September 1996: Page 1, 2, 3, 4

Submitters Perspective

Page 3

A Prayer of Submission

In The Name Of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

I stand before You, dear Lord, the one God Almighty, that I may offer humble words in praise of Your glory. A glory that is made manifest in the vastness of the universes, as well as in the complexity of the smallest leaf or the sweet smell of a beautiful flower.

From the instant You shaped my soul as an expression of supreme creation, You trusted me with the most important choice. With what little strength I have, I implore You to guide me that I may one day be worthy of that trust.

When I reflect on You, dear God, I cannot help but think of myself as a disappointment to You. At the same time, I imagine that You are looking down at me and smiling because You know what I do not. And perhaps the gentle thunder of a morning storm is Your laughter as You watch and guide my journey with infinite patience. Ever so slowly and with careful precision, You increase my ability to understand and comprehend Your glory and Omnipotence. All the while, knowing very well that if You were to expose my earthly form to the full magnitude of Your greatness, I would shatter into nonexistence.

You know, better than I, what is in my heart. I do know, however, that my heart has been hardened by arrogance and ignorance, by rebelliousness and resistance, and by the weakness that invites Satan’s attacks. This I know from experience, and my remorse is great and yet not great

enough. In my present weakness I would surely explode if I were to truly feel the full weight of the shame and remorse that my deeds and choices warrant. But I also know that in the deepest reaches of my soul, hidden beneath the hardened layers of my heart, is the smallest of seeds. This seed is firmly implanted by the strongest hand. This seed is the seed of Submission, and this I know by the words of Your glorious revelations. Although this seed was planted by You before my earthly embodiment, I know that it is my great responsibility to nurture this seed that its roots may grow and break free through the hardness of my heart, ever expanding towards the perimeter of my soul until the limits of my soul are forced to stretch and finally grow.

I pray, dear God, that You look on me with patience and mercy. I know that my actions thus far have fallen short of righteousness, but deep within me, in the faintest of whispers, that seed sings Your praise and glorifies You ceaselessly.

Please guide us, O Lord, that the whisper may grow to a deafening roar, that we may rival the songs of all the heavens as our souls sing Your praise. Guide us, dear God, that the light of our submission may dwarf the sun and shake the universes. Strengthen us, dear Lord, that on that final day, we may look on You with clear eyes and finally know the meaning of Your love.

PRAISE BE TO GOD.

Raymond Dudley

Following the Quran

Cont’d from page 4

These suras (chapters) are two and four. (4:3) tells us that we can marry more than one wife. (4:23) lists the women prohibited in marriage. This list does not include divorced wife of an adopted son. (2:221) tells us not to marry idolatress.

Obviously Zeid’s wife was a believing woman, and she was not blood related to Muhammad. Therefore he could marry her.

The chronological sequence of revelation for the suras 2, 4 and 33 are 68, 74 and 77, respectively. We see that Sura 2 and 4 were revealed before Sura 33 and in quick succession.

This proves that Muhammad did indeed follow the Quran, and whenever he failed he was strongly reminded to do so, and God made him abide by it. Hence if anybody seeks to follow the footsteps of the prophet, then he or she should follow the Quran alone.

We have cited for the people every kind of example in this Quran, that they may take heed. An Arabic Quran, without any ambiguity, that they may be righteous. God cites the example of a man who deals with disputing partners (Hadith), compared to a man who deals with only one consistent source (Quran). Are they the same? Praise be to God, most of them do not know. (39:27-29)

Ijaz Chaudry