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is remembering God (29:45, 20:14, 87:14-5). Let’s keep in mind that remembering God is a commandment in itself (2:152, 4:103, 7:205, 33:41-42) and is a means to be happy (20:130, 13:28-29). How does that happen? A nourished soul is a happy soul. And remembering God allows us to grow our souls and thus grow closer to God.
[29:45] You shall recite what is revealed to you of the scripture, and observe the Contact Prayers (Salat), for the Contact Prayers prohibit evil and vice. But the remembrance of GOD (through Salat) is the most important objective.* GOD knows everything you do.
[20:14] “I am GOD; there is no other god beside Me. You shall worship Me alone, and observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) to remember Me.
[87:14] Successful indeed is the one who redeems his soul. [87:15] By remembering the name of his Lord, and observing the contact prayers (Salat).
This may be why God tells us to be reverent during Salat (23:2). If we’re reverent, we’re more likely to be remembering God throughout Salat rather than work or some worldly thing that’s on our mind.
We also see the connection between salat and avoiding evil and vice (29:45). Perhaps because we are more aware of God, more mindful of God, we are more likely to follow God’s commandments.
The subtitle for 14:40 reminds us that the Contact Prayers are a gift from God. If we want to attain God’s mercy, we must be steadfast in observing our Contact Prayers.
[24:56] You shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and obey the messenger, that you may attain mercy.
[9:71] The believing men and women are allies of one another.
They advocate righteousness and forbid evil, they observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and they obey GOD and His messenger. These will be showered by GOD’s mercy. GOD is Almighty, Most Wise.
References
https://masjidtucson.org/publications/books/sp/2015/jan/page1.html
https://masjidtucson.org/publications/books/sp/2016/oct/page4.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/integrative-mental-health-care/201710/the-health-benefits-light
* * * * *
[31:22] Those who submit completely to GOD, while leading a righteous life, have gotten hold of the strongest bond. For GOD is in full control of all things.
The 34th annual conference of the United Submitters International was held in Tucson, Arizona Aug 2-4, 2019. The khutba was delivered by brother Bob. He reflected, among other things, on the moon landing fifty years ago, July 1969.
[54:1] The Hour has come closer, and the moon has split.* [54:2] Then they saw a miracle; but they turned away and said, “Old magic.” [54:3] They disbelieved, followed their opinions, and adhered to their old traditions. [54:4] Sufficient warnings have been delivered to alert them. [54:5] Great wisdom; but all the warnings have been in vain.
We know from the footnote for 54:1 how significant this event was:
*54:1 This important sign of the approaching end of the world came to pass in 1969 when humans landed on the moon and brought pieces of the moon to earth. At the same time, God’s mathematical Miracle of the Quran was being gradually unveiled. Traditional Muslims opposed it, since it exposed the fallacy of their practices (App. 25).
We then met several submitters who were attending their very first conference though some had been in submission for many years. They were thrilled to find themselves among so many like-minded submitters. When we divided the attendees into groups to get to know one another, many of the stories of these submitters were heartwarming. It was wonderful to take the time to share experiences, and get to know our believing family. There was a sense of love and excitement in the air.
The talks began Friday night. We were treated to a wide range of topics that enlightened us and made us reflect. The youthful speakers were especially inspirational. Each submitter has a unique outlook and a wonderful way of sharing their experiences. The final speech on Sunday reminded us how “great” the conference had been, how “great” the talks were, how “great” the whole experience was for each of us. From TUG to GREAT! Last year we learned the acronym TUG (Thank U God) and we remembered to use it often. This year the acronym was GREAT. Everything in this world is great and it all comes from God. And we can remember that easily by remembering that God is Running Everything All the Time. God is Great.
The zikr in the mornings and evenings was a lovely way to sing the praises of God, to commemorate Him for guiding us and bringing us together. Hearing the beautiful voices raised in joy and thankfulness truly makes the heart rejoice and uplifts the soul. [13:28] They are the ones whose hearts rejoice in remembering GOD. Absolutely, by remembering GOD, the hearts rejoice.
Too soon, Sunday noon came around. We enjoyed taking lots of group photos to remember our time together. Then we had our last prayer of the conference. We had our pizza/Eegee’s party at the masjid, with more than 100 people joining in. It was fun to have everyone gather together and enjoy God’s bounties.
For people who were able to stay a day
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