Are Muslims in Compliance With Scriptures? Introduction: Commencing with Prophet Adam, including more than 124,000 other Prophets,

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1 Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir Raheem Are Muslims in Compliance With Scriptures? Introduction: Commencing with Prophet Adam, including more than 124,000 other Prophets, (peace on them all), they all came with the same message of belief in One God only. Out of the five compliance principles 1, the first four have been both preached and practised by all 124,000 past Prophets. The fifth compliance principle was most graciously introduced into Islam, as the final revealed religion. Islam also incorporates the final ordained Prophet and the final revealed Scripture. Islam, the Holy Qur an and Muslims are all in compliance with Will of Almighty God. Discussion on Compliance with Scriptures: 1) First: Muslims Believe in One Almighty God. No Contradiction: All past 124,000 Prophets, regardless of the continent where they were allocated and ordained so, were Ambassadors of Almighty God as His physical Representatives amongst humanity on Earth. Almighty God, according to His Attributes of Existence 2, does not appear in any descriptive form amongst humanity on Earth. Muslims must be in compliance 100% with the embedded principles throughout the Holy Qur an, which emphasises the Oneness of Almighty God in marvellously salient expressions. Compliance on this first principle also means that all Muslims, regardless of sects 3 and sub-sects variances, must practise and believe in only One 1 The five compliance principles are given in the following descending order, commencing with the highest one: (1) Belief in One Almighty God only and totally refraining any consideration of idolatry, polytheism, Trinity, astrology and superstition. (2) Performance of prayers five times daily. (3) Giving out towards charity 2.5% of nett income savings. (4) Performance of obligatory function of fasting 29/30 days in month of Ramadan for those people who are in good health. (5) Doing pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj), whilst leaving behind sufficient funds for the families survival at home during that absence to Mecca and back. 2 Attributes of His Existence: Almighty God is that superlatively Supreme Spirit, and Who has no beginning, Who is ever-present, Who has no ending or demise, Who is not affected by fatigue, Who has no partner or spouse of any description whatsoever, Who has no line of succession, Who is formless and without limitations of body and shape, Who is the tireless Ever-Watcher over all peoples and everything He has so magnificently and faultlessly created, Who remains as the Architect, Designer, Controller of all universes in all Galaxies known to humanity and those Galaxies yet to be known, Who provides all resources to perfection and forgives genuine repentance, Who has provided places for reward and reprimand and Who will be the only Judge on the great Day of Judgement. In Islam, there are no varieties of statues or any form of imagery depicting Almighty God as limiting Him in size, shape and outreach. The Existence of Almighty God is beyond the realm of human imaginations. 3 There are 72 Division groups within Islam, which have developed out of the two mainstream sects. The two mainstream sects are: (1). Sunni (2). Shia. The Sunni have 60 Divisions and Shia have 12 Divisions. Wahhabi is under widespread umbrella of Sunni and Sufi is mystical and can be from either Sunni or Shia. Sunni are the largest (at 70-80% - all over the world) followed by Shia (15-20% and its highest density is in Iran and all countries bordering Iran, and then thinning out to other countries). Out of these mainstream Divisions evolve Islamic Schools of Law, of which there so many. 1

2 Almighty God. This is extended further to exclude beliefs and practices in Trinity, idolatry, polytheism, astrology and superstition, all of which are classified as shirk 4 in Islam. Islam forbids all descriptions of shirk whatsoever, which includes possessing statues, murals and pictures of deities; and Holy Qur an makes clear that practices of shirk shall not be forgiven by Almighty God, on the great Day of Judgement. There must at all times be direct communications link between all Muslims and Almighty God with no intermediaries of any description whatsoever in between. Trinity is also forbidden in Islam. Obviously all prophets ordained by Divine revelations, were contracted servants of Almighty God, and therefore their prophetical messages must have certain identifiable commonality. This commonality resides in Muslims conceptually spreading the Word of Almighty God and with exact correctness, in how to worship Him only 5. The common denominator with all past 124,000 prophets has also been their propagation of worshipping of One Almighty God only 6 : This basic fact has been emphatically embedded in the Holy Qur an throughout its structures of 114 Chapters. Muslims are in full compliance and always give recognition and belief in only One God, the Almighty: There is no contradiction in Islam in assumptions and acceptances of any other form or description of deity: HQ59:22-24 He is Allah besides Whom there is no God: the Knower of the unseen and the 4 In Islam, shirk is the serious sin of practicing idolatry or polytheism, i.e. the deification or worship of anyone or anything besides the Oneness of Almighty God. In Arabic, shirk means ascribing or the establishment of "partners" alongside the absolute Oneness of Almighty God. Shirk is not forgivable. HQ4:48 Surely Allah does not forgive that a partner should be set up with Him, and forgives all besides that to whom He pleases. And whoever sets up a partner with Allah, he devises indeed a great sin. Other widely practised examples of shirk for which there is no forgiveness are: Bowing down to anybody other than Almighty God; Bowing to Pir or any religious leader; Bowing down to graves of anybody; Speaking to dead in their graves; Believing that anybody other than Almighty God can save them from sin; Believing that anybody other than Almighty God can reward them to Heaven; Believing that anybody or anything (idols, statues, and pictures) can listen to prayers other than Almighty God; Believing that anybody has same Power as Almighty God; Believing anybody other than Almighty God can save people on the great Day of Judgement; Believing and practising in superstition and astrology. 5 Those people whose mind-sets waver between worshipping One God as the Almighty God and then add other associates to Him as gods (e.g. idolatry and polytheism), are committing serious sin, which is not forgivable. This is emphatically stated in the Holy Qur an at HQ4:48 Surely Allah does not forgive that a partner should be set up with Him, and forgives all besides that to whom He pleases. And whoever sets up a partner with Allah, he devises indeed a great sin. 6 One God as the Almighty God is not the same as Trinity. This concept of Trinity has not been stated in any of the past revealed scriptures such as the Torah, the Zabur, the Injeel and the Holy Qur an. The theory of Trinity, was put forward by a person in Carthage: Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus (b.155ad-d.240ad), the Vatican accepted the inclusion of Trinity into Christianity in 382AD. This bridged over acceptability of Christianity by the Roman Government, within jurisdiction of the Roman Empire. Tertullianus was a practising lawyer and was first person to translate the Gospel into Latin. There were few lawyers. Before becoming a Christian he was a Mithra. Trinity is not exactly mentioned both in Old Testament and in New Testament. Jesus never preached Trinity. 2

3 seen; He is the Beneficent, the Merciful. He is Allah, besides Whom there is no God: the King, the Holy, the Author of Peace, the Granter of Security, Guardian over all, the Mighty, the Supreme, the Possessor of greatness. Glory be to Allah from what they set up as partners (with Him)! He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker, the Fashioner: His are the most beautiful names. Whatever is in the heavens and the earth declares His glory; and He is the Mighty, the Wise. 2) Second: Muslims Perform Prayer 5 Times Daily. No Alternative: Prayer is direct communications link between persons at prayer and Almighty God as their Creator. Persons can be of either gender to enter into prayer and do not need the services of intermediaries facilitating audience with Almighty God. Rolling back into history of humanity, commencing with Prophet Adam, reflects distinctly that prayers were performed even in those early times, although they did not have printed scriptural books. It is important to appreciate the necessity of prayers five times daily: Inasmuch as material food is nourishment needed for the material human body to survive, prayer is spiritual nourishment needed for the soul, which resides as life-giving spirit inside all living humans. A person must have both constituents of material body and soul to be classified as person. However, once the soul departs from the material human body, then it is no longer person but becomes human remains awaiting its funeral services, as body decomposition immediately sets in. Most people keep themselves nourished five times 7 daily. In similar complexity, the soul inside a person also needs to be spiritually nourished. Circumstantially, some people may not be able to perform all five prayers as and when the times have been set. Islam in its magnificent flexibility, allows combining of the two afternoon prayers and combining of the two post-sunset prayers, so that the person can still complete prayers five times, regardless of difficult circumstances. When Muslims are at prayer, their focus must at all times be 100% on Almighty God. The Holy Qur an has several ordinances on prayers. Muslims are fully compliant and worship One God only: Muslims worship Almighty God through sincere prayers five times daily: HQ30:17-18 So glory be to Allah when you enter the evening and when you enter the morning. And to Him be praise in the heavens and the earth, and in the afternoon, and when the sun declines. 7 Nourishment, five times commonly as: Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Of course those people who are unable to do so for whatever reasons, have less than five times of their nourishment daily. 3

4 3) Third: Muslims Contribute to Charity: Charity is a collective English word of very wide usage 8 and its direct application in the context of Islam requires special care. In Islam, charity is definitely not limited to giving cash to the beggars. In broadness of usage, charity in Islam is composed of three mainstreams: Zakat, alms, and donation. These are explained in sequential rollout. All persons within any society are not well endowed with wealth. Muslims have been specifically directed: First, they must take cognizance of their need to be aware of those others in society, who are lesser privileged and Muslims must contribute not less than 2.5% of net savings towards special collection funds, called zakat 9 in Arabic. Zakat is conceptually a 2.5% religious tax on wealth. Contributing towards charity streams may vary, according to the circumstantial community mix in that part of the country. People may also take upon themselves to distribute charitable aspects, according to need. Second, in Arabic, independent voluntary alms giving is called sadaqa 10. Thirdly, another often confused understanding is independent voluntary donation 11. In Arabic donation is called hiba. Muslims are fully compliant in charity and contribute towards specifics of zakat not less than 2.5% of nett income savings or equivalent. It is prudent to remember, at all times that charity in Islam, incorporates various activities, in reaching out to those who are in dire need of help, 8 Charity in general can be donations, alms, giving to the poor and needy, responding to public appeals. In Islam there are specific terms for specific functions in this regard. Three words which constitute charity in Islam are zakat, sadaqa and hiba. 9 Zakat literally means "that which purifies". Zakat is considered a way to purify one's income and wealth from sometimes worldly, impure ways of acquisition. "Just as ablutions purify the body and prayer purifies the soul (in Islam), so zakat purifies possessions and makes them pleasing to Almighty God." Zakat is considered part of the covenant between Almighty God and Muslims as a 2.5% religious tax. Zakat should not be given to one's own parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, and spouse as they come under the ambit of responsibility of a Muslim. The hadiths admonish those who do not give zakat. According to several hadith, refusal to pay or making mockery of those who pay zakat is a sign of hypocrisy, and Almighty God will not accept the prayers from such people. On the great Day of Judgement, those who did not give the zakat will be held accountable and reprimanded according to Almighty God s set tariffs on punishment. 10 What is sadaqa? Sadaqa is taken to mean voluntary alms. Sadaqa must not be deducted from the 2.5% zakat. Zakat remains intact of its 2.5% nett savings amount due. Alms can also be a mix of food, money and clothing openly given to the poor and needy as act of charity. For Muslims, alms giving is not out of pity or compassion, but a compulsion. Alms are for the poor and the needy, and those should get sadaqa are in the following wide category: This is an ordinance from Almighty God HQ9:60: 1). The poor, that is low-income. 2). The needy people. 3). The officials appointed to receive Sadaqa (Zakat Administrators). 4). Those who have recently converted to Islam and are facing difficulties in community. 5). To free the slaves and captives. 6). Those who are overburdened with debt. 7). Those who are dedicated preachers to spread the message of Islam. 8). Travellers and wayfarers out of district, who are stranded (who do not have enough money left to go back home). 9) Giving food or water to animals almost dying from hunger and thirst. 11 Donation (called hiba in Arabic) is money or material gifts given to a cause or for a specific purpose at specific times, notwithstanding that the recipients of donations may not necessarily be poor and needy, such as natural disaster relief appeal by authorised agencies. Donations must not be deducted from the 2.5% prescribed zakat. 4

5 some of which are stated in the verse in Holy Qur an: HQ2:177: It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East 12 and the West 13, but righteous is the one who believes in Allah, and the Last Day, and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and gives away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the traveller and to those who ask and to set slaves free and keeps up prayer and gives the due charity; and the performers of their promise when they make a promise, and the patient in distress and affliction and in the time of conflict. These are they who are truthful; and these are they who keep their duty. 4) Fourth: Muslims Fast days: There is a guiding need to recollect that specific Ordinance in the Holy Qur an on fasting, which is at HQ2:183 as O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you 14, so that you may guard against evil. The purpose given there at HQ2:183 is not starving Muslims from not eating food and not drinking water, but guarding Muslims against evil. Hence the purpose of fasting as given at HQ2:183 is Muslim individual's gap-analysis and that self-audit in compliance of all Muslims past behaviours over common compliance test-period of one month, and preventing Muslims from falling into evil activities. This is done by exercising self-discipline in doing everything correctly and refraining from doing anything incorrect, on matters of religious principles. Muslims fast days: During the month of Ramadan for those in good health 15. Fasting is one of the five compulsory obligations and also doubles as one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam; and fasting is expected compliance of any Muslim of both genders. The specific time for this compliance test is the full month of 12 East refers to the Indo-Iranian pagan religion of Mithraism which existed in the regions East of Arabia. 13 West refers to Jews holiest place, based in Jerusalem, called the Temple Mount, and located West of Arabia. 14 Israelite prophets (descended from Isaac, the second son of Prophet Abraham (as)) all fasted as recorded in scriptures. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the only prophet who descended from Ishmael the elder of two sons of Prophet Abraham (as). Israelite prophets (for example) who fasted are as follows: Moses fasted for 40 days when he went up to Mount Sinai to receive the two tablets of the Ten Commandments. Prophet King David fasted and broke his fast when his son (from his second wife) died. Jesus Christ fasted for 40 days when travelling through the mountain regions of the Judean Desert and he was tempted by the devil several times. Although there were in total over 124,000 prophets in this world since creation, not all of them fasted. The Last and Final prophet, Prophet Muhammad s (pbuh) statement, as stated in Musnad Ibn Hanbal at No that there were over 124,000 prophets since creation, which includes 313 Messengers, commencing with Adam (as). 15 Those who are exempted from fasting days are: those who may not be in sound health; those who may be either very young or very old in age; people who are required to take necessary medications during the day; women during their monthly courses; women who are pregnant with baby; mothers who may be breastfeeding babies; people travelling on extended journey covering different time zones; people living in the close circles of Polar Regions of North and South poles where different set periods of 163 nights of mostly darkness and 187 days of mostly daylight exceed 20 (+/-) 2 hours. In such locations the Ulemah will determine fasting hours. 5

6 Ramadan every year, which requires practical fasting, from a period of darkness just before the early glow of sunrise to just after sunset, daily. The month of Ramadan is that self-assessment and testing period for Muslims to go in their lives prescriptively correct, insofar as self-discipline, self-control, honesty, purity, charity and obedience to Almighty God, all matter. In a nutshell, if people can pass this testing period for a month, then people must continue with that same trend for the next 11 months towards perpetuity as matter of forward risk-managing in compliance. The month of Ramadan is also the anniversary of the commencement of Islam as a religion. This commenced on 27 th night of Ramadan in 610AD at Mecca, in Arabia 16. This event is called Lailat al-qadr or Night of Majesty 17. 5) Fifth: Pilgrimage to Mecca: Pilgrimage (Hajj) is mostly an annual event, which requires prescribed global congregational gatherings at Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. The Pilgrimage (called Hajj) started in the days of Prophet Abraham (as) and recollects the event of Prophet Abraham (as), when he was directed by Almighty God to take his second wife Hagar and their first born child Ishmael and abandon them at a location, which is today Mecca. Hajj is a five-day religious pilgrimage to Mecca and nearby holy sites in Saudi Arabia that all Muslims, who are physically and financially capable must perform. This is an annual global event for Muslims, and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically, mentally and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and also can support their family during their absence from home 18 : HQ2:158 The Safa and the Marwah are truly among the signs of Allah; so whoever makes a pilgrimage to the House or pays a visit (to it), there is no blame on him if he goes round them. And whoever does good spontaneously surely Allah is Bountiful in rewarding, Knowing. 16 The Night of Majesty (Lailat al-qadr) is an inseparable triad event, comprising the ordination of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as the Last and Final Prophet to the world, the commencement of the Holy Qur an as final revealed scripture to the world, and commencement of Islam as final revealed religion to the world, all directly from Almighty God but delivered through the stewardship of Archangel Gabriel. 17 The pristine greatness of the Night of Majesty (Lailat al-qadr) is better than one thousand nights (83 years) of blessed prayers. 18 For those persons of either gender, they would need to set aside their finances into three lots. A portion for their daily household budgetary matters, a portion set aside as savings to go to Mecca for pilgrimage (Hajj) and back home; and a portion set aside for the spouse and family as reserve funds during the person s absence to Mecca and back home. Muslims must not take a loan and go to pilgrimage in debt, as, if the unexpected happens, the spouse and family will be left in debt. Prudence dictates that appropriate insurance arrangements be made. 6

7 Conclusions on Compliance with Scriptures: a) All Muslims are fully in compliance to their scriptures, by practising belief in One Almighty God in His worship, and refraining from belief and practises in idolatry, polytheism and all their subsystems. Muslims are compliant in prayers five times daily, worshipping only One Almighty God. b) Muslims are compliant with charity into prescribed streams of zakat, sadaqa and hiba. c) Muslims in good health fast in the month of Ramadan days each year. Those Muslims who are not in stable health are not compelled to fasting, but they must feed the poor for those days not fasted. d) All Muslims, who are able to afford the trip must leave sufficient funds behind for family, and take pilgrimage (Hajj) trip to Mecca, seeking forgiveness from Almighty God. Fiji -End of Document- 7