ISLAMSUBMISSION TO GOD

1- How God created us?2- What’s the goal of religion in Islam? 3- Why is there many religions? 4- Islamic understanding of peace. 5- How to live together in a Godly way. 6- Some important definitions. 7- Spiritual “desserts”

- Aramaic: Alaha or Elahi

-Hebrew: Alah אלה or Elohim(m for respect)

-Arabic: Allah اهلل or Allahu or Allaha All christians in the middle east uses the word Allah in the Bible

GOD or ALLAH?

- Let’s go back to the beginning when God created the first Adam - When your Lord said to the angels, "I am appointing someone as my deputy on earth, made of clay..- Iblees, Lucifer, Satan.(High rank, God fearing, devout, worshipper. Righteous servant of God, Jealousy started to developed…Turned to Arrogance..

- God ordered the angels to prostrate to Adam, they immediately prostrate except Iblees who was a Djinn. And said I’m better than him you created me from fire and created him from dust so he became among the Kafireen –disbelievers (To hide the truth and cover it up. - God order him to leave. - Iblees asked: Respite me until they rise. -God Said you’re among the respited.-Iblees: As you made me go astray. I willcertainely liein wait for them in Thy right path

- Story of Adam and Eve in the garden and they ate from the tree after Iblees swore for them that he is a sincere advisor to them…- Then Adam received “Words” from his Lord, so He turned to him mercifully; surely he is Oft-returning (to mercy), the merciful- Explain God turn to him( forgive 3 stages)God said: Go forth from this all; so surely there will come to you a guidance from Me, no fear shall come upon them , nor shall they grieve.

GUIDANCE from Allah

General guidance: 1-Pharao: Who is your Lord? Moses replied: Our Lord is the one who gave everything its creation, then guided it (to its goal). 2-Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High, (1) Who creates, then makes complete, (2) And Who makes (things) according to a measure, then guides (them to their goal),

Special guidance (For humans): 1- Innate nature 2- Prophets and scriptures 3- Intellect (complete harmony with Scriptures)There is NO conflict between Scriptures and Intellect?Intellect has a realm in which can function, Some things are beyond reason, reason is silent there.God said: “And to teach you what you were not able to know by yourselves.” and also some things are reminder. One of the name of the Quran is: The reminder.Imam Ali: To unearth the treasures of the intellects..Prophets remind us the bounty of God that we have forgotten. And to be loyal to the covenant.

ULTIMATE GOAL: SUBMISSION TO GODThere are 3 levels of submission:- Physical (Surrender, achieved by force) - Intellectual (Logic and reasoning, force cannot make a student understand 3 angles of triangle)- Heart. (that’s faith1) = Submission of the entire existence of a person and the negation of every type of rejection.God says in the Qur`an: “O you who have faith! Enter into submission, all together, and do not follow in Satan’s steps” That is, your soul should not be at war with your intellect; your feelings should not be at war with your perceptions.Satan: Recognize God, D o J, Prophets, angels (proofs)…He submitted intellectually but didn’t submit in his heart, therefore God called him “Unbeliever”, his arrogance rose against his intellect.

Why is there many religions?Quran: (All) people are a single nation; so Allah raised prophets as bearers of good news and as warners, and He revealed with them the Book with truth, that it might judge between people in that in which they differed; and none but the very people who were given it differed about it after clear arguments had come to them, revolting among themselves; so Allah has guided by His will those who believe to the truth about which they differed and Allah guides whom He pleases to the right path.2-213 (Explain The book), Allah’s pleasure????? The right path - next

THE RIGHT PATH - PEACE- Quran structured the life based on peace. - Peace “Salaam” is one of the beautiful names of

God. - If Allah is peace it mean perfection lies in peace. - If we get closer to Allah we should feel more

peaceful in our hearts. - If a society move more toward perfection they

should have more peaceful life. - Allah SWT when he talks about heaven which is our

ultimate destination, unlimited perfection, where human can have EVERETHING they want, Allah called it: Dar Assalaam, The Abode of Peace.

“They shall have the abode of peace with their Lord, and He is their guardian because of what they did” 6-127

Heaven is the full, perfect and complete peace.

Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. And we revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Descendants, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the book [of Psalms].4-163 Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him.“1-136

Quran: Say, "Indeed, my Lord has guided me to a straight path - a correct religion - the way of Abraham, inclining toward truth. And he was not among those who associated others with Allah." (6-161)  Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. (6-162)  No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims." 6-163

Quran: He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Perfection, the Peace, the Bestower of Faith, the Overseer, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate with Him- 59-23 And this is the path of your Lord, [leading] straight. We have detailed the verses for a people who remember. (126) For them will be the Home of Peace with their Lord. And He will be their protecting friend because of what they used to do.6-127

- The night of decree were the holy spirit and the angels come down to bless the human – peace until dawn. Quran: Surely We revealed it on the grand night. (1) And what will make you comprehend what the grand night(2) The grand night is better than a thousand months.(3) The angels and the Spirit descend in it by the permission of their Lord for every affair, (4) Peace! it is till the break of the morning. (5)

How to achieve peaceQuran: Indeed, there has come to you light and a clear Book from Allah. With it Allah guides him who will follow His pleasure into the ways of peace and brings them out of utter darkness into light by His will and guides them to the right path.5-16 -Many ways of peace. -One right path: Quran: O you who believe! enter into peace one and all and do not follow the footsteps of Shaitan; surely he is your open enemy. (208) Don’t follow the steps of Satan(In my Study, work, marriage, as parents, etc…all these are the ways of peace that fall under the right path

So Quran is a book which guide us to achieve peace in this life and in the hereafter.If a muslim or non muslim takes Quran as a way of justifying conflict and war, this is a misreading of the Quran.If there are exceptional cases in which in which defense in a militant way is endorse in Islaam, that’s only to remove the obstacle of peace like operating the body to take the disease out.Great scholar have defined only in those cases that’s defense that’s the only solution that’s temporary and only to bring back everything to the order.Peace cannot be achieved by force or by sword, God said: “There is no compulsion in religion” – Heart submission

Quran: O men! there has come to you indeed an admonition from your Lord and a healing for what is in the chests and a guidance and a mercy for the believers. Quran: There is no compulsion in religion; truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error; therefore, whoever disbelieves in the Shaitan and believes in Allah he indeed has laid hold on the firmest handle, which shall not break off, and Allah is Hearing, Knowing.2-256

How to avoid misuse of the religion especially when it comes to avoiding violence and extremism?Unfortunately, sad reality of misuse of the name of the religion. Many tragic events and atrocities., Results:1- Damage caused to humanity, innocent people killed or have been denied their rights.2-This has affected lives of people and also it has caused a kind of false image or understanding of religion.3- It has been used as an excuse to some people who are against religion as a whole to get rid of all the religions and anything which is sacred.Causes: Two problems: Ignorance and Injustice.

We can avoid this ignorance and injustice especially when they take among the religious people and in religious circles, and how the people who’s doing this and they are doing mischief they are actually doing this out of ignorance and injustice.The problem of ignorance…some “Imams” would give “fatwa” without any proper training and knowledge…we shia we don’t allow ourselves to give a small interpretation even ater 15- 20 years of studying.The other things is that in shia tradition we have something that’s very important, and sometimes I called it our version of trinity, 3 things togethers that can make miracles and this is a combination of: Rationality and spirituality and search for justice. These 3 together….will never take you to extremism or misleading..to special balance.- Adaalah

How to work together? Dialogue - Relation between Christians and Muslims is like within the same family. We should have a dialogue not to avoid fighting, that’s an offense, like I tell you you should talk to your cousin to avoid fighting.We are NOT competing on the same market.We actually we underestimate the great heritage and theology we share.

And do not argue with the People of the Scripture except in a way that is best, except for those who commit injustice among them, and say, "We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you. And our God and your God is one; and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him.“29-46Say, "O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah." But if they turn away, then say, "Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him]." 3-64

And you will find the nearest of the people in affection to the believers those who say, "We are Christians." That is because among them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant. ..if God had not driven some people back by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned. And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might. (40)

When I’m face with a person from another -Believe in God -Try to devote his life to God -Submissive to GodTry to do things to please God, We try to take it for granted, why? Because we have some theological differencesWe don’t appreciate the great things we share because of the little things that we have.Like a married couple when they have a problem, ironically they say…he don’t have anything in common!?

Two major problems:1-There are people in the world that they have not had any experience of faith; they have no love for God. And you and me should help them getting the love of Gog.2- People who have faith but unfortunately their love for God is possessive, they want to possess God! God belongs to me! they bring God to their own level.If we are possessed by God, instead of bringing God down, we are ascend, and when we ascend we see differences are less significant because we are able to look at every one in the way that God looks at everyone, we start loving people, even animals even plants. Imam Ali, George JURDAK, Josef Hashem, Boulus SalamehStory about Abraham, in our tradition, Abraham as a friend of God

SALVATION IN ISLAM

Quran: “Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve” 2.62

God doesn’t label people.

Definitions: Prophets, Messengers, Imams.Sharia Law JihadWoman rights.Halal Meat? Relations before marriage, clothes.Ablutions and prayer.Inheritance. - Allahu Akbar- Subhanallah - Alhamdulillah.-La ilaha illa Allah.

Shia 5 pillars of Islam124000 Prophets, 5 mains messengers, 12 Imams1- Monotheism, God is one and unique. 2-Prophethood, the institution by which God sends emissaries, or prophets, to guide mankind.3- Last Judgment, God's final assessment of humanity. 4- Leadership, a divine institution which succeeded the institution of Prophet hood. Its appointees (imams) are divinely appointed. 5- Justice, the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, fairness, and equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics.

Shia 10 ancillary pillars:1-Prayer2-Fasting3-Pilgrimage 3-Alms giving 5-Struggle (Two Jihads) 6-Directing others towards good 7-Directing others away from evil 8-Alms giving (One Fifth) (20% tax on yearly earnings after deduction of household and commercial expenses.) 9-Love those who are in God's path 10-Disassociation with those who oppose God

Spiritual desserts.O my God, grant me absolute devotion to You!and illuminate the sights of our hearts with the light of observing of You so that the sights of the hearts will penetrate the Screens of Light and arrive at the Core of Magnificence,and that our souls hang to the majesty of Your Holiness.

Glory be to Him who does not treat the citizens of His Kingdom unjustly and harshly,Glory be to Him who does not let torment and pain come suddenly upon mankind Glory be to the Compassionate, the Merciful. O God fill my heart and mind with true enlightenment, discerning intelligence, quick understanding and knowledge, Verily Thou art able to do all things.

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.   All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.The Beneficent, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment. Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help. Keep us on the right path. The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed

favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath

is brought down, nor of those who go astray.