Non-Prophets

The Maqam

Posted Feb 21, 2006      •Permalink      • Printer-Friendly Version
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Non-Prophets

We began The Maqam, Overflowing Bounties project much in the same way many
other projects begin, with the notion that “our” work was very important and
that we should solicit donations to help the valuable service we were
providing to thrive. We felt, like almost all other non-profits, that our
work was truly for the “Sake of God” or “The Good of the Community” and that
people should help share in that effort - if not in sweat and hard work, then
in financial assistance. No other way really occurred to us because this is
the way everyone operates today. An example created for us to follow mostly
by governments. Really a trap set to control religion.

Thus, we began thinking up different ways we could entice people to give more
so we could do more. Different and more elaborate schemes developed to
facilitate this noble end. In our grand thinking we believed that if we could
offset some of our costs by seeking advertising sponsorship, we could help
alleviate the burden we placed on our contributors and hopefully become self-
sufficient in the future, providing essentially free services to the
community. All the money we raised could go to rebuilding Maqams, but of
course, we would take a small administration fee for supervising the work.
After all, we were the ones donating our full effort to the project and we
needed to eat, was the common logic. Sure beats working at a fast-food joint
and who has the time to work when there is so many important services to
provide and holy work to be done.

After we set-up all these elaborate systems, advertising, sponsorship, on-
line stores, affiliate programs, payment services we started wondering how we
could protect “what we had built” and felt that we must organize ourselves as
a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We could use that special status not only
as a protection but as a means to collect more donations by offering people
tax-deductions. Knowing how difficult it was to set-up a 501(c)3 we thought
perhaps we could get a sponsor to let us operate under them until we
established our own structure and “legitimate” organization.

Deeper and deeper into the legal and organizational web we sank with less and
less time being spent on researching and writing about Maqams - our reason
for starting the project - A subject almost completly forgotten by the larger
Muslim community.

Then we remembered something a very wise man once said, “When you begin to
organize, you begin to fail”.

Upon contemplating what this meant, we began to think about how the Prophets
of God and their close companions used to do what they did and how they used
to do it, and things became much more clear for us.

Imagine for a moment a Prophet of God traveling about the land and speaking
to the people, handing out brochures, pamphlets and business cards with his
registered corporate identity clearly displayed for all to see. A mission
statement, trademark information, professional CV, and an official government
approval for collection of funds. His professional public relations advisor
standing in the wings.

After speaking to the people, making certain everyone has a brochure,
business card, donation slip and clear warning that all information received
is the property of the corporation, and persons must receive the corporations
permission to copy or reproduce it in whole or in part, the people are
directed to a store where they may buy all sorts of trinkets to remember
their encounter with “Gods Messenger”.

A sign prominently displayed over the check-out counter reads,

“All profits go to support the Prophet”

WRONG WAY, WRONG WAY, WRONG WAY . . . .

So ended our short lived notion that we were working for God and people
should be asked to donate to support our good and noble effort.

The only one supporting efforts for God is God - no one else. Anyone
sincerely working for God, leaves all concerns behind and works only for God
and within the means provided - then if God wants, God is providing more.
This is the only way. All other ways are almost certainly false.

All other ways are almost certainly false—worth repeating.

If we are truly following the examples of Prophets then we must place our
service and trust in God alone.

Today, there is a concerted effort amongst a few religious leaders in America
to remove the bonds that the government has placed on religious organizations
and leaders. The effort is most often called Free-Church and is headed up
almost entirely by Christians. The Muslims are almost entirely silent on the
subject, most of them foreign born and afraid to rock the boat or unable to
understand the trends and the needs of the indigenous American public, or
more than likely, concerned about losing the revenue producing power of their
existing non-profit organizations. Nonetheless, most of these Free-Church
organizations [1] go only half way, still trying to invoke copyright laws on
their thoughts and ideas they insist are sacred knowledge.

This does not mean that Gods true servants should not devote their full-time
to serving Him, it just means that they should not beg to do it. If they are
on the right way, the resources will come.

At the dawn of the American experiment we had it right but now all
governments are insisting on greater control over the people. There is not a
single government in the world today that the common people are happy with
them.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof… ”

The Maqam, Overflowing Bounties is a,

No-Profit
No-Copyrights
No-Trademarks
No-Corporation
No-Government
No-Solicitation
No-Organization

If we are unable for any reason not to be able to maintain this status we
will seize to provide the Maqam Directory and related services over the
Internet.

We encourage others to join us in giving back to Caesar what is Caesar’s.

We further assert that those who do not, are in fact working for themselves
(really Shaiton) and will do nothing to change our condition for the better.

Simply put, Non-profit 501(c)3 organizations are a trap set by Shaiton.

May God bless this MAqam project and keep it for His service alone.

Where we have slipped or altering from this notion, please be kind enough to
inform us in order to help protect us from our own failings and shortcomings.

Thank you!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Maqam, Overflowing Bounties
PO Box 30565
Damascus, Syria
+ 00 963 11 277 1874
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

http://www.themaqam.org
http://www.themaqam.com
http://www.themaqam.net


Notes

[1] For more information on “Free Church Status” go to http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=free-church+501c3&btnG=Search

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