Subject: [Masjid Tucson] Submission weekly reminder

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

Billions of years ago, one of God’s high-ranking creatures, Satan, developed a supercilious idea that he could run a dominion as an independent god besides God. This challenge to God’s absolute authority was not only blasphemous, it was also erroneous. Satan was ignorant of the fact that God alone possesses the ability to be a god, and that there is much more to godhood than he realized. It was the ego--arrogance augmented by ignorance--that led Satan to believe that he could take care of a dominion, as a god, and run it without disease, misery, war, accidents, and chaos. The vast majority of God’s creatures disagreed with Satan. Yet, the minute egotistic minority that agreed with him to various extents were in the billions.

The hard-core rebels--humans and jinns--refused to denounce their crime, and opted for witnessing a demonstration of Satan’s claim. These egotistic creatures who failed to submit to God’s absolute authority, even when offered a chance to do so, were divided in half. The half that were less convinced of Satan’s point of view became classified as humans. Although they harbored doubts about Satan’s claim, they failed to make a firm stand regarding God’s absolute authority. It is the ego that prevented these creatures from appreciating God’s omnipotence, it is the ego that prevented them from submitting when such an opportunity was offered to them (Quran 33:72), and it is the ego that stands between most of us and redemption to God’s kingdom (25:43). This is why “Kill your ego” is one of the first commandments in the Quran (Quran 2:54).

      Kill Your Ego*
[Quran 2:54] Recall that Moses said to his people, "O my people, you have wronged your souls by worshiping the calf. You must repent to your Creator. You shall kill your egos. This is better for you in the sight of your Creator." He did redeem you. He is the Redeemer, Most Merciful.
  *2:54 It is the ego that led to Satan's fall. It is the ego that caused our exile to this world, and it is the ego that is keeping most of us from redemption to God's Kingdom.




References:
Introduction, http://www.masjidtucson.org/quran/appendices/introduction.html
Ego, http://www.masjidtucson.org/submission/perspectives/more/traits/ego.html
Ego as a Drug, http://masjidtucson.org/publications/books/sp/2009/apr/page1.html
Fall Prostrate Before God, http://www.masjidtucson.org/submission/perspectives/more/traits/fall_prostrate_before_God.html


Peace.