Who is the Submitted One?
“Have you ever considered that the word ‘Muslim’ means ‘one who has submitted to Allah ﷻ’?” asks the Mufti of Dagestan, Sheikh Ahmad Afandi, in his article “When Faith Demands Sincerity.”
“A Muslim is someone who has taken upon himself the fulfillment of the commandments of Allah, the Most High, and he must certainly conform to the image of the submitted one,” the author replies, emphasizing that it is not enough to simply say “Al-Hamdu lillah!” when asked if we are Muslims. Although, of course, we must offer boundless praise to the Almighty, both verbally and in our hearts, for guiding us on the true and best path, making us Muslims, for “giving us an idea of the degree a Muslim can attain; the difference between a believer and an unbeliever; what blessings exist for the believer, and what fate awaits the unbeliever?”
The article “When Faith Demands Sincerity” was published as a small, pocket-sized booklet, easy to take with you and refer to, as they say, in any uncertain situation. “An invitation to inner dialogue” is how the article is described in the annotation. “Difficult questions to ask yourself,” the author adds. I suspect that for everyone who reflects on his inner state, the questions listed in the article will rank individually: by importance, urgency, and complexity. After all, this is the most difficult thing to be honest with oneself, to admit to oneself what state is he in, to acknowledge one’s mistakes and omissions, in order to adjust one’s compass and move forward with firm conviction along the path of spiritual development.
But let us return to the image of the “submitted one”, for this is a fundamental concept for a believing person. If you have embarked on this path, if you have taken upon yourself the fulfillment of the Lord’s commandments, you must demonstrate submission, humility, and agreement with the Creator’s will.
Let us consider the meaning of the word “submission”. Of course, we should take into account that we are discussing this in English, not Arabic. Nevertheless, the interpretation of this concept, in my opinion, quite accurately reflects its meaning in the context under discussion. Here are the following definitions of the word “submission”:
- A state of obedience, submission in all things, and a lack of independence in behavior and actions.
- Same as meekness. Meekness, in turn, is a character trait characterised by a benevolent attitude toward others, a willingness to comply with them; synonyms: good-naturedness, gentleness, kindliness, kindheartedness, and lack of malice.
Gentleness, compliance, and kindness are the character traits of a person who has submitted to the Almighty, conquered pride, arrogance, and anger; who has realized that everything good and bad comes from the One Allah, that all His creations are beautiful in their own way, and that the task of each person is to fulfill the Creator’s commands, to help His other creations as best they can, to patiently endure their harm and to renounce that which does not concern them.
A state of obedience and submission in all things is natural for one who has recognized himself as slave of the Almighty and has sincerely and consciously submitted to His will. I would especially like to note the emphasis on the dependence on one’s behavior and actions. As Sheikh Ahmad Afandi writes in his book “Virtues of the Righteous”, “Anyone who believes that he is the creator of anything associates a partner with Allah, the Almighty.” For if man could create anything, he would do so with great shortcomings.”
A slave who is content with the Almighty (i.e., does not feel need of any of His creation) is one who does not contradict the predestination of Allah ﷻ, entrusts himself to His will, renounces his own opinions and fully accepts His choice for himself. In the highest degree (this applies to people who have come to know Allah ﷻ), this is a person who is essentially devoid of desires and strives only for what the Creator has already chosen for him. In other words, he is one who has “submitted” to what the Almighty has prescribed for him.
In his book, “Virtues of the Righteous”, Sheikh Ahmad Afandi compares a true slave of God to a gatekeeper standing at the gates of the visible and invisible parts of the body, allowing various deeds to pass through. He adds that one who knows Allah ﷻ will never consider himself complicit in the creation of any deed: he does not even occupy his heart with thoughts of choosing anything, but at the same time gives credit to the deed that the Almighty created through him (he gives thanks if the deed expresses worship, and repents if this deed represents disobedience, but invariably praises Allah ﷻ for the command, that is, the predetermination of what happened by the will of the Almighty, and tries to replace any omission with good deeds). “And only a true slave gives credit to every deed, no matter what the situation, and always remembers that he is a slave”, the spiritual mentor continues. To remember one’s position and humbly accept it – is not this the description of one who has submitted?
Yet, submission is not only a state but also an action. A military leader can conquer an enemy city or army during a war; a mountain climber strives to conquer a mountain peak; a diver, the deep blue abyss; a lover, the heart of his beloved. But all these imaginary achievements pale in comparison to submission to the One Whose greatness we cannot even describe, the Creator of cities, armies, mountain peaks, oceans, and hearts. To show submission, to “submit”, means to subdue oneself, one’s nafs (ego), first and foremost, to subdue one’s thoughts and intentions. To lay down one’s weapons, remove one’s armor, bow one’s head, acknowledge one’s own weakness, and turn to the Creator, trusting in His mercy and compassion – that is what submission is. And this requires a determined effort.
The answer to the question of how to conquer one’s nafs can also be found in the book “Virtues of the Righteous”. Conquering the nafs, as the author writes, is possible in three ways: first, by depriving the nafs of all its desires and passions, similar to an animal that becomes docile when fed less; second, by burdening it with the burden of ibadat (worship), so that the nafs loses the strength to resist; third, by “asking Almighty Allah for help in the struggle against one’s nafs, begging Him for support, for He created the nafs and He knows its essence and state best.”
