Author: AlbanFejza

Praise be to God! There is no other god except God.

The Quran, informs us that Jesus was a human messenger of God whose sole mission was to deliver God’s message; he never possessed any power, and is now dead (4:171, 5:75, 117). Those who consider Jesus to be God, or Son of God, or part of a trinity are “pagans” (5:17, 72, 73). Outstanding Christian scholars have reached these same conclusions (THE MYTH OF GOD INCARNATE, John   Hick, ed., The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1977 & THE MYTH MAKER, Hyam Maccoby, Harper & Row 1986). Christianity is the product of the Nicene Conferences, the first of which happened 325 years after Jesus.

The Bible’s Jesus

Jesus proclaimed aloud: “Whoever puts faith in me believes not so much in me as in him who sent me;…. For I have not spoken on my own; no, the Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to speak. Since I know that his commandment means eternal life, whatever I say is spoken just as he instructed me.”  

[ John 12:44-50 ]

“I cannot do anything of myself. I judge as I hear, and my judgment is honest because I am not seeking my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

[ John 5:30 ]

Jesus said: “My doctrine is not my own; it comes from him who sent me.”

[ John 7:16 ]

“Men of Israel, listen to me! Jesus of Nazareth was a man whom God sent to   you with miracles, wonders, and signs as his credentials. These God worked through him in your midst, as you well know.”

[ Acts 2:22 ]

 “…The man who hears my word and has faith in him who sent me possesses eternal life.”    

[ John 5:24 ]

“Whoever welcomes me welcomes, not me, but him who sent me.”

[ Matthew 10:40, Mark 9:37, Luke 9:48, & John 13:20]

“…I have not come of myself. I was sent by One who has the right to send, and him you do not know. I know him because it is from him I come; he sent me.”

[ John 7:28-29 ]

Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “…Eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and him whom you have sent, Jesus Christ.”

[ John 17:1-3 ]

All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

[ Romans 8:14 ]

Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I know that you always hear me but I have said this for the sake of the crowd, that they may believe that you sent me.”

[ John 11:41-42 ]

As he was setting out on a journey a man came running up, knelt down before him and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to share in everlasting life?” Jesus answered, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.”

[ Mark 10:17-18 ]

“None of those who call me ‘Lord’ will enter the kingdom of God, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

[Matthew 7:21]

“…Go to my brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”

[ John 20:17 ]

“God is my Lord and your Lord; you shall worship Him alone. This is the right path.”

[ Quran 3:51, 19:36, & 43:64 ]

Trinity, the doctrine of God taught by Christians asserts that God is one in essence but three in “person,” Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Neither the word Trinity, nor the explicit doctrine as such, appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament which is “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one” (Deut. 6:4).

[Encyclopedia Britannica, 1975]

Praise be to God! There is no other god except God.

In God’s kingdom, certain creatures are necessarily given the powers needed to perform their duties. Satan believed that his God-given powers qualified him to function as an independent “god”. As evidenced by the prevalence of misery, disease, accidents, and war in his dominion, we now know that Satan is incompetent.

The Quran clearly states that Satan was an angel, by virtue of the immense powers and rank bestowed upon him. This is why he is addressed as an angel (2:34, 7:11, 15:29, 17:61,18:50, 20:116, 38:71) prior to his fall. By definition, a jinn is a fallen angel (18:50). Satan’s rebellion teaches us that the angels were created with minds of their own, and absolute freedom of choice (2:34).

Friday Sermon based on Appendix 21 of the Authorized English Translation of the Quran by Rashad Khalifa (1989).

Praise be to God! There is no other god except God.

The Quran is God’s Final Testament to the world, and He has pledged to protect it from the slightest distortion (15:9). Thus, the Quran is surrounded by invisible forces that guard it and serve it (13:39, 41:42, 42:24).

Unlike any other book, the Quran is taught by God (55:1-2); He teaches us what we need at the time we need it. This is why we read the Quran hundreds of times without getting bored. We can read a novel, for example, only once. But the Quran can be read an infinite number of times, and we derive new and valuable information from it every time. On the other hand, the insincere readers—those who read the Quran to find fault with it—are diverted from the Quran (7:146, 17:45, 18:57, 41:44). In fact, God’s invisible forces help them find “the faults” they seek. Since the Quran is perfect, such “faults” serve only to reveal the stupidity of God’s enemies.

God uses His own attributes to describe the Quran; He calls the Quran “‘Azeem = Great” (15:87), “Hakeem = Full of wisdom” (36:2), “Majid = Glorious” (50:1), and “Karim = Honorable” (56:77). What can we say?

Since the Quran is God’s message to all the people, regardless of their language, the Quran is accessible to the believers, regardless of their language (41:44). This explains a profound phenomenon: the believers who do not know Arabic know the Quran better than the Arabic speaking unbelievers. Because of the invisible forces serving the Quran, it is readily and enjoyably accessible to the sincere believers, and utterly inaccessible to the unbelievers (17:45, 18:57, 56:79).

Friday Sermon based on Appendix 20 of the Authorized English Translation of the Quran by Rashad Khalifa (1989)

Praise be to God! There is no other god except God.

Verse 45:6 in the Quran says, “Which Hadith, other than God and His revelations, do they uphold?”

Verse 12:111 says that the Quran is not a fabricated hadith; it details everything.

Verse 31:6 says, “Some people uphold vain Hadith to divert others from the path of God.”

Verses 17:77, 33:62, 48:23, and 6:114 say that the only Sunna to follow shall be God’s Sunna.

The Quran informs us that some enemies of the Prophet, described as “human and jinn devils,” will fabricate lies and attribute them to the Prophet (6:112, 25:31). This is precisely what happened after the prophet Muhammad’s death; Hadith (oral sayings) and Sunna (actions) were invented and attributed to the Prophet. Hadith and Sunna are satanic innovations because they: [1] defy the divine assertions that the Quran is complete, perfect, fully detailed, and shall be the only source of religious guidance (6:19, 38, 114 & 45:6-7), [2] blaspheme against the Prophet and depict him as a vicious tyrant who did not uphold the Quran, and [3] create false doctrines based on superstition, ignorance, and indefensible nonsensical traditions. The prophet Muhammad was enjoined, in very strong words, from issuing any religious teachings besides the Quran (69:38-48).

Some “Muslims” compromise. They say, “If a Hadith agrees with the Quran we will accept it, and if it contradicts the Quran, we will reject it!” Such premise proves that these people do not believe God’s assertions that the Quran is “complete, perfect and fully detailed.” The moment they seek guidance from anything besides the Quran, no matter how “right” it seems, they fall into Satan’s trap (see  63:1), because they have rejected God’s word and set up another god besides God (18:57).

The Quran’s mathematical miracle provides mathematical evidence that the Quran shall be our only source of religious teachings. Here are just 2 examples:

1. ““= The phrase, “We did not leave anything out of this book,” is in Verse 38 (19×2) and consists of 19 Arabic letters (6:38).
2. “ ”  = The phrase “He sent down this book fully detailed,” is in Verse 114 (19×6) and consists of 19 Arabic letters (6:114).

Praise be to God! There is no other god except God.

The words of the Quran speak in verse 19:64, saying, “We come down in accordance with the commandments of your Lord. To Him belongs the past, the present, and the future. Your Lord never forgets.” God did not forget, for example, to tell us how to sleep (18:109, 31:27). Yet, the fabricators of such false doctrine as Hadith & Sunna have come up with religious teachings dictating to their followers how to sleep, and even how to cut your nails. The Sacred Mosque in Mecca and the illegal “Sacred Mosque” of Medina, hired some individuals to seek out the exhausted visitors and beat them with a stick if they fall asleep on the wrong side!

The Quran proclaims that the Quran is complete, perfect, and fully detailed (6:19, 38, 114, 115; 50:45), and that religious regulations not specifically instituted in the Quran constitute a religion other than Islam (Submission) (42:21, 17:46). The true believers uphold the Quran, the whole Quran, and nothing but the Quran. This principle is confirmed by the Quran’s mathematical code. Verse 46 of Sura 17 proclaims that we shall uphold the Quran ALONE. The word “ALONE” occurs in the Quran 6 times: in verse 7:70, 17:46, 39:45, 40:12, 40:84, and 60:4. All these occurrences refer to God, except 17:46. When we add the numbers of suras and verses which refer to “GOD ALONE,” we get 361, 19×19. This proves that 17:46 refers to “the Quran ALONE.”

Friday Sermon based on Appendix 18 of the Authorized English Translation of the Quran by Rashad Khalifa (1989).

Praise be to God! There is no other god except God.

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).

At the moment of death, everyone knows his or her destiny; Heaven or Hell. For the disbelievers, death is a horrible event; the angels beat them on the faces and rear ends as they snatch away their souls (8:50, 47:27, 79:1).

Consistently, the Quran talks about two deaths, the first death took place when we failed to make a stand with God’s absolute authority. That first death lasted until we were born into this world. The second death terminates our life in this world (2:28, 22:66, 40:11).

Friday Sermon based on Appendix 17 of the the Authorized English Translation of the Quran by Rashad Khalifa (1989).

Praise be to God! There is no other god except God.

The Quran teaches that God is extremely displeased with those who prohibit anything that was not specifically prohibited in the Quran (16:112-116). The upholding of any prohibitions not specifically mentioned in the Quran is tantamount to idolatry (6:142-152). Such prohibitions represent some other god(s) besides God. If you worship God ALONE, you will uphold His teachings ALONE and honor the commandments and prohibitions instituted only by Him.

The absolute specificity of dietary prohibitions in the Quran is best illustrated in verses 6:145-146. We learn from these two verses that when God prohibits “meat,” He prohibits “meat” and nothing else, and when He prohibits “fat,” that is what He specifically prohibits. These two verses inform us that “the meat” of pigs is prohibited, not “the fat.” Obviously, God knew that in many countries, lard would be used in baked goods and other food products, and that such usage does not render the foods Haraam (prohibited). The Quran specifically prohibits four meats (2:173, 5:3, 6:142-145, and 16:112). It says, “Say, “I do not find in what was revealed to me anything prohibited for any eater unless it is (1) carrion, (2) running blood, the meat of pigs, for it is unclean, and meat blasphemously dedicated to other than God.” If one is forced to eat these without being malicious or deliberate, then your Lord is Forgiver, Most Merciful. [6:145]

Friday Sermon based on Appendix 16 of the Authorized English Translation of the Quran by Rashad Khalifa (1989).

Praise be to God! There is no other god except God.

When Abraham implored God in 14:40, he did not ask for wealth or health; the gift he implored for was: “Please God, make me one who observes the contact prayers (Salat).” The religious duties instituted by God are in fact a great gift from Him. They constitute the nourishment required for the growth and development of our souls. Without such nourishment, we cannot survive the immense energy associated with God’s physical presence on the Day of Judgment. Belief in God does not by itself guarantee our redemption; we must also nourish our souls (6:158, 10:90-92). Additionally, verse 15:99 states that observing the religious duties instituted by God is our means of attaining certainty. It says, “Worship your Lord in order to attain certainty.”

The Contact Prayers (Salat)

The main practices of worship, or religious duty, which came to us all the way from Abraham is the Contact Prayer. You can learn how to do it correctly in the video titled “Principles of Muslim Prayer” by Rashad Khalifa. And those are the basic principles. Alban Fejza provides more concrete details about their times in his clarifying video titled “Times of Contact Prayers.” Also, Alban Fejza provides more details in another video to inform you about exceptions in our modern living circumstances, in cities, parks, at work and so on, but if you want a very quick way to learn it, you can watch Alban Fejza’s Friday Sermon titled, “How to become a muslim in 3 minutes?”

But what the important part to say here is that the daily contact prayers are the main meals for the soul. While a soul may attain some growth and development by leading a righteous life, and without observing the contact prayers, this would be like surviving on snacks without regular meals.

Also, the Friday noon congregational prayer is an obligatory duty upon every Submitting man and woman (62:9). Failure to observe the Friday Prayer is a gross offense.

The proof that Salat was already established through Abraham is found in verses 8:35, 9:54, 16:123, & 21:73. This most important duty in Islam (Submission) has been so severely distorted that the contact prayers (Salat) have become a practice in idolatry for the vast majority of Muslims. Although the Quran commands that our contact prayers must be devoted to God alone (20:14; 39:3, 45), today’s Muslims insist on commemorating “Muhammad and his family” and “Abraham and his family” during their prayers. This renders their own prayers null and void (39:65).

The Obligatory Charity (Zakat)

The other religious’ duty is Obligatory Charity (Zakat). It can be done in two ways, depending on whether you are part of a disbelieving community, or a believing community. However, because of internet, today we are always capable of being part of a believing community, and therefore the second option is the one which we should do. And I explain everything you need to know about this second option, which is actually the main option, it has traditionally been the main option throughout history from the time of Abraham until know. And you can find the explanation about all of it from the Quran, no other sources. Alban Fejza explains all of it from the Quran in the clarifying video titled “The Obligatory Charity (Zakat)”

Fasting

The other religious duty is fasting. You can find all the details of fasting in verses 2:183-187.

Pilgrimage: Hajj & Umrah

And the last religious duty is Pilgrimage: Hajj & ‘Umrah. Once in a lifetime, Hajj and ‘Umrah are decreed for those who can afford it. Pilgrimage commemorates Abraham’s exemplary submission to God, and must be observed during the four Sacred Months— Zul-Hijjah, Muharram, Safar, & Rabi‘ I (12th, 1st, 2nd, 3rd month) (2:197; 9:2, 36). ‘Umrah can be observed any time. Like all other duties in Islam, Hajj has been distorted. Most Muslims observe Hajj only during a few days in Zul-Hijjah, and they consider Rajab, Zul-Qi’dah, Zul-Hijjah, and Muharram (7th, 11th, 12th, 1st months) to be the Sacred Months. This is a distortion that is strongly condemned (9:37).

The pilgrimage begins with a bath or shower, followed by a state of sanctity called “Ihraam,” where the male pilgrim wears seamless sheets of material, and the woman wears a modest dress (2:196). Throughout Hajj, the pilgrim abstains from sexual intercourse, vanities such as shaving and cutting the hair, arguments, misconduct, and bad language (2:197). Cleanliness, bathing, and regular hygiene practices are encouraged. Upon arrival at the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, the pilgrim walks around the Ka‘bah seven times, while glorifying and praising God (2:125, 22:26-29). The common formula is: “Labbayka Allaahumma Labbayk” (My God, I have responded to You). “Labbayka Laa Shareeka Laka Labbayk” (I have responded to You, and I proclaim that there is no other god besides You; I have responded to You). The next step is to walk the half-mile distance between the knolls of Safa and Marwah seven times, with occasional trotting (2:158). This completes the ‘Umrah portion of the pilgrimage.

The pilgrim then goes to ‘Arafat to spend a day of worship, meditation, and glorification of God, from dawn to sunset (2:198). After sunset, the pilgrim goes to Muzdalifah where the Night Prayer is observed, and 21 pebbles are picked up for the symbolic stoning of Satan at Mina. From Muzdalifah, the pilgrim goes to Mina to spend two or three days (2:203). On the first morning at Mina, the pilgrim offers an animal sacrifice to feed the poor and to commemorate God’s intervention to save Ismail and Abraham from Satan’s trick (37:107). The stoning ceremonies symbolize rejection of Satan’s polytheism and are done by throwing seven pebbles at each of three stations, while glorifying God (15:34). The pilgrim then returns to Mecca and observes a farewell circumvolution of the Ka‘bah seven times.

Unfortunately, most of today’s Muslim pilgrims make it a custom to visit the prophet Muhammad’s tomb in Medina where they commit the most flagrant acts of idolatry and thus nullify their Hajj. The Quran consistently talks about “The Sacred Mosque,” while today’s Muslims talk about “The Two Sacred Mosques”! In a glaring act of idolatry, the Muslims have set up Muhammad’s tomb as another “Sacred Mosque”! This is a blasphemous violation of the Quran, and, ironically, even violates Hadith. The Hadith shown here illustrates this strange irony:

This hadith says, “God has cursed the Jews and Christians for turning the tombs of their prophets into mosques.”

Physical Benefits

In addition to their invaluable spiritual benefits, there is a large number of physical, economic, and health benefits from observing the contact prayers (Salat), obligatory charity (Zakat), fasting during the month of Ramadan, and Hajj.

Observing the Dawn prayer interrupts long periods of stillness during sleep; this is now proven to help prevent arthritis. Also, getting up early in the morning helps combat depression and other psychological problems. The prostration position which is repeated during the contact prayers expands the blood vessels in our brains to accommodate more blood, and this prevents headaches. The repeated bending of the back and the joints is a healthful exercise. All these are scientifically established facts.

The ablutions required prior to the contact prayers encourage us to use the toilet more frequently. This habit protects us from a common and devastating cancer, colon cancer.

Fasting during the month of Ramadan restores our expanded stomachs to their normal sizes, lowers our blood pressure through temporary dehydration, rids the body of harmful toxins, gives our kidneys a much needed rest, and reduces our weight by removing excessive and harmful fat.

And Zakat charity and Hajj pilgrimage have far reaching economic and social benefits.

Friday Sermon based on Appendix 15 of the Authorized English Translation of the Quran by Rashad Khalifa (1989).

Praise be to God! There is no other god except God.

We are absolutely free to believe or disbelieve in God. It is God’s will that we will freely (18:29, 25:57, 73:19, 74:37, 76:29, 78:39, 80:12).

After committing our original sin, God gave us a chance to denounce our crime and accept His absolute authority (33:72). But we decided that we wanted to see a demonstration of Satan’s competence as a “god”. Many    people protest the fact that God has created them, to put them through this   gruesome test. Obviously, such people are not aware that [1] they have committed a horrendous crime, and [2] that they were given a chance to denounce their crime and redeem themselves, but they chose to go through the test.

We learn from 57:22 that our lives, along with everything else around us, are pre-recorded on something like a videotape. God fully knows what kind of decision each of us is destined to make; He knows which of us are going to Heaven and which are going to Hell. Even before we were born into this world, God knew which souls are good and which souls are evil. As far as God’s omniscience is concerned, we can imagine a stamp on everyone’s forehead that says “Heaven” or “Hell.” Yet, as far as we are concerned, we are totally free to side with God’s absolute authority, or Satan’s polytheistic views. Predestination, therefore, is a fact as far as God is concerned, not as far as we are concerned.

This understanding explains the numerous verses stating that “God guides whomever He wills, and misleads whomever He wills.” Based on His knowledge, God assigns our souls to the circumstances that we deserve. When God said to the angels, “I know what you do not know” (2:30), this meant that some of us deserved a chance to redeem ourselves. One example of God’s guidance for those who deserve guidance is found in 21:51: “We granted Abraham his guidance, for we were fully aware of him.” In other words, God knew that Abraham was a good soul who deserved to be guided, and God granted him his guidance and understanding. Another good example is stated in verse 12:24. Joseph sort of fell for the Egyptian nobleman’s wife, and almost committed adultery if it were not that he saw a sign from his Lord.” God teaches us in 12:24 that He “diverted evil and sin from Joseph, for he was one of My devoted worshipers.” Was it Joseph who controlled his lust? Or, was it God’s protection from sin that rendered him chaste? Such is predestination.

Friday Sermon based on Appendix 14 of the Authorized English Translation of the Quran by Rashad Khalifa (1989)