An active gang among the Submitters community are replacing the Hadith and Sunnah of Muhammad with Rashad’s Appendices, footnotes, subtitles, audio and video tapes, while replacing the title “Final Prophet” with “the Messenger of the Covenant.” What a regression!

The message of the Quran has not gotten stale since centuries. It is one of the miraculous nature of this Book that the verses addressing medieval Arabs and their neighbors do not remain as historical accounts of a particular population lived in the past, but a guide for generations to come. The message of the Quran is universal….

The following articles together with various articles by others were published under the title “United But Disoriented.” It is available at  www.quran.org

An Ultimatum

Why Do People Get Disoriented?

A Dialogue between Two Submitters 

The Acid Test

The Cult Infecting International Community of Submitters

Is Rashad’s Translation of the Quran Error-free?

Exposure? Let’s see who are really exposed?

AN ULTIMATUM

Are We Going To Repeat The Blunders Of Previous Communities? 

Edip Yuksel

In the April, 1997 issue of Submitters Perspective, an article titled “Pilgrimage: Hajj and Umrah” made me concerned about the direction of this community. The author, in that article repeatedly asked the reader to REMEMBER “the duties of the Messenger of the Covenant,” a messenger who repeatedly asked people to remember that accepting anything besides the Quran as a religious source was shirk. Where could a person find the duties of “the Messenger of Covenant?” Sure, the students of the Quran know well that there is no such list of duties in the Quran. The author, in his article written on religious matters, was repeatedly asking his reader to REMEMBER a source besides the Quran.

A messenger might have had many duties and he might have listed them somewhere, but it is not the duty of Muslims (Submitters) to memorize or keep remembering the list of a particular messenger’s duties. Their duty is to follow God’s word alone and reject any other source or authority besides it.  It does not matter if the associated source is in written or oral. They are supposed to dedicate the religion to God alone (98:5).

If we keep reminding each other of the words and writings of the late messenger, our children and grandchildren would most likely follow our advise and would remind each other of religious authorities besides the Quran, and as the sign of hypocrisy or ignorance, they might also be parroting the motto, “The Quran, the whole Quran, and nothing but the Quran.”

Distinguishing their messenger’s hadith (words) from that of the previous messenger’s through pseudo differences does not change the fact that accepting anything besides the Quran as another authority is shirk. Period. There is no difference between orally narrated hadiths that we cannot verify and those that were transmitted in print or by video tapes, which presumably we might be able to verify. Sayings or writings of messengers might be treated differently regarding their authenticity, but our rejection of Hadith and Sunnah was not based merely on their unreliability, but primarily on the fact that messengers or religious scholars were  not other authorities or even teachers of God’s religion. We are commended to devote the religion to God Alone (98:5; 9:31; 6:114).

Abusing the authority of prophets and messengers, and presenting their words or writings as an other authority besides God’s word is one of the most common and repeated blunders of “Submitters” of many generations. Unfortunately, our community has not been different. We have witnessed some so-called Submitters claiming the infallibility of “the Messenger of the Covenant.” We have witnessed published articles claiming that “Kitab” (The Book) mentioned in the Quran refers to BOTH the Quran and Rashad’s translation. We have seen people claiming that the video and audio tapes of “the Messenger of the Covenant” are necessary sources besides the Quran, in addition to his three versions of translation, footnotes, subtitles, appendices and articles, thereby making him a “prophet” with new revelations.  We have seen “Submitters” promoting  ridiculous interpretations to justify clear errors and contradictions in Rashad’s translation. We have heard outrageous misinterpretations of the claim “authorized translation” as if it meant that every word and letter of Rashad’s translation were divine, including the revised and re-revised versions. Attributing human errors and contradictions to our Lord, the Omniscient, is not something to take lightly (6:21; 6:93; 6:144; 7:37; 10:17; 11:18; 29:68). We have seen people trying to freeze God’s universal message with snap-shot understanding of a human messenger. We have seen people disoriented because of their insistence on following the Sunnah of “the Messenger of the Covenant” instead of indisputable facts.

Despite all this mass reversion to shirk (associating partners to God), sure with a different idol and a different excuse, we have yet to see a single article in the Submitters Perspective criticizing this popular trend in this small community.  Muhammedans who idolized Muhammad after his departure did exactly the same. While they repeatedly reminded each other of the duties and the words of “the Final Prophet” they focused their criticism on Christians and Jews. In fact, they were repeating the same great blunder with a few minor changes. They ignored the warnings of monotheists who soon became a minority and they oppressed or suppressed their voice. Unfortunately, our community has not taken heed from this history and it is failing the divine test designed for every generation (29:2). While we criticize Muslim’s addiction with mentioning Muhammad besides God in their religious articles and books, we also feel a compelling urge to insert Rashad’s title “the Messenger of the Covenant” in our speeches and writings.

“Is God not sufficient for His servant?. . .” (39:36)

Well, should we remind those who follow the appendices, footnotes, subtitles, video and audio tapes of Rashad, one of the Sunnah of their messenger, like we remind Muhammedans of their own Hadith and Sunnah to expose their contradiction? Why not? Do you REMEMBER the only verse that was hanging on Rashad’s office door for many years until  his assassination? Wasn’t it 39:36? Also remember that 39:36 was the only verse that is underlined in his translation. And should I remind them of another hadith? Remember Appendix 19 of the Messenger of Covenant; what does it say about you? Do you remember Rashad’s book “Quran, Hadiths and Islam?” Have you applied it to yourself?

Besides creating modern versions of Hadith and Sunnah, some are trying their best to distort, pervert and dilute the great mathematical miracle of the Quran. As we know that some members of this community abused the mathematical code of the Quran with the unforgettable May 19, 1990 doomsday prophecy and they keep abusing it with their mathematical illiteracy. Some of them did not take heed from their blunder. Now they employ the same childish numerical manipulations to find more mathematical evidence for the messengership of a dead person. One of those doomsday prophets even claimed a divine rank through his childish calculations. Incredibly, he finds followers and supporters within this community.

We have become extremely tolerant to the mushriks (those who set partners to God) among us. Probably, because of being trapped in cult-syndrome: we share the same unifying symbol, Rashad Khalifa, or “the Messenger of Covenant,” equivalent to Muhammedans’ repeated expression “Muhammad Sallallahu Aleyhi Wasallam.” This cult or sectarian syndrome is addressed by an interesting Quranic verse:

“Are your disbelievers better than those disbelievers? Have you been absolved by the Scripture?” (54:43).

After Rashad’s death, the fallible human messenger suddenly became an infallible messenger and all his work with all re-visions, contradictions and errors magically became another divine revelation. The devils who concocted or hoped such a mutation, in order to replace Rashad’s translation with the original Quran, expunged the original from the translation. To imply an exclusive divine revelation, they also removed the name of those whom Rashad acknowledged for their assistance and contribution to the translation.

In brief, members of this community are replacing the Hadith and Sunnah of Muhammad with Rashad’s Appendices, footnotes, subtitles, audio and video tapes. Some of those who were addressing their messenger with his first name (Rashad) during his lifetime, soon after his departure, they developed a taboo against mentioning his first name. Muhammedans and those who repeat their blunder cannot commemorate their idols’ names without words of praise or rank. Are we going to follow the footsteps of previous generations? What a miserable convergence! What a regression!:

“Surely, those who slide back, after the guidance has been manifested to them, the devil has enticed them, and has misled them.” (47:25)

We cannot standby the repetition of the worst part of the history. If we cannot burn the new calf and throw it into the sea like Moses did, we might be required to repeat Saleh’s words (7:79) to our people soon.

***

The following people are some of those who have expressed their endorsement for this ultimatum.

• Mahmoud Abib  
• Shawki Hamdan  
• Milan Sulc  
• Saed Talari  
• Sadruddin Currimbhoy  
• Ali Fazely  
• Cathryn Kolton  
• Sanobar Tafazoli  
• Maryam Jennah  
• Barbara Jean  
• Yasir Alkady  
• Hamid Baghdishi  
• Fransisco Ley  
• Daniel Ley  
• Aisha Musa  
• JOHN SPOONER  
• Hossain Kowsary  
• Jay Javey
• A. Bashar

[Many more monotheists cut their affiliations with the Submitters since this “ultimatum” ]

WHY DO PEOPLE GET DISORIENTED? 

Following Mercator’s Flat Earth Instead of God’s Round Earth

Edip Yuksel

 

The message of the Quran has not gotten stale since centuries. It is one of the miraculous nature of this Book that the verses addressing medieval Arabs and their neighbors do not remain as historical accounts of a particular population lived in the past, but a guide for generations to come. The message of the Quran is universal. It is shocking to witness the tragic fact that contrary to their lip service, “Muslims” have repeated the blunder of Meccan mushriks by transforming the monotheism to polytheism, by fabricating sects and religions in the name of God. The Quranic issues and arguments that was revealed more than 14 centuries ago are alive today.

I could never imagine that the verses about the qibla (direction of the Salat prayer) would become alive in our time. The Submitters who accepted the message brought by Prophet Muhammad were tested by “qibla” and some of them failed. Interestingly, our community has been tested recently with the same test and many has failed. It is a wonder why people fail the same test twice even they have full warning in advance.

Quran informs us that Muhammad, like all other Meccan mushriks, was turning his face to Ka’ba, the Sacred Masjid built by Abraham in Mecca. He was simply following the tradition. When he and his supporters were oppressed and tortured, they immigrated to Medina, a nearby city dwelled by Ehl-il Kitab (People of The Book: Nazarenes and Jews). Muslims and People of the Book formed a city-state under the leadership of Muhammad. They lived in accordance to the historical Medina Constitution which was accepted after consultation and consent of minorities. The city-state of Medina, in today’s terminology, was an open society governed by the principles of republicanism and federal secularism. Muslims and the People of the Book established alliance against gentiles (ummies), their aggressive neighbors. They defended the city against several attacks orchestrated by the leaders of Meccan theocratic oligarchy. They even had to dig drenches around the city to defend themselves against the coalition of mushrik tribes of Arabia. This experience created solidarity and a sense of community between Muslims and their allies, People of the Book.

Because of this political alliance and social proximity, Muhammad decided to change the direction of the prayer after consulting his supporters. There was no revelation besides the Quran that advised such a change as it is claimed by hadith literature. It was entirely a personal or community decision that was the product of changed circumstances and mass psychology. By changing their Qibla from Sacred Masjid (Ka’ba) to Jerusalem, Muslims declared their independence from Meccan oppressive regime and its allies. Monotheists were not a part of mushrik tribes of Arabia anymore. They were a new community with a new identity.

Soon the condition changed. The mushrik coalition collapsed and the political power of monotheists increased dramatically (13:41). Mecca, the hometown of many Muslims was getting ready to a peaceful surrender (48:27). The nostalgia in the heart of Muhammad and many believers were increasing. Muhammad had no more reason to insist on turning to Jerusalem. He was feeling a powerful urge to change the qibla back to the Sacred Masjid (2:144). Soon, for the first time he received a revelation regarding the qibla; God revealed Muhammad to turn back to the original qibla, that is the Sacred Masjid (2:144, 149, 150). Thus, the previous qibla (the Sacred Masjid, not Jerusalem) became a test to distinguish the hypocrites from those who follow the messenger, that is, his message. Hadith books misinterpret verse 2:142-3 and claim that the test was about changing qibla from the Sacred Masjid to Jerusalem. This claim has no Quranic basis. This misinterpretation perhaps was fabricated to create binding “revelations” that do not exist in the Quran. The followers of Hadith and Sunna abuses this misinterpretation to support the necessity of following other sources besides the Quran. Sure, there were revelations to Prophet Muhammad that were not part of the Quran (see 66:3), but they were personal; they were not intended to bind others. Claiming that God tested the faith of believers by a revelation that does not exist in the Quran is entirely wrong, since the Quran was the only message delivered by Muhammad (6:19, 38, 114-115).

Indeed, verse 2:145 is a refutation to the traditional understanding. If the test was about changing the direction from Ka’ba (the Sacred Masjid) to Jerusalem, then the problem of those who failed the test would be their conformity with Meccan Arabs.  However, the problem was the opposite: their conformity with the People of the Book in Medina. They did not want to damage their relationship by turning back to their original qibla. Their alliance and personal relationship with Christians and Jews had created a psychological obstacle against such a change. But, God the Omnipotent had a different plan (2:148-150). Those who became disoriented after the knowledge had come to them were severely criticized in verse 2:145.

The Perpetual Test

When some people questioned our direction for prayers in the Masjid Tucson, the members of our community reacted differently. Those of us who were making fun of Muhammedans for disputing over the first day of Ramadan started disputing over a matter of similar simplicity. Finding the direction of Ka’ba was no more difficult than finding the first day of the crescent. Some members of our community who were comfortably asking astronomers when to start fasting developed allergy against the astronomers and experts.

When we invited an astronomer to the Masjid to demonstrate the direction of Mecca on the GLOBE and to answer the questions, none of those who turn to the wrong direction asked a question nor challenged the accuracy of the demonstration. This visual demonstration, although took less than five minutes, was protested by some. They claimed that their Quranic study was interrupted by that “disbeliever” astronomer. Without knowing our guest, they insulted him and told him to get out of the Masjid. The hypocrisy of using the Quranic study as an excuse to avoid and suppress the truth was evident in the fact that the same people were not hesitating in spending dozens of minutes on personal stories or jokes during the Quranic studies. The direction of the prayer somehow became unQuranic after the truth of the matter became evident.

After reading several articles written by experts and after talking with astronomers and those who are experts in Global Positioning Systems, it became evident that the direction of Ka’ba from Tucson was North-East. There is clear consensus among scientists and experts. Their argument is very clear and convincing for those who have open minds. Despite the scientific fact, many in our community, inspired by the flat map of Mercator’s Projection, continued turning their face to a wrong direction.

This issue was ignored for months. Finally, in a Quranic study, we discussed the issue. Those of us who changed the qibla based on the knowledge we have acquired, talked in unity. We said that facing something means facing the shortest line between you and the object. The shortest line on the GLOBE surely is the shortest curve. You might connect yourself and the object of your direction with many imaginary lines, but the only different ones are the shortest and longest ones. If you face the longest connecting line you will be turning your back, but if you face the shortest one you will be facing it. Thus, the shorterst curve connecting Tucson to Mecca shows the North-East direction.

In fact, those who insist on turning to East or South-East also have employed the same “shortest line” principle, but on a FLAT EARTH. Connecting your location with Mecca with the shortest line on a MERCATOR’S FLAT MAP does not coincide with the reality of GOD’S ROUND PLANET.

Those who were insisting on turning their face to the wrong direction had many different reasons. The five different reasons that were cited in one meeting were:

1. “I turn to East, because turning to North-East is too complicated. I do not understand their argument.” This person, while acknowledging her ignorance on the subject, neither read the articles on the subject nor asked any questions to clarify the issue. She arrogantly insisted on the wrong qibla claiming that it was easier from the correct qibla. She simply chose a distorted flat map to the globe.
2. “I follow the Quran alone. There are only ‘East’ and ‘West’ in the Quran. So, I turn to East. There is no a direction called North-East.” This person knowingly abused the verses of the Quran to justify the wrong qibla. She knew that there were plural forms of East and West in the Quran (7:137; 37:5; 70:40). She also knew that every direction could be defined in terms of only East and West. She could not answer how could people in Medina (a city North of Mecca) face Ka’ba according to her theory, but she insisted on turning to the wrong direction.
3. “I turn to East, for a spiritual reason.” When we questioned what was the spiritual reason, that person acknowledged that it was the practice of the “Messenger of the Covenant.” She knew that it was called Sunna and she was not ready to accept the fact that she has replaced the old Sunna with a newer version. When she was warned of creating another authority besides God’s word, she tried to defend her position by suggesting digging a tunnel between Tucson and Mecca. When we challenged her by asking whether she would correct her direction if the tunnel she suggest showed the North-East, she could not answer. This incredible conversation sounded like a miraculous fulfillment of verse 6:35 that mentions a bizarre argument voiced by mushriks .
4. “I turn to North-East when I pray at home, but for the sake of unity I turn to East when I pray at Masjid.” This person, ironically, was the same person who gave a khutba warning us against peer pressure just a week before. He was turning to the wrong direction to preserve the unity!
5. “Well, we follow the walls. The walls of the Masjid are lined up East-West, so we turn our face to East.” Accepting the contractors and masons as the indicators of direction for the Salat prayer was the so bizarre idea that needs no further comment. This argument reminded me the psychological, economical and political walls in the minds of people. Interestingly, this “wall theory” closed the arguments and it was perhaps accepted as the best theory.

There were others who tried to save their tradition by playing with linguistics. They claimed that if you turn to North-East, the qibla changes to South-East after passing the North Pole. This people are so ignorant of astronomy that they think the imaginary lines such as Parallels, or Poles that resulted from the rotation of the Earth or its magnetic force would have influence on the direction of locations on the Earth. If they could simply manage to imagine themselves on the North Pole, they would find out that they could not face each other according to their silly theory.

And there were others who did not express any “reason” at all. Perhaps they just did not care. They did not try to justify the wrong direction by flimsy excuses and silly reasons. The comfort of following the majority and their “infallible” messenger was sufficient for them.

The Real Reason

Idolization of messengers and abuse of their words and practices is not new. The “test” we have experienced in the Masjid Tucson proved beyond doubt that our community was no better than previous generations. If you hear people claiming that they follow the Quran alone and self-righteously imply that they are the “elite of the elite,” do not put your full trust in them. You might ask them what they mean by the Quran; their Quran might be a different Quran. Check whether they have replaced the Arabic hadiths with the English ones. Ask them whether they have replaced hadith books with subtitles, footnotes, appendices, video and audio tapes. Listen to them whether they commemorate the “Messenger of the Covenant” instead of Muhammad or Jesus. See whether they employ a linguistic trick to replace “Sunnah” of the previous messenger with “spiritual reasons.”

Finally, watch them while they are praying. If they are disoriented, be suspicious of their claim. If they have turned to a wrong direction by error, no problem. God forgives them. But, if they have intentionally chosen the wrong direction despite the clear evidence, then they are in deep trouble. They might tell you many different reasons, but the real reason of their disorientation is prophesied by the Quran (2:143). Ironically, deep in their heart they know the real reason. They are most likely those who pretend to be monotheists (6:23). They will be deserted by their idols in the hereafter as they have deserted the Quran after receiving its message (25:30).

There is no difference between those Muhammedan’s who get disoriented time-wise every Ramadan because of not accepting God’s precise calculation in the rotation of heavenly bodies (55:5) and between Khalifites who get disoriented space-wise because of preferring a flat earth instead of a round one (79:30; 39:5). What a regress; both in religion and science!

“Wherever you go, you shall turn your face (during  Salat) towards the Sacred Mosque; wherever you might be, you shall turn your faces towards it. Now the people have no argument against you, except the transgressors among them. Do not pay attention to them; you shall devote your attention to Me. I will then perfect My blessings upon you, that you may be guided.” (2:150)

 

A Dialogue between Two Submitters

Edip Yuksel

 

A: This is the Quran. We have to follow this book alone as the source of guidance.

B: The book that you are waving in your hand is the revised translation of the Quran with many footnotes, subtitles, introduction and appendices. Quran as the word of God contains 114 chapters and 6346 verses. It has an intricate mathematical code which proves its divine nature.

A: But the footnotes, subtitles, introduction and appendices are from the messenger of God. We have to obey the messenger, and accept all of them as the explanation of the Quran.

B: Well, you may read them and benefit from them. You may benefit from many other books and encyclopedias for better and deep understanding of certain verses. You can also ask questions to knowledgeable people and accept their study after verifying them. However, the only SOURCE of the religion is the Quran alone.

A: But, Dr. Rashad Khalifa claimed that his translation, including all appendices and footnotes were authorized by God.

B: So far we had three translations bearing this claim on their cover. You can see some serious errors being corrected in the following revised versions. Now, there are three ways to interpret this:

1. The mistakes in previously authorized translations are not important.
2. The last translation is the ultimate one. God deliberately allowed him to make mistakes in the firs two authorized ones. These two interpretation have many logical and practical problems. The only sound interpretation is the third one:
3. The authorization does not entail every statement or every word of the translation, it does not include appendices and footnotes, but it is the overall message delivered by it.

Please reflect on the fact that Rashad did not receive a book, even not a single verse.

A: I am not saying that the messengers are infallible. But I am  saying that God will not allow the messenger to contaminate the message with falsehood. Any errors will be minor ones that do not effect the belief and salvation of believers.

B: This is an invalid conclusion, since the premise does not necessarily warrant the conclusion. Do you mean that if we find any error we should automatically label it as a minor one? Or, do you mean that whenever we realize that it is an important error, then, we should defend the error and blame our understanding, since the messenger cannot have committed big errors? The only important message of messengers is to worship God alone, believe in the day of judgement and advocate righteousness.

The origin of the problem is not the mistake of the messengers. If we believe that a messenger, as a human being, is not perfect, and can make mistakes like us, even big ones, then, that messenger cannot mislead us. On the other hand, if we are scared to see the errors and cover our mind with false assumptions, then, the “messenger” will mislead us. Let me summarize it. It is not that the messenger guides or misleads us, it is how we perceive the messenger that determines our guidance. Besides, if the Quran can mislead certain people, why not the messenger (17:82)?

For instance, according to the Quran, to each confirmed disbeliever a devil is assigned as a condemnation (7:27; 43: 36; 26:222-223); but some footnotes claim that every human being, including believers, are born with an assigned devil. Another example: According to the Quran, Adam’s body became visible in the heaven (7:22), however, in the appendices it is written that his body became visible on the earth not in the heaven. One more example: Appendix 1 claims that the number 19 looks the same in all languages of the world, and both components, 1 and 9, are the only numerals that look the same in all languages. This is simply not correct. I believe that if Rashad was alive, he would have immediately corrected these mistakes. In fact, in a Quranic study close to his last day he was reminded of 7:22. He immediately acknowledged his mistake. But, he was martyred before the publication of third edition. Now, should we put him in a position which he never claimed?

A: Don’t you see that God explained many verses through Dr. Khalifa? We could not understand those verses without him.

B: Rashad was a pioneer in accepting the Quran alone. By this way he tore down the veil that covered the true meaning of God’s word. Thus, he had the advantage of starting ahead of us. He had devoted his time to understanding the Quran. Nevertheless, he was in a learning process which was witnessed by many of us and which is also obvious in his writings. None can claim that he reached the perfect point just before his departure.

Besides, he was not the only one who got the correct understanding of many verses either. There were some students of the Quran who reached the same understanding simultaneously. There were even some scholars who lived centuries before Rashad, who stated certain points which you may think that was originated by Rashad.  Moreover, I recommend the “Quran, Hadith and Islam.” Please read that book again; but this time for yourself. Just replace Muhammad’s name with Rashad’s name and see the crystal clear point: Quran is explained and fully detailed by God.

A: Actually, God is the one who explains the Quran. Did God send a messenger to explain things? If we accept Rashad Khalifa as a messenger, clearly He did: ” O people of the scripture, our messenger has come to you to explain things to you, after a period of time without messengers, lest you say, ‘We did not receive any preacher or warner.’ A preacher and warner has now come to you. God is Omnipotent.” (5:19). We know from his footnote, that Rashad Khalifa was that messenger. This whole issue goes back to whether we accept God as the Doer of everything. If we accept this principle that God is doing everything, it follows easily that He explains the Quran through His messenger. It is not the messenger who is doing the explaining, it is God. The messenger is just the means of communication–he is jest delivering the message from God to us.

B: This is exactly what the followers of Hadith and Sunna keep claiming by misinterpreting the verses. During Rashad’s lifetime you were not saying this. You were saying just the contrary. Just read the “Quran, Hadith, and Islam,” and especially the Appendix 19. If you are using an argument which you have rejected two minutes ago, it is self-contradiction, or double-standard. We used to say that the Quran is the messenger of God, that is, after the departure of the human messenger, the Quran continues to deliver God’s message. Do you retreat from this position now?

A: We know that Satan advocates idol worship and pushes it as hard as he can. He has duped millions upon millions into this trap. We must be very careful of it. However, that is not his only trap. God uses the Children of Israel as examples again and again in the Quran. Their problem was not idolizing their messengers, but minimizing and rejecting them. They followed their scholars and their own egos rather than what came through their messengers. “We have taken a covenant from the Children of Israel, and we sent to them messengers. Whenever a messenger went to them with anything they disliked, some of them they rejected, and some they killed.” (5:70). Therefore, we must equally be careful of this trap.

B: Do you mean that if I don’t read appendices and footnotes and subtitles etc. of this translation, and satisfy with the Quran alone, I will be considered like the Jews who rejected their messengers? Do you claim that Rashad’s mission was to bring a supplement to the Quran? Or advocate the Quran alone? If you notice that the verse 5:70 is about the people who rejected or killed the messengers while they came to them. Why? Because they have idolized their previous messengers or scholars. For instance, please read 40:34 and 9:31.

THE ACID TEST

Edip Yuksel

The Quran informs us regarding the existence of hypocrites among believers (4:88). Since believers are advised to have an open society, there will always be hypocrites and idol worshipers who pretend to be believers or Submitters. They serve a function. And this forum serves a function to expose them (4:179).

Disagreement among monotheists are categorically different from the disagreement between monotheists and idol worshipers. Monotheists can reconcile their differences after acquiring more knowledge, and they can respect each other’s differences after realizing the linguistic permission of the Quran for such differences. However, even a little difference between a true monotheist and a pretender is categorically different, because of the underlying premises. Even if the pretender is correct on a certain issue, he/she will be loser ultimately, because of idol worship.

Some are surprised and frustrated after observing hostile arguments on this list. Why? They are probably thinking that every person on this forum is a believer. There is no reason to expect that ALL the people on this list are upholding the Quran alone, since the list is open to everyone who pretends so. We see those who claim that they are Muslims and follow the Quran on SRI. But, we realize that their claim is just a lip service. This forum is no different.

The problem arise when this fact is denied by those who gullibly expect peace with those misguided and deluded people. When we gullibly expect that every one on this forum is a monotheist, then, we will force ourselves to treat hypocrites, advocates of man-made teachings and  fabricators of lies as our brothers and sisters. This create a problem which eventually help the agents of Satan.

Muslims, soon after the departure of the prophet Muhammad started following hadith and sunnah. They had some “reasonable excuses” for their position. There were new ideas and arguments, and they thought they can prevent the CONFUSION of Submitters by sticking with the words spoken by Muhammad that were witnessed by many trustworthy companions. They forgot about the clear warnings that the Quran was sufficient for them. They thought if they substantiate the authenticity of a hadith through evidence, such as by multiple trustworthy witnesses, then they could shed light on controversial issues. Instead of studying the Quran on their own, they chose the apparently easy way of perroting the messenger. They created new theories to establish another source besides the Quran.

During this state of confusion they needed to claim the infallibility of messenger to bring comfort to those who do not think for themselves. Unfortunately, this backward and ignorant movement attracted many mindless people and distorted the original message of the messenger. They turned God’s religion (98:5; 6:114) to God plus Messenger’s religion. Later some other groups were added as other sources of this “company religion.” They labeled those who rejected other sources besides the Quran. They accused them of hating the messenger, or trying to replace messenger’s inspired opinion with their little opinions, etc. They used the psychological tactic that is well diagnosed in the Quran: 39:36.

We are witnessing the same pattern. Sure, there are more factors that contribute to the emergence of religious movements strolling backward to the days of ignorance. The Quranic fact that people, after receiving the divine message are invariably falling into idol worship is well analyzed by Muhammad Abu Rayye in his critical book on hadith: “Adva ‘ala es-Sunnetil Muhammadiyya.”  It is a great historical analysis of the creation of hadith and sunnah. I think you can find its English translation from libraries. (Check under the name of the author. Try different spellings too.) After reading that book you will be surprised how it accurately describes our current problems in this community. We are repeating the sad history foot by foot, inch by inch.

I am personally grateful to God for leading me to His message through Rashad. I admired his faith, sincerity, and humbleness. He sacrificed his worldly life to promote the truth. He was correcting his errors and learning continuously. He had some weaknesses as all we do. I participated, like some others, in the re-vision of his translation and contributed substantially. I was on his list of acknowledgment not because of my proofreading (as some started claiming so), but because my harsh criticism of his translation and my principle of searching for the best understanding  of God’s word (17:36; 60:12). I think that Rashad’s translation is categorically different than all other translations, because it promotes worshipping God alone and following the Quran alone.

But, as a work of human being, it contains errors and limited understanding of God’s word which is designed for all generations until the last day. Defending Rashad’s errors by any means possible is an insult to Rashad who always sought the truth even if it was used against him by his enemies to portray him as an unstable person. Those who read Rashad’s translation without idolizing him will be guided, inshallah. But those “believers” who consider Rashad’s translation  as a divine inspiration and as an infallible source of knowledge will be misguided by the very translation. They will be confused by contradictions created by wrong choice of words or personal interpretations or missing phrases. Those “disbelievers” who expect messengers to  be infallible demigods will dismiss his translation entirely upon finding errors in it, and they will never  pay attention to its message.

There are those who now deny the fact that Rashad was consulting believers for his translation, a fact that was acknowledged by Rashad in Muslim Perspective and in his brief acknowledgment  which was deleted from his translation after his departure. Rashad followed the Quranic advice and learned from others (42:38). The deletion of the acknowledgment serves the purpose of those who are trying hard to present Rashad’s translation as an infallible inspired book. I know that this point will be abused by those who want to distract the issue by insulting me as if I am bringing this issue because of my name. If I cared about what would they think of me I would not have raised this issue at all. But, this has nothing to do with my name or the name of others. Rashad acknowledgment exposes their new fabrications regarding the nature and purpose of his translation.

The Questions

I am presenting several questions to demonstrate that there are some people who pretend to follow the Quran alone, but in fact they do not. Here are my questions:

1. Who did originally use the word Islam, or Muslim? In other words, who did first coin the name of the only religion acceptable by God?

a) God (98:5; 3:19; 3:85; 10:72; 22:78).

b) Abraham.

2. Did God create the earth in four days (periods) because the complexity of its design REQUIRED longer period, or HE chose to create it in four days for certain reasons?

a) God is NOT required by anything; He can create anything He wants by merely saying “be” and it “becomes” as the case in Big Bang (2:117; 3:47; 6:73; 36:82; 40:68).  But, He might have CHOSEN evolution for some reasons.

b) The complexity of Earth’s design REQUIRED longer time for its creation in 4 days.

3. Does the Quran advocate consultation among believers or consensus? Do they mean the same thing?

a) The Quran advises us to consult each other (42:38).

b) The Quran advises us to have consensus.

4. Do believers have devil companions (qareen)? (Companions; not whisperers).

a) No, devil  companions are assigned by God to ardent disbelievers after they have proven that they are fanatic disbelievers (4:38; 43:36)

b) Yes, WE ALL have DEVIL COMPANIONS from jinns.

5. Can Satan be God’s representative on earth?

a) God’s arch enemy cannot represent God and there is no such thing as “a temporary god” (43:45). Humans are born with God’s “revelation” (ruh) (32:9) embedded in their conscious mind (nafs), thus they are able to represent God on earth by submitting to His will (38:26; 6:165; 10:14; 10:73; 35:39)

b) Satan was appointed by God as His representative.

6. Is there water-dependent life on other planets?

a) Yes, life dependent creatures (dabba) are distributed on both earth and in the universe (24:45; 42:29; 16:49).

a) No, life is only on earth.

7. Did God Almighty send messengers to every community?

a) No, God did not send messenger to every community; but to every nation (35:24; 25:51 & 36:6).

b) Yes God sent messengers to every community.

8. Is the so-called “authorized English translation”  the word of God which is free of contradictions (4:82) and unimitatable (2:23); or is it word of a human messenger which contains contradictions (4:82) and lacks miraculous evidence of its divine source (2:23)?

a. All the translations of the Quran carry the characteristic of their human translators: fallible, limited in information, containing contradictions, and lack the divine evidence and guarantee of preservation. As an example, see the contradiction created by translating two different Arabic word with one English word: 29:12 x 29:13. Also the verses mentioned above in the question number seven.

b. The divine statement “Authorized English Version” means that Rashad’s translation is the same as the word of God.

9. Which direction is the qibla in Tucson?

a. North-East, since the shortest curve that connects Tucson to Mecca on a round Earth shows North-East. All astronomers and experts in navigation are in agreement. You can verify this easily on a  globe by connecting Tucson with Mecca with a piece of string.

b. Though we come up with various reasons, we all follow the shortest line that connects Tucson to Mecca on a flat map.. Nevertheless, the practice (not Sunnah!) of the “Messenger of the Covenant” is the real reason. Unfortunately, some of us are confused between East and South-East. Again, the words and practice of the Messenger of Covenant is different than hadith and sunnah.

10. Why don’t you follow Muhammedan hadiths besides the Quran?

a. Because the Quran is detailed, complete and the only source of God’s law (6:19;38;114). We should devote our religion to God alone (98:5), not God + messenger + ulama, etc. Accepting any authority besides God as another source of God’s religion is shirk, the only unforgivable sin.

b. We do not follow hadith because they are not authentic. Otherwise, we would be glad to follow other sources besides the Quran. In fact, we follow many teachings of the Messenger of the Covenant besides the Quran. BTW, we are trying to call them with a different name, even some of us tried to call them as “part of the Quran.” We know that hadith and sunnah are satanic teachings.

I chose “a” as the correct answer for all the 10 questions above. I believe that if you pick “b” as your answer for all or most of the questions you are fooling yourself by claiming that you are following the Quran alone.

 

The Cult Infecting the
International Community of Submitters

Edip Yuksel

Rasahad Khalifa was a courageous monotheist and there are still some monotheists affiliated with this mutating and evolving cult. Though Rashad Khalifa strongly objected to the idolization of humans and invited Muslims to follow the Quran alone,  Submitters  consider Dr. Khalifa’s work infallible and  treat his translation as inspiration, a deceptive word used to avoid the use of the word revelation. The  site also demonstrates numerous examples of arbitrary mathematical manipulations as mathematical miracle, thereby discrediting the extraordinary mathematical system in the Quran.

The evolution of this baby cult should be observed, since it provides a contemporary laboratory to witness the progress of corruption in religious organizations. The short history of this organization provides excellent clues how messengers who called to worship God alone are transformed to partners with God by clergymen and their ignorant followers. The cult claims to follow a person who gave his life to promote monotheism and who fought against sectarian divisions and idolizations of religious heroes. Rashad Khalifa, a person in continuous search of truth and self-correction, soon after his death, was turned to an infallible prophet who allegedly received English revelations from God. Rashad Khalifa, a person who considered following any religious teaching besides God’s word idolworship (for instance, see Appendix 19 of his translation), soon after his death was turned to a cult leader with “authorized” teachings besides God’s word. Rashad’s writings in Appendices, footnotes of the translation and news letters are introduced as supplement to the Quran. The obvious errors and contradiction in those writings are sanctified and authorized in the name of God.

Though there are many monotheists still affiliated with the organization, the new comers are introduced to a distorted message that contradicts the real teaching of Rashad Khalifa, that is, the Quran ALONE as the source of islam. Abdullah Arik, the official leader of the organization, is a very nice fellow who is trying hard to keep the unity of the congregation, unfortunately at the cost of compromising with the cult, the idol-carvers.

Is Rashad’s Translation of the Quran Error-free?

Edip Yuksel

For those who claim the infallibility of Dr. Khalifa, I would like to give a sample of verses in his translation that I think carry some minor or important translational problems: 2:114; 2:233; 2:275*; 2:282*; 4:34&*; 4:79*; 7:157; 7:193; 8:64; 10:34!; 11:54; 11:87; 12:37; 14:4; 16:75*; 18:16*; 19:26!; 20:96&*; 20:114; 21:96*; 21:90* x 21:73; 25:30*; 29:12 x 29:13; 32:5!; 34:41; 35:24 x 25:51; 43:11 x 41:12*; 43:36*; 47:11 x 42:15; 49:1 x 38:26&7:3;  56:83-85; 65:12* x 42:29; 73:15!; 75:27; 75:31?; 87:6 (Asterisks are for footnotes and/or subtitles, exclamation marks for missing phrases, and “x” for contradictions.)

Despite clear and numerous evidence to the contrary, some so-called Submitters who left the ranks of Sunni, Shiite, Christian, Hindu polytheism continue their idolization of Rashad by claiming the third revision of his translation to be infallible. In fact, some of them have devolved further and now they claim mathematical miracles for the English translation. Of course the re-re-revised version! I have discussed this issue in length with those who replaced Muhammed’s, Ali’s or Jesus’ idol with of Rashad.

In the last section of this book, you will see some of Rashad’s communication and articles published in various magazines and newspapers, both in Arabic and English. In one of the publications, Rashad answers the question regarding the meaning of “Authorized Translation.” Those who follow the May 19, 1990 “Doomsday Prophets” who could not wait to fabricate a hadith to promote their delusional prophecy, are refuted one more time, with an authentic hadith of their own idol. They will soon come up with the so-called “science of hadith” of Rashad in order to reconcile the internal contradictions among the three revised, yet “authorized” versions; articles in the Submitter’s Perspective; footnotes, subtitles and Appendices in his translation. In order to explain the contradictions of their “infallible messenger,” they will even employ the diabolic Sunni idea of abrogation. They are repeating the history of the past communities who idolized their messengers, in an incredible speed and success.   My previous predictions regarding the backward mutation and devolution of this group have been proven to be true. As it seems, they will continue taking the regressive path of the previous generations.

Rashad never claimed to be infallible, nor did he claim that his translation, with parentheses, footnotes and appendices to be a revelation. He never doubted that the Quran is the last book revealed to the last prophet. However, I agree with him that his translation was authorized by God through discovery of the code and for its clear emphasis on serving God alone and not adding any other sources (including Rashad’s) to God’s word, which is perfect and fully detailed. Rashad was a student of the Quran, trying to purify his mind from the atmospherics of his traditional past that prevented him from receiving the clear broadcast of the divine message. During my years of mail and face-to-face conversation with him, I found him to be usually humble in acknowledging his errors. For instance, he encouraged us to edit and discuss the second revision of his translation verse by verse. During this intense consultation we had numerous discussions.

We continuously learned from each other according to God’s will. During that period, I persuaded him to correct some of the mistakes of the first edition. For example: 2.106; 3:97*; 7.75; 11.87; 11.88; 12.88; 18.83; 21.96; 21.112; 24.35; 27.42; 37.63; 38.44; 39.6; 43.61; 56.79; 72.7; 72.18; 74.31; 96.2. He acknowledged my substantial contribution in the first pages of his translation. Later, when he re-revised his translation, he continued correcting his errors. For example, 4.176; 6.74*; 12.88; 18.83; 30.3; 38.59; 95.5! etc.

Not surprisingly, the gang managed to delete the section where Rashad acknowledged some people, including me for their editorial assistance (My assistance was categorically different, since it was mostly related to the substance rather than grammar or spelling, which was worse during my early years in the USA). The gang wished to purge one of the many evidences indicating that Rashad’s translation was not dictated by an angel, but he was consulting and receiving some help from his friends. Of course, the gang also did not wish to see my substantial contribution to Rashad’s translation to be known by new comers. Upon protests from first generation of Submitters, the gang’s scheme did not last; the acknowledgement section was restored in the following editions of the translation.

Briefly stated, he never claimed to be infallible, as the new idol-carvers among the Submitters claim. The three revised editions of his translations are blatant witnesses to the fact that he was in a continual learning process and that he was open-minded to reasonable criticism. If he were alive, he would surely make many corrections to his third revision. In fact, it is the experience and fate of all translators. Every time I edit my Turkish and English translations of the Quran, I find errors caused by insufficient information, imperfect attention, shortcomings, linguistic problems and unintentional mistakes. Nevertheless, I still believe that both of my translations or Rashad’s are good in delivering the message, inshaAllah.

The message, however, will be missed by those who have prejudice and by those who would consider Rashad’s or my translation to be infallible. If you have bad intentions or you have tendency to set up idols besides God, the Quran will only increase your deviation from truth. Thank God, we have the original Quran that we can refer to anytime we have a question. In 1995, I warned Submitters that it would be an unfortunate repetition of history if one day some of them would claim that Rashad’s translation, Quran the Final Testament, is “equivalent to the original” or “a revelation from God” in itself. But they since then, a growing number of Submitters responded to my warning with bigotry and ignorance. They are passionately adhering to this constant human tendency invoked by the master hypnotist: hero-worship.

Exposure?
Let’s see who are really exposed?

14 July 2009

 

SOLOMON: Salamun Alaikum all,

Subhan Allah, It just so happens that I was listening to some Quran Study recordings today and I stumbled across this awesome audio recording of a Khutba by Behrouz  on this very subject at hand about obeying the messenger ith Dr. Rashad Khalifa present there and guess who is exposed as a result of that khutba – you got it ! The one person who had to get upset was Edip.

If I am not mistaken, this was the last Friday Prayer khutba that Dr. Rashad Khalifa attended  since this audio recording took place on the 25th or 26th of Januaury 1990 and Rashad passed away on the 31st of January 1990 – just a week later. So Masha Allah, this may be the final recording of Rashad we have on file in audio format that I know of …Praise be to God.. very interesting points raised by brother Behrouz in his khutba followed by God truely exposing Edip at the end of the Friday prayer and khutba.

You can listen to it by clicking here.

12. Quran study from Behrouz (2).mp3

Title:  Q-study 1/25/90, Behrouz’s khutba, Edip’s exposure

Alternatively, you can hear it and other recordings by going to:

http://www.submission.ws/quranstudies

and hear it in the streaming format without having to download it.

Congratulations to Edip for being featured as the bad apple on Submission.ws. God set him up as an example for us. This is a very informative Quran study that we can learn a lot from., Masha Allah. Praise be to God Lord of the Universe! God bless, Solomon.

EDIP: (I will mention some names, not to make judgment about their current condition or future, but to tell the background of the video, exactly how and why it happened. I do not say anything behind anyone that I would not be able to tell to their face. So, feel free to share it with those whose names are mentioned)

Okay, let’s see who are/were exposed? This is for the record. I know some of you will reject it without even reading it, as they have demonstrated repeatedly. But, at least if one person relay it to future generations, it might shed light on this particular video-sunna and about the how the seeds of division was planted in this little, yet important community.

1. Those who cannot engage in intellectual discussions are exposed. Instead of answering my previous email, which contained a dialog between two submitters, you are coming up with a personal attack, shoot-by-video-hadith, which is deprived of its full context, which does not support, but refute your allegations.
2. Bahrouz Mofidi, your hero who gave the last khutba while Rashad was among us, was exposed! (continue reading).
3. All those who chose Rashad above God were tested in a hot debate the evening of that Friday on Omnipotence of God, and were exposed in accordance to the divine promise in 22:52.

The last khutba was given by a devil’s agent, who was filled with jealousy and complex feelings and was ready to do anything to flatter Rashad and get his attention. My experience during the last days in the Masjid was extraordinary and I witnessed incredible events happening: we were divided and those would be followers of Rashad’s hadith and sunna would use their distorted perception of some events as an excuse to justify their idolization of him despite the Quran and Rashad’s clear teachings… The root of your position emerged a few nights before the Khutba, dear Solomon. Rashad did not live to clarify many lies promoted by the gang during his last days and afterwards. But some people in the Masjid were convinced that those last-hour events were the fulfillment of 22:52. The details are just incredible:)

Those who were present during the Khutba will remember that Bahrouz’s khutba was first in its kind. After the Khutba many in the Masjid (such as Dr. Sabahi and his wife, Dr. Gatut Adisoma, Mahmoud Abib, John Spooner, Dr. Martha Schulte, Cathryn Colton, Sanobar Tafazoli and I), felt very uncomfortable with his suggestions that we should start calling Rashad not by his first name. I remember clearly that Dr. Mahmood Sabahi and Dr Marikh Sabahi both rose up and protested the Khutba and questioned Rashad. Rashad told them that they were right and they should not change anything regarding the regular convention of calling him by his first name, not standing up when he enter the Masjid, etc.

A few days before the Khutba, in the presence of some guests from Canada such as Ismail Barakat, and from Phoenix such as Abdulhay Parnian, Rashad made a comment contradictory to the Quran, which immediately received objection from me. In order to help his idol in a philosophical debate between me and Rashad on omnipotence of God, in order to help Rashad who was looking for an answer to my counter argument, Bahrouz declared that Angels were made of hydrogen and Hydrogen was eternal and not created by God. Obviously, this was no help. Later, the following Friday evening, after that Khutba, the contentious debate was revisited. I continued rejecting Rashad’s statement. Finally, Rashad asked Dr. Martha Schulte, a linguist, about the debate, and she supported my position. People in the Masjid got very confused and divided. Some people supported my position and others Rashad’s and some stayed neutral. It was clearly a great test for those who were present… (The debate between me and Rashad was tape-recorded and perhaps it is posted somewhere on the internet; I recommend you listening to it UNTIL THE END).

What happened later to Rashad? I decided not to talk to Rashad; yet I still went to Masjid and worked on my Turkish translation of the Quran on the Macintosh given to me by Rashad. Rashad sent me message through Lisa Spray. He wanted to talk to me… The following Sunday morning Rashad and I met, and he repented for his remarks regarding our debate on omnipotence of God. Within five days, God took Rashad to Himself, proving to Bahrouz and all others who started idolizing him that Rashad was a human messenger, a mortal human like all of us! Only God is worth serving!

What happened to Bahrouz? He and some of those ignorants like him fabricated a big lie attributing to their idol, Rashad, and claimed that exactly in 19 May 1990 a meteor would hitSaudi Arabia. Guess who was the leading person in Masjid adamantly opposing Bahrouz’ fabrication in the name of his idol? It was Edip. Edip was absolving Rashad against those fabrications. Who supported Bahrouz? The whole gang: Feroz Karmally, Keikhosrow Emami, Douglas Brown, Muhetesem Erisen, and more! Even Abdullah, who is an intelligent and nice guy but a great bystander, felt weak and helpless under the pressure of that gang; despite my strong opposition he chose to publish their lies and arbitrary numerical calculations in the Submitters Perspective as a May 19, 1990 doomsday prophecy! Ironically, when they were proven wrong by God the evening of that night, they self-righteously justified their blunder by saying “we could not know the future; so we could not oppose those calculations” (weren’t they declaring just the opposite days before?!) and they were still finding fault in my opposition to their lies and doomsday prophecy! I will never forget that night where all the gang members, minus Bahrouz, gathered in Masjid Tucson and each justified their support and promotion of that lie! They likened their mistake to Abraham’s mistake. By fabricating a lie and false prophecy they were promoted to become Abrahams. Me? I was wrong again! I realized that some of my comrades were different than the delusional evangelical Christians, Jehovah Witnesses, or members of any cult! It was disgusting to see those guys claiming to be submitters and brave monotheists unable to repent for their God-proven crimes!

When the so-called prophecy did not occur, your hero Bahrouz, in panic, rented a U-Haul and moved his family to California from the apartment next to the Masjid! What happened to the gang members who were congratulating him after his idolizing khutba? Kayhosrov declared his messengership and came up with several fake prophecies about earthquakes; he is now silent, thank God. What about Muhteshem? He is lost and has nothing to do with Quran. What happened to his wife Suzan? She is not practicing and is not involved.

What happened to Edip? Edip was excommunicated by those who could not handle his opposition to their idol-carving. The last straw was to invite an astronomer, Dr. Mark Sykes, the current director of Planetary Science Institute, to shed light on the controversy regarding qibla. Instead of listening to the expert some of the gang members protest this invitation. Douglas Brown, then the member of the gang, accused me of bringing an infidel to the Masjid and the rest closed their ears and turned their back to the scientific demonstration. (Then, I was shocked to see the real nature of this gang: they were making fun of Muhammadans for having allergy with truth and science, but now they were acting exactly like them).  The gang leader who made the final decision about the excommunication while poor Abdullah was standing by was Dr. Shakira Karipineni. What happened to her? She was later herself was excommunicated by better idol-carvers.

Dear Solomon,

I pray that one day, you will learn that you have betrayed Rashad’s message of “The Quran, the whole Quran, and nothing but the Quran“. The devil could not add anything, since the statement was so powerful. Well, devil is very talented. As he fooled all previous communities by approaching them from left or right, he found a way to fool our community too. He CHANGED THE REFERENCE OF THE QURAN. Like a magician, he made the word TRANSLATION disappear and replaced the original Arabic Quran with Rashad’s English Version of the Quran, which has all those appendices, footnotes, and plenty of errors and contradictions, which can be found in any fallible human product.

You betrayed the monotheism, since you do not really believe that God’s word is fully detailed, complete. You have raised Rashad to the level of God by considering his understanding infallible and you froze the dynamic source of God’s knowledge, the Quran, with a particular messenger’s limited knowledge. Furthermore, by idolizing him, you have lost all your chance to understand him too. You are not even able to understand his Appendix 19, which is less than a page. Appendix 19 will haunt all those who wish to consider Rashad’s words (hadith) a divine inspiration or part of the Quran!

I hope you will repent to God and dedicate your system to Him ALONE.

MAZAR MAGIC: Peace be upon All of you, I have three genuine questions for Edip,

1. Do you think God will allow His CLARIFYING messenger to mess up the message and God’s work assigned to him? (Messenger whose work happens to be to purify God’s message)
2. Why do you think people should read Quran translated by you, than translated by God’s messenger? (Since you are doing it, makes sense that there is some reason ain’t it?)
3. Do you think that God allowed His messenger to make mistakes so that you and others like you can correct it and show light to mankind?

EDIP: Peace dear Mazar, thank you for these questions. Instead of monologues, now we finally have a dialog. As it seems, you have not read my articles at www.19.org or www.yuksel.org on this subject. I have addressed all these questions in the past, repeatedly. Here is one of them that I think answers all of your three questions and more. I hope that you will read the article titled, A DIALOGUE BETWEEN TWO SUBMITTERS with open mind.**

The following emails may not be in chronological order, since I did not have time to collect them from several threads in the order. But, it will convey the central point of the argument.

SHREE MULAY: Peace Everyone, My Quran says Authorized English Version of the Quran… God Bless. PS:  Not a translation…  The Reformist Quran(and others) is a translation…  Therein lies the difference.

SERENA KARMALLY: Salam, Edip, you have accused people of replacing Rashad with Muhammad. How is that so? Traditional Muslims believe that Muhammad can help them and be their intercessor, mention Muhammad’s name in prayer, and make a distinction of him among the rest of the prophets/messengers. Submitters do not do this with Muhammad OR Rashad. Reading Hadith/Sunna is not the same as reading the appendices/footnotes. Hadith/Sunna are hearsay and opinions of egotistical scholars that think they know more than anyone else. Hadith are lies attributed to the prophet created by evil people. If you think the appendices and footnotes are like hadith and sunna, then you think Rashad Khalifa was an evil person and you obviously do not believe he was a messenger of God that was sent with the math miracle as his proof (Which I think is quite strange considering you believe in the math miracle). So you either believe Rashad was a messenger and accept it all because he was from God and was obviously then sent to purify the religion and wouldn’t be leading others astray, or you don’t believe he was a messenger or in any of the proofs he brought.

God Sends His Teachings to us Through His Messengers

[28:50] If they fail to respond to you, then know that they follow only their own opinions. Who is farther astray than those who follow their own opinions, without guidance from GOD? GOD does not guide such wicked people.

Maybe you do believe he was a messenger and in the proof that he brought from God, but you’d rather follow your own opinion. However, just because you choose to worship your ego as an idol besides God, that doesn’t mean you should try and accuse others of idol worship.

I find that people who accuse submitters of worshipping Rashad for no reason and with no solid proof are the ones that really seem to be obsessed with him. No one here puts up Rashad’s picture and worships or praises him. You are the one dead set on trying to prove the appendices and footnotes are hadith and sunna to the point that you, in fact, are the one obsessed with Rashad. After truth there is falsehood, and I think it’s very dangerous that you’re ego convinces you into thinking that only you can be right, and only you are special and because of that you’ve completely diverted from the message. Even though in your heart you know Rashad’s translation is right and from God, because you didn’t find it out for yourself, you have to find something on your own, whether it’s right or wrong.

Also, please do not make anymore baseless accusations; if you want to accuse someone of seomthing, you need to have actual proof.

EDIP YUKSEL: Your hatred towards me is based on your obsession with Rashad, an iconoclast, a modern Muhammad. Some people joining the ranks of submitters, unfortunately, replaced their old idol(s) with another. You appear to have replaced Rashad with Muhammad, Hadith and Sunna with Appendices/Footnotes and Videos, and all your arguments against me are EXACTLY the same arguments used by those who are obsessed with Muhammad. Because of ignorance and arrogance, both parties claim to be monotheists, while they do not submit themselves.

I know, for a short moment, as short as the light of lightning (2:19-20), you will see the truth in my statement above, but you will immediately revert back to your ignorance and arrogance like all others with different idols.

My final response for ignorant like you will be: 39:36

La ilahe illa Allah.

Peace, Edip

SOLOMON: I agree with Serena email ,  Masha Allah. He is full of himself and making baseless accusations against submitters without proof and striving hard to repel people from the path of God.

People like Edip show the symptoms of a serious heart disease known as ‘Hypocrisy’ or what I ‘d like to call ‘the lowest pit of hell syndrome’.

Click here to learn how to diagnose this chronic illness. It is the most horrendous disease of its kind because it if untreated , it could be fatal and can lead one to the lowest pit of hell.

They Think That They Are Believers

[4:145]  The hypocrites will be committed to the lowest pit of Hell, and you will find no one to help them.

(Now I understand why!)

The only cure is to repent , reform and believe.

EDIP: Peace Serena: I had addressed these issues in the past and listed the problems with a gang among submitters. If you wish to see my criticism of that gang, which since has become more influential, please see the attached article. I know that I should not have accused all Submitters in that article, but unfortunately, the bystanders has so far let the gang grow more loud and destructive.

http://www.yuksel.org/e/religion/submitters.htm

Remember Quran alone does not mean Quran plus Appendices, etc.

To see that you contradict yourself, read Appendix 19 and learn the real reason why Rashad rejected hadith and sunna.

Remember that messengers were not fallible.

Remember that understanding of the Quran is not indexed with Muhammad or Rashad or this or that. We are each responsible to understand with our OWN MIND. You understand Rashad too with your OWN MIND.  If using one’s own mind is egoism, then we should betray our God-given mind and be blind followers!

Remember that Rashad was not a prophet who came up with an English version of the Quran, but a messenger.

Remember that each group idolized their messengers in a different way and self-righteously condemned the old way and promoted the new way.

If you read those articles you will learn the reasons why I was EXCOMMUNICATED (I did not leave the Submitters, but a gang of people who overwhelmed Abdullah, the gang that claimed infallibility of Rashad and used his sunna against scientific facts, led the division and a group of submitters were asked to leave the main group). Peace, Edip

SERENA KARMALLY: Salam. If you think idol worship means believing someone with incontrovertible proof is a messenger, and reading appendices and footnotes that contain no innovations and are put in by the CLARIFYING** messenger using only Quran as a reference to CLARIFY, then we both have very different ideas of what idol worship is. If you think Rashad went against scientific facts, and made innovations (like you very clearly just stated) then you don’t believe he was from God. Case Closed.

JAMAL NOORDEEN: Salamun Alaikum, for all who idolize Rashad let them know that he passed away and with Allah (subhanuthala).and anyone who claims to be quranist and worship GOD ALONE let them know that living messenger is Quran and everlasting is the presense of GOD.

RAMEEZ POJEE: Salaam Alaykum, To add to what Shahid said, Muhammad was forbidden from explaining the Quran (75:19), and his only duty was to deliver the Quran. So, we reject anything that comes with the Quran. Quran is complete, no doubt about it. But, Rashad was sent to explain things to us.

God’s Messenger of the Covenant

[5:19] O people of the scripture, our messenger has come to you, to explain things to you, after a period of time without messengers, lest you say, “We did not receive any preacher or warner.” A preacher and warner has now come to you. GOD is Omnipotent.*

 

Remember, Quran is a living messenger. But, the above verse # 19 cannot apply to the Quran. Note the statement – our messenger has come to you, to explain things to you, after a period of time without messengers. God bless you,

JAMAL NOORDEEN: Salamun Alaikum. Dear all first of all we should know very clear that the fact is different from truth that is to say the fact is changeable but The TRUTH never change and remain to be the same forever and in easier terms THE QURAN is the Truth and it is the word of our lord GOD but any intrepretations or appendices or footnotes are facts which infact we received the fact from Rashad (messenger of covenent). and from QURAN we learn that none can explain the Quran for the future generation too. It is the responsibility of our Lord GOD to explain the quran in the time frame which he sets on his own.

By the same time Rashad sent with some duties to accomplish that he has done to the fullest will of GOD. infact he has been given some explanations which does not cover all QURAN but specific news as it is from the 72:27.

Any one who wants to stick with facts only and dont want to taken by QURAN are rejecters of TRUTH and shall know that GOD is the TRUTH and his word are. and that is what could be called as the rejection of truth.