Submission Faith Beauty
Submission Faith Beauty
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SUBMISSION, FAITH,
AND BEAUTY
™
| The Religion of Islam
JOSEPHE. LUMBARD
ZAYTUNA INSTITUTE Sussussiow, Farry, an BEAUTH: THERELIGION OFISLAS
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Contents
Invocations
IntRopuction
One Message, Many Messengers
‘The Prophet Mukarumad d and the Message ofisam
Chapter One: FAITH
‘The Oneness of God
‘The Attributes of God
‘The Measuring Out
Human Rights
Gender and Equatity
Angels
Prophecy
Jesus:98 and Christianity
The Return
Chapter Two: SUBMISSION
Testimony
Prayer
Alms Tax
Fasting
Pilgrimage
Islamic Law
Chapter Three: BEAUTY
Chapter Four: THE END OF TIME
Photo Credits
‘About the Author Dedicated to the hearts
in search of the divine truth,
‘May God guide you with grace along your path.
Invocations
G Aninvocation of God'sblssings and peacefor the Prophet Muhammad:
“Peace and blessings of God be upon him."
4 An invocation ofGod'speaceupona prophet: “Peacebe upon hin.”
:@ Avinvocation of God's peace upon two prophets: Peace be
upon them.”
‘agp An invocation of God's peaceupon more than two prophets: ‘Peace be
upon them.”
&& An invocation ofGod's peace upon a female companion ofthe Prophet: “May
God bepleased with he.”
& Aninvocation of God's peace upon a male companion ofthe Prophet: “May
God be pleased with him.” INTRODUCTION’
a reaffirmation of the one truth that
n been and will never cease to bet
a fh. This isthe
the whole of existence. To know and live this reality is th
Silty, Passion
ind us to the truth
sssions of human be minders of this truth
were periodically sent to humankind chrough the infinite mercy of God.
a These remin re sent in the form of messengers or prophets who,
brought the revelations chrough which we are again reminded that truth is
d that our joy, contentment, and
the first halfof the testimony of faith spoken by Muslim:
is nodeity butGod” (ash-hadu ana ilaha ila lah).
In many English-spe this truth is often misun
and mistaken fe e of paganism, largely due to simple linguistic
barrier. Muslims mostoften refer to God using the Arabic name Allah, which
sa proper noun that designates the incomparable creator of the h
and earth. Many non-Arabic speaking people mistakenly assume that.
is the name of a deity »
Judaism and Christianity, simply because they hear the word “Allah” used
rend uth paragraphs of thi sation Rove ben ode to he euthor' rina tex by INTRODUCTION
instead of the word “God.” This false assumption is refuted by the fact that
both Arab Jews and Arab Christians also refer to God as Allah. The name
Allah is the Arabic equivalent for God, and both terms can be interchanged
synonymously. Because this book was prepared for readers versed in the
English language, the word “God” will be used throughout except where
Arabic terminology is specifically required.
‘The word islam can be translated into English as “submission.” Contrary
to the negative connotations of the word in common English usage, the
‘meaning of submission as it pertains to Islam is “the act of recognizing the
oneness of God” (tawhid). This submission is most often thought of as an
act of bearing witness that there is no deity but God, although this is only its
‘most elementary manifestation. To bear witness with one’s tongue and
‘mind to God’s oneness is butthe first step toward inner unification, wherein
the dispersed elements of the soul are unified in the drive to realize the
immutable truth and live in accord with it.
People who practice the religion of Islam are known as Muslims.
‘The word Muslim can be translated into English as “one who submits.”
‘Muslims believe thatthe last of God’s revelations to humanity is the Qur'an,
which was revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel xe to the Prophet
‘Muhammad &, over a twenty-three year period (610-632 CE). Beliefiin the
Prophet Muhammad's status as a prophet (and by extension, the soundness
oftherevelation ofthe Qur'an) isaffirmedin the second halfof the testimony
offaith: “and testify that Muhammad isthe Messenger ofGod” (wa ask-hadu
‘nna Muhammadan rasulullah). For Muslims, the text ofthe Qur'an is the eter-
nal and immutable word of God that has been preserved in its original form
and language forover fourteen hundred years.
‘One Message, Many Messengers
The Qur'an was sent by God to remind humanity of the unifying truth of
God's oneness, and Muslims believe that this same truth was conveyed to
«every propher that came before the Prophet Muhammad 6. God tells us in
the Qur'an,
‘And Wenever sent a messenger before you,
savethat We revealed to him, saying,
“Theres no deity but so worship Me.” (21:25)
xii
INTRODUCTION
God specifically addresses Moses Manifest association of others with God is thus the source
of unbelief, but hidden instances of such associations are the source of
hypocrisy, and until one has turned all ofhis or her aspirations toward God,
a touch of these associations remains within the breast. To guard against
this condition, one must understand not only the oneness of God Himself,
but also the manner in which all things are related to God and utterly
dependent upon Him; for, in the Islamic context, everything that exists is a
sign of God. Failure to perceive this is a deficiency in faith and an indication
offflse associations: SUBMISSION, FAITH, AND BEAUTY
How many asignistherein the heavens and theearth
‘that they pass by, turming away from it?
Most ofthem havenofaithin God,
and associate others with Him. (x2:105)
In order to understand the signs, we must first understand the overall
context in which they appear. Simply put, to avoid associating others with
God, one must have a correct understanding of the relationship between
God and creation, between the Absolute and the relative; otherwise one may
mistake the relative signs for the Absolute that they signify.
‘The Attributes of God
The Absolute, in and ofitself is completely beyond human comprehension.
It is the divine essence, which is known only to itself. To admit that one
cannot know the divine essence is an important part of faith, As the first
caliph of Islam, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq sb said, “The inability to realize (the
divine essence] is a realization.” Traditionally, God is said to have ninety-
nine names relating to differentaspects of the divine. The all-encompassing
reality of the Essence is conveyed by names such as the Holy (al-Qudéus),
meaning thatwhich is beyond all else; the Peace (al-Salom), meaning theone
beyond all disequilibrium; and the Self Sufficient (al-Ghani), meaning the
‘one who is free ofall need and limitation. The next level of names contains
those pertaining to the divine attributes, such as the Knower (al-Alim), the
Alive (al-Hayuy), the Powerful (al-Onwi), the Hearing (al-Sami), and the
Seeing (al-Basir). These names pertain to the aspects of God about which we
can have some understanding, for we too share in these atwibutes, though
theyare on loan to us from God. The third level includes the names of God's
acts, These names describe the elation ofthe divine to creation and include
names such as the Creator (al-Khalig), the Originator (al-Bari), the Life-Giver
(al-Muhyi), the Causer of Death (al-Mumit), and the Forgiver (al-Ghafur).
These names have no meaning without an agent toward whom God per-
forms the actions implied by such attributes.
‘The divine names are the means by which God brings the whole of
creation into existence. From one perspective, the universe isa panorama of
divine names manifest in a manner that both reveals and conceals. But
whereas a creature may be alive, knowing, seeing, and powerful, God is the
10 SUBMISSION, FAITH, AND BEAUTY
Alive, the Knowing, and the Powerful. These qualities are thereby relative as
‘manifest in the human being but absolute in relation to God. They are, in
fact, on Ioan from God to all of existence. Whereas God’s knowledge and
ower are unlimited, the knowledge and power of any human being has
inherentlimitations.
In relation to creation, the divine names are again divided into two
categories: names of beauty (jamal) and names of rigor or majesty {jalal).
Names of beauty include the Metcifil (al-Rahman), the Compassionate (al-
Rahim), the Beautiful (cl-Jamil), the Kind (a-Latif), the Loving (al-Wadud),
and the Clement (al-Halim). These manifest what could be called the femi-
nine side ofthe divine, Names of rigor include names such as the Conqueror
(al-Qahhar), the Vengeful (al-Muntagim), the Subduer (a-Jabbar), the Slayer
(al-Mumit) and the Abaser (al-Mudhil). These manifest what could be called
the masculine side ofthe divine, Although the divine essence is beyond all
duality and gender specification, the names of beauty and of majesty display
a complementarity from which derives the duality inherent in creation. As
God says,
‘And of each thing We created a pai. (51:49)
2
FAITH
On the level ofthe names of the attributes, there exists a multiplicity that
cannot be present in the divine essence itself. Nonetheless, itis still a mul-
tiplicity within unity wherein all the names refer to the attributes of a single
tunigueand absolute Essence.
Justas God is beauty and rigor, mercy and vengeance, 50 t00 is God near
and far, ever present, while also being transcendent and incomparable. The
transcendence of God is referred to by the term tanzit, which means
making or declaring something to be free of all else.” Tanzih is emphasized
in both theology and daily discourse; for example, the mention of God is
often followed by the phrase “Glorified is He and Transcendent” (Subhanahu
wate'ala).
‘The Qur'an affirms that God is incomparable and that God is eternal
while all elses fleeting:
[Nothing islikeunto Him. (42:13)
Allisperishing save His face. (28:88)
Allthatisupon theearth fades,
buttheface of your Lord remains. (55:26)
But atthe same time, the omnipresence of the divine is attsted to in
several Qur’anicverses that tell of God's presence around us and with us:
Whersorer you turn theres theface of God. (22115)
fy servantasks about Me, surely am ner. (2x86)
Heiswith youwherveryouare. (57:4)
Wehave created the human
and We know what whispesin hisbreast,
and Weare closerto him than his ugular vein. (50:16)
‘Thereis no group ofthree but that He stheirfourth,
nor offivebut that Heistheirsixth,
nor lessernor greater than that,
bbut that Heis with them wherever they are. (58:7)
‘The conceptofGod’s uniqueness provides amore complete understand-
3 FAITH
ing of the relation of the Absolute to the relative, At all times God is both
infinitely far and indescribably near—near because nothing can exist with-
out being sustained by God and far because God infinitely transcends all
creation.
‘The Measuring Out
God is omnipotent, and this omnipotence is emphasized by the ability to
create and then to ordain, or measure out, all things associated with crea-
tion; hence, all good and evil that is associated with God’s creation is also
created by God. As the Qur’an states,
God gave everything its creation. (20:50)
‘Thus the Prophet Muhammad # said that faith is to believe in “the
‘measuring out, both the good of itand the evil oft." For although we may
not see the wisdom orreason behind something, God does.
‘The Arabic word translated here as “measuring out” is qadar and is
related to the word for power (quérah) and the divine name the Powerful (al-
Qadir). Qadar can also be translated as power, but in the Qut'an itspecificaly
refers to the manner in which God exercises His power by measuring outthe
proper portion of life, power, knowledge, and all other characteristics for
each created thing. Itis through a wisdom thats seldom apparent o us that
the limitations upon all things have been established by determining the
‘measure granted to them, be ita rock ora human, an elephant ora gnat. AS
God says inthe Qur'an,
Indeed We havecreated everything
through a measuring out. (54:49)
He created everything and measured it precisely. (25:2)
‘These precise measurements are taken from God's storehouses:
‘Thereis nothing whose storehouses arenot with Us,
‘and Wedo notsenditdown
except with an established measure. (5:21)
From one perspective, these storehouses contain the meanings of divine
names and qualities which belong to God and are always with Him, and
5 SUBMISSION, FAITH, AND BEAUTY
which He manifests to His creation in various measures. On the one hand,
they belong only to God. On the other, all that we see around us is a tapestry
of the divine names and qualities measured out in different proportions to
each thing as God has willed. This can also be seen 2s the manifestation of
God's sustaining nourishment (rizg). In numerous verses throughout the
Qur'an, God speaks of “spreading out” and-“measuring out” the nourish-
‘ment for His servants or for whomsoever He wills. Although we may think
that one person should be nourished with more power than another, that
one should have more knowledge than another, or conversely, that God
should have provided equally for all His creatures, all such assumptions
stand against the dictates of faith. The following Qur'anic verse addresses
this common human error:
Had God expanded His provision to His servants,
they would have been insolentin theearth.
But He ends down whatsoever Hewills
through a measuring out. (42:27)
Human Rights
Many issues currently debated in discussions of Islam can only be fully
understood by applying the principles of God’s oneness and measuring out.
Foremost among these issues is the topic of human rights. To speak of
human tights, one must firstspeak ofthe human being, forwhatthe human
actually is determines what his or her rights are. When understood in terms
of the measuring out, the human being is nothing but a manifestation or
reflection of God’s names and qualities that God has measured out in a
precise amount. Whereas other creatures manifest only some of the divine
names and qualities, human beings have the capacity to perceive all ofthe
divine names and qualities. Ths is alluded to in the Qur’anic account of the
creation ofthe firsthuman being, Adama:
God taught Adam the names, all ofthem. (2:32)
As the names ofall things are produced by God measuring out portions
ofthe divine names and qualities, what Adam 4a: was taughtis how each and
every part of creation reflects some aspect of the divine itself. Such know-
ledge is accessible to all human beings when they live in accordance with
16
FAITH
theirtrue nature. While on the one hand, thisis a greathonor, on the other, it
entails a greatresponsibility”
‘The human being is both a servant (abd) and a vicegerent or repre-
sentative (khalfah) before God. As a servant, the human is completely pas-
sive towards God, receiving what is measured out without opposition. Asa
vicegerent, the human is active towards creation and his lower nature, or-
dering that which is below in accord with that which is above. To maintain
the rights that derive from our position as vicegerent, we must frst fulfil the
responsibilities as servant. Several verses of the Qur’an make itclear that the
first responsibility ofthe human state is service: We have not created jinn and
humanity but to sere God. (51:56)
The Arabic word for service (ibadah) also means worship. The purpose
of human existence is therefore service to and worship of God. When the
+human serves and worships, he or she stands in perfect passivity before the
divine, reflecting the divine names and qualities like a stil body of water. But
when the wind of conceit (hawa) blows within the breast, the waters un-
ulate and the reflection is distorted. When the reflection is distorted, oneis
‘unable to find the proper balance between servitude and vicegerency and
thereby seeks to be active when he orshe should be passive and passive when
heor she should be active. This results ina distorted perception of the divine
names and qualities and their proper relations.
‘When we cannot see the proper relations, itis difficult ro recognize the
rights of others, not just humans but also plants and animals. The Arabic
word for right inthis context is haqg, which means truth, true, reality, real,
right, ordue. The factthat the word for rightand the word for truth orreality
are the same demonstrates thatthe rights due to all of God’s creation do not
derive from a mere “social contract” but rather from the very nature of
existence, Indeed, the True or the Real (al-Hagq) is one ofthe names of God.
God has measured out from His own Right a right for each and every exis-
ting thing. As vicegerents of God, we have the responsibility to recognize
these rights. Butifwe do not first take the divine right into account, then we
hhave ceased to see the manner in which the relative right of each thing is
‘measured out from its Creator. When the relative right is viewed in relation
to the Absolute, then we are able to recognize the proper balance between
the rights ofall created things—not only those of human beings,
y SUBMISSION, FAITH, AND BEAUTY
From an Islamic perspective, the current debates regarding human
rights render humans as absolute, while forgetting the rights of both God
and His cteation. This feeds a fundamental imbalance in our understanding
of all rights and leads to egregious errors; for example, the global environ-
mental crisis results from an inability to recognize the rights of plants,
animals, and even water and air. We now see, pérhaps too late, thatthe fai-
Ture to recognize these rights may result in our own extinction. Until we
return to a holistic understanding of rights, we will continue to abuse the
rights ofsome in the name ofthe rights of others; we desperately seekto find
the proper balance, which can only be achieved through steadfast recourse
tothe Absolute Right—God.
Given that each and every existing thing receives a measure thats unlike
that of any other thing, one cannot speak of rights in an absolute manner.
Some have rights that others do not; for example, parents have the right to
obedience and respect from their children, while children have the right to
nourishment, guidance, and discipline ftom their parents. To insist that
parents and children have the same rights in relation to one another would
undermine both the family and the societal structure. We see the adverse
effects of uch a destabilization in today’s society.
Gender and Equality
The fact that all rights are not absolutely applicable to each member of
society is of fundamental importance for understanding gender relations in
Islam. Muslims recognize thatall men and women are equal before God but
that for each gender God has measured out different qualities. The female
receives a greater measute from the names ofbeauty, while the male receives
a greater measure from the names of majesty. The female thus differs
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