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 | | | | In the creation of the heavens and the Earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are signs for people with intelligence. (Surah Al ‘Imran: 190) | | |  |
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| | Hadith of the Day: | |
| | | | | | "… When you ask for anything ask it from Allah, and if you seek help in Allah. Know that if the people were to unite to do you some benefit they could benefit you only with what Allah had recorded for you, and that if they were to unite to do you some injury they could injure you only with what Allah had recorded for you. The pens are withdrawn and the pages are dry." (At-Tirmidhi) | | | | | |
| | Miracles of the Qur’an: | |
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THE PEOPLE OF SABA AND THE ARIM FLOOD
Many centuries ago, the community of Saba was one of the four biggest civilizations which lived in South Arabia. Historical sources relating to Saba usually say that this was a culture akin to that of the Phoenicians. It was particularly involved in commercial activities. The Sabaeans are recognized by historians as a civilized and cultured people. In the inscriptions of the rulers of Saba, words such as "restore," "dedicate" and "construct" are frequently used. The Ma'rib Dam, which is one of the most important monuments of this people, is an important indication of the technological level this people had reached.  The Sabaean state had one of the strongest armies in the region and was able to adopt an expansionist policy thanks to its potent army. With its advanced culture and army, the Sabaean state was without question one of the "super powers" of the region at the time. This extraordinarily strong army of the Sabaean state is also described in the Qur'an. An expression of the commanders of the Saba army related in the Qur'an, shows the extent of the confidence this army had in itself. The commanders call out to the female ruler (Queen) of the state:
… "We possess strength and we possess great force. But the matter is in your hands so consider what you command." (Surat an-Naml: 33) Because of the Ma'rib Dam which had been constructed, with the help of quite advanced technology for that particular era, the people of Saba possessed an enormous irrigation capacity. The fertile soil they acquired by virtue of this technique and their control over the trade route permitted them a splendid lifestyle, full of well-being. However, instead of giving thanks to Allah for all this, the Qur'an informs us that they actually "turned away from Him." Furthermore, they refused to heed the warnings and reminders issued to them. Because of these poor moral values, they merited punishment in the sight of Allah and their dams collapsed and the flood of Arim ruined all their lands. The capital city of the Sabaean state was Ma'rib, which was extremely wealthy thanks to its advantageous geographical position. The capital city was very close to the River Adhanah. The point where the river reached Jabal Balaq was very suitable for the construction of a dam. Making use of this condition, the Sabaean people constructed a dam at this location at the time when their civilization was first established, and they began irrigation. As a result, they reached a very high level of economic prosperity. The capital city, Ma'rib, was one of the most developed cities of the time. The Greek writer Pliny, who had visited the region and greatly praised it, also mentioned how green this region was. The height of the dam in Ma'rib was 16 meters (52.5 feet), its width was 60 meters (197 feet) and its length was 620 meters (2,034 feet). According to the calculations, the total area that could be irrigated by the dam was 9,600 hectares (37 square miles), of which 5,300 hectares (20.5 square miles) belonged to the southern plain. The remaining part belonged to the northern plain. These two plains were referred to as "Ma'rib and two plains" in the Sabaean inscriptions. The expression in the Qur'an, "two gardens to the right and to the left," points to the imposing gardens and vineyards in these two valleys. Thanks to this dam and its irrigation systems, the region became famous as the best irrigated and most fruitful area of Yemen. The Frenchman J. Holevy and the Austrian Glaser proved from written documents that the Ma'rib dam existed since ancient times. In documents written in the Himer dialect, it is related that this dam rendered the territory very productive and was the heartbeat of the economy. The dam that collapsed in 542 led to the flood of Arim and caused enormous damage. The vineyards, orchards and fields cultivated for hundreds of years by the people of Saba were completely destroyed. Following the collapse of the dam, the people of Saba appear to have entered a period of rapid contraction, at the end of which the Sabaean state came to an end. When we examine the Qur'an in the light of the historical data above, we observe that there is very substantial agreement here. Archaeological findings and the historical data both verify what is recorded in the Qur'an. As mentioned in the verse, these people, who did not listen to the exhortations of their Prophet and who rejected faith, were in the end punished with a dreadful flood. This flood is described in the Qur'an in the following verses: There was, for Saba, aforetime, a sign in their home-land-two gardens to the right and to the left. "Eat of the sustenance [provided] by your Lord, and be grateful to Him: a territory fair and happy, and a Lord Oft-Forgiving!" But they turned away [from Allah], and We sent against them the flood [released] from the dams, and We converted their two garden [rows] into "gardens" producing bitter fruit, and tamarisks, and some few [stunted] lote-trees. That was the Requital We gave them because they ungratefully rejected faith: And never do We give [such] requital except to such as are ungrateful rejecters. (Surah Saba’: 15-17) (See Harun Yahya, Perished Nations, Ta-Ha Publishers, UK, 2001; Global Publishing, Istanbul, 2002)
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| | Wonders of Creation: | |
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The Unknown Side of Jellyfish
Everyone knows of jellyfish and how interesting and strange they are to us. However, the jellyfish, a creature made up of fully 95 percent water, also has a number of surprising features that are not generally known. Some of its varieties, for example, confuse their enemies by emitting light, while some others produce deadly poisons within their bodies.  Jellyfish can live in almost any climate conditions, and most are dangerous to other creatures. The jellyfish has a transparent structure and tentacles dangling from the lower part of its body. In some species, there is a poisonous liquid present in the tentacles. The jellyfish catches its prey by squirting this poison and killing its enemies. Those jellyfish species lacking poison are not, of course, defenseless. Some of them use special light-producing cells to protect themselves. They act in a planned and methodical way to save themselves from sea turtles, sea birds, fish and whales, all of which are their enemies. When they swim away from their enemies, their entire body gives off light. However, when their enemies attempt to bite them, they turn off the light in their bell-shaped parts and detach from their bodies their tentacles, where the light is still turned on. In this way, their enemies are attracted to the tentacles. Taking advantage of this situation, the jellyfish immediately swim away.
The Portuguese man-of-war is a giant variety of jellyfish which is also known as the "blue jellyfish." It lives in all tropical and temperate climate zones, including the Mediterranean. A Portuguese man-of-war has a deep blue sail-like organ that rises up to 20 cm from the sea's surface. It is this organ that enables the animal to swim and move. In its spiral-shaped tentacles are capsules containing toxins which cause paralysis. All these features of jellyfish are interesting. How can a creature made almost entirely of water, that withers and dies as soon as it is exposed to the Sun, produce chemical substances? And how could it develop tactics to confuse its enemies? The jellyfish lacks eyes to see its prey and enemies, nor does it have a brain. It is only a jelly-like water mass, even though it performs conscious behavior such as hunting by employing various tactics, and escaping from its enemies. It is evident that the mind producing such solutions cannot belong to a jellyfish. When such pieces of information about the jellyfish are examined from this perspective, we inescapably arrive at very important conclusions that broaden our horizons. One who reflects upon jellyfish, and their features and actions, will understand that they can't do anything on their own, and that they are controlled by a power that has authority over everything. This power, which has no equal, belongs to Allah. Creating a dazzling array of animals of various kinds, Allah manifests His superior wisdom and matchless knowledge in these creatures. The jellyfish is only one example of this.
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| | Lives of the Prophets: | |
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THE PERIOD OF DISASTERS AND THE FOLLY OF PHARAOH
One after another, Allah sent various disasters upon Pharaoh and his subjects, a people obstinate in denial. First, there began a period of extreme drought in Egypt. Water was terribly crucial for the Egyptians, the drought directly threatening their very livelihood. As a result, agricultural products diminished in availability and famine ensued: We seized Pharaoh's people with years of drought and scarcity of fruits so that hopefully they would pay heed. (Surat al-A‘raf: 130) As the above verse informs us, the famine lasted for several years. After his confrontation with the magicians, Musa (as) stayed many years in Egypt to communicate the message of Allah. Within that time, Allah asked Musa (as) to build houses for his people so as to fulfill their prayers in safety. In this way too, the believers aided in staying together: We revealed to Musa and his brother: "Settle your people in houses in Egypt and make your houses places of worship and establish prayer and give good news to the believers." (Surah Yunus: 87) In these houses, Musa (as) and his adherents performed their prayers and remembered Allah. The people of Egypt, on the other hand, continued to encourage one another in ignorance, and blamed Musa (as) and his adherents for the calamities inflicted on them: Whenever a good thing came to them, they said, "This is our due." But if anything bad happened to them, they would blame their ill fortune on Musa and those with him. No indeed! Their ill fortune will be with Allah. But most of them did not know. (Surat al-A‘raf: 131) Disasters were occurring everywhere in the land. In spite of them however, Pharaoh and his inner circle did not abandon their perverse polytheistic practices; they were zealously devoted to the "religion of their ancestors." Not even Musa's (as) two miracles, that is, his hand appearing white and his staff turning into snake, helped them abandon their superstitious beliefs. In fact, they stated that they would not believe in him, even if he were to bring another miracle: They said, "No matter what kind of sign you bring us to bewitch us, we will not have faith in you." (Surat al-A‘raf: 132) Because of their conduct, Allah inflicted upon them a number of calamities as "signs, clear and distinct" (Surat al-A‘raf: 133), in order for them to taste torment in this world too. The first one of these was the drought mentioned earlier, which caused a detrimental decline in the production of agricultural goods. The Egyptians' agricultural system was based on the Nile river, and thus was not effected by changes in natural conditions. Even in the hottest seasons when no rain fell on the Egyptian soil, the Nile river carried an abundance of water from inland Africa. However, because Pharaoh and his inner circle remained arrogant and proud towards Allah, a disaster that had been hereto unexpected befell them; a drought. This drought clearly refuted the words of Pharaoh when he said "'My people, does the kingdom of Egypt not belong to me? Do not all these rivers flow under my control? Do you not then see?" (Surat az-Zukhruf: 51) Nonetheless, instead of "taking heed," the unbelieving people regarded these disasters as a misfortune brought upon them by Musa (as) and the children of Israel. They were convinced of such a delusion because of their conviction to superstitions and the religion of their ancestors. They suffered a great deal, but what was to befall them was not limited to these initial disasters. These were but the beginning. Allah inflicted upon them a series of calamities. They are described in the Qur'an as follows: So We sent down on them floods, locusts, lice, frogs and blood, signs, clear and distinct, but they proved arrogant and were an evildoing people. (Surat al-A‘raf: 133) Despite all such disasters, they continued in their denial. Even when they had grasped that these disasters were a result of their denial, they persisted in their denial. Pharaoh and his companions sought to deceive Musa (as), and in consequence, Allah. When these terrible disasters came upon them, one after another, they called Musa (as) and implored him to save them from them: Whenever the plague came down on them they said, "Musa, pray to your Lord for us by the contract He has with you. If you remove the plague from us, we will definitely believe in you and send the tribe of Israel away with you." But when We removed the plague from them—for a fixed term which they fulfilled—they broke their word. (Surat al-A‘raf: 134-135) We should note that the behavior of the disbelievers were very similar to that of Satan. Satan refused to obey Allah despite acknowledging His existence. In like manner, the people of Pharaoh rejected submitting to Allah and His messenger, despite their acknowledgement of the fact that these disasters came from Allah, who they dared to refer to the "Lord of Musa (as)." Ultimately, they acknowledged the existence of Allah, but nevertheless rejected submitting to Him due to their arrogance and blind adherence to the religion of their ancestors. For a long time, Musa (as) warned his tribe and communicated to them the religion of Allah. Furthermore, he effected a series of miracles as signs from Allah. Allah sent down many disasters to these people, so that they might turn to Him: however, none of the idolaters abandoned their polytheistic religion or turned to their real Lord, their Creator. In the Qur'an, Allah informs us that despite all of Musa's (as) efforts, Pharaoh resisted him: In Musa, too, there was a sign. We sent him to Pharaoh with clear authority. But he turned away with his forces... (Surat adh-Dhariyat: 38-39) Rebuffed by this firm refusal, Musa (as) prayed to his Lord to inflict torment upon this rebellious nation: Musa said, "Our Lord, You have given Pharaoh and his ruling circle finery and wealth in the life of the world, Our Lord, so that they may be misguided from Your way. Our Lord, obliterate their wealth and harden their hearts so that they do not have faith until they see the painful punishment." He [Allah] said, "Your request is answered, so go straight and do not follow the way of those who have no knowledge." (Surah Yunus: 88-89) Allah answered the prayer of Musa (as). Pharaoh and his people, who did not accept the path of righteousness despite all warnings, met a "painful punishment." Their end was representative of their attitude, having been buried with all their possessions. Do they not see that they are tried once or twice in every year? But still they do not turn back. They do not pay heed. (Surat at-Tawba: 126)
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| | Evolution Deceit: | |
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The Latest Developments Regarding Flores Man - II
Perhaps the most striking interpretation of the debate over Flores Man came from Robert Matthews, an experienced science writer for the British newspaper The Sunday Telegraph. Supporting the microcephaly view, Matthews criticized the desire to describe Flores Man as a separate species, and cited the Nebraska Man affair, one of the greatest scandals in the history of paleoanthropology, in revealing how baseless that desire was. Under the headline "Big Claims, meagre evidence; welcome to palaeontology," Matthews wrote: "Another week, and another spat between scientists over some old bones and claims to have found yet another new, further, different species of human. This time the controversy centres on the discovery of 18,000 year old bones belonging to a 3ft-tall type of human on Flores island in Indonesia. ... the scientists who dug them up had a paper in the journal Nature, declared them to be a new species of human, and given them a fancy-sounding Latin name: Homo floresiensis. Then, in time-honored tradition, other scientists lined up to dismiss the claim as premature. One leading expert on paleoanatomy told the rival journal Science that the 18,000 year-old grapefruit-sized skull was similar to a skull found on Crete belonging to a 4,000 year-old specimen of boring old Homo sapiens with secondary microcephaly, a condition characterized by an abnormally small skull. ... Secondary microcephaly has a host of causes, from viral infection during pregnancy to injury or malnutrition shortly after birth. The specimens were found in an cave on an island. Who is to say that the island hadn't been swept by an viral epidemic 18,000 years ago that had caused an outbreak of the condition? Or perhaps the occupants had fallen prey to it elsewhere in the Indonesian archipelago, and been banished to Flores because of their odd appearance. Nor is it inconceivable that those with secondary microcephaly could survive and even breed: the condition is not ineluctably linked to low intelligence. Indeed, neither is small brain size per se: the most important factor is the amount of grey matter. As this is not preserved in fossil remains, we have no idea whether those "hobbits" were bright, stupid or indifferent. What is clear is that paleontologists are worryingly keen to base big claims on decidedly meagre evidence. It is a penchant that has not served them well in the past. In 1922, the American fossil expert Henry Fairfield Osborn made headlines by announcing the discovery of what he declared to be the first anthropoid ape ever found in America, which he named Hesperopithecus ("Ape from the Land of the Evening Sun"). The distinguished anatomist Professor Grafton Elliot Smith of London University went further, insisting that Hesperopithecus was nothing less than "the earliest and most primitive member of the human family yet discovered". And what was the basis of these dramatic claims? A single fossilized tooth found in Nebraska. Prof Smith's response to those doubting the wisdom of relying on so little evidence was remarkably similar to that now being wheeled out by the discoverers of the Hobbit-Men of Flores: "One would regard so momentous a conclusion with suspicion", Prof Smith opined, "if it were not for the fact that the American savants' authority in such matters is unquestionable". Such bluster did not deter the American Museum of Natural History from searching for more evidence. It duly turned up in Nebraska, and revealed "Hesperopithecus" to be nothing more than an extinct pig. Prof Smith later distinguished himself by creating the popular image of Neanderthals as knuckle-grazing morons, while backing claims that skull fragments found in England in 1912 belonged to the earliest-known ancestor of H. sapiens. It later emerged that Smith's "typical" Neanderthal was actually a decidedly atypical male forced to stoop by severe arthritis. As for the skull fragments, they came from a quarry in Sussex known as Piltdown; need one say more. None of this appears to have dulled the enthusiasm of paleontologists for dangling ever more "species" off the family tree of mankind. All one needs is some unusual bone fragments plus a decent Latin dictionary and a place in paleontological history is assured. It all appears to hang on whether or not the bone fragments are deemed so "unusual" that they lie outside the limits of any known species. One shudders to think what conclusion paleontologists would reach if presented with the bones of a modern-day pygmy and a Texan oilman. (1) Conclusion: The fact revealed by both the latest scientific developments regarding Flores Man and by Matthews' warning lesson from history is this: Evolutionist scientists and media share a great desire to describe and report newly discovered fossils as new species. As a result, just about every fossil discovery is announced to the accompaniment of a huge media furore and sensationalism, although these claims are then silently refuted in the period that follows. These words by Robert Locke, executive editor for the magazine Discovering Archaeology, regarding research in the field of paleoanthropology are like a description of the uncertainty and fanatical propaganda that pervade studies in this sphere: "Perhaps no area of science is more contentious than the search for human origins. Elite paleontologists disagree over even the most basic outlines of the human family tree. New branches grow amid great fanfare, only to wither and die in the face of new fossil finds." (2) However, the imaginary scenario of human evolution, maintained by means of propaganda, demagogy, distortion and even falsehood, is condemned to be eliminated in the face of modern scientific findings. That is because concrete scientific discoveries reveal that life is too complex to have emerged by chance, and that the mechanisms of random mutation and natural selection cannot account for the existence of the genetic information in species' DNA. The claims of evolution in that regard are left with no foundation in the face of discoveries made on an almost daily basis. It is therefore inevitable that the endeavors of those who imagine that recounting imaginary tales regarding the past based on similarities between bones is science will end in failure. Man is a being created by Allah, together with all his flawless systems. This is revealed by Allah in the Qur'an: He Who has created all things in the best possible way. He commenced the creation of man from clay; then produced his seed from an extract of base fluid; then formed him and breathed His Spirit into him and gave you hearing, sight and hearts. What little thanks you show! (Surat as-Sajda: 7-9)
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| | Quick Grasp of Faith: | |
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What characteristics displease Allah?
Some of the verses related to this subject are as follows: "Allah obliterates usury [riba] but makes alms grow in value! Allah does not love any persistently ungrateful wrongdoer." (Surat al-Baqara: 276) "As for those who believe and do right actions, We will pay them their wages in full. Allah does not love wrongdoers." (Surah Al `Imran: 57) "The repayment of a bad action is one equivalent to it. But if someone pardons and puts things right, his reward is with Allah. Certainly He does not love wrongdoers." (Surat ash-Shura: 40) "Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him. Be good to your parents and relatives, to orphans and the very poor, to neighbors who are related to you and neighbors who are not related to you, to companions and travelers, and to your slaves. Allah does not love anyone vain or boastful." (Surat an-Nisa’: 36) "Do not avert your face from people out of haughtiness, and do not strut about arrogantly on the land. Allah does not love anyone who is vain or boastful." (Surah Luqman: 18) "Do not argue on behalf of those who betray themselves. Allah does not love any evildoing traitors." (Surat an-Nisa’: 107) "... Allah does not love those who go beyond the limits." (Surat al-Baqara: 190) "... They rush about the land, corrupting it. Allah does not love corrupters." (Surat al-Ma’ida: 64) "Whenever he holds the upperhand, he goes about the land corrupting it, destroying crops and animals. Allah does not love corruption." (Surat al-Baqara: 205) "... Eat of their fruits when they bear fruit, pay their due on the day of their harvest, and do not be profligate. He does not love the profligate." (Surat al-An‘am: 141) "O Children of Adam. Wear fine clothing in every mosque and eat and drink, but do not be profligate. He does not love the profligate." (Surat al-A`raf: 31) "Call on your Lord humbly and secretly. He does not love those who overstep the limits." (Surat al-A`raf: 55) "... Allah does not love treacherous people." (Surat al-Anfal: 58) "There is no doubt that Allah knows what they keep secret and what they make public. He does not love people puffed up with pride." (Surat an-Nahl: 23) "Allah will defend those who have faith. Allah does not love any thankless traitor." (Surat al-Hajj: 38) "... When his people said to him: ‘Do not gloat. Allah does not love people who gloat.’" (Surat al-Qasas: 76)
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| | Book Review: | |
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 THE COURAGE OF THE FAITHFUL
Consider the person who lives his entire life avoiding responsibility. One who thinks only of feeding himself, of only his own future, house, car and other property… That which unfolds around him, the tragedies and injustices that take place all over the world, the bloodshed, anguish and hunger suffered by others, does not concern him at all. He is indifferent to plight of those who have been unjustly attacked, or the child who can find not even a crumb to eat. He is of the corrupt mentality that suggests, "Let the snake which does not bite me live a thousand years." He thinks only of himself. Such persons are quite common, however. There are many who think that if they can avoid thinking of these concerns, they themselves can be at peace. Though he finds himself in a cruel world, this does not trouble him or affect his conscience. However, during such times, there are great responsibilities upon everyone. All can achieve the state of mind to dispose them to come to the rescue of those who are suffering, who have been unjustly exiled from their homes, or endured massacre. Working to save the world from these afflictions is a duty which falls on everybody with mind to think and a conscience. Now, you may be thinking, "Yes, but what can I do?" But, think how the world would be if everyone thought that way… There would not be a single person to battle for good against the evils of the world. In fact, in every period of history, there have been those who fulfilled this duty. They came out fearlessly, trying to promote good in the world and keep it alive. The basic characteristics to be found among them were a fear of Allah, listening to their conscience, courage, outspokenness, and a willingness to accept responsibility. True courage, as outlined in the Qur’an, is showing determination in respecting all of the limits that Allah set for humanity, without exception, and without hesitation, fearing none other than Allah, and not deviating from this course whatever the circumstances or the conditions may be...>>
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| | Site of the Day: | |
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www.islamandbuddhism.com Many people become excited at the idea of becoming "different" or more "original." In almost every society since the dawn of history, some individuals have tried to stand out and draw attention to themselves by their life style, clothing, hairstyles, or distinctive way of speaking. They've managed to stir up public reaction and attract interest at the same time. In recent years, Western societies have seen the emergence of an unusual current that draws attention to itself by its rather strange life style. It's made up of individuals who want to attract attention by adopting Eastern culture, beliefs, and philosophies-of which the most important is Buddhism. Read the perverted philosophy of buddhism in this site. |
