RAMADAN 2005 The 27th Day

983

18 February, 2018

Special for Ramadan

Ayat of the Day

But you will not will unless Allah wills. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
(Surat al-Insan: 30)

Hadith of the Day:

"Everything is by decree—even incapacity and ability.” (Imam Malik)

Miracles of the Qur’an:

THE CITIES OF SOODOM AND GOMORRAH

Prophet Lut (as) lived at the same time as Prophet Ibrahim (as) and was sent as a messenger to a neighboring tribe to Prophet Ibrahim (as). That tribe, according to the Qur'an, practiced a perversion never before seen in the world: homosexuality. When Prophet Lut (as) told the people to abandon one of the greatest sins and delivered to them the message of Allah, they rejected him. They denied that he was a prophet and continued with their horrid lifestyle. As a result of this, the tribe was destroyed in a terrible disaster by Allah.

And Lut, when he said to his people, "Do you commit an obscenity not perpetrated before you by anyone in all the worlds? You come with lust to men instead of women. You are indeed a depraved people." (Surat al-A‘raf: 80-81)

We rained down a rain upon them. See the final fate of the evildoers! (Surat al-A‘raf: 84)

[Our messengers said to Lut,] "We will bring down on the inhabitants of this city a devastating punishment from heaven because of their deviance." We have left a clear sign of them behind for people who use their intellect. (Surat al-‘Ankabut: 34-35)

This city, in which Prophet Lut (as) lived and which was later destroyed, is called "Sodom" in the Old Testament. It appears that this people, who lived to the north of the Red Sea, was destroyed in a manner compatible with the description in the Qur'an. Archaeological excavations have revealed that the city lay close to the Dead Sea on the present-day Israeli-Jordanian border. According to scientists, the area is covered in large deposits of sulphur. For this reason, no life in the form of animals or plants is to be found there and the region stands as a symbol of destruction.

Sulphur is an element which appears as a result of volcanic eruptions. Indeed, there is clear evidence in the Qur'an that the method of destruction was earthquake and volcanic eruptions. The German archaeologist Werner Keller says this about the region:

Together with the base of this mighty fissure, which runs precisely through this area, the Vale of Siddim, including Sodom and Gomorrah, plunged one day into the abyss. Their destruction came about through a great earthquake which was probably accompanied by explosions, lightning, issue of natural gas and general conflagration… The subsidence released volcanic forces that had been lying dormant deep down along the whole length of the fracture. In the upper valley of the Jordan near Bashan there are still towering craters of extinct volcanoes; great stretches of lava and deep layers of basalt have been deposited on the limestone surface.

These layers of lava and basalt are the most important evidence showing that a volcanic eruption and earthquake once took place there. In any event Lake Lut, otherwise known as the Dead Sea, lies directly above a seismically active region-in other words, an earthquake belt:

The base of the Dead Sea is located in a tectonic depression-the Rift Valley, which extends 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the Sea of Galilee [Bahr Tabariyeh] in the north to the middle of the Wadi Arabah in the south.

The technical aspect of the disaster suffered by the people of Lut has been revealed in studies carried out by geologists. These have shown that the earthquake which wiped out the people of Lut came about as the result of a very long fault line. The Jordan River drops a total of 180 meters (590 feet) during its 190 km (118 miles) course. This, and the fact that the Dead Sea is 400 meters below sea level, combined to prove that that there once took place a major geological event in and around this area.

This interesting structure of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea comprise only part of the crack or fissure which passes through this region. It begins at the slopes of the Taurus Mountains and runs southward past the southern shores of the Dead Sea, through the Arabian Desert, reaching the Gulf of Aqaba, from where it crosses the Red Sea before coming to an end in Africa. There is major volcanic activity in those areas through which the line passes. In fact, this occurs to such an extent that black basalt and lava can be found in the Mountains of Galilee in Israel, in part of the high plateaus in Jordan, the Gulf of Aqaba and other areas.

All these remains and geographical features show that there was a major geological event at the Dead Sea.

The December 1957 edition of National Geographic contained these statements on the subject:

The mount of Sodom, a barren wasteland, rises sharply above the dead sea. No one has ever found the destroyed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, but scholars believe that they stood in the Vale of Siddim across from these cliffs. Possibly flood waters of the Dead Sea engulfed them following an earthquake.

One of the pieces of information regarding this destroyed city is-as revealed in Surat al-Hijr 76-that these cities are still on the main line. Geographers have identified this region as being on a line to the south-east of the Dead Sea, extending from the Arabian Peninsula to Syria and Egypt. (See Harun Yahya, Perished Nations, Ta-Ha Publishers, UK, 2001; Global Publishing, Istanbul, 2002)

We turned the place completely upside down and rained down on them stones of hard-baked clay. There are certainly signs in that for the discerning. They were beside a road which still exists. There is certainly a sign in that for the believers. (Surat al-Hijr: 74-77)

Wonders of Creation:

Concorde and the Dolphin

Dolphin snouts also served as a model for the designers of the Concorde. In a study conducted by engineers to reduce air friction on the outer surface of the Concorde, the spindle-shaped snout of the dolphin inspired them. The tail fin of the fish works as an engine in the water. Similarly, Concorde's motors were placed at the rear as is the driving motor-like fin of the dolphin and a very good result was obtained.

The Bow of the Ship and the Dolphin

The snout of the dolphin was taken as a model for the bows of modern ships.

Instead of the V-shaped bows, a structure similar to the snout of dolphins is used in big ships constructed today. This type of bow splits the water surface more efficiently, thus helps faster sailing with less energy consumption. The dolphin snout-type bows save up to 25% of fuel.

Sonar and the Dolphin

From a special organ located on the front part of their head, dolphins emit sound waves with 200,000 hertz (vibrations per second). With the help of these vibrations, they not only detect obstacles in their way but also, from the quality of the echo, estimate the direction, distance, speed, size and shape of the object in question. The working principle of sonar is the same as this faculty of dolphins.

Submarines and the Dolphin

The shuttle-shaped body structure of dolphins earns them the ability to move very swiftly in water. Scientists discovered yet another feature that plays a big role in the swift movement of the fish:

The skin of the dolphin is made up of three layers. The outer layer is very thin and flexible. The inner layer is thick and made up of flexible hair which makes this layer look like a plastic-haired comb. The third layer in the middle is made of a sponge-like substance.

A sudden pressure likely to effect the rapidly swimming dolphin is cushioned as it is transmitted into the inner layers.

After a four-year research, German submarine engineers managed to make a synthetic coating with the same feature. This coating was made up of two rubber layers and between the layers were bubbles similar to the skin cells of the dolphin. A 250% increase in the speed of submarines was observed in those in which these coatings were use.

Lives of the Prophets:

MAGICIANS EMBRACE FAITH

The result of the confrontation was completely unexpected for Pharaoh, the magicians and the spectators alike. The magicians, who had been so self-assured and arrogant of their superiority, were defeated. Furthermore, this total defeat took place right before the eyes of the people of Egypt. The impact of the defeat was even greater for the magicians. Their spectacle, which was merely an illusion, they knew very well not to have been real. They had devised tricks to deceive people into believing that their system—and consequently Pharaoh's system—was divinely powerful. However, Musa's (as) miracles presented something different. They grasped that his feat was neither illusion, nor a magician's tricks. The staff of Musa (as) had actually devoured their trickery. The magicians, therefore, grasped that this was a real miracle, and a sign of the existence of Allah, and an evidence of Allah's support to Musa (as). Thereupon, they embraced faith:

The magicians threw themselves down in prostration. They said, "We have faith in the Lord of all the worlds, the Lord of Musa and Harun." (Surat al-A‘raf: 120-122)

At that moment, the whole system was turned on its head. Pharaoh, who openly challenged Musa (as), being so overly confident that he would win, was in fact defeated, with his magicians finally believing in Musa (as). Pharaoh could not accept the decision of the magicians. According to his perverted rationale, he was the sole owner of the land—even of the people—, and thought himself entitled to authorize whether or not people be allowed to convert to another belief:

Pharaoh said, "Have you believed in him before I authorized you to do so? This is just some plot you have concocted in the city to drive its people from it." (Surat al-A‘raf: 123)

Deluded by his own distorted mind, Pharaoh tried to rationalize the situation.

An obvious miracle had just occurred, and followed by an ignominious defeat, the magicians came to have faith in the Lord of Musa (as). What should have been expected of Pharaoh then was to openly admit the occurrence of a miracle and to accept to be rightly guided. On the contrary, however, he offered himself false interpretations, fabricating scenarios which he himself knew were imaginary. Thus, he convinced himself that Musa (as) and the magicians were conspiring to seize power over Egypt. Furthermore, he assumed that it was Musa (as) who had taught them magic:

"…He is your chief, the one who taught you magic…" (Surah Ta Ha: 71)

That is how Pharaoh witnessed the irrefutable signs and miracles of Allah but resisted and denied the truth. In fact, his behavior was typical of all those who deny the truth. Those people, resolved to remain in disbelief, adhere to it no matter how incontrovertible are the signs put forth to them. They resort to any form of delusion in order to legitimize their denial. In every society and in every age, we will find countless unbelievers infected with the resolute obstinacy of Pharaoh, who have denied the existence, oneness and the righteousness of Allah's religion.

Nevertheless, Pharaoh knew that his obstinacy would not save him. The defeat of his magicians and their acceptance of faith in the Lord of Musa (as) greatly destabilized his authority. In one way or another, he would have to defuse the situation and re-establish his power. For this purpose, he resorted to violence, threatening the believing magicians with torture and death. However, already cognizant of the truth of the message of Allah, the magicians turned to Allah in submission. In several verses of the Qur'an, we find the magicians expressing their resolve in their belief:

"…I will cut off your hands and feet alternately and have you crucified on palm trunks. Then you will know for certain which of us has the harsher and longer lasting punishment."

They said, "We will never prefer you to the clear signs which have come to us nor to Him Who brought us into being. Decide on any judgment you like. Your jurisdiction only covers the life of the Earth. We have had faith in our Lord so that He may forgive us for our mistakes and for the magic, which you forced us to perform. Allah is better and longer lasting." (Surah Ta Ha: 71-73)

They said, "We are returning to our Lord. You are only avenging yourself on us because we had faith in our Lord's signs when they came to us. Our Lord, pour down steadfastness upon us and take us back to You as Muslims." (Surat al-A‘raf: 125-126)

They said, "We do not care! We are returning to our Lord. We remain hopeful that our Lord will forgive us our mistakes for being the first of the believers." (Surat ash-Shu‘ara’: 50-51)

As is explained in the above verses, these people of faith did not yield to the threats of Pharaoh, or submit to him, because they grasped that if they were to be killed, they would return to Allah, Who is the Creator of everything. All the while, they dearly hoped that Allah would forgive their indulging in denial prior to accepting belief, and their adversarial attitude they had adopted against the religion. Because Allah is the forgiver and the merciful.

From then on, Pharaoh's rule over the people became increasingly malicious. He sought to steer the people through his power. Due to the oppression he meted out, no one, except for a small group of young people from the people of Musa (as), followed Musa (as). Only these few young people showed the courage and sincerity to follow in the magicians' footsteps. The majority, on the other hand, did not appreciate the power of the Almighty Allah, and, having no fear of Him, rejected faith. This is conveyed in the Qur'an as follows:

No one believed in Musa, except for a few of his people, out of fear that Pharaoh, and the elders, would persecute them. Pharaoh was high and mighty in the land. He was one of the profligate. (Surah Yunus: 83)

One of those to have put her faith in Musa (as) was the wife of Pharaoh. This noble woman, who previously shared so many worldly favors with Pharaoh, not only dared to leave all such riches behind, but also to make herself the object of Pharaoh's violence. Her choice is clearly the sign of a very profound and sincere faith. Indeed, along with Maryam (Mary), the Qur'an refers to the wife of Pharaoh as a faithful woman whose conduct was exemplary:

Allah has made an example for those who believe: the wife of Pharaoh when she said, "My Lord, build a house in Paradise for me in Your presence and rescue me from Pharaoh and his deeds and rescue me from this wrongdoing people." (Surat at-Tahrim: 11)

The sincere devotion of Pharaoh's wife to Allah is a great example for all Muslims. This true believer abandoned the riches of this world, and acknowledged that the real life would be in the Hereafter. She preferred the blessings of the Hereafter over the benefits of this short, though deceptively dazzling life. She prayed to Allah only for a house in Paradise. Without a doubt, such a sincere prayer, filled with a spiritual devotion towards the Hereafter, is a fine example for all those who believe.

...Those who believe and do right actions will be in the lush meadows of the Gardens. (Surat ash-Shura: 22)

Evolution Deceit:

The Latest Developments Regarding Flores Man - I

Last year, an excavation team under the leadership of Australian and Indonesian scientists unearthed the remains of eight human beings of rather short stature and small brain volume in the Liang Bua cave on the Indonesian island of Flores. The fossils were ascribed the name Homo floresiensis (Flores Man) after the island on which they were discovered.

Evolutionists have perpetrated distortions in order to fit these findings to the evolution myth, and a discovery that actually deals a severe blow to Darwinism has been turned into a propaganda tool by the Darwinist media. However, the evolutionist claim that H. floresiensis represents a separate species to modern-day man continues to retreat in the face of increasing objections. The Times Online, the Internet edition of The Times and The Sunday Times newspapers, summarized the developments on the subject in these terms:

"A find heralded as the greatest discovery in anthropology for a century has degenerated into one of its greatest rows."

The development that fuelled the flames was the way that other experts have supported the views of Indonesian scientists who object to H. floresiensis being depicted as a separate species from Homo sapiens. Heading the list of these are the Australian scientists Dr. Maciej Henneberg and Dr. Alan Thorne, and researchers from Chicago's Field Museum in America.

The new objections, like those of the Indonesian scientists, stress that Flores Man may have suffered from the neurological disease known as microcephaly. One important piece of support for this view came from Professor Maciej Henneberg, an anatomist and expert paleopathologist of 32 years' standing. Henneberg, head of the Department of Anatomical Sciences, the University of Adelaide, Australia, first examined the Flores Man skull measurements published on the Nature magazine website. At that point another skull with a similar structure came to the scientist's mind. The skull in question was a 4,000-year-old Homo sapiens specimen unearthed on the island of Crete. This skull, belonging to a H. sapiens individual, possessed rather small dimensions, and scientists examining it had already described it in terms of microcephaly.

As a result of statistical comparisons he performed on 15 skull measurements, the Australian scientist revealed that there was "no significant difference" between the two. Henneberg, whose objections were reported in the well-known US journal Science (1), concluded that the Flores Man skull measurements stemmed from microcephaly. The researcher also noted that Flores Man's facial anatomy was within H. sapiens limits.

Another study by Henneberg that revealed striking results regarding Flores Man was his calculations regarding a forearm (radius) bone found in a cave. From the length of the bone, determined as 210 mm (8.3 inches), Henneberg calculated that its owner would have been between 151 and 162 cm (4.9 - 5.3ft) tall. These figures were rather greater than the 1 meter (3ft) attributed to Flores Man, and were within bounds considered normal for present-day human beings. Henneberg announced the conclusion he had reached as a result of these analyses:

"Until more skeletons of the purported 'new species' are discovered, I will maintain that a well-known pathological condition was responsible for the peculiar appearance of the skeleton." (2)

Another eminent human evolution researcher, the anthropologist Dr. Alan Thorne from the Australian National University, stated that the Flores Man finding merely showed that "no one would have predicted that something like that was out there," and noted that it was stretching the facts to claim that H. floresiensis represented a separate species. (3)

Robert Martin, a primatologist from Chicago's Field Museum, and the archaeologist James Phillips made the following statement in support of the microcephaly theory with regard to Flores Man's small brain volume:

"The lone skull came from a woman who had microcephaly, a rare disorder that causes a tiny head and brain. Microcephaly causes the face to grow at a normal rate, but not the head. People wind up with a sloping forehead and no chin – just like Hobbit." (4) (Hobbit: The nickname given to Flores Man taken from the film The Lord of the Rings.)

In the face of these objections, the groundlessness of the description of Flores Man as a separate species from H. sapiens was once again revealed. Henneberg's analyses were certainly largely responsible for this: given that the 4,000-year-old H. sapiens individual was announced to have suffered from microcephaly, why should Flores Man, with identical skull measurements, be described as a different species?

Quick Grasp of Faith:

Who will bear witness to humanity in the Hereafter?

On the Day of Judgment, each person will meet every action that they performed and every thought that crossed their minds when they were in the world. As "... Allah is witness of all things" (Surat al-Hajj: 17) informs us, Allah witnesses everything that each person does in the world. The Qur’an mentions those who will serve as witnesses on that Day and provides some details about them, as follows:

When they reach it, their hearing, sight, and skin will testify against them concerning what they did. (Surah Fussilat: 20)

When all the messengers are called together at a time appointed [to bear witness for or against those to whom they conveyed Allah’s message.] (Surat al-Mursalat: 11)

How will it be when We bring a witness from every nation and bring you as a witness against them? (Surat an-Nisa’: 41)

Today We seal up their mouths and their hands speak to us, and their feet bear witness to what they have earned. (Surah Ya Sin: 65)

Earth will shine with the Pure Light of its Lord, the Book will be put in place, and the prophets and witnesses will be brought. It will be decided between them with the truth, and they will not be wronged. (Surat az-Zumar: 69)

On the Day We raise up a witness from every nation, those who did not believe will not be excused, nor will they be able to appease Allah. (Surat an-Nahl: 84)

On that Day We will raise up among every community a witness against them from among themselves, and bring you as a witness against them... (Surat an-Nahl: 89)

We will certainly help Our messengers and those who believe both in the life of this world and on the Day the witnesses appear. (Surah Ghafir: 51)

Every self will come together with a driver and a witness. (Surah Qaf: 21)

Book Review:

EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THE TRUTH?

The most serious mistake a man makes is not pondering. It is not possible to find the truth unless one thinks about basic questions such as "How and why am I here?", "Who created me?", or "Where am I going?". Failing to do so, one becomes trapped in the vicious circle of daily life and turns into a selfish creature caring only for himself. "Ever Thought About the Truth?" summons people to think on such basic questions and to discover the real meaning of life....>>

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www.islamandkarma.com

Many people today are looking for a way to establish a way of life that will bring them contentment, inner certainty and peace. Some of these seekers believe they will find the happiness and peace of mind they are looking for in religions such as Hinduism or Buddhism. Many people have been influenced by these eastern religions because of their aura of mystery and mysticism, and because they make use of techniques such as meditation, and because of the unusual attitudes, dress, manner of speech and religious practices of those who follow them. However, these religions espouse many beliefs and practices that conflict with reason and logic. This site deals both with those aspects of the belief in karma that concern good ethical practices that accord with the teachings of the Qur’an, and with those erroneous aspects that accord neither with the Qu’ran, nor with human reason and nor with human conscience.

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RAMADAN 2005 The 27th Day

Concorde and the Dolphin

EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THE TRUTH?