The Soil
About Submission — The Soil
The ground a soul grows in: giving ourselves to God alone, and what that means day to day.
Who is better guided in his religion than one who submits totally to GOD, leads a righteous life, according to the creed of Abraham: monotheism? GOD has chosen Abraham as a beloved friend.
[4:125]
God gives us a picture of a tree: “the good word as a good tree whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches are high in the sky” [14:24]. A tree needs good roots. It also needs good soil.
The first section of this site is about the root: God Himself. This section is about the soil. It is about what we believe, where our beliefs come from, and how they shape an ordinary life.
The word for all of it is Submission. It means giving ourselves to God alone, with nothing and no one beside Him.
Each page here takes one part of that and walks through it gently, with the Quran open. Each page has four parts, with the questions people ask after each one. Then a prompt to think it over, and links to where the subject goes next.
What Submission Means
Submission is the English for the Arabic word Islam. It is something we do, every day. A nationality, a culture or a name on a form cannot do it for us.
Abraham showed us how. “When his Lord said to him, ‘Submit,’ he said, ‘I submit to the Lord of the universe.’” [2:131] He did not argue. He simply said yes.
It is an old religion, not a new one. God gave the same message to every messenger: “There is no god except Me; you shall worship Me alone.” [21:25] The translation's footnote to 22:78 says Abraham was the first messenger to coin the terms ‘Submission’ and ‘Submitter’.
God tells us what a submitter looks like: “those who submit themselves absolutely to GOD alone, while leading a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord; they have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.” [2:112] God alone, and a good life. That is the whole of it.
It sounds simple, and it is. The hard part is living it all the way, in every corner of our lives. That is what these pages are for.
The Ten Pages
If you are new, read the GOD section first, then start here with Monotheism. After that, read whichever page answers the question on your mind today.
Monotheism
What changes when we really mean ‘God alone’. One master instead of many, what it costs, where it is tested, and what God promises in return.
Read moreReligious Duties
God needs nothing from us. So who are the prayers, the charity, the fast and the pilgrimage for? A look at why they exist and what makes one count.
Read moreFinding Happiness
God promises happiness in this world, and tells us what He ties it to. Where people look for it, where it is really found, and two verses that help the most.
Read moreWomen in Islam
Reading the Quran again on women. One soul, what belongs to her, marriage as God describes it, and custom versus scripture. Includes 4:34 as the translation explains it.
Read moreHadith & Sunnah
Who gets to tell us what God requires? A complete book, the messenger's one job, where the other books came from, and Source Check to test any claim.
Read moreLawful and Unlawful
God forbids only four foods by name. Who decides what is forbidden, what we eat, what harms us, and everyday questions from music to celebrations.
Read morePets & Animals
Animals are communities like us. Meet twenty-eight creatures God names. Then the gifts He gave us in them, and eight duties for the animals in our homes.
Read moreIntercession
Can anyone speak to God for us? Who intercession belongs to, and why even the prophets could not save their families. And why we can go straight to God.
Read moreHereafter
This life as a test, and what happens when we die. The Day we meet our Lord, and the four places the Quran describes. With the journey in six steps.
Read moreOther Religions
One religion given to every messenger, and what really saves a person. Where the paths part, and how to live side by side with kindness.
Read moreWhere the Soil Leads
This section is not the beginning. It sits on the root, and it feeds everything that grows after it.
It rests on the GOD section. Everything here assumes we know who God is, so that is the place to begin.
It leads into the Practices. The Religious Duties page here explains why the duties exist. The Practices section shows how to do each one.
It is checked against the Quran. Every verse on these pages can be looked up in the Quran section.
And it grows into the Grow section. There, the prompts at the end of each page become a journal you can keep.
Questions People Ask
Do we need to read the ten pages in order?
No. After the GOD section and Monotheism, each page stands on its own, so we can start with whatever question is on our mind. Monotheism comes first because everything else grows from worshipping God alone. After that, a page on women, on animals or on the Hereafter can be read on any day it is needed. What matters more than the order is how we read. God describes His book as “a scripture that we sent down to you, that is sacred—perhaps they reflect on its verses.” [38:29] And He asks: “Why do they not study the Quran carefully? Do they have locks on their minds?” [47:24] So we can take one page at a time, slowly, with the Quran open beside it.
Do we have to accept what these pages say on trust?
No. God tells us to check everything for ourselves, and that includes this website. He says: “You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for using them.” [17:36] He also praises those “who examine all words, then follow the best” [39:18]. So please look up every verse we quote. If something here does not match the Quran, the Quran wins.
Why does submission have to be total?
Because a heart given to God with conditions has not really been given. God asks for all of us. He says: “O you who believe, you shall embrace total submission; do not follow the steps of Satan, for he is your most ardent enemy.” [2:208] And He tells His messenger to say: “My Contact Prayers (Salat), my worship practices, my life and my death, are all devoted absolutely to GOD alone, the Lord of the universe. He has no partner. This is what I am commanded to believe, and I am the first to submit.” [6:162-163] Total does not mean perfect. We all fall short, and God has His messenger proclaim to His servants who exceeded the limits: “never despair of GOD's mercy. For GOD forgives all sins.” [39:53] Total means that nothing and no one else shares the place that belongs to God.
Where the Quran Describes Submission
Six passages that carry this whole section between them.
When his Lord said to him, “Submit,” he said, “I submit to the Lord of the universe.”[2:131]
Abraham's answer, given without argument.
We did not send any messenger before you except with the inspiration: “There is no god except Me; you shall worship Me alone.”[21:25]
The one message every messenger brought.
Indeed, those who submit themselves absolutely to GOD alone, while leading a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord; they have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.[2:112]
What a submitter is: God alone, and a righteous life.
O you who believe, you shall embrace total submission; do not follow the steps of Satan, for he is your most ardent enemy.[2:208]
Submission is total.
You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for using them.[17:36]
Check everything for yourself.
Do you not see that GOD has cited the example of the good word as a good tree whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches are high in the sky? It produces its crop every season, as designed by its Lord. GOD thus cites the examples for the people, that they may take heed.[14:24-25]
The good tree, with its root firmly fixed.
Learn, then live it
Every page on this site follows the same five steps, so reading always turns into growing.
Growth Prompt
Look down the list of ten pages. Pick the one you would most like to skip. Before you read it, write down what you expect it to say and what you are worried it might ask of you. Then read it, and compare.
Which part of my life have I not yet given to God alone, and what am I afraid will happen if I do?
Keep growing
Every topic on this site connects to the others. Here is where this page leads next.