There Can Be Muslims Within Every Religion

Salaamun alaykum, dear readers!

This article is about one of the revelations received from God by Rashad Khalifa.

As it was established in one of this masjid’s foundational articles, the Quran stated in verse 3:81 that the prophets all took a covenant to support a messenger who will come after them, confirming their scriptures beyond a doubt. Verse 33:7 stated that the prophet Muhammad himself took this covenant, thus providing double-confirmation that this messenger is to come after Muhammad.

You can read about him in this article here: Quran Declares: New Messenger After Prophet Muhammad – Masjid at-Tajdeed

Purification and Consolidation of All Religions

In 1989, he mentioned that he received a “new proclamation” from God to convey, that people of all religions must purify, unify, and consolidate their religions into one religion: Islam.

He also said God’s new proclamation is that all who believe in God (regardless of whether one is a Jew, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, or whatever other belief system they practice) will be considered as Muslims if they forget the idols, and devote all worship and veneration to just one God.

He wrote three consecutive newsletters in his “Muslim Perspective” newsletter talking about this new proclamation (the July, August, and September 1989 editions). In those newsletters, here are the names that Rashad calls this proclamation:

• “Divine call to all believers in God”
• “God’s designed and perfectly-timed proclamation”
• “This divine proposal”
• “Divine intervention to save all believers in God”
• “This new proclamation from our Creator”
• “His invitation to unity”
• “God’s proclamation”
• “Divine plan destined for inevitable enforcement”
• “God’s message of unification and purification”

In short, one does not have to follow or believe in the Quran to be considered a Muslim.

Rather, the bare minimum criteria for being saved from the Hellfire according to this new proclamation that Rashad received is to believe and worship God alone.

That means if one is a Hindu for example, they don’t necessarily have to follow or believe in the Quran. The way they “purify” their faith is that instead of worshipping multiple gods and goddesses, all of their Hindu rituals and worship practices must be dedicated to the one, almighty God alone.

It’s the same thing for Native Americans or people who follow other indigenous religions: they can continue all of their religious practices and worship rituals and ceremonies, but to purify their faith, those rituals and ceremonies must be dedicated to one God, and they must forget their belief in other divine gods and goddesses.

For Christians, they must reject the divinity of Jesus and dedicate their worship rituals (such as the Eucharist for example) to God alone. Instead of thinking of the Eucharist as eating the “body and blood of Christ”, a Christian must think of the Eucharist as an expression of gratitude for God’s provisions, for example, and dedicate the Eucharist to God alone rather than Jesus. If they want to celebrate Christmas, they must stop thinking of it as celebrating the “birth of God the Son” and just think of it as a day of festivity and increased worship, gratitude, and remembrance of God alone.

For Catholics, they must stop praying to saints as intermediaries, and stop believing in the divinity of Jesus, and instead pray to and worship God alone. The religious practices and rituals can remain unchanged, but the object of devotion or dedication must be switched from other deities, saints, and idols, to God alone, in order for the religion to be “purified”.

When the religion is purified, it automatically gets consolidated and unified under the banner of Islam. That’s because Islam is the Arabic term for submission to God alone. And if a Christian, Buddhist, or Hindu purifies their faith in this manner, they become Muslim (which in Arabic means one who submits, or a submitter) regardless of what they call themselves, because they are devoting themselves to God alone and submitting to the command of God to purify their existing faiths.

There would no need to be divided any longer as they are our brothers in religion just like those who believe in and follow the Quran. They won’t technically be “Mu’min” (believer, which is a higher category than Muslim) but God will still count them as Muslim because they have purified and consolidated their faiths under Islam by dedicating all acts of worship and devotion to God alone.

So there can be Christian Muslims, Jewish Muslims, Hindu Muslims, Sikh Muslims, and more, as long as they purify their current system of belief by switching their object of worship, veneration, and devotion to God alone.

Of course, following the Quran alone is the easiest, most straightforward path to salvation and with the highest reward, but the Quran allows for multiple paths to salvation, all of which depend on worshipping God alone and doing good deeds for the sake of pleasing God.

Quranic Evidence

Now if you think this is crazy, or nonsense, or you believe that Rashad Khalifa is a madman, then know that the Quran itself already said this 1400 years before Rashad Khalifa existed.

Verses 2:62 and 5:69 plainly says that whether one is a Jew, Christian, or convert, any person whatsoever who believes in God and the Last Day, and does righteous deeds, those will be saved, and they will not have any reason to be afraid or grieve. So these verses are quite self-explanatory.

• Just to clarify, the Last Day is the final day that this worldly life will exist before it is destroyed and everyone is held accountable by God for their actions. So according to verse 2:62, if you believe our current world or universe will keep going forever without any final accountability, then your faith in God is impure.

• [2:62] Indeed, the ones who have believed, and the ones who have been Jews, Christians, and converts, whoever believed in God and the Last Day, and did righteous deeds, their reward with their Lord is thus for them; no fear will be upon them, nor will they grieve.

Now some might say, “But verse 2:62 and 5:69 says only those who believe in God will be saved, so don’t you need to believe and follow the Quran to believe in God?”

Not necessarily, because the Quran says that the majority of those who believe in God are mushrikeen (people who make partners with God). A polytheist who believes in God (such as Hindu) is still considered someone who “believes in God” according to the Quran, but their faith is tainted with the act of “shirk” (partnering other idols and deities with God).

Verse 2:62 and 5:69 thus refers only to those who “believe in God” and whose belief is untainted or uncorrupted by belief in other idols and deities, whether Jew, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or whatever belief system they practice; only those will be saved.

• [12:106] But most of them do not believe in God, except while they are “mushrikoon” (those who partner others with God).

Therefore, if you believe and regularly worship one benevolent and almighty God alone without other deities, believe in a final judgement day, and live your life as a good person by doing good deeds, then congratulations, you are a Muslim (one who submits himself or herself to God) even if you didn’t realize it all this time, and regardless of whatever label you choose to go by or whatever belief system you are following.

So here is a sample list of those who are considered Muslims, despite having belief systems outside the Quran. Those believe in God, the Last Day, and believe in doing good deeds:

• Unitarian Christians
• Zoroastrians
• Mandaeans
• Sikhs

Monotheist Hindus unfortunately do not yet meet the criteria because Hinduism does not teach a final end to the worldly life. But if they adjust their belief to include the Last Day, then they will meet the criteria in verse 2:62 to be considered Muslims.

Now there is a difference between being a Muslim (submitter) and being a Mu’min (believer) in the Quran.

As you saw in verse 12:106, simply believing in God does not qualify one to be a believer. Many believe in God, but worship other idols or deities besides Him, hence they are not “believers” (Mu’min).

So if a Muslim does not follow, believe in, or practice the Quran, their reward in the afterlife would be a lot smaller than someone

To qualify as a believer (and thus receive the most rewards from God), one must believe in all of God’s scriptures (including the Quran), His messengers, His angels, and have such high level of trust that they have no problem doing whatever God commands them in the Quran unquestioningly.

[2:285] The messenger has believed in what was brought down to him from his Lord, as well as the believers. All have believed in God, His angels, His Books, and His messengers: “We do not separate between any of His messengers.” And they said, “We heard, and we obeyed. Forgive us, our Lord, and to you is the destination.”

[49:14] The Bedouins said, “We have believed.” Say, “You have not believed, but instead say, ‘We have submitted (aslam),’ while faith has not entered into your hearts.”

Unfortunately, the Quran already predicted that most of the people who have ever lived on Earth will never truly qualify to be “mu’min” (believers) no matter how much we want them to be.

• [12:103] But most of the people, even though you have eagerly desired, will not be believers.

Jewish and Christian Believers

A Muslim, at minimum, is one who submitted to God by choosing to submit to the bare minimum requirements that God commanded to be saved from Hell: believing and worshipping God alone, believing in the Last Day, and doing righteous deeds, whether that person is Jewish, Christian, believer, Sabian, or anything else (verses 2:62 and 5:69).

• So that means one can be Muslim without even believing or following the Quran, as long as the bare minimum criteria in verses 2:62 and 5:69 are met. They are not complete Muslims due to their partial submission, but an incomplete Muslim is a Muslim nonetheless.

But in order to qualify as a “Mu’min” (believer), one must also believe in all of God’s messengers and scriptures, including the Quran, as per verse 2:285. A Mu’min, in essence, is a complete Muslim. Their submission to God is full, rather than partial.

• Therefore, simply meeting the minimum requirements is enough to be a Muslim, but not enough to be a Mu’min.

The Quran in Surah 5 tells all Jews who choose to be Mu’min (by acknowledging the Quran as revelation) that they should continue to follow and uphold the Torah alone, and what God revealed in it. This command only applies to those who are born Jewish, yet believe in the Quran, not to Gentiles. That means Quranic law only applies to the Gentiles, not the Jews.

• [5:44] Indeed, We have brought down the Torah, in which is guidance and light. The prophets who submitted judged by it for the Jews, and so did the rabbis and the scholars in accordance with what they were entrusted with in God’s Book, while they were witnesses over it. So do not fear the people, but fear Me. And do not exchange My verses for a cheap price. Those who do not judge by what God has brought down, they are indeed the disbelievers.

• [5:45] And We decreed for them in it that: a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and equivalence regarding wounds. If one forfeits what is due to him as a charity, it will be an atonement for him. Those who do not judge by what God has brought down, they are the transgressors.

There is a second command in the Quran for those among the “People of the Injeel” (Christians) who believe in the Quran, that they should continue to uphold what God sent down in the Injeel (Bible).

• [5:47] And let the People of the Injeel judge by what God had brought down therein. And whoever does not judge by what God has brought down, then those are the deviant.

• Unlike Jewish identity, Christian identity is based on choice. Any believer who chooses to be a Christian (Person of the Injeel) must follow the law of the Gospel, or Injeel in Arabic.

The Quran says that the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) have nothing to stand on until they uphold the Torah and Gospel, and what God revealed in it.

• [5:68] Say, “O People of the Book, you are not upon anything until you uphold the Torah and the Injeel, and what has been brought down to you from your Lord.”…

Now of course, when a believer follows either the Torah or the Gospel, one must make sure not to interpret those scriptures in a way that is contradictory to what God in the Quran believes to be immoral, such as: following the trinity, allowing intoxication and unmarried sexual relations, and advocating for death penalties regarding offenses that are not murder.

Now some might say, “Isn’t the Bible corrupted, according to the Quran?”

• Yes, that is true, but God in the Quran deems today’s corrupted Bible as containing enough truth that it is safe to command the Jews and Christian believers to follow it, rather than follow Quranic law.

• [5:43] But how can they make you judge, while the Torah is with them, in which is God’s command? Then they turn away after that, but those are not believers.

Conclusion

It is very interesting to note how merciful and flexible God is in Islam. There is the age of 40 threshold in the Quran where all who die before 40 years will not be held accountable for being disbelievers (found in verse 46:15 and revealed through the Messenger of the Covenant), God’s consolidation and purification proclamation delivered through the Messenger of the Covenant (and found in verses 2:62 and 5:69).

After all of that, for those beyond the age of 40 who failed to meet the bare minimum and purify their system of faith, God will use one’s personal capacity to determine whether you should be held accountable for not meeting the minimum criteria for salvation (by taking into account your genetics, intelligence, environment, exposure to information, and other circumstances).

Wen taking all of this into account, God makes it very easy for the people to avoid Hell. Now the question is whether the people will take up this chance or not.