NYC Submitters

Time 2021-06-03 22:16:33

Web Name: NYC Submitters

WebSite: http://nycsubmitters.com

ID:180843

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Having a group of people with the same religious beliefs that you congregate with regularly, it turns out, plays a part in your mental well being. When talking about protective factors to a person s mental well being, one of the items listed is having a congregation that the person can go to and get support from. In submission we refer to our various congregations as communities, but they all serve the same purpose.I ve said it before that having a community or congregation is a gift and a blessing from God. Through your congregation you are able to get support, encouragement, understanding, and even a sense of stability and consistency when everything else in your life seems shaky. This may be why throughout all the revelations sent down to us from God and the rites given to us by God, He has consistently encouraged us to observe and hasten to our congregational prayers and to force ourselves to be with those who believe.[62:9] O you who believe, when the Congregational Prayer (Salat Al-Jumu ah) is announced on Friday, you shall hasten to the commemoration of GOD, and drop all business. This is better for you, if you only knew.[18:28] You shall force yourself to be with those who worship their Lord day and night, seeking Him alone. Do not turn your eyes away from them, seeking the vanities of this world. Nor shall you obey one whose heart we rendered oblivious to our message; one who pursues his own desires, and whose priorities are confused.But as God tells us Satan is our worst enemy and will always try to drive a wedge among the believers and divide them in any way possible. Sometimes it may be obvious, but most times it is a slow and subtle process that escapes notice until some damage has been done.As humans we are susceptible to countless distractions that come with this life: work, children, school, TV, sickness (getting sick ourselves or perhaps taking care of a sick relative(s)), family life and responsibilities, stress, finding or holding on to relationships and the list goes on. Living day by day can be a distraction on its own. So it s extremely easy for Satan to pick any tool he wants to distract us with in order to divide a community. Members can have disagreements and fight; people grow distant from each other or the congregation; people become too busy and distracted by life, or any number of seemingly valid reasons for removing or distancing oneself from the community.[17:53] Tell My servants to treat each other in the best possible manner, for the devil will always try to drive a wedge among them. Surely, the devil is man s most ardent enemy.[35:6] The devil is your enemy, so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be the dwellers of Hell.[43:62] Let not the devil repel you; he is your most ardent enemy.If the congregation or community is large, then these may be experienced more on a personal level where the members waver in between joining the group on some days and not joining on others. If the community is small then these distractions can lead to stagnation, regression, and even the dispersal of the community as a whole. Should this happen then Satan will not only have succeeded in distracting and driving a wedge between the members of the community, but also in removing a point of support, stability, and encouragement from the lives of the people of that community. That is why it is important for the members of a community to hold fast to one another and hold fast to God; to make every effort to stay united, and care about one another. This is especially important when there are so many distractions, and we feel so overwhelmed that interacting with the community feels like an extracurricular activity for which there is no time.[3:103] You shall hold fast to the rope of GOD, all of you, and do not be divided. Recall GOD s blessings upon you-you used to be enemies and He reconciled your hearts. By His grace, you became brethren. You were at the brink of a pit of fire, and He saved you therefrom. GOD thus explains His revelations for you, that you may be guided.[22:78] You shall strive for the cause of GOD as you should strive for His cause. He has chosen you and has placed no hardship on you in practicing your religion-the religion of your father Abraham. Therefore, you shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and hold fast to GOD; He is your Lord, the best Lord and the best Supporter.We are each other s support. We are each other s encouragement. We are each other s stability So let s make every attempt to be there for each other, and be there for ourselves. Do not let Satan distract and divide us.[7:17] I will come to them from before them, and from behind them, and from their right, and from their left, and You will find that most of them are unappreciative. Life is made up of many moments happy moments, sad moments, successes, failures, and disappointments. Many of these moments though have the the potential to seriously damage us if we are not prepared for them. It’s easy for us to get carried away by a single good or bad moment and let it color everything to let it consume us and get lost in the emotions involved in the moment. We get so lost and carried away that we forget ourselves until we begin to feel the consequences of our actions and forgetfulness. It s then we see that we must change. Unfortunately, though, sometimes we realize it too late to easily rectify the damages.By God’s grace and infinite wisdom, He has provided us with specific instructions and tools to help protect us from losing ourselves in these moments. God tells us in the Quran in chapter 57, verse 23 (57:23) to not grieve over anything that we miss nor be proud of anything that He has bestowed upon us. Taking heed of this crucial advice guards against all the possible ways that Satan and our own ego can cause us to lose ourselves in the moment.[57:23] Thus, you should not grieve over anything you miss, nor be proud of anything He has bestowed upon you.  GOD does not love those who are boastful, proud.When we are blessed with success we may become elated or as God says in Quran 11:10, “excited, proud.” We could become thrilled by the success and revel in it. Those who are conscious of God remember to thank Him for His blessing (and we cannot thank Him enough). Regardless of which category we fall into, after a moment of gratification, it is easy to begin to see everything in light of that success. We think that it is the beginning of a continuous upward climb and that whatever hardship we suffered up to that point will never touch us again. So with this mindset, we may gradually forget and begin to take things for granted. We put in less sincere effort in maintaining what we have. We begin to think that the provisions and circumstances that we are enjoying now because of God’s grace, will never end. This is because we end up taking God for granted. Eventually our forgetfulness and subsequent unappreciativeness lead us to new hardships and it’s then we realize that we ve become unappreciative.[11:10] Whenever we bless him, after adversity had afflicted him, he says, All adversity has gone away from me; he becomes excited, proud.When we suffer any adversity, lose something, or find that we are unsuccessful in our attempts at a particular goal, we may become consumed by despair. We may start to believe that anything we attempt will fail. We lose all hope and motivation, resigning ourselves to believing what Satan tells us that we are failures, weak, stupid, incompetent, worthless, losers, etc. This way of thinking is very negative and may have more far reaching consequences. It is also the hardest of the two mentalities thinking either nothing or everything will fail to escape the longer that it goes on.If we let ourselves slip into either state of mind for a prolonged period of time, it becomes very difficult to carry out anything, especially when it comes to worshipping God. That’s why throughout the scriptures God repeatedly encourages us to steadfastly persevere in all aspects of our lives. So to succeed we must steadfastly persevere. We have to learn to accept and appreciate the blessings as they come with grace and humility without allowing it to lull us into complacency. We must learn to succeed without losing our focus, drive, and determination.We have to learn to accept our shortcomings, failures, and losses with serenity and grace, so that we do not allow it to darken our view and rob us of hope and the desire to strive. At the same time we have to learn to appreciate these events for the lessons that they can teach us, and the weaknesses that they point out to us. As we learn to appreciate these moments of failure we are better able to strive toward our goals and toward God, in a better, more efficient and enlightened manner.[3:186] You will certainly be tested, through your money and your lives, and you will hear from those who received the scripture, and from the idol worshipers, a lot of insult. If you steadfastly persevere and lead a righteous life, this will prove the strength of your faith.[11:115] You shall steadfastly persevere, for GOD never fails to recompense the righteous.And from the Bible:James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.Luke 21:19 By standing firm you will gain life.Brothers and sisters in faith and humanity, let us continuously struggle and strive towards our goals and towards God, fighting through adversity, pain, loss, stagnation, and complacency.Revelation 2:10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. There s someone in my life whom I used to be very close to (we were almost inseparable) but gradually over the years we ve drifted so far apart that I find myself constantly asking, how is it that two people who were so close can grow so far apart? It really baffled me and for the longest time the only answer I could come up with was that it s because they changed into something detestable; because they decided to pick up every habit and behavior that I found worthy of disdain and disgust; because they ve disappointed me in every way.So for the longest time without realizing it I put 100% of the responsibility for the distance and animosity between us squarely on their shoulders. I went over every instance when their decisions disappointed, annoyed, angered, hurt, or disgusted me and saw that by all logic my assessment was correct and they were 100% at fault and deserving of blame.How clever and cunning is the ego.This was my logic and justification. It wasn t until recently that by what can only be the grace of God I reviewed the evidence from a broader, less ego driven perspective. To my ego s disappointment, I see now that the blame is not entirely theirs, and should not have been placed entirely at their feet. Because not only did blaming them prevent me from making any effort at reconciliation, but it encouraged me to add fuel to a fire that Satan was using to drive us apart.So far apart.[14:34] And He gives you all kinds of things that you implore Him for. If you count GOD s blessings, you can never encompass them. Indeed, the human being is transgressing, unappreciative.The interesting thing is that this person and I had a conversation once where they told me outright that part of the problems they had with me is that I was unappreciative of something they had done for me. My reaction at the time, and for weeks after, was to think Ha! Me? Unappreciative? Please. Anything you did, it was because you wanted to. I never asked you for anything. How self-sustaining is the ego.God tells us that we are unappreciative, and we are. We re extremely unappreciative. Sure we may remember to thank God for the obvious big things that He grants us, or for the prayers that He answers but there are countless little and unexpected, unasked for blessings that we neglect to even take notice of, much less be appreciative of.So when I was finally able to look past my ego and look back at our past interaction, while taking into account the things they said to me, I realized I d been greatly unappreciative. There were so many instances where God provided for me through this person. Some times it was something little like a game or something, and other times it was for things I didn t even realize I wanted or needed yet.So many blessings God provided. But as I look back I can t remember being thankful or showing much appreciation when I received them.So, with this new clarity, by God s grace I was allowed to see just how deeply, and how subtly, my ego had been influencing my behavior and driving a wedge between me and this person. I also saw how much of the blame that I had been throwing on them could easily be placed on me.So with new clarity, a sense of shame, a sense of regret, and appreciation I thank God for opening my eyes to all the ways I ve been unappreciative and ego driven. I pray that He guide and help me to amend my actions and my thoughts, and to be increasingly more appreciative of Him everyday for as long as I may live.[2:286] GOD never burdens a soul beyond its means: to its credit is what it earns, and against it is what it commits. Our Lord, donot condemn us if we forget or make mistakes. Our Lord, and protect us from blaspheming against You, like those before us have done. Our Lord, protect us from sinning until it becomes too late for us to repent. Pardon us and forgive us. You are our Lord and Master. Grant us victory over the disbelieving people. Over the past few months, news and social media outlets in the United States have been littered with stories of police brutality and fatal shootings, judicial injustice, and of public outrage, disgust and disbelief regarding the incidences.At some point many of us have witnessed, and even experienced the prejudice, hate, animosity, and unfair bias that one person can have for another person because of skin color, religion, place of birth, and/or social and economic status. There is no reason, no justification, and no excuse for this except that the human being driven by ego and ignorance can be profoundly arrogant, unjust, and cruel.As residents of one of the most diverse cities in the world NYC we get to see both the worst and the best examples of how people of varying backgrounds interact with one another. As Submitters to God alone, it is our responsibility to be among those who consistently set the best example by fighting oppression, standing up against injustice, and advocating freedom and equality.[2:193] You may also fight them to eliminate oppression, and to worship  GOD freely. If they refrain, you shall not aggress; aggression is permitted only against the aggressors.[16:90] GOD advocates justice, charity, and regarding the relatives. And He forbids evil, vice, and transgression. He enlightens you, that you may take heed.In light of the current situation with the police and the country s institutionalized racism, let us take a look at what God says regarding the differences in our colors.[30:22] Among His proofs are the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colors. In these, there are signs for the knowledgeable.[35:28] Also, the people, the animals, and the livestock come in various colors. This is why the people who truly reverence GOD are those who are knowledgeable. GOD is Almighty, Forgiving.[49:13] O people, we created you from the same male and female, and rendered you distinct peoples and tribes, that you may recognize one another. The best among you in the sight of GOD is the most righteous. GOD is Omniscient, Cognizant.God tells us in these verses that He created everything in various colors and provided us with distinct languages as a sign from Him, and as a means for us to recognize each other. We also understand that the best among us regardless of the differences in our colors, languages, or gender is the most righteous. The most righteous. Period.However in the realms of this worldly life, we are encouraged to think that there are other more visible and worthy factors that qualify someone as better than another. As students of the Quran, only one example comes to mind when pondering where this idea might come from. It is found in these verses below:[38:75] He said, O Satan, what prevented you from prostrating before what I created with My hands? Are you too arrogant? Have you rebelled? [38:76] He said, I am better than he; You created me from fire, and created him from clay. This interaction is repeated in verses 7:11-7:12, where God questions Satan regarding his refusal to follow the commands given to him, “What prevented you from prostrating when I ordered you?” to which Satan responds, “I am better than he; You created me from fire, and created him from mud.” Satan’s statement in verse 7:12 exposed his bigotry.God provides us another example in the Quran to help us understand this Satanic phenomenon:[34:34] Every time we sent a warner to a community, the leaders of that community said, We reject the message you are sent with. [34:35] They also said, We are more powerful, with more money and children, and we will not be punished. In the midst of everything that we are hearing, seeing, and feeling, as Submitters and worshippers of God alone, let us try to remember what God tells us in the Quran about His creations, the qualities that He loves, and what we should strive for so that we may be among the most righteous to be the best among the people.Let us be righteous.[2:177] Righteousness is not turning your faces towards the east or the west. Righteous are those who believe in GOD, the Last Day, the angels, the scripture, and the prophets; and they give the money, cheerfully, to the relatives, the orphans, the needy, the traveling alien, the beggars, and to free the slaves; and they observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat); and they keep their word whenever they make a promise; and they steadfastly persevere in the face of persecution, hardship, and war. These are the truthful; these are the righteous.Let us advocate and stand up for justice.[49:9] You shall maintain justice; GOD loves those who are just.Let us fight oppression and aggression.[2:193] You may also fight them to eliminate oppression, and to worship GOD freely. If they refrain, you shall not aggress; aggression is permitted only against the aggressors.Let us be  equitable and just.[55:9] You shall establish justice; do not violate the law.[4:135] O you who believe, you shall be absolutely equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as witnesses, even against yourselves, or your parents, or your relatives. Whether the accused is rich or poor, GOD takes care of both. Therefore, do not be biased by your personal wishes. If you deviate or disregard (this commandment), then GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.[5:8] O you who believe, you shall be absolutely equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as witnesses. Do not be provoked by your conflicts with some people into committing injustice. You shall be absolutely equitable, for it is more righteous. You shall observe GOD. GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do. Becoming a submitter is usually accompanied by some loss of friends and sometimes even family. It comes with a new way of thinking and seeing the world, so it becomes harder to find people that you can truly connect to and have meaningful conversions and interactions. As such, those of us who began our journey alone know how difficult and lonely it can be without a community.Having a community of submitters near you that you can interact with, and discuss ideas, questions, or problems that you may be having is a great blessing and a beautiful gift of mercy from God. It is through a community that God sometimes chooses to shower us with His support, love, kindness, mercy, and even wisdom.In saying this I am not only speaking of a physical community, although that comes with it s own set of blessings. We live in an age where technology is thriving and new ways of connecting and interacting are constantly being thought of and improved, thus making it that much easier to connect to others no matter how far away they may be. With this technology, by the grace of God, not only are we able to have a physical community but we can also reap the benefits of a global one as well, which is something of a great blessing for a submitter who is alone at their location.So let us remember to be appreciative of the community that God gives us, whether it be virtual or physical, big or small. The NYC community met and decided to actively strive in the cause of God to spread the message. We decided to set up the NYC website/blog at http://nycsubmitters.com and to print out a booklet that could be handed out to people with a link back to our site on the back cover.The booklet: http://goo.gl/R6uo2AWe plan on handing this out to people that appear open to hearing about the message of Submission to God alone! God willing, we will be successful! After all, we are in the most diverse city in the world; Shouldn t there be more than just a handful of Submitters? May God reward our striving!This is our first post! May God Bless our efforts! Praise be to God, Lord of the universe! Al Fatiha! Privacy Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

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