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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)

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

Verse 3:18 in the Quran states the First Pillar of Islam (Submission) which is “God bears witness that there is no other god besides Him, and so do the angels and those who possess knowledge.”

This most crucial pillar has been distorted. Millions of Muslims have adopted Satan’s polytheistic version, and insist upon mentioning the name of Muhammad besides the name of God. However, the Quran’s great criterion in 39:45 stamps such Muslims as disbelievers: “When God ALONE is mentioned, the hearts of those who do disbelieve in the Hereafter shrink with aversion, but when others are mentioned with Him, they become satisfied.”

You might even notice this in practice. The idol worshipers who do not uphold the First Pillar of Islam as dictated in 3:18 are forbidden by God from uttering the correct    Shahadah. They simply cannot say: “Ash-hadu Allaa Elaaha Ellaa Allah” by itself, without mentioning the name of Muhammad. Try it with any idol worshiper who claims to be a Muslim. Challenge them to say: “Ash-hadu Allaa Elaaha Ellaa Allah.” They can never say it. Since this is the religion of Abraham (2:130, 135; 3:95; 4:125; 6:161; 12:37-38; 16:123; 22:78;), the ONLY creed must be “LAA ELAAHA ELLAA ALLAH (there is no god except the One God)”.

A Gross Blasphemy

There is no greater blasphemy than distorting the Quran to idolize the prophet Muhammad against his will. Verse 19 of Sura “Muhammad” (47:19) states: “You shall know that there is no god except the one God.” Shown below is a photocopy of the regular logo of a Muslim publication THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS (The London Mosque, 16 Gressenhall Road, London SW18 5QL,

England). Using the Quran’s calligraphic style, the publishers of THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS added the phrase “Muhammad Rasool Allah” in such a way that gives a false impression that such is the Quranic statement of 47:19. What a blasphemy!

So, this calligraphy says “You shall know that there is no god besides the One God, Allah. Muhammad is a messenger of God.” This is quite a typical example of the distorted Islam.

Friday Sermon based on Appendix 13 of the Authorized English Translation of the Quran by Rashad Khalifa

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

The Prophet’s sole mission was to deliver Quran, the whole Quran, and nothing but Quran (3:20; 5:48-50, 92, 99; 6:19; 13:40; 16:35, 82; 24:54; 29:18; 42:48; 64:12).

Delivering the Quran was such a momentous and noble mission that the Prophet did not have any time to do anything else. Moreover, the Prophet was enjoined in the strongest words from issuing any religious teachings besides the Quran (69:38-47). He was even enjoined from explaining the Quran (75:15-19)— God is the only teacher of the Quran (55:1-2) and the Quran is the best Hadith (39:23 & 45:6).

These Quranic facts are manifested in the historical reality that the words and actions (Hadith & Sunna) attributed to the Prophet did not appear until the second century after his death. The Quran has prophesied the fabrication of Hadith and Sunna by the Prophet’s enemies (6:112-115). The Quran teaches us that it was God’s will to permit the invention of Hadith and Sunna to serve as criteria for exposing those who believe only with their lips, not in their hearts. Those who are attracted to Hadith and Sunna are proven to be false believers (6:113). Ironically, the books of Hadith report the Prophet’s orders to write down nothing from him except the Quran! For example, let me show you two such Hadiths taken from the Hadithists’ most reliable sources, Sahih Muslim and Is-haah Ahmad Ibn Hanbal:

Friday Sermon based on Appendix 12 of the Authorized English Translation of the Quran by Rashad Khalifa (1989)

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

Verse 39:68 in the Quran says that when the horn is blown, everyone in the heavens and the earth is struck unconscious, except those spared by God. Then it is blown a second time, whereupon they rise up.

The earth will shine with the light of God (39:69) as He comes to our universe, together with the angels (89:22). Since our universe is a temporary dominion for Satan, it cannot stand the physical presence of God (7:143). As the Almighty approaches, the stars will crash into one another (77:8, 81:2), and the earth will shatter under our feet (69:14, 89:21). These horrors will not worry the believers (21:103).

The High Heaven

Upon arrival of Almighty God, all the humans and jinns will be automatically stratified according to their degree of growth and development. Those who nourished their souls through worshiping God alone, believing in the Hereafter, and leading a righteous life will be strong enough to stay close to God; they will occupy the highest ranks.

The Lower Heaven

Those who developed their souls to a lesser degree, as well as those who die before the age of forty, will move downward to the Lower Heaven. They will go      to the location where they can be as close to God as their degree of growth and development permits them to be.

The Purgatory

There will be people who nourished their souls just enough to spare them Hell, but not enough to enter the Lower Heaven. They are neither in Hell, nor in Heaven. They will implore God to admit them into the Lower Heaven (7:4650). God will have mercy on them, and will merge the Purgatory into the Lower Heaven.

Hell

A new, eighth universe will be created to house those who run away from God due to their weakness; they failed to nourish and develop their souls (69:17).

Friday Sermon based on Appendix 11 of the Authorized English Translation of the Quran by Rashad Khalifa (1989)

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

In the English speaking world, where the trinity doctrine is prevalent, some     people are intrigued by God’s usage of the plural tense in the Quran. The overwhelming message of the Quran, where there is absolutely no compromise is that “GOD IS ONE” (2:133, 163; 4:171; 5:73; 6:19; 9:31; 12:39; 13:16; 14:48, 52; 16:22, 51; 18:110; 21:108; 22:34; 37:4; 38:65; 39:4; 40:16; 41:6; 112:1).

Whenever the first person plural form is used by the Almighty, it invariably indicates participation of other entities, such as the angels. For example, the revelation of this Quran involved participation of the angel Gabriel and the    prophet Muhammad. Hence the use of the plural form in 15:9: “We revealed this scripture, and we will preserve it.” The plural form here simply reflects the fact that the angel Gabriel and the prophet Muhammad participated in the process of delivering the Quran.

Another example has to do with blowing the breath of life into Adam and    Jesus. The creation of Adam took place in heaven and God directly blew into     him the breath of life. Thus, the first person singular form is consistently used: “I blew into Adam from My spirit” (15:29, 38:72). The creation of Jesus, on the other hand, took place on earth, and Gabriel carried God’s “word” to Mary. The plural form is consistently used when referring to the creation of Jesus (21:91,   66:12).

When God spoke to Moses directly, without the mediation of angels, we see that God is speaking exclusively in the singular tense: “I am God. There is no other god besides Me. You shall worship Me alone, and observe the regular contact prayers (Salat) to commemorate Me.” (20:12-14).

Whenever the worship of God is mentioned, the singular tense is used (51:56).

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

One of the prevalent myths is that Muhammad was the founder of Islam.

Although Islam, total submission to God alone, is the only religion recognized by God since the time of Adam (3:19, 85), Abraham is reported in the Quran as the first user of the word “Islam” (Submission) and the one who called us “Muslims”, i.e., Submitters (22:78). Abraham’s exemplary submission to God is demonstrated by his famous willingness to sacrifice his only son, Ismail, when he thought that that was God’s command. As it turns out, such a command was in fact from Satan.

God Never Ordered Abraham to Sacrifice His Son

God is the Most Merciful. He never violates His own law (7:28). Any person who believes that the Most Merciful ordered Abraham to kill his son cannot possibly make it to God’s Heaven. Such evil thought about God is grossly blasphemous. Nowhere in the Quran do we see that God ordered Abraham to kill his son. On the contrary, God intervened to save Abraham and Ismail from Satan’s plot (37:107), and He told Abraham: “You believed the dream” (37:105). Undoubtedly, it was a dream inspired by Satan. God’s irrevocable law is: “God never advocates sin” (7:28).

Millat Ibrahim

Islam is called “Millat Ibrahim” (The Religion of Abraham) throughout the Quran (2:130, 135; 3:95; 4:125; 6:161; 12:37-38; 16:123; 21:73; 22:78). Moreover, the Quran informs us that Muhammad was a follower of Abraham (16:123).

Due to a general unawareness of the fact that Abraham was the original messenger of Islam, many so-called Muslims challenge God: “If the Quran is complete and fully detailed (as claimed by God), where can we find the number of Rak‘ahs (units) in each contact prayer (Salat)?” We learn from the Quran that all religious practices of Islam (Submission) were already established before the Quran’s revelation (8:35, 9:54, 16:123, 21:73, 22:27, 28:27). Verse 16:123 is direct proof that all religious practices in Islam were intact when Muhammad was born. Muhammad was enjoined to “follow the religion of Abraham.” If I ask you to buy a color TV, it is assumed that you know what a color TV is. Similarly, when God enjoined Muhammad to follow the practices of Abraham (16:123), such practices must have been well known.

Another proof of divine preservation of the Islamic practices given to Abraham is the “Universal Acceptance” of such practices. There is no dispute concerning the number of Rak‘ahs in all five daily prayers. This proves the divine preservation of Salat. The Quran’s mathematical code confirms the number of Rak‘ahs in the five prayers 2, 4, 4, 3, and 4, respectively. The number 24434 is a multiple of 19.

The Quran deals only with practices that were distorted. For example, the   distorted ablution is restored in 5:6 to its original four steps. The tone of voice    during the contact prayers (Salat) was distorted—many Muslims pray silently. This was corrected in the Quran, 17:110. The fasting during Ramadan was modified in the Quran to allow intercourse during the night (2:187).

Friday Sermon based on Appendix 9 of the Authorized English Translation of the Quran by Rashad Khalifa (1989)

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

To believe that anyone, other than God, can intercede on our behalf to have our sins forgiven or our wishes fulfilled, is to set up partners with God. This is idolatry. The Quran proclaims that “All intercession belongs to God” (39:44), and that there will be “no intercession on the Day of Judgment” (2:254).

The myth of intercession is one of Satan’s most effective tricks to dupe millions of people into idol worship. Millions of Christians believe that Jesus will intercede for them at God, and millions of Muslims believe that Muhammad will intercede on their behalf. Consequently, these people idolize Jesus and Muhammad.

The concept of intercession is utterly illogical. Those who believe in Muhammad’s intercession, for example, claim that he will ask God to forgive them and admit them into Paradise. They imagine Muhammad on the Day of Judgment choosing the candidates for his intercession. If you ask those who believe in intercession: “How will Muhammad recognize those who deserve his intercession?” they tell you, “God will tell him!” According to this concept, a person will go to Muhammad and request his intercession. Muhammad will then ask God whether this person deserves his intercession or not. God will inform Muhammad that the person deserves to go to Paradise. Muhammad will then turn around and tell God that the person deserves to go to Paradise! The blasphemy is obvious; those who believe in intercession make God a secretary of their idol Muhammad. God be glorified.

Since the Quran is the most accurate book, it acknowledges that everyone in Paradise will intercede on behalf of his or her loved ones: “Please God, admit my mother into Paradise.” This intercession will work if the person’s mother deserves to go to Paradise (2:255, 20:109, 21:28). Thus, intercession, though it will take place in this manner, is utterly useless.

We learn from the Quran that Abraham, God’s beloved servant, could not   intercede on behalf of his father (9:114). Noah could not intercede on behalf of his son (11:46). Muhammad could not intercede on behalf of his uncle (111:1-3) or relatives (9:80). What makes anyone think that a prophet or a saint will intercede on behalf of a perfect stranger?! See verses 2:48, 123; 6:51, 70, 94; 7:53; 10:3; 19:87; 26:100; 30:13; 32:4; 36:23; 39:44; 40:18; 43:86; 53:26 & 74:48. Muhammad’s “intercession” is in verse 25:30, which says, “The messenger said, “My Lord, my people have deserted this Quran.”

Friday Sermon based on Appendix 8 of the Authorized English Translation of the Quran by Rashad Khalifa

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

We are in this world because we committed a horrendous crime, and this life is our chance to redeem ourselves, denounce our crime, and rejoin God’s kingdom.

It all began a few billion years ago when “a feud arose in the Heavenly Society” (38:69). One of the high-ranking creatures, Satan, entertained supercilious thoughts that his God-given powers qualified him to be a god besides God. He thus challenged God’s absolute authority.

In chapters 14, verses 13 through 15, of the book of Isaiah, we read, “You, Lucifer, said in your heart: “I will scale the heavens. Above the stars of God. I will set up my throne. I will take my seat on the Mount of Congregation, in the recesses of the North. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will be like the Most High!”

Also, in chapters 4 of Mathew and Luke, we read, “The devil then took Jesus up a very high mountain and displayed before him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, promising: “All these will I bestow on you if you prostrate yourself in homage before me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! Scripture has it: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God; Him ALONE shall you adore.’ ”

So, not only was Satan’s idea blasphemous, it was wrong—only God, and no one else, possesses the qualifications and ability to be a god. Consequent to Satan’s blasphemy, a division occurred in the Heavenly Society, and all constituents of God’s kingdom became classified into four categories:

1. Angels: Creatures who upheld God’s absolute authority.
2. Animals: Creatures who rebelled but then accepted God’s invitation to repent.
3. Jinns: Creatures who agreed with Satan; that he is capable of being a “god.”
4. Humans: Creatures who did not make up their minds; they failed to make a firm stand with God’s absolute authority.

The Most Merciful

The angels expected God to banish the creatures who did not uphold His absolute authority (2:30). But God is Most Merciful; He decided to give us a chance to denounce our mistake, and informed the angels that He knew what they did not know (2:30). God knew that some creatures deserved a chance to be redeemed.

If you claim the ability to fly a plane, the best way to test your claim is to give you a plane and ask you to fly it. This is precisely what God decided to do in response to Satan’s claim. God created seven vast universes, then informed the angels that He was appointing Satan as a god on the tiny mote called “Earth” (2:30). The Quranic accounts related to appointing Satan as a temporary “god” (36:60) confirm the previous scripture.

God’s plan called for creating death (67:1-2), then bringing the humans and      jinns into this world. Thus, they start over without any biases, and exercise full freedom to uphold God’s absolute authority or Satan’s polytheistic theory. To make this crucial decision, every human being receives a message from God advocating His absolute authority, as well as a message from Satan pushing his polytheistic principles.

To give us a headstart, the Most Merciful gathered all the human beings before Him, prior to sending us to this world, and we bore witness that He alone is our Lord and Master (7:172). Thus, upholding God’s absolute authority is a natural instinct that is an integral part of every human being.

After putting the rebels to death, the souls of humans and jinns were placed in a special depository. God then created the appropriate bodies to house the souls of jinns and humans during the test period. The first jinn body was made from fire, and Satan was assigned to that body (15:27). The first human body was created from earthly material, clay (15:26), and God assigned the first human soul to that body. The divine plan called for the angels to serve the humans on earth—guard them, drive the wind and rain for them, distribute provisions, etc. This fact is stated in the Quran allegorically: “Your Lord said to the angels, ‘Fall prostrate before Adam.’” Satan of course refused to have anything to do with serving the human race (2:34, 7:11, 17:61, 18:50, 20:116).

While Adam’s body remained on earth, the real person, the soul, was admitted into Heaven in the outermost universe. God gave Adam certain commandments, represented by the forbidden tree, and Satan was appointed as Adam’s companion to deliver to Adam his satanic message. The rest is history.

Every time a human being is born, a human person is assigned to the new baby from the depository of souls. God assigns the souls in accordance with His knowledge (28:68). Every soul deserves to be assigned to a certain body, and live under certain circumstances. God alone knows which souls are good and which souls are evil. Our children are assigned to our homes in accordance with God’s plan.

An independent jinn soul is also assigned to the new human being to represent Satan’s point of view. While the physical body of any jinn is reproduced from the parent jinns, the jinn soul is that of an independent individual. Jinns are descendants of Satan (7:27, 18:50). The assigned jinn remains with the human being from birth to death, and serves as the main witness on the Day of Judgment (50:23). A continuous debate takes place in our heads between the human soul and the jinn soul until both of them are convinced of one point of view.

The Original Sin

Contrary to common belief, the “Original Sin” was not Adam’s violation of God’s law when he ate from the forbidden tree. The original sin was our failure to uphold God’s absolute authority during the Great Feud. If the human person convinces his or her jinn companion to denounce that original sin, and uphold God’s absolute authority, both creatures are redeemed to God’s eternal kingdom on the Day of Judgment. But if the jinn companion convinces the human being to uphold Satan’s idolatrous views, then both creatures are exiled forever from God’s kingdom.

To promote his point of view, Satan and his representatives advocate the idolization of such powerless creatures as Muhammad, Jesus, Mary, and the     saints. Since we are here due to our polytheistic tendencies, most of us are easy prey for Satan.

Satan’s incompetence as a “god” has already been proven by the prevalence of chaos, disease, accidents, misery, and war throughout his dominion (36:66). On the other hand, the human beings who denounce Satan, uphold God’s absolute authority, and refrain from idolizing powerless and dead creatures like Jesus and Muhammad, are restored to God’s protection—they enjoy a perfect life here in this world and forever.

Because our life in this world is a series of tests designed to expose our polytheistic ideas, idol worship is the only unforgivable offense (4:48, 116). The world is divinely designed to manifest our decision to uphold either God’s absolute authority, or Satan’s idolatrous views (67:1-2). The day and the night change constantly to test our willingness to uphold God’s laws by observing the Dawn Prayer and fasting during the hottest and longest days. Only those who are totally certain about God’s absolute authority are redeemed (26:89).

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

We learn from Verse 39:67 that God’s greatness is far beyond human comprehension—the verse states that all seven universes are “folded within God’s hand.”

We are taught in the Quran that our universe is the smallest and innermost of seven universes (41:12, 55:33, 67:5, & 72:8-12). Meanwhile, our scientific advances have shown us that our galaxy, the Milky Way, is 100,000 light years across, and that our universe contains a billion such galaxies and a billion trillion stars, plus countless decillions of heavenly bodies. Our universe is estimated to span about 93 billion light years.

If we take only a quintillion [1,000,000,000,000,000,000] of the stars and simply count them [from 0 to quintillion] one count per second, day and night, this will take 32 billion years (more than the age of the universe). That is how long it will take to just “count” them; but God “created” them. Such is the greatness of God.

We can appreciate the vastness of our universe if we imagine going on a space odyssey. When we leave the planet Earth towards the sun, at the speed of light, we reach the sun after 93,000,000 miles and 8 minutes. It will take us more than 50,000 years at the speed of light to exit our galaxy. From the outer limit of the Milky Way, our planet Earth is invisible. Not even the most powerful telescope can detect our tiny “Earth.”

We have to spend more than 2,000,000 years at the speed of light to reach our next-door galaxy. At least 10,000,000,000 years, at the speed of light, must be spent to reach the outer limit of our universe. From the outer limit of our universe, even the Milky Way is like a speck of dust in a large room.

The second universe surrounds our universe. The third universe is larger than the second, and so on. More accurately, our universe should be considered the seventh universe, surrounded by the sixth universe, which is surrounded by the fifth universe, and so on. Can you imagine the vastness of the first, outermost universe?

No number exists to describe the circumference of the first universe. This incomprehensible vastness is “within the fist of God’s hand.” From the outer limit of the outermost universe, where is the planet Earth? How significant is it? On the infinitesimal mote called Earth, such minuscule creatures as Mary, Jesus, and Muhammad lived. Yet, some people set up these powerless humans as gods!

God’s greatness is represented not only by the fact that He holds the seven universes in His hand, but also by the fact that He fully controls every atom, even subatomic components, everywhere in the greater universe (6:59, 10:61, & 34:3).