In the name of GOD, Most Gracious, Most Merciful There is no other god beside GOD

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This page contains responses to select questions received from around the world. For a better understanding of each subject, it is recommended that you check the verse references and hyperlinks provided. If you have any questions, please write to info@masjidtucson.org

Why are there so many sects in Islam? Which is the right sect to follow the religion correctly?

Question: Hello, I would like to follow Islam correctly. I belong to the Khoja Aga Khan sect and have some distant Bohri relatives also. My family is not very religious and everyone seems to follow what suits their convenience. Nobody gives me a clear explanation for anything. I have read a lot of information on your site but I couldn't understand which sect you belong to. Are you a new sect that is following a modern version of Islam? Can you advise me which sect is the right one to follow Islam correctly?

Answer: : (Kindly follow the hyperlinks for more details on each aspect):
Peace be upon you. Your observation is correct. People across all religions often follow what is convenient for them and do not really know what they are following or why.
 
To be a true Muslim, you have to worship God alone and follow Quran alone for your religious guidance. Worshipping God alone means to call upon Him alone in your worship and never reverence or idolize any other entity besides Him. If you mention the name of any entity besides God in your worship, you will be committing Shirk (partnership) or idolatry which will nullify all your good deeds on Earth.

Following Quran alone means to source all your religious instructions from it and lead a righteous life in accordance with God’s instructions therein. Everything you need to follow Islam correctly is fully detailed in the Quran.

Most of those who call themselves Muslims today do not qualify to be Muslims because they do not do any of this. For example, they idolize Prophet Muhammad and nullify their Shahaadah (declaration of Faith) by adding his name next to God in it. If you get the first pillar of Islam wrong, nothing else will matter because all your deeds will be nullified in the Hereafter and you will have defeated the purpose of your existence.

The reason people do not give you an answer from the Quran is because they do not follow the Quran. They follow the words of ignorant religious leaders and scholars who base their understanding on conjecture, hearsay, guesswork and the books of Hadith and Sunnah which were never decreed by God or Prophet Muhammad.
 
The two sects you mentioned are typical examples of this. Whatever their people follow is directed by their religious head so they never know if what they are doing is right or wong with basis form the Quran. For example, the Bohris do only three Salat (Contact) Prayers, whereas God has specified five daily prayers. The Aga Khan followers are probably the furthest away from any claim to be Muslim because they don’t find the need to follow the Quran or observe the religious practices as long as their spiritual leader is alive! (You could ask your relatives or search the internet to verify these matters). You will also have noticed that people greatly reverence their religious leaders and rejoice when the name is mentioned, while hardly praising God. These are direct traits of idolatry and guarantee failure in the Hereafter.

[5:44] … Therefore, do not reverence human beings; you shall reverence Me instead. And do not trade away My revelations for a cheap price. Those who do not rule in accordance with GOD's revelations, are the disbelievers.

The Greatest Criterion*

[39:45] When GOD ALONE is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink with aversion. But when others are mentioned beside Him, they become satisfied.*

*39:45 Despite the clear commandment in 3:18 that the First Pillar of Islam is proclaiming: "Ash-hadu An Lã Elãha Ellã Allãh (there is no other god beside God)," the majority of "Muslims" insist upon adding the name of Muhammad. This Greatest Criterion alerts us that rejoicing in adding the name of Muhammad, or any other name, exposes disbelief in the Hereafter. See also Footnote 17:46.

The Idols:
Innovating New Religious Laws*

42:21] They follow idols who decree for them religious laws never authorized by GOD. If it were not for the predetermined decision, they would have been judged immediately. Indeed, the transgressors have incurred a painful retribution.*     

*42:21 The Islam of today's Muslim world has been so distorted, it has become a Satanic cult. The Ulama, or religious scholars, have added many extraneous laws, prohibitions, dress codes, dietary regulations, and religious practices never authorized by God. This is one of the main reasons for sending God's Messenger of the Covenant (9:31, 33:67, and Appendix 33).

Please note that neither of these spiritual leaders have any authority from God and the claim of a  1400 year old lineage to Prophet Muhammad is no basis at all. God alone authorizes specific people (messengers) to deliver His messages. He supports them with overwhelming physical proof of their divine appointment, yet gives them no power to help, save or intercede for anyone. In fact, in Islam, there is no clergy system which determines how people must pursue their belief. Submission to God alone (Islam) is a special relationship between the individual and God who has to account directly to God for his or her deeds.

We assure you that these religious leaders have no religious authority from God, and absolutely no power to guide or save your soul. In reality, there are as ignorant and misguided as the masses they think they are guiding. If they were guided and authorized by God, here are some of the things they would have done:

• They would prohibit people from reverencing (idolizing) humans and calling upon them with titles such as ‘highness, holiness’ etc.
• They would know the correct Shahaadah of Islam and ask people to worship God alone as per the first pillar of Islam.
• They would condemn/abandon all false sources that have crept into the religion and encourage people to follow the Quran alone instead.             
• They would find ways to establish God’s system into the lives of their communities, country etc.        

Please note that when we are talking about these religious leaders here, we are referring only to their false claims of divine/religious authority and false preaching of the religion. We are not referring to them personally or their otherwise good efforts to create financial and social wealth for their communities. In fact, some of these people possess good business, political and leadership skills which they could use to inculcate God’s system into the lives of people.

[3:79] Never would a human being whom GOD blessed with the scripture and prophethood say to the people, "Idolize me beside GOD." Instead, (he would say), "Devote yourselves absolutely to your Lord alone," according to the scripture you preach and the teachings you learn.

Religious Sects

God willing, by now you have already got the answer to your question about sects. In the Quran, God has absolutely prohibited the formation of sects. The reason religious sects are formed is the human opinion behind them instead of God’s words. When everything is so clearly defined in the Quran, how can there be multiple ways to practice the religion? For example, the essential requirement of all human beings is to worship God alone and the Shahaadah is clearly stated in the Quran (3:18). How can there be multiple understandings of this? The Salat (Contact) Prayer is a mathematically coded format that must be done exactly as decreed by God. When the method is already defined and non-changeable, how can there be multi-sectarian versions of it? Everything—from the practices, judicial and economic laws, dietary prohibitions, women’s rights, marriage etc.—are all clearly defined in the Quran. People only need to study it and follow its easy system to lead a happy life and be redeemed to God. God is the Teacher of the Quran (55:1-2).

There are hundreds, if not thousands of sects under the banner of Islam, each one happy with what they think is right about the religion. In the bargain, people are not able to refer to themselves as just ‘Muslims’ unless they also mention the name of the sect of Islam which they belong to. (The Aga Khan followers always say they are Khoja’s or Aga Khani’s. They rarely use the term Muslim).

[30:32] (Do not fall in idol worship,) like those who divide their religion into sects; each party rejoicing with what they have.

The irony of all this is that when you tell people to worship God alone and follow the path decreed by God in the Quran, you are accused of starting a new idea or sect of Islam! Submission is not a name of a sect or religion but the description of a soul's absolute devotion and submission to God Alone. This is the First Commandment in all of God's scriptures, including the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Final Testament, the Quran. The words Muslim and Islam are only the Arabic words for Submitter and Submission. To be a Submitter (Muslim) and practice Submission (Islam), you do not need to know how to read, write or speak Arabic, nor do you need to be of any specific religious or cultural background.

Masjid Tucson is not a professional religious organization nor does it support or advocate any sect of Islam. The aim of our website is to spread the truth about Islam from the Quran. We encourage people to examine the information and choose their spiritual path for themslves. God’s system of submission is designed to apply perfectly to any generation, past, present and future. Nothing needs to be changed or adapted. People have to implement the system into their societies and adapt their lives to conform to it. One of the best starting points to practice submission correctly is to first understand why you were created and the purpose of your existence. One you understand this, you will have a logical reason to worship God alone and follow God’s system of Submission decreed in the Quran.

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Consulting spiritual gurus, astrologers, witchcraft, talismans, rebirth, speaking to the dead … What position do these hold in Submission / Islam?

Question: I would like to know if Islam allows consulting spiritual gurus and astrologers. Is it possible to speak to angels or the dead? Can you ward off evil or change your fortune by wearing gemstones and talismans? What happens after death and can animals or humans be reborn? After reading your website, I am realizing that when in trouble, people try all sorts of things, but never turn to God alone and look for the answer in His scriptures. Please help me get these answers and also know that they are correct.

Answer: Peace be upon you. May God bless you for your observation. The primary reason people do not seek the solution from God alone is because they do not know why they were created and what the purpose of their life is. While we are providing the answers to your questions below, we recommend that you also find out why you were created, as that will give you a complete understanding of what you have asked about and other important questions about life.

Consulting spiritual healers/gurus: No human has the power to grant life or death or happiness (10:56, 40:68, 6:17). No human can intercede with God for the soul of another human being. God’s scriptures contain the exact roadmap of how to live a happy, secure life, and it is the responsibility of all humans to follow them and account to God directly for their deeds. Following any spiritual source/information that is not from God constitutes idolatry (or setting up of partners with God), the only unforgivable offence, if maintained till death (4:48, 4:116). When God has already provided the exact spiritual roadmap of life (and happiness) in His scriptures, how can anyone else claim to have a solution independent of Him? A truly guided person will acknowledge that his or her guidance came from God’s scriptures and will thus direct you to the scriptures, not themselves. Therefore, do not follow anyone who claims to have spiritual powers to heal or provide happiness. Such a person is an agent of Satan in disguise and will take you to Hell along with Him.

Astrology: Astrology/numerology etc. are misleading concepts because no one knows the future except God (27:65, 35:38, 52:41, etc.). If you could foresee and avoid/change future events, it would defeat the purpose of your creation, which is to deal with the tests of life that God has planned for you in order to redeem yourself back to Him. Additionally, if people already knew the future, they would take things for granted and would worship and depend on God even less than they do now. How many people do you know who like to predict the future, but are themselves significantly healthier, richer, happier, or enjoy more dignity? How come it hasn’t worked for them?

Gemstones, talismans, ‘prayed upon’ foods, etc.: These things are illegal because there is no short cut way around God’s system of life. To be protected from harm and evil, you have to worship God alone and lead a righteous life in a manner that pleases God—already defined in His scriptures (5:12). You cannot escape this responsibility by relying on a gemstone to provide you prosperity or protection. It constitutes a direct application of idolatry and will make you a loser in the Hereafter.

Witchcraft; speaking with the dead: Witchcraft comes under the category of occultism and invokes the power of jinns (representatives of Satan) to influence various outcomes. God says in 2:102 that anyone who practices witchcraft will have no share in the Hereafter. You will have sold your soul to Satan, the most ardent enemy (2:168, 2:208) of humans. It is also impossible to speak with the dead. When a human being dies, its soul crosses a barrier into another dimension from where it can never return nor has any idea of what is happening back on Earth. Therefore, when people claim to communicate with dead friends or relatives, they are not actually doing so. They are only falling prey to Satan’s illusions (72:6, 14:22) which are allowed by God for those who deserve to be led in this direction. So while these things may “appear” to work for them, it will actually send them to Hell in the Hereafter because they failed to follow the truth defined by God in His scriptures.

Communicating with angels: This is another of Satan’s great tricks where millions of people are misled by ideas such as tarot card readings, angel conversations etc. When you learn about why the humans were created, you will also know who the angels are and their position in God’s kingdom. Angels are righteous servants of God who exist in a dimension which humans cannot comprehend on Earth. They obediently carry out various tasks in the universe and naturally will not do anything that supports Satan. Therefore, when people claim to communicate with angels or can see the future for personal gain through tarot cards, they are only being allowed to believe so because they deserve to go in this direction. While prophets and messengers of God may communicate with Gabriel, for example, the fortune tellers are certainly not messengers of God. The criteria for distinguishing a false messenger from a real messenger of God are clearly spelled out in Quran. A false messenger is a messenger of Satan. In the Hereafter, such false practitioners of the occult will end up losers along with all those who believed them. Those who claim to be Muslims and indulge in trying to use witchcraft and occultation will be punished severely for disobeying God’s clear information about this in the Quran.

Rebirth: Again, when you learn about why you were created, you will realize that this life on Earth is the only life the human has to make it back to God. At the moment of death, the fate of the human is sealed and its soul will either go to Heaven forever or will burn in Hell forever. There is no other opportunity for the soul to be reborn as a human (or any other creature), anywhere in the universe. At this time, most humans are not aware of this and that is why they do not take God and His instructions in His scriptures seriously. Satan has tricked billions of people into believing that they will either be forgiven by God—no matter how bad they were—or will keep being reborn in some form until they purify their souls enough to be redeemed into Heaven eventually. Unfortunately for them, this is not the case. There is absolutely no rebirth/second life, and there are no other opportunities to be redeemed to God except this life on Earth.

It is a fact that most humans are headed towards Hell (12:103-106) because they do not worship God alone and lead a righteous life that pleases Him. Worldly achievements and financial prosperity are not a confirmation or guarantee of redemption. God tells us that He assigns ranks to all humans in order to test them with what He has given them. Therefore, what matters eventually is not the financial status or achievements of people, but how much they developed their souls (49:13) to be redeemed back to God in the Hereafter.

How to know you have the right information?
The information we have given you is from the Quran, God’s Final Testament to mankind. The Quran is a fully detailed scripture containing everything the human must know about life; from the purpose of our creation to death, how to be righteous, how to be happy, how to grow and redeem the soul, etc.

You can certainly examine the other scriptures to seek out the best (39:18). God has been sending scriptures much before He sent down the Quran about 1400 years ago. However, there are two situations you will face:
1) God’s scriptures across religions are not available in their original form. Portions of varying degrees are either lost or corrupted beyond recognition. The mathematical miracle confirms the preservation of the Quran.

2) God may not have provided the previous generations with all the information about life that is contained in the Quran. Only what was relevant and adequate for those generations to know may have been given to them. The Quran confirms and supersedes previous older scriptures (5:48).

This is why you will find several sincere seekers and worshippers of God not certain about which book or books constitute a complete original set of instructions they must follow. Since God loves and guides the sincere from all His religions, portions of the truth from the previous scriptures will definitely be available for them to follow. But the question will remain; “How will you distinguish what is originally from God and not a corruption by Satan?”

By God’s grace, this is answer is also in the Quran. With the Quran, God has consolidated and superseded all His previous messages into one scripture containing a single system of Submission to Him alone for all humans. God has divinely preserved the Quran, making it the only scripture from Him in existence that is intact down to every letter. It contains a built in mathematical proof that proves beyond doubt that the Quran is the actual word of God. Thus, God has simplified the matter for all generations henceforth by putting everything into one, easy to follow book of information and instructions for living and redemption. Therefore, if it’s there in the Quran, you will know it is correct. If you find information in other scriptures that is in variance to Quran, it instantly exposes that it did not come from God (2:4, 5:48-49). It’s as simple as that.

Note: It is very important for you to know that the Quran is not a ‘Muslim Book,’ nor the exclusive property of a set of people who exude a certain cultural or religious profile. As mentioned above, it is a complete book of guidance for anyone who wishes to practice Submission to God alone—regardless of his or her religious/cultural background. The scripture is from God. It does not “belong” to any group of people exclusively.

The words Muslim and Islam are only the Arabic words for “Submitter and Submission,” and we also know now why God chose Arabic as the language of His final scripture for the world. To practice Submission to God alone, you do not have to use these Arabic titles, nor do you need to know how to read, write or speak Arabic, or change your name, or anything like that.

In fact, those who call themselves Muslims today are not really Muslims because they neither worship God alone nor follow the Quran alone for their religious guidance. If these people want to be counted as true Muslims (Submitters), they have to abandon all their traditional/ignorant/corrupt ways and start all over again with the truth from the Quran. Actually, they have lost their opportunity to be true sovereigns on Earth, because they received the Quran—a complete, perfect and fully detailed scripture—in their own language but chose to abandon it in favor of man-made traditions out of blind ignorance or convenience. We are now in the final era of mankind where God is restoring His religion of Submission to Him alone to its pristine purity. This process is already underway and is happening out of the USA which God has selected as the sovereign nation that will allow His message to flourish and spread freely and fairly.

God willing this has answered your questions. However we wish to reiterate that you must understand why you were created, as that will give you the complete picture about whatever you have asked about and more. The two specific links for that are: “Why were we created” & “Introduction.” Please do read both.

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What is the function of the mathematical miracle; how is it different from previous miracles of God?

Question: Can you explain to me briefly how the mathematical miracle is different from previous miracles of God?

Answer: The mathematical miracle of the Quran provides irrefutable physical evidence that God exists and that the Quran is His unaltered message to the world, intact, down to every letter. The Quran explains a five-fold function of the mathematical miracle including that it will strengthen the faith of the faithful and convince the Christians and Jews that this is a divine scripture (74:30-37).

Unlike previous miracles that were limited to time and place, the mathematical miracle of the Quran is a perpetual miracle that can be witnessed and verified by all generations, anytime, and from anywhere. Even today it continues to manifest itself, reassuring the faithful that God is in full control of the world and that His word will dominate over everything, despite Satan’s attempts to corrupt the truth (8:8).

Once a person recognizes that the Quran is the direct and complete word of God, he or she needs to follow it to lead a happy life and make it back to God in the Hereafter.

Several aspects of the religion and other important information concerning the human race are also confirmed by the code. At the foundation is the critical message that ‘there is no god but God’ who must be worshipped alone, without mentioning or associating any other entity along with Him. Other confirmations include: the purpose of our creation, correct religious practices, end of the world, and identity of the messenger to come after Muhammad. 

The Quran's Common Denominator

[74:30] Over it is nineteen.*

[74:31] We appointed angels to be guardians of Hell, and we assigned their number (19)
(1) to disturb the disbelievers,
(2) to convince the Christians and Jews (that this is a divine scripture),
(3) to strengthen the faith of the faithful,
(4) to remove all traces of doubt from the hearts of Christians, Jews, as well as the believers, and
(5) to expose those who harbor doubt in their hearts, and the disbelievers; they will say, "What did GOD mean by this allegory?" GOD thus sends astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills. None knows the soldiers of your Lord except He. This is a reminder for the people.

[74:32] Absolutely, (I swear) by the moon. [74:33] And the night as it passes. [74:34] And the morning as it shines.

One of the Great Miracles

[74:35] This is one of the great miracles.*

*74:30-35 This "One of the great miracles" provides the first physical evidence that the Quran is God's message to the world. This 19-based miracle is detailed in Appendix 1.

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Can women lead the Salat (Contact) Prayer?

Question: Since God considers men and women equal in Islam, I would like to know if women can lead the Contact Prayers in a congregation of male and female submitters.

Answer: Peace be upon you. God willing, here is a perspective to examine.

God has made it clear in the Quran that men and women are absolutely equal in belief. Both of them have equal responsibility and opportunity to be redeemed back to God (3:195, 4:25). However, God has also designed men and women differently with unique qualities, rights and obligations for each of them (2:228, 4:32).

In the case of a congregation comprising only women and young children, the women can definitely lead the Contact Prayers for the congregation. They will, in this situation, be conducting the Friday (Jumu’ah) congregation prayer by giving the sermons and leading the prayer accordingly. However, in a congregation consisting of men and women, it is an established system, since the time of Abraham, that the men always lead the prayer and also group in front of the women. It is easy to appreciate that this is a practical social system.

If women could lead the prayer (in a mixed group), then technically they can also make rows in front of the men or pray shoulder to shoulder alongside them. But would it be a very comfortable scenario? Just think about the physical design of the woman, especially in context of her prostrating right in front of or next to a man. Men may become distracted or feel uncomfortable and even embarrassed if during the bowing and prostrating a woman’s dress becomes revealing—more so if the woman in front is not a close relative. As for the woman, instead of focusing on the prayer, she may be constantly conscious of being stared at or worrying about making adjustments to her clothing.

In many communities, the room where the Jumu’ah is held may be small. Sometimes they are held in bedrooms or private offices where there is less space to spread out or keep distance from the imam unlike a large conference hall. So if a woman is delivering a sermon and some men are sitting right at her feet, looking right up at her, wouldn’t it be awkward for all of them? Youthful men and women may get attracted/distracted by each other, or get mischievous by sitting next to each other in the prayers.

Also, it is a fact that men have large egos. A newcomer to Submission (true Islam), especially one from a conservative or traditional background, may get intimidated by the modern dress of a woman submitter, or a woman giving a sermon; lecturing men on what they are doing wrong. (A lesson we can relate to in this context is the fact that all messengers are men – 13:38.)

Certainly, one could argue that each situation should be evaluated and seating/clothing should be applied accordingly. But then how practical is that and where is the consistency in the system? When established systems like this are allowed to be kept open, disputes about right, wrong, yes, no, where, when etc. can go on forever, dragging people away from the serious and focused mindset required for the Contact Prayer or Congregational Prayer. Instead of concentrating on the prayer and the lesson of the sermon, Satan will incite dispute, suspicion, and try to distract people into being judgmental, etc.

A standardized system leaves no room for discussion or argument on this count. Keep in mind that God’s messenger, Rashad Khalifa, confirmed and purified all the practices of the religion for us. If it was fine for women to lead the prayer in mixed groups, this trend would have been established across the worldwide communities long ago. God has given us His system of Divine Preservation and Universal Acceptance so whatever was already established and to be continued, the messenger left it as is. Universally, it is the system that in a mixed congregation, the men lead the prayer and pray in front of the women. Since there is no precedent for a woman leading a mixed congregation in prayer, we do not want to risk starting an innovation in this matter.

It is worth re-emphasizing that this does not mean women are in any way less equal or inferior. It simply means, God’s design, is not for a woman to be bending and prostrating in front of or besides men. A woman can prepare the points for a sermon, to be physically delivered by a male. That is not a problem. In terms of intellectual capacity and soul growth, women are in every way equal to men.

We have also been asked, “How come women give religious talks at conferences or be the lead “teacher” during a Quran study, but not lead Salat?”. The answer is one involves potentially distracting physically activity, and the other does not. Leading a Quran study is a matter of study and understanding of God’s words. Women can be as knowledgeable or more knowledgeable than men. Thus they can do these activities– and they do it well. But we hope it is understandable where the distinction lies between leading a Quran study and leading Salat. In the Contact Prayer, a woman will need to bow and prostrate in front of the men as discussed previously. Further, during the obligatory Contact Prayers we must be focused totally on God, not on the leader or speaker.

We have even been asked how come men and women worship side by side during pilgrimage. The context of Hajj pilgrimage sets it apart. The traditional approach during pilgrimage is that the men and women are segregated into groups at the Ka’bah and try to maintain it throughout the journey as much as possible, whether it is a small or large group. Everyone is extra careful with the way they are dressed, and all the pilgrims make the best effort to be focused on God, not the person next to them (who, if they are a woman, is likely to be a spouse or relative). It’s a sea of people, and you are unlikely to be focused on any individual. Neither do women lead the prayer here, they may (at the most) be standing next to you.  Thus, we do not see this as good enough justification for women to lead the prayer in a mixed group either. Remember that we are specifically discussing the established system for a congregation Salat Prayer. When it comes to that, true believing men and women congregate in a group as per the established system wherever they are.

While one could use circumstantial exceptions and argue forever about not needing to standardize religious or social behavior, we encourage people to use common sense and follow the general/natural system God has established for several situations in life. Men leading the prayer in front of women is an established system world over, but in no way makes women inferior on any count. In fact women do an excellent job in teaching their children and can greatly contribute to spreading God’s word in various ways, including writing the Friday sermon content which the men can deliver!

We learn from 4:34 (where, in context of marriage, the natural expectation is for men to captain a relationship), that God says He has set up a practical system, which the righteous women will accept cheerfully. Men and women are equal in the eyes of God, and having a man lead a Salat prayer does not change this equality. It merely acknowledges the different qualities God placed in men and women (4:32).

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