Conscious Submission
When his Lord addressed him [Ibrahim], “Submit”, he said, “I have submitted to the Master of the worlds.” (Q2:131)
إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Few illusions are as fact-free as the belief that the self is free, or that independence is achievable, let alone desirable. Even the Stoic ideal of the noble soul maintaining its spiritual liberty of will against the chains, blandishments, threats, and vices of the world must grapple with the limits of what virtue can accomplish without an adequate supply of reliable information, mental acuity, and physical vitality. The most powerful individual imaginable is still dependent on at least one Supplier for her supposed willpower and relative freedom. We all have masters, even if, as in the case of passions or ideals, we think we are the owners. (Try making your desires disappear if you claim you can control them.) The Qur’anic program confronts this reality and says, in effect, “Since you are disposed, by the fact that you are human, to submit to something, knowingly or not, make your submission a matter of full informed consent, and bow your head to the highest possible Authority, once and for all.”
Didactic Destruction
Have they not travelled on the Earth and seen what was the end of those before them? They were greater in their numbers and their strength and what they built upon the Earth, but their achievements failed them. / When their messengers brought truthful demonstrations to them, they exulted in the knowledge that they had, and what they used to ridicule engulfed them. (Q40:82-83)
أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُوا أَكْثَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ قُوَّةً وَآثَارًا فِي الأَرْضِ فَمَا أَغْنَى عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَرِحُوا بِمَا عِنْدَهُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ وَحَاقَ بِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُون
The Qur’an repeatedly mentions the exemplary failures of the past, reminding us that our feelings of security and immunity are delusional. What we pride ourselves on now will be of no avail, just as it provided no benefit to the peoples before us. And if it is objected that believers (in GOD, that is) die and suffer just as much, and that virtuous communities of the past have likewise disappeared, the answer is yes, but this world was never an idol or refuge for believers. Even when they die or fail in worldly terms, they are saved from something that never held their hearts. For the unbelievers, on the other hand, this world, with its power, wealth, and seeming permanence, was all they had. The believers only lost what they had gladly surrendered; the unbelievers lost everything they held dear.
Abandoning Defensiveness
O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves, despair not of the mercy of AL-LAH. Indeed AL-LAH forgives all sins. Indeed He is the Pardoning, the Merciful. (Q39:53)
يَاعِبَادِي الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لاَ تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
The substitution of GOD for self is a delicate and complicated process which, if rushed, can lead to overwhelming confusion, anxiety, guilt, and despair. It often feels like giving up everything for nothing. At each step of the way, therefore, the mujahid (one who is conducting this jihad, or struggle) has to carefully weigh his or her inner resources and the strength of the opposition, and thus know when to push forward, when to stop, and even when to retreat. Having a reliable, understanding, and compassionate Protector and Friend – one’s means (as a Guide) as well as one’s End – is for many the only way to make this struggle bearable and worthwhile. If we are going to release our self from ourselves, we need to feel there is an even greater Protector waiting to catch us and forgive us as we fall.
The GOD You Already Know 