நல்ல நண்பன், கெட்ட நண்பன்

நபி (ஸல்) அவர்கள் கூறினார்கள் :
நல்ல நண்பன் கஸ்தூரி வியாபாரியைப் போலாவான். கஸ்தூரி வியாபாரி உனக்கு அதனை (இனாமாகத்) தரலாம். அல்லது நீ அதனை அவனிடமிருந்து விலை கொடுத்து வாங்கலாம். அல்லது ஒருவேளை அவனிடமிருந்து நீ நறுமணத்தையாவது நுகரலாம்.
கெட்ட நண்பன் துருத்தியில் ஊதுகின்ற கொல்லனைப் போலாவான். அவன் உனது ஆடையை எரித்து விடலாம். அல்லது நீ அவனிடமிருந்து துர்நாற்றத்தை நுகருவாய்.


அறிவிப்பவர் : அபூ மூஸா அல் அஷ்அரீ (ரலி).
ஆதாரம் : புகாரி, முஸ்லிம்.

யாருடன் நட்பு?

"ஒருவர் தன் தோழனின் வழியில்தான் இருப்பார். எனவே உங்களில் ஒருவர் யாரிடம் தோழமை கொண்டுள்ளார் என பார்த்துக் கொள்ளட்டும்!" என நபி (ஸல்) அவர்கள் கூறினார்கள்.

அறிவிப்பவர்: அபூஹுரைரா (ரலி)
நூல்: அபூதாவூத் 4193, திர்மிதி 2300

இதுவும் நல்லறங்கள் தான்!

''உன் சகோதரனின் முகத்தைப் பார்த்து புன்னகை புரிவது உனக்கு நல்லறமாகும்.
நீ நன்மையை ஏவுவதும் தீமையைத் தடுப்பதும் நல்லறமாகும்.
பாதை தவறிய மனிதருக்குப் பாதையைக் காட்டுவதும் உனக்கு நல்லறமாகும்.
பார்வையிழந்தவருக்குப் பார்வையாக நீ ஆவதும் உனக்கு நல்லறமாகும்.
பாதையில் கிடக்கும் கல், முள், எலும்பு போன்றவற்றை நீ அகற்றுவதும் உனக்கு நல்லறமாகும்.
உனது வாளியில் உள்ள தண்ணீரை உனது சகோதரரின் வாளியில் ஊற்றுவதும் உனக்கு நல்லறமாகும்.'' 
என்று நபி (ஸல்) அவர்கள் கூறினார்கள்.


நூல்: திர்மிதீ, இப்னு ஹிப்பான்

புன்னகை

"உனது சகோதரனை மலர்ந்த முகத்துடன் நீ சந்திப்பதும் தர்மமாகும்!" என நபி(ஸல்) அவர்கள் கூறியுள்ளார்கள்.


அறிவிப்பாளர்கள்: அபூதர் (ரலி), ஜாபிர் பின் அப்துல்லாஹ் (ரலி)
நூல்: திர்மிதி 2022, 2037

எப்படி சிரிக்க வேண்டும்?

"நபி(ஸல்) அவர்கள் ஒரேயடியாக தமது உள்நாக்குத் தெரியும் அளவுக்குச் சிரிக்க நான் இதுவரை கண்டதில்லை. அவர்கள் (பெரும்பாலும்) புன்னகை புரிபவர்களாகவே இருந்தார்கள்".

அறிவிப்பவர்: அன்னை ஆயிஷா (ரலி) அவர்கள்
நூல்: புகாரி

வட்டி

"விசுவாசிகளே, (அசலுக்கு அதிகமாகவும், வட்டிக்கு வட்டி போட்டும்) இரட்டித்துக் கொண்டே அதிகரிக்கக்கூடிய வட்டியை (வாங்கி) விழுங்காதீர்கள். அல்லாஹ்விற்கு அஞ்சுங்கள். நீங்கள் வெற்றி அடைவீர்கள்!"

திருக்குர்ஆன் - 3:130

வட்டி வாங்கி புசிப்பவன்

“வட்டி வாங்கிப் புசிப்பவன், அதனைப் புசிக்க வைப்பவன், அதற்காக (கணக்கு) எழுதுபவன், அதற்கு சாட்சியம் கூறும் இருவர் ஆகியேரைப் பெருமானார் (ஸல்) அவர்கள் சபித்துவிட்டு, அத்தனை பேரும் (குற்றத்தில்) சமமானவர்” என்றார்கள்.

அறிவிப்பவர் : ஜாபிர் (ரலி)
ஆதாரம்: ஸஹீஹ் முஸ்லிம்

மன நிம்மதி பெறுவதற்காக..

"நீங்கள் மன நிம்மதி பெறுவதற்காக உங்களிலிருந்தே உங்கள் ஜோடிகளைப் படைத்திருப்பதும் உங்களிடையே அன்பையும், நேசத்தையும் உண்டாக்கியிருப்பதும், அவனது அத்தாட்சிகளில் உள்ளதாகும். சிந்தித்து உணரக்கூடிய சமூகத்திற்கு நிச்சயமாக இதில் (பற்பல) அத்தாட்சிகள் உள்ளன."

 -திருக்குர்ஆன் 30:21

தொடரும் மூன்று விஷயங்கள்

''இறந்தவரை மூன்று விஷயங்கள் பின் தொடர்கின்றன. அவை அவனது குடும்பம், அவனது சொத்து, அவனது செயல்கள் ஆகும். இரண்டு திரும்பி விடுகின்றன. ஒன்று மட்டும் தங்கி விடுகிறது. அவனது குடும்பமும், அவனது சொத்தும் திரும்பி விடுகின்றன. அவனது செயல் தங்கி விடுகிறது" என்று நபி (ஸல்) அவர்கள் கூறினார்கள்.

அறிவிப்பவர்: அனஸ் (ரளி) 
நூல்கள்: புகாரி , முஸ்லிம்

நாய்க்கு உதவினாலும் நன்மையே!

"ஒருவர் ஒரு பாதையில் நடந்து சென்று கொண்டிருந்தபோது அவருக்குக் கடுமையானத் தாகம் ஏற்பட்டது. அவர் (வழியில்) ஒரு கிணற்றைக் கண்டார். உடனே அதில் இறங்கித் தண்ணீர் குடித்தார். பிறகு (கிணற்றைவிட்டு) அவர் வெளியே வந்தார். அப்போது நாய் ஒன்று தாகத்தால் (தவித்து) நாக்கைத் தொங்கவிட்டபடி ஈரமண்ணை நக்கிக் கொண்டிருப்பதைக் கண்டார். அந்த மனிதர் (தம் மனத்திற்குள்) 'எனக்கு ஏற்பட்டதைப் போன்ற (அ)தே (கடுமையான தாகம்) இந்த நாய்க்கும் ஏற்பட்டிருக்கிறது போலும்' என்று சொல்லிக்கொண்டார். உடனே (மீண்டும்) அக்கிணற்றில் இறங்கித் (தண்ணீரைத் தோலால் ஆன) தன்னுடைய காலுறையில் நிரப்பிக்கொண்டு அதைத் தம் வாயால் கவ்வியபடி (மேலேறி வந்து) அந்த நாய்க்குப் புகட்டினார். அல்லாஹ் இதற்கு நன்றியாக அவரை (அவரின் பாவங்களை) மன்னித்தான்" என்று இறைத்தூதர்(ஸல்) அவர்கள் கூறினார்கள். (இதைச் செவியேற்ற) மக்கள், 'இறைத்தூதர் அவர்களே! மிருகங்களுக்கு உதவும் விஷயத்திலும் எங்களுக்கு (மறுமையில்) நற்பலன் கிடைக்குமா?' என்று கேட்டார்கள். அதற்கு நபி(ஸல்) அவர்கள், '(ஆம்:) உயிருடைய பிராணி ஒவ்வொன்றின் விஷயத்திலும் (அதற்கு உதவும்பட்சத்தில் மறுமையில்) அதற்கான நற்பலன் கிடைக்கும்' என்று கூறினார்கள். 

அறிவிப்பவர்: அபூஹுரைரா(ரலி)
நூல்: புஹாரி எண் 6009

இடது கையால் உண்ணாதீர்!

''உங்களில் ஒருவர் தனது வலது கையால் உண்ணட்டும், வலது கையால் பருகட்டும். ஏனெனில் ஷைத்தான் இடது கையால் உண்கிறான், பருகுகிறான்'' என்று நபி (ஸல்) அவர்கள் கூறினார்கள். 

அறிவிப்பவர்: இப்னு உமர் (ரளி)
நூல்: முஸ்லிம் 4108

சிறந்த தர்மம்

"இறந்த என் தாய்-க்காக நான் செய்ய எது சிறந்த தர்மம்?" என நபி (ஸல்) அவர்களிடம் வினவினேன்.

"தண்ணீர் வழங்குதல்" என்றார்கள்.
 
அறிவிப்பவர்: சாது பின் உபதா (ரலி)
நூல்: நஸயி 3604

ஒருவருக்கொருவர் ஆடையாவர்

(கணவர்களாகிய) நீ்ங்கள் (மனைவிகளாகிய) அவர்களுக்கு ஆடையாகவும், (மனைவிகளாகிய) அவர்கள் உங்களுக்கு ஆடையாகவும் இருக்கிறீர்கள். - 

திருக்குர்ஆன்: 2:187

சிறந்த பெண்

நபி(ஸல்) அவர்களிடம் வினவப்பட்டது: ‘எந்தப் பெண் (மனைவி) அனைவரையும் விடச் சிறந்தவள்?’ 
அண்ணலார்(ஸல்) அவர்கள் நவின்றார்கள்: ‘எந்தப் பெண் தன் கணவன் தன்னைப் பார்க்கும் போது அவனை மகிழ்விப்பாளோ, அவன் கட்டளையிட்டால் அவனுக்கு கீழ்ப்படிந்து நடப்பாளோ, தன் விஷயத்திலும், தன்னுடைய பொருளிலும் தன் கணவனுக்கு விருப்பமில்லாத எந்தப் போக்கையும் மேற்கொள்ளமாட்டாளோ அத்தகையவளே, அனைவரையும் விடச்சிறந்தவள்’.
 
ஆதாரம்: நஸயீ

நீங்கள் அமைதிபெற...

"நீங்கள் அமைதிபெற உங்களில் இருந்தே துணைவியரை உங்களுக்காகப் படைத்து உங்களுக்கிடையே அன்பையும், இரக்கத்தையும் ஏற்படுத்தியிருப்பது அவனது சான்றுகளில் ஒன்றாகும். சிந்திக்கின்ற சமுதாயத்திற்கு இதில் பல சான்றுகள் உள்ளன.

திருக்குர்ஆன் 21:30 

மனைவியை வெறுக்காதீர்கள்

"ஓர் இறைநம்பிக்கையுடைய கணவன் தன் இறைநம்பிக்கையுடைய மனைவியை வெறுக்க வேண்டாம். அவளுடைய ஒரு பழக்கம் அவனுக்குப் பிடிக்கவில்லை என்றால், அவளுடைய வேறு பழக்கங்கள் அவனுக்கு மனநிறைவு அளிக்கக்கூடும்"
- நபி (ஸல்) 

அறிவிப்பாளர் : அபூஹுரைரா (ரலி) 
நூல்: முஸ்லிம்

அநியாயக்காரர்கள் யார்?

அநியாயக்காரர்கள் யார்?

"முஃமின்களே!  ஒரு சமூகத்தார் பிறியதொரு சமூகத்தாரைப் பரிகாசம் செய்ய வேண்டாம். ஏனெனில் (பரிகசிக்கப்படுவோர்), அவர்களைவிட மேலானவர்களாக இருக்கலாம்;

(அவ்வாறே) எந்தப் பெண்களும், மற்றெந்தப் பெண்களையும் (பரிகாசம் செய்ய வேண்டாம்) – ஏனெனில் இவர்கள் அவர்களை விட மேலானவர்களாக இருக்கலாம்;

இன்னும், உங்களில் ஒருவருக்கொருவர் பழித்துக் கொள்ளாதீர்கள்,

இன்னும் (உங்களில்) ஒருவரையொருவர் (தீய) பட்டப்பெயர்களால் அழைக்காதீர்கள்! ஈமான் கொண்டபின் (அவ்வாறு தீய) பட்டப் பெயர் சூட்டுவது மிகக் கெட்டதாகும்!

எவர்கள் (இவற்றிலிருந்து) மீளவில்லையோ, அத்தகையவர்கள் அநியாயக்காரர்கள் ஆவார்கள்."

-திருக்குர்ஆன் 49:11

Hadhees

"அல்லாஹ்வின் வேதம் என்னும் குர்ஆன், என் வழிமுறை என்னும் சுன்னத், இவ்விரண்டையும் நான் விட்டுச் செல்கிறேன். இவ்விரண்டையும் நீங்கள் பற்றிப் பிடித்திருக்கும் காலமெல்லாம் வழி தவறவே மாட்டீர்கள்" என நபி(ஸல்) அவர்கள் கூறினார்கள்.
நூல்: முஅத்தா

Daily Quran And Hadith

உறக்கமும் ஒழுக்கமும்!!!

மல்லாக்கப் படுப்பது

 

 

‘நபிகள் நாயகம் ஸல்லல்லாஹு அலைஹி வஸல்லம் அவர்கள், பள்ளிவாசலில் தனது இரு பாதங்களில் (உள்ளங்கால்களில்) ஒன்றை மற்றொன்றின் மீது வைத்தவர்களாக மல்லாக்கப் படுத்திருந்ததை நான் பார்த்தேன்’ என்று தன் சிறிய தந்தை கூறியதாக அப்பாதுப்னு தமீம் ரளியல்லாஹு அன்ஹு அறிவிக்கின்றார்கள். (நூல்: புகாரி, முஸ்லிம்)

 

இது பொதுவாக மல்லாக்கப் படுப்பது நபிவழி என்பதை அறிவித்தாலும் கூட வேஷ்டி போன்ற திறந்த ஆடை அணிந்த நிலையில் தன் மறைவிடங்கள் தெரியும் முறையில் மல்லாக்கப் படுக்கக் கூடாது என்பதை பின்வரும் நபிமொழி தெளிவு படுத்துகிறது.

‘உங்களில் ஒருவர் (தன் முதுகின் மீது) மல்லாக்கப் படுத்திருக்கும் பொழுது தனது கால்களில் ஒன்றை மற்றொன்றின் மீது தூக்கி வைத்துக் கொள்ளக் கூடாது’ என்று நபிகள் நாயகம் ஸல்லல்லாஹு அலைஹி வஸல்லம் அவர்கள் கூறியதாக ஜாபிர் ரளியல்லாஹு அன்ஹு அறிவிக்கிறார்கள். (நூல்: முஸ்லிம்)

 

அதாவது, தூங்குகின்ற பொழுதும், எந்த நிலையிலும் வெட்கஸ்தலத்தைப் பிறர் பார்த்து விடாத அளவுக்கு பேணுதலாக இருப்பது முஸ்லீம்களின் கட்டாயக் கடமை. கைலி, பேண்ட் அணிந்து தூங்கினாலும் கூட இவ்விஷயத்தில் நாம் எச்சரிக்கையாக இருக்க வேண்டும். வேஷ்டி கட்டி தூங்குபவர்கள் எப்படி கவனமாக இருப்பது என்பதை நாம் இங்கு சொல்லத் தேவையில்லை. பெரும்பாலும் வேஷ்டி கட்டுவதால் தொடை தெரிய வாய்ப்புள்ளது. எனவே அதை தவிர்ப்பது அவசியம்.

 

ஒருக்கணித்துப் படுக்கலாமா?

 

‘நபி ஸல்லல்லாஹு அலைஹி வஸல்லம் அவர்கள் இரவில் தூங்குகின்ற பொழுது தன் வலப்புறத்தில் ஒருக்கணித்துப் படுப்பார்கள். ஆனால் (தஹஜ்ஜுதுக்குப் பிறகு) ஸுப்ஹுக்கு சற்றுமுன் சிறுதூக்கம் மேற்கொள்ளும்போது, தன் முழங்கையை நட்டி வைத்து, உள்ளங்கைமீது தலையை வைத்தவர்களாகத் தூங்குவார்கள்’ என்ற அபூ கதாதா ரளியல்லாஹு அன்ஹு அவர்கள் அறிவிக்கிறார்கள். (நூல்: ஷரஹுஸ் ஸுன்னா)

 

பெருமானார் ஸல்லல்லாஹு அலைஹி வஸல்லம் அவர்கள் தன் இடப்புறத்தின் மீது ஒருக்கணித்தவர்களாக ஒரு தலையணையின் மேல படுத்திருந்ததைத் தான் பார்த்ததாக ஜாபிர ரளியல்லாஹு அன்ஹு அவர்கள் கூறும் ஹதீஸ் திர்மிதீயில் பதிவாகியுள்ளது.

 

இந்த இரு ஹதீஸ்கள் மூலம் வலப்புறத்தின் மீதும், இடப்புறத்தின் மீதும் படுப்பது நபி வழியே என்று உணரலாம். ஆயினும், முதன்முதலில் வலப்புறத்தின் மீது படுப்பது விரும்பத்தக்கது. ஏனெனில், அனைத்துக் காரியங்களிலும் வலப்புறத்தைக் கொண்டு ஆரம்பிப்பதை நபி ஸல்லல்லாஹு அலைஹி வஸல்லம் அவர்கள் விரும்பியிருக்கிறார்கள். எனவே, முதன் முதலில் வலப்புறத்தைக் கொண்டு ஆரம்பித்து அதன்பிறகு தம் வசதிக்கேற்ப, மல்லாந்து படுப்பதும், இடப்புறம் திரும்பிப் படுப்பதும் கூடும்.

 

குப்புறப்படுப்பது கூடாது

 

ஆனால், குப்புறப்படுப்பது மட்டும் கூடாது. ஏனெனில் நபிகள் நாயகம் ஸல்லல்லாஹு அலைஹி வஸல்லம் அவர்கள் ஒருவர் குப்புறப் படுத்திருப்பதைப் பார்த்தவுடன் அவரைக் கண்டித்து, இந்த முறையில் படுப்பதை அல்லாஹ் விரும்புவதில்லை – கோபிக்கின்றான் என்று எச்சரித்தார்கள். (அறிவிப்பாளர்: அபூ ஹுரைரா ரளியல்லாஹு அன்ஹு, நூல்: திர்மிதீ)

 

வெட்ட வெளியில்.....

 

மேற்கூரையில்லாத ஓர் இடத்தில் (மாடியில் - திறந்த வெளியில்) எவரும் படுத்துத் தூங்கினால் அவரிடமிருந்து அல்லாஹ்வின் பொறுப்பு (பாதுகாப்பு) நீங்கிவிட்டது என்று அண்ணல் நபி ஸல்லல்லாஹு அலைஹி வஸல்லம் அவர்கள் அறிவித்தார்கள். (நூல்: அபூதாவூது, நஸாயீ)

 

விரிப்பின் அகலம்

 

நபி ஸல்லல்லாஹு அலைஹி வஸல்லம் அவர்களின் விரிப்பு கப்ரில் வைக்கப்படும் அளவுக்குத்தான் இருந்தது. அவர்களிகளின் தலைமாட்டில் தொழும் (திசை - கிப்லா அல்லது தொழும்) விரிப்பு இருக்கும் என்று மற்றொரு ஹதீஸ் கூறுகின்றது. (நூல்: அபூதாவூது)

 

அதாவது, நபி ஸல்லல்லாஹு அலைஹி வஸல்லம் அவர்களின் விரிப்பு மிகவும் சிறியதாகவே ஓர் ஆள் படுக்கும் அகலத்திலும் நீளத்திலும் தான் இருந்திருக்கிறது. அதே சமயம் எப்போதும் இரவுத் தொழுகைக்கு தயாராகவே இருப்பார்கள். தலைமாடு கிப்லாவின் திசையிலும் தொழுகை விரிப்பு தலைமாட்டிலும் எப்போதும் ரெடியாக இருக்கும் என்று இந்த ஹதீஸ் விளக்ககிறது.

 

இன்று நமது இல்லங்களில் எவ்வளவு வசதியான, அகலமான கட்டில் மெத்தைகள்! ஆனால் தொழுகை தான் இல்லை!

தேவையின்றி மூக்கை நுழைக்காதே!

*அல்லாஹ்வின் திருப்பெயரால்...*
*தேவையின்றி மூக்கை நுழைக்காதே!*

*''ஒரு மனிதர் தனக்குத் தேவையில்லாதவற்றை விட்டுவிடுவது அவரது அழகிய
இஸ்லாத்திற்கு (கட்டுப்பாட்டிற்கு) எடுத்துக்காட்டாகும்''என்று இறைத்தூதர்(ஸல்)
அவர்கள் கூறினார்கள்.*

*அறிவிப்பாளர்: அலிய்யுப்னுல் ஹீஸைன் நூல்: மாலிக் அஹ்மத்*

*விளக்கவுரை*

*தேவையற்ற பேச்சு, நடவடிக்கைகளில் ஈடுபடலாகாது என்பதே இதன் கருத்து. அவற்றினால்
பிறரது நலன்கள் பாதிக்கப்படும் என்பது திண்ணம்! பொய், புரட்டு, புறம், கோள்,
ஏசுதல், சாபம் போன்றவை அனைத்துமே தேவையற்ற பேச்சாகும். பயனற்ற, மார்க்கத்தில்
தடுக்கப்பட்ட செயல்முறைகள் அனைத்தும் தேவையற்றவையாகும். கெடுக்கும் எண்ணத்தில்
பிறர் விஷயத்தில் தலையிடுவோரிடம், தேவையின்றி என் விஷயத்தில் மூக்கை
நுழைக்காதே! என்று பாதிக்கப்படுவோர் கூறக் கேட்கின்றோம்*.
*இறந்து விட்ட ஒரு மனிதருக்கு சுவனம் கிடைப்பதற்காக நன்மாராயம் கூறுமாறு வேண்டி
நின்ற மனிதரிடம், ''அவர் தனக்குத் தேவையில்லாத பேச்சுக்களை பேசியிருக்கலாம்;
அல்லது குறைவு செய்யக்கூடாத விஷயத்தில் கஞ்சத்தனம் செய்திருக்கலாம் என்பது
உமக்குத் தெரியாதா?'' என நபியவர்கள் திருப்பிக் கேட்டது நினைவு கூறத்தக்கது.
(அறிவிப்பாளர்: அனஸ் - நூல்: திர்மிதீ)

FORMATION OF MILK

66- And surely in the livestock there is a lesson for you, We give you to drink of that which is in their bellies from the midst of digested food and blood, pure milk palatable for the drinkers.
16-The Honeybee, 66

We often see goats, sheep and cows eat grass, and yet it rarely occurs to any of us to establish a link between this process and the milk and the dairy products we consume. God lets them feed on this grass, its ultimate transformation to be milk, one of the basic nutriments. William Harvey discovered the circulation of blood almost a millennium after the Prophet’s decease. At the time of the Prophet, the fact that the blood carried the nutriments absorbed from digested food into its constituents to mammary glands for production of milk was not known. The new material transformed from pasture into assimilated food and blood becomes a nutritious food.

The Quran not only draws attention to truths unknown at the time, but also displays facts to derive lessons from. The blood collects and transports the substances formed by digested food to organs; among others, to mammary glands. This process is initiated by blood coming into contact with the contents of intestines, on their walls. Before continuing its journey, carried by blood, part of the digested food is absorbed by the intestines. This information is the result of modern research in biology, chemistry and in the physiology of digestion.

THE RICHEST OF PRODUCTS EASY TO OBTAIN

Milk is the first food of the newborn mammal. It is a fluid secreted by the mammary glands of mammalians as food for their young in the period immediately after birth. From the young of whales to human infants, all mammals feed on their mother’s milk. The young animals and the babies obtain their supply of excellent nourishment without any toil. Milk is the best product for infants. No other nourishment can replace what is provided by it. We can identify thousands of nutritious food items in the world. Had the universe been the outcome of happy coincidences and had there been no ingeniously designed creation, there would have been no particular reason for the mother’s milk to be the best and most carefully selected nutriment. This perfect order designed for every mammal, including man, is a proof of the Creator’s inimitable forethought. Materials digested to become blood turn into milk in the mother’s breast and are offered to the newborn by its Creator. Whether ratiocinated or mathematically calculated, it is impossible to assert that this is the outcome of fortuitous events which have nothing to do with a designed purpose. The infant practices sucking its finger in the womb to be prepared for drinking milk as soon as it is delivered. The fact that mother’s milk comes exactly in the amount of the baby’s need without spurting is also carefully planned.

The milk we first taste from our mother’s breast will continue throughout our lives to be consumed by us to meet the requirements of a healthy constitution. Milk is a whitish liquid consisting of small globules of fat suspended in a watery solution containing proteins, lactose sugar and minerals like calcium, casein and phosphorous, plus vitamins. Cheese, butter and yogurt are all made with milk, the basic nutriment of man. The benefits that our body derives from its contents, like minerals and vitamins are more than the present book can contain. When we consume it, we should remember always its Creator.


18- Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?
55-Gracious, 18

THE FEMALE HONEYBEE’S ABDOMEN AND THE HEALING POWER OF HONEY

69- Then eat from all the fruits and flit about the spacious paths of your Lord. There issues from within her abdomens a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for the people. Verily in this is a sign for those who understand.
16-The Honeybee, 69

The honeybee has a body that varies in length between 1cm and 3cm, and that is divided into three parts: head, thorax and abdomen. The verse quoted above stresses that in the individual female bee there are “abdomens,” which in Arabic is “butuniha,” the “ha” referring to a singular female bee. If the plural of the word “abdomen” was meant to refer to the female bees, then the plural female pronoun “hunna” would be attached to the verb “butuniha.” This makes clear the segmented abdomen of the bee. Inside the abdomen there are two stomachs or crops. When collecting the nectar from flowers, nectar is stored in this honey stomach for transport back to the hive. At the rear of the honey stomach is a valve that prevents stored nectar from passing on into the rear portion of the digestive system, except for the small amount needed by the bee to sustain life. The hind portion of the bee’s body is the abdomen that is made up of segments in the form of rings. The abdomen of the bee functions as a chemistry laboratory to produce honey.

The colors of honey vary as stated in the Quran. They change according to the climate, season and weather conditions and the sources where nectar is obtained. The color of honey ranges from dark brown to green, among which the light yellow is preferred. In the honey industry, modern countries with developed techniques use a colorimeter to establish the exact description of honey’s color.

THE HONEY DANCES OF BEES

At the beginning of the verse, reference is made to the collection of nectar. The female bees not only produce honey, but also assume the duty of collecting the raw material from flowers to be eventually transformed into honey. During this process of seeking the nectar, incredible phenomena occur.

The bee that has located the spot where there is nectar to be collected returns to the hive to inform her sisters about the location of flowers. The scout bees returning to the hive perform circular dances or tail-wagging movements on the comb. These dances indicate not only that the scouts have found nectar or pollen and that the other workers should go out and seek it, but they are actually performing an amazing charade that conveys precise information to their sisters about the direction and the distance of the location of a newfound source.

Sometimes a normal adult must attend a dance course for six weeks while a bee, whose lifetime is but six weeks, is able to perform a dance for communication purposes. The bee’s calculation on her way back to the hive is also of great interest. The bee makes her calculation according to the position of the sun. The sun changes its locality one degree per four minutes. The bee that has spotted the location of her food also calculates her return journey as directly and correctly as possible in relation to the sun. She performs this without any error. All these calculations and harmonious coexistence within the hive cannot possibly be explained by pure coincidence or after a six-week-long training. So, all these are innate in her as an endowment of the Creator.

THE HEALING POWER OF HONEY

The verse speaks of the nutritive property of honey, a product of female bees. The regenerative property of honey is confirmed by medical authorities. In addition to its rich vitamin content, among its components are also such minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus as well as such metals as copper, iodine, iron, zinc, and hormones.

Thanks to the easy convertibility of its sugar content, it is easily assimilated. Honey facilitates the functioning of the brain, thanks to its other sugars. It contributes to the production of blood, to its cleansing and proper circulation. Honey provides for the requirement necessary for proper functioning of our physiology and also it is used externally in cosmetics and dermatology.

The fact that honey had healing properties was nothing new for communities all over the world. Therefore, I am not claiming that this was not a generally acknowledged fact at the time of the descent of the Quran. However there were also such superstitious beliefs as the healing effect of a camel’s urine, which was later falsely attributed to the Prophet in hadith books. The Quran never justifies any of such false ideas offered as elixirs. Had the Quran been a product of human imagination, it might also have contained at least a residue of such false beliefs.

The distribution of work of bees in a hive and the multiple tasks performed by bees is too complicated to explain within the scope of this book. The ventilation of the hive, regulating humidity and temperature, keeping a perfect hygienic medium in the hive; guarding the hive, discarding the unwanted foreign matter, dead bees, etc., secreting wax, propolis, all are amazing tasks. How can a bee, whose lifetime is but six weeks, know and perform such grandiose artistry? Without an intelligent Creator the fortuity of all these data is certainly unimaginable. Every inquirer into the doings of a bee - to whose properties there are references in the Quran - will observe the sublime artistry of God in the entity of an insect.

4- Also in your creation and spreading of the animals are signs for people of assured faith.
45-Kneeling, 4

FEMALE HONEYBEE, BUILDER OF HER OWN CELL

68- And your Lord revealed the female honeybee; build homes in mountains, and trees, and in the hives people built for you.
16-The Honeybee, 68

In narrating the doings of the honeybee, the Quran uses the feminine gender. In Arabic, verbs are conjugated according to gender. The use in the Quran of the feminine gender in conjugation shows that the acts were performed by the female bee. To translate the honeybee in question with the addition of the adjective “female” before the honeybee would be natural. (It should be noted however that the orthography of both the feminine and the masculine is the same for honeybee.) The working of the female honeybee is described in the Quran as follows:

1- Building of hive (verse 68)
2- Collecting of nectar, new material for honey production (verse 69)
3- Making honey (verse 69)

All the above three functions are performed by female bees. The unique function of the male, more robust with big eyes, is to fertilize the young queen female bee. The male bees that fulfill this function are expelled from the hive by their females at the end of the summer and, as they are used to being looked after by their females, they then die of starvation.

At the time of the descent of the Quran, men did not know the details of the distribution of work among the bees living in a hive; they did not know that those actively working in the hive were females. They did not know that the function of producing honey and collecting nectar from fruits belonged to female bees. Therefore, it is interesting, indeed, that in listing the duties of bees, the Quran used the mode of conjugation in the Arabic intended for the female gender.

MATHEMATICIAN BEES

The functions performed by the female honeybee leave us in wonder. The design of the cells in which she will live call for the erudition of a mathematician. Honeybees produce their honeycombs in the form of hexagons. (Bee fossils show that this was also the case millions of years ago.) Mathematicians inquiring into the reason why this hexagon remained constant and why there were no rectangles, heptagons, octagons, etc. found out that the optimum use of the entire space of unit could be no other than a hexagon, which also accounted for the production of cells using the available material in the most economical fashion. Had the cells been of a different shape, i.e., triangular or quadrilateral, there would be no vacuum, as well. But less material is required to build hexagonal cells than that required for triangular or quadrilateral cells. In many other shapes there would be unutilized space left. Thus the hexagonal cell is capable of storing the greater amount of honey with less wax.

This structure is the result of the combined work of thousands of bees, each contributing to the entire geometrical opus. Mathematicians have proven that no larger space could be arranged with a given amount of wax to fit the geometrical design. The worker bees show how they can realize it in the most economical fashion with what they have.

A French entomologist by the name of Antoine Ferchault posited a geometrical problem referred to as the “Bee Problem.” He stated that “a cell of regular hexagonal cross section is closed by three equal and equally inclined rhombuses. Calculate the smaller angle of the rhombus when the total surface area of the cell is least possible.” Three leading mathematicians, a German, a Swiss and a Brit, tried to solve this problem, and all of them found the following result: 70 degrees 32 minutes. This exactly fits the angle of cells constructed by the female bees. Even the wisest of men could not suggest an improvement on the female bees’ technique of building.

The worker bees’ points of departure in the production process of these cells differ. As the work proceeds, the cells converge toward a central point. The angles of cells at the point where they meet are perfect. It is clear that the construction of this design, the distances between the beginning and the end points and the precise calculation of the positions of their fellow workers display unbelievable exactitude.

The most renowned mathematicians demonstrated the bees’ unerring calculation measured as 70 degrees 32 minutes. However, were we to suggest that these men of science take a ruler in hand and make a hexagon with perfectly fitting angles, and then add to the instructions given to these three professors, asking that the calculation used to form the hexagons be regular and flawless, they would fail in the task. We see that the bees are not only great theoreticians but also skillful practitioners. In the theoretical field, this calculation is incredibly exact, while their dexterity in applying it is unbelievable accurate.

How do these bees, whose lifetime is very short, achieve all these calculations and construction work? To call this ingenuity mere “instinct” does not explain anything. The Quran states that the bee received revelations according to which God’s design and programming were put into execution. Within the span of the honeybee’s lifetime, the cleverest of men could not learn even to count, let alone be the author of such a perfect design. We cannot account for the erudition of bees, certainly not as pure luck. The Creator who created the bee made her with all her potentialities, having solved for her all these mathematical problems. The same Creator sees to it that the bee works for ends that also serve mankind in general. In the second part of this book MMLC 15 where the mathematical miracles will be dealt with, we will examine the mathematical code of the suras and verses where “honeybee” is mentioned. God, who endowed the bee with mathematical characteristics, presented further mathematical miracles in the suras and verses in which “honeybee” is mentioned.

THE UNIVERSE IN GASEOUS STATE

11- Then He turned to the heavens, and it was in a gaseous state. And said to it, and the earth; “Come into existence, willingly or unwillingly.” They said, “We come willingly.”
41-Elucidated, 11

“Dukhan” is the word used in Arabic for smoke, vapor and gaseous matter. It appears that the universe was a gaseous mass before it reached the state - by the will of God - from which the universe and the earth came to be.

We know that our world, the sun and the stars did not come about immediately after the primeval explosion. For the universe was in a gaseous state before the formation of the stars. This gaseous state was initially made of hydrogen and helium. Condensation and compression shaped the planets, the earth, the sun and the stars that were but products of the gaseous state. The discovery of these phenomena has been rendered possible thanks to successive findings as a result of observations and theoretical developments. The knowledge of all contemporary communities during the time of the Prophet would not suffice for the assertion that the universe had once been in a gaseous state. The Prophet himself did not claim to be the author of the statements in the Quran as it often reminded, declaring that he is simply a messenger of God.

49- This is news of the unseen which we reveal to you, which neither you nor your people knew before. So, be patient. Surely the end is for the dutiful.
11-Hud, 49

VOLATILE GASES TO ONE DAY BE TRANSFORMED INTO MAGNOLIAS

It is evident that the aim of the scientific miracles expounded in the Quran was not only to perform miracles, or to teach us some scientific facts. The knowledge provided by the Quran is of paramount importance. The Book focuses our attention on the ingenuity of the creation full of marvels. The fact that it miraculously predicted events, the knowledge of which was unattainable at the time of the revelation of the Quran, is not the only important point. It also provides consequential knowledge. Take for instance sura 41, verse 11: the fact that the Quran revealed 1400 years ago that the universe was previously in a gaseous state is a miracle. But the fact that the universe was not confined to its original state, but expanded in the wake of the primeval explosion and from this there emerged - within the framework of laws imposed by God - the stars, the planets, human beings and the magnolias are also part of His miraculous creation. In witnessing these miracles unfolded in the Quran we must not lose sight of the level of knowledge of the time and what is concealed behind the expressions.

We witness perfect operation of the physical laws in creation as the smoke of gas compressed formed the stars. Gravitational power caused the smoke to contract and the stars to be born, but the gravitational force does not go to extremes, and prevents the star from becoming a black hole. What can be the agent behind this process involving infinitesimal calculations, if not the Creator? Natural laws that encompass the entire universe also apply to the formation of stars. The objectives were targeted by the Creator on the eve of creation. Gravitation is not something intelligent and sentient and cannot be the author of all these formations. What a grotesque sight we would behold had the Creator had recourse to a chain to hold fast all the celestial bodies instead of the gravitation he devised. The problem was solved by His ingenious creation of gravity. Isaac Newton (1642-1724), who considered gravity the natural law imposed by the Creator, was the first scientist to discover laws of gravity. But neither he nor any other scientist could discover the fact that the universe was in a gaseous state in the beginning, neither before the revelation of the Quran, nor 1000 years afterwards. The sun that warms us, the blue oceans, the musical notes, the taste of our dishes have their origin in that gaseous state.

11- Indeed this is a reminder,
12- For anyone who desires to bear it in mind.
80-He Frowned, 11-12

WE ARE CREATED OUT OF NOTHING

117- Creator of the heavens and the earth from nothingness, He has only to say when He wills a thing, “Be,” and it is.
2-The Cow, 117

The Arabic word “beda’a” means creation of something out of nothing. This word also connotes the fact that something is created not on a pattern previously designed of something but as a completely new entity having no precedence. The greatest marvel of the creation is the creation of all concepts out of nothing. Think of the spectrum of colors. None of us can visualize a color that we have not already seen, nor can we produce that color. We are familiar with colors that already exist, but we cannot possibly create a new color. God, on the other hand, created all colors at a time when the concept of color did not exist, just as the universe did not exist before. To create a concept and its range of contents out of nothing is beyond human imagination and power.


Atheists contend that matter existed from eternity, that it had no beginning and that all formations evolved fortuitously. For example, in his books, famous materialist theoretician George Politzer contends that the universe was not created; had it been so, the universe would have been the work of a God who would have created it at a given moment out of nothing, that in order to be able to accept the theory of creation, one had to posit the existence of a moment when there was no universe, as it was to emerge from the void.

Atheism is the belief that God does not exist and materialism is the belief that only physical things have reality. These two words are often used as synonyms. Atheists who refute God’s existence accept the infinite existence of matter, and are, consequently, materialists. Atheists contend that matter was not created but existed from eternity. The postulate of the eternal existence of God and that matter was created goes back to the monotheistic religions. All the monotheistic religions postulate that God existed from eternity and that matter was created by God. The fact that matter was created also proves the existence of God and that Judaism and Christianity and Islam are religions revealed by God.

It is true that there are still some people today who worship the sun, the moon and fire. They carry on their practices and rituals without any logical, scientific or philosophical justification. It is futile to logically or scientifically refute beliefs that do not value reason, logic and science. Such people need evidence that would break down their prejudices and relieve them of their obsessions. Throughout history there have been three separate viewpoints that allege to be in conformity with reason and science. These viewpoints at least declare that they accept reason, logic and science as criteria. In the present book, I shall try to expound on these ideas and analyze their relevancy.

These three views are:
1) Monotheism: There is but one God, He that created this magnificent physical universe and everything in it, living or inanimate.

2) Atheistic materialism: Matter has been in existence since eternity. Everything is made of matter from a chain of fortuitous events.

3) Agnosticism: We cannot know which of these two viewpoints is correct. Both may be justified in their postulates. Essentially there are two fundamental alternatives. For the third announces that none of these views can be proved rather than propounding a new view. The agnostic point of view contends that we cannot know whether matter and things were created or not. For instance in his Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, David Hume’s (1711-1776) three interlocutors exhibit contrasts, namely “the accurate philosophical turn of Cleanthes” with “the careless skepticism of Philo” and “the rigid inflexible orthodoxy of Demea;” the words of Philo reflect the agnostic attitude. Kant (1724-1804) in The Critique of Pure Reason asserts that we cannot know whether matter was created or not. (Although his ideas were agnostic in character, Kant believed in God.)

THE BIG BANG INVALIDATES BOTH AGNOSTICISM AND ATHEISM

The agnostic’s assertion may be expressed by the sentence, “We cannot know whether there is a God or not, and we cannot know whether the universe has been in existence since eternity or not.” He believes that nothing is or can be known. If the hypothesis “Matter had a beginning” is confirmed, the assertion that “Matter had no beginning” would be refuted and the contention “We cannot know whether it had a beginning or not” will be proved wrong. Thus, demonstration of the fact that matter had a beginning is a blow not only to atheism but also to agnosticism and skepticism. Once the hypothesis of the beginning and creation of matter has been confirmed, the atheists should abandon their disbelief and the agnostics their skepticism. If you remember the words in the sura The Prophets, verse 30, “Will they not believe even then?” this statement in the verse that described the Big Bang is a sign according to which the unbelievers will stick to their own convictions, or lack of conviction. It has become clear that an agnostic is no different than a man who worships the cow and the denial of the atheist is tantamount to the adoration of fire; these people base their philosophies on absolute lack of evidence, sheer delusion, total lack of logic and scientific reasoning.

The claims of rationality and the so-called scientific approach of the atheists and agnostics have been debunked. In the coming pages we shall see that both in the creation of the universe, in things created within the universe and in the creation of living beings, an intelligently designed process is going on, and we shall demonstrate that the objections of agnostics and skeptics to this assertion are merely delusions.

BEFORE THE BIG BANG

It was understood that time existed in relation to the movements of matter. As matter and its movements did not exist prior to the Big Bang, time did not exist before the Big Bang. Matter and time came into being after the Big Bang. Their existence depends on each other. Roger Penrose and Stephen Hawking conclusively proved in mathematical terms that the universe had had a beginning. The Big Bang theory confirmed the hypothetical alternative suggested by atheists that the universe had to have a beginning if it had been created. In brief, the claims of atheists have been proven wrong in scientific terms and in terms of logic and reason; and yet the atheistic attitude is still prevalent today due to reasons like stubbornness, delusion and arbitrariness. If there are two theses that negate each other, the substantiation of either of them disproves the other’s argument. The contention of atheists that matter existed from eternity having thus been falsified, the fact that it was created becomes the incontestable truth, discrediting the conviction of unbelievers. Insistence of denial of this proven fact is a gross mistake and an example of inexcusable dogmatism.

49- To the contrary, these are clear signs in the hearts of those who are granted knowledge. None deny Our messages except the unjust.
29-The Spider, 49

TEACHINGS OF THE BIG BANG

The Big Bang theory confirmed that the universe and time had a beginning and that matter did not exist from eternity but was created. The assertion that the universe existed from eternity was thus debunked. The Big Bang not only demonstrated that the universe was created by the Creator, but at the same time the false beliefs like the distribution of sovereignties among divinities, each having under his command the earth, the sun, the moon and the mountains respectively, were proved wrong. It became clear that whoever He was Who had devised the initial composition of the universe, having recourse to the Big Bang, was the Creator of everything. Thus the universe was under the exclusive control of One Single Power and this power was not shared. The universe evolved from a single point; the Author of that point was also the Originator of men, rivers, stars, butterflies, supernovas, colors, suffering and happiness, music and aesthetics. Since everything came into being emerging from the oneness, He must be the Author of that “oneness.

The Big Bang showed that the matter idolized by atheists, and the matter that makes up the entire universe is but an insignificant speck of dust, so to say. Those who witnessed that from that insignificant speck there have emerged men, beasts, plants, and the universe in its glowing colors understand that the genius was not inherent in the matter itself but in something exterior to it, i.e., in the Creator. Close your eyes and try to imagine the void and open them to behold the trees, the seas, the heavens, your own image reflected in the mirror, the food put at your disposal for your consumption and the works of art. . . . How could all these glorious things have emerged all by themselves from the dark and from one single point in the void? For intelligent minds, the creation unfolds itself not only in artistic aesthetics but also in mathematical terms. The velocity of expansion of the universe is of such a critical point that, according to the expression of a scientist, had the velocity been different at the primeval explosion less than 1/1018, the universe would have collapsed, sinking unto itself and never coming into being as it is. Likewise had the quantity of matter been less than it actually was, the universe would have scattered around, rendering the formation of the celestial bodies impossible. The force applied in the disintegration of the initial composition at the moment of creation is not only incommensurably great, but the design behind it is infinitely ingenious. Thus everything was designed by our Creator to make possible the existence of the universe. All these events are meant to show the blindfolded the infinite power of our Creator and the fact that He designed everything to the most infinitesimal detail perfectly. We are witnessing another fact through these phenomena: impossibility does not exist in the vocabulary of the Creator; it suffices Him to wish that something come about, and there it is.

THE POINT OF DEPARTURE OF OUR ODYSSEY

30- Do not these disbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were an integrated mass, which We then split, and from water We made all living things? Will they not believe even then?
21-The Prophets, 30

We deduce from the contents of this verse that it admonishes the unbelievers for ignoring the apparent miracles. The atheists’ basic contention is that matter has no beginning and that it is the matter that has generated everything, both living and inanimate things, by fortuitous act. The Big Bang theory refutes the basic assertion of atheism in positing that the universe and time had a beginning. “Do not these disbelievers see that...?” is significant. And as it is implied by this verse, the fact that the heavens and the earth were in a state of unity before they were rent asunder was something indeed conceivable by the human mind. The 1900s were the years during which scientific discoveries succeeded each other. Those were the years in which some people tried to point out the contradiction between science and religion. It was presumptuous of them as their whims had been indulged by the prosperity generated by the industrial revolution to idolize matter, daring to substitute it for God. The fact that matter was created - that it had had beginning - as proven by the Big Bang theory, was a blow for unbelievers. The concluding sentence of the verse “Will they not believe even then?” is significant in that history confirmed the truth of this and the unbelievers remained adamant despite evidence produced.

Nevertheless, the arguments of this verse refute the unbelievers’ thesis of eternal matter and compel them to believe. This truth that was to be taken for a fact 1300 years after the revelation of the Quran was another warning for unbelievers. In history, there has been no one, other than the God through Quran, who claimed that the universe had been expanding and that the heavens and the earth had been split asunder. Ancient Greece, the Middle Ages, the Modern Age, Plato, Thales - all those who had attempted to explain natural phenomena in natural terms - Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler and Kant, none of humanity’s great minds, had had an inkling of an expanding universe and of the fact that before creation the heavens and the earth had been an indivisible whole. Without the sophisticated equipment of the twentieth century at their disposal, and devoid of all accumulated scientific data, all of these celebrated philosophers and physicists had failed to take cognizance of this fact. The Creator of the universe communicated such important facts about His creation in His book and shed light on the celestial bodies, also proving thereby that the Quran had been His revelation. God unfolded to man the evidences of His creation, the creation that had originated from a single point in which man stood as another point. It is significant to note that while pointing at the comprehensibility of this revelation in the verse, “Do not these disbelievers see...?” He prefigures the stubbornness of unbelievers: “Will they not believe even then?” Einstein himself said that what astounded him was the comprehensibility of his discoveries about the universe, rather than the discoveries themselves. This shows how significant it was to stress the fact that these phenomena were in fact within the reach of man’s mental capacity.

COSMIC BACKGROUND RADIATION

The original unity of the universe is expressed by the Arabic word “ratq,” meaning the integrated state and the word “fatq,” signifying disintegration by separation. I have already mentioned that when Lemaître had posited this separation as described in the Quranic verse, his theory was first refuted. One of the contenders of this argument was Fred Hoyle. In the 1940s Fred Hoyle contended that if the Big Bang had effectively taken place there should have been a residue of the explosion, and asked that this fossil be shown. This satirical criticism led to the discovery of much evidence in support of the Big Bang theory. The expression “fossil” which was mockingly uttered by Hoyle became the scientific word for real evidence discovered later. While he was trying to debunk the theory of the Big Bang in a humorous way, he had unwittingly contributed to the confirmation of the Big Bang theory.

In 1948, George Gamow and his student Ralph Adler concluded that if the Big Bang theory were true, it must have had a fossil left behind as Hoyle had claimed. According to their logic, the low-level background radiation must have existed in every direction since the universe had begun expanding in every direction following the Big Bang. Radiation other than that caused by the Big Bang must have had particular points in space from which it departed. But the radiation generated by such an explosion could not be traced back to a point. With the universe’s dynamic expansion radiation must have scattered in every direction. In the 1960s, the form of radiation imagined by Gamow and Adler was made the subject of research by a group of scientists with precision instruments at their disposal at Princeton University. However, what they had been looking for was to be discovered by others in a very interesting way. Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson were researchers at the Bell Telephone Company. One day, quite unexpectedly, they detected a uniform microwave radiation that suggested a residual thermal energy throughout the universe of about 3 Kelvin, which is a temperature of 3 degree Celsius above absolute 0. At first Penzias and Wilson could not unravel the mystery and had to call their colleagues Robert Dicke and his team. When he hung up, Dicke understood that he had lost the cause as he took cognizance of the fact that the discovery that was to bring the Nobel Prize award had been the lot of others. Surveys of the cosmic 3-Kelvin radiation indicated that it was perfectly uniform in all directions. The residue that Hoyle believed nonexistent had been found. So the Nobel Prize went to Penzias and Wilson.

SATELLITE IN SUPPORT OF BIG BANG

After Penzias and Wilson shared the Nobel Prize in 1965, the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), was rocketed into the sky in 1989. The data received from COBE confirmed the discovery of Penzias and Wilson. A great number of scientists evaluated the data produced by COBE as conclusive proof. Thus the process initiated by Lemaître in the 1920s was substantiated once again with new discoveries in the 1990s. 1400 years had elapsed since the revelation of the Quran and the satellite’s findings validated its statements. Supposing that we landed on a desert island and stumbled upon ashes: no one would doubt the fact that there had once been a fire on this island. The residue radiation that Penzias and Wilson ran across, and the COBE’s data, indicated the existence of the Big Bang. The contention by dissenters that the radiation scattered all over space had to be perfectly uniform in all directions is another indicator of the soundness of this evidence.

One of the proofs substantiating the Big Bang theory is related to the hydrogen-helium ratio in the universe. In the 1930s, astronomers, basing their studies on the fact that every celestial object emits a particular light, had recourse to a spectroscope to analyze the composition of the stars and galaxies. Calculations made by means of the spectroscope and mathematical formulas demonstrated that the universe, at its initial stage, comprised an average of 73% hydrogen and 25% helium and 2% other gases like carbon and oxygen. Stars did not generate hydrogen and that much helium. Calculations made by scientists made it clear that 20%-30% of the helium must have been produced before the evolution of stars. Only the primordial fireball at the outset of the Big Bang could have generated such a light synthesis; the expectations in the wake of the Big Bang and the quantity of hydrogen and helium in space are just a few of the proofs validating the theory.

Although the available scientific evidence is in itself sufficient to prove the Big Bang theory, we are witnessing a steady increase of this evidence. A Big Bang medium was created in Switzerland at CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire), the famous center that has the most powerful and versatile facilities of their kind in the world. The findings of the research carried out here lends further support to the theory.

The law of thermodynamics supports the theory according to which the universe must have had a beginning; the second law of thermodynamics states that some processes in nature are irreversible and unidirectional, the direction being dictated by an overall increase in entropy. Thus, the energy grows less and less utilizable until it becomes of no profit. If the universe and matter had existed from eternity, the movement would have come to a standstill in eternal time. On the other hand, eternity does not pass; if it does, then it is no longer an eternity. In brief, the very fact that we happen to be at this point connotes the existence of a beginning. If we think that time was not created, the contradiction is inevitable and ends up with a dilemma. The only solution to the dilemma would be positing that time was created and that the universe must have had a beginning; these, as proved by the Big Bang Theory, are mutually validating evidences.

COULD MUHAMMAD HAVE SENT A SATELLITE

We have witnessed the verification of data received from the satellites sent into space. How did it happen that the Prophet had an insight into the fact that the earth and the heavens were an integrated mass before they were split? We asked whether the Prophet could have had a telescope concealed under the sand dunes, a telescope as sophisticated as the Hubble telescope? Are the unbelievers going to claim now that Muhammad discovered the primeval unity of the heavens and the earth by having recourse to calculations of the cosmic background radiation, and that he had sent his satellite long before the launch of COBE, 1400 years ago? Penzias and Wilson shared the Nobel Prize for the discovery. Would the unbelievers nominate Muhammad for the Nobel Prize for physics for having announced 1400 years ago that the universe had once been a whole before space began expanding?

It is evident that anyone who contended that the Quran had not been sent by God, but was the work of the Prophet, would necessarily become an object of ridicule. However, those resolved to remain unbelievers would insist on their convictions regardless of all evidence being brought forth. So had it been with Abraham and Moses and Christ and so was it with Muhammad. The psychology of unbelievers has never changed throughout history.

Those who opposed Moses declared that they would adhere to their own conviction, no matter what signs Moses would produce.

132- They said: “No matter what kind of sign you show us, to bewitch us, we will not believe in you.”

7-The Purgatory, 132

BIG BANG : SIGN OF GOD’S UNITY

Polytheistic beliefs have exhibited structures that differ according to the communities and times in which they have evolved. The polytheistic beliefs in ancient Egypt differ greatly from the polytheism of India. However, these systems have something in common. Every god has his apportioned domain where he exerts his sovereignty. The sun is a god, so is the moon, and the divinity whose sanctuary is the hills is another such being. Some of these control the rains, others the winds; some have control over the mountains, some over the rivers...In opposition to belief-systems that parcel out the universe, the monotheistic religions, namely Judaism, Christianity and Islam, saw the universe as a whole. These religions professed that severance and sundering could not be imagined in a universe created by one God. According to these religions what seems to be divided is but in appearance only, while the essence of the universe is one whole; the universe ruled over by God is one entity, with every one of its points being interrelated with all the other points.

Famous philosophers of the past, from Kindî, Farabi, Averroes and Avicenna to Christian scholars, had announced that “One comes out of one,” positing thus the unity of God. These thinkers had tried to find a correlation between the occurrences in the universe whose logical conclusion would be the unity of God. In the aftermath of the Big Bang, this unity was once again proven. The origin of the universe was irrefutably one single composition. Considering that everything evolved out of this single entity, all elements should be in correlation with each other. No one could henceforth declare that the sun, the moon, man, the serpent or a plant had its respective creators. Unity lay beneath everything, and the Creator of this unity was also the Creator of the sun, the moon, the beasts and the plants that emerged from this unity. Even before the Big Bang theory, the irrationality of the idea that attributed different creators to different objects was evident. However, the Big-Bang proved with new evidence that God is One.

1- Say: He, God, is One.
2- God is He on Whom all depend.
3- He begets not, nor is He begotten;
4- And none equals Him.
112-Absoluteness, 1-4

WE LIVE IN AN EXPANDING UNIVERSE

47- With power did We construct heaven. Verily, We are expanding it.
51-The Dispersing, 47

Is the universe infinite? Or is it finite in a steady state? From the very beginning this has been a subject of debate between great minds. Hot debates and ratiocination of all kinds failed to clarify this dilemma. This had once been the subject of philosophical speculations before it yielded its place to the science of physics. Some of the great minds argued that the universe was not a confined space, while others contended that its boundaries were drawn. The Quran describes it as a continuously expanding and dynamic universe. According to this description, the universe has a new aspect every instant that deviates from the concept of an infinite space; its perpetual expansion defies the concept of a confined and steady state universe. Thus, the Quran propounds a third alternative, leaving the heated controversy of thinkers in abeyance.

This may contribute to the formulation of a judgment for the inquiring minds, probing whether the Quran is God’s revelation or not. We have, on the one hand, Muhammad in the desert, neither a philosopher nor a physicist, and, on the other hand, the assumptions of great thinkers and philosophers such as Aristotle, Ptolemy,Giordano Bruno, Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton, to name but a few. The greatest minds in history, basing their arguments on observations and formulas they had ingeniously devised, claimed either that the universe had its confines or that it was an endless space, but it occurred to none of them to think of a dynamic expanding universe, until the 20th century when Edwin Hubble, by means of a telescope, demonstrated that the universe was expanding. The theory of expansion of the universe was first advanced in the 1920s. Until the descent of the Quran no other source had made such an assertion!

MUHAMMAD’S TELESCOPE

Unbelievers contended that the Quran was Muhammad’s own fabrication and not the revelation of God. How then would these dissenters explain the fact that Muhammad had been the only person who was aware of the expanding universe long before the 1920s.

Could it be that in the 600s he had invented a telescope similar to the one contrived in the 1900s? Could it be that he had been familiar with the handling of such a telescope and acquainted with the motion of stars and that he had concealed it from his fellow men? If those who accused the Prophet of lunacy and alleged that in his delusional states he imagined himself the messenger of God were justified in their claims, how would they account for the fact that he knew facts not known to his contemporaries, facts that were to be discovered 1300 years after his revelation of them? If those people assert that the Prophet had devised a religion to serve his own ends, how can they explain that his so-called delusions materialized after a lapse of 1300 years? His pronouncements at the time did not promote his interests in any way; quite the reverse was the case, since he unwittingly gave his enemies a hint they might take advantage of. Can a person whose own interests prevail over the interests of others declare something not to his own advantage that was sure to be bitterly censured and much derided by those whose naked eyes failed to observe the expansion of the universe? If, despite this, a person came up with the contention that Muhammad was an intelligent man who might have perceived this truth, what sort of an intelligence might this have been?

And, instead of boasting of having been the depository of such knowledge, why would he have preferred to tell an untruth and claim that this was not his own discovery but the revelation by God? While the inventor or discoverer of a pin is inclined to brag about his breakthrough, why on earth would Muhammad choose to be modest and categorically declare that the Quran was not his own production, but the revelation of God? Was this due to humility? Would these people - who had denied his prophethood and accused him of having been an impostor - have dared qualify him with the laudable attribute of “humility?”

DISCOVERY OF THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE

There was a gap in Newton’s physics. Newton believed in an endlessly vast and static universe. His law of gravity encountered a problem. How was it that the physical bodies, in the course of eons, defied their mutual attractions and did not collapse into a unity? The formula that Einstein devised abandoned the absolute notions of space and time as reference points for all objects in the universe. Basing his studies on Einstein’s formulas, Alexander Friedmann, a Russian physicist, discovered that the universe must be expanding. Georges Lemaître, a Belgian cleric, astronomer and cosmologist, formulated that the universe had begun in a cataclysmic explosion of a small, primeval superatom, like the growing of an oak tree from an acorn. This theory explained the recession of galaxies within the framework of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. This idea was so incredible that even Einstein had problems accepting it, despite the fact that this all had originated from his own formulas. Einstein, rather, countered that physics was not the forte of Lemaître, and the universe was an infinite expanse and in a steady state.

Lemaître’s theory posited that the universe was expanding. This was a statement that no philosopher and no scientist had ever before set forth. Kant had said in his Critique of Pure Reason that this was an enigma unsolvable by human intelligence. This theory fit everything and explained the reason why the universe did not collapse in spite of gravity. The key had fit into the lock. It was the correct explanation of the enigma. However, this statement met with the usual adverse reaction: “No, it is not the truth...”

Remaining outside the sphere of theoretical controversy, American astronomer Hubble was, about the same time, making observations with his sophisticated telescope in the Mount Wilson observatory. He observed that galaxies were receding from each other, which proved that the universe was expanding. In answer to those who said they could not believe in things their eyes had not witnessed, Hubble’s discovery led to the following declaration: “Now that you see it, you have got to believe it.” Hubble showed this by the Doppler Effect. Thus the wavelengths of receding bodies prolonged in the spectrum of light waves would shift to red, while, if the bodies approached each other, the wavelengths would shorten, shifting to blue. The light that came from galaxies that shifted to red showed that the galaxies were receding. In line with this observation, Hubble discovered a striking law: the speed of galaxies that receded was directly proportional to the distance between galaxies. The farther away a galaxy stood, the more its speed of recession accelerated. The result was tested again and again. In 1950, a high-magnification telescope was installed on Mount Palomar in the USA, the largest instrument of its kind. The new tests and controls justified this observation. The measurements made pointed to the fact that the creation of the universe occurred about 10-15 billion years ago.

Both Einstein and Lemaître took an interest in Hubble’s work; Einstein, who did not agree with Lemaître at first, eventually acknowledged during a conference that Lemaître was right after all. He confessed that his failure to endorse these findings had been the gravest error in his life. Thus it was that the fact that the universe was of a dynamic nature and expanding, confirmed by observations, was also validated by the great physicist Einstein.

In the examples presented by Hubble and Lemaître, we see illustrated how a physicist arrives at a conclusion both in theory and through observation. While Lemaître demonstrated how he had made inferences from Einstein’s formulas to substantiate his theoretical discoveries, Hubble presented the data of his observations and his conclusions.

As we see, the result obtained by physicists is the consequence of cumulative and collective bits of knowledge and research. The Creator of physical laws provides the answer in the Quran to the issues of towering importance throughout human history. The Quran’s presentation of scientific facts is clear, direct, and concise; it is different than the presentation of scientists, which tends to be complicated by scientific methods and procedures. The provider of this answer does not have to go through all the labyrinths a scientist has to. The Quran’s method is perfectly straightforward, unswerving and explicit.

If we had the possibility of looking at the universe from above and somebody asked us to describe what we saw, our answer would be that it was expanding. To achieve the Quran’s revelation of this fact 1400 years ago, man would have needed access to the assistance of accumulated scientific data acquired throughout long years and to sophisticated telescopes. When people claim that science and religion oppose each other, the Quran furnishes answers to the most complicated scientific problems. Observations made by sophisticated telescopes today confirm the statements of the Quran.

The Quran, perfectly aware of the human psyche with its prescience, states that nonbelievers will insist on their convictions regardless how many miracles are presented to them. Some ask: “Why did the people also not believe in Jesus, who had performed miracles and healed the sick and the blind?” This example demonstrates why the majority of people did not believe in Christ and the other prophets, despite their miracles. Miracles change in fact as time goes by, but the negative attitude of most humans remains unchanged.

REASON FOR THE USE OF THE ROYAL PLURAL

I think it advisable to explain the reason for the use of “We” in the verse analyzed in this chapter. God uses both the royal plural “We” and the first person singular “I.” Some languages use the first person plural “we” to express grandeur and exalted rank.

In the hundreds of references addressing God in the second person, the pronoun used is “Thou” and never the plural “You” or “Ye.” The thousands of references made to Him as a third person always use the pronoun “He” and never “They.” References in the Quran to God always use either the second or the third person, and none of them as a second or third person plural. Thousands of times in the Quran, God is referred to as “Allah,” “Gracious (Rahman),” Merciful (Raheem),” and “Lord (Rab)” and all of these words are in the singular, never the plural.

Hamzah the brave, uncle of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)

Hamzah the brave, uncle of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)

There have been a number of brave and self-sacrificing officers and strong and powerful champions in the army of Islam but the bravery of Hamzah bin Abdul Muttalib is recorded in the pages of history and in fact constitutes the golden leaves of the history of the battles of Islam.

Muhammed Mustafa, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and his Ahlel-Bayt), though safe under the protection of his uncle, Abu Talib, was not immune from harassment by the infidels. Whenever they found an opportunity for baiting him, they didn't miss it. On one occasion, Abu Jahl found him alone, and used much offensive and vulgar language toward him. That same evening when his uncle, Hamzah bin Abdul Muttalib, came home from a hunting expedition, his slave-girl recounted to him the tale of Abu Jahl's gratuitous insolence toward him (Muhammed), and the latter's forbearance, of which she had been an eye-witness.

Hamzah was a warrior, a hunter and a sportsman, and was little interested in the day-to-day affairs of the city. But Abu Jahl's conduct toward his nephew so roused his anger that he seized his bow, went into the assembly of the Quraysh where he (Abu Jahl) was reviewing the events of the day to his compeers, struck him at his head with his bow, causing it to bleed, and shouted: "I too have become a Muslim."

This was a challenge to Abu Jahl but he figured that silence was the best part of valor, and did not tangle with Hamzah, even restraining his friends who wished to rise in his defense.

Hamzah, the uncle of the Prophet of Islam, was one of the bravest men of Arabia and a well-known officer of Islam. It was he, who insisted earnestly that the army of Islam should go out of Madina and fight against Quraysh. It was Hamzah, who protected the Prophet in Makkah during the delicate moments with all his might. Hamzah accepted Islam in the fifth year of the Proclamation. May God be pleased with him, and bless him.

He was the same senior and valiant officer who killed the brave champion of Quraysh Shaybah and others and also wounded a group of the enemies in the Battle of Badr - the first battle of Islam. He had no object in mind except to defend truth and virtue and to maintain freedom in the lives of human beings.

Hamzah had killed Utbah, the father of Hinda, in the battle of Badr. In the battle of Uhud, she slaked her thirst for vengeance which had given her no rest since the battle of Badr.

Hinda, the wife of Abu Sufyan and the mother of Muawiya, nursed a grudge against Hamzah and was determined to take her father's revenge on the Muslims at any cost.

Wahshi, an Ethiopian warrior, was the slave of Jabir Mut'am and an uncle of Jibir had also been killed in the Battle of Badr. He (Wahshi) had been appointed by Hinda to help achieve her object by hook or by crook. She asked him to kill one of the three persons (viz. the Prophet, Imam Ali or Hamzah) so that she might avenge her father's death. The Ethiopian warrior said in reply: "I cannot approach Muhammad at all, because his companions are nearer to him than anyone else. Ali too is extraordinarily vigilant in the battlefield. However, Hamzah is so furious that, while fighting, he does not pay any attention to any other side and it is possible that I may be able to make him fall by some trick or by taking him unawares". Hinda was contented with this and promised that if he was successful in performing the job she would set him free. Some believe that Jibir made this promise with his slave (Wahshi) as his (Jibir's) uncle had been killed in the Battle of Badr.

Wahshi, the slave, says: "On the Day of Uhud I was pursuing Hamzah. He was attacking the centre of the army like a ferocious lion. He killed every one whom he could approach. I hid myself behind the trees and stones, so that he could not see me. He was too busy in fighting. I came out of ambush. Being an Ethiopian, I used to throw my weapon like them (i.e. like the Ethiopians) and it seldom missed the target. I, therefore, threw my javelin towards him from a specific distance after moving it in a particular manner. The weapon fell on his flank and came out from between his two legs. He wanted to attack me but severe pain prevented him from doing so. He remained in the same condition till his soul departed from his body. Then I approached him very carefully and having taken out my weapon from his body returned to the army of Quraysh and waited for my freedom.

In the battle of Uhud the Muslims were defeated. After their rout, Hinda and the other harpies she had brought with her from Makka, mutilated the bodies of the slain Muslims. Hinda cut open Hamzah's abdomen, plucked out his liver and chewed it up. Muhammad ibn Umar Waqidi, the historian, says that she made a fire in the battlefield, roasted Hamzah's heart and liver and ate them. Not satisfied with this, she cut the limbs, the ears and the nose of Hamzah, strung them into a "necklace," and entered Makka wearing it as a "trophy" of victory.

Muhammed Mustafa, the Apostle of God, was deeply aggrieved at the death and at the mutilation of the body of such a stalwart of Islam as Hamzah. He bestowed upon him the titles of the "Lion of God," and the "Chief of the Martyrs."

After the Battle of Uhud, I continued to live in Makkah for quite a long time until the Muslims conquered Makkah. I then ran away to Ta'if, but soon Islam reach that area as well. I heard that however grave the crime of a person might be, the Prophet forgave him. I, therefore, reached the Prophet with Shahadatayn on my lips (i.e., I testify that there is no god but Allah and I also testify that Muhammad is His Prophet). The Prophet saw me and said "Are you the same Wahshi, an Ethiopian?" I replied in the affirmative. Thereupon he said: "How did you kill Hamzah?" I gave an account of the matter. The Prophet was moved and said: "I should not see your face until you are alive, because the heart-rending calamity fell upon my uncle at your hands".

It was the same great spirit of the Prophet of Islam which made him set this man free although he could execute him on many grounds.

Wahshi says: "So long as the Prophet was alive I kept myself hidden from him. After his death the battle with Musaylimah Kazzab took place. I joined the army of Islam and used the same weapon against Musaylimah and succeeded in killing him with the help of one of the Ansar. If I killed the best of men (i.e. Hamzah) with this weapon, the worst man, too, did not escape its horror".

The participation of Wahshi in the battle against Musaylimah is something which he himself claims, but lbn Hisham says: "During the last days of his life Wahshi was like a black crow who was always hated by Muslims on account of his being a drunkard and was punished twice on account of drinking wine. On account of his indecent actions his name was struck off the army records and Umar bin Khattab used to say: "The murderer of Hamzah does not deserve to be pardoned in the other world."

Prophets of People of the Book - Ahl-e Kitab

Prophets of People of the Book - Ahl-e Kitab

Arabic		English Equivalent
Adam		Adam
Nuh		Noah
Ibrahim		Abraham
Ismail		Ishmael
Ishaq		Isaac
Lut		Lot
Dawood		David
Ayoub		Job
Yaqoub		Jacob
Sulaiman		Solomon
Talut		Saul
Uzair		Ezra
Yunus		Jonah
Yusuf		Joseph
Hud		Hud
Zul'Kifl		Zul'Kifl
Zul'Qarnain		Two-Horned -Alexander
Idris		Idris
Luqman		Luqman
Al Yasha		Elisha
Saleh		Salih
Shuaib		Shoaib
Mousa		Moses
Haroun		Aaron
Issa		Jesus
Yahya		John the Baptist
Zakariya		Zacharias
Ilyas		Elias
Muhammad, Ahmed		Mahomed, Praised One
Allah		God
Quran		Koran
Firoun		Pharaoh
Habeel		Abel
Hassan		Shabur
Hussain		Shabir
Imran		Amran
Injeel		Gospel
Taurat		Torah
Zaboor		Psalms
Jalut		Goliath
Jibreel		Gabriel
Qabeel		Cain
Hajar		Hagar
Juj		Gog
Majuj		Magog
Maryam		Mary
Masjid		Mosque
Mikaeel		Michael
Misr		Egypt
Nasrani		Christian
Yahudi		Jew
Qarun		Korah
Muslim		Moslem
Sabah, Bilqees		Sheba
Suad		Sad
Ad		Aad
Khidr		Khezr
Iblis		Satan
Madyan		Midian
Samood		Thamoud