RAMADAN 2008 - THE 21st DAY

THE TRUE SPHERE OF LIFE: THE HEREAFTER

We have so far concentrated on the way that the world is a temporary and deceptive place, full of seductive delusion and false baubles. It has also been explained that it is the eternal life in the Hereafter that will be the true abode. In this chapter, we shall be seeing how the Hereafter, the true sphere of life which every human being will come to after death and live for all eternity, will be a very different thing for believers and unbelievers.

THE ORIGINALS OF ALL THINGS ARE IN THE HEREAFTER

The definition in the Qur'an of the Afterlife as the "true life" is a matter which all people should consider, which all people should reflect upon. This expression in the Qur'an reveals that everything we imagine to be real in the life of this world is in fact very different. This life we live, the values which people spend a lifetime following, and all the beautiful things they seek to acquire are all "false" in comparison to the Hereafter. In other words, this world is full of false passions, false emotions, false successes, false loves and false friendships for those who do not seek the approval of Allah.

Believers, on the other hand, will experience in this world the happiness of hoping for Paradise, joy in the Afterlife and the "true" and "complete" versions of such emotions as joy and happiness. That being the case, a person needs to ask him or herself this: "If everything I experience in this world is false and I can only encounter the originals of them in the Hereafter, why should I make do with what is transitory and deceptive and lose, because of them, their eternal and original counterparts? Why should I not strive to attain beauties which will never fade and which will exist for ever?"

If a person asks him or herself that question with all due sincerity and answers it with the same sincerity, then he or she will strive for the truth and live a happy life in this world and also in the next. The answer to these questions that every rational person will give is, of course, "My most important aim in this world is to abide by the approval of Allah and to strive for my true life, which will last for all eternity in the Hereafter." Another question which every person capable of seeing this must ask him or herself with the same logic is that addressed by the person to his people, as revealed in the Qur'an:

"Why indeed should I not worship Him Who brought me into being, Him to Whom you will be returned?" (Surah Ya Sin, 22)

Human beings will eventually be directed to Allah and will encounter the original counterparts of all worldly things in the Hereafter. For that reason, they must sincerely consider the Hereafter, revealed as the "true life" in the Qur'an, and to live by the moral values of the Qur'an by giving thanks to our Lord, Who gave human beings such a great blessing with His infinite mercy and kindness.

THE HEREAFTER: PAIN FOR UNBELIEVERS, HAPPINESS FOR BELIEVERS

Everything which the human being desires lies waiting for him in the Afterlife, providing he spends his life in this world pursuing the pleasure of Allah. In the life of Paradise, there will be the blessings of infinite abundance and beauty. At the same time, believers will also experience enormous spiritual joy in Paradise and will feel such emotions as happiness, love, joy, peace and security in a far more powerful manner than in their earthly lives. Unbelievers, on the other hand, will experience pain and unimaginable torment in Hell, described in the Qu'ran as a fire "fueled by men and stones." Allah has revealed in the Qur'an that the Hereafter will be full of severe torment for unbelievers but full of blessings for the believers:

When Our signs are recited to such a person, he turns away arrogantly as if he had not heard, as if there was a great weight in his ears. So give him news of a painful punishment. (Surah Luqman, 7)

Their Lord gives them the good news of His mercy and good pleasure and Gardens where they will enjoy everlasting delight. (Surat at-Tawba, 21)

The sufferings the unbelievers will experience in the Hereafter will be incomparably greater than those in this world. Unbelievers will be punished with a torment they have never imagined and the like of which they have not previously experienced. The expression "blazing fire" is used in several verses of the Qur'an in order to describe the fierceness of the flames of Hell. In other verses, that fierceness is described as follows:

But no! It is a Raging Blaze. Stripping away the limbs and scalp. (Surat al-Ma'arij, 15-16)

Unlike this fierce torment in Hell, a very happy and peaceful environment has been prepared for the people of Paradise. Allah, in His mercy, has created Paradise for His faithful servants in the best and most perfect manner. Allah is pleased with them and will reward them with eternal joy. In the Qur'an, the following is stated:

Allah has promised the men and women of the believers Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever, and fine dwellings in the Gardens of Eden. And Allah's good pleasure is even greater. That is the great victory. (Surat at-Tawba, 72)

Allah has revealed the difference between Paradise and Hell in another verse:

An image of the Garden which is promised to those who guard against evil: in it there are rivers of water which will never spoil and rivers of milk whose taste will never change and rivers of wine, delightful to all who drink it, and rivers of honey of undiluted purity; in it they will have fruit of every kind and forgiveness from their Lord. Is that like those who will be in the Fire timelessly, for ever, with boiling water to drink which lacerates their bowels? (Surah Muhammad, 15)

Imam Ghazali has invited people to think rationally on this matter by considering in his commentaries the sharp differences, as regards to pains and blessings, between Paradise and Hell:

Know that there is another home (And that is Paradise) in contrast to sorrow and sadness (i.e. flame), the abode of Hell you know. Consider the blessings and joys it will impart. That is because he who is far removed from one of these will definitely find a decision in the other. Think long and hard about the terrors of Hell and fix them in your heart. Also think long and hard about the eternal blessings promised to the people of Paradise and fix a hope in your heart. Drive earthly desires with the whip of fear and bring them to the true path by means of hope. In this way you will attain a great existence and be saved from a painful torment. Consider the people of Paradise, on whose faces is the beauty of the blessings of Paradise.

Souls are permanent, thereby finding what they desire. In Paradise they neither fear nor are downcast. They are free of the fear of death.

Then consider the chambers of Paradise and the height and variety of the degrees of Paradise. That is because the Hereafter is the greatest in terms of degree and in terms of virtue. In the same way that in this world people are different in terms of external religious observances and esoteric pleasing moral values, so there will be differences in the rewards and punishments people will receive for their deeds in this world. If you wish to attain the highest degrees in Paradise then try to ensure none exceed you in worship of and obedience to Allah." (Imam Ghazali, Kalplerin Kesfi [The Discovery of Hearts], pp. 534, 535, 539)

As we have seen, a person has two alternatives for the Afterlife: He or she will choose either Hell, with nothing but eternal and indescribable suffering, or Paradise, with the greatest happiness and beauty. All rational people will of course choose Paradise, "a place full of happiness and infinite blessings." That is because nobody wishes to spend all eternity without the possibility of salvation except by the will of Allah, in a place devoid of all physical and spiritual beauty, in a state of constant suffering, sorrow and regret. Any normal individual will prefer to live in happiness for all eternity with those he or she loves, in a place consisting solely of blessings and happiness, and where no difficulty, trouble, evil or imperfection is created.

The Hereafter is an absolute reality revealed by our Lord. In order to be saved from terrible suffering in the Hereafter and to attain a happy and prosperous end, people need to apprehend this truth. They must spend the time allotted to them in the life of this world in doing good deeds to gain the approval of Allah and trying to attain the moral values beloved of Him.

Let us also note that nobody must rest content with what he or she has already performed. Nobody can be certain that his or her past deeds will be sufficient for salvation. From that point of view, a person must both be joyful out of a hope of entering Paradise and also increase the level of godly deeds performed out of a fear of Hell. As revealed by Allah in the verse: "Wealth and sons are the embellishment of the life of this world. But, in your Lord's sight, right actions which are lasting bring a better reward and are a better basis for hope." (Surat al-Kahf, 46)

In the knowledge that a constant effort is nearer to gaining the approval of Allah, a person must continue to engage in godly works. As in the words of the prayer of Prophet Ibrahim (as) revealed in the Qur'an, "And make me one of the inheritors of the Garden of Delight," (Surat ash-Shu'ara', 85), a person must pray to be rewarded with Paradise by Allah.

Sonar Inside a Dolphin’s Skull

A dolphin can distinguish between two different metal coins under water in complete darkness and up to 3 kilometers away. Does it see that far? No, it does this without seeing. It can make such accurate determinations by means of the perfect design of an echolocation system inside its skull. It gathers very detailed information on shape, size, speed and structure of near objects.

It takes some time for a dolphin to master the skills needed to use such a complicated system. While an experienced adult dolphin can detect most objects through a few signals, a juvenile has to experiment for years.

Dolphins do not use their echolocation just to detect their surroundings. Sometimes they group during feeding and emit high-pitched sounds so powerful that they dazzle their prey, which are then ready to be picked up. An adult dolphin produces sounds inaudible to humans (20,000 Hz. and above). The focusing of soundwaves is done in several areas of the dolphin's head. The melon, which is a fatty structure in the dolphin's forehead, serves as an accaustical lens and focuses the clicks of the dolphin into a narrow beam.

Therefore, the dolphin can direct the clicks at will by moving its head. It can direct these waves at will by moving its head.

The clicks immediately echo back when they hit any obstacle. The lower jaw acts as a receptor, which transmits the signals back to the ear. On each side of the lower jaw is a thin bony area, which is in contact with a lipid material. Sound is conducted through this lipid material to the auditory bullae, a large vesicle. Then the ear forwards the data to the brain, which analyses and interprets the meanings. A similar lipid material also exists in the sonar of whales.

Different lipids (fatty compounds) bend the ultrasonic (sound waves above our range of hearing) sound waves traveling through them in different ways. The different lipids have to be arranged in the right shape and sequence in order to focus the returning sound waves. Each separate lipid is unique and different from normal blubber lipids and is made by a complicated chemical process that requires a number of different enzymes. This sonar system in dolphins could not possibly have developed gradually, as claimed by the theory of evolution. That is because only by the time the lipids would have evolved to their final place and shape, could the creature have made use of this crucial system. In addition, support systems like the lower jaw, the inner ear system and the analysis centre in the brain would all have to be fully developed. Echolocation clearly is an "irreducibly complex" system, which for it to have evolved in phases is simply impossible. Hence, it is obvious that the system is another flawless creation of God.

 

THE theory of evolution maintains that life on Earth came about as the result of chance and emerged by itself from natural conditions. This theory is not a scientific law or a proven fact. Underneath its scientific façade it is a materialist worldview that Darwinists are trying to impose on society. The bases of this theory, which has been disproved by science in every field, are suggestions and propaganda methods consisting of deceptions, falsehood, contradiction, cheating, and sleight of hand.

The theory of evolution was put forward as an imaginary hypothesis in the context of the primitive scientific understanding of the nineteenth century, and to this day it has not been backed up by any scientific discovery or experiment. On the contrary, all the methods employed to confirm the theory have merely proven its invalidity.

However, even today many people think that the theory is a proven fact, like the force of gravity or the law of buoyancy. Because, as stated at the beginning, the true nature of the theory of evolution is very different from what is usually supposed. For this reason, some people do not know what rotten foundations this theory has, how it is disproved by science at every turn, and how evolutionists are trying to keep it alive in its death throes. Evolutionists have no other support than unconfirmed hypotheses, biased and unrealistic observations, and imaginary drawings, methods of psychological suggestion, countless falsehoods, and sleight-of-hand techniques.

Nothing was known in Darwin's time about the complex structure of the cell

Examples of the complex structures in cells: Right, a ribosome where the protein synthesis takes place in the cell. Left, a "nucleosome" which packages DNA units in the chromosome. The cell contains many very complex structures and systems such as these, and even more complex ones. The realisation that these complex structures, discovered by technology as it advanced, could not have come about by chance has placed evolutionists in a dilemma they can never solve.

Francis Crick

Another terrible dilemma from the point of view of evolution is the DNA molecule in the nucleus of the living cell, a coding system with 3.5 billion units containing all the details of life. DNA was first discovered using X-ray crystallography in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and is a giant molecule with a superb plan and design. For many years, Francis Crick, a Nobel-prize laureate, believed in the theory of molecular evolution, but eventually even he had to admit to himself that such a complex molecule could not have emerged spontaneously by chance, as the result of an evolutionary process:

From the time Darwin's theory came to dominate science to the present day, paleontology has considered the theory its very basis. Despite this, however, excavations in many parts of the world have produced results that conflict with the theory instead of backing it up. Fossils show that different living groups emerged suddenly with all their features intact-in other words that they were created.

An honest man, armed with all the knowledge available to us now, could only state that, in some sense, the origin of life appears at the moment to be almost a miracle.¹

The Turkish evolutionist Professor Ali Demirsoy was forced to make the following confession on the issue:
In fact, the probability of the formation of a protein and a nucleic acid (DNA-RNA) is a probability way beyond estimating. Furthermore, the chance of the emergence of a certain protein chain is so slight as to be called astronomic. ²

Homer Jacobson, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, makes the following admission regarding how impossible it is for life to have come about by chance:

Directions for the reproduction of plans, for energy and the extraction of parts from the current environment, for the growth sequence, and for the effector mechanism translating instructions into growth-all had to be simultaneously present at that moment [when life began]. This combination of events has seemed an incredibly unlikely happenstance… ³

Twenty-five-million-year-old termites preserved in amber. They are indistinguishable from termites living in our time.

The fossil record represents another crushing defeat for the theory of evolution. Among all the fossils discovered over the years, there is not one trace of the intermediate forms that would be necessary if living things were to have evolved stage by stage from simple species to more complex ones, as the theory of evolution claims. If such creatures had really existed, there would have been millions, even billions, of them. More importantly, the remains of these creatures should be present in the fossil record. If these intermediate forms had ever really existed, their numbers would be even greater than the number of animal species we know today, and everywhere the world should be full of their fossil remains. Evolutionists look for these intermediate forms in all the feverish fossil research that has been carried out since the nineteenth century. However, there has been no trace of these intermediate forms, despite all the eager searching for the last 150 years.

In short, the fossil record shows that living species emerged suddenly and perfectly formed, not by following a process from primitive forms to advanced ones as evolution claims.

Evolutionists have tried very hard to find evidence for their theory or so, but have actually proved by their own hand that no evolutionary process could have been possible. In conclusion, modern science reveals the following indisputable fact: Living things did not emerge as the result of blind chance, but God created them.


1. Francis Crick, Life Itself: Its Origin and Nature, New York, Simon & Schuster, 1981, p. 88
2. Ali Demirsoy, Kalitim ve Evrim (Inheritance and Evolution), Meteksan Publishing Co., Ankara, 1984, p. 391
3. Homer Jacobson, "Information, Reproduction and the Origin of Life," American Scientist, January 1955, p. 121.2

Allah confirms the Truth by His words, even though the evildoers hate it. (Surah Yunus, 82)

Rwandans Turning to Islam after the Genocide

The genocide in Rwanda was one of the worst of the last decade. Some 800,000 people were slaughtered in the most barbaric ways in the first 100 days. Muslims saved many Rwandans during the course of that genocide. Rodrique Ngowi, an Associated Press correspondent, wrote, “During the genocide, Muslims were among the few Rwandans to protect their neighbours and strangers.”
The behaviour on the part of Muslims has caused thousands of Rwandans to turn to Islam, which is now the fastest growing faith in the country.

O You who believe! Show integrity for the sake of Allah, bearing witness with justice. Do not let hatred for a people incite you into not being just. Be just. That is closer to piety. Have fear [and awareness] of Allah. Allah is aware of what you do. ( Surat al-Ma'ida, 8)

Those who pledge their allegiance to you [the Prophet] pledge allegiance to Allah. Allah's hand is over their hands. He who breaks his pledge only breaks it against himself. But as for him who fulfils the contract he has made with Allah, We will pay him an immense reward. ( Surat al-Fath, 10)

On the Day We summon every people with their records, those who are given their Book in their right hand will read their Book and will not be wronged by even the smallest speck. ( Surat al-Isra', 71)

Say: “Our Lord will bring us all together and then will judge between us with the truth. He is the Just Decider, the All-Knowing.” (Surah Saba , 26)

Allah does not forbid you from being good to those who have not fought you in the religion or driven you from your homes, or from being just toward them. Allah loves those who are just. ( Surat al-Mumtahana, 8)

Allah commands you to return to their owners the things you hold on trust and, when you judge between people, to judge with justice. How excellent is what Allah exhorts you to do! Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. ( Surat an-Nisa', 58)

They are people who listen to lies and consume ill-gotten gains. If they come to you, you can either judge between them or turn away from them. If you turn away from them, they cannot harm you in any way. But if you do judge, judge between them justly. Allah loves the just. ( Surat al-Ma'ida, 42)

 

THE MIRACLE IN THE SPIDER

This is not a biological treatise on the tiny creature called a spider. It is indeed about the spider but the reality it reveals and the message it gives is much more significant. Just as a tiny key opens a huge door, this book will open new horizons for its readers. And the reality behind that door is the most important reality that one can come across in one’s lifetime. Relating the amazing and admirable features of spiders known by few people and asking the questions of...

WHAT DARWINISTS NEVER REALIZE

1-Darwinists never realize how a great many living things in nature, which they claim emerged by chance, use camouflage to protect themselves, and how with these features given them by Allah they have been able to survive down to the present day.

2-Darwinists never realize that the way that the image forming through electrical signals in the brain, the inside of which is completely dark, is colored is a miracle that cannot be explained in terms of coincidences.

3-Darwinists never realize that Darwinian logic is unable to account for the affection and protection that mothers from all species bestow upon their offspring.

4-Darwinists never realize, given the structure of the brain, how and where a function such as memory emerges when expected and required.

5-Darwinists never realize that human development takes place according to a specific measure, and how it is possible that when a particular height has been reached and the hands and feet attain a particular size, they decide to stop growing any more.

6-Darwinists never realize that even though all plants are sown in soil with the same properties, receiving the same sunlight and irrigated with the same water, they have their own unique colors, scents and shapes and that this alone is a proof of Allah’s creative artistry.

7-Darwinists never realize how molecules invisible to the human eye work constantly to keep human beings alive.

8-Darwinists never realize how molecules take decisions as if they were conscious entities, how they engage in division of labor, and how they perform all their tasks in a highly economical manner.

9-Darwinists never realize that living things have structures too perfect and flawless to have emerged by chance.

10-Darwinists never realize that thanks to the two diagonal pairs of wings on its body the dragonfly can fly at 40 kilometers an hour, an astonishing speed for insects.