Muslim = Peacemaker or Submitter?

unknownuser

Thanks Sushi for sharing the link.

Fallen Angel, although the article provides some of the main arguments, it is a little out of date.

The latest arguments showing that muslim=peacemaker can be found in the following Arabic book
www.quran4peace.org

I think that even Edip Yuskel who had founded the Submitters sect with Rashad Khalifa has changed his mind and now believe that the word means peacemaker.

Peace,

Ayman

Peace bro Ayman,

Aw, I wish I could read Arabic '( Please quickly finish the English version, am sooo impatient. If it isn't completed yet, but you've translated the portion of the arguments for Muslim=peacemaker, do please share it ASAP. At the moment I was considering Ghulam Ahmed Parvez's (I'm quite sure you know who he is) interpretation on the issue

?Sa-lim? means he became clean (or pure or free) from all sorts of faults; all his
shortcomings were made up; ?salamad dalau? he prepared a strong bucket; in surah
Baqarah it is said about the cow of Bani Israeel musallamatun la shiyatah fee ha
271 it is free from all bodily marks (faults) and spotless; as such ?sa-lima? means to
be pure without any blemish i.e. the complete development of human capabilities.2)
The other meaning of this root is to be protected from dangers, accidents, or ill-fate;
Ibn Faaris has said that it means more of health and well being than anything else;
salima minal aafateh salamah he was safe from ill-fate; sallamahullahu tasleemah
God kept him safe from any ill fate the Qur?an has mentioned one name of God as
?as salaam? 5923 which is generally taken to mean ? free from all blemishes and
faults?; but Tajul Uroos says that those who have said this is the meaning then they
have committed a grave error; because ?salaam? is something from which protection
is sought and ?saalim? is one who seeks protection; i.e. someone who wants to be
protected against evil or misfortune that is imminent; thus God has been named
?salaam? because he has protected all creation from trouble and His system is thus
running fine. Therefore ?salaam? would mean to be safe from ill fate and troubles; this is the
second meaning of the root.
3)?As sullam? means a ladder; i.e, a safe and dependable means for going up; thus the
third meaning of this root is the means through which somebody can reach new
heights safely and dependably.
?As silm ? means to live peacefully and amicably; ?as silm? means amity; thus the
fourth meaning of this root would be to live peacefully and to establish peace and
security in the world too; tasaalamatil khail means horses moving together; to
synchronize their feet and walk in tandem; and for none of the horses doing
something which frightens the other horses to stampede.
As silmu was salsaam means obedience; to bow before; therefore, the fifth basic
meaning of the root would be to obey the laws of God in totalityl; Nawab Siddiq
Hasan Khan writes that siin, laam, miim, basically has the element of softness and
humility*.
Istaslam akamat tareeq means he walked in the middle of the road and kept
straight( i.e. unwevering); qaalu salaamah means they adopt the moderate path and do
not do anything that is execrable; thus the sixth meaning of this root would be to
adopt the path of moderation and to avoid things which are not good;
Istalamz zar-u means the ears of corn came out; therefore the root?s seventh
meaning would be for efforts to have a result (good).
8 ) And ?as-salimah? means a woman whose limbs are very soft and attractive thus
the eighth meaning of this root is beauty and good looks.

It is obvious from these meanings that ?al islaam? is the name of a life style in which
all shortcomings of man are made up for and his capabilities are fully developed 2) in
which he is safe from all destruction and ill fate 3) and to progress towards his
destination 4) he himself leaves peacefully and is conducive to the peace of the world;
he lives with complete synchronization with others in his society and does nothing to
cause others to flare up and cause disbalance or chaos in society; this is possible only
when 5) man completely obeys the laws of God and not only bows his head but also
his heart to them; 6) and he does all this with complete moderation and with balance
i.e. does not exaggerate either way; this way his efforts will be fruitful and not go
waste 8 ) and not only his own personality will be balanced but he will be conducive
to the whole society?s peace.

What do you think?

Zulf

Nice!

Peace, submission, climbing, softness, cleanliness.... they're all aspects of the same state of being... which is when you move ALONG with truth and reality. The only measurement that matters is to what degree we are able to see and go along with Truth.

Jafar

Salamun Alaykum,

Okay, so I was just working on the definition of Muslim, and I recalled that someone (I believe Ayman, though I'm not sure) suggested that Muslim means peacemaker, not submitter. I wanted that if someone be kind enough to link me to any threads on this topic, or just simply provide me both sides of the argument..? It'd be really helpful for me. At the moment, I've seen that from the root Salima, there are two words, Salmun, and Silmun. Salmun means peace, ease, soundness etc. and Silmun means submission, obedience etc. Hence, words coming from Salmun refer to peace, and from Silmun refer to submission. However, I would love if any one skilled in Arabic, or someone who has knowledge of the arguments provided for the meaning of Muslim, enlighten me on whether Muslim comes from Salmun or Silmun, or whether I'm totally wrong on the issue in the first place. Thank you

When you're at PEACE with yourselves, you'll be at PEACE with your surroundings.
When you're at PEACE with your surroundings, you'll be at PEACE with what's happening.
When you're at PEACE with what's happening, you'll be at PEACE with God.
When you're at PEACE with God, you're submitting to ANY of His will
As any events, no matter how small, is happening in truly accordance to His will.

PS the above series of statements is not my own, it's originated from a well known buddhist mantra (recitation) with slight modification which is my own..

Salam / Peace

Zulf

Nice mantra!

I'd like to barge in and submit my own modified version

When you're at peace with yourself, then you'll be at peace with God, and everything that is and happens around you.
As peace within means an open channel/vision of reality and truth... which cannot lead to anything else than peace.

Cheers

unknownuser

Peace all,

It's great to see how you guys have understood what I suggested. This definition may be lengthy, but I believe it fits in quite well and beautifully encompasses all definitions of root SLM.

Edip_Yuksel

Thanks Sushi for sharing the link.

Fallen Angel, although the article provides some of the main arguments, it is a little out of date.

The latest arguments showing that muslim=peacemaker can be found in the following Arabic book
www.quran4peace.org

I think that even Edip Yuskel who had founded the Submitters sect with Rashad Khalifa has changed his mind and now believe that the word means peacemaker.

Peace,

Ayman

First my last name is Yuksel.

At a time when I was considering the "peacemaker" as the primary meaning of the word, I read your article, which contained good arguments. I thank you for that, Ayman.

Peace,
Edip

sytalls

Peace Fallen Angel.

Thank you for sharing the excerpt from Pervez. He was quite eloquent in his expressing his views. There was a wonderful clarity in the way he presented ideas and pushed his efforts to get people to see the truth, to study and explore the Quran, and to understand what Islam could be for all people.

unknownuser

Salam,

I know, right? Quite clear and short yet including all meanings of SLM in one paragraph.

Man_of_Faith

Peace,

I have been thinking a bit upon this and I believe we are both submitters and peacemakers. A sign of the meaning peacemaker is due to the fact the islamic greeting is peace! or salaam!

I mean, we cannot ignore the fact we submit to God, but with Salaam as greeting this must mean our intention is peace and prosperity.

God is the most Wise, therefore we can get several good meanings of the same words.

Remember we should always aim at settle disputes peacefully and only attack if we are attacked, and then only until the other part stopped fighting. Refrain from bad language.

This applies to forums too!

May God bless you with Peace and prosperity

Zulf

I agree that we would be both peacemakers and submitters... they go hand in hand... two sides of the same coin. Peace and surrender are deeeply connected.

I mean, we cannot ignore the fact we submit to God, but with Salaam as greeting this must mean our intention is peace and prosperity.

Well, I see what you say, and strictly logically this would be the case, however, the greeting of salaam is like any other word uttered... only as valid as the intention behind, and that intention can differ alot. From my limited experience, in muslim and non-muslim countries, these greetings are much more about cultural respect, customs and identity than it is about a peaceful intention. Even backbiting a**holes will greet you with salaam... so many times they are just empty words... hypocracy.
But yes, the proper use of the greeting is what you say, to show that you wish the other person peace and that you have come in peace.

Peace!

unknownuser

.....................now what? confused lol, what I mean is that, okay we agree and all, but I was hoping there would an extensively long discussion on this, but um, there isn't...

Man_of_Faith

Peace zulf,

I agree it pretty much double-standard to first greet someone with Salaam and the flame the other in words and actions, arrogance and cynism.

I think we must reflect upon why and when we say Salaam.

Many of us, including myself, will have to calm down to gain God's favor. A lesson for us all.

May God bless us with peace and prosperity

drfazl

When you're at PEACE with yourselves, you'll be at PEACE with your surroundings.
When you're at PEACE with your surroundings, you'll be at PEACE with what's happening.
When you're at PEACE with what's happening, you'll be at PEACE with God.
When you're at PEACE with God, you're submitting to ANY of His will
As any events, no matter how small, is happening in truly accordance to His will.

PS the above series of statements is not my own, it's originated from a well known buddhist mantra (recitation) with slight modification which is my own..

Salam / Peace

That one is from down to earth to up to heaven clarity, with quality perception.

When you are having salam in your heart at any point of time, exactly at that point of time you are a 'Muslim'. How great would it be if Allah commands the angels to capture my soul and make me die at the dot! Prophet Yusuf s.a.w has prayed to Allah exactly this Read 12101

My Lord, You have given me of sovereignty and taught me of the interpretation of invisibilities. Creator of the heavens and earth, You are my protector in this world and in the Hereafter. Cause me to die a Muslim and join me with the righteous."

How true the following verse is

But if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed to you, ask those who read the Book before you; certainly the truth has come to you from your Lord, therefore you should not be of the disputers.
But if you are in doubt as to who a muslim is, ask those who had pondered upon it before you; certainly this truth has come to you from your Lord, therefore you should not be of the disputers.

Wow! That Buddhist mantra testifies 2559 and 1094

salam, jafar

Zulf

Exactly!

Truth is truth, wherever it is found. Perhaps there is no other book as such than the quran that exists as text with specific words, all of'em, inspired by Allah... but there is for sure ALOT of truth in the form of wisdom, saying, philosophies out there in the world. Truth is truth. It's there to be seen for anyone with open enough eyes. Truth can come to anyone, from anywhere. If we are seeking truth and are tuned in (as much as we can at a certain instance) to truth, then we will see it everywhere in anythings. Truth is reality. If we are not tuned in to truth, then we won't find it even in the quran or any wise teachings.

Peace!

ayman

Peace everyone,

I disagree with all the arguments that say that "islam" can also mean "submission". In Arabic peacemaking/"islam" and submission/"taslim" are two different concepts that are two different Masdars of the root "SLM" that convey different meanings. So please do not use them interchangeably.

Words of the form "islam" indicate the making of the name of the Masdar of the form "fa3al". So "ifsad" is the making of corruption/"fasad" and "inga7" is the making of success/"naga7" and "isla7" is the making of good/"sala7", etc.... . So "islam" is the making of peace/"salam". The following figure extracted from the book shows a few such examples and their various consistent forms

http//i45.tinypic.com/2usu1li.gif

Peace,

Ayman

seekingtruth1111

Peace all

What should be the translation of (aslama wajhahu lillahi) in the verse 4125 ?

I can see it has been translated as follows

4125 And who is better in the system than one who submits himself to God, and is a good doer, and he followed the creed of Abraham in monotheism? And God has taken Abraham as a friend.

Peace

Abdullah

Released

Peace

Nice thread. I need to catch up on my reading in regard to this!

noshirk

Salamun Alaykum,

Okay, so I was just working on the definition of Muslim, and I recalled that someone (I believe Ayman, though I'm not sure) suggested that Muslim means peacemaker, not submitter. I wanted that if someone be kind enough to link me to any threads on this topic, or just simply provide me both sides of the argument..? It'd be really helpful for me. At the moment, I've seen that from the root Salima, there are two words, Salmun, and Silmun. Salmun means peace, ease, soundness etc. and Silmun means submission, obedience etc. Hence, words coming from Salmun refer to peace, and from Silmun refer to submission. However, I would love if any one skilled in Arabic, or someone who has knowledge of the arguments provided for the meaning of Muslim, enlighten me on whether Muslim comes from Salmun or Silmun, or whether I'm totally wrong on the issue in the first place. Thank you

Salaam

There is others interpretations.

Sallama=Give and Muslim=who receive
Mo'min= who take care of what he is entrusted in
Nabi=Informed by what he received.
Rassool=transmitter of what he received.
Salat=connection for reception.
Hajj'ou= the one who argue with what received.
Kafir=Who reject what he receive
Mochrik=Who mix and pollute what he received

All these are centered on reception of words of Gods.
God is free to multiply ways of reading and understanding.

Peace