RAMADAN 2005 The 8th Day

The Wish to Burn Prophet Abraham (as)

 Angered that their idols had been smashed, the pagans decided to take their revenge upon Prophet Abraham (as) by burning him to death. As the Qur’an recounts:

They exclaimed: “Build a pyre for him and fling him into the blaze!” They tried to outwit him, but We made them the lowest. (Surat as-Saffat: 98)

In another verse, Allah reveals their hostility, as follows:

The only answer of his [Abraham's] tribe was to say: “Kill him or burn him!” But Allah rescued him from the fire. There are certainly signs in that for people who believe. (Surat al-‘Ankabut: 24)

Although they could clearly see the proofs of Allah’s existence, their great anger drove them to throw Prophet Abraham (as) into the fire. This is an important example of their hatred and intolerance of Allah’s prophets and believers. In fact, the Qur’an reveals that a number of other believers were subjected to a similar cruelty:

Cursed be the Companions of the Pit—the fire well stocked with fuel—when they were seated right beside it witnessing what they did to the believers. The only reason they punished them was because they believed in Allah the Almighty, the All-Praiseworthy. (Surat al-Buruj: 4-8)

As with all of the unbelievers’ other snares, this one was also foiled by Allah. Those believers who suffer torture gain great merit in His sight, and the unbelievers who inflict it upon them are rewarded with eternal suffering in Hell.

At first sight, it appeared that Prophet Abraham (as) would be burned to death. However, in the same way that death only comes when Allah wills, fire can only burn if He so wills it. Allah, the Creator of all things, commanded the fire to be cool at that moment, and thus turned the unbelievers’ trap against themselves:

We said: “Fire, be coolness and peace for Abraham.” They desired to trap him, but We made them the losers. We delivered both him and Lot to the land that We had blessed for all beings. (Surat al-Anbiya’: 69-71)

Just as Allah always helps His prophets, He rescued Prophet Abraham (as) in his moment of need and in the finest way. The unbelievers’ trap was miraculously foiled, just as He parted the sea and then drowned Pharaoh’s army to rescue Prophet Moses (as) and the Children of Israel. By keeping his fortitude, courage, and humility in such a situation, Prophet Abraham (as) sets an example for all believers. Due to his exceedingly powerful faith, he was aware that everything that happened to him was due to Allah’s will. He knew, therefore, that Allah’s help and support were always with believers, even in the most difficult-appearing events, for Allah never permits unbelievers to make progress at the believers’ expense: “Allah will not give the unbelievers any way against the believers.” (Surat an-Nisa’:141)

Taking Prophet Abraham (as), who is praised for his faith in and submission to Allah, as well as for his pleasing morality, as a role model, believers must submit wholly to Allah when they encounter difficult circumstances, and must never forget that Allah creates everything. In fact, all events, even those that appear to be harmful, are actually tests and are auspicious for believers. This being the case, the most appropriate attitude for Muslims to adopt in order to earn Allah’s good pleasure is to be enthusiastic and determined and to place their trust in our Lord.

For that reason, believers should not feel sad or troubled by the unbelievers’ traps, plots, and assaults, for they are all means to increase their enthusiasm and draw closer to Allah. Indeed, Allah tells our Prophet (saas) the following:

Be patient. But your patience is only by Allah. Do not be grieved by them and do not be constricted by the plots they hatch. Allah is with those who fear Him and with those who are good-doers. (Surat an-Nahl: 127-28)

Deceptive Reconstructions – I   

Even if evolutionists are unsuccessful in finding scientific evidence to support their theories, they are very successful at one thing: propaganda. The most important element of this propaganda is the practice of creating false designs known as "reconstructions."

Reconstruction can be explained as drawing a picture or constructing a model of a living thing based on a single bone—sometimes only a fragment—that has been unearthed. The "ape-men" we see in newspapers, magazines, and films are all reconstructions.

Since fossils are usually fragmented and incomplete, any conjecture based on them is likely to be completely speculative. As a matter of fact, the reconstructions (drawings or models) made by evolutionists based on fossil remains are prepared speculatively precisely to validate the evolutionary thesis. David R. Pilbeam, an eminent anthropologist from Harvard, stresses this fact when he says: "At least in paleoanthropology, data are still so sparse that theory heavily influences interpretations. Theories have, in the past, clearly reflected our current ideologies instead of the actual data."1 Since people are highly affected by visual information, these reconstructions best serve the purpose of evolutionists, which is to convince people that these reconstructed creatures really existed in the past.

At this point, we have to highlight one particular point: Reconstructions based on bone remains can only reveal the most general characteristics of the creature, since the really distinctive morphological features of any animal are soft tissues which quickly vanish after death. Therefore, due to the speculative nature of the interpretation of the soft tissues, the reconstructed drawings or models become totally dependent on the imagination of the person producing them. Earnst A. Hooten from Harvard University explains the situation like this:

To attempt to restore the soft parts is an even more hazardous undertaking. The lips, the eyes, the ears, and the nasal tip leave no clues on the underlying bony parts. You can with equal facility model on a Neanderthaloid skull the features of a chimpanzee or the lineaments of a philosopher. These alleged restorations of ancient types of man have very little if any scientific value and are likely only to mislead the public … So put not your trust in reconstructions.2

As a matter of fact, evolutionists invent such preposterous stories that they even ascribe different faces to the same skull. For example, the three different reconstructed drawings made for the fossil named Australopithecus robustus (Zinjanthropus) are a famous example of such forgery.

THREE DIFFERENT RECONSTRUCTIONS
BASED ON THE SAME SKULL

The biased interpretation of fossils and outright fabrication of many imaginary reconstructions are an indication of how frequently evolutionists have recourse to tricks. Yet these seem innocent when compared to the deliberate forgeries that have been perpetrated in the history of evolution.

There is no concrete fossil evidence to support the "ape-man" image, which is unceasingly promulgated by the media and evolutionist academic circles. With brushes in their hands, evolutionists produce imaginary creatures; nevertheless, the fact that these drawings correspond to no matching fossils constitutes a serious problem for them. One of the interesting methods they employ to overcome this problem is to "produce" the fossils they cannot find.

1. David R. Pilbeam, "Rearranging Our Family Tree," Human Nature, June 1978, p. 45. (emphasis added)
2. Earnest A. Hooton, Up From The Ape, McMillan, New York, 1931, p. 332. (emphasis added)

Colors, patterns, spots even lines of each living being existing in nature have a meaning. For some species, colors serve as a communication tool; for others, they are a warning against enemies. Whatever the case, these colors are essential for the well-being of living beings. An attentive eye would immediately recognize that not only the living beings, but also everything in nature are just as they should be. Furthermore, he would realize that everything is given to the service of man: the comforting blue color of the sky, the colorful view of flowers, the bright green trees and meadows, the moon and stars illuminating the world in pitch darkness together with innumerable beauties surrounding man...>>