab") whose verses were made decisive, then detailed from One who is The Wise, The Expert. 14:1. A.L.R. A book ("kitab") which We have sent down to you so that you may take the people out of the darkness and into the light by their Lords leave to the path of The Proud, The Praiseworthy.

21:10. We have sent down to you a book ("kitab") in which is your remembrance. Do you not comprehend? 39:23. The God has sent down the best narration; a book ("kitab") that is similar in two ways. The skins of those who reverence their Lord shiver from it, then their skins and their hearts soften up to the remembrance of The God. Such is The God's guidance; He guides with it whoever He wills. And for whomever The God misguides, then none can guide him. 46:30. They said: O our people, we have heard a book ("kitab") that was sent down after Moussa, authenticating what is present with him. It guides to the truth; and to a straight path. Moreover, according to the reading, The God has many books (plural) so once again we see that "the book" is a common description and not a proper name: 2:285. The messenger had faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord. And the believers, all who believe in The God, and those He gave control to, and His books ("kutubihi"), and His messengers; we do not differentiate between any of His messengers; and they said: "We hear and obey, your forgiveness O Lord, and to you is our destiny." 4:136. O you who have faith, believe in The God and His messenger, and the book that was sent down to His messenger, and the book that was sent before. And whosoever rejects The God, and those He gave control to, and His books ("kutubihi"), and His messengers, and the last day, he has strayed a far straying. In fact, even human books written by the very hands of people are described as "the book" in the quran: 2:79. So woe to those who write the book ("al-kitab") with their hands then say: "This is from The God", that they can seek a cheap price! Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they gained. All this confirms that what makes the book special is not that it is "the Book" but that it is "the book from The God". So now that we know that both "the book" and "the reading" are not proper names but common descriptions, the next logical question is: What is the relationship between "the book" and "the reading"? Once we have given up the proper names not authorized by The God, suddenly the answer is obvious. The relationship is simply that "the reading" is the reading of "the book" and the purpose of the reading of the book is to LEARN. This is confirmed by verses such as 96:1-5: 96:1-5. Read in the name of your Lord who has created. He created man from a clot. Read, and your Lord is the Generous One. The One who taught by the pen. He taught man what he did not know. That "the reading" is reading from the written book is so obvious that even preschool children know this fact. It is a fact so clear that, under normal circumstances, it would be hardly worth mentioning in an article. Yet by giving such concepts as the reading and the book proper names not authorized by The God, it is painfully observable that most people have defied

common sense and have been prevented from even understanding this simple and obvious fact. Blinded from this simple fact by the unauthorized proper names that they invented for the reading and the book, some sects went on to fantasize some illogical beliefs. For instance, some sectarians irrationally propose that the reading/quran is "eternal and uncreated". The first difficulty with this doctrine is a fact that those sectarians can't change or circumvent. This fact is demonstrated by verses such as the following: 2:54. And Moussa said to his people: "O my people, you have wronged your souls by taking the calf, so repent to your Maker, and kill yourselves. That is better for you with your Maker, so He would forgive you. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful." In verse 2:54, it is Moussa who is being quoted as part of the quran. So if the reading is eternal and uncreated then sectarians are implying that Moussa's speech is also eternal and uncreated since what he said is quoted as part of a verse of the reading. Before sectarians start to think that Moussa was special, after all he was a messenger, they should read the verse that immediately follows the above verse, namely 2:55: 2:55. And you said: "O Moussa, we will not believe you until we see The God openly!" So the lightning took you while you were still watching." So now, the rejecters from the descendents of Israel are also being quoted in a verse that is part of the quran. So now according to the sectarians' doctrine, their speech is eternal and uncreated too. How about the speech in this verse, which is also a part of the quran: 7:16. He (the devil) said: "For that which You have caused me to be misled, I will skulk for them on Your straight path." I hope that everybody can see the silliness of the sectarians' beliefs. Despite those glaring logical errors and the fact that the reading clearly indicates that we have free choice, many sectarians defy their God-given common sense and continue to have such irrational beliefs. It is inevitable that such sects end up serving the names that they invented instead of The God alone. For instance, some hang verses of the reading/quran on their walls to ward off evil and recite certain chapters to cure the sick despite fully knowing that The God is the only Protector. They have also turned the reading of the book into a ceremonial affair and have restricted the understanding of what is being read to the exclusive domain of self-styled experts from the clergy. The reading/quran is exactly that and hence it should be read and understood by everybody to the best of their abilities. Unfortunately, even well intentioned people have made major blunders. For example, some proposed that the reading and the book denote two separate groups of verses. What ensued is a guessing game of which verses belong to which group. As in verse 53:21, once unauthorized proper names were given to a concept, people started to divide things haphazardly. Thus, it was proposed that we might only be required to uphold the so-called "Book" but not the so-called "Quran".

I often used to mistakenly call the reading/quran as the "Quran". The important thing is to repent and correct once the truth becomes apparent. I am hoping that this article would contribute to my correcting. "Al-masjid al-haram" and "al-masjid al-aqsa" The Arabic expressions "al-masjid al-haram" and "al-masjid al-aqsa" have been traditionally interpreted and translated as proper names. However, such interpretations pose significant problems for sectarians. For example, the site of "Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa" was used as a rubbish dump for nearly 600 years until Umar bin Al-Khattab allegedly built a timber structure on the site. Archeologists propose that the Umayyad Khalifah, Abd al Malik ibn Marwan in 691AD began the construction of the "Dome of the Rock" and Al-Walid (ruled 705-715AD) built what we know today as "Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa". Since the revelation of the reading predates both events, this creates certain difficulties for sectarians trying to justify the current "Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa" as a "holy" stone structure. Recently, some sectarians have tried to overcome the above difficulties by interpreting the word "masjid" in the common sense (i.e., a place of physical prostration) instead of its current invented post defacto proper name. However, in their haste to justify their holy stone structure, they forgot that if they interpret half the expression (i.e. "al-masjid") in the common sense, they would also have to interpret the second half of the expression (i.e. "al-aqsa") in the common sense. As a common description, "al-aqsa" (as opposed to "Al-Aqsa") means "utmost", which is not a fitting description for that location by any measure. The word "masjid" comes from the root "SJD" and there are many verses of the book where its derivatives such as "sujud" are used. Once again and unfortunately for sectarians, the way the term "sujud" is used in those verses only adds to their problems. How is it that the way sectarians do their "sujud" cannot be found in the detailed book? To resolve this dilemma, some sectarians have argued that, when mentioned in the reading, "sujud" is used as a proper name to denote something that the addressees (who they say are the Mekkans) already knew. Hence, some sectarians conclude that we are supposed to take from those who later became the so-called "Companions/Sahaba" (another proper name invented by sectarians) the method of the so-called "Sujud". The following verse illustrates some of the significant logical problems faced by sectarians: 17:107. Say: "Have faith in it or not, those who have been given the knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, they fall to the chins 'sujadan'." Proper nouns are not used as idioms. Hence, if sectarians maintain the assumption that the addressees knew what the alleged proper noun "Sujud" was, then they have to give up the idiomatic understanding of 17:107 and it has to be interpreted literally. If "sujud" is interpreted as literally "physical prostration", then according to verse 17:107 the chin and not the forehead should touch the ground. This is not how sectarians do it. If, on the other hand, the sectarians try to interpret 17:107 idiomatically, then they have to give up the proper noun argument and it follows that one cannot assume that the addressees already knew what "sujud" was. In this case, "sujud" is interpreted non-physically and this is

not how sectarians do it either. One thing is for sure, the way the sectarians do their "sujud" is wrong either way. To understand what "sujud" is, let's look at some of the other verses where it is mentioned. For example, similar to 17:107, verse 32:15 talks about "falling sujudan": 32:15. The only people who have faith in Our revelations are those who when they are reminded by them, they "fall sujadan", and they glorify and praise their Lord, and they are not arrogant. Those who have faith and are reminded of The God's revelations are also mentioned in verse 25:73: 25:73. And those who when they are reminded of their Lords verses, they do not fall on them deaf and blind. When we link 32:15 and 25:73 together, we can clearly understand that "not falling deaf and blind" is equivalent to "falling 'sujadan'". Now contrast the reaction of "not falling deaf and blind/falling 'sujadan'" of those who have faith with the reaction of those who do not have faith: 31:7. And when Our signs are recited to him, he turns away arrogantly as if he did not hear them, as if there is a deafness in his ears. So announce to him a painful retribution. 18:57. And who is more wicked than one who is reminded of his Lord's revelations but he turned away from them, and he forgot what his hands had done. We have made veils upon their hearts from understanding it, and a deafness in their ears. And if you invite them to the guidance, they will never then be guided. Allegorical deafness (not hearing) seems to be a common trait of those who do not fall "sujadan". The example of the descendants of Israel illustrates that "sujud" is non-physical and clarifies what it really means: 2:58-59. And We said: "Enter this town, and eat from it as plentifully as you wish; and enter the door 'sujadan', and say: "Our load is removed", We will then forgive your mistakes, and We will increase for the good doers." But the wicked altered what was said to them for a different saying, thus We sent down upon the wicked a punishment from the heaven for what they had transgressed. 7:161-162. And they were told: "Reside in this town and eat from it as you please, and say: "Our load is removed", and enter the gate 'sujadan', We will forgive for you your wrong doings, and We will increase for the good doers." Those who were wicked amongst them altered what was said to them with something different; so We sent to them a plague from the sky because they were wicked. Notice how the descendents of Israel did the opposite of "sujud" by altering what was said to them instead of hearing it and actually doing it (i.e., obeying it).

Another example of people who alter what is being said is given again in verse 4:46: 4:46. From amongst the Jews there are those who take the words out of context, and they say: "We hear and disobey, and listen but not let any listen, and look after us", in a twisting of their tongues and as a mockery of the obligation! And had they said: "We hear and obey, and listen, and watch over us," it would have been better for them and more upright; but The God Has cursed them for their rejection, they do not have faith except very little. We can see from linking 4:46 with 2:58-59 and 7:161-162 that "sujud" is equivalent to "hearing and obeying". Verses 4:101-103 describe ending the /("salat") with the "sujud". Verses 5:6-7 also describe the "salat" and its components and end with "hearing and obeying". Once again, we see that "hearing and obeying" seems to be the equivalent to "sujud". Youssef's dream and its realization confirm that "sujud" is non-physical and indicate that it means "hearing and obeying". The sun, moon and planets cannot do physical prostration or even show humbleness. However, they could in Youssef's dream hear him and obey him, perhaps by altering their course according to his command. When he raised his parents on the throne, they and his siblings fell "sujadan". How can his parents be "raised" on the throne and at the same time "fall" in physical prostration? Again, the meaning is confirmed to be "hearing and obeying" Youssef and not physically falling to the ground in prostration. Verse 12:100 can now be better understood: 12:100. And he raised his parents on the throne, and they became in a state of hearing and obeying him. And he said: "My father, this is the interpretation of my vision from before. My Lord has made it true, and He Has been good to me that he took me out of prison and brought you out of the wilderness after the devil had placed a rift between me and my brothers. My Lord is kind to whom He wills. He is the Knowledgeable, the Wise." So now that we have understood "sujud" based on the reading as "hearing and obeying", everything falls into place. The word "al-masjid" can simply be interpreted as "the institution/implementation of hearing and obeying". By giving up the human invented proper name "Al-Masjid Al-Haram" and going back to the common "al-masjid al-haram", the meaning suddenly becomes obvious. The word "almasjid" means "the institution/implementation of hearing and obeying" and "al-haram" means "the forbidden". Putting the two together, we get: "the institution/implementation of hearing and obeying the forbidden". In other words, it is a system instituted for implementing hearing the forbidden and actually obeying what is being heard and reflecting it in our actions. In fact, it is common in the Arabic language to use "masjid" to mean an institution of obedience and not a physical place. Hence, we hear about "al-masjid Al-Azhar" issuing a "fatwa". Of course no one thinks that the physical building of Al-Azhar is capable of issuing a "fatwa" or any edict that is to be obeyed. As we can see, despite all the corruptions of sectarians, the word "masjid" is used still used today to denote an institution of obedience and a not a physical building. Here is another verse that confirms that "masjid" is not the physical building:

18:21. And as such, We made them to be found so that they would know that The Gods promise is true and that there is no doubt regarding the hour. They argued amongst themselves regarding their matter, so they said: "Construct a building upon them, their Lord is fully aware of them." Those who prevailed in their matter said: "We will take an institution of hearing and obeying over them." Note that in 18:21, those who argued said: "build a physical building on them". On the other hand, those who prevailed said that they will take a "masjid" in contrast to the physical building. Verses such as 7:31 would not make any sense if they were talking about a physical building. 7:31. O descendants of "adam", take your beautiful things at every institution of hearing and obeying, and eat and drink and do not waste; He does not like the wasters. Do you stop at EVERY Mosque and take some beautiful things? If not and "masjid" means the physical building of a Mosque, then you are disobeying The God according to 7:31. Verse 7:31 can be understood in light of 7:32. 7:32. Say: Who has forbidden the beautiful things that The God has brought forth for His servants and the good provisions? Say: It is for those who had faith in this worldly life, exclusive for them on the day of resurrection. It is such that We explain the revelations for those who know. Verse 7:32 asks a rhetorical question about those who make the beautiful things that The God made forbidden. Of course, we should not obey them and instead we obey The God and our institutions of obedience should promote and allow to prosper the many beautiful things that The God created (take beautiful things at every "masjid"). Now, let us hear some of the verses that tell us about the forbidden: 6:151-153. Say: "Come I will recite what your Lord forbade on you: (1) that do not make anything partner with Him, (2) and with the parents kindness, (3) and do not kill your (unborn) children from hardship We p rovide for you and them, (4) and do not approach the atrocious deeds, what is visible from it, and what is concealed, (5) and do not kill the self that The God forbade, except with the truth, that He directed/commanded you with it, maybe you reason. (6) And do not approach the orphan's property except with what is best, until he reaches his maturity, (7) and fulfill the measure and the scale with the equitable, We do not burden a self except its capacity, (8) and if you speak, so be just, and even if it was a near person, (9) and fulfill The God's covenant; that He advised you with, perhaps you remember. And that is My straight path, so follow it, and do not follow the paths, so they split you from His path. This He advised you with it, perhaps you be forethoughtful. Verses such as 7:33 provides some additional insights:

7:33. Say: My Lord has forbidden all atrocious deeds, what is obvious from them and what is concealed, and sin, and aggression without cause, and that you set-up partners with The God that which He has never authorized, and that you say about The God what you do not know. Other verses such as 5:3 list the forbidden foods. Now that we understand that "sujud" means "hearing and obeying", are we going to hear and obey what The God forbade in the above verses of the reading or are we going to reject like the people described in verse 84:21: 84:21. And when the reading is read to them, they do not hear and obey. The expression "al-masjid al-aqsa" can similarly be interpreted as "the utmost hearing and obeying". Hence, verse 17:1 can be interpreted as follows: 17:1. Most exalted is the One who transferred His servant, from the institution of hearing and obeying of the forbidden to that of utmost hearing and obeying that we have blessed around, in order to show him from our signs. It is He who is the Hearer, the Seer. The state of utmost/ultimate hearing and obeying is described in verse 7:206 in different terms: 7:206. Those who are at your Lord, they are never too proud to serve Him, and they exalt Him, and they hear and obey Him. Verses 53:1-18 and 81:15-23 talk about the signs in 17:1. According to those verses, the state of "utmost hearing and obeying" is a state that is outside our narrow perception. To get closer to that state we must first go through hearing and obeying the forbidden ("al-masjid alharam") and we must never be too proud to serve our Lord and exalt Him. Only then we can hope be close to our Lord in a state of utmost hearing and obeying at the garden: 53:15. At it is the shelter's garden/paradise. On the other hand, whoever was blind to The God's signs in this low-life is even more blind in the ending (for example, see 17:72). How about "ruku"? 38:24. "...he fell "raki'an"..." One cannot fall into bowing, however, one can fall to his knees. Therefore, if one interprets "ruku" in 38:24 as physical then it is falling to the knees and not bowing as sectarians do it. If on the other hand, one interprets the verse idiomatically and "ruku" as non-physical (i.e, humbleness) then this is not how sectarians do it either because they do it physically. Hence, no matter how verse 38:24 is interpreted, how sectarians do their "ruku" is wrong. Upon closer examination of other verses in the reading, it can be clearly seen that "ruku" means humbleness. This understanding is confirmed by verses 77:46-48, which talk about the criminals not doing "ruku":

77:46-48. Eat and enjoy a little, you are criminals. Woe to the rejecters. And if it was said to them "irka'u"(be humble), "la yarka'un" (they do not become humble). Similarly, verses 37:34-35 talk about the criminals: 37:34-35. We do like this to the criminals. If it was said to them there is no god except The God, "yastakbirun" (they become arrogant). Linking those verses together, we can see that "becoming arrogant" is equivalent to "la yarka'un". Hence, I believe that "ruku" signifies humbleness. Like "ruku" which is often mentioned with "sujud", not being arrogant "la yastakbirun" is also mentioned with "sujud" in verse 32:15. Moreover, the descendants of Israel and Maryam were ordered to "yarka'u" in verses 2:43 and 3:43 with others. Who are those others? They are every other creature in the heavens and the earth as we can see from 16:49, 7:206, and 21:19. Those verses talk about other creatures "not being arrogant" (i.e., humbleness). The institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden includes a communication medium ("bayt") where people can safely and in tranquility hear what is forbidden so that they can obey it. That communication vehicle may be a physical place where people gather safely to hear what is forbidden and (hopefully) obeying it. However, the main objective is not the physical place in itself. The physical place is only a means for hearing (i.e. communicating) what is forbidden to people. The house/"al-bayt" The "masjid" and the "bayt" are not the same thing. As a result of giving the concepts of "almasjid al-haram" and "al-bayt" proper names not authorized by The God, those concepts have been used interchangeably by sectarians and if you ask them, they will not know the difference between those two distinct concepts. The "bayt" (house) is the way that people hear what is forbidden. The house of the forbidden can be considered the communication vehicle of the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden. As such, it can be anywhere where people gather to safely hear and obey what is forbidden, and is not restricted to a certain physical location: 22:26. And when We assigned to Ibrahim the house's place that do not partner with me a thing, and cleanse My house for the passers by, and the remaining, and the humbly hearing and obeying. In verse 22:26, please note that the house's place is any place where the first command in verse 6:151 (not setting up partners with The God) is heard and obeyed and not a specific physical place. As such, even a virtual web site where no partners are set up with The God and where people come to safely hear and obey what is forbidden could be considered as "albayt al-haram". According to verse 27:91-92, it can even be a whole town where people can safely communicate and obey the forbidden. The first such communication site was in a location called "Bakka": 3:96. The first house placed for the people is the one in Bakka, blessed and a guidance for the worlds.

A house can be "a guidance" only when one of its main functions is to communicate guidance. So once again we see that it is not the physical aspects of the house that are important. Moreover, from the reading, there is no indication that the first house is the only house. In fact, by pointing attention to "Bakka" as merely the location of the first house, the verse indicates that there are other subsequent houses where people came to hear what is forbidden and then (hopefully) obeying it. The example given in verse 29:41 provides insight into the meaning of "bayt", but only for those who have knowledge: 29:41. The example of those who take protectors other than The God is that of the female spider that took for herself a house and truly the flimsiest of houses is the spider's house, if they knew. The material that makes the spider web is actually relatively strong, so in what way is the spider's house weak? In order to understand verse 29:41, we must first understand the purpose of a house ("bayt") whose plural, as clear from verse 29:41, is "biyut" (houses): 16:80. It is The God who made your houses tranquility for you; and made for you, out of the skins of animals houses, which you carry lightly when you travel and when you stop; and out of their wool, their furs, and their hair, comfort and convenience for a limited time. The main purpose of the houses is that they are tranquility for us. Now, let's see how good the spider's house is at performing that main function. The spider uses its house not for tranquility and rest but instead uses it for hunting. Spiders are night hunters (in the darkness). Interestingly, like our houses, the nighttime is described as tranquility ("sakan") for us in verses such as 6:96 and 10:67. After a night of hunting, the spider's web easily becomes worn out. If the web is torn or damaged the spider eats it. Like our houses, our mates are also described as tranquility ("sakan") for us: 7:189. It is He Who created you from a single self, and made from her its mate, in order for him to be in tranquility at her. When he merged into her, she carried a light burden and so went by with it. So when she grew heavy, they both prayed to The God, their Lord: "If You give us goodness, we vow we shall be from the grateful." 30:21. And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may be in tranquility at them, and He made affection and mercy between you. Indeed, in this are signs for people who ponder. Interestingly, the spider's mating habits are far from tranquil. For example, the female desert spider often eats her mate as a result of erroneous communication (For example, see:http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/14675). So "al-bayt" is a place of tranquility and a vehicle for safely communicating guidance. Hence, the expression "al-bayt al-haram" in verses 5:2 and 5:97 can be interpreted as "a place of tranquility for safely communicating the forbidden". It is a place where people come to safely

hear about the forbidden and take the house's challenge ("hajj al-bayt") without fear of persecution. 2:125. And We made the house an assembly for the people and a safety and take from the persistence of Ibrahim a connecting lesson and We made a covenant to Ibrahim and Ismail that cleanse my house for the passers by, and the remaining, and the humbly hearing and obeying. This explains why "al-bayt" (the house) is for all people while the "al-masjid al-haram" (the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden) only prospers with people who do not set up partners with The God. 22:27. And declare the debate/challenge among people. They will come on foot and on every kind of lean transportation. They will come through every unobstructed passage. Verses 22:26-27 make it clear that it should be declared for all people, including those who serve partners with The God, to come to the "bayt" and safely debate and challenge preconceived notions so that our understanding of the forbidden and how to obey it improves. On the other hand, verses such as 9:17-18 and 9:28 make it clear that the institutions of hearing and obeying The God only prosper with people who do not set up partners with The God. 9:17. It was not for those who set up partners to prosper the institutions of hearing and obeying The God while witnessing against themselves with rejection. Their deeds are wasted and they will abide in the fire forever. 9:18. Instead those who prosper the institutions of hearing and obeying The God are those who have faith in The God and the ending day and persist in the "salat" and provide the purification and did not fear except The God, so perhaps those will be from the guided ones. According to verse 9:19, those who set up partners with The God were previously involved in the institution/implementation of hearing and obeying the forbidden. However, verse 9:28 makes it clear that those who set up partners with The God should not participate anymore in the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden: 9:28. O you who had faith, those who set up partners are pollution so they do not approach the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden after this year of theirs. And if you fear neediness, The God will enrich you from His favor if He willed, indeed The God is knowledgeable, wise. The rejecters who set up partners with The God turn away others from hearing and obeying the forbidden. For example, they want others to be like them and violate the first commandment of verse 6:151 by setting up partners with The God. 8:34. And why should The God not punish them when they are turning others away from the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden, and they were never its protectors. Its protectors are the forethoughtful; but most of them do not know. As we saw earlier, the house of the forbidden (al-bayt al-haram) purpose is for people to assemble in safety and tranquility to hear and obey the forbidden. Whether it is a physical

place or a non-physical place such as a web site, it must be built on the same foundations that Ibrahim and Ismael built it on. What are those foundations? In verse 2:127, the foundations ("alqawaAAid") are what stops a building from falling: 2:127. And Ibrahim raised the foundations from the house with Ismael: "Our Lord accept this from us, You are the Hearer, the Knowledgeable". In verse 16:26, the same exact word "alqawaAAid" occurs when we are told about "falling buildings": 16:26. Those before them have schemed, but The God came to their buildings from the foundations, thus the roof fell on top of them, and the retribution came to them from where they did not know. Verse 16:26 provides a link between verse 2:127 that we saw earlier and verses 9:109-110. Verse 9:109 tells us that the foundations ("alqawaAAid") of our buildings should be our forethought of The God and His acceptance: 9:109-110. Is one who founds his building on forethought of The God and His acceptance better, or one who founds his building on the edge of a cliff which is about to crumble, so that it crumbled with him into the fire of Hell? The God does not guide the wicked people. Such a building that they built continues to cause doubt in their hearts, except that their hearts are severed. The God is Knowledgeable, Wise. Now that we have a preliminary understanding of "bayt", "masjid", and "al-masjid al-haram" that is not based on proper names not authorized by The God, let's try to link this understanding to other concepts related to the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden. Target/"qibla" 2:115. And to The God belongs the east and the west, so wherever you turn, there is The God's direction. The God is encompassing, knowledgeable. As clear from verse 2:115, The God is omnipresent and all physical directions belong to The God. The verse mentions the "east and the west" to denote physical directions. Turning towards a specific physical direction doesn't accomplish anything as clear from verse 2:177: 2:177. Piety is not to turn your directions towards the east and the west, but piety is one who has faith in The God and the last day, and those given control, and the book, and the prophets, and he gives wealth out of love to the near relatives, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and those who ask, and in the cause of freedom, and persists in the "salat", and provides the purification; and those who keep their covenants when they make a covenant, and those who are patient in good and bad circumstances and when in despair. These are the ones who have been truthful, and those are the forethoughtful. As clear from verse 2:177, turning to a physical direction is irrelevant as far piety is concerned. Like verses 2:115 and 2:177, verse 2:142 also refers to the "east and the west" and hence the "qibla"/aim/target mentioned in it is a physical one:

2:142. The foolish from the people will say: "what turned them away from their (physical) target that they were on?" Say: "To The God isthe east and the west, He guides whom He wills to a straight path." In verse 2:142, the foolish people such as those who, for example, don't really have faith in The God's omnipresence and insist on turning to a physical direction to pray to The God wonder about what made those who have faith turn away from the physical "qibla"/target that they were on. 2:143. Like this we made you a balanced nation, so that you will be witnesses over the people and the messenger will be on you a witness. And we didn't make the (physical) target that you were on except to make it known who follows the messenger from who rolls on his heels and it (i.e., the physical target) was big except for those who The God guided and The God would not waste your faith, indeed The God is compassionate and merciful to people. Like verse 6:112 where The God "made" enemies of each prophet fabricate lies so as to make it known who follows such lies, the word "ja'al" in verse 2:143 can be interpreted in the same way. Before this verse was revealed, the messenger, like the people around him may have had a physical target ("qibla") and The God allowed this to go on initially in order to make it known when the target is changed later on to the true one as to who would follow the messenger and who the physical target is too big of a deal to give up. In fact, that physical direction is such a big deal for them that they fabricated preposterous sayings such as the following and attributed them to the prophet: Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 8, Number 388: Narrated Ali bin Abdullah from Sufyan from Alzuhri from Ata bin Yazid from Abu Aiyub AlAnsari: The Prophet is reported to have said, "While defecating, neither face nor turn your back to the Qibla but face either east or west." Of course the prophet would have never uttered such nonsense. As clear from verse 2:144, the messenger was not satisfied with a physical target, hence his direction is said to be rolling aimlessly in the sky, in other words, without a physical direction. 2:144. We could see the rolling of your direction in the sky so we will turn you to a target that shall please you. So turn your direction towards the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden and wherever/however you were so turn your directions towards it. And those who were given the book indeed know that it is the truth from their Lord and The God is not unaware of what they do. Verse 2:144 makes it clear that our target in whatever situation one is in should be to implement the hearing and obeying of the forbidden. As clear from the last part of verse 2:144, the only requirement for knowing the true "qibla"/target is to be given the book from our Lord. There is no requirement to have a compass or to consult a geographical map to know the true "qibla"/target from our Lord. Hence, verse 2:145 now makes perfect sense: 2:145. And indeed if you gave every sign to those who were given the book, they will not follow your target and you are not going to follow their target and they will not follow each

other's target, and if you follow their fantasies after what came to you from the knowledge, you would then be from the unjust. Those who were given the book were following other non-physical targets. For example, the Nazarenes claimed that Jesus will intercede for them and the target for most of them is to accept Jesus as a savior so that he accepts them in paradise! But even those from the people of the book who adopted a physical target, such as those who were given the reading but abandoned it, they do not follow each other's target. It is an indisputable fact that due to the curvature of the earth, once the physical 35 feet wide, 40 feet long by 50 feet high (it is not even a cube) stone structure in Mekkah is under the horizon, then it is extremely hard to be facing it. To be physically facing it, one would have to plot a straight line between his/her face and that stone structure which would pass through the earth (i.e. one would be looking down through the earth). Hence, most sectarians are in fact facing outer space. Given the fact that any slight difference in an angle becomes a huge gap when projected over large distances, each of those sectarians is probably physically facing entirely different random regions in outer space. In verse 2:150, like the prophet, we are unquestionably commanded to turn our direction towards "al-masjid al-haram" wherever we are (i.e. permanently) and not just during any ritual. This truth shines through even from the Yusufali Sunni biased translation of the same verse below: Yusufali: 2:150. so from whencesoever thou startest forth, turn thy face in the direction of the sacred Mosque; and wheresoever ye are, turn your face thither: That there be no ground of dispute against you among the people. Except those of them that a bent on wickedness; so fear them not, but fear Me; and that I may complete my favours on you, and ye May (consent to) be guided. As we can see, The God made it logically impossible for anyone to claim based on the great reading that "wageh" is a physical face and "qibla" is specifically related to "salat" or that "qibla" is a physical direction. Despite the evidence from the reading that they know very well and common sense, sectarians will insist on fantasizing that they are facing their beloved stone structure during their so-called "Salat" and make a big deal out of that physical target. However, they cannot change the truth in the reading. 2:146-147. Those who we gave the book to, they know it as they know their own children and indeed a group of them conceal the truth while they know. The truth is from your Lord so do not be from those who have doubt. Interestingly, verse 2:145 has a lot in common with verse 2:120: 2:145. And indeed if you gave every sign to those who were given the book, they will not follow your target and you are not going to follow their target and they will not follow each other's target, and if you follow their fantasies after what came to you from the knowledge, you would then be from the unjust.

2:120. And the Jews and the Nazarenes they will not be satisfied with you until you follow their creed. Say: "The God's guidance is the guidance" and if you follow their fantasies after what came to you from the knowledge, you will have no protector or ally from The God. If we alternate "creed" and "target", then we would get the same results. In the context of the verses, they seem almost synonymous. Both verses end with the exact same warning against following the fantasies of those who were given the book after receiving the knowledge. So this leads us to the next question: What is the relationship between target ("qibla"), creed ("milat"), and obligation ("deen")? Obligation/"deen" When we read about "deen"/obligation, we find that it is often referred to using almost the same terminology used to refer to the "qibla"/target: 10:105. And that persist your direction to the "deen"/obligation monotheistic and do not be from those who set up partners. 30:30. So persist your direction to the "deen"/obligation monotheistic, The God's natural system that He originated people on, there is no substitute to The God's creation but most people do not know. 30:43. So persist your direction to the worthy "deen"/obligation before a day made inevitable by The God comes. On that day they will be splintered. Like "qibla"/target, we are asked to persist our direction towards the "deen"/obligation. Moreover, like verse 2:143 that we saw earlier in the context of the target, the obligation is described as making "Al-Muslimin"/the balanced nation witnesses over the people: 2:143. Like this we made you a balanced nation, so that you will be witnesses over the people and the messenger will be on you a witness. And we didn't make the (physical) target that you were on except to make it known who follows the messenger from who rolls on his heels and it (i.e., the physical target) is big except for those who The God guided and The God would not waste your faith, indeed The God is compassionate and merciful to people. 22:78. And strive in the cause of The God its truly deserving striving. He is the One who has chosen you, and He didn't make difficulty for you in the obligation, it is the creed of your father Ibrahim. He is the One who named you Al-Muslimin from before and in this, so that the messenger will be on you a witness and you will be witnesses over the people. So persist in the "salat" and provide the purification and hold tight to The God, He is your Protector, the best Protector, and the best Victor. As we see from 22:78 the obligation ("deen") is equivalent to the creed of Ibrahim. Moreover, as we saw earlier from verses 2:120 and 2:145, the creed seems to be equivalent to the target ("qibla"). So this means that "obligation", "creed of Ibrahim /monotheism", and "target/qibla" are all equivalent concepts. As we saw earlier, the target is to institute/implement the hearing and obeying of the forbidden. So if "deen" = "qibla" and "qibla" = "al-masjid al-haram" then this implies that our

obligation is to implement the hearing and obeying of the forbidden. This is confirmed by verses such as 2:150 and 5:3. 2:150. And from wherever/however you set out so turn your direction towards the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden and wherever/however you were so turn your directions towards it so that people do not have a challenge against you, except the unjust amongst them, so do not fear them and fear Me and to accomplish my favor upon you perhaps you may be guided. Verse 5:3 starts with listing the forbidden foods and ends with almost the same statements as verse 2:150. Moreover, it states that with this list of forbidden foods, the obligation is now complete. Hence, once again we see the strong relationship between "deen" and "hearing and obeying the forbidden". 5:3. ...This day those who rejected have despaired of your obligation so do not fear them and fear Me. This day I have completed for you your obligation and accomplished my favor upon you and I am satisfied with the submission/compliance/obedience as an obligation so whoever is forced in a lack of food without deliberate sin so The God is Forgiver, Merciful. Notice how both verses tell us not to fear the rejecters and the unjust and fear The God instead. Also, in both verses, once the truth becomes apparent to us with respect to the meaning of "deen" and "al-masjid al-haram", then The God's favor would be complete upon us. Verse 5:3 describes the fulfillment of the promise The God made in 2:150 to accomplish His favor over those who turned their direction towards the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden. Now that we have preliminarily established that the obligation is the institution/implementation of hearing and obeying the forbidden, let's test this understanding to see if it makes sense in all the verses where the expression "al-masjid al-haram" is mentioned. Some of the verses that on the surface may pose a problem for this understanding are verses such as 2:191. How can "al-masjid al-haram" be the "deen" and not a physical place if those verses say that those who have faith were fought in it? 2:190-191. And fight in the path of The God those who fight you and do not aggress, The God doesn't love the aggressors. And kill them wherever/however you catch them and evict them from however they evicted you and the persecution is more severe than the killing and do not fight them at the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden until they fight you in it. If they fight you, then kill them. This is the penalty of the rejecters. The answer can be found in verse 60:9. 60:9. The God only forbids you from taking as protectors those who fought you in the obligation/"deen" and evicted you from your homes and they openly tried to evict you and whoever takes them as protectors, those are the unjust. Putting 60:9 and 2:190-191 together we see that we can only fight in the "deen" those who fought us in it. Verse 2:217 confirms that fighting in the "deen" and fighting in "the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden" are equivalent.

2:217. They ask you about fighting in the month of the forbidden, say: "Fighting in it is a big (offense) and repelling from the path of The God and rejecting Him and the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden and evicting its community from it is bigger at The God and the persecution is more severe than the killing. And they will continue to fight you until they revert you from your obligation and whoever amongst you reverts from his obligation and dies while a rejecter, his deeds are wasted in the low life and in the ending and those are the companions of the fire, wherein they abide eternally. We can see from verse 2:217 that reverting those who have faith from their obligation is equivalent to evicting the community of the institution of hearing and obeying The God. How about verse 48:27 that talks about "entering" "al-masjid al-haram"? 48:27. Truly, The God has fulfilled the vision for his messenger with the truth. You will surely enter the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden if The God willed safely, your hair cut short and relaxed not fearing, so He knew what you didn't know, so He made other than that a near breakthrough. Remember those who were fighting to try to evict the community of the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden (i.e. revert them from their obligation), verse 48:27 talks about the victory over them. This is confirmed by verses 110:1-2: 110:1-2. When The God's victory and the breakthrough come. And you saw the people enter The God's obligation in throngs. Putting 48:27 and 110:1-2 together, we can see that after the victory of the messenger and those with him over those who tried to revert them from their "deen"/obligation, they will enter of the institute of hearing and obeying the forbidden safely and then many people will follow and enter The God's obligation. Obedience/compliance/"islam" The word "islam" is synonymous with words such as compliance and obedience. According to verse 3:19, our obligation to The God is obedience/compliance/"islam": 3:19. Indeed, the obligation to the God is the obedience ("islam") and those who were given the book didn't differ in it except after the knowledge came to them out of excesses between them. And whoever rejects The Gods signs, then The God is swift in judgment. Verse 3:83, talks about "islam": 3:83. Is other than The God's obligation they seek and whom in the heavens and the earth obeyed Him ("aslma") voluntarily and compellingly, and to Him they are being returned? Almost the same exact words are repeated for "sujud" in verse 13:15: 13:15. And whom in the heavens and the earth hear and obey The God voluntarily and compellingly, and their shadows in going and returning.

Linking verses 3:83 and 13:15 together, we see that "islam"/compliance/obedience of The God is equivalent to "sujud"/hearing and obeying of The God. Moreover, verse 6:153 makes it clear that the forbidden commands are the straight path ("al-sirat al-mostaqim"). Hence, in summary, "deen" = "qibla" = "al-masjid al-haram" = "milat Ibrahim" = "islam li Allah" = "sujud li Allah" = "itiba'a al-sirat mostaqim". In other words, "obligation" = "target" = "the implementation of hearing and obeying the forbidden" = "the creed of Ibrahim" = "obedience of The God" = "hearing and obeying The God" = "following the straight path". This is our only obligation: 3:85. And whoever seeks other than the obedience an obligation, it will not be accepted from him and he is in the ending from the losers. We fulfill our obligation to The God by hearing and obeying Him. We do that by persisting the direction of our lives towards the target of implementing hearing and obeying what He forbade on us. That direction is also the straight path. How can one effectively fulfill his or her obligation and institute the hearing and obeying of the forbidden? Learning connection/"salat" and purification/betterment/"zakat" Let us start with an example. When somebody drives a car, his or her obligation is to hear and obey the traffic rules that were set to prevent accidents. In order to do that effectively, two things must happen. The person must learn the traffic rules and must also give up any bad driving habits that he had before learning those traffic rules. Only then, that person would have a chance of effectively hearing and obeying traffic rules. As we saw earlier, "sujud" means hearing and obeying and those who do not fall "sujadan" are described as not hearing. Since the average rejecter's ear drums transmit the sound waves just like anybody else, in this context "not hearing" is not actually hearing with the ears but is used to signify "not understanding". The rejecters are blocked from "hearing" (i.e. understanding) the signs of The God in the reading. For example, when sectarians hear "obey The God and obey the messenger" in verses such as 4:59, they hear instead "obey The God and the book of Bukhari". They cannot obey even on the day of the account when they are given a physical leg because they don't understand that "sujud" is non-physical (see 68:42). Hearing corresponds to understanding properly so that one can obey correctly. "Sujud" is not blind hearing and obeying. According to verse 4:102, the "salat" ends with "sujud". In other words, it ends with understanding and obeying. Hence, the "salat" is what helps one understand properly all the concepts related to our obligation so that one can fulfill the obligation. We are required to persist in the "salat" and to bring forth the "zakat". 2:110. And persist in the "salat" and bring the "zakat". And what you bring forth of good for your souls you will find it with The God. The God is watching what you do.

2:277. Those who have faith and do good work, and persisted in the "salat", and brought the "zakat"; they will have their rewards with their Lord and there is no fear over them nor will they grieve. The word "salat" is usually accompanied by the verb "aqimu". "Aqimu" comes from the Arabic root "qwm". Verses such as 5:37, 9:68, 11:39, 39:40, 42:45 , and 9:21 use the adjective "moqim" to mean persistent. Similarly, the verbs "aqim"/"aqimu" means "persist". Verse 3:75 uses the word "qa'iman" to mean "persisting". Verses such as 10:71 use the word "maqami" to mean "my persistence". Verses such as 33:13 use the word "maqam" to mean persistence. Let's first start with "zakat". The word "zakat" can be interpreted to mean purification or betterment. One type of "zakat" is purification by giving to charity (for example see 9:103). Another type of purification is made clear by the first few verses of chapter 80. They recount an incident where the prophet didn't hear and obey The God and didn't persist in the "salat" and bring the "zakat" as commanded in verse 2:110 above: 80:3. How do you know, he may be purif ied ("yazaka")? In the context of chapter 80, "yazaka" means purified from false beliefs. Had the messenger persisted in the "salat" and brought the "zakat", the blind man could have been purified from his false beliefs. Apart from the incident in chapter 80, how did the messenger hear and obey The God's command? Here is how the messenger regularly heard and obeyed The God's commands: 3:164. The God Has bestowed favor upon those who have faith by sending them a messenger from amongst themselves reciting His signs on them and purifying them and teaching them the book and the wisdom, and they were before in manifest darkness. 62:2. He is the One who sent to the gentiles a messenger from among themselves, to recite on them His signs, and to purify them, and teach them the book and wisdom. Before this, they had gone far astray. 2:151. As We have sent a messenger to you from amongst yourselves to recite Our signs on you, and purify you, and teach you the book and the wisdom, and teach you what you did not know. It is immediately obvious in the above verses that similar to "salat" which is usually followed by purification, the messenger reciting the revelations on his people is also followed by purifying them. Is "salat" equivalent to "reciting The God's revelations"? As we all know, the wisdom is an attribute of the book (see 3:58, 10:1, 31:2) and its reading (see 36:2) and it is The God who grants it (see 2:269). In verses 3:164, 62:2, and 2:151, the messenger's people having knowledge of the book and the wisdom is the result of reciting The God's revelations on them and purifying them. What stimulates learners to want to seek knowledge? Research on learning behavior suggests that it is some kind of disconnection. It is a disconnection between the new information we

are hearing and our own prior knowledge. Hence, to improve our knowledge, we must hear new better information and get rid of false old knowledge. So can "al-salat" simply be "the learning connection", in other words can it simply be a knowledge transfer and improvement process? That meaning is in line with verses 3:164, 62:2, and 2:151 that talk about the recitation of The God's revelations and the resulting learning of the book and the wisdom. 1. The purpose of "salat": One of the things that we learned earlier is that purpose is the defining aspect of all the concepts we examined such as "bayt", "masjid", etc. The greater purpose of "al-salat"/the learning connection is remembrance of The God: 20:14. It is Me, The God, there is no god except Me, so serve Me and persist in the learning connection ("al-salat") to remember Me. By focusing on the purpose, which is the remembrance of The God, perhaps we can better see what "salat" is. Verse 65:10 talks about The God sending those who have faith a "reminder": 65:10. The God has prepared for them a severe retribution. Therefore, you shall reverence The God, O you who possess intelligence and have faith, The God has sent down to you a reminder. The immediately following verse tells us what this reminder is and its effect on those who have faith: 65:11. A messenger who recites on you The God's clarifying signs, to lead those who have faith and work righteousness out of the darknesses into the light. Anyone who has faith in The God and leads a righteous life, He will admit him into gardens with flowing streams; they abide therein forever. The God will generously reward him. The effect of the reminder, which is the recitation of The God's revelations, is to lead those who have faith out of the darknesses into the light. Another verse that instructs those who have faith to remember The God is 33:41: 33:41-42. O you who have faith, you shall remember The God frequently. And glorify Him morning and evening. Interestingly, the immediately following verse tells us that the effect of the "salat" of The God and those He gave control on those who have faith is the same exact effect of messenger who recites on those who have faith The God's revelations. Namely, leading those who have faith out of the darknesses into the light: 33:43. He is the One who connects the learning ("yusali") on you, He and those He gave control, to lead you out of the darknesses into the light. And He is ever Merciful towards those who have faith. So once again, we see the strong relationship between "salat" and the messenger's recitation of The God's revelations on people (i.e., the learning connection between the messenger and

his people). The learning connection has an "enlightenment" effect. The book is also described as "the light": 64:8. So have faith/trust in The God and His messenger and the light that We sent down, and The God is informed with what you do. By connecting verses 65:11 and 33:43 together, now verse 33:56 can be better understood: 33:56. The God and those He gave control connect the learning ("yusalun") on the prophet. O you who have faith, connect the learning ("salu") on him and obey a complete obedience. The learning connection is two-way. It is between the teacher and the learner and vice-versa. This is confirmed by verse 9:103: 9:103. Take from their money a charity to cleanse them and purify them with it, and connect the learning on them. Your learning connection is a tranquility for them, and The God is Hearer, Knowledgeable. One exception to the pattern we saw earlier in verses 3:164, 62:2, and 2:151 is verse 29:45 where recitation is followed by "salat". 29:45. Recite what is inspired to you from the book, and persist in the learning connection ("salat"); for the learning connection ("salat") prohibits atrocious deeds and disguised obscenity and the remembrance of The God is greater. The God knows everything you do. However, this particular verse talks about the messenger reciting the book but not necessarily on his people. Hence, there is no "on them" in the verse and reciting the book is followed by a command to persist in the learning connection. The verse also emphasizes that the remembrance of The God is the greater purpose of the learning connection. If one focuses first on the purpose of "al-salat' (the learning connection), then it becomes clear. The purpose is "greater" (see 29:45). If one focuses on the "lesser" things first such as the timings, etc. before the greater purpose (remembrance of The God), then it becomes impossible to even understand what "salat" is. We remember The God through the reminder. The recitation of The God's signs is a reminder as per 65:10-11. Verse 27:92 makes it clear that what the messenger is reciting is the reading: 27:92. "And that I recite the reading, so he who is guided is guided for himself," and for he who is misguided, say: "I am but one of the warners". Remember the purpose of the "salat" is to remember The God. The messenger was remembering his Lord in the reading: 17:46. And We put on their hearts covers that they understand it, and in their ears a heavy weight, and when you remembered your Lord in the reading alone, they turned away on their backs in aversion.

So what was the messenger doing in verse 17:46? The answer is that he was persisting in the learning connection ("salat"). Those who do not have faith did not hear and obey ("sujud") as a result of the "salat". Instead, they turned away on their backs in aversion. In summary, "thikr"/reminder = recitation of the reading = the learning connection/"salat". More confirmation that studying of The God's signs ("ayat") whether in the book or in the heavens and the earth is "salat" is in verses/signs 3:190-191 and verse/sign 4:103. 4:103. When you complete the learning connection, then remember The God while standing, and sitting, and on your sides. Then, when you are secure, persist in the learning connection. Certainly, the learning connection is a timed book on those who have faith. 3:190-191. Indeed in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the difference between night and day, are signs for those with understanding. Those who remember The God while standing, and sitting, and on their sides, and they ponder in the creation of the heavens and the earth: Our Lord you did not create this without purpose, be You glorified, spare us the retribution of the fire! We once again see that the main idea/theme in "salat" is one of "learning connection"/studying of The God's signs. In chapter 17, notice that like "salat" that results in "sujud"/obedience, reciting the book on those who have knowledge also results in "sujud"/obedience: 17:107. Say: Believe in it or do not believe in it. Those who have been given the knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, they fall to their chins submitting By reading the book without preconceived opinions we can see that verse 19:58 clearly describes what "salat" is in contrast to the "lost salat" in 19:59: 19:58. Those are the ones whom God Has blessed from amongst the prophets from the progeny of Adam, those We carried with Noah, and from the progeny of Ibrahim and Israel, and from whom We have guided and chosen. When the revelations of the Almighty are recited to them, they fall down hearing and obeying and in tears. In contrast to reciting The God's revelation and the resulting obedience, the generations that came after them did not learn The God's revelations and instead they lost the "salat": 19:59. Then generations came after them who lost the "salat"/learning connection, and followed desires. They will find their consequences. We can also now see that chapter 96 clearly describes "salat" from start (learning through reading in 96:1-5) to finish (sujud/obeying in 96:19). The God teaches us through the great reading/quran what we didn't know: In the name of The God, The Almighty, The Merciful 96:1. Read in the name of your Lord who has created.

96:2. He created the human from a clot. 96:3. Read, and your Lord is the Generous One. 96:4. The One who taught by the pen. 96:5. He taught the human what he did not know. On the other hand, those who transgress prevent The God's servants from "salat": 96:6. On the contrary, the human is bound to transgress. 96:7. If he sees it he has no need. 96:8. To your Lord is the return. 96:9. Have you seen the one who deters 96:10. a servant when he is connecting the learning/"sala"? 96:11. Have you seen if he was being guided 96:12. Or he ordered righteousness? 96:13. Have you seen if he lied and turned away? 96:14. Did he not know that The God can see? Of course, we should not obey those with the lying and errant forehead and instead we should do the real "sujud" to The God: 96:15. Alas, if he does not cease, We will drag him by the forehead. 96:16. A lying and errant forehead. 96:17. So let him call on his supporter. 96:18. We will call on the guardians. 96:19. No, do not obey him, and hear and obey and come near. According to chapter 96, the purpose of reading of what is written by the pen is to learn what we did not know before. Verses 96:6-10 that talk about the one who prevents "salat" are in contrast to verses 96:1-5, that very clearly tell us what it is that those with the lying forehead prevent. Notice that the real "sujud" (obeying The God) is put in contrast of obeying those with the lying and errant forehead. What is their forehead doing that is a lie and in error? Verse 6:91 confirms that the book that The God sent down teaches people what they didn't know as we saw previously in 96:5: 6:91. And they did not give The God His true worth, for they said: The God Has never sent down anything to any human being, say: Who then has sent down the book which Moussa had come with, a light and a guidance for the people. You treat it just as loose paper, you show some of them and conceal much. And you were taught what neither you nor your fathers knew. Say: The God Has then leave them playing in their meddling. Interestingly, verse 6:92 puts "salat" in contrast to concealing the book and taking it as fun and games as opposed to learning from it: 6:92. And this is a scripture which We have sent down, blessed, authenticating what is present with him, and that you warn the cradle of civilization and those around it. And those who believe in the ending believe in it, and they are protective over their "salat"/learning connection.

A learning connection requires at least two participants to be connected. For example, it is a connection between the teacher and the learner and vice-versa (e.g., 9:103, 3:164, 62:2). It is also a connection between the learner and the author of the material one is learning from (e.g., 33:43 and 28:51): 2. How do we persist in the learning connection ("al-salat")? Once again, to find the answer, let's focus on the greater purpose of the learning connection, namely remembering The God. We must persist in the learning connection because its purpose is to remember The God. Those that forget The God are described in verses such as 9:67 and 59:19: 9:67. The hypocrite men and women, they are to each other. They order evil and deter from good, and they close their hands. They forgot The God, so The God forgot them; the hypocrites are the wicked. 59:19. Do not be like those who forgot The God, so He made them forget themselves. These are the wicked. Note how the hypocrites in 9:67 order with atrocious deeds, which is the same exact thing that the learning connection / (recitation of the reading) prohibits, as per verse 29:45. Ideally, we should recite the reading at all times, especially at night according to verses 73:14. However as per verse 73:20, The God knows that at times some of us will be sick and some have to leave their homes to work and earn a living and we would not be able to recite the reading all night or all the time. Hence, like the messenger, we are told that at minimum we should read what we can out of the reading, persist in the learning connection, bring forth the purification from falsehood, and spend from our wealth in the way of The God: 73:20. Your Lord knows that you persist less than two thirds of the night, and half of it, and one third of it, as well as a group of those who are with you. And The God measures the night and the day. He knows that you will not be able to keep track, so He pardons you. So read what you can from the reading. He knows that there will be sick among you, and others that venture out in the land seeking from The Gods bounty, and others who are fighting in the cause of The God, so read what you can of it. And persist in the learning connection and bring the purification and loan The God a good loan. And whatever you put forth for yourselves, you will find it with The God better and a greater reward. And seek The God's forgiveness, for The God is Forgiving, Merciful. Verse 73:4-6, talks about the beginning of the night being an effective time for the recitation of the reading: 73:4-6. Or more and arrange the reading and effective arrangement. We will release on you a heavy saying. Indeed, the beginning of the night is more effective and more persistent in saying. Similarly, verse 11:114 talks about the beginning of the night, i.e., the edge of the day followed by the near part of the night as being the recommended time for the learning connection ("salat"):

11:114. And persist in the learning connection the two edges of the day and the near part of the night. Indeed, the good deeds make the bad ones go away. That is my reminder to those who remember. In verse 11:114, The God is telling the messenger to persist in the learning connection at two times: (1) at the first part of the day (the first edge of the day), and (2) at the last part of the day (the second edge of the day) and the first part of the night. Similarly, in verse 17:78, The God is telling the messenger to persist in two things: (1) the learning connection ("salat") from sunset until darkness, and (2) reading at daybreak. 17:78. Persist in the learning connection at the rubbing of the sun until the obscure part of the night and reading at daybreak. Indeed reading at daybreak is witnessed. Connecting 17:78 and 11:114 together, we can deduce that: (1) The learning connection at the first part of the day = the reading at daybreak Connecting 17:78, 11:114, and 73:4-6, we can deduce that: (2) The learning connection at the last part of the day and the first part of the night = the learning connection from sunset until darkness = the arrangement of the reading at the beginning of the night Connecting points (1) and (2) with verse 73:20, we can deduce that at minimum, one should persist in the learning connection/recite what he or she can of the reading (this can be one verse, one chapter, or many chapters) at least at the two times specified in 17:78, 11:114, and 73:4-6 (i.e., at the beginning and end of the day). It is natural that people wash up when they first wake up to start the day and when they return home from work at the end of the day. Hence, the washing at the start of the learning connection mentioned in verse 5:6 would also coincide with those two times. How about "al-salat al-wusta" in verse 2:238? As per verses 5:89, 68:28, 100:5 and 2:143 where the word "wasat" is used to mean "balanced/best", "al-salat al-wusta" simply means the balanced/best learning connection and is not an additional minimum time for reading the book. 3. Where do we persist in the learning connection? As we saw earlier, "masajid Allah", the institutions of hearing and obeying The God are institutions and not physical places. On the other hand, the "bayt" component of the institutions of hearing and obeying The God can be a physical place or any other type of vehicle for safe communication. 2:187. It has been made lawful for you during the night of fasting to approach your women sexually. They are a garment for you and you are a garment for them. The God knows that you used to betray your selves so He Has accepted your repentance, and forgiven you; now you may approach them and seek what The God Has written for you. And you may eat and drink until the white thread is distinct from the black thread of daybreak; then you shall

complete the fast until night; and do not approach them while you are devoted in the institutions of hearing and obeying. These are The Gods boundaries, so do not transgress them. It is thus that The God makes His revelations clear to the people that they may be righteous. Verse 2:187 makes it clear that "masajid" are not congregational sites/temples/etc. Clearly no sane person would have sexual relations with his or her spouse in any public place, let alone congregational sites, so this verse would be meaningless if one interprets "masajid" as congregational sites. The verse simply says that we shouldn't have sexual relations with our spouses while we are concentrating on activities related to the implementation of the hearing and obeying of The God such as while we are reciting the reading in our houses. The learning connection is done at any time (at minimum the two times discussed above and no maximum) and at any house ("bayt"), which as we saw earlier is any safe physical place or safe communication vehicle. Hence verses such as 8:35 and 24:36-37 talk about the learning connection in relation to houses. 24:36-37. In houses The God has allowed to be raised and for His name to be raised in them. He is glorified therein in the going and the returning, by men who are not distracted by trade or sale from the remembrance of The God and the persistence in the learning connection and bringing the purification. They fear a day when the hearts and sights will be turning. The two times at the end and the start of the day are only the minimum remembrance times so that we don't forget. The learning connection can be made anywhere and anytime we hear the verses of the reading. There is no requirement to go to a specific place to persist in the learning connection. Times of gathering are simply a good opportunity to remind many people at the same time. Therefore, the learning connection/recitation of the reading can be called for at any time when people are gathered. When the learning connection/the recitation of the reading is called for at any gathering, we should leave what we are doing and go and listen attentively (as per verses 7:204, 62:9-10, and 46:29) and then resume our activities only after the learning connections/recitation of the reading is completed: 62:9-10. O you who have faith, when the learning connection is called to at a time of gathering, you shall hasten to the remembrance of The God, and cease all business. This is better for you, if you only knew. Once the learning connection is completed, you may spread through the land to seek The God's bounties, and continue to remember The God frequently, that you may succeed. 46:29. And We sent to you a small number of "jinn", in order to let them listen to the reading. So when they arrived there, they said: "Pay attention" Then, when it was completed, they returned to their people, to warn them. 7:204. And if the reading is read, then listen to it and pay attention perhaps you may receive mercy. One type of time of gathering ("yawm al-jumu3at") is a funeral. Like any time of gathering, a funeral, is a good opportunity to call for "salat" to remind many living people by reciting the reading (the reminder) and drawing on its lessons. Now verse 9:84 makes perfect sense:

9:84. And never connect the learning on anyone of them who died and do not persist on his grave. They rejected The God and His messenger and they died and/while they are transgressors. Although we know that once a person dies, there is nothing we can do that can help him or her, sectarians use verse 9:84 to justify making useless prayers on the dead. Now, we can understand "tusali" in 9:84 and in light of all its other occurrences in the reading as reciting the reading and connecting its lessons to how the dead person lived their lives. For example, if the person died in the cause of The God, we could recite the verses that talk about fighting in the cause of The God and those who die in the cause of The God in order to comfort the family and strengthen the resolve of those who have faith. This is not obligatory nor it is forbidden. Those who had faith lived their lives according to the quran and we would naturally find many verses in the quran that provide appropriate lessons for the living people at their funerals. As for the rejecting hypocrites, they didn't live their lives according to the quran and hence we cannot do the learning connection on them. The learning connection can be done privately at our homes or publicly at any public gathering and there is no requirement to go to a so-called "Mosque" or a temple. Verse 24:58 clarifies that the learning connection is normally done at home. 24:58. O you who have faith, let those whom are possessed by your oath and the children who have not attained puberty request permission from you at three times. Before the daybreak learning connection, and when you are changing your clothes from appearing (going out), and after the nightfall learning connection. These are three private times for you. At other times, it is not wrong for you or them to mingle with one another. The God thus clarifies the revelations for you. And The God is Knowledgeable, Wise. In verse 24:58, "thahirat" means "appearing" as per verses such as 31:20. In other words, in the case of people, it means going out. This understanding implies that the two learning connections are done at home. Hence, the usual order of our daily activities is: 1. Wake up 2. Wash 3. The first learning connection 4. Change our clothes to go out (1st private time period) 5. Go out 6. Return home 7. Change our clothes from going out (2nd private time period) 8. Wash 9. The second learning connection 10. After (#9) and until (#3) (3rd private time period) We are to persist in the learning connection at our home with our families: 20:132. And order your family with the learning connection, and be patient on it. We do not ask you for provision, for We provide for you. And the good end is for the righteous. 19:55. And he used to order his family with the learning connection and the purification, and his Lord was pleased with him.

66:6. O you who have faith, protect yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is people and stones... Verses 3:37 and 3:39 confirm that we are not required to leave our homes and go to a specific place to persist in the learning connection. Zakaria took custody of Maryam and hence she lived in his home. Those verses describe Maryam (see 3:37) and Zakaria (see 3:39) persisting in the learning connection in a private area of their home: 3:39. Those given control called to him while he was persisting in the learning connection in the sanctuary: "The God gives you good tidings of Yahya, authenticated with the word from The God, and a master, and steadfast, and a prophet from the righteous." The same word "sanctuary" ("mihrab") is used in 19:11 where Zakaria is going out to indicate to his people that they should glorify The God. If the "mihrab" where he persisted in the learning connection was a public temple or congregational site then he wouldn't need to go out and people would come in instead: 19:11. So he went out to his people from the sanctuary, and he indicated to them that they should glorify Him morning and evening. This explains why Dawud was startled when the two feuding men entered his home's private area: 38:21. Have you received news of the feuding men who climbed into the sanctuary? 38:22. When they entered upon him, he was startled. They said: "Have no fear. We are feuding with one another, so judge between us with truth, and do not wrong us, and guide us in the right path." The fact that they had to climb in to get to Dawud indicates that the private area is part of Dawud's home where he wouldn't normally expect people to just walk in and it is not part of a public site such as a temple. As we saw earlier, the biggest purpose of the learning connection is to remind us of The God. In order to be reminded, we must persist in the learning connection at least twice, at the beginning and end of our day. It is like a schedule of appointments that we keep in order not to forget. Hence verse 4:103 talks about the learning connection being a timed book. In other words, it is the timed reading of the book: 4:103. When you complete the learning connection, then remember The God while standing, and sitting, and on your sides. Then, when you are secure, persist in the learning connection. Certainly, the learning connection is a timed book on those who have faith. The verse before 4:103 talks about the learning connection/the recitation of the reading while those who have faith venture out in the land (i.e., this is in contrast to the normal learning connection at home that we saw earlier) and there is danger from the rejecters: 4:101. And when you venture out in the land, then there is no sin that you shorten from the from the learning connection, if you fear that the rejecters will test you. The rejecters are to you a clear enemy.

4:102. And if you are with them and you persist in the learning connection for them, then let a group from amongst them persist with you and let them take their weapons; and when they have heard and obeyed then let them stand guard behind you; and let a group who has not yet made the learning connection come and connect with you, and let them be wary and take their weapons with them. The rejecters hope that you would neglect your weapons and belongings so they can come upon you in one blow. There is no sin upon you if there is harm to you from rain, or if you are ill, that you put down your weapons, but be wary. The God Has prepared for the rejecters a humiliating retribution. The caution given in verses 4:101-102 is necessary because of the reaction of those who have rejected: 22:72. And if Our clear revelations are recited to them, you see hatred in the faces of those who have rejected. They are nearly close to attacking those who are reciting to them Our revelations! Say: Shall I inform you of what is worse than this? The Fire that The God has promised to those who have rejected. What a miserable destiny! This is the learning connection talked about in verses 9:5, 9:6, and 9:11. It is with those who have set up partners. Notice in particular the similarity in the result of the learning connection in 9:5 with the result of the "hearing of The God's words" in 9:6. So once more, we see the strong correlation between the learning connection and the hearing of The God's words (the recitation of the reading). 9:5. So when the months of the forbidden pass, then you may fight those who have set-up partners wherever you find them, and take them, and surround them, and stand against them at every point. If they repent, and persist in the learning connection, and bring forth the purification, then you shall leave them alone. The God is forgiving, Merciful. 9:6. And if any of those who have set-up partners seeks your protection, then you may protect him so that he may hear the words of The God, then let him reach his refuge. This is because they are a people who do not know. In summary, the learning connection/recitation of the reading can be done at home at least twice, at the beginning and end of the day. It is also to be done at any time (whenever it is called for) in public houses (whether physical or virtual) where people can learn safely. Especially at times when people are outside their homes for any purpose or gathering such as for trade and commerce, this is an opportunity for persisting in the learning connection at public congregational sites. The house's debate ("hajj al-bayt") For knowledge to advance, a balance between opportunity and challenge is needed. One should have the opportunity to apply the new knowledge and reflect. The opportunity for new learning connections must be kept open in order to deepen what learners understand and encourage them to be persistent life-long learners. In addition, there must be a constructive challenge/debate on existing knowledge so that the learners' understanding can be continuously improved. As we saw earlier, the debate (al-hajj") is a venue where all people are invited. In verses 22:27-29, Ibrahim is told to declare the debate/challenge to all people:

22:27. And declare the debate/challenge among people. They will come on foot and on every kind of lean transportation. They will come through every unobstructed passage. The purpose of the debate/challenge is given in the next verses: 22:28-29. So that they may witness benefits for themselves and remember The Gods name in a few days over what He Has provided for them of the animal livestock. So eat from it and feed the needy and the poor. Then they would complete their duties and fulfill their vows, and would pass by the ancient house. The purpose of going to the house ("al-bayt") is to gain benefits and to remember the God's name over livestock, eat from it, feed the poor and needy, and fulfill our duties and vows. In this case, since Ibrahim was the one addressed, the verse talks about the ancient house in verse 3:96. This is the first house that was implemented by him and Ismail (see 2:127). Verse 22:30-31 emphasizes the most important purpose of the debate, which is the hearing and obeying of the forbidden: 22:30. Thus, and whosoever honors what The God forbade, it is better for him with His Lord. And the livestock is made lawful for you except what is recited upon you. So avoid the evil of idols and avoid saying false statements. 22:31. Monotheists to The God, not setting up anything with Him. And whosoever sets-up partners with The God, then it is as if he has fallen from the sky and the flying creatures snatch him or the wind takes him to a place far off. 22:32. Thus, and whoever honors what The God makes us aware with, then it is from the forethought of the hearts. Verse 22:33 talks about the animal livestock mentioned in verse 22:28: 22:33. In them are benefits to an appointed time, then their delivery is to the ancient house. At this point verses 22:34 makes it clear that the practice of taking animal livestock to the ancient house to eat from them and use them to feed the poor and needy was a practice for the nation of Ibrahim: 22:34. And for every nation We have made a practice so that they may mention The Gods name over what He has provided for them of the animal livestock. Your god is One god, so to Him comply and give good tidings to those who obey. The verse (22:34) makes it clear that even though the purpose of the debate ("hajj") hasn't changed, the particular practices may differ, especially the ones related to the animal livestock and the ancient house. Verse 2:134 makes it clear that we are not asked about what the nation of Ibrahim did: 2:134. That is a past nation for it what it earned and for you what you earned and you are not asked about what they did. Starting from verse 22:35, the subject shifts from the debate ("hajj") to the general characteristics of those who have faith:

22:35. Those who, when God is mentioned, their hearts tremble, and they are patient to what befalls them, and they persist in the learning connections, and from what We provide them they spend. Verse 22:36 is a continuation of verse 22:35 and is still talking in the general sense and is not related to the debate ("hajj"): 22:36. And the animals We have made for you are from what The God makes people aware with, in them is good for you. So mention The Gods name upon them in succession, so once their meats are due, then eat from them and feed the poor and the needy. It was thus that We have made them in service to you, that you may be thankful. The word "sh'ar" means aware. The expression "sha'a'ir" are what makes somebody aware. Hence, "sha'a'ir Allah" in verses 22:36 means "what The God makes people aware with" and are not rites/rituals, etc. Perhaps the animals are from what The God makes us aware with ("sha'a'ir") because their servitude to us makes us aware that we are the leaders of the earth (see The trust). Verse 22:37 confirms the fact that the animals are in our service: 22:37. Neither their meat nor their blood reaches The God, but what reaches Him is the righteousness from you. It was thus that He made them in service to you, so that you may glorify The God for what He has guided you to, and give news to the good doers. Once again, we can see that 22:37, like 22:35-36 before it, is not related to the debate ("hajj"). It is interesting to note that apart from verses 22:28-29 and 22:33 that talk about the nation of Ibrahim, the word "ana'am" is never used in the reading in relation to the debate. The word used is "hadiy" and not "an'am". Why the shift in the word used? The word "hadiy" has the connotation of guidance/gift. For example, "hadiyat" in verses 27:35-36 is used to indicate a gift and in this case the gift was wealth. Although a gift can be livestock, it is not necessarily the best or most appropriate gift in all cases. The people passing by the house and persisting in it need things other than livestock and food to accomplish the purpose of the "bayt". Hence, wealth or even volunteering time to help out can be a more effective and beneficial gift. Although verse 5:95 is not related to "hajj" but to the hunting restrictions, another word that has been traditionally interpreted as "livestock" is the word "na'am" in the verse: 5:95. O you who have faith, do not kill any game while you are restricted; and whosoever of you kills it deliberately, then the recompense is to expiate with the same from the favors/benefits ("na'am"), to be judged by one with justice of you, a gift/guidance which shall reach the base; or its cancellation shall be the feeding of needy ones, or its equivalent in fasting, that is to taste the results of his deed; The God forgives what has past. And whosoever returns, then The God will seek vengeance from him. The God is Proud, capable of vengeance.

The word used for livestock throughout the reading is "an'am" not "na'am". Thus the interpretation of "na'am" as livestock is inconsistent with how the word is used in the whole reading and seems to be forced on the verse. Please look at various available translations and note that the word "hadiy" in verse 5:95 is usually interpreted as offerings/gifts and not livestock. Yet a couple verses down in 5:97, most translators suddenly interpret the same exact word as livestock. This is again a sure sign that the meaning of "hadiy" as "livestock" is being forced on the verse and is not the correct meaning. 5:97. The God has made the base the restriction house persistent for people and the restriction month and the gift/guidance and the means of control so that you know that The God knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth and that The God is knowledgeable with everything. The word "qala'id" is used in verses 5:2 and 5:97 and has been traditionally interpreted as "garlands for the livestock". Another closely related word, "maqalid" is used in verses 39:63 and 42:12 to mean "absolute control". Another word from the root "qld" is the word "taqalid' in Arabic, which are traditions that control our behavior. As we saw earlier, "sha'r" signifies "aware" and the expression "sha'a'ir" is "what makes somebody aware". Extending the same logic to "qld" and the expression "qala'id", we can conclude that it signifies "what makes somebody control". In other words, "qala'id" are means of control. So now let's map verses 5:95 against verse 5:97 and clearly hear what those means of control ("qala'id") are: First, verse 5:95 talks about the forbidden (the killing of game while we are forbidden). Similarly verse 5:97 talks first about the forbidden (the house of the forbidden and the month of the forbidden). Second, verse 5:95 talks about the gifts (favors as gifts which shall reach the base). Similarly, verse 5:97 talks next about the gifts. Third, verse 5:95 talks about the feeding of needy ones and fasting. Correspondingly, verse 5:97 talks about the means of control. Could the feeding of the needy and the fasting be the means of control talked about in 5:97? It is a fact that fasting is a means to control our worldly desire for food and drink. Similarly, giving to the needy and feeding them is a means to control our greed and selfishness. The logical structure of the verses strongly supports this understanding. From the reading, we can understand that the month of fasting is also the first month of the forbidden (see calendar). Hence, the means of control ("qala'id") mentioned in verse 5:2 now make perfect sense with the rest of the verse: 5:2. O you who have faith, do not violate what The God makes you aware with, nor the restriction month, nor the gifts/guidance, nor the means of control (feeding the needy and fasting), nor those in safety of the restriction house seeking the bounty and approval of their Lord. And when you are permitted, then you may hunt. And do not let the enmity of another people who block you from the institution of hearing and obeying the restriction make you

commit a crime by aggressing. And cooperate on righteousness and forethought of The God, and do not cooperate in crime and aggression, and be forethoughtful of The God. Indeed, The God's punishment is severe. Another series of verses that talk about the debate are verses 2:196 and 2:197-200. The introduction to verse 2:196 actually starts in verse 2:189. Verses 2:190-194 talk about fighting in self-defense. Specifically, verse 2:194 talks about fighting in retaliation for aggression during the month of the forbidden. Verse 2:195 tells the addressees to spend in the way of The God and not to deliberately hurt/kill themselves through any actions in battle or otherwise. Verse 2:196 is a continuation of the verses before it and they help place it in the proper context: 2:196. And complete the debate and the prosperity for The God. If you are held back, then what is easy of the gift/guidance, and do not shave your heads until the gift/guidance reaches its destination. Whoever of you is ill or has an affliction on his head, then you may redeem by fasting or giving a charity or a method. When you are secure, then whoever continues the visit until the debate, then he shall provide what he can of the gift/guidance. As for he who cannot find anything, then he must fast for three days during the debate and seven when he returns; this will make a complete ten; this is for those whose family did not participate in the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden. And be aware of The God, and know that The God is severe in retribution. So now the first question is, according to verse 2:196, are we required to not cut our hair for the debate? If we look at the context from the verses prior to 2:196, we see that the context is fighting and war. The proposition "when you are secure" is the inflection point in the middle of the verse where the debate process is back to normal. Hence, everything before this point such as haircutting or not haircutting is related to the condition of war. With this understanding, now verses 48:25-27 become clearer: 48:25. They are the ones who rejected and prevented you from the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden, and your gift/guidance remained from reaching its destination. Had it not been for faithful men and women whom you did not know, and you may have hurt them, and on whose account you would have committed a sin unknowingly - so The God will admit into His mercy whomever He wills - if they were apart, We would have punished those of them who rejected with a painful retribution. Verse 48:25 makes it clear that as a result of the aggression of the rejecters, the gift/guidance has been prevented from reaching its destination. This is the same exact situation described in the beginning of verse 2:196 earlier. Hence, those who have faith may not at this stage cut their hair. Let's continue reading the developments leading up to verse 48:27: 48:26. When those who rejected had put in their hearts the temper of the days of ignorance, then The God sent down tranquility upon His messenger and those who have faith, and directed them to uphold the word of righteousness, and they were well entitled to it and worthy of it. And The God is fully aware of all things. Verse 48:26 described a bloodless logical battle (a debate) where reason and good words overcame flared tempers.

48:27. Truly, The God has fulfilled the vision for his messenger with the truth. You will surely enter the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden if The God willed safely, your hair cut short and relaxed not fearing, so He knew what you didn't know, so He made other than that a near breakthrough. Now that the conflict is resolved with the word of righteousness and the gift/guidance mentioned in verse 48:25 and 2:196 is able to reach its destination, those who have faith have heard and obeyed verse 2:196 and cut their hair in verse 48:27. As we can see, the cutting or not cutting of the hair was related to a specific situation where there was a military conflict and the gift/guidance was prevented from reaching its destination and it is not a normal part of the debate. After the inflection point in verse 2:196, the second part of verse 2:196 and verses 2:197-200 talk about the debate in general under normal secure circumstances. 2:197. The debate is during the known months. If anyone declares the debate in them, then there shall be no sexual approach, nor vileness, nor argument in the debate. And any good that you do, The God is aware of it; and bring provisions for yourselves, though the best provision is forethought; and be forethoughtful of Me O those of understanding. 2:198. There is no sin upon you to seek goodness from your Lord. So when you finish from meeting/getting acquainted, then remember The God at what makes you aware of the forbidden, and remember Him for He has guided you and you were before that straying. 2:199. Then you shall disperse from where the people dispersed, and seek The Gods forgiveness; The God is surely Forgiving, Most Merciful. 2:200. When you have completed your methods, then remember The God as you remember your fathers or even greater... The word "'arafat" in verse 2:198 is not the proper name of a place. It is a common name signifying "meeting/getting acquainted". 49:13. O people, We have created you male and female and We have made you branches and tribes to meet/get acquainted ("li ta'arafu"). Indeed your most honored at The God is the most forethoughtful, indeed The God is Knowledgeable, Expert. 22:27. And declare the debate among people. They will come on foot and on every kind of lean transportation. They will come through every unobstructed passage. When verses 49:13, 22:27 and 2:198 are understood without the cover of tradition and the invented proper name, the meaning becomes clear. Notice also that like verse 49:13, verse 2:197 emphasizes the benefit of being forethoughtful of The God. Conclusion In this study, we saw that our target is the implementation of hearing and obeying the forbidden, which is equivalent to following the straight path, and this is our only obligation. Since only The God decrees the obligation (see 42:21) and what is forbidden (for example see 6:144), this is also equivalent to obedience/"islam" to The God and hearing and obeying

The God. The learning connection helps us understand The God's revelations and signs properly so that we can obey effectively. The purification helps this understanding by purifying us from the cover of erroneous preconceived notions and inherited false traditions. The debate helps in continuously improving our understanding by allowing other people to freely challenge preconceived notions and expose any fallacious arguments and allowing us to promote the remembrance of The God through the reminder. This system can be mirrored by any nation for effective government. In the case of a nation that takes the reading as a constitution , its government institution would be built on the principles in the reading. Such government can be considered an institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden. The legislative assembly house where people safely gather to debate can be considered the house of the forbidden. The passers by ("ta'ifin") would be the people visiting to participate in the debate and the remaining ("'akifin") would be the elected representatives and government volunteers who maintain the institution of hearing and obeying the forbidden. It is clear from the beginning of the book that the primary activity that those who have faith/trust do is "salat" (for example see 2:3). Once we understand "salat" as a learning connection or a knowledge improvement process then it becomes clear that faith is not blind faith but is one based on knowledge and understanding. It is also notable that the word "ayat" in the reading refers to the verses of the book and also the signs in the heavens in the earth. The example of Ibrahim will help us understand. What was Ibrahim naturally doing in verses 6:75-79? He was doing "salat". Coincidently (or not) the times when he got nearer to the truth match the times of "salat al fajr" (the time of the fading of the moon and other nightly luminous objects such as planets in 6:76-77) and "salat al isha" (the time of the fading of the sun in 6:78). Hence, a nation that persists in the learning connection would also be scientifically advanced and would be able to harness the signs in the heavens and the earth for the benefit of people. Studying the "ayats" of The God whether in the quran or in the heavens and the earth is a natural instinct that we are all born with. Hence, when The God ordered the prophets and they in turn ordered their families to do "salat" no one had to ask what "salat" is. Even as a baby, Issa knew how to do "salat" as clear from 19:31. The flying creatures and all creatures (including us) naturally know their "salat" as clear from 24:41. The first thing that people who are going to hell will say is "we were not from 'almusaleen'"/those who connect the learning (see 74:43). Those who do not have faith/trust are described in many places in the great reading as ignorant and not understanding (for example see 10:100). Here is how the human was first described upon accepting the trust: 33:72. We presented the trust on the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, so they refused that they bear it, and they were cautious from it, and the human bore it, for he truly was unjust, ignorant. The learning connection is what helps us overcome ignorance and fulfill the trust. Finally, what are the "safa" and "marwah" in verse 2:158?

2:158. The "safa" and "marwah" are amongst what The God makes us aware with. So whoever debates the house or prospers, there is no blame on him should he pass by them. And whoever does good voluntarily, then The God is Appreciative, Knowledgeable. Since they are amongst what The God makes us aware with, they could possibly have something to do with livestock. A plural word closely related to "safa", which is "sawaf", can be found in 22:36: 22:36. And the animals used for offering We have made for you from "sha3air Allah", in them is good for you. So mention The Gods name upon them "sawaf"/lined up for slaughter, so once their meats are done, then eat from them and give food to the poor and the needy. It was thus that We have made them in service to you, that you may be thankful. Please note that 22:36 is talking in the context of "hajj", the same exact context of 2:158. Moreover, 22:36 describes the animals as "sha3air Allah" exactly like "safa" and "marwah" are described as "sha3air Allah" in 2:158. The classical Arabic dictionary meaning of "safa" means "the camel and the sheep that give a lot of milk" and "the palm tree that carries a lot of dates". Also, a related word "safif" means "meat". As for "marwah" it has a meaning of the white fragile stone where a cooking fire is started. It also means "the stone on which an animal is slaughtered". So by consistently understanding 22:36 and 2:158 using classical Arabic dictionaries and applying the appropriate context of "sha3air Allah" and "hajj", here is a translation of 2:158: 2:158. The camel and the sheep that give a lot of milk and the stone on which they are cooked/slaughtered are from what The God makes us aware with so whomever visits the house or maintains there is no blame on him if he passes by/partakes in them and whoever does good voluntarily, then The God is Appreciative, Knowledgeable. So we see that 2:158 and 22:36 are talking about the same concepts of animal slaughter during the gathering of "hajj" to eat from it and feed the needy and poor. As always, there are still many remaining issues. For example, is the word "hadiy" better interpreted as gift or as guidance in the context of the debate? At this stage, it can go either way. This is one of the remaining questions that may be answered as we, and hopefully our children, continue to persist in the learning connection. IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: 2:2. This is the book no doubt in it, a guidance for the forethoughtful. This article reflects my personal interpretation of the verses of the reading as of November 29, 2004. I will try to improve my understanding of the great reading and the universe, except if The God wills and perhaps my Lord guides me to what is nearer in rationality. Please

verify all information within for yourself as commanded in 17:36, and remember that simply "none" is the forethoughtful answer to 45:6. If The God willed, the outcome of this article will be beneficial.

2:31. And He taught Adam the names of all things, then He displayed them to those given control and said: "Inform Me the names of these things if you were truthful."

Intercession
I seek refuge in God from Satan the rejected In the name of God ,Most Gracious Most Merciful

And preach with this (Quran) to those who reverence the summoning before their Lord - they have none beside Him as a Lord and Master, nor an intercessor - that they may attain salvation. [6:51] INTERCESSION [39:43-44] Have they invented intercessors to mediate between them and GOD? Say, "What if they do not possess any power, nor understanding?" Say, "All INTERCESSION belongs to GOD." To Him belongs all sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, then to Him you will be returned. Intercession is one of Satan's most effective trick to entice people into idol worship . To believe that someone possesses a partnership with God in anything is setting up a god besides Him . And this is what the myth of intercession is about . To believe that God will share his authority of intercession with powerless beings (like Muhammed, Jesus , Saints ) . The Quran has repeatedly declared that all intercession belongs to God but the human being is the most argumentative creature. [39:44] Say, "All intercession belongs to GOD." To Him belongs all sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, then to Him you will be returned. [6:70] You shall disregard those who take their religion in vain, as if it is a social function, and are totally absorbed in this worldly life. Remind with this (Quran), lest a soul may suffer the consequences of its evil earnings. It has none beside GOD as a Lord and Master, nor an INTERCESSOR. If it could offer any kind of ransom, it would not be accepted. They suffer the consequences of the evil works they earn; they have incurred hellish drinks, and a painful retribution because of their disbelief. WILL THERE BE INTERCESSION? WILL IT BE USEFUL?

Kind of . The Quran tells us that on the Day of Judgement ,for example ,if a father would request God to forgive his son then God would forgive him only if the intercession coincides with His will .i.e. God will only forgive him if he is really deserves His forgiveness and not only because his father requested so . Thus intercession will take place on the Day of Judgement ,but it will be utterly useless. [34:23] INTERCESSION with Him will be in vain, unless it coincides with His will [74:48] The INTERCESSION of the INTERCESSORS will never help them. [20:109] On that day, INTERCESSION will be useless, except for those permitted by the Most Gracious, and whose utterances conform to His will. [2:255] GOD: there is no other god besides Him, the Living, the Eternal. Never a moment of unawareness or slumber overtakes Him. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. Who could INTERCEDE with Him, except in accordance with His will? He knows their past, and their future. No one attains any knowledge, except as He wills. His dominion encompasses the heavens and the earth, and ruling them never burdens Him. He is the Most High, the Great. BELIEF IN INTERCESSION IS IDOL WORSHIP !!! [10:18] THEY WORSHIP BESIDE GOD IDOLS that possess no power to harm them or benefit them, and they say, "THESE ARE OUR INTERCESSORS AT GOD!" Say, "Are you informing GOD of something He does not know in the heavens or the earth?" Be He glorified. He is the Most High; far above needing partners. Did God require Muhammeds advice when he created the heavens and the earth ? Did Muhammed have any share in your creation ? Did Muhammed had any share in deciding your Destiny ? Did God require Muhammed as a partner to to shape your life in this world ? The answer is NO. Why then would God require Muhammed as a partner ,as a god besides the only God , to decide your life in the Hereafter ?!! [32:4] GOD is the One who created the heavens and the earth, and everything between them in six days, then assumed all authority. You have none beside Him as Lord, nor do you have an INTERCESSOR. Would you not take heed? [34:22] Say, "Implore the idols you have set up beside GOD. They do not possess as much as a single atom in the heavens, or the earth. They possess no partnership therein, nor does He permit them to be His assistants." [10:18] He is the Most High; far above needing partners. Are God AND Muhammed the masters of the Day of Judgement OR is God alone the Master ? [1:3-4] Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment.

MESSENGERS COULD NOT INTERCEDE Muhammedans claim that Muhammed will intercede for them on the DOJ . Christians claim Jesus will save them . But the Quran tells us that no one, including the prophets and messengers, ever had any power to intercede ,nor will they have on the DOJ . Do you think God will give them the power of intercession and say choose your favourites? [4:123] It is not in accordance with your wishes, or the wishes of the people of the scripture: anyone who commits evil pays for it, and will have no helper or supporter against GOD. You think the messengers will help you ? But who will help the messengers ? Quran tells us that the messengers have to much to worry about themselves : [21:28] He knows their future and their past. They (messengers) do not INTERCEDE, except for those already accepted by Him, and they are worried about their own necks. [17:57] Even the idols that they implore are seeking the ways and means towards their Lord. They pray for His mercy, and fear His retribution. Surely, the retribution of your Lord is dreadful. [39:43-44] Have they invented INTERCESSORS to mediate between them and GOD? Say, "What if they do not possess any power, nor understanding?" Say, "All INTERCESSION belongs to GOD." To Him belongs all sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, then to Him you will be returned. The Quran tells us that messengers had implored God to save their relatives and loved ones , but God would not guide the wicked , nor would he let them roam the Paradise just because the messengers ,His slaves, requested so . They get what they deserve .
NOAH COULD NOT SAVE HIS SON:

[11:45-46] Noah implored his Lord: "My Lord, my son is a member of my family, and Your promise is the truth. You are the wisest of the wise." He(God) said, "O Noah, he is not of your family. It is unrighteous to ask Me for something you do not know. I enlighten you, lest you be like the ignorant." [11:47] He said, "My Lord, I seek refuge in You, lest I implore You again for something I do not know. Unless You forgive me, and have mercy on me, I will be with the losers." Abraham could not help his father . Abraham implored God to forgive his father : [19:47] He (Abraham) said, "Peace be upon you (father). I will implore my Lord to forgive you; He has been Most Kind to me. But when he was told that his father is an enemy of God and will not be forgiven ,he disowned him . [9:114] The only reason Abraham asked forgiveness for his father was that he had promised him to do so. But as soon as he realized that he was an enemy of GOD, he disowned him. Abraham was extremely kind, clement.

Christians claim that Jesus will save them . But on the DOJ ,instead of requesting God to forgive them ,he leaves the judgement, to God ,where it belongs . [5:118] "If You punish them, they are Your constituents. If You forgive them, You are the Almighty, Most Wise." MUHAMMED COULD NOT INTERCEDE ON BEHALF OF HIS RELATIVES !!! Muhammed could not help his uncle Abu Lahab . He was old that his uncle and aunty are destined for Hell . [111:1-5] Condemned are the works of Abee Lahab, and he is condemned. His money and whatever he has accomplished will never help him. He has incurred the blazing Hell. Also his wife, who led the persecution. She will be (resurrected) with a rope of thorns around her neck. MUHAMMED COULD NOT GUARANTEE ANYONE'S SALVATION [80:5-7] As for the rich man. You gave him your attention. Even though YOU COULD NOT GUARANTEE HIS SALVATION. WILL MUHAMMED INTERCEDE OR COMPLAIN ? On the DOJ instead of requesting God to forgive his people , Muhammed will complain that his people have deserted the Quran (and not Hadith) . [25:30] The messenger said, "My Lord, my people have deserted this Quran." You thought Muhammed would protest at Gods judgement to help you ?! EVEN THE ANGELS DO NOT POSSESS AUTHORITY TO INTERCEDE Forget Muhammeds intercession . God has clearly stated in verse 53:26 that even the angels do not possess any power to intercede !!! You believe in God ?? [53:26] Not even the angels in heaven possess authority to INTERCEDE. The only ones permitted by GOD are those who act in accordance with His will and His approval. CONCLUSION : NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO HELP YOU AGAINST GOD [36:23] "Shall I set up beside Him gods? If the Most Gracious willed any harm for me, their INTERCESSION cannot help me one bit, nor can they rescue me. [17:56] Say, "Implore whatever idols you have set up beside Him." They have no power to relieve your afflictions, nor can they prevent them. [2:254] O you who believe, you shall give to charity from the provisions we have given to you, before a day comes where there is no trade, no nepotism, and no INTERCESSION. The disbelievers are the unjust.

If God willed any harm for you ,no intercession can help you against Him . Muhammed, Jesus ,prophets , saints ,angels ,all are powerless against Gods will and all of them submit to God ,willingly or unwillingly . And as the above verse tells us , believing in intercessors besides God is setting up gods besides Him . But only on the DOJ will the idol worshippers realize that [7:53] "The messengers of our Lord have brought the truth. Are there any INTERCESSORS to INTERCEDE on our behalf? Would you send us back, so that we change our behavior, and do better works than what we did?" Too late . As the verse continues They have lost their souls, and THEIR OWN INNOVATIONS HAVE CAUSED THEIR DOOM. [6:94] "You have come back to us as individuals, just as we created you the first time, and you have left behind what we provided for you. We do not see with you the INTERCESSORS that you idolized and claimed that they will help you. All ties among you have been severed; the idols you set up have abandoned you."

Introduction to Peacefulness
One would think that peacefulness doesn't need an introduction. Under ideal circumstances people who read the title would anticipate most, if not all, of what will come next just from the title. Unfortunately, the evident lack of peacefulness amongst humankind may require at least a brief introduction. Those who will read the title and anticipate what I am talking about will recognize that this is about understanding the meaning of the word "islam". The conclusion is in the title. This article will explain how this conclusion was reached and will explore some astonishing implications. REVISITING THE NAME 22:78. And strive for the god his true striving. He has brought you and has made no hardship on you in the obligation, the creed of your father Ibrahim. He (the god) named you the peaceful ("al-muslimeen") before and in this, so that the messenger will be a witness against you and you will be witnesses against the people. Thus, persist in the learning connection and bring betterment and hold to the god. He is your protector, a most excellent protector and most excellent supporter. Proper names are not translated. Hence, names such as Ibrahim/Abraham, Ismail/Ishmael Is7ac/Isaac and Maryam/Mary are similar in Hebrew, English and Arabic with some phonetic variations and cross-language mispronunciation. For example, Ibrahim is a proper name and hence in the great reading it is not translated into Arabic from what it meant in Canaanite, Old Akkadian or whatever ancient language Abraham spoke.

On the other hand, let's think about the word "al-muslimeen" in 22:78 for a minute. Were Abraham's followers named what would have been at their time a gibberish word from a future language that wasn't even invented yet? Of course not! Proposing that "al-muslimeen" in 22:78 is a proper name is no different than proposing that 1400 years ago the followers of the prophet were actually called "The Submitters" long before Modern English was invented. Saying "The Submitters" to Arabs 1400 years ago or "Al Muslimeen" to Ibrahim's followers a few thousand years earlier would have sounded just as gibberish as saying "Qasdhwdkfvwdhcv" to people reading this article. It will still be gibberish to the readers even if thousands of years from now some yet to be invented language will have "qasdhwdkfvwdhcv" as a meaningful word. So definitely "al-muslimeen" is a common noun and thus should be translated. The next question becomes what should the common noun "al-muslimeen" be translated as? The word "al-muslimeen", when translated, is most commonly translated as "the submitters". In fact, a new sect named The Submitters has sprung and in their case the word reverted to becoming a proper name. But is "the submitters" the right translation for "al-muslimeen"? Rightly so, several thoughtful people have pointed out that the terms "submitter/submission" sound incomplete. In other words, the natural question that arises when one says "submitter/submission" is submitter/submission to what? Since, "'al-muslimeen" is a common noun and there is no further explanation for the "to what?" given in 22:78, my first thought was that if a better translation is to be found, it must be a self contained word that doesn't require further explanation. As usual, the next step for the study was to examine all the passages where the Arabic root "slm" and its derivatives occur to see the common thread that runs across most of the occurrences. In many of the passages, the meaning of "peace" seems to be prevalent. For example, 47:35, 8:61, 4:90-91, 4:92, 4:94, 5:16, 6:54, 6:127, 7:46, 8:61, 10:10, 10:25, 11:48, 11:69, 13:24, 14:23, 15:46, 15:52, 16:28, 16:32, 16:87, 19:15, 19:33, 19:47, 19:62, 20:47, 21:69, 25:63, 25:75, 27:59, 2 8:55, 36:58, 37:79, 37:109, 37:120, 37:130, 37:181, 39:73, 43:89, 50:34, 51:25, 56:26, 56:91, 59:23, 97:5. It can be noticed right away that the same exact form "silm" is used in passages such as 2:208, 8:61, 16:87 and 47:35. However, all translators trans lated the same exact form in two completely different ways in those passages. In some instances it was translated as "submission" and in others it was translated as "peace". For example, let's consider 2:208 and 47:35. 002.208 YUSUFALI: O ye who believe! Enter into Islamwhole-heartedly; and follow not the footsteps of the evil one; for he is to you an avowed enemy. PICKTHAL: O ye who believe! Come, all of you, into submission (unto Him) ; and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Lo! he is an open enemy for you. SHAKIR: O you who believe! enter into submissionone and all and do not follow the footsteps of Shaitan; surely he is your open enemy. KHALIFA: O you who believe, you shall embracetotal submission; do not follow the steps of Satan, for he is your most ardent enemy.

047.035 YUSUFALI: Be not weary and faint-hearted, crying for peace, when ye should be uppermost: for Allah is with you, and will never put you in loss for your (good) deeds. PICKTHAL: So do not falter and cry out for peacewhen ye (will be) the uppermost, and Allah is with you, and He will not grudge (the reward of) your actions. SHAKIR: And be not slack so as to cry for peaceand you have the upper hand, and Allah is with you, and He will not bring your deeds to naught. KHALIFA: Therefore, you shall not waver and surrender in pursuit of peace, for you are guaranteed victory, and GOD is with you. He will never waste your efforts. Unlike "submission" which wouldn't fit in 47:35 or 8:61, "peace/peacefulness" fits well in all those passages. Hence, passages such as 2:208 and 16:87 make good sense when substituting "peace/peacefulness" in the translations. For example, here is 2:208: 002.208 YUSUFALI: O ye who believe! Enter intopeacefulness whole-heartedly; and follow not the footsteps of the evil one; for he is to you an avowed enemy. PICKTHAL: O ye who believe! Come, all of you, into peacefulness; and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Lo! he is an open enemy for you. SHAKIR: O you who believe! enter intopeacefulness one and all and do not follow the footsteps of Shaitan; surely he is your open enemy. KHALIFA: O you who believe, you shall embracepeacefulness; do not follow the steps of Satan, for he is your most ardent enemy. If "islam" means peacefulness and "muslim" means peaceful or peacemaker then what are the implications? Why is the concept of peacefulness so important? THE PREVALENCE OF PEACEFULNESS In order to understand how the concept of peacefulness is prevalent throughout the great reading, even when not mentioned, let's take an example. 6:165. And He is the one who made you leaders of the earth and raised in grades some of you over others, to test you in what He gave you, indeed your Lord is swift in punishment and indeed He is forgiving and merciful. 35:39. He is the one who made you leaders of the earth, so whoever is ungrateful, on him is his ungratefulness. The ungratefulness of the unappreciative doesn't increase anything at their Lord except abhorrence and the ungratefulness of the unappreciative doesn't increase them anything except loss. 2:30. And when your Lord said to the controllers: "I am making in the earth a leader". They said: "Do you make in it one who corrupts in it and sheds the bloods, while we exalt with your praise and sanctify for You?" He said: "I know what you don't know." With the understanding that "islam" means peacefulness, we can now see that since the very beginning, it was always about peacefulness. We can see that in 2:30, the general lack of peacefulness on the part of humans as foreseen by the controllers was the cause of their objection to making humans leaders of the earth.

With this understanding, let's reexamine 22:78. The clear signs were in it all along: 22:78. And strive for the god his true striving. He has brought you and has made no hardship on you in the obligation, the creed of your father Ibrahim. He (the god) named you the peaceful ("al-muslimeen") before and in this, so that the messenger will be a witness against you and you will be witnesses against humankind. Thus, persist in the learning connection and bring betterment and hold to the god. He is your protector, a most excellent protector and most excellent supporter. We are told that the reason for naming us "the peaceful" is two fold: 1. The messenger will be a witness against us. 2. We will be a witness against humankind. The definition of a witness can be summed up as one who testifies the truth in the case of a dispute. We know from the great reading that the messenger and the message are practically synonymous. What is the issue in dispute and how is the message a witness against us? The issue in disputation is mentioned right at the beginning of the passage. By saying "true striving for the god", it is implicit in that statement that there is false striving for the god. The message of the passage is us being named "the peaceful" by the god. This message will be a witness against us in the dispute of what constitutes true striving ("jihad") for the god as opposed to false striving ("jihad") for the god. Thus, we cannot corrupt and cause destruction in the earth and shed the bloods as the controllers foresaw in 2:30 and claim that we are doing it because we are striving for the god. By describing us as the peaceful in the god's message, it will be a witness against us. Similarly by being the peaceful, we will be witnesses against those who do not strive for the god the true striving and instead corrupt in the earth and shed the bloods while claiming to strive for the god. Another interesting passage that can now be better understood is 37:103. 037.103 YUSUFALI: So when they had both submitted their wills (to Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice), PICKTHAL: Then, when they had both surrendered (to Allah), and he had flung him down upon his face, SHAKIR: So when they both submitted and he threw him down upon his forehead, KHALIFA: They both submitted, and he put his forehead down (to sacrifice him). Notice that Yusufali and Pickthal had to insert "to Allah" to have the passage make sense because "submitted" by itself is incomplete. An important word in the passage is the verb "tal". Here are what Classical Arabic dictionaries say about this word: ": Translation: "tal" something in his hand: Place it on the hand or push/pull it to him. For example, if I say ""tal" the object to me", this would mean I pushed/pulled the object to me. So "tal" to my forehead: Place it against my forehead or pushed/pulled it to my forehead.

Now let's retranslate the passage with the new understanding about the meaning of "aslam": 37:103. So when they became peaceful and he (Ibrahim) pulled him (his son) to his (Ibrahim's) forehead. Is having a knife and getting ready to slaughter someone and throwing him down "becoming peaceful"? Does the above passage give the image of someone with a knife who is pushing another person and is about to slaughter him? Of course not and a knife is not even mentioned! Now with this improved translation, we can see that the passage actually gives the image of Ibrahim and his son becoming peaceful and Ibrahim lovingly hugging his son. This is an example of the application of 22:78. Ibrahim strives for the god the true striving by doing the peaceful thing even after believing that the dream was an order from the god. Many evils in the world and lots of wars and destruction have taken place in the name of striving for the god. This goes against our most basic purpose to serve the god by being good leaders of the earth and not corrupting in it and shedding blood. With a single word, the god's message stands as an irrefutable witness against those who cause wars and destruction while claiming to strive for the god. This is why in the great reading fighting is only prescribed in self-defense. Fighting is never prescribed to spread religion or conquer others. Our "deen"/obligation to the god is "islam"/peacefulness. This is what those who had faith are told in passages such as 2:193 and 8:39. 2:193. And fight them until there is no more persecution and the obligation is to the god (i.e. peacefulness is established), so if they desist, there should be no aggression except against the aggressors. There are many implications to understanding "islam" as peacefulness. Now many things fall into place. Now we can see a behavior as trivial as calling each other bad names is strongly condemned in the great reading and made almost as important as having faith. It is because such behavior doesn't promote peacefulness between people. 049.011 YUSUFALI: O ye who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): Nor let some women laugh at others: It may be that the (latter are better than the (former): Nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other, nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames: Ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness, (to be used of one) after he has believed: And those who do not desist are (indeed) doing wrong. PICKTHAL: O ye who believe! Let not a folk deride a folk who may be b etter than they (are), not let women (deride) women who may be better than they are; neither defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. Bad is the name of lewdness after faith. And whoso turneth not in repentance, such are evil-doers. SHAKIR: O you who believe! let not (one) people laugh at (another) people perchance they may be better than they, nor let women (laugh) at (other) women, perchance they may be better than they; and do not find fault with your own people nor call one another by nicknames; evil is a bad name after faith, and whoever does not turn, these

it is that are the unjust. KHALIFA: O you who believe, no people shall ridicule other people, for they may be better than they. Nor shall any women ridicule other women, for they may be better than they. Nor shall you mock one another, or make fun of your names. Evil indeed is the reversion to wickedness after attaining faith. Anyone who does not repent after this, these are the transgressors. It is all about peacefulness as clear from 2:132 and 3:102. 2.132. And this was the legacy that Abraham left to his sons, and so did Jacob; "Oh my sons! The god has chosen the obligation for you, so do not die except while you are peaceful." Peace upon everyone who follows the guidance. CONCLUSION In the international media we increasingly hear many untranslated Arabic words. Examples include words such as Islam, Muslims, Islamist, Jihad, Alqaida, etc... By taking such words as proper names or meaningless labels, those who spread corruption in the earth have been able to attach whatever meanings they want to those words. Both Arabic and non-Arabic speakers have been deceived by such tactics. For example, when the word Jihad is mentioned, the first image that is evoked in the minds of the majority of Arabic and non-Arabic speakers is that of a religious holy war. This meaning has taken hold despite the fact that all Arabic dictionaries say that the word "jihad" simply means "striving". Of course, "striving" is a positive word that doesn't carry violent connotations in the minds of the audience. Being Arabic speakers has not helped people avoid this trap because the proper name blocks the true meaning of a word even in Arabic. As we have seen, by transforming a word into a proper name, a new meaning has been attached to a neutral or positive word. This phenomenon has worked both ways and thus we also see Arabic words with a negative meaning being used as proper names whose inventors have intended as positive. For example, ironically the opposite of those who strive ("al-mujahidun") in the great reading is the idle ("al-qaidun") according to passages such as 4:95. Those who lied to the god and his messenger are said to have been idle ("qaid") in 9:90. Generally the word "qaid" in the great reading has the meaning of "stop/idle/hinder". Thus, the "qawaid" are what stops a building from falling (2:127, 16:26) and "qawaid" are also women who stopped desiring marriage (24:60). We also hear about the descendents of Israel who disobeyed Moses as being idle ("qaidun") in 5:24. Even the devil himself is described as hindering ("qaid") humans from the straight path of the god (7:16). In Arabic, the feminine form has the same meaning as the masculine form but adds intensification. So in the context of striving, "al-qaida" actually is the opposite of the true striving and it means "the intensely idle/the intensely hindering". Whoever chose the name Alqaida for an outfit that we often hear about on the news as a symbol of "extreme Islamic Jihad", must be completely clueless about the great reading and Classical Arabic. Whoever chose that name was certainly hopelessly ignorant of the connotation of the word in the great reading and the fact that it actually means the opposite of

striving ("jihad"). Indeed, they scheme and scheme but the god is the best schemer. The god's message continues to be a witness against those who claim to strive for the god in order to commit corruption in the earth. How do we strive for the god his true striving? The answer is given in 22:78: 22:78. And strive for the god his true striving. He has brought you and has made no hardship on you in the obligation, the creed of your father Ibrahim. He (the god) named you the peaceful ("al-muslimeen") before and in this, so that the messenger will be a witness against you and you will be witnesses against humankind. Thus, persist in the learning connection and bring betterment and hold to the god. He is your protector, a most excellent protector and most excellent supporter. We strive for the god his true striving by continuing to learn and teach others about his message, bringing betterment as opposed to corruption in the earth, and holding on to him. This is not really a conclusion but is a humble step forward in a long journey. It is a step for restoring the true meaning of the striving for the god. We can start by teaching people about the real meaning that was blocked by the proper names. When such barriers are removed, the world will be a better place. Suddenly, "extreme peaceful striving" doesn't sound so bad. IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: 2:2. This is the book no doubt in it, a guidance for the forethoughtful. This article reflects my personal interpretation of the passages of the great reading as of November 19, 2006. I will try to improve my under standing of the great reading and the universe, except if the god wills and perhaps my lord guides me to what is nearer in rationality. Please verify all information within for yourself as commanded in 17:36, and remember that simply "none" is the forethoughtful answer to 45:6. If the god willed, the outcome of this article will be beneficial.

How to read and study The Quran?

In undertaking this work (Quran434.com), I had to completely re -assess commonly accepted ideas and prevailing thought. Whilst this t ask was demanding, my approach was relatively simple, which anyone can follow. When I study The Quran, I often consider the following: Am I for/against a certain outcome? If I sense I am, I try to understand why to free myself from this bias/shackle, so I can truly let the message tell me what it is saying, rather than me tell it.
The perfect way is only difficult for those who pick and choose. Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear. Make a hairbreadth difference and heaven and earth are set ap art; if you want the truth to stand clear before you, never be for or against. The struggle between "for" and "against" is the mind's worst disease. ~ Zen commonly attributed to Bruce Lee

Critical Thinking Lessons

Is my understanding of the verse logical? If God is the author of The Quran, then it will contain the utmost precision and logic. A firm grasp of this aspect will significantly improve the chances of gaining an accurate understanding. Logic, Rhetoric, Legal Reasoning in the Quran: God's arguments (book) Logical Fallacies information Does my understanding conflict with another part of its message? If so, it must be rejected. This includes specifics and its general principles and limits. Cross-reference becomes a must. Root and Word cross-reference resource Topical Index of Quran
Does my understanding fit the grammar? Quite often, seemingly small differences in grammar can make a significant difference to the interpretation.

Corpus.Quran.com Arabic Through Quran (book) Arabic: an Essential Grammar (pdf)

Is my understanding practical? It should be considered if the resulting understanding is actually possible to enforce or implement practically in the real world. Are there different views on this issue? Consultation of multiple sources/books and discussion with others is an important aspect in understanding. Quite often, others will highlight issues you may not have thought of. Be open, weigh and consider them. Time. If my knowledge is so that I cannot conclude anything then I should not, as there is no harm in taking one's time. Gaining knowledge is a continual learning process, therefore patience and gradual acceptance is key. When unsure, turn to God and continue to do good and be good. Do not rush an understanding, as it is possible you are not ready for it [5:101, 20:114]. When you are in a God-conscious state of mind, you will be more in tune to His message, thus understanding of it will become much easier.

What does The Quran say?

The following is a brief list taken directly from The Quran on how to process information, read, study and understand it: 16:98 - seek God's spiritual aid, away from the forces of satan/opposition (e.g. emotional instability, personal desire, self-delusion, arrogance, prejudice, deviation). 3:7 - ground oneself in solid principles, maintain sincerity. 6:56, 13:37, 30:29, 42:14 -15 - be wary of following desires as opposed to following God's revelation. 3:195, 4:135, 5:8, 8:61, 28:54, 42:40 - remain true to its principles of justice, equivalence, fairness, compassion, opting for the good/better response etc. 6:114, 12:111, 17:89, 16:89, 18:54, 39:27 - try to utilise and appreciate its complete system of concepts. 4:82 - anything from God will not have contradiction/inconsistency/variance. This also applies to our understanding as well. If we formulate a correct interpretation of The

Quran, we will find that everything falls into place. This is one of the most crucial criteria. 5:101, 20:114, 25:32, 73:20, 75:17 - do not rush our learning, read what is easy of it, gradually build knowledge and acceptance to strengthen one's heart, and ask God to increase our knowledge. 73:4-5 - in order to receive a weighty or profound word or saying, we need to arrange the likenesses in The Quran, e.g. cross-reference concepts/words/topics. 21:10, 30:30, 41:53, 51:20-21 - its information and teachings should map to our reality (within our psyche,
experience and to the furthest horizons). All signs, internal and external can point to the truth of it and act as a verification mechanism. 29:20, 3:137, 3:190-191, 45:3-4 - knowledge of archaeology/biology/physics/history/sciences/philosophy etc will all help to better understand it. 6:75-79, 21:57-67, 36:78-79, 21:22, 23:91, 2:258, 12:26-27, 22:5-6, 2:260 - promotes logical thinking. 8:22 - strong affinity towards use of reason. 49:6, 45:24, 6:116, 53:28, 2:111, 21:24 - disapproves of conjecture/guesswork and promotes examination of evidence. 34:46, 6:50, 2:219, 3:191, 10:24, 16:44, 30:21 - shows the importance of reflection, to deeply consider/think. 47:24, 23:68 - "tadabbur" means to ponder over something giving careful consideration to its consequences.

41:44 - language is not a barrier, belief/acceptance of it will help understanding. 25:33, 17:41 - it contains the best response/explanation.
39:18, 42:38 - listen and consider other views and follow what is best of them. 6:116, 12:106 - majority opinion means nothing.

2:2, 3:138, 10:37 - a guide for the god-conscious/forethoughtful, there is no doubt in it, thus understandings which raise doubt about it must be carefully reviewed. 17:45-46 - to not believe in the hereafter can act as a barrier to its understanding. 12:3, 18:54, 17:89, 7:176, 12:111 - look to its internal examples, stories within it give u s lessons, it is a
clarification for all things.

2:170, 7:28, 6:112, 7:70, 26:74, 43:23 - advised not to blindly follow the teachings of our ancestors. 17:36, 39:9 - seek knowledge, verify, use your God-given senses. 25:1, 2:185, 6:114-115 - it is the criterion with which to determine/judge. 7:204 - give it full attention, focus. 19:76 - it increases guidance for the guided, i.e. those who continuously turn towards, seek it and follow it. 22:46, 7:179 - open your heart and mind. 13:17 - any interpretation must always be understood in a way that is focused on benefiting mankind and our development. 15:1, 17:82, 36:2, 2:97, 45:20, 10:57, 56:77, 85:21 - any understanding should reflect its attributes, such as: wisdom, mercy, healing, nobl e, glad tidings, blessing, clear etc. 17:9 - guides to what is straight/upright/establishing.
20:2 - it has not been sent to make us suffer unnecessarily, thus any interpretation should bear this in mind.

22:54, 34:37 - those closest are those who believe and do good works, implying god consciousness/righteousness and understanding could go hand in hand.
56:79 - purity of mind/heart will grasp it. Work on this aspect of oneself as you seek guidance. 3:79, 75:18 - apply what you learn/know.

39:27-29 - variance rejected, no crookedness, one consistent source is the preference. 4:87, 31:6 39:23, 77:50 - stick with a solid/proven source, not a baseless narration/hadith. The Quran is the best, most truthful and only obligatory hadith.

May your studies be fruitful. Peace.