RAMADAN 2006 The 17th Day
Harun Yahya
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| ADVICE FROM OUR PROPHET (SAAS) REGARDING FASTING, BROTHERHOOD AND PROPER MORAL VALUES DURING RAMADAN | ||||
The Era of the Four Caliphs and the Golden Age - II The Period of Umar (ra) (634-644) A prominent member of the Qureysh tribe by the name of Umar (ra) was affected by Muslims' unbending devotion to their faith despite all pressures exerted on them and accepted Islam. He is said to have been the first to declare openly that he accepted Islam. As Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (ra) said, "It was a victory when Umar (ra) became a Muslim." (Usdul-Gaba, IV, p. 151) After his conversion, he took his place in the company of our Prophet (saas) and because of his strong character and determination, became a leading proponent of Islamic morality. He used his wealth for the spread of the faith. After Abu Bakr (rar) died, Umar was chosen as caliph and proved to be a model of the administration of justice for those who came after him. Umar (ra) is known for his efforts to the establishment of justice and his devotion to the moral teachings of the Qur'an. When dispensing justice, he treated all people equally, with no regard for anyone's name, wealth, connections or rank. He used every resource at his disposal to ensure the uncompromised dispensation of justice in the areas under his administration. During his time in power, social justice reigned everywhere. He always felt a deep sense of responsibility for his people. He reportedly said, "If a camel was dying of exhaustion on the banks of the Euphrates, I would feel responsible for it." The Importance of Consultation for Umar (ra) If some dispute arose, Umar (ra) would consult with other Muslims according to the principles of the Qur'an, and seek their opinions making a decision. In this way the best course of action would emerge, which they could then acted upon. So, in any important matter, a tradition and a habit of widespread consultation was established—the reason why the people worked in consultation with one another. Many innovations occurred in the time of Umar (ra). After a while, the country was divided into administrative units. Governors and kadis (judges of the laws) responsible to the caliph were appointed.. With the appointment of kadis, justice and administration were separated for the first time. These years saw the adoption of the Muslim calendar, or Hijri; and a popular assembly and a public treasury were established. According to historical texts, a letter reportedly sent by Umar (ra) to the kadis became a guide for subsequent generations of administrators: During trials, do not permit excess movement, shouting or undignified behavior. In order for justice to be done, there must be peace and quiet. When the laws are seen to be respected, the Divine of Justice is honored. If a Muslim has good intentions, Allah orders his relationships with others, but He brings disaster on those who are two-faced. The duty then of a judge is to ensure that Allah's treasury of mercy and the people's daily needs are distributed to His servants with justice. His practice of the moral values of the Qur'an allowed Umar (ra) to administer in a way that won the hearts of the whole of Islamic society. In this way—according to Allah's will—he contributed greatly to the spread of Islam's moral teachings. The Period of Uthman (ra) (644-656)
Before becoming caliph, he was one of those closest to our Prophet (saas). In addition to possessing a very pleasant and effective way of speaking, he possessed an excellent memory and learned the Holy Qur'an by heart. Furthermore, he had a great knowledge of the hadiths, the words of the Prophet (saas), and as amanuensis of the revelation, performed great services for Islam. He was chosen to be caliph after Umar (ra). Nobody objected to his election to the rank of caliph because he was regarded as worthy of it throughout Islamic society, and everyone swore allegiance to him. During his caliphate, certainly one of Uthman (ra)'s greatest services in the propagation of Islamic moral values was how he had copies of the Holy Qur'an copied and sent to various Islamic centers. Due to differences of accent in his day, the verses of the Qur'an were being read out in different ways, so the Blessed Uthman (ra) set up an institution for the copying of the entire Qur'an. One duplicate was left in Medina, and others sent to Mecca, Damascus, Kufa, Basra, Egypt and other locations. In the course of his work as caliph, Uthman (ra) made sure that suitable candidates were selected for various appointments. He was determined to develop agriculture and public works so as to raise the level of prosperity in the Islamic community, and he worked to develop gardens and vineyards. One noticeable development that occurred in this period was the increase in the wealth of Muslims and their greater prosperity compared with their lives in the past. And partly as a result, many of those unbelievers living in Islamic territories became Muslims. The lifetime of Uthman (ra) saw a continuation of Islamic victories in Iran, the Caucasus and Africa. A maritime force was established and took the strategically important Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Many important victories were won against the Byzantines, and order and justice were established in the territories won. The Period of Ali (ra) (656-661) Ali was the son of Abu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet (saas). Historical accounts tell us that he grew up near our Prophet (saas) who later became his guardian. Ali had the salient characteristics of courage, wisdom and eloquence. Everyone agreed that Ali (ra) was one of the greatest scholars in the Islamic community. As our dear Prophet (saas) said of him, "He is the door of Wisdom City." At the Prophet's side since his childhood, he learned the Qur'an from him and served him as amanuensis and help meet until the Prophet (saas)'s death. For this reason, Ali (ra) came to know a great deal about religious matters and as a result, was called to be among the advisors to Abu Bakr (ra), Umar (ra) and Uthman (ra). After becoming caliph, he established schools for the education of Muslims, on which he placed great importance. When he was martyred, the Period of the Four Caliphs, one of the most glorious periods in Islam, came to an end. Glad Tidings of the Golden Age In many of the Prophet's hadiths that have come down to us, we are told that Islamic morality will once again have dominance in the world, during a period to be known as the Golden Age. We call this period "the Golden Age" thanks to the glorious descriptions of it in the words of our Prophet's (saas). And, by the will of Allah, it will be similar to the Blessed Period we have just described. During this Age, just as throughout the Blessed Period and the era of the Four Caliphs, the morals of the Qur'an will prevail, and all around the world, there will be love, peace, comfort, justice, abundance and wealth. The Prophet Muhammad (saas) foretold the Golden Age and the emergence of the Mahdi who will be the leader during the End Times:
The Golden Age will grant a beautiful life to Muslims in this world. As our Prophet (saas) said, this period will be a foretaste of Paradise, a blessing from Allah, and a great reward. With its abundance, as well as its peaceful and comfortable environment, this is a time that every servant of faith who devotes his life to Allah would like to live to see. For all Muslims, it is doubtless a great honor to be accorded the good news of this period. | ||||
| EXAMPLES TO LIVING FOSSILS: | ||||
SEQUOIA BRANCH
Age: 50 million years old Size: 7 centimeters (2.75 in) by 10 centimeters (4 in) Location: Kamloops, British Columbia Period: Eocene
Now known as the largest trees on Earth, sequoias live a very long time. Most of them grow in North America. Some are 1,000 years old and 150 meters (492 feet) high. Fossils show that sequoias have remained the same for millions of years; that is, they have not undergone a process of evolution. The fossil seen here of a 50-million-year-old sequoia branch is identical to that of trees living today.
SEQUOIA STEM WITH MARCH FLY
Size: 10 centimeters (4 in) by 12.7 centimeters (5 in) Location: Kamloops, British Columbia Period: Eocene
The evolutionist scientist, Paul Pierre Grassé, points this out when he writes: "We are totally in the dark about the origin of insects." (Evolution of Living Organisms, New York Academic Press, 1977, p. 30) The fossil record demonstrates that flies and all other insects originated as the result of God's creation. | ||||
| THE NAMES OF ALLAH: | ||||
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When I am ill, it is He who heals me. (Qur'an, 26: 80)
The experiments and research that scientists carry out in order to do away with just one virus reveal the superiority of Allah's creation to all. Since it is Allah who inflicts these illnesses, one can only recover from them by His will. If Allah so chooses he can remove a sickness with His attribute of The Healer. And in fact, if He does not so will it, not all the doctors in the world, the most advanced technological equipment and the very latest medicines can cure a person's illness. All medicines are a means whereby somebody can be cured. If Allah wishes, He can permit the treatment being applied to act as a means of effecting a cure. Needless to say, even a very simple appearing illness can lead to death unless Allah wills otherwise. This being the case, what people need to do is to compare their own helplessness to our Lord's infinite might and ask for His help whenever they are in difficulties. Do not forget that we have no other helper or protector than Allah. | ||||
| THE EVOLUTION DECEIT: | ||||
The Bacterial "Whip" that Baffles EvolutionistsCertain bacteria use a microscopic whip or flagellum to propel themselves through their liquid environment. This organic engine does not run on the energy kept in a ready state in the ATP molecules inside the cell. Instead, it has its own particular source of energy: The bacterium uses the energy it receives from a flow of acid from the membrane. Some 240 separate proteins make up the bacterial whip. Scientists say that these proteins emit signals to turn the microscopic engine on and off and form joints that permit movement at the atomic level. This complex structure in the bacterial flagellum alone is sufficient to demolish the theory of evolution. The whip itself has a structure, which can by no means be reduced to a simple form. If only a single molecular piece that constitutes the whip were absent or defective, the flagellum would not function and would therefore be of no use to the bacterium. This yet again clearly reveals the invalidity of the theory of evolution's claim of "gradual development." A Defense System with a Memory and a Laboratory Some antigens—foreign bodies and microbes—endanger human beings by entering the bloodstream. When this happens, the defense cells try to eliminate these antigens by producing substances known as antibodies or else prevent them from multiplying. The most surprising, and important, characteristic of antibodies is their ability to recognize hundreds of thousands of microbes that are completely different in nature and to prepare themselves to destroy them. What's really interesting is that there are antibodies that can recognize even artificial antigens produced in the laboratory and introduced inside the human body. How is this cell able to recognize hundreds of thousands of different cells? In addition, how does it acquire information about an artificially produced substance? Moreover, antibodies are able to immediately produce effective weapons to be used against the invader—a process that presents an insoluble dilemma for evolutionists. | ||||
| THE SIGNS LEADING TO FAITH : | ||||
The Woodpecker As we all know, woodpeckers build their nests by boring holes in tree trunks with their beaks. This may sound familiar to most people. But the point many people fail to examine is why woodpeckers suffer no brain haemorrhage when they beat a tattoo so vigorously with their heads. What the woodpecker does is in a way similar to a human being driving a nail into the wall with his head. If a man ventured to do something like that, he would probably undergo a brain shock followed by a brain haemorrhage. However, a woodpecker can peck a hard tree trunk 38-43 times in just two or three seconds and nothing happens to it.
Design and planning do not end here. Preferring primarily pine trees, woodpeckers check the age of the trees before boring a hole in them and pick those older than 100 years, because pine trees older than 100 years suffer an illness that causes the hard and thick bark to soften. This was only recently discovered by science and perhaps you may be reading of it here for the first time in your life; woodpeckers have known it for centuries. This is not the only reason why woodpeckers prefer pine trees. Woodpeckers dig cavities around their nests, the function of which was not originally understood. These cavities were later understood to protect them from a great danger. Over time, the sticky resin that leaks from the pine trees fills up the cavities and the outpost of the woodpecker's nest is thus filled with a pool whereby woodpeckers can be protected from snakes, their greatest enemies. Another interesting feature of woodpeckers is that their tongues are thin enough to penetrate even ants' nests in the trees. Their tongues are also sticky, which allows them to collect the ants that live there. The perfection in their creation is further revealed by the fact that their tongues have a structure which prevents them from being harmed by the acid in the bodies of the ants. (Ibid, p. 87-88) Woodpeckers, each of whose characteristics is discussed in a different paragraph above, prove with all their detailed features that they are 'created'. If woodpeckers had evolved coincidentally as the theory of evolution claims, they would have died before they acquired such extraordinarily consistent traits and they would be extinct. However, as they were created by Allah with a special 'design' adapted to their life, they started their lives by bearing all the vital characteristics. | ||||
| BOOK OF THE DAY: | ||||
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In this book, we will be referring to these two aspects of belief that render the deeds one does meaningful and worthy in Allah's sight, namely self-purification and sincerity. This book aims to warn those who fail to live their lives merely to gain Allah's consent that all their efforts could be in vain, and therefore to invite them to purify themselves before the Day of Judgment. In addition, we would also like to once again remind all believers that any thoughts, words or deeds that may diminish one's sincerity are of great consequence because of their possible consequences in the Hereafter. Therefore, we would like to show all the way to guard their sincerity, by the light shed by the verses of the Qur'an.
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| SITE OF THE DAY: | ||||
DAY OF JUDGMENT . COM The Day of Judgment is the final day of life on Earth and for the universe. But at the same time, it is the beginning of the eternal life in the Hereafter. This Site reveals the Day and its events, and warns of its difficulties. What matters most is that the Day of Judgment is a reality for all people and, as such, should not be ignored. This site will help you to think about its existence and reality in the light of the Qur'an's verses. |
Uthman (ra) with his superior moral values, was the one of the first to accept Islam.
Age:
March flies belong to the Tabanidae family and feed mostly on plant pollen. The fossil record shows that all species of flies came into being at the same time and have lived on for millions of years without any change in their physical structures. This proves that flies, like all other living creatures, did not evolve. Evolutionists admit that the origin of flies cannot be explained in terms of the theory of evolution. 
One of the times in which man's helplessness is most apparent is that of sickness. In order that man should experience this feeling, Allah has created hundreds of kinds of different illnesses. Each sickness has different effects on a person's body and mind. Yet they are all evidence of a purposeful design. The way that a virus so small as to be invisible to the naked eye can make someone quite unrecognizable, and the way that a virus in the body may not always be able to be diagnosed, are clear evidence of Allah's might.
Nothing happens because the head structure of woodpeckers is ideally created for such a task. The skull of the woodpecker has a remarkable suspension system that absorbs the force of the blows. Its forehead and some skull muscles adjoined to its beak and the jaw joint are so robust that they help lessen the effect of the forceful strokes during pecking. 
