Happiness: Live a God-centric life to find it

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

Everyone is looking for happiness. But most look for happiness in the wrong places, such as the materials of this world.

Happiness comes from God, and is a quality of the soul, not the body. A successful person in this life, may have all the cars, houses, fame, and riches that can be imagined, but will still be unhappy if they don’t have God in their lives.

Worldly Materials Are Nil

[Quran 9:85] Do not be impressed by their money or their children; GOD causes these to be sources of misery for them in this world, and their souls depart as disbelievers.

[Quran 92:5-7] As for him who gives to charity and maintains righteousness. And upholds the scripture. We will direct him towards happiness.
[Quran 92:8-11] But he who is stingy, though he is rich. And disbelieves in the scripture. We will direct him towards misery. His money cannot help him when he falls.

[Quran 10:62] Absolutely, GOD's allies have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.
[10:63] They are those who believe and lead a righteous life.
[10:64] For them, joy and happiness in this world, as well as in the Hereafter. This is GOD's unchangeable law. Such is the greatest triumph.
*10:62-64 Most people think that they have to wait until the Day of Resurrection before they receive their rewards for righteousness, or the retribution for wickedness. But the Quran repeatedly assures the believers that they are guaranteed perfect happiness here in this world, now and forever. At the end of their interim here, they go directly to Paradise (see Appendix 17).

The secret of happiness is in a well-developed and nourished soul. To be happy, we have to make a choice to be with God whole-heartedly, and nourish our souls through righteousness.

[Quran 20:130] Therefore, be patient in the face of their utterances, and praise and glorify your Lord before sunrise and before sunset. And during the night glorify Him, as well as at both ends of the day, that you may be happy.

Guaranteed Happiness Now and Forever
[Quran 16:97] Anyone who works righteousness, male or female, while believing, we will surely grant them a happy life in this world, and we will surely pay them their full recompense (on the Day of Judgment) for their righteous works.

[Psalms 1:1-2] Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.

Reference: Living a Godcentric life for Happiness

Peace.

Charity

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

With Ramadan (the month of fasting) approaching, many submitters to God focus on developing their souls. One of the means God gives us for soul growth is charity.

[Quran 3:133-134] You should eagerly race towards forgiveness from your Lord and a Paradise whose width encompasses the heavens and the earth; it awaits the righteous, who give to charity during the good times, as well as the bad times. They are suppressors of anger, and pardoners of the people. GOD loves the charitable.

A good opportunity suggested by submitters is to build drinking water wells for the needy in Africa.
More information at "Water: Life Giving Charity"  (direct donation link)

Article: Charities of the Believer

Ramadan 2011: Dates & info http://www.masjidtucson.org/submission/practices/ramadan/

Peace.

Deformed, Retarded, Famine-stricken children

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

A difficult question for those who believe in God to answer is, "If God is just and merciful, why does He afflict innocent children?" This question has been asked in many forms by atheists and those who believe alike. For example, the common “Problem of evil” is a broader version of this question.

The Quran tells us that Satan is solely responsible for evil and such calamities; they reflect Satan's incompetence as a designated temporary ruler of this world. Satan is trying very hard to make his kingdom, this world, perfect, but he just can't do it.

God gave us free will (Quran 33:72), and with that free will comes the ability to choose either evil or good. It is not free will if God forces us all to do only good or forces us to love or worship him.

God does not inflict an atom's weight of injustice (Quran 4:40).

Divine Justice

[Quran 4:40] GOD does not inflict an atom's weight of injustice. On the contrary, He multiplies the reward manifold for the righteous work, and grants from Him a great recompense.

Article: Deformed, Retarded, Famine-stricken children 

Peace.

The Elite of the Elite

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

We grew up in the midst of corrupted Islam with tons upon tons of satanic teachings. Then God bestowed His grace upon us and saved us from a horrible fate—eternal Hell. How fortunate can one get?

[Quran 56:10-14] Then there is the elite of the elite. They are those who will be closest (to God). In the gardens of bliss. Many from the first generations.* Few from the later generations.
*56:13-40 People who believe and nourish their souls through worshiping God alone are destined for the High Heaven. The contemporary followers of each messenger invariably suffer persecution from the traditionalists and adherents of the corrupted religion. Thus, they have a special place reserved for them in the High Heaven. All people who die before the age of 40 go to the Lower Heaven, at least (46:15).

Satan's job is to keep trying to divert us from the truth and the purified message.

May God protect us and ...
[Quran 1:6-7] Guide us in the right path; the path of those whom You blessed; not of those who have deserved wrath, nor of the strayers.

Article: Elite of the Elite (56:10) A Most Fortunate Generation

Peace.

Righteous go straight to Heaven

 

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

The conventional understanding is souls of believers and disbelievers must await the Day of Judgment to enter Paradise or Gehenna. In other words, the Day of Judgment is when people realize their final destiny.

The Quran gives us great news—the righteous do not really die. When their lives on this earth come to the predetermined end, their souls are invited to go straight to Heaven. All praise be to God.

There are signs to this effect throughout Quran (2:25, 2:154, 3:169, 8:24, 22:58, 36:26-27, 44:56, etc.).

The Righteous Go Straight to Paradise*

[Quran 36:26-27] (At the time of his death) he was told, "Enter Paradise." He said, "Oh, I wish my people knew. That my Lord has forgiven me, and made me honorable."
*36:26 The righteous do not really die; they simply move on to the same Paradise where Adam & Eve lived. They join the prophets, saints, and martyrs in an active and utopian life (see App. 17).

[Quran 3:169] Do not think that those who are killed in the cause of God are dead; they are alive at their Lord, being provided for.

Sourced from: http://www.masjidtucson.org/publications/books/SP/1990/feb/page1.html

Meditation: Another great way to Remember God

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

Which one of us would like to be raised to an honorable rank with God? If your answer was, "I would", then meditation is an activity that should be on your daily list. God tells us in the Quran:

[Quran 17:79] During the night, you shall meditate for extra credit, that your Lord may raise you to an honorable rank.

[Quran 39:9] Is it not better to be one of those who meditate in the night, prostrating and staying up, being aware of the Hereafter, and seeking the mercy of their Lord?…

Peace.

Reference:
Meditation: Another Great way to worship God

Monotheism—A Natural Instinct placed into the people by God?

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

Almost every culture among the tens of thousands that we have come across, has a concept of a divine being—one who creates and protects and provides. Across time and place, communities have been aware of and have worshipped one or more deities. Some have a monotheistic form of worship (e.g., Judaism, Christianity or Submission to God), and others worship a pantheon of gods (e.g., sects in Hinduism, or historically—the Greeks and Romans).

Research at Oxford University shows that belief in God and the Hereafter is part of human nature.

Not surprisingly, this is what the Quran tells us too—that that monotheism is “the natural instinct placed into the people by God” (Quran 30:30). Science invariably confirms what the Quran says (see for example an article on Quran & Science and other articles on scientific signs in Quran). All praise be to God.

Monotheism: Natural Instinct*

[Quran 30:30] Therefore, you shall devote yourself to the religion of strict monotheism. Such is the natural instinct placed into the people by GOD. Such creation of GOD will never change. This is the perfect religion, but most people do not know.

*30:30 Recognizing God ALONE as our Lord and Master is a natural instinct. We are born into this world with such an instinct. See 7:172-173 and Appendix 7.

Reference: One Message, ONE GOD!

Peace.

New discoveries on fungi–praise God for His infinite variety

 

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

God's design of the heavens and the earth, and the huge number and varieties of species He placed on this planet are signs for people (Quran 16:8-13, 41:53). Shouldn’t natural selection have gotten rid of many of these species? Some are fragile and barely have a reason for hanging around, and others of course man took care of in his indiscriminate selfishness and lack of care of the planetary resources. But God Creates, and God chooses.

In further proof of how little we know, an entirely new branch of fungi (which may double the known kingdom) was recently discovered by British biologists. Praise be to God. How many more such creatures are out there? And how much more do we have yet to learn and discover by God’s leave?

[Quran 16:8] ... Additionally, He creates what you do not know.

Knowing God

[Quran 10:61] ... Not even an atom's weight is out of your Lord's control, be it in the heavens or the earth. Nor is there anything smaller than an atom, or larger, that is not recorded in a profound record.

[Quran 55:10] He created the earth for all creatures.

Article on Masjid Tucson about God's infinite Variety ( http://www.masjidtucson.org/publications/books/SP/1999/jan/page1.html )

On a related note, Submission-World is a website on God’s creations, the beauty and signs around us.

Peace.

Heaven and Hell

A key understanding in Quran is that the absence of God is Hell (19:71-72). Heaven, by contrast, is defined by our closeness to God.

Everyone Sees Hell*

[Quran 19:71] Every single one of you must see it; this is an irrevocable decision of your Lord.
[Quran 19:72] Then we rescue the righteous, and leave the transgressors in it, humiliated.
*19:71 As detailed in Appendix 11, we will be resurrected prior to God's physical arrival to our universe. That will be a temporary taste of Hell, since the absence of God is Hell. When God comes (89:22), the righteous will be rescued. See 19:72.
[Quran 56:10-12] Then there is the elite of the elite. They are those who will be closest (to God). In the gardens of bliss.

A question people sometimes have is regarding the materialistic descriptions of Heaven and Hell in the Quran. The descriptions of Heaven and Hell throughout Quran are allegorical. And the Quran tells us so whenever such descriptions occur as independent statements, not within a general subject. See 2:24-26, 13:35, and 47:15. The word "Mathal" (allegory) is used in these verses. Linguistically, the word "Mathal" in these verses can be removed, and we still have perfect sentences. But it is there because the descriptions of Heaven and Hell are allegorical.
Thus, it is not about literally getting everything the hearts desire and the eyes wish for (Quran 43:71), but rather describing the extent of happiness and bliss in heaven.
The worldly analogies are the closest we can get to understanding how much joy and happiness await those who make it back to God’s Kingdom and Paradise. Because, in truth—we have no idea how wonderful it is (Quran 32:17).

Heaven: Indescribably Beautiful

[Quran 32:17] You have no idea how much joy and happiness are waiting for you as a reward for your (righteous) works.
More on the Day of Resurrection, and Heaven and Hell.

Submission (Islam), a Universal Religion

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

The joke goes, Heaven must be empty--since every religion is busy condemning the rest of the world to Hell. So, who's left to make it to  Heaven?

According to the Quran (2:62, 5:69), anyone who fulfills the following 3 criteria: (1) belief in God, (2) belief in the Hereafter, (3) leading a righteous life.

Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who
(1) believes in GOD, and
(2) believes in the Last Day, and
(3) leads a righteous life,
will receive their recompense from their Lord; they have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.
             [Quran 2:62, 5:69]

Logically, if you don't believe in God or Heaven, you don't care about making it there. And if you believe (paying more than lip-service), you will do your best to lead a righteous life. Thus the Quranic criteria are both logical and inclusive. All praise be to God. He is the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful.

If you've felt this way all along, you may already be a submitter to God.

In the future, God willing, more on Heaven and Hell.

Death, what does Submission (Islam) say about it?

 In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

Death is a great mystery to most people. Not so for the students of the Quran. We learn that death is exactly like sleeping; complete with dreams (6:60, 40:46). The period between death and resurrection passes like one night of sleep (2:259; 6:60; 10:45; 16:21; 18:11, 19, 25; 30:55).

[Quran 6:60] He is the One who puts you to death during the night, and knows even the smallest of your actions during the day. He resurrects you every morning, until your life span is fulfilled, then to Him is your ultimate return. He will then inform you of everything you had done.

Further, we learn from Quran: The Righteous do not really die, they go straight to Heaven. What great news (2:25)!

The Righteous Go Straight to Paradise*

[Quran 36:26-27] (At the time of his death) he was told, "Enter Paradise." He said, "Oh, I wish my people knew. That my Lord has forgiven me, and made me honorable."
*36:26 The righteous do not really die; they simply move on to the same Paradise where Adam & Eve lived. They join the prophets, saints, and martyrs in an active and utopian life.


Death, a Quranic perspective.

Uprooting Terror

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

“Islamic” terror continues to be propagated by so-called “muslim scholars”. Ironically the scholars claim to follow Prophet Muhammad.  Nothing can be further from the truth. God revealed the Quran through Muhammad to eradicate the era of unjust aggression and ignorance.The same scholars will tell you that in his life, Muhammad did not fight wars of aggression, instead he only fought in self-defense (Quran 2:190-193). Ironic, isn't it? In their quest for power, the mullahs have it all wrong. They would do well to reflect on what the Quran clearly teaches.

[Quran 10:57]  O people, enlightenment has come to you herein from your Lord, and healing for anything that troubles your hearts, and guidance, and mercy for the believers.

[Quran 7:28] They commit a gross sin, then say, "We found our parents doing this, and GOD has commanded us to do it." Say, "GOD never advocates sin. Are you saying about GOD what you do not know?"

[Quran 2:190] You may fight in the cause of GOD against those who attack you, but do not aggress. GOD does not love the aggressors.
*2:190 All fighting is regulated by the basic rule in 60:8-9. Fighting is allowed strictly in self-defense, while aggression and oppression are strongly condemned throughout the Quran.

Read the full article on uprooting fundamental Islamic terror.