&tRecently, I got an email from a friend who told me about an author who wrote that, for many Muslims, there is no more joy in Islam. I believe that is valid. For many people, there is no "sweetness" of faith, like the Prophet (pbuh) spoke about in a famous hadith. Many people will conclude that this is a fault of religion itself, most especially Islam. Yet that is a faulty conclusion.

Religion is supposed to serve the believer. It is supposed to support the believer on his or her journey on this earth back towards their Lord and Creator, where they truly belong. In fact, religion polishes the roughness out of the human heart so that the light of God both shines through and penetrates in. There should be so much joy in this process.

Yet, for many people, the reverse is true. The believer is supposed to serve religion. Religion is master, and the believer is servant. This is flawed, and the Qur'an tells me so:

Today have I perfected your religious law for you, and have bestowed upon you the full measure of My blessings, and willed that self-surrender unto Me shall be your religion. (5:3)

The fact that God gave us the perfect law is described as "the full measure of [God's] blessings." Yet, why? Why is religion an enormous blessing for us? Because it helps guide us back to our Lord. That is the ultimate service for us.

When our father Adam (pbuh) slipped in the Garden, he estranged himself from God. Thus, Adam (pbuh) was bidden to live on earth and journey back to Him. This is a tough journey, and God knows this. Yet, He did not leave Adam (pbuh) - and by analogy all of us - completely alone to fend for himself (and ourselves). He sent guidance:

Yet if guidance does come to you from Me, then whoever follows My guidance will have nothing to fear and will not sorrow. (2:38)

And when we follow this guidance we are comforted, and we find happiness and joy. In fact, God calls the believers to enter into peace, which is what we will find when we follow His way:;blockquote>O believers, enter wholly into peace, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan, for he is an open enemy to you. (2:208)Many translators have used the word "Islam" as the translation for the Arabic silm, which is the word used in the verse. But, silm means "peace," and the use of the word seems to be much more broad and encompassing. This means to me that, if we follow God's way, we will have total peace in our hearts, and we will experience joy.

This process, in fact, is one of love. Following God's way is a process of falling in love with God. We get to know Him through knowing and experiencing His signs:

We will show them Our signs throughout the regions of the earth and in themselves, until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. Is it not enough that your Lord is witness to all things? (41:53)

And once we know Him, we cannot but love Him, most especially because we come to learn that He loved us first. And once we fall in love with the Precious, there is no turning back. We "enter into peace," and we experience joy. That is the essence of religion: the process of falling in love with God and entering into peace by following His guidance.

And, yes, that does include performing the acts of ritual prayer and ablution; abstaining from that which God commands; giving out of our wealth; fasting when God commands us to fast; journeying on the earth back to the Lord Himself. All these things we do because we love Him (because He loved us first).

The fact that someone does not derive joy from these things is not the fault of the religion, it is the fault of the person himself. Nevertheless, there are many Muslims who have begun to question the 'illah, or effective cause or reason behind, of some of Islam's most important religous practices. For instance, what is the 'illah of the five daily prayers? What is the 'illah of the fast of Ramadan? Of the zakah? Of the Hajj?

I do not think there is anything wrong with this type of questioning, so long as the intent behind the questioning is sincere. Truth does not fear investigation. Yet, God has already answered many of these questions already. The beauty of our Creator is that, when He sends forth a command, He usually explains why. In fact, we see that He gives the 'illah behind our ritual practices:

Five daily prayers: I am the God; there is no deity but Me; so serve Me, and practice prayer to remember Me. (20:14) Also read: Recite what has been revealed to you from the Book, and pray regularly; for prayer restrains from that which is abominable and disavowed. And remembrance of God is even greater. And God knows what you do. (29:45)

Fast of Ramadan: O believers, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may be conscientious. (2:183) Also read: The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Qur'an was revealed, as guidance for humanity, and demonstrations in the way of guidance and discrimination. So whoever among you is present in that month should fast... (2:185)

Zakah: Take contributions from their wealth, to purify them and justify them thereby; and pray for them. Indeed, your prayer is an asylum for them. For God is all-hearing, all-knowing. (9:103)

Hajj: Indeed, the first temple set up for humankind was the one at Mecca, as blessing and guidance for all beings, in which are evident signs; it is the place where Abraham stood, and whoever enters it is secure. And it is a duty of humanity to God that whoever is able to make a pilgrimage to the temple. And if any refuse, well, God in independent of all worlds . (3:96-97)

The Lord God has also explained why He forbade fornication and games of chance even though He has no reason to do so:

And do not approach adultery, for it is an obscenity and an evil way. (17:32)

Believers - wine and gambling and idolatry and divination are nothing by abomination from the work of Satan, so avoid them that you may thrive. Satan only wants to sow hostility and hatred among you with wine and gambling, and to hinder you from remembrance of God, and from prayer. So will you refrain? (5:90-91)

Even when it comes to believing in His oneness, He never says, "I am One because I say so." No. He takes the time to explain why, even though He has every right to say "because I said so." Take this passage as a prime example:

Say, Praise be to God, and peace upon the servants God has chosen. Is God better, or what they associate with God? Or, who created the heavens and the earth, and rains water from the sky for you? With it We produce orchards full of beauty, whose trees you could not produce. Is there a deity besides God? No, but they are a deviant people.

Or, who made the earth steady, and put rivers in its clefts, and set mountains on it, and placed a partition between the two seas? Is there a deity besides God? No, but most of them do not know. Or, who answers the cry of the one hard pressed, and removes adversity, and makes you heirs of the earth? Is there a deity besides God? You hardly pay attention.

Or, who guides you in the darkness of the land and the sea, and who sends the winds as heralds of divine mercy? Is there a deity besides God? God transcends any association that they attribute. Or, who initiates creation and then repeats it; and who provides you sustenance from the sky and the earth? Is there a deity besides God? Say, "Bring your proof, if you are being truthful." (27:59-65)

See how God goes through a detailed exposition about why He is one God, even though, once again, He needs no reason to explain Himself to us. What an awesome God we have!

Despite these explanations, however, many Muslims seek to discern even further the 'illah behind the various practices of Islam. On one level, this is good, because upon reflection, one may find infinite reasons and benefits of the ritual practices of Islam. This will serve to strengthen the resolve of the believer to keep up the ritual practices out of love for God.

There are some, however, who reflect upon the possible 'illah of the ritual practice in order to invent "designer Islam," to justify their abandonment of the ritual practices. This is quite dangerous.

Thus, a person may say: "The ritual prayer is really a conversation between the believer and his or her Lord." This is true. Consequently, the person concludes, since he or she "talks" to God each day, there is no need to pray five times a day. "That's so seventh century," he or she may say. This same person may say: "Since the reason behind fasting is God consciousness, I do not need to fast because I am so conscious of God." Or, he may say: "My wealth is already pure, thus I do not need to pay the 2.5% Zakah."

This is "designer Islam," and unlike Coca-Cola, it is not the real thing. That sort of reasoning simply does not make any sense. If someone either does not, or can not, keep up the ritual practice, he or she should not justify their actions by coming up with an "Islam Vista." Islam does not need to be "updated," although the thinking and practices of a great many Muslims do.

I know this to be the case because of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He did, in fact, directly talk to God in the highest of heavens, where even the powerful Archangel Gabriel could not venture. In addition, God directly communicated to the Prophet (pbuh) through Gabriel over a period of 23 years. Yet, despite this, he (pbuh) never missed a ritual daily prayer. If anyone were to justify not having to pray because he "talks to God every day," it would be the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Yet, the Prophet prayed five times a day like the rest of us.

There was no human being that walked this earth who was not more conscious of God than the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Yet, he still fasted the month of Ramadan. There was no one who was as generous as the Prophet (pbuh), yet he still paid Zakah when it was due upon him. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) even performed the pilgrimage just before he died.

If the Prophet (pbuh), who was the most God-conscious, generous, pure, and pious man ever to walk the earth, never failed to perform the ritual practices of Islam, how can we even think of trying to justify doing the same by inventing a modern-day "designer Islam"? Yet, admittedly, those who continue to practice Islam as the Prophet (pbuh) practiced the religion are a tiny minority today.

This is immaterial. In fact, to be in this minority is laudable, because, God said that this minority will be among the "forefront" on Judgment Day:

And those in the forefront will precede: they will be the favorites in gardens of happiness, a number of the ancients, and a few of those of later times. (56:10-14)

I don't know about you, but I want to be among that "few."

Poor Weiss. I throw two simple narrations his way, and he is dumbstruck.

He knows the arguments he supports and promotes have no basis in Islamic theology and sacred law. Yet he persists with his conspiratorial nonsense.

Methinks Weiss is best left ignored.

When it comes to treating my neighbours properly, what the Prophet Muhammad teaches reinforces what I know to be common sense.

The problem is that not everyone in this world understands common sense. For instance, people like Weiss would justify the way Israel treats its neighbours. He would regard the slaughter of civilians in Lebanon as common sense. Yet he will accuse others of engaging in aggression.

Irfan et. al., dunno why I've bothered to read this far, because you and your interlocutors departed the region of honest and meaningful discourse and landed in polemical lala land many posts ago. As a non-churched Theist, I can only regret and wonder how it can be that all of you represent so many other people, all so fixedly dependent on finding meaning in your lives on "the true and unchanging word of God" as reported by illiterates and then written down years later by people who had an immense material stake in the matter. And then "truthfully" translated and INTERPRETED into all the world's languages. Wow.
Now, some comments about another form of "designer religion", derived from your claims of special knowledge about the true state of George Bush's, or anyone else's, relationship with God. One thing for sure - I've yet to find where GBW ever claimed God literally spoke to him, about anything. What GBW has admitted to is that he had a psychic change which made him conscious of the truth of God. GBW says he prays God for the power to learn God's will from His signs in the material world, when human will seems misleading, irrelevant, insufficient or prideful.

GBW hasn't claimed to know God's mind on anything based on God's statement to George. Most importantly, God didn't tell GBW to make war on Islam. But evidently GBW discovered, through prayer and reflection, as well as consultations worldwide, material reasons to believe that Afghanistan and Iraq would be likely places to find and deal with enemies. His definition, like the enemies, has evolved over 6 years, but at the center it includes those who use or empower a variety of Islamist faith and dogma to justify killing not only Americans, who are of priority concern to The President, but also lots of other people, whether or not they happen to have anything to do with GBW. And all this for the greater glory of their version of God and the expansion of His kingdom on earth. At least, that's what I've been able to find from a careful reading of what GBW has revealed of his inner thoughts about GBW and God. So far, thank God, I haven't heard him quote the received truth reflected in the scriptures of any religion as a basis for policy and action. Can't you guys learn something from that?

Irfy, I know you did not read any of this earlier - so here it is again. this time read it s l o w l y....and understand what it means before banging away on your keyboard like a monkey gone wild.

What is true in Pakistan today may not be that far off from being true universally in the muslim mindset:
'In Pakistan, this same dogma now provides the given major premise which cannot be challenged and cannot be understood differently from what it apparently meant to the early people, and conclusions can only be deduced from discovering analogous situations. My understanding of this is that apparently what was good in the 7th century remains good in the 21st century ' the Muslim mind of Pakistan is unready to face the world as it is and unwilling to update itself.

Under this paradigm, it is easy to see what happens to the whole structure of knowledge. In the field of morality nothing can be good or bad sui generic; it becomes good or bad by fiat, by declaring it to be good or bad as coming from God . . . . . . Law making also remains dependent on this logic; laws can only be deduced from what is given and nothing new can be entertained which is not already subsumed in the given premises, i.e. Quran and Sunnah. Both morality and law are thus seen to be based on an irrefutable given proposition, and rejection of this logic is seen as tantamount to heresy.

Naturally, this paradigm of knowledge was, and still is, very conducive to political authority. Thus the whole society was constructed on the 'command-obedience' framework and free play of mind was considered to be a disintegrating factor.

Everybody, check this out:
http://www.aina.org:80/news/20070702104326.htm
It concerns jihad as part of Islamic sacred law and contains numerous quotations from Islamic scholars and religious authorities, as well as statements by non-Moslem scholars of Islam.

This argument is framed incorrectly because the premise is completely wrong. The very premise of the article is wrong.

While it is written that the given law is perfect, it is not stated that it is perfect for all time. The author, and others seem to completely ignore the concept of Ilm.

Islam need not become "designer" to become modern. It need only do as is directed.

It is written that we are greater than the animals because of our reason. We are to increase our knowledge and use our reason to make our live better.

By strict logic that gives us the right to reconsider the given law.

Throughout 14 centuries of Islam this idea that the religion can evolve has been shouted down by people with vested interest in it remaining the same.

We should have no gods before The God, and we should bow before no one else. yet we do, we have done so, sometimes even commanded by "great muslims."

The question has been and still is about the soul of our religion. Do we have the courage to defy those would speak, and would think for us? Do we have the courage to take the power that is given to us in the text?

The hadith does not matter, the teachings of any great personage do not matter, even the prophet was a man, a great one, but fundamentally, a mouthpiece.

Muslims believe in mercy and peace from god. We believe in his justice. Everything else flows from that, and his greatest gift to us - our will. The five pillars may crumble but that fact remains. Can muslims accept that responsibility, that burden? So far, too many seem to take the easier way.

Dear Zaali,
You are the first one on this website that I have seen to say that Muslims have "the right to reconsider the given law" and "While it is written that the given law is perfect, it is not stated that it is perfect for all time" and "The hadith does not matter, the teachings of any great personage do not matter, even the prophet was a man, a great one, but fundamentally, a mouthpiece. "
You have gone right to the heart of the matter, and you are to be commended for your courage because saying these things could get you the death penalty for heresy and blasphemy in nearly every Moslem country. I greatly respect you for taking this position, and, for the sake of all of us, I wish you great success in convincing the Moslem religious scholars and clergy that your views are correct and Islamic. My hat's off to you!

Zaali, thanks. Your explanation may be the one most important Koranic exegesis I, non-muslim, have seen in the 2 years or so that I've been seeking to reassure other non-muslims that moderate muslims may have a solution to the insanity of the irhabists. I pray your interpretation is supported and reenforced by others with whom I regularly discuss the matter.

I am a Muslim who tries to read the Quran on a regular basis and have been doing so for many years. Yet, I have never felt the urge to hate or detest anyone based on their religious beliefs.

In fact, my tolerance of differing view points has increased the more I read the Quran and about the life story of Muhammad (PBUH).

Maybe the reason some Muslims have an intolerant attitude is because they don't read and reflect on the Quran. Instead, they blindly follow what others say to them.

All religions for the most part are by there nature designer religions.

Most resemble a gun. Depending on the hand you put it in are the results you will get with it.

Unlike the God of most religions today, my god wouldn't agree with any that exist. He has choosen messengers, and each has delivered over and over again almost the same message. Yet more people have been killed in the very name of the one who continues to tell us not to.

No messenger ever published or put into final product what eventually you and me now read and study. Its always after the fact by other humans. There is the flaw. Other humans, with there own views and agenda. By that fact all religions in existance are flawed. The difference is I am not willing to destroy, kill, and ruin the world I live in not to admit it.

Its way over due for the major world religions to agree on core human values of existance. Not to kill, to live in peace, to provide for one another, ect... But then again alot of people would lose alot of power, influence and sense of importance in order to do that in all the major religions that exist. Not to mention the denfense contractor and wespons manufactures would lobby against that also. I think satan or ilbil or whatever you want to call him runs that industry lol.

So with all that said, anyone who reads the Koran and thinks it doesn't and wont bring about a final battle like none this world has ever seen is a moron. That is why so many extremist groups must splinter off to carry out what it says over and over, and not just in one chapter. Over and over again the Koran by name says Jews and Christian. Wake up people!!!