God’s religion is as old as the history of human being on earth (3:19, 3:83, 3:85). His religion is evolved since origin but it was formally instituted and revealed through prophet Ibrahim including all the religious rites that we practice today (2:130, 2:135, 3:95, 4:125, 22:78). Since then, they are passed down to us through practices of people generation after generation. God made a covenant with the Children of Israel that He would be with them so long as they observe the Contact prayers and the obligatory charity (5:12). Luqman advised his son to observe the Contact prayers (31:17). Moses and Aaron were asked to turn their homes in Egypt into synagogues, and to maintain the Contact prayers until God delivers them from the tyranny of Pharaoh (10:87). Thus, all the messengers who came after Abraham observed the practices given to him by God. This included the prophet Muhammad as well who was enjoined to follow the religion of Abraham (16:123).
It is apparent that the religious practices given to the people through prophet Ibrahim get corrupted over time and God has sent scriptures, prophets and messengers from time to time to guide the people to bring them back to His religion for proper practicing of rites. As such, when the Quran was revealed to prophet Muhammad, these practices were already in existence and he was asked to “follow the religion of Abraham,” meaning that these practices were to be continued until the end of the world (9:54, 16:123, 22:78), the Quran being the final edition of God’s scripture (33:40). While the Quran covers new and existing laws/instructions to lead a righteous life and develop the soul but when dealing with the religious practices, the Quran does not bring anything new. It only (1) confirms the existence of the practices and asks to continue doing them; (2) corrects and restores those parts of the practices that had become distorted over time such as the tone of voice at the prayer (17:110), the steps of ablution and nullification of ablution (5:6, 4:43); (3) modifies a practice i.e. allowing sexual intercourse during the nights of fasting (2:187) and (4) completes our religion confirming, consummating and superseding the previous scripture (5:3, 5:48, 21:24, 35:31).
Corruptions and Distortions
Over the centuries, Islam has become corrupted beyond our imagination due to entering of myths and misconceptions, celebrations and ceremonies, stories and superstitions, dress codes and ethnic foods, false doctrine, man-made rules and regulations and even misinterpretation of the message of the Quran. History indicates that when the Muslims followed the teachings of the Quran properly, they prospered. But, once they abandoned the words of God in the Quran and followed the corrupt teachings and innovations of their religious leaders, they began a long trail of decline. The fabricators of the false doctrine as Hadith & Sunnah have come up with religious teachings dictating to their followers how to sleep, how to cut their nails or even how to step in and step out of the mosque. When people become accustomed to such practices over a sufficient period of time, they come to accept these practices as normal. Thus, the true Islam is like a precious jewel that is buried under piles of man-made innovations and social traditions that have little to do with the religion.
Method of Religious Rites
We will return to God as individuals (6:94, 18:48, 19:95), and to ensure the successful return we must manage ourselves to achieve it through religious practices (15:99). But establishing religious rites that are not authorized by God is a gross offence (4:48, 4:116, 39:65). God is merciful on us and has given us the knowledge in managing ourselves what we need to do to know the truth to make our belief stronger and to perfect the practices of our religious rites that had become corrupted over time. The steps stated below have been followed to know the method of our religious rites avoiding all misconceptions, doubts, disputes, corruptions and distortions as seen in the beliefs and practices of traditional Muslims all over the world:
A. Validating Information using Divine Source
The Quran must always be the starting point for information as God tells us in the Quran that His book is complete, perfect, and fully detailed, and that we shall not seek any other source besides it for religious instructions. Everything we need to know about practicing the religion correctly- from religious duties to various laws and instructions for leading a righteous life, is contained in the Quran (6:19, 6:38, 6:114-115, 50:45). God would not tell us that the Quran is fully detailed if it does not have everything what we need to practice our religious rites properly.
When starting to follow Islam, newer Muslims (Submitters) sometimes express a little difficulty in finding certain details about the religion in the Quran, especially the method of the religious practices namely, Salat (Contact Prayers), Zakat (Obligatory Charity), Seyyam(Fasting), and Hajj (Pilgrimage). It is quite understandable when people say that they cannot find the method of the religious practices in the Quran. This is because what they are looking for is a set of detailed instructions spelling out each stage step by step especially for the Contact Prayer and Pilgrimage. While the method of the practices is not described in the Quran, it does not mean that we cannot get them from the Quran. God does not ask us to do something and then leaves us alone without telling us how to go about it. Therefore, when we obey God’s command to study the Quran carefully from cover to cover and in the right context, He will show us exactly how to follow the religion correctly from it (5:15-16, 47:24, 73:4).
The key to knowing the method of the practices from the Quran is to understand God’s system of providing us the information and teaching it. The Quran is extremely efficiently designed where specific details are mentioned where required, or sometimes only a few words are adequate to fully address a subject (10:37, 18:109). Some instructions are spelled out elaborately in the Quran, while some instructions are to be derived from the Quran using the information provided in it. The essential condition set by God for acquiring knowledge from the Quran is that we must not seek any other source besides it. Thus, anyone who has met the condition set by God, God will direct him to the correct understanding in various ways (18:27).
B. Divine Preservation
When a set of detailed instructions of any religious rites is not found in the Quran means God has divinely preserved it through the practices of people generation after generation. The very fact that prophet Muhammad was asked to carry on the practices of Islam which means that God has divinely preserved the method since the time of prophet Abraham. For example, even today, Muslims around the world pray in the same way following the same steps and physical positions such as opening, standing, bowing, prostrating, sitting and ending etc.
C. Universal Acceptance
There are disputes and distortions in the practices of Islam but there is also universal acceptance in such practices. As we see that Salat is the most corrupted among all the religious rites, let us cite examples from it. The number of units in the five prayers 24434, recitation of Al-Fatehah in the standing position, and words uttered during opening, bowing, from bowing to standing, prostrating and ending are universally accepted components of the prayer. Despite so many disputes about the religion otherwise, the Muslims are quite in agreement about these aspects of the prayer. The only portions they really differ over, or are not sure about are: (a) what to recite after the Al-Fatehah, (b) if any, how many extra Rakats there are beyond 17 Rakats or how many extra Contact Prayers there are beyond the five daily prayers decreed by God and (c) words that are uttered in the sitting position. These doubts and disputes about what else to do or say, clearly point out that they are not part of the original format. However, we have logical evidences that only the Al-Fatehah must be recited in the standing position, and there are strictly no extra units other than 17 or extra prayers other than the five prayers according to Quran (2:2, 2:238, 4:103, 11:114, 22:78, 24:58).
D. Purification of Distortions
With the core structure maintained by divine preservation and universal acceptance, all that remains is purification of the distortions that have entered to the religious rites over the centuries. The Quran tells us exactly which these are, so the method of all religious rites are now completely purified and restored to its original format based on logical evidences. For example, the foundation of Islam is to ‘Worship God Alone’ that ensures that all worship has to be devoted absolutely to God alone. But Muslims presently all over the world mention the name of prophet Muhammad along with God in their prayers and Adhan, the call to prayer. We cannot mention or bear witness about any other entity besides God in the prayer according to Quran (3:18, 6:162, 20:14, 29:45, 63:1-2).
E. Mathematical Confirmation
This generation is blessed with the knowledge of Quran’s mathematical code, 19 (74:30) a common denominator of the Quran’s mathematical analysis revealed through God’s Messenger of Covenant (3:81, 33:7) in 1974. In addition to the logical evidences described above, God has also provided us the opportunity to physically confirm the details of the religious rites and laws based on the Quran’s mathematical code, the number 19 to eliminate any traces of doubts from our hearts. For example, the number of units in the 5 times prayers a day: 2, 4, 4, 3 and 4, respectively are not only universally accepted but the Quran’s mathematical code also confirms that the number 24434 is a multiple of 19 => 24434 = 19x1286.
Conclusion
The corruptions and distortions were obvious that occurred to the religious rites over the last 14 centuries have now completely been purified and restored to its original format based on both logical and physical evidences. In addition, it is God’s mercy for us that He sent His Messenger of Covenant with Quran’s built-in mathematical system supported by a miracle, the number 19 found in the Quran (74:30) to bring people back to the Quran and also to confirm the purified and restored method of all religious rites (5:19).
Muslims will have to re-educate themselves about the Word of God in the Quran, other scriptures, and their history. They have to understand that the Quran has only dealt with the updates and distorted portions of the method of religious rites while it covers both new and existing laws/instructions to lead a righteous life. They also have to believe and reflect to the message, mathematical coding of Quran (74:30-37) revealed through His messenger of covenant, and the unveiling of the code 19 that has opened the door for the scientifically and technologically advanced community for numerical analysis of the Quran for appropriate interpretation of His laws to lead a righteous life, and to derive and confirm the details of the religious rites to practice them properly. Muslims can save themselves from the situation they are in now accepting the truth, and only God can help them to do so.
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.
Tafazzal