RAMADAN 2010 - The 6th Day

 

 

And among the people there are some who give up everything, desiring the good pleasure of Allah. Allah is Ever-Gentle with His slaves.(Surat al-Baqara, 207)
 



Make things easy for the people, and do not make it difficult for them, and make them calm with glad tidings and do not repulse them. (Bukhari)

 

 

Islam encourages freedom of thought and denounces oppression and compulsion

The Qur’an is a Book revealed to people as a guide to the true path and in this Book, Allah commands man to adopt good morals. This morality is based upon concepts such as love, compassion, tolerance and mercy. The word “Islam” is derived from the word meaning “peace” in Arabic. Islam is a religion revealed to mankind with the intention of presenting a peaceable life through which the infinite compassion and mercy of Allah manifest on earth. Allah calls all people to Islamic morals through which compassion, mercy, peace and tolerance can be experienced all over the world. In Surat al-Baqara, verse 208, Allah addresses believers as follows:

O You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in the footsteps of satan. He is an outright enemy to you.

As the verse makes clear, security can only be ensured by “entering into Islam”, that is, living by the values of the Qur’an. The values of the Qur’an hold a Muslim responsible for treating all people, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, kindly and justly, protecting the needy and the innocent and preventing the “dissemination of mischief”. Mischief comprises all forms of anarchy and terror that remove security, comfort and peace. As Allah says in a verse, "Allah does not love corruption".  (Surat al-Baqara, 205)

Islam Defends Freedom of Thought

Islam is a religion which provides and guarantees freedom of ideas, thought and life. It has issued commands to prevent and forbid tension, disputes, slander and even negative thinking among people. In the same way that it is determinedly opposed to terrorism and all acts of violence, it has also forbidden even the slightest ideological pressure to be put on them:

There is no compulsion in religion. True guidance has become clearly distinct from error. (Surat al-Baqara, 256)

So remind them! You are only a reminder. You are not in control of them. (Surat Al-Ghashiyya, 21-22)

Forcing people to believe in a religion or to adopt its forms of belief is completely contrary to the essence and spirit of Islam. That is because according to Islam, true faith is only possible with free will and freedom of conscience. Of course, Muslims can advise and encourage each other about the features of Qur’anic morality. All believers are charged with explaining Qur’anic morality to people in the nicest manner possible. They will explain the beauties of religion in the light of the verse, “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admonition...” (Surat an-Nahl, 125), however, they must also bear in mind the verse, “You are not responsible for their guidance, but Allah guides whoever He wills.” (Surat al-Baqara, 272)

They will never resort to compulsion, nor any kind of physical or psychological pressure. Neither will they use any worldly privilege to turn someone towards religion. When they receive a negative response to what they say, Muslims will reply along the lines of: “To you your religion, and to me, mine” (Surat al-Kafirun, 6)

The world we live in contains societies with all kinds of beliefs: Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, atheist, deist and even pagan. Muslims living in such a world must be tolerant of all beliefs they come up against, no matter what they may be, and behave forgivingly, justly and humanely. This responsibility placed on believers invites people to the beauty of the religion of Allah by means of peace and tolerance. The decision whether or not to implement these truths, whether or not to believe, lies with the other party. Forcing that person to believe, or trying to impose anything on him, is a violation of Qur’anic morality. In fact, Allah issues a reminder to believers in the Qur’an:

If your Lord had willed, all the people on the earth would have believed. Do you think you can force people to be believers? (Surah Yunus, 99)

We know best what they say and you [O Muhammad] are not a compeller over them. But warn by the Qur’an whoever fears My warning. (Surah Qaf, 45)

A model of society in which people are forced to worship is completely contradictory to Islam. Belief and worship are only of any value when they are directed to Allah by the free will of the individual. If a system imposes belief and worship on people, then they will become religious out of fear of that system. From the religious point of view, what really counts is that religion should be lived for Allah’s good pleasure in an environment where peoples’ consciences are totally free.

The history of Islam is full of the tolerant practices of Muslim rulers who have respected all religions and built religious freedom with their own hands. For example, Thomas Arnold, a British missionary employed in the service of the Indian government, describes the way that Islam favours freedom in these words:
 
But of any organised attempt to force the acceptance of Islam on the non-Muslim population, or of any systematic persecution intended to stamp out the Christian religion, we hear nothing. Had the caliphs chosen to adopt either course of action, they might have swept away Christianity as easily as Ferdinand and Isabella drove Islam out of Spain, or Louis XIV made Protestantism penal in France, or the Jews were kept out of England for 350 years. The Eastern Churches in Asia were entirely cut off from communion with the rest of Christendom, throughout which no one would have been found to lift a finger on their behalf, as heretical communions. So that the very survival of these Churches to the present day is a strong proof of the generally tolerant attitude of the Muhammadan governments towards them.1

As Thomas Arnold also noted, Muslim rulers have always forbidden compulsion and oppression against non-Muslims throughout history, and developed cultures where people can freely live their religions. Non-Muslims living in Muslim lands have always practiced their religion without any difficulty. As a matter of fact, it is quite impossible for someone who fears Allah and has grasped the true morality of Islam to support violence, oppression or wickedness, or to take part in such actions. Such an individual is always conciliatory, peace making, affectionate, tolerant, compassionate and considerate. It is unthinkable for such a person to employ force or pressure particularly about the issue of religion. That is why Islam is the true solution to all acts of violence, oppression and terrorism in the world.

 


1- Prof. Thomas Arnold, The Spread of Islam in the World, A History of Peaceful Preaching, Goodword Books, 2001, p. 79-80

 

 

The Design of Honeybees' Defense Strategy

Giant hornets in Japan are perfect enemies for the honeybees of Europe. 30 hornets attacking a hive can exterminate about 30,000 bees in three hours. But the honeybees are created with a perfect defense mechanism.

When a hornet discovers a new bee colony, it communicates the news to others by secreting a special smell. The same odor is also detected by the honeybees, which start congregating at the entrance of the beehive for defense. When a hornet draws near, approximately 500 honeybees immediately surround it. They start vibrating their bodies and increase their body temperatures. This, to the wasp, feels like being stuck in an oven and at the end of this the wasp dies. In the heat sensitive photograph of such an attack, the temperature of the white areas can reach 1180F (480C). Such a high temperature is bearable for honeybees but lethal to the hornets.

 


 

 Lack of love is one of the main problems in the world


 


 

AL-BATIN
The Inward; The Hidden

He is the First and the Last, the Outward and the Inward . He has knowledge of all things. ( Surat al-Hadid, 57:3)

Look around your room. Everything you see has been designed and made by someone: the door, the CD-player, a picture hanging on the wall, the window, and so on. Now look through the window at the trees, the Sun, the sky, flying birds, and other people. If it is nighttime, you can watch the stars and the Moon. Knowing that everything in your room has been made, is it not clear that everything around you also has been designed?

The truth of this assertion is apparent. If you cannot claim that a picture hanging on the wall was made by coincidence, then you also cannot claim that the Sun, stars, and the Moon are the result of coincidence. Everything you see on Earth and in the sky has a designer, producer, and creator. Our Lord, Who created everything with great artistry, introduces Himself to us through His creation.

When you look through the window you cannot see Him. However, Allah's existence, power, and artistry is clearly seen in His creation. This is the meaning that al-Batin conveys to us. His existence and control is clear in every corner of the universe, yet no one can see Him unless He wills otherwise:

Eyesight cannot perceive Him, but He perceives eyesight. He is the All-Penetrating, the All-Aware. ( Surat al-An‘am, 6:103)

 


Hazrat Mahdi (as) will use his hand to emphasize what he is saying

Hazrat Mahdi (as) will use his hands when he talks; he will move his hand as he wishes to emphasize what he is saying and that people will see those motions:

Hazrat Mahdi (as) will STRIKE HIS LEFT KNEE WITH HIS RIGHT HAND when he speaks slowly and steadily. (Jalaluddin as-Suyuti, Kıyamet alametleri, Olum ve Dirilis [Portents of the Judgment Day, Death and Resurrection], p. 174)



The question Darwinism and materialism will never be able to answer: What is the origin of life?

(The following is an excerpt from the book titled Origins of Life*, by Hugh Ross** and Fazale Rana***)

Currently scientists stand no closer to understanding life’s beginning than they did when Stanley Miller conducted his first experiments fifty years ago. Though some scientists assert that the research is in its infancy, significant resources have been brought to bear on the origin of life question over the past five decades. To date, no real answers have emerged. Rather, a misguided approach has essentially stalled the research program.

Best-selling author Paul Davies makes this point in his book The Fifth Miracle:

When I set out to write this book, I was convinced that science was close to wrapping up the mystery of life’s origin… Having spent a year or two researching in the field, I am now of the opinion that there remains a huge gulf in our understanding… This gulf in understanding is not merely ignorance about certain technical details; it is a major conceptual lacuna. (Paul Davies, The Fifth Miracle:The Searchfor the Origin and Meaning of Life (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999), pp. 17-18)

Davies’ statements likely surprise most people, including scientists. From popular media reports, one would think researchers have all but finalized the explanation for life’s beginning. But such is not the case.

Davies explains why this mismatch persists between public perception and stark reality:

Many investigators feel uneasy about stating in public that the origin of life is a mystery, even though behind closed doors they freely admit that they are baffled. There seems to be two reasons for their unease. First, they feel it opens the door to religious ….. explanations. Second, they worry that a frank admission of ignorance will undermine funding. (Davies, pp.17-18)

So scientists are keeping quiet and searching for new directions in which to proceed. Their behind-the-scenes frustration became evident (to these authors) at the combined meetings of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life and the International Conference on the Origin of Life, held both in 1999 at the University of California, San Diego, and in 2002 in Oaxaca, Mexico (hereafter referred to as ISSOL 1999 or ISSOL 2002). This joint scientific meeting, held every three years, attracts leading origin of life investigators from around the world and serves as a platform for them to share and discuss their latest findings.

The atmosphere at such gatherings typically crackles with anticipation as participants gather to hear about new discoveries and breakthroughs. However, at both of these last two ISSOL events, a grim mood laced with desperation prevailed. Participants acknowledged that some fifty years of well-funded investigation have led to one barricade after another. The old intractable problems remain as new ones come to light. (Fazale R. Rana, “Origin-of-Life Predictions Face Off: Evolution vs Biblical Creation,” Facts for Faith 6 (Q2 2001), pp.41-47)

…..Origin of life researchers cannot identify any location on primordial Earth suitable for production of prebiotic molecules. Those studying the problems cannot explain how the uniform “handedness” (homochirality) of amino acids, nucleotids, and sugars could emerge in any so-called prebiotic soup.

Data from the geological, geochemical, and fossil records all place impossible constraints on naturalistic scenarios. Life arose rapidly and early in Earth’s history - as soon as Earth could possible support it. Origin of life researchers recognize that life had no more than tens of millions of years to emerge. Life also appeared under amazingly harsh conditions - conditions that would not allow life to survive, let alone originate.

Earth’s first life was complex chemically… Consistent with this. Investigators have discovered that life in its most minimal form requires an astonishing number of proteins that must be spatially and temporally organized within the cell.

Many [under the leadership of militant atheist Richard Dawkins converted to the Space Religion] now speculate that life may have originated somewhere other than on Earth.
 


* Hugh Ross and Fazale Rana, Origins of Life, Navpress 2004, CO, pp.25-27
**Astronomer and Astrophysicist
*** Biochemist
Further Reading: Religion Helps Science to Be Rightly Guided, by Harun Yahya
 http://www.harunyahya.com/the_Quran_leads_the_way_to_science03.php

 


SCIENTIFIC FACTS IN THE STORY OF THE FLOOD OF NUH

We sent Nuh to his people and he remained among them for fifty short of a thousand years; yet the Flood engulfed them while they were wrongdoers. (Surat al-‘Ankabut, 14)

The Prophet Nuh (as) spent many years advising the people to whom he was sent as a prophet to put an end to ascribing partners to Allah and to abandon their improper behavior. Even though he warned his people about the wrath of Allah several times, they still did not believe the Prophet Nuh (as) and continued in their polytheism. At this, Allah told the Prophet Nuh (as) that He would punish those who denied Him by drowning them, but that believers would be saved. The destruction of the people of Nuh and the salvation of those who believed is described as follows in the Qur’an:

But they denied him so We rescued him and those with him in the Ark. And We drowned the people who denied Our signs. They were a blind people. Surat al-A‘raf, 64)

The events that took place when the time for Allah’s promised punishment came are described thus:

So when Our command came, and water bubbled up from the earth, We said, “Load into it a pair of every species, and your family – except for those against whom the Word was preordained – and all who believe.” But those who believed with him were only few. (Surah Hud, 40)

The beginning of the punishment is described as when “water bubbled up from the earth.” The Arabic word translated as “tannoor” is “alttannooru.” This describes a kind of oven made by digging a hole in the ground, and therefore refers to the volcanic fire inside a mountain.  (Allah knows the truth.) The Arabic word “wafara” in the verse means “burned strongly, produced bubbles, boiled up, boiled over, produced a foam.” Therefore, the reference in the verse would seem to be to the flowing, molten lava in the mountain.

In another verse, the time for the Prophet Nuh (as) to board the Ark is described as “when water bubbles up from the earth” in another verse. This may also be a reference to hot steam or smoke rising from a volcano immediately before an eruption:

We revealed to him: “Build the ship under Our supervision and as We reveal. When Our command comes and water bubbles up from the earth, load into it a pair of every species, and your family – except for those among them against whom the word has already gone ahead. And do not address Me concerning those who do wrong. They shall be drowned. (Surat al-Muminun, 27)

The molten lava flowing in the wake of the eruption may have caused the ice on the mountain to melt; intense steam caused by the combination of heat and cold as the molten lava flowed into the sea may have given rise to intense rains. Flooding was the result of these phenomena, and sources of water on land may also have overflowed as a consequence of the severe rains: (Allah knows the truth.)

So We opened the gates of heaven with torrential water and made the earth burst forth with gushing springs. And the waters met together in a way which was decreed. We bore him on a planked and well-caulked ship, (Surat al-Qamar, 11-13)

Apart from those who boarded the Prophet Nuh’s (as) Ark were drowned, including the prophet’s son who imagined he could escape by seeking refuge on a mountain nearby:

It sailed with them through mountainous waves, and Nuh called out to his son, who had kept himself apart, “My son! Come on board with us. Do not stay with the unbelievers!” He said, “I will take refuge on a mountain; It will protect me from the flood.” He said, “There is no protection from Allah’s command today except for those He has mercy on.” The waves surged in between them and he was among the drowned. (Surah Hud, 42-43)

When the floodwaters finally receded, the Ark settled on al-Judi as stated in the Qur’an, meaning a very high place:

It was said, “Earth, swallow up your water!” and, ‘Heaven, hold back your rain!” And the water subsided and the affair was concluded and the Ark came to land on al-Judi. And it was said, “Away with the people of the wrongdoers!” (Surah Hud, 44)

When the mountains shortly after stopped churning forth lava, the waters resumed their former equilibrium as the air cooled down and withdrew back underground; some of it may also have risen into the air as water vapor. The water level returned to normal. Allah’s command to the earth to “swallow!” and to the sky to “hold back!” revealed in the Qur’an, summarized this very concisely.  The Arabic word “belea,” which appears in the verse in the form “iblaAAee,” means “swallow up and eliminate, pull back.” The reference to the earth swallowing up its water notes the formation of subterranean water sources as the water on the surface retreats underground again. The Arabic verb "aklaa," which takes the form "aqliAAee" in the verse, means “the dispersal of clouds, rain stopping, or abandoning a matter or course of action.” The description is thus in a way, the cooling down of the air as lava stops flowing, the stopping of rain as a result of the water vapor level in the air returning to normal, and the dispersing of the remaining water vapor in the clouds into the air. (Allah knows the truth.)

This chain of events, in complete agreement with the scientific facts, is indicated in the wisest possible terms in the Qur’an. It is just one of the proofs that the Qur’an, which contains such information, comprising many branches of science, such as geography, geology and meteorology, is in complete harmony with science.



BALLOON VINE



Age: 50 million years
Period: Eocene
Location: Green River Formation, Utah, USA


Darwin, 150 years ago, described one significant problem facing the theory of evolution:

"Nothing is more extraordinary in the history of the Vegetable Kingdom, as it seems to me, than the apparently very sudden or abrupt development of the [taxonomically] higher plants." (Francis Darwin, The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, "From Charles Darwin to J. D. Hooker, August 6, 1881," p. 248)

The significance of Darwin's reference to plants developing suddenly is that plant species did not emerge gradually, as the result of incremental changes. In other words, there is no evidence that they ever evolved. Since even Darwin saw how plant fossils argued against evolution, it is illogical for contemporary evolutionists to insist on the myth of "the evolution of plants."



 Turkey will be a super power

What He Said

Çay TV, July 23rd, 2008

Adnan Oktar: Everyone should sincerely believe that Turkey is really on the right path, and will be a Super State. Turkey will be a very big state in a degree that has never happened in its history. It will be the leader of Turkish-Islamic nation. We are at the beginning of this historical mission. And, the Turkish nation is a nation that will rescue whole world from anarchy, terror, boredom and every kind of pain. This nation is a noble, dignified nation that has grown up with pain, and this nation has a soul that tends to govern this world to be useful for it. It seems that Allah has given this task to this nation, Insha'Allah. We will see this happening in a near future Insha'Allah.




What Happened
 
 Haberturk, 8 January 2010
 


 Turkey will be a Super Power

Joshua Walker, from the Transatlantic Academy Thought Center-USA, has said that Turkey will be a "Super Power" in the next 10 years. Walter spoke in the conference of The Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) and stated that Turkey's most visible change seems in the relationship between the civil and the army, moreover, the project of the "Democratic Development" is a "big historical step that tear down the taboos that would not be able to be spoken publicly at the intellectual level 10 years ago." Walter also stated that AK Party is the most reformist government of the history of Turkey, and they are acting towards the favor of the state, " All of these progress means that; In 10 years, Turkey will be a Super State in between regions."
 

 


 

Qur'an-translations

 

 

The Evolution Impasse II

This book is based on other works by the same author dealing with the collapse of the theory of evolution.
 
The aim in compiling this anthology is to let readers easily obtain information on all matters concerning evolution and to have access to the most accurate facts. You can thus acquire the most practical, accurate and reliable information regarding all the terms and concepts you may encounter regarding the theory of evolution in the press, in magazines, books, TV programs and other media.
 
The hypothetical claims made by those who advocate the theory of evolution—and how their assertions are invalidated by the scientific facts and recently discovered evidence—are set out in an encyclopedic format, under alphabetical headings.