Sujud does not mean physical prostration

As mentioned in chapter three, in the Reading the word sujud means to consent or to agree to something. The religionists have consistently said that in many verses of the Reading this word does not mean a physical act of prostration, but they try to make it an exception when the word is used to refer to human beings. They realise it is ridiculous to say the sun, the moon, the stars, and the trees prostrate themselves to God when the Reading uses the same word sujud.

Qor-laqol-insan a’lama-hul bayan ash-shamsu wal-qomaror bil-husban wal-najmu wal-sajaru yasjudan was-sama’a ro-fa’aha wa-watho’a mi-zan. (55:3-7)

He created the human. He teaches him clearly. The sun and the moon with calculated movements, and the stars and the trees are all consenting (yasjudan) and the skies, which He raised with a just balance. (55:3-7)

God created human beings and He teaches them clearly that the movements of the sun, the moon, and the stars in the sky are on their own consent (yasjudan). This word is derived from the root word sajada, which means to give consent or to agree to something or to admit something is true. Perhaps the religionists and their Arabic scholars may want to describe how the sun and the moon prostrate to God before they insist that everyone should prostrate physically to the Lord of the Universe. The Reading clearly shows that everything in the heavens and the earth sujud and aslama or they consented themselves peacefully (aslama from the root Salam) by God. The word Islam is also derived from the same root Salam. Thus if everything that God created in the heavens and the earth are in a state of peacefulness or Islam, can the religionists also tell us how the sun, the moon, the stars, the trees, and all of the animal kingdom become Muslims? Did they have to declare, “We bear witness that there is no God except Allah, and we bear witness Muhammad is the messenger of Allah?”¹ Then why is it that such a declaration has become the first pillar of faith in so-called Islam?

The billions of stars in the sky, the grass on earth, the vegetables that we eat, the Bougainvillaea we plant around our houses, the trees in the forest all sujud to the One God. We do not witness any of them prostrating physically. Everything we see obeys its God-given command; and God says it performs its sujud to Him.

If we read the Reading critically, we discover the same word yas-judun used in reference to the state of being of humans. In 84:21 it says:

Waiza quri-a’ alaihim qur-anun la-yasjudun. (84:21)

And when the Qur’an is recited to them they do not give their consent. (84:21)

We have not seen any religionists or the Arabic experts prostrating themselves each time the Qur’an is recited to them, but at the same time they insist the word sujud means prostrate. Sujud here means only one thing: to acquiesce, to agree or consented to the decrees of the Reading. As matters stand today, every Muslim upon hearing the Qur’an being recited would have to prostrate himself immediately. Now we all know that it is not done. One wishes the religionists would be a little more consistent.

Everyone can see the verse does not command us to prostrate physically each time the Reading is recited to us rather, that we should give our consent or agree to the values of the consented decree or masajid (also derived from the same word sajada) every time we hear the message. We can also find the word refused “Abaa” the opposite meaning of the word sujud in the Quran.

“When we instructed the energies, “Give your consent to Adam”. All of them consented except iblis, he refused (Abaa). And he was arrogant, and thus he is among those who disbelieve”. (2:34)

The word Abaa means to disagree or refuse to admit something that is true. In the same verse we see Iblis disagreed with God’s instruction because he was arrongant, thus his action is described as those who do not believe.

Clearly the word sujud does not refer to any physical prostration. If what the religionists are saying about the physical prostration had any basis we would see Muslims prostrating themselves all over the place: in offices, inside their cars, shopping complexes or on the roadside each time they heard the Qur’an recited over the radio or television. This is patently ridiculous.

Here is another example from the Reading that clearly shows sujud does not mean physical prostration.

Wad-qulul ba-ban suj-jadan. (2:58)

And enter the gate consentingly (2:58)

When the Children of Israel are told to enter the gates of a city the word su-jadan was a command for them to agree to enter the palce in humbleness. It does not mean they should enter the gate in a prostrating position (unless the religionists can demonstrate to us how this is done). The Children of Israel knew the word su-jadan did not mean that they should enter the gate crawling on their bellies.

The history of Joseph also demolishes the misrepresentation of the religionists that sujud is the act of physical prostration. Joseph told his father he saw eleven planets, the moon and the sun sujud to him in a dream which positively indicates these heavenly celestials did not physically prostrate to him.

Recall that Joseph said to his father, “O my father, I saw eleven planets and the sun and the moon give their consent (sa-jidin) to me.” (12:4)

The forms sujud, yas-judan, sujadan, sajid and masjid derive from the root sajada which means to consent, None of these words refers to the act of physical prostration.

The Lord of the Universe is not interested in our body movements. There is no need for us to demonstrate a state of holiness at a specific time. He says He is omnipresent and we cannot hide any secret from Him. He knows everything in the heavens and the earth. No three people can meet in secret without Him being the forth nor five without Him being the sixth neither less than that, nor more without Him being there all the time.

Therefore we are expected to do the right thing and work righteousness all the time throughout our life and always keep in mind that every movement, deeds, utterances, thoughts or whatever we conceal in our heart is known to Him, Then, on the day of resurrection He will inform us of everything that we have done. God has recorded everything and He is fully aware of every single one of us. That’s it!

You should realise that God stands between you and your heart and that you will be gathered before Him. (8:24)

Contrary to popular belief, Abraham did not start this aerobic class. The Reading tells us that he consented himself to the will of the Lord of Universe and led a righteous life as a monotheist serving the One God.

When his Lord said to him, “Be you at peace (aslim),” he said, “I am at peace for the Lord of the Universe (aslam-tu-li-rob-bil-‘alamin).“ (2:131)

Abraham did not demonstrate his peacefulness through physical body movements but through his love of his Lord with all his heart, soul, mind and strength by doing the good deeds and personal commitments in fulfilling his obligations.

Unfortunately, he became the prime target of wicked people who accused him of being the first man to worship a stone idol in Mecca through physical bowing and prostration.

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1 A phrase not found in this formula in the Qur’an and used by Arab religionists to trick people into their fold. What the phrase means, of course, is that the person pronouncing commits to accept (under the guise of the Prophet Muhammad’s teaching) whatever the ruling caste dictates.

‘Humble themselves consentingly’ becomes ‘bow and prostrate’

The last phrase in 2:125 is wa-roka’is-sujud, which means those who humble themselves consenting. The religionists have mangled the meaning here and say it means to physically bow and prostrate. It embroils a regimented body movement only worthy of pagan rituals.

Physical bowing and prostrating have become the critical components of the body movements in the Arab religion. Without these pantomimed movements their rituals will become redundant and useless. They believe the instruction of these body movements were ordained by God by virtue of 2:125 and 22:26.

For many centuries, non-Arabs who have mastered the Arabic language have allowed themselves to be subjugated by the religionists without verifying simple words by reference to other verses in the Reading. Having discovered this, I feel sorry for the Muslims who perform these silly body movements without verifying the correctness of their understanding from their own Book.

Since they are conditioned to believe that the word bayta in 2:125 means the house, naturally, bayti-ya in the same verse must mean My house. Although they do not physically cleanse God’s house, they derive tremendous satisfaction by circumambulating the Cube. The Muslims were made to believe that the meaning of the passage in 2:125 is:

Thor-hira Cleanse the [physical] house.

Thor-iffin Walk around the house (because they believe the religionists who say that the word Tho-iffin has the same meaning as the word Thawwaf. However, these two words are not the same).

a’kiffin Retreat to a [physical] house.

wa-roka’ is sujud Bow and prostrate physically to a [physical] house (since they also believe the word roka’ is sujud is physical bowing and prostrating).

Since they proudly claim Islam abhors all images and icons, how can they not notice that the religious rites they faithfully observe are blatant idol-worship? Do they not devote their faith and bow and prostrate to a physical house?

If their answer is no:

• Then why do they say it is ‘God’s house’?
• Why do they use the expression baytul-lah which is not found in the Reading?

The truth is the innovators of the Arab religion have been very successful in deceiving people. They make their followers perform ridiculous body movements without telling them why. Yet they cannot even answer these simple questions!

No modern Arab or scholar of the Arab religion can provide intelligent answers to these basic questions:

• Is the stone house in Mecca God’s house or baytul-lah?
• Why is God not inside His house – or is He?
• Why do they have to bow and prostrate to the rocks carved by the Arab?
• Are they prostrating to God or to the rocks?
• Why do they walk around the house and in an anti-clockwise direction?
• If they are prostrating to God and not the rock hunk, can we move the stone structure to Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico or other countries?
• Would their pilgrimage ritual and their five daily ritual prayers be nullified without making the rock hunk as their focal point.

Of course, the crux of the matter lies in simple logic. If they worship the house, they need to say that God is present in it. If that is the case – fine. However, if God does not live in the Cube, they are venerating the cube-idol. All they have to do is prove that God is in there.

If no sensible answer is forthcoming from the religionists themselves, why then should the Muslims continue to put their trust in the religionists? Perhaps they naively assume it is not harmful to follow the religionists blindly. The pertinent question is whether obeying such absurdity will save them from the Hell Fire? Is it worthwhile ignoring something so important by not verifying the correctness of its meaning by using one’s own common sense? According to the Reading ‘the worst creatures at the sight of God are those who do not use their common sense’.

Is it not time yet for the sensible Muslims to come to their senses and seek forgiveness and mercy from their Lord while they still can? Is it so difficult for them to be sincere to Him alone in pursuing for His grace and pleasure? These are some of the fundamental questions the non-Arabs should consider seriously.

The religionists have, indeed, twisted the meaning of many words in the Reading to divert mankind from the path of God including wa-roka’is-sujud in 2:125 which simply means those who humble themselves consentingly.

The message in 2:125 is that Abraham was directed to the system and had diligently committed himself to devote and humble himself with consent to the will of God in the system. His son Ishmael was similarly committed, and both of them cleansed the system for throngs of people who are devoted and also those who humble¹ themselves consentingly to the same system. Abraham and Ishmael were not devoting themselves to a physical house, neither have they circumambulated, or bow and prostrate physically to some rocks. Those who follow the footsteps of Abraham are not expected to bow or prostrate to anything. They should devote and humble themselves by consenting themselves to the same system by upholding their commitments to observe the deen prescribed by God. That is all that is meant.

There is no verse in the Reading that implies that roka’is-sujud carries the sense of physical bowing and prostrating.

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1 Humble, humbling or humbled is derived from the word ruku’. Humble people feel they are not important or good enough to criticise others or to have much attention paid to them by other people. God told the children of Israel to be humble to accept His revelations. In 2:43 He said, ‘war-ka’u-ma’al-ror-ke-en’