and purify the practices required to nourish the soul in preparation for the eternal life of the Hereafter. God’s Messenger Dr. Rashad Khalifa worked for 19 years to cleanse the Quran and explain and purify the following practices:
1. Proclamation of Submission: One must be absolutely certain that God ALONE is the One True God, and that He ALONE possesses all power.
2. The Contact Prayers (Salat): Five times each day - dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and night - we must make contact with our Creator. These five Contact Prayers are the major meals for the soul. What to do and what to say during each prayer is very specific and must be done correctly in order to establish contact.
3. The purification Charity (Zakat): 2.5% of one’s net income must go to the parents, relatives, orphans, the needy, and the traveling alien - in this order. And it must be given on the day of harvest, or when you receive your paycheck (6:141).
4. Fasting: During one month every year, one must abstain from eating, drinking, and sexual activity from dawn to sunset.
5. Pilgrimage (Hajj): Once in a lifetime, to commemorate Abraham’s exemplary submission to God, pilgrimage to Mecca is made by those who can afford it.
In addition, Dr. Khalifa was responsible for clarifying certain revelations or messages in the Quran. These include:
1. Myth of intercession: No one, not Muhammad, Jesus nor the saints, can intercede on your behalf on the Day of Judgement. You must have nourished your soul in this life or you will have doomed yourself to Hell.
2. Women’s rights: Men and women are equal in the sight of God and the Quran discourages wife-beating and polygamy, and encourages righteousness by both sexes.
3. Crucial age of 40: God, in His mercy, gives the human being until the age of 40 to look around and find the true path to God. Anyone who dies before 40 goes to Heaven.
4. Righteous go directly to Heaven: At the moment of death, each person knows if he is going to Heaven or Hell. Those who nourished their souls will be invited by the Angels to the Paradise where Adam and Eve dwelt.
5. End of the World: The world will end in 2280 A.D.
The above points are explained in detail in the Authorized English Translation of the Quran available from Masjid Tucson.
We learn from the Quran that happiness is a quality of the soul, the real person, not the body. Thus, a body that attains all the material successes it longs for -money, power, fame, etc. - often belongs to unhappy person.
True and lasting happiness can only be achieved by being, righteous and following God’s commandments in total submission. It is these submitters who attain God’s mercy and blessings both in this life and in the Hereafter. They will have anything they wish for and more in eternal Paradise.
You have no idea how much joy and happiness are waiting for you as a reward for your (righteous) works. [32:17]
Absolutely, God’s allies have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve. They are those who believe and lead a righteous life. For them, joy and happiness in this world, as well as in the Hereafter. This is God’s unchangeable law. Such is the greatest triumph. [10: 62-64]
Those who proclaim: “Our Lord is God,” then lead a righteous life, the angels descend upon them: “You shall have no fear, nor shall you grieve. Rejoice in the good news that Paradise has been reserved for you. We are your allies in this life, and in the Hereafter. You will have in it anything you wish for; you will have anything you want. (Such is your) ultimate abode, from a Forgiver, Most Merciful” [41:30-32]
Recently some of us visited a Jewish synagogue (Temple Bet Shalom) and spoke about Moses and the Torah in the Quran and also about monotheism. The audience was very receptive. A woman said that the talks reminded her of the importance of focusing on her relationship to God and that everything else is extraneous. After the talks an invitation to lunch was extended and many people from the synagogue lingered to continue discussions.
On Feb. 28th we participated in a Muslim-Christian Forum at the University of Arizona at which “followers of Jesus and followers of the Quran discuss their beliefs.” The forum was sponsored by the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and Baptist Student Union. The speaker representing the Christians was Cliff Knechtle, a well known Christian motivational speaker.The debate attracted 150 -200 students and it was a wonderful opportunity to deliver the message of submission to God alone. There was a great deal of interest and a number of people from the audience expressed their appreciation for having the opportunity to learn the facts about the religion of Islam. One of them has begun attending the Quranic studies. This was in spite of the constant protests from a group of students representing the Muslim Student Association. They were upset about not being invited to participate in the forum. They could not stand our presentation that the religion of Islam was corrupted and that we must follow the Quran alone.
We are also participating in an ongoing project to help feed the hungry in cooperation with Casas Adobes congregational church and Temple Emmanuel synagogue.During one weekend every two months, representatives from the three communities get together to buy, prepare and distribute food at a soup kitchen operated by the Salvation Army. The kitchen usually feeds about 200 people at each meal.
A group of mostly Christian and Jewish senior citizens visited Masjid Tucson during the Friday prayer in March. They are participants in a class called “Sage Seniors” given through the University of Arizona’s Extended University. The class, which is on comparative religions, is run by Harry Lawrence of Beth Shalom Temple. The group seemed to enjoy their visit to our Friday prayer and stayed afterwards to talk to the Submitters. The teacher and students said they were impressed by their visit.