RAMADAN 2009 - The 23th Day

Be foremost in seeking Forgiveness from your Lord, and a Garden of Bliss, as vast as heaven and earth, prepared for those who believe in Allah and His messengers: that is the Grace of Allah, which He bestows on whom he pleases: and Allah is the Lord of Grace abounding. (Surat Al-Hadid, 21)

There will be for them therein all that they wish,- and more besides in Our Presence. (Surah Qaf, 35)

The eternal home of the believers is Paradise. Allah will reward them by leading them into the gardens, where they will dwell forever. Paradise is a place where believers will find whatever they want and even more than what they want, for the beauties of Paradise are beyond their imagination.

Yet the common perception of Paradise is significantly different from what is described in the Qur’an. According to the traditional point of view, Paradise is an improved version of the East, especially where Arab culture prevailed, again, according to this view, Paradise is a place lacking technology place where people mostly enjoy its natural beauties, trees, streams, etc. As to the chalets of Paradise, they are thought to be similar to those chalets of 17th century Middle Eastern Culture, Ottoman culture for example. People usually visualize clothing in Paradise to be a somewhat modernized version of baggy trousers, robes in religious style and turban. They imagine a “houri” whose beauty is highly praised in the Qur’an, to be very beautiful, yet their conception of this beauty is limited to the standards of traditional Ottoman harems, or to some other standards, depending on the country they are from, or the cultural background they have.

All these wrong assumptions stem from the flawed mentality of those who consider the eastern world as a creation of Allah and the western world as something apart from His creation. While they try to avoid certain low moral standards of the western world, they also try to ignore its  good parts, as if the technology, luxury and western style of aesthetics were not owned by Allah; Who is the owner of everything. What this twisted logic claims, in fact, is that Allah exists in Mecca but not in Los Angeles. Even most of the Muslims who live in the western world are convinced that Paradise will be in oriental style.

The reality is not like that, however? “...Allah has power over all things, encompassing all things in His Knowledge.” (Surat Al-Talaq, 12) and He is “...the Lord of all points in the East and the West.” (Surat Al-Maarij, 40) So, Paradise cannot be bereft of any of the beauties of this world, regardless of whether they belong to the East or to the West. Otherwise, Paradise would not be Paradise. The houses in Paradise will be much better than the most beautiful palaces of this world. The praised beauties of paradisiacal garments will be much more elegant and aesthetic than those of French or Italian fashion houses. The women in Paradise will not necessarily look like oriental dancers but they will be much more beautiful and attractive than any of the top models and cover girls, since their beauty as described in the Qur’an and Islamic literature is unparalleled.

“But for such as fear the time when they will stand before the Judgment Seat of their Lord, there will be two Gardens. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

Containing all kinds (of trees and delights). Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

In (each) there will be a spring flowing freely. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

In them will be fruits of every kind, in pairs. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

They will recline on carpets, whose inner linings will be of rich brocade: the fruit of the Gardens will be near and easy of reach. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

In them will be maidens, chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

Maidens as fair as rubies and coral. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

Is there any reward for good - other than good?  Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

And besides these two, there are two other Gardens. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

Dark-green in colour (from plentiful watering). Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

A gushing fountain shall flow in each. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

In them will be fruits, and dates and pomegranates. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

In them will be fair Companions, good, and beautiful. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

Companions restrained as to their glances, in (goodly) pavillions. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

Whom no man or Jinn before them has touched. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

They shall recline on green cushions and rich, beautiful carpets. Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?

Blessed be the name of you Lord, full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour.” (Surat Ar-Rahman, 46-78)

Other verses : Paradise is described in a number of;

“And when you gaze upon that scene, you will behold a kingdom which is blissful and magnificent.” (Surat Al-Insan, 20)

“Reclining in the Garden on raised thrones, they will feel neither the sun’s excessive heat nor the moon’s excessive cold.” (Surat Al-Insan, 13)

“There they shall hear no word of vanity” (Surat Al-Ghashiya, 11)

“And beside them will be chaste women, restraining their glances, with big eyes (of wonder and beauty), as if they were (delicate) eggs closely guarded.” (Surat As-Saffat, 48-49)

“And they will say: ‘Praise be to Allah, Who has removed from us (all) sorrow: for our Lord is indeed Oft-Forgiving and Ready to appreciate service: Who has, out of His Bounty, settled us in a Home that will last: no toil nor sense of weariness shall touch us therein.’” (Surat Al-Fatr, 34, 35)

“But it is for those who fear their Lord, that lofty mansions, one above another, have been built: beneath them flow rivers of delight: such is the Promise of Allah: never does Allah fail in His promise.” (Surat Az-Zumar, 20)

“(To the righteous soul it will be said:) ‘O serene soul’ Come back to your Lord, joyful yourself and pleasing to Him! Enter, then, among My devotees! Yes, enter My Heaven!’” (Surat Al-Fajr, 27-30)

Pollen, a fine powdery substance, is first produced in flowers' male reproductive organs, and then moves to the outer part of the flower. Having reached there it begins to mature and becomes ready to fertilize the next generation. This is the first stage in the life of pollen._In the process of dispersal, the first stage in the fertilization process, the pollen may stick to the body of a bee, butterfly, or other insect, and have itself carried that way, or may be borne along by air currents.

Pollens Which Open Their Sails to the Wind

Plants such as oak, willow, poplar, pines, grasses, wheat, etc. are wind pollinated. The wind takes the minute particles from the plants, carries them to other plants of the same species, and thus ensures fertilization.

There are still many questions which scientists awaiting answers regarding wind pollination. For example, how does each of the thousands of varieties of pollen borne by the wind recognize plants of its own species? How is it that the pollen given off by the plant manage to reach the plant's female organs without getting stuck anywhere? Although the probabilities of fertilization are quite low, how is it that thousands of plants are fertilized in this way, and furthermore have been for millions of years?

It is discovered that wind pollinated plants have aerodynamic flower structures to enable them to attract large quantities of pollen from the air. The best example of this is to be seen in pine cones.

Aerodynamic cones

In trees with cones, known for their long lives and height, the cones form male and female structures. Male and female cones can be on different trees as well as on the same tree. There are specially designed channels on the cones to draw to themselves the currents which carry the pollen. The pollen can easily reach the reproductive areas, thanks to these channels.

In addition, the scales of the female cone are covered with sticky hairs. Thanks to these hairs, the pollen can easily be taken inside for fertilization. After fertilization, the female cones turn into wooden structures containing a seed. Later on, the seeds bring forth new plants under suitable conditions. Female cones also possess another striking property. The area where the egg forms (ovule) is very close to the centre of the cone. It would apparently be difficult for the pollen to reach this area. Because, in order to reach the inner part of the cone, it has to enter a special path which leads to the centre. Although at first sight this looks as if it might be a disadvantage to the fertilization of cones, this is not the case.

It was discovered that cones altered the movement of the wind in three ways. First, the direction of the wind is turned towards the centre by means of the leaves. Then later, the wind in this region is twisted and pulled into the area where the eggs are formed. In the second movement, the wind, which spins like a whirlpool and touches all the little casings, is then directed towards the region which opens to the centre of the cone. Thirdly, thanks to its protuberances which give rise to small currents, the cone turns the wind downwards and directs it towards the casings.

Thanks to these movements most of the pollen in the air reaches the desired destination.

Pine trees have other features which speed up the trapping of pollens. For example, female cones are generally formed at the tips of branches. This reduces the loss of pollen to a minimum.

Moreover, the leaves around the cones help more pollen to fall on the cones by reducing the speed of the air currents. The symmetrical arrangement of the leaves around the cones assists in the trapping of pollens coming from all directions.

Like all pollens, pine pollens have different shapes, sizes, and densities according to their species. For example, the pollen of one species are of a density that prevents them from following the air currents set up by cones of another species. For this reason they leave the current set up by the cone and fall to the ground. All varieties of cone set up air currents most suited to their own species of pollen. This feature of cones does not just serve to trap pollens. Plants use this filtration of the air currents for very different functions. For example, by this method female cones are able to change the direction of fungus pollens which could damage their egg cells.

By means of these pre-arrangements, pollens can go some considerable distances. The distance varies with the species. For example, pollens with air sacs can travel much greater distances than other species. It has been established that pine pollens with two such air sacs can be carried up to 300 kilometers on high air currents. Equally important is the fact that thousands of varieties of pollen travel such distances in the air, carried on the same wind, but without any confusion between them.

Another important point in the fertilization of pine trees is the wind's being kept under control. The winds' performing their transport duties in such a flawless way is without doubt due to God, the Lord of all the worlds Who directs the whole affair from heavens to Earth. God refers to this in a verse:

And We send the fecundating winds... (Surat Al-Hijr, 22)

    * Newly discovered species may be one that already exist but have never been encountered before. Indeed, the regions where such species are discovered are arid lands, distant oceans or the sea bed, where no research has been conducted before.  These species that emerge as new research is performed, are very probably ones that have been around for years but that no one has come across before.

    * A second possibility is that these new species have just been created. Allah’s creation out of nothing takes place out of human sight, where it cannot be seen. (Allah knows the truth.)  Allah creates as a miracle. But unless He wills otherwise, nothing of this kind happens before people’s eyes, in a zoo, for instance.

    * This is that if it is to be claimed that the species in question have evolved, we should also be able to find species in the course of evolving, alongside these perfectly developed ones.  A thousand new species a year is a large number, and the signs of this supposed evolution should be visible. But there is not the slightest evidence of this. All the life forms discovered are complete, perfect and flawless.

    * Second, the living things described as new species are usually variations.  Darwinists frequently engage in propaganda and describe variations as “species.”  The fact is that the newly discovered life form carries information of the frog that has been living for 200 million years. This is no new life form. No new information has been added to the frogs we are already familiar with, and they have not turned into a new species somehow different from the frog. This difference is nothing more than that between a white man and a black man.

The purple-patterned atelopus frog newly discovered in Surinam may differ in terms of appearance and pattern, but it is simply a variation of normal frog species. It is not a new species, as has been claimed in Darwinist publications. In terms of its anatomical structure it is identical to the frog below, which dates back some 200 million years.

ADNAN OKTAR: There is currently a Darwinist, materialist intellectual dictatorship in the world. This also manifests itself as a social dictatorship. Darwinism has established a hugely oppressive regime.  Although the theory is a deception and a lie, it is officially protected all over the world. Ninety-five percent of countries protect Darwinism. It is under official protection, and this is the first time in the history of the world that such an ideology, a theory, is officially protected all over the world, by around 95% of countries. There are 100 million fossils that prove Creation and show that human beings were created. But Darwinism has not a single example of what they describe as transitional fossils. I have even said I will give 10 trillion [Turkish] lira to anyone bringing a single such piece of evidence.  A protein cannot come into being by chance, their skulls are hoaxes, the fossils they use as supposed transitional forms actually prove Creation, and I have proved all this in my book. This is a great deception and imposition. Students who reject it have to repeat the year again, while professors who reject it are sacked and authors find their books banned, as happened with me. A completely anti-democratic dictatorship has grown up inside democracy, the Darwinist dictatorship. This must absolutely be torn down, and that is my first duty. But Muslims’ real aim, of course, must be to earn Allah’s approval. This is one of my first activities on the way to attaining Allah’s approval. But I also have second and third objectives, of course. I also have ideals such as the foundation of the Turkish-Islamic Union, for all Turkic and Islamic countries to join together to live in peace, well-being, security and brotherhood, and these are things that have a 100% certainty of happening, insha’Allah... It is technically impossible for anyone reading my books, any rational person, to still believe in Darwinism. I cannot conceive of such a person. They will definitely abandon it. But some people still insist on and maintain these ideas, either out off pride, or ignorance or because I have not yet managed to reach them. But I believe that these will also come round in the end, that they will see the true path, and will see that Darwinism is a ruse, a pagan religion and a deception.

Muslim and Vatican officials are holding historic talks in Rome to establish a better inter-faith dialogue. The Vatican says they want to open a "new chapter" in relations with Islam. Muslim and Vatican officials are holding historic talks in Rome to establish a better inter-faith dialogue.

The three-day talks in Rome are being attended by nearly 60 religious leaders and scholars from each side.

The Muslim delegation is being led by Grand Mufti of Bosnia Mustafa Ceric, while Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran heads the Vatican officials.

The meeting opens "a new chapter in the long history" of the dialogue between the two faiths, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran told France's La Croix newspaper on the eve of the talks. The first two days will be taken up by discussions on God's love and loving one's neighbor, with the Pope due to meet the delegates on Thursday.

The pont is seeking to avoid future misunderstanding between the two religions. The Vatican is also keen to exchange opinions with Muslims about reciprocity in allowing places of worship to be built.

There are about two billion Christians (Catholics and Protestants) in the world, just over half of them Catholics. Muslims, who now number about 1.3 billion, recently overtook the number of Catholics worldwide for the first time.

This summit is very significant as a means of strengthening close friendship between Christians and Muslims. It carries an important message for both sides to unite to fight against irreligiousness and cruelty and to spread peace, cooperation and good morals. We should not forget that we all believe in same God. Allah states in the Qur’an that people should submit to Him, without making any difference among His prophets and believing in all of them as follows:

Say: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we submit to Allah (in Islám)." (Surat al Baqara, 136)

O you who believe! Have fear [and awareness] of Allah, and let each self look to what it has sent forward for tomorrow. Have fear [and awareness] of Allah. Allah is aware of what you do. ( Surat al-Hashr, 18)

Those who are tight-fisted with the bounty Allah has given them should not suppose that that is better for them. No indeed, it is worse for them! What they were tight-fisted with will be hung around their necks on the Day of Rising. Allah is the inheritor of the heavens and Earth, and is aware of what you do. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 180)

Eyesight cannot perceive Him, but He perceives eyesight. He is the All-Penetrating, the All-Aware. (Surat al-An‘am, 103)

Put your trust in the Living, Who does not die, and glorify Him with praise. He is well aware of the wrong actions of His servants. (Surat al-Furqan, 58)

Truly Allah has knowledge of the Hour, sends down abundant rain, and knows what is in the womb. And no self knows what it will earn tomorrow or in which land it will die. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (Surah Luqman, 34)