SELFLESS DEVOTION OF CREATURES WITHIN THE FAMILY
SELFLESS DEVOTION OF CREATURES WITHIN THE FAMILY
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Some animals remain with other family members for a very long time, or even for life. Penguins and swans, for instance, are birds that mate for life. Female elephants stay together with their mothers and even their grandmothers.25
In mammals, usually the males establish families consisting of females and their young. But leading a family brings with it many responsibilities. The male must hunt for food more often, as compared to a single male. He can easily protect himself, but must take care for and protect the other family members as well. Guarding the defenseless young often requires selfless behavior.
This is an important matter that should be reflected on: Animals make great efforts to establish their families, to care and provide for them. To do so, they risk their own lives and forsake an easy life for themselves. Why should animals choose these harder options?
This tendency completely disproves Darwin's "the fittest survive and the weaker perish" thesis. As the many examples over the following pages will demonstrate to the contrary, the weak are often protected by the strong, who thereby endanger their own lives.
Family Members Recognizing One Another
One prerequisite for social life is that family members can immediately recognize each other. Even in wide open spaces where animals live side by side in large colonies, they can recognize their own offspring, mates, parents, and siblings.
 Penguins leave their young together when they go off hunting. The young huddle together to keep themselves warm. But how do the parents recognize their young on their return? God has created the penguins with the ability to recognize one another by voice, letting penguins easily recognize their identical-looking mates and young. |
Each species has a different method of recognizing its own. Ground-nesting birds recognize their young's voices as well as their looks. One example of this are Herring gulls, which raise their young in huge colonies. Even when their chicks are out of sight, parents recognize and respond to their calls without ever confusing their calls with other young gulls'. If a stray young bird trespasses their nesting spot, they recognize and chase away the intruder.26
Usually mammals recognize their own young by their smell and taste. As soon as a baby is born, the mother sniffs and licks it and from then on, never confuses it with any other.27
Among the most successful creatures in this respect are penguins. They look so alike that when humans observe them carefully, it's almost impossible to tell them apart. Thus it is so astonishing that the members of a penguin family can recognize one another with no difficulty. Consider that the mother leaves her mate and young for a period of two to three months in order to search for food. Yet on her return, she recognizes them both.
 Many mammal species clean their newborn young by licking them, during which process they also memorize its smell. Thereafter, they can easily tell their young apart among all other young of the same species. |
Among the hundreds of other penguins, the mother penguin easily finds her own mate and their chick. More interestingly, before the adult females set off to go hunting in the sea, they gather all the young to form a nursery as a precaution against the freezing cold. The young birds stay closely packed together, taking advantage of one another's body heat. But there is one problem: How are the adult birds going to recognize their own young on their return from their hunting trip from among the hundreds of other birds. This though does not seem to pose a problem for penguins. Each adult begins to call at high pitch and the young birds recognize their parents by their sound and move towards them.28 No doubt, recognition by voice is under these circumstances the most appropriate method for the thousands of penguins. But, how come penguins have the very same appearance but distinct voices so they can recognize one another? Furthermore, how did they acquire the skill to distinguish each other by voice? No penguin could have come up with the idea of such qualities and skills and then adopt them by themselves. These must be given qualities, but by whom? According to evolutionists, it is nature-but what part or feature of it could provide animals with such abilities? The ice on the poles, maybe? Perhaps the rocks? Obviously neither, because "nature," to which evolutionists ascribe this and many other powers consists of rocks, stones, trees, ice and the like, which are a totality of created matter. Therefore, the answer to the above question is simple: God creates everything perfect within itself, gives each penguin a distinct voice note and the ability to recognize by voice, thereby making their lives easier for them.
Cozy Nests Built for Offspring
 Penduline tits build bottle-shaped nests, putting in a lot of effort and using a variety of materials to build the nest, which hangs from a branch. |
Nests play an important role in protecting animals, in particular their young. Many species use a wealth of astonishing techniques to construct nest with a variety of diverse architectural details. Animals plan often like architects, working like master builders, finding technical solutions like engineers, and sometimes adorning their nests like decorators. Often they work tirelessly, day and night, in constructing their nest. Their mates often share the workload, and the two assist each another. The nests most carefully prepared are those built for the expected arrival of the young.
The various techniques used to build these nests are so perfect that one would not expect them from animals devoid of intellect and technological skills. As the following pages will show in great detail, they could not have been designed by the animals themselves, because they would have to plan out the many stages of the project before even beginning to build. First off, they'd have to realize the need for a nest for the safety of their eggs and young. Next, they'd need to locate the most suitable place for their nests, since no creature builds its nest just anywhere.
Building materials used in the nest's construction are carefully selected from those available in the environment. For example, water birds build nests from plant matter that will float, in case of unexpected flooding. Birds living among reeds, on the other hand, make their nests wide and deep, to prevent their eggs from falling out when the reeds bend in the wind. Birds inhabiting deserts build their nests atop of shrubs and cacti, where the temperature is 10° C (50° F) lower than on ground level, where the oven-like 45° C (113° F) heat would kill the young birds in a very short time.
Choosing the right location for a nest requires knowledge as well as intelligence. An animal cannot foresee the risks of flooding, or the danger that high temperatures pose for young birds-much less how to prevent their adverse effects. We are faced, then, with a paradox: On the one hand, animals of little intelligence and no knowledge and, on the other, behavior that is conscious, intelligent and knowledgeable. God is the owner of consciousness, intelligence, and knowledge; and expresses these qualities in His perfect creations.
 "God created you from dust and then from a drop of sperm and then made you into pairs. No female becomes pregnant or gives birth except with His knowledge. And no living thing lives long or has its life cut short without that being in a Book. That is easy for God." (Qur'an, 35: 11) |
The healthy survival of their offspring is vitally important for all living species; and from the moment of laying their eggs or giving birth to their young, protecting them becomes the parents' sole occupation. The penduline tit, paying utmost attention to the safety of its offspring, builds a number of dummy nests in the vicinity of its real nest, to divert the attention of any hungry enemy. This diversion strategy, obviously the result of careful planning, couldn't possibly be the product of the penduline tit's own intellect.
One of the most common methods birds use to protect a nest from predators is to build it in a thorny bush or camouflage it among dry leaves. Some species, in order to protect the female and her eggs, wall off the entrance to their nest structure with mud while she is inside, or else mix their saliva with soil to form a sort of mortar they use to build a wall covering the entrance.
These can hardly be skills those animals could develop on their own. What, then, enables these birds and other animals to build nests so intricate and perfectly designed? How do animals acquire these skills?
Another detail should not be disregarded. At birth, every animal possesses the knowledge of building its characteristic nest. Every member of that species, wherever on Earth it might be, builds its nest in the same way. This clearly shows that creatures did not learn their nest-building methods or acquire them in any casual sort of way, but that this knowledge and skill was given them by the same power. God, the All-knowing and All-powerful, creates them together with their skills and gives them this knowledge.
Quite aside from their architectural perfection, the extraordinary dedication that parents invest in building their nests is certainly worth noticing. Whereas birds build ordinary nests for themselves, they build ones for their offspring with the utmost care. Considering the different phases involved in nest building, we can better understand the scale of the efforts birds put into it, the energy they invest and the selflessness of their behavior. To build its nest, a bird can carry only a few twigs or grass stalks at a time in its beak, and so must make hundreds of flights to gather the building materials it requires. But this does not discourage the bird. It continues to forage patiently. It never becomes frustrated, never settles for less, is never too tired or lazy to complete its nest in every last detail.
According to Darwin's natural selection theory, these animals should be concerned only with themselves. In an environment where only the fittest and strongest could succeed in the battle for survival, would animals exhaust themselves so that their vulnerable offspring could survive? What could explain their preparing in advance a secure environment for the arrival of their vulnerable young? Natural selection cannot answer these questions; neither can the theory of evolution, nor any other atheist ideology. These questions have one answer only: God gives to these animals dedication, patience, endurance, persistence and ambition. God instills them with these qualities so that the strong can protect the weak, so that natural balances can continue and these species can exist until their appointed times and can become living signs of God's artistry, power, wisdom and the superiority of His creation.
Subsequent pages will give examples of animals renowned for their architectural and decorative skills. Eggs and later on, the young birds that hatch from them are vulnerable in the extreme, and especially in need of protection. Therefore, God directs their parents to build them exactly the right type of nests.
How do Birds Build Their Spectacular Constructions?
Birds are the ultimate nest-builders. Each different species has its own unique nest-building techniques and constructs these structures without ever getting confused.
When the parent birds leave the nest to search for food, their offspring are completely defenseless. Their nests that are concealed with great skill in treetops, holes in trees and cliffs, or even amidst tall grass, provide a safe, hidden shelter for the chicks.
Another purpose of the nests is to provide protection from the cold. Birds are hatched featherless, and since their muscles do not get exercised within the egg, they are relatively immobile and thus need nests to insulate them from the cold. Woven nests in particular trap body heat, providing warmth for the chicks-but constructing these structures is a detailed and difficult undertaking. The female builds the nest by carefully weaving grasses, twigs, and scavenged yarn over a fairly long period of time. She cushions the inside with feathers, hair and fine grass, thereby further insulating the nest.29
For every type of nest, finding the right building materials is essential. Birds can spend a whole day in their quest for the building materials their structure needs. Their beaks and talons are designed for carrying and arranging the materials they gather. The male bird chooses the location of the nest, and the female builds it.
These nests' features depend on the materials and techniques used in their construction. All building materials for their architectural masterworks must be pliable and compressible. Nests are built taking into account the elasticity, durability and toughness of the different materials birds use-mud, leaves, feathers, cellulose and the like. This increases the structure's durability. Using plant fibers mixed with mud, for instance, prevents cracks from developing.
First, birds mix the mortar from the materials they gather. One species that uses this technique is the cliff swallow, which builds its nests on cliffs and the walls of buildings, using mud as an adhesive to glue their nests together. They gather mud and feathers and transport them in their beaks to the construction site, where they mix mud with their saliva, smearing the mixture against the face of the cliff to form a pot-shaped structure with a round opening on top. This structure they fill with grass, moss, and feathers. Usually they build these structures in cavities under overhanging cliffs, to prevent rain from softening and thus destroying the nest.30
Some South African birds like the penduline-tit build nests comprised of two compartments. The real entrance to the brooding chamber is concealed, while the other entrance is readily visible, presenting a false doorway to any predators.31
The oropendola, a large and quite distinctive bird, builds its nest next to the those of wasps, which automatically keep snakes, monkeys, toucans and botflies (a type of fly deadly for these birds), from approaching their nests.32 In this way, the oropendola protects its young from the dangers that all these creatures pose for their young.
The "Stitched" Nests of Tailor Birds
The tailor bird of India has a beak like a sewing needle. As thread, it uses silk from cobwebs, cotton from seeds, and fibers of tree bark. This bird selects two or more large green leaves growing close together at the end of a branch and pulls them together. It then punches holes along the edges of each leaf, and pulls the spider silk or plant fiber through the holes to sew the leaves together, finally tying knots in each stitch to keep it from slipping. It does the same on the other side, stitching the leaves together, taking approximately six stitches to curve a leaf around. Eventually the bird fills this resulting purse with grass.33 Finally, it weaves another nest into the purse, where the female will lay her eggs.34
Weaver Birds
Naturalists consider these birds' nests to be the most astonishing structures built by birds. This species uses plant fibers and tall plant stems to weave themselves extremely solid nests.
 The thornbill's nest lies between two leaves. Like tailor birds, they use their beaks as needles and spider silk as yarn. Tailor birds skillfully stitch leaves together, using their beaks as needles, and plant fibers or spider silk as yarn to make cozy nests. |
First of all, a weaver bird collects the building materials. It will cut long strips from leaves or extract the midrib from a fresh green leaf. There is a reason for its choice of fresh leaves: The veins of dry leaves would be stiff and brittle, too difficult to bend, but fresh ones make the work much easier. The weaver bird begins by tying the leaf fibers around the twig of a tree. With its foot, it holds down one end of the strip against the twig while taking the other end in its beak. To prevent the fibers from falling away, it ties them together with knots. Slowly it forms a circular shape that will become the entrance to the nest. Then it uses its beak to weave the other fibers together. During the weaving process, it must calculate the required tension, because if it's too weak, the nest will collapse. Also it needs to be able to visualize the finished structure, since while building the walls, it must determine where the structure needs to be widened.35
Once it finishes weaving the entrance, it proceeds to weave the walls. To do so, it hangs upside down and keeps on working from the inside of the structure. It will push one fiber under another and pull it along with its beak, until it accomplishes a stunning weaving project.36
 Inspired by God, weaver birds build themselves spectacular nests. Above and Right: The stages of nest building. First, the bird tears off thin strips of leaf. Then it begins to build the nest by pressing the end of the strip onto the branch with one foot, while weaving the other end with its beak. As these pictures show, it uses its beak as a shuttle, threading a single plant fiber alternately over and under other strips. Left: A weaver bird finishing its nest.  Some weaver birds live in colonies, building themselves nests to shade them from the scorching heat of the sun. |
The weaver bird won't just begin building its nest. It proceeds by calculating in advance what it needs to do next-first, collecting the most suitable building materials, then forming the entrance before going on to build the walls. It knows perfectly well where to thin or thicken the structure, and where to form a curve. Its behavior displays intelligence and skill, with no trace of inexperience. With no training, it can do two things at once-holding down one end of the fiber with its feet, while guiding the other end with its beak. None of its movements is coincidental; its every action is conscious and purposeful.
Another member of the weaver bird family builds a solid, rainproof nest. This bird obtains the perfect mortar by gathering plant fibers from the environment and mixing them with its saliva, which gives the plant fibers both elasticity and makes them waterproof.
Weaver birds repeat this process until their nest is complete. It's no doubt impossible to claim that they have acquired these skills unconsciously, by chance. These birds construct their nests like an architect, construction engineer, and site foreman all rolled into one.
Another interesting example of nest building is performed by sociable weaver birds of southern Africa, which nest in a single huge, cooperatively built structure with separate entrances. With the ingenuity of accomplished architects, sociable weavers build these nests, some of which are home to as many as 600 birds.37
When it comes to nest building, why does this species choose the more complex over the easier option? Can we possibly ascribe to chance the fact that they can build such complex nest structures all by themselves? Surely not-like all other creatures in nature, they too act by the directives of God.
Swallow Burrows
 The cloud swifts build their nests behind waterfalls, on rocks that no other animal can reach. |
Some birds hide their nests underground. Bank swallows, for instance, dig long tunnels in the sides of steep slopes along rivers and shorelines. They slant their tunnels at an upwards angle to prevent them being flooded with rainwater; and at the end of each tunnel is a grass- and feather-lined nesting chamber.38
The cloud swifts of South America build their nests behind waterfalls, even though it is almost impossible for birds to penetrate waterfalls. Hawks, herons, gulls or crows cannot manage to break through the fast-falling water. One would expect any bird attempting this feat to be crushed in mid-air under the tons of water. But these swifts are very small and fly fast enough that they can shoot through the waterfall like arrows. Their chosen nesting sites are safe, because no other animal dares try to reach them there.
However, these swifts do have problem in gathering building materials for their nests. Their feet are too small to let them pick up materials from the ground, as other birds do. So instead, they catch feathers, fragments of dried grass and such materials that float in the air. Then they stick them to the cliffs behind the waterfalls with spittle from their salivary glands.39
Cave swiftlets inhabiting the shores of the Indian Ocean build their nests in caves. Each wave breaking against the shore completely floods the entrance to the cave. That is why these birds can sometimes be seen hovering above the waves outside a cave, waiting for the foaming water to recede, so that they can dart into the cave. Before they begin to build their nests, swiftlets determine the highest water level by observing the marks that water leaves on the walls around the cave entrance, and then build their nests above that.40
The long-legged secretary bird of Africa builds its nest in prickly thorn trees to protect it from predators. Woodpeckers in the American Southwest drill nesting holes in the stems of giant cactus plants;41 while the marsh wrens, on the other hand, prepares dummy nests. While the female is building the real nest for their young, the male wren flies around the marsh, building the decoy nests that will draw predators' attention away from their real one.42
Albatross Nests
Almost every species of bird is greatly dedicated to its young. To mate, albatrosses always return to their place of birth, where they form huge colonies. Weeks before the females arrive, the males restore last season's old nests to provide a comfortable abode for the coming young. Albatrosses' dedication to their eggs is remarkable, inasmuch as they sit for 50 days without getting up.
Albatrosses build protective
nests for their young. Weeks before the female birds arrive on the
nesting site, the males come to restore and repair the old nests.
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Nor is their dedication limited to protecting and caring for their eggs. Often they fly distances of over 1,500 km-a thousand miles-to gather food for their chicks.43
Hornbill Nests
 The male hornbill walls up his mate and eggs in a hole in a tree and looks after them there. |
For the hornbill, the mating season heralds the beginning of great activity. During this period, both males and females make an outstanding performance. The first thing they need to do is build a safe nest for the female and their offspring.
The female hornbill starts work by finding a suitable hole in a tree that will shelter the nest. She narrows the opening on the tree by plastering it with pellets of mud she carries in her beak. After entering the nest through the narrowed hole, she seals the entrance with mud that has dropped inside, thus reducing the gap to a beak-size slit. This will protect the female and their offspring from external dangers, particularly from snakes. After the nest is finalized, the female sits for three months without once leaving the nest. The male gathers food and feeds his mate through this small opening. When the young hatch, they too are fed by the same way.44 Both birds are very patient and dedicated to their offspring. While the female bird sits in this tree hole barely big enough for herself, for three month without ever leaving, and the male never deserts them in all this time.
 Each species of bird makes its own distinctive type of nest. Flamingo nests are as pleasing to look at as the birds themselves. |
From these examples, we have seen that each species of bird has its own way of constructing nests. Each technique requires a design planned in advance, and is of such a complexity that couldn't be expected from creatures without intellect or the faculty of forethought.
We're faced with organisms devoid of reason and the willpower necessary to behave with compassion, mercy and devotion. However, these creatures clearly demonstrate the products of intelligence, reason, planning and design and compassionate and altruistic behavior. So what is the source of their behaviors? If they lack the capacity to produce these actions through their own willpower, there must be a power that teaches them to act in this way. This power is God, the Lord of the earth, the heavens and everything in between.
Nests that Other Creatures Build: Bumblebees
Bumblebees display quite interesting dedication. The young queen, just before it's time to lay her eggs, starts seeking out a suitable place to start her own colony. Once she determines the location, she begins gathering the building materials she needs to upholster her hive-feathers, leaves, and grass-and also as insulation material.
First, with material collected in the vicinity, she builds in the center of the nest a small chamber the size of a tennis ball. Then it's time to gather food. On leaving, she flies in circles in the air above her nest, facing it at all times, so as to memorize its location. After collecting nectar and pollen for food, she returns and deposits her loads into the center of the chamber.
 The devoted bumblebees. |
The queen feeds on nectar and, after a certain time, begins to secrete beeswax. She doesn't discard the portion of nectar that she cannot consume, but lets it dry and uses it to bond together the building materials she's collected to construct the chamber. She fills the cells she has made with nectar for food, and places a tiny lump of pollen in the bottom of the other cells and lays white eggs on top, which will hatch into the first worker bees. The cells are sealed with more wax and the queen bee keeps them warm until they hatch.
She does not lay her new eggs randomly, but places them symmetrically and with utmost care. However, equally important as the hatching of the eggs is feeding the young. Their food is ready in the cells filled by nectar by the queen bee. After an incubation period of from four to five days, the larvae hatch and begin to feed on the pollen and nectar readied for them.
It is noteworthy that the creature that distributes nectar where the young can reach it and builds a system that will ensure healthy growth for the young bees that will form the colony is not a being of intelligence, but a little bee only a few centimeters in size.
Why is the queen bee so devoted? That's the first question that jumps to mind. She'll derive no benefit from the young she feeds, especially since on the arrival of a new queen, she can be forced to leave the colony for which she worked so hard and sacrificed so much. There can be only one reason for the bumblebee to show such selfless devotion and put so much effort into raising new generations: Like all other creatures on Earth, the queen shows all this devotion because God directs her to be devoted and raise new generations. This means that the creatures of nature are not possessed by a selfish survival instinct as the evolutionists claim.45
The Ice Dens of Polar Bears
When they are pregnant or have cubs, female polar bears living in the freezing cold of the Arctic build themselves dens under the snow and ice. Otherwise, they do not live in dens. Cubs are usually born in midwinter-tiny, blind and naked. In the winter cold, a den is essential for these dependent, defenseless cubs to survive.
A typical polar bear's den is a tunnel usually about two meters (6.5 feet) by 1.5 meters (5 feet) in size, and approximately one meter (3 feet) in height. This common abode is not simply dug out. In an environment entirely covered in ice and snow, it comprises essential details necessary for the cubs' survival.
Usually these dens have more than one room, which are built higher than the entrance. In this way, body heat from the chamber cannot escape through the den's entrance. Throughout the winter, snow piles onto the entrance and atop the den itself. In this great heap of snow, the polar bear leaves an opening just big enough for ventilation.46
The mother polar bear makes the den's roof between 75 cm (2.5 feet) and 2 m (6.6 feet) thick, which insulates the den quite well, keeping in the heat and fixing the air at a constant temperature.47 In this lukewarm, protected environment, the mother bear stores energy and adjusts her fat reserves according to her period of hibernation.
Researcher Paul Watts from Norway's Oslo University placed a thermometer in the upper wall of one den. Monitoring the temperature, he made an interesting discovery. While the outside temperature measured below -30 C (-22 F) degrees, the internal temperature never fell below 2 to3 degrees. How does the mother bear know that the roof's insulation property changes according to its thickness? This has been the subject of scientific curiosity.
This poses another, even more interesting issue. During her hibernation, the mother bear reduces her metabolism rate, so as not to use up any energy and to provide more milk for her cubs. For seven months, she converts her stores of fat into protein. Because of this, she does not eat for all that time, reducing her pulse rate from 70 to 8 and slowing down her metabolism. Neither, during this period, does she have to relieve herself. During the period when she will give birth, she won't have used up much energy.
Crocodiles
 The nest built by the female crocodile for her eggs. |
In Florida's Everglades, the female crocodile builds a very unusual nest for her eggs. First, she mixes decomposing plant matter with mud and builds a mound approximately 90cm (35 inches) high. She makes a little hole at the top, in which she lays a few dozen eggs, then covers them all with some more vegetable matter. From then on, she guards the mound against predators. As the eggs begin to hatch, she hears the noises the baby crocodiles make and removes the covering of decaying vegetation. The young quickly clamber to the top of the mound, where the mother crocodile takes them into her mouth and carries them to the water inside it.48
The Smith Frog
Among amphibian parents, one of the best nest builders is South African smith frog. The male builds a nest by the edge of the water, going around in circles until it has made a hole in the mud, then pushes against the hole's walls to widen it. Once its work is finished, it will have built a pool 10cm (4 inches) deep, with solid mud walls.
Sitting in this pool, the smith frog makes its mating call until it attracts the attention of a female frog. Responding to his call, she lays her eggs in his pool. After the male fertilizes the eggs, both frogs guard them until they hatch. When the tadpoles emerge, they swim about in this enclosure, safe from fishes and insects. After they grow large enough and develop legs, they climb the walls and leave this carefully prepared nursery.49
Underwater Architects
It is not widely known that fish build nests, but a surprising number of freshwater species do-in ponds, lakes and streams. Usually they clear shallow depressions in the sand or gravel bottom. Once they have laid their eggs, salmon and trout close up the nests and then leave the eggs to hatch. In species that leave their eggs exposed in an open nest, one or both parents guard them. In many species, only the male fish builds the nest and guards the fertilized eggs."
It's not widely known that
fish build nests. Many freshwater fish species build nests for their
eggs and young, and also guard their eggs until they hatch. Above: A nest made of gravel and seashells, and the larvae inside the nest. |
The nests of some other species are more complex. Male sticklebacks, found in rivers and ponds in North America and Europe, build nests even more sophisticated than those of most bird species. The stickleback collects plant material and secretes a substance produced in its kidneys to bond it together. It swims along and around this material to give it an oblong shape, then finally forces its way through the middle, to form a tunnel through which water can circulate. If a female approaches the nest, the male performs his courting display by darting around to left and right. He leads the female to his tunnel nest and indicates its entrance by pointing with his head. When the female finishes laying her eggs inside the tunnel, the male enters through the front, fertilizes the eggs and finally, pushes the female out the back. After several females have filled the tunnel with eggs, the male guards the nest and makes sure fresh water keeps on circulating through the tunnel. Repairing and maintaining the nest as needed, he will keep on guarding the nest for a few more days after the eggs have hatched. Then he removes the nest's top half, leaving the rest as a nursery for the baby fish to use.50
How do Animals Achieve All This?
Consider whether it's possible for someone who's never worked on a building site before, without anyone to explain materials or how to use them and with no plan to fall back on, to build himself a perfect residence. Surely not! It's hardly reasonable to expect this feat of an intelligent human being, never mind a fish.
If this behavior of intelligence and skill cannot be expected of a human, how can we expect it in an animal? They work patiently and with much dedication in building their nests; and often only their young live in them. Many of the species given as examples in the preceding pages don't even have a very complex nervous system, much less a highly developed brain. When they build their nests, however, they plan and calculate, apply the laws of physics, use weaving and stitching techniques requiring skill, along with satisfying their own needs as well as their offspring's in a practical way. They mix mortar and insulate their nests with easily obtained materials. But how can a polar bear or bird know how insulation works? Or deduce that it needs to retain the heat in its nest? It's self-evident that none of these qualities originates in the animal itself. So how do creatures come by this inborn knowledge?
These animals' intelligent behavior, knowledge and dedication have only one source: All these are God-given qualities. God has created these creatures to be hard working and dedicated, providing them with the abilities to hunt, feed, breed, and protect themselves so that they can continue their species. In His infinite compassion and mercy, God makes them build their nests; enables them to make perfect plans; protects and nurtures them. Neither Mother Nature nor chance can program them to build sophisticated nests. Because all animals obey their Creator's directives, they display behavior that could not be expected of them.
With the 68th verse of the Sura 16 -"… Build dwellings in the mountains and the trees, and also in the structures which men erect"-God reveals that it is He Who tells the bees where to build their nests.
Continuation of the Species and Selfless Devotion to Protect Offspring
Many animal species suffer hardship in order to raise and protect their offspring, even risking death on occasion. Some migrate for hundreds of miles to their chosen nesting grounds, where they build sophisticated nests requiring much effort. A few, like the male praying mantis, die after mating; or-like the salmon-after laying their eggs. Others guard their eggs for many weeks, some even carrying their eggs in their mouths and therefore cannot feed.
All these acts of altruism serve an important purpose: survival of the species. The weak and vulnerable young can survive only if protected and cared for by strong adults. The chances of survival are next to nothing for a newborn deserted at birth or for eggs laid just anywhere. But living beings take it upon themselves to care for their defenseless young without any signs of laziness, hesitation or frustration. Each species fulfills its role, ordained by God, without fail.
Another interesting point is that those species that devote the greatest care and attention to protecting their eggs or young, are those that reproduce in the fewest numbers. Birds, for instance, lay only a limited number of eggs each year, but guard them meticulously. Likewise, larger mammals produce only one or two young, but take it upon themselves to protect and care for them for a very long time. Some fish and insects lay thousands of eggs at any one time; and mice have several litters per year. But they do not pay the same attention to their eggs or offspring. Even if only a few survive, they are enough to guarantee the continuation of the species, because of the original high numbers involved. Were they to try and show the same devotion to every single one of their offspring, there would be a significant damage done to the world's ecological balance. For example, were this the case with field mice, who reproduce in great numbers, their population would increase to such an extent that they would overrun the world.51 Reproduction is a vital factor in the preservation of the ecological balances, but it is impossible for animals themselves to monitor and balance this factor by conscious control.
None of these animals is a rational being. They cannot know that they need to reproduce to begin with, nor that they should consider the balances of the ecosystem and act accordingly. However, natural balances are indeed preserved, and each animal exactly fulfills its responsibilities. This clearly shows that all living things are governed by the same authority. Nothing in nature is unsupervised or uncontrolled; all bow to God, their Creator, and act accordingly.
God says in the Qur'an that no creature could reproduce unless He wills it, and that He determines death as well as life:
God knows what every female bears and every shrinking of the womb and every swelling. Everything has its measure with Him. (Qur'an, 13: 8)
. . . And no fruit emerges from its husk, nor does any female get pregnant or give birth, without His knowledge. . . (Qur'an, 41: 47)
The kingdom of the heavens and earth belongs to God. He creates whatever He wills. He gives daughters to whoever He wishes; and He gives sons to whoever He wishes; or He gives them both sons and daughters; and He makes whoever He wishes barren. Truly He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful. (Qur'an, 42: 49-50)
Extraordinary Care for Eggs and Young
 The python cares for its eggs, even though most people would think otherwise. |
It is possible to see many species of birds, fish or reptiles displaying acts of great devotion and compassion. Many species of animals suffer much hardship to protect their next generation-concealing them, placing the eggs carefully to prevent their breaking, warming or protecting the young from excessive heat, removing them to safety in case of danger, even carrying them around in their mouths, and guarding them for weeks on end.
Pythons can be dangerous to other larger creatures, including man, but are very protective and devoted to their eggs. The female python lays approximately 100 eggs, then curls up over them. This action cools the eggs by shading them when it's too hot; when it is too cool, she warms them by vibrating her body. In this way, the female python prevents life-endangering threats to her eggs.52
Another interesting group of animals is the mouthbrooders-fish that incubate their spawn in their mouths. Some continue to keep them in their mouths even after the eggs hatch. Catfish, for example, swim around for weeks with their mouths full of their marble-sized eggs. Sometimes they gurgle with their mouths to increase the eggs' oxygen supply. After the eggs hatch, they stay in the mouth of the male catfish for a few more weeks. During this period, the male sustains himself by drawing from his fat reserves and hardly ever eats.53
Another species that carries its young in its mouth is the frog. Rhinoderma carries its spawn inside itself. In the mating season, the females lay their eggs onto the ground, and the males gather to form a protective shield around the eggs. As the eggs develop, they begin to wobble within their globes of jelly, signaling for the males to come forward. They pick up the eggs and take them into their vocal sacs, which are unusually large. The eggs develop inside. One day, the male frog retches several times, then opens up its mouth wide and fully developed froglets emerge from his mouth.54
 For weeks, this species of frog carries its own eggs attached around his hind legs. |
Another species of frog, native to Australia, does not keep its eggs in a separate sac, but swallows them down to its stomach. But while the offspring inside the stomach are protected from the external world, still they are exposed to a great danger from the acidic stomach juices that can digest eggs. Therefore, if the female continues to secrete stomach juices as she usually does, she will digest her own young. But, this does not happen because preventive measures kick in. When the frog swallows her spawn, her stomach ceases to secrete digestive juices, so that the spawn are saved from being digested.55
To guarantee the safety of their offspring, some other frogs use altogether different methods. For instance, after the Pipa toad spawns, the male frog gathers the eggs with his webbed feet and places them on the female's back. The eggs stick to her skin, which begins to swell, and the eggs are embedded in it. A thin membrane forms over the eggs. Within thirty hours, they sink far enough as to become invisible, and the back of the female frog is level once again. The eggs develop under her skin. After 15 days, the back of the frog begins to stir with the movements of tadpoles. On the 24th day, the young frogs penetrate the skin, emerge into the water, and they immediately seek a safe place to hide.56
The midwife toad, native to Europe, spends the best part of its life in holes on land in the proximity of water. It mates on land and, after the female has spawned, the male fertilizes her eggs. A quarter of an hour later, the male begins to stick the eggs together into strings, which he then bonds to his hind legs. Wherever the male goes over the coming few weeks, he drags the spawn along with him. When the eggs are ready to hatch, the male returns to the water, where he stays until all the tadpoles have emerged. He then returns to his hole in the ground.57
 Many species of birds nest in colonies. In the picture below, there are 70 eggs for every square meter, but the birds can always find their own eggs and young when they return from feeding. |
In all these examples, one important point must not be missed. The behavior of these frogs is in complete harmony with their physical characteristics. One of these frogs has a sac made for the spawn that extends right down the underside of its body. The frog could not possibly be conscious of this, but instead of swallowing the eggs, it takes them into its vocal sac as if it were. The other species of frog, because it lacks the faculty of thought and intellect, could not know that its digestive juices would harm its spawn, much less how to stop secreting it. No living creature is able to stop its stomach from secreting digestive juices. Yet another species has a back uniquely suited to carry its spawn. Its physical attributes and behavior are so complex that they couldn't possibly have developed by chance.
In each of these examples, there is an intrinsic design and plan. It is self-evident that God, the All-Knowing and All-Wise, has created these physical and behavioral characteristics in frogs, letting them be in harmony with one another as well as all the other living things. God, the Infinitely Compassionate and Merciful, protects all babies and offspring.
God has given the instincts of protection and compassion not only to the creatures mentioned here. Similarly, the eggs and larvae of ants, termites, bees and other colony-forming insects are the central point of their care and attention. Ants keep their eggs and larvae in underground chambers built especially for that purpose. Worker ants frequently move them from chamber to chamber, according to fluctuations in humidity and temperature, going to and fro, carrying the larvae in their jaws. When their nest comes under attack by other creatures, the worker ants immediately evacuate these chambers and carry the larvae to safety outside the nest.58
 Above: The rain-bird wets its breast feathers when the day is hot in order to cool its eggs. Below left: The albatross. Below right: The fairy tern does everything its eggs require during incubation. As these pictures demonstrate, birds tend their eggs carefully. They build nests to protect them and never leave them unattended. Beyond doubt, it is God, their sustainer and protector, Who inspires them to do so. |
Birds' care for their eggs is truly astonishing. For example, the little ringed plover lays four eggs in a hole in the ground. If the temperature rises dangerously, it plunges its abdomen in water and on its return, cools the eggs with the moisture on its feathers.59
Most egg-laying animals regulate the temperature of their eggs' environment. Water fowl, like ducks and geese, for example, cover their eggs with feathers that they pluck from their own own breasts. This prevents heat loss from the eggs.60
Like many smaller birds, swans maintain their eggs' warmth by sitting on them. The female frequently gets up and turns the eggs so they will warm evenly.61
For incubating its eggs, the phalarope bird uses an altogether different method. Once the female lays her eggs, her mate takes over the responsibility of looking after them. Sitting on the eggs, he soon loses the feathers on his breast and abdomen. This increases blood flow to these areas of skin, and the warmth is sufficient for the male to incubate the eggs in just over three weeks.62
 Burrowing Owls Many species of birds employ various skills to protect their eggs from danger. For instance the burrowing owl builds its nest three meters (ten feet) underground, where it lays between 6 and 12 eggs. Males assist the females during the incubation period, and one or the other will always guard the entrance leading to their nest. Should a predatory bird try to enter, one of the birds will imitate the hissing sound of a snake-so well that the intruder is scared off.65 |
Regulating the temperature in the nest is vital for the development of the eggs of all creatures. It is very significant that animals are most sensitive in this regard and regulate the temperature by a variety of methods. It's not likely that any bird, snake or ant should know the importance of proper temperature and then, all by itself, discover an appropriate method for keeping temperatures at the needed level. That knowledge must lie outside of these animals. To thinking people, God, the Creator of everything, reveals His endless wisdom by creating different qualities in countless different creatures.
Often these animals tire endlessly in the effort to look after their young. Birds, in particular, are often required to build nest after nest, in one breeding season. While providing for their young in one nest, they have to incubate the eggs in another. For instance, in the little ringed plover and the grebes, both male and female, spend their days between incubating the eggs in one nest and feeding their young in the other.63
More interestingly, in the water hen and window swallow species, the young in the first nest help raise of the younger birds in the second. Many bee-eater pairs aid other pairs. This type of cooperation among one another is common among birds.64 No doubt, every one of these acts of selfless devotion rocks the whole premise of the theory of evolution. Such higher behavior should not exist in a natural ecosystem that, according to the evolutionists, has been formed by random chance and is populated by creatures with no concern for any individual beyond themselves. However, countless examples of altruism and helpfulness prove that nature is not the product of chance, but has been created by a superior being.
The Emperor Penguin's Unequalled Patience
 In the mating season, emperor penguins migrate for miles to their nesting grounds. |
This is yet another species that goes to great effort to protect its eggs, and shows an astonishing level of patience and endurance. These birds, native to the inhospitable conditions of Antarctica, migrate a few miles to suitable grounds in March or April (when winter begins in the Southern Hemisphere) in order to reproduce and raise their young. Around 25,000 penguins congregate to mate. In May or June, each female lays one egg. The pair will not build a nest for their egg, as their whole environment is a land of ice and snow. Nor will they lay their egg on the ice, because it would not withstand the cold and freeze instantly. That is why the female carries the egg on her feet. A few hours after the female lays the egg, the male joins her, and they stand breast to breast.
The male takes the egg from the female, both making sure that the egg doesn't make contact with the ice. He pushes his toes under the egg, then raises them to roll it onto his feet, doing this with utmost care and attention so as not to break the egg by accident. After this difficult exercise, he buries the egg in his feathers.
Producing the egg has almost exhausted the female penguin's fat reserves, and she must immediately return to the sea to find food and restore her body fat to its former level. This is why the male needs to incubate her egg. But this is a much more difficult incubation period than other birds experience, and requires much patience. A male penguin never puts the egg down on the ice and therefore, he is almost completely immobile. He can move for only a few meters by dragging his feet and using his tail like a third foot. He rests on his heels while raising his toes, to prevent the precious egg from rolling onto the ice to freeze. Because his feet are covered by feathers, the temperature there is 80 degrees Centigrade (176 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the outside air. The egg never gets chilled by the freezing cold.
As the Southern Hemisphere winter progresses, snowstorms begin to wreak havoc. Winds can reach speeds of 120-160 kilometers an hour (75-95 mph). Under these murderous conditions, the male penguins go without food for a month and hardly ever move, proving their dedication for their offspring. In order not to freeze, male penguins huddle closer together, forming a solid bloc. To prevent cold air from blowing in between them, they press their beaks against their chests and their necks curve to the horizontal, thus forming a feathered roof with no gaps in between. Those penguins on the fringes are forced to stomach all the harshness of the South Pole. Not for long, though, because they keep rotating so as to face the cold in turns, proving their solidarity. No one bird refuses to take his turn.
 Both male and female emperor penguins show selfless devotion for their young. |
It is very significant indeed that thousands of penguins can live side by side under the harshest conditions without conflict. It would be very unlikely for man, blessed with consciousness and intellect, to live in harmony, considerate and unselfish, where such a conflict of interest exists. But penguins do not desert their eggs, despite these inhospitable conditions and the threats to their own lives. This deals a lethal blow to the evolutionists' claim that the weak die out and perish, destroyed by the strong. Instead, nature is where the vulnerable are protected and cared for, despite all the hardships involved.
After a most difficult 60 days, the penguins' eggs hatch. The males, even after 60 days of resisting the cold without any food, are still preoccupied with their young rather than themselves. The new arrivals need nourishment. From their gullets, the male penguins produce a milky secretion which they feed to their offspring. At this critical moment, the females return. They call for their mates, who return their call. The pairs recognize one another by their voices during the mating ritual. Despite their three-month separation, they recognize each other immediately, and their ability to do so is a God-given gift.
The females have full crops and regurgitate in front of the chicks, which then eat their first real meal. You might expect the male, upon the female's return, to leave its offspring to mind its own business, but not so: he looks after the chick for another ten days, keeping it warm on his feet. Only then does he return to the sea to find his first meal in four months.
After about three to four weeks at sea, he returns to take over the responsibility of looking after the young from the female, who then sets off to feed in the ocean again.
In the first stages of their lives, baby penguins cannot generate their own body heat. If left alone, they die within minutes. This is why the male and female penguin take turns feeding their offspring and protecting it from the cold, not hesitating to endanger their own lives in this cause.66
God directs male and female penguins to cooperate in protecting their eggs and young under the worst conditions, sharing the work at the risk of death. They never desert their young at any cost, even for a single moment. Under those conditions, a creature devoid of reason could be expected to soon abandon its egg in order to find for itself. But thanks to the feeling of protection that God inspires in them, penguins guard the egg not for hours or days, but for months.
25 Russell Freedman, How Animals Defend Their
Young (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1978), p. 4.
26 Ibid., p. 4.
27 Peter J. B. Slater, The Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior
(New York: Facts on File Publications, 1987), p. 87.
28 Glenn Oeland, "Emperors of the Ice", National Geographic,
Vol. 189, no. 3, March 1996, p. 64.
29 Giovanni G. Bellani, Quand L'oiseau Fait Son Nid (When The
Bird Makes Its Nest) (Arthaud, 1996), p. 85.
30 Freedman, How Animals Defend Their Young, pp. 13-14.
31 Bellani, Quand L'oiseau Fait Son Nid, pp. 24, 90.
32 Ibid., 89.
33 David Attenborough, The Life of Birds (New Jersey: Princeton
University Press, 1998), pp. 233-234.
34 Freedman, How Animals Defend Their Young, p. 47.
35 Attenborough, The Life of Birds, p. 234.
36 Slater, The Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, p. 42; and
Attenborough, Life of Birds, pp. 234-235.
37 "Kalahari Gems," www.safricavoyage.com/kalahari.htm
38 Freedman, How Animals Defend Their Young, p. 13.
39 Attenborough, Life of Birds, p. 225.
40 Freedman, How Animals Defend Their Young, p. 14.
41 Ibid., p. 14.
42 Ibid., p. 47.
43 Attenborough, Life of Birds, pp. 149-151.
44 The Marvels of Animal Behavior (National Geopraphic Society,
1972), p. 301; and Attenborough, Life of Birds, p. 228.
45 Curt Kosswig, Genel Zooloji (General Zoology) (Istanbul:
1945), pp. 145-148.
46 Thor Larsen, "Polar Bear: Lonely Nomad of the North", National
Geographic, April 1971, p. 587.
47 International Wildlife, November-December 1994, p. 15.
48 Freedman, How Animals Defend Their Young, p. 15.
49 Ibid., p. 16.
50 Ibid., p. 17.
51 Ibid., p. 6.
52 Tony Seddon, Animal Parenting (New York: Facts on File Publications,
1989), p. 27.
53 Freedman, How Animals Defend Their Young, p. 19.
54 David Attenborough, Life on Earth (Glasgow: William Collins
Sons & Co. Ltd, 1979), p. 147.
55 Seddon, Animal Parenting, p. 31.
56 Attenborough, Life on Earth, p. 145.
57 Ibid., p. 146.
58 Seddon, Animal Parenting, p. 19.
59 Bellani, Quand L'oiseau Fait Son Nid, p. 59.
60 Attenborough, The Life of Birds, p. 241.
61 Roger B. Hirschland, How Animals Care for Their Babies (Washington
D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1987), p. 6.
62 "When This Water Bird Is Hungry, It Simply Summons Food
to the Surface", National Wildlife, Oct-Nov. 1998
63 Bellani, Quand L'oiseau Fait Son Nid, p. 23.
64 Ibid., p. 20.
65 Ibid., pp. 104-105.
66 Attenborough, Life of Birds, pp. 288-292.
AWARENESS IN ANIMALS: ONE OF THE DEAD ENDS FOR THE THEORY OF EVO
AWARENESS IN ANIMALS:
ONE OF THE DEAD ENDS
FOR THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION
 |
On Earth, Man is the only being possessing intellect and reason. Besides his physical characteristics, the most important features that distinguish him from all other beings are those that derive from his human intellect and powers of reason-the faculties of comparison, decision, reasoning, predicting, planning ahead and taking precautions, comprehension, working toward future goals, and other similar qualities. No other creatures in nature possess such an intellect or high degree of awareness. Therefore, we can't expect animals to plan, anticipate future events, or apply engineering calculations to decide on any issue.
So how can we explain the behaviors, clearly the products of reason and consciousness, so often observed in nature? Especially since some of these behaviors are displayed by beings without a brain! Before moving to answer this question, we can more easily understand its importance if, first, we provide some obvious examples of animal behavior that arise from consciousness and reasoning.
Beaver Dams as Engineering Projects
Beavers calculate like real engineers, work like master builders, and build lodges of extraordinary design. With the same impressive skill, they build dams to slow the outflow of the water in which they build their dwellings. To accomplish this, they have to undergo some highly tedious procedures. First of all, they must obtain a large quantity of logs and branches, as sources of nourishment as well as for building material for the dam and nest. To this end, they fell trees by chewing through the trunks with their teeth. It has been observed that in this process, they assess the suitability of the environment: Generally, they prefer to work where the prevailing wind blows towards the water. This way, most of the trees they fell fall in the direction of the water making the logs easier for the beavers to transport.
Beaver nests are of a highly complex design. Each lodge has two underwater entries, as well as-just above water level-a larder and, further up, a dry sleeping chamber with a ventilation shaft.
Beavers calculate like architects
and work like craftsmen to build nests of extraordinary design.
Left: A beaver building the dam needed to raise the water level and protect its lodge.  The beavers' dam.  A drawing of a skillfully built beaver lodge. |
Beavers construct the outside walls of their nests by piling up the building materials they gather, filling every crevice with twigs and mud, making sure not to leave any holes or cavities.
These building materials they use protect the lodge from sliding and keep out the cold. In winter, it becomes blanketed in snow, and even if the temperature outside falls below -35° C (-31° F), the temperature within remains above the freezing point. For when winter food is scarce, they also have a food stash concealed underwater.
Beavers also build a network of canals, each of them approximately one meter (three feet) wide, by which they can reach the trees they feed off, which are typically located on higher and drier ground considerable distances away.
Beavers build their dams of plant matter and stones, in a manner similar to their nests. First they weave branches across the water between the two banks of a stream, forming an interwoven triangular structure. In order to fill in the structure's gaps and raise its height, they work against the current and keep on adding branches and mud, until their dam has finally transformed a narrow stream into a wide pool of calm water. Widening and deepening the water provides them with an ideal environment where they can store food for the winter, as well as area for them to swim freely and more easily transport food and building materials. In addition, it also creates a wide, safe moat around the beavers' lodges that, just like the moat surrounding a human castle, makes it almost impossible for predators to attack them.2
This brief summary shows how every stage of beavers' construction reflects intellect, planning, knowledge and calculation. But it would be irrational to credit the beaver, an animal without intellect or ability to reason, with all these qualities. Therefore we must find an explanation for the source of the beaver's behavior. If this intellect and planning do not belong to the beaver, who does it belong to? The answer is God, Who brings out superior features in beavers, as well as in many other creatures, of which we'll see many examples as we progress through the following chapters. With His infinite reason and power, God has created them, brings out their superior qualities by His inspiration, and commands them to effect their ingenious plans.
The Atlas Moth Caterpillar that Plans a Few Steps Ahead
Obviously, beavers are not the only creatures in nature that plan, calculate, and display rational behavior. One of the other successful creatures in this respect is a species of caterpillar, much smaller than a beaver, in which one would never expect to find the slightest glimmer of intellect. This is the atlas moth caterpillar.
This caterpillar pupates in a cocoon like all other moth caterpillars, concealing itself under a leaf once it has emerged from the larval stage. It does this according to a clever premeditated plan whose every stage requires great skill. Since a fresh green leaf cannot be bent to form a protective shelter, the caterpillar overcomes this problem by the simplest imaginable solution. To serve its purpose, it first ties the leaf to the branch with its silk, so that the leaf won't fall when the caterpillar gnaws through its stem. Inevitably, the cut leaf dries out and, after a while, begins to curl. In this way, the caterpillar obtains an ideal leaf tube in the space of a few hours.
In the first instance, you might think that by hiding in a dry leaf to obtain a safe abode for itself, the caterpillar displayed intelligent behavior. This might well be true. But also, it would present an easy meal. A dry leaf's difference in color would give it away, attracting the attention of birds and spelling doom for the caterpillar.
Here again, the caterpillar acts to prevent itself from being recognized easily. Like a mathematician who makes probability calculations, it prepares five or six other "decoy" leaves just like the one it will enter, and weaves silk around them. In this way, any hungry bird must choose among six or seven dry leaves, only one of which contains the caterpillar's pupa. The others are all dummies. If a bird turns its attention towards any one of the dry leaves, the odds are six to one against its finding the caterpillar.3
It's self-evident that these behaviors are all intelligent and premeditated. But is it really possible for a caterpillar with such a microscopic brain and simple nervous system to display such behavior? The caterpillar does not have the faculty of thought to let it plan ahead. Nor can it possibly have learned this stratagem from another caterpillar and, in reality, it's not even aware of the dangers that birds might present. So who came up with this idea of how to mislead the caterpillar's predators?
Were you to ask an evolutionist these questions, he would never give you clear and satisfying answers. But when cornered there's one expression that evolutionists resort to: instincts. They say that any such animal behaviors are instinctive. In the case we've just examined, the first question they should be asked is, "Define instinct." If such behavior is instinctive, as with the caterpillar concealing itself in a leaf, there must be some mechanism or force that drives it to do so. Similarly, some similar force must impel the beaver to build its dams and lodges. And, as we can deduce by the first syllable of the word instinct, this mechanism or force must lie somewhere within the creature.
What is the Source of Instincts?
Even though an evolutionist
himself, Gordon R. Taylor says that evolution leaves unanswered
all questions on animal instinct. |
Scientists use the word instinct to define animals' inborn behaviors. Always left unanswered, however, are the questions of how these instinctive behaviors first appeared, and how animals developed these instincts and passed them down through later generations.
In his book, The Great Evolution Mystery, evolutionist and geneticist Gordon Rattray Taylor admits this logical dead end:
When we ask ourselves how any instinctive pattern of behaviour arose in the first place and became hereditarily fixed, we are given no answer...4
Some evolutionists, who do not admit this dilemma as Taylor does, try to pass over such questions with vague rhetoric of no specific meaning. According to the theory of evolution, instinctive behaviors are coded in the genes. According to this rationale, bees build their extraordinary and mathematically precise combs because of their instincts. In other words, Someone must have programmed into the genes of all the bees on Earth the instinct of how to construct regular six-sided combs.
If so, everyone of reason and common sense must wonder: If living things act out most of their behaviors because they are programmed to do so, who programmed them in the first place? No program is self-generating or self-fulfilling, and every program must have a programmer who originated it.
Evolutionists can find no answers to this question. In their publications on the subject, they use a convenient smokescreen: the claim that "Mother Nature" gives all creatures their innate qualities. But "Mother Nature" consists of rocks, soil, water, trees, and plants. Which of these elements could possibly make animals behave in a rational, conscious manner? Which part of nature has the intellect or ability to program living creatures? Everything we see in nature has been created and therefore, cannot create on its own. What intelligent person, on seeing a painting, would say, "What a nice picture these pigments have developed"? This is an obviously irrational question. To the same degree, it would be irrational to claim that creatures without intellect can program their own offspring to act rationally and intelligently.
Here, we're confronted with a very clear fact: Since these creatures haven't acquired these superior features with their own intellects but were born with these faculties, some superior Being of intellect and knowledge must have given them these abilities and created them in a way as to display their behaviors. No doubt the owner of the intellect and knowledge we see everywhere in nature is God.
In the Qur'an, God uses bees as an example, saying that it is He Who inspires in them their seemingly intelligent behavior. In other words, God's inspiration is really what evolutionists attempt to explain as instincts, or that animals are "programmed" to do certain things. This reality is revealed in the Qur'an:
Your Lord revealed to the bees: "Build dwellings in the mountains and the trees, and also in the structures which men erect. Then eat from every kind of fruit and travel the paths of your Lord, which have been made easy for you to follow." From inside them comes a drink of varying colors, containing healing for mankind. There is certainly a Sign in that for people who reflect. (Qur'an, 16: 68-69)
"Mother Nature," who evolutionists credit with the divine powers of creation, consists of lakes, mountains, and trees. Which part of it can give the beaver the instinct to build its dam or provide any creature with its extraordinary abilities?
Evolutionists disregard this clear fact, in order to deny the existence of God. In reality, they themselves search for an explanation for observed animal behavior, but are well aware that the theory of evolution cannot explain it. In any current evolutionist book or publication on animal behavior, you will read sentences like, "To do this requires higher intelligence, but how do animals, lacking intellect, do it? This is a question that science cannot answer."
The renowned evolutionist Hoimar Von Ditfurth's comments on the atlas moth caterpillar are a classic example of what evolutionists have to say on the obvious awareness in animal behavior:
The thought of presenting predators with decoys (other dry leaves) in order to conceal itself is astonishing to us, but whose clever idea is this, anyhow? It's an extremely original strategy to send away hungry birds who hunt for caterpillars by reducing the probability of their being discovered among the dry leaves. Who devised it for the caterpillar to use not long after it was hatched? . . . These are methods of survival that intelligent humans might resort to. However, if we consider the primitive central nervous system of the atlas moth caterpillar (Attacus) as well as its other behavior, it's clearly incapable of reasoning or designing along those lines. Then how can this caterpillar protect itself this way? In the past, naturalists who made such observations believed not only in the existence of miracles, but in the existence of a supernatural Creator or God Who, in order to protect His creations, distributed such knowledge for them to defend themselves. Such an explanation is anathema for today's naturalists. But on the other hand, its equally pointless for modern science to try and explain such a phenomenon with instincts. Contrary to what most of us might believe, attributing such behavior to instincts-in this case, the caterpillar's-means interpreting them as inborn. That doesn't get us anywhere else than where we started from, and prevents us from finding true answers to this problem… However, it's well-nigh irrational to speak of the "intelligence" of caterpillars lacking a developed brain. Yet if we look at the behaviors that we've been examining from the start, we do notice that some features meet the criteria of intelligence. If focusing on a goal, predicting future events, calculating the potential behavior of another species, and responding appropriately are not indicators of intelligence, then what is?5
This is a famous evolutionist's attempts to explain the behavior of a small caterpillar that acts with intelligence and planning. In such books or publications, it's not possible to find other comments or explanations, aside from this sort of demagogic sentences and unanswered questions.
Actually Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution, realized the threat that animals' instinctive behavior posed to his theory. In his book, On the Origins of Species, he admitted this clearly, here as well as in other places:
Many instincts are so wonderful that their development will probably appear to the reader a difficulty sufficient to overthrow my whole theory.6
In The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, Francis Darwin, Darwin's son, relates his father's dilemma over instincts:
Chapter III of [The Origin of Species], which concludes the first part, treats of the variations which occur in the instincts and habits of animals… It seems to have been placed thus early in the Essay to prevent the hasty rejection of the whole theory by a reader to whom the idea of natural selection acting on instincts might seem impossible. This is the more probable, as the Chapter on Instinct in the "Origin" is specially mentioned (Introduction, page 5) as one of the "most apparent and gravest difficulties on the theory."7
Instincts Do Not Develop Through Evolution
Proponents of this theory say that most animal behavior is instinctive, but as we stated before, evolutionists cannot explain the source of instincts, how they first arose, or how animals acquired their apparently knowledgeable behavior. When some evolutionists feel cornered, they claim that animals acquire some behaviors through experience, and the process of natural selection automatically chooses the most successful ones, which are then passed on to the next generation, through inheritance.
You need not reflect too deeply to detect the scientific flaws in this logic. We can now proceed to examine the errors in these evolutionists' claims.
1. Invalidating the Claim that Advantageous Behaviors are Chosen Through Natural Selection
Natural selection, one of the central mechanisms of the theory that Darwin proposed, means that any change (either physical or behavioral) beneficial to an animal is selected in preference over others and thus becomes a permanent feature, to be passed on to the next generation.
But here is a crucially important point that we shouldn't disregard: Darwin's theory presumes that nature is able to distinguish between beneficial and harmful, thus making conscious decisions. However, no force or consciousness existing in nature is capable of such a feat. Neither the animal itself nor any other creature has the faculties to determine which behaviors are beneficial. Only a conscious Being of intellect Who has created both nature and animals can make such selections.
 There is only one possible explanation for creatures devoid of thinking and reason to show compassion and to protect and feed their young: All living beings act on the directions of God. The diving bird shown here, feeding its young, does so by the will of God. |
Darwin himself admitted the impossibility of acquiring complex and beneficial behavior by means of natural selection. He confessed that his claims owe more to imagination than to science and are therefore flawed. Nevertheless, he persisted:
Finally, it may not be a logical deduction, but to my imagination it is far more satisfactory to look at such instincts as the young cuckoo ejecting its foster-brothers, ants making slaves… not as specially endowed or created instincts, but as small consequences of one general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die.8
Professor Cemal Yildirim, one of Turkey's foremost evolutionists, admits that natural selection cannot explain mothers' tenderness and love for their offspring:
Can a mother's love be explained by the blind process of natural selection, which has no spiritual aspects? For such questions, it's hardly possible for Darwinist biologists to give satisfactory answers.9
Cemal Yildirim, himself an evolutionist, expresses an important dilemma for the theory of evolution by asking, "Can a mother's love be explained by the blind process of natural selection?" |
In living creatures that are devoid of intellect and reason, there are some innate "spiritual" qualities that they could not have acquired by their own will. Therefore, there must exist some power that gives it to them. Neither nature nor the process of natural selection possess awareness and spiritual qualities, so therefore, they cannot be these qualities' source. The obvious reality is that all beings live under the will and control of God. This is why, so often in the natural world, we witness extremely conscious behavior in unthinking animals that makes us ask, "How can any animal know this?" or "How could this creature think that?"
2. Invalidating the Claim that Behavior Can Be Acquired through Natural Selection and Passed on to the Next Generation
The second of the evolutionists' claims is the behaviors that surviving individuals acquire can be passed on to the future generations. But this assertion is full of inconsistencies. First of all, even if animals learn a behavior by means of experience, it's impossible for them to pass it down to their offspring. The learned behavior belongs to-and stops with-the animal that acquired it. It's definitely impossible to pass on learned behaviors via the gene pool.
Evolutionist Gordon R. Taylor, whom we quoted earlier, dismisses some biologists' claim that an organism's behavior can be passed down to its later offspring:
Biologists assume freely that such inheritance of specific behavior patterns is possible, and indeed that it regularly occurs. Thus [the late Theodosius] Dobzhansky [an evolutionist Professor of Zoology] roundly asserts: 'All bodily structures and functions, without exception, are products of heredity realized in some sequence of environments. So are all forms of behavior, without exception.' This simply isn't true and it is lamentable that a man of Dobzhansky's standing should dogmatically assert it. Some forms of behavior are, certainly; we have no way of knowing that all are.
But the plain fact is that the genetic mechanism shows not the slightest sign of being able to convey specific behavior patterns. What it does is manufacture proteins. By producing more of certain hormones it could affect behavior in an overall way- making the animal more aggressive, more passive or perhaps even more maternal. But there is not the faintest indication that it can hand on a behavioral programme of a specific kind, such as the sequence of actions involved in nest building.
If in fact behavior is heritable, what are the units of behavior which are passed on-for presumably there are units? No one has suggested an answer.10
As Gordon Taylor stated, it's highly unscientific to assert that complex behavioral patterns are inbred. Conscious serial actions, like birds building nests, beavers constructing dams or bees making honeycombs, are of a complexity that requires foresight. The fact that worker bees and ants are sterile present another convincing proof that behavior cannot be inbred.
The colony's worker ants display specific behavior that requires a certain level of knowledge and no little skill at evaluation. However, worker ants can't possibly acquire any of it genetically because they are sterile and cannot pass on their features to the next generation. We must ask evolutionists this question: How did the first worker ant that acquired its specific behavior pass it along to the next generation? Not just ants, but also sterile worker bees and termites display behaviors requiring intelligence, skill, solidarity, discipline, teamwork and devotion. But from the day these creatures first appeared, millions of years ago, they have been unable to pass on any of their acquired characteristics.
Furthermore, it can't be said that they learned their extraordinary behaviors. All these creatures begin to display these behaviors perfectly, from the first moment they emerged from their pupae. They do not go through any learning process on any subject; all their behavior is determined according to knowledge they have at birth. This is equally true for the "instinctive" behaviors of all other living beings anywhere on earth. If this is so, who does teach them these skills?
Darwin voiced this contradiction 150 years ago:
. . . [I]t would be a serious error to suppose that the greater number of instincts have been acquired by habit in one generation, and then transmitted by inheritance to succeeding generations. It can be clearly shown that the most wonderful instincts with which we are acquainted, namely, those of the hive-bee and of many ants, could not possibly have been acquired by habit.11
If a working ant or other neuter insect had been an ordinary animal, I should have unhesitatingly assumed that all its characters had been slowly acquired through natural selection; namely, by individuals having been born with slight profitable modifications, which were inherited by the off-spring; and that these again varied and again were selected, and so onwards. But with the working ant we have an insect differing greatly from its parents, yet absolutely sterile; so that it could never have transmitted successively acquired modifications of structure or instinct to its progeny. It may well be asked, how is it possible to reconcile this case with the theory of natural selection?12
Darwin's objection remains unanswered by evolutionists today.
The evolutionist Cemal Yildirim expresses the dilemma that this subject presents to his fellow evolutionists:
From among the social insects, let us take the worker ants and bees. Since they are sterile, it's impossible for them to pass on to later generations whatever characteristics and modifications they may have acquired during their lives. And yet these workers have adapted to their environment and way of behavior in an advanced manner.13
As we can see from these admissions, the astounding behavior of living things and their instincts cannot be explained by evolutionary mechanisms. These animals' skills are not acquired by the processes of natural selection, nor is it possible to transfer them, through inheritance, from one generation to the next.
3. Invalidating the Claim that Instincts Evolve and Change Along with a Species
The theory of evolution claims that species evolve from one another. According to this proposition, amphibians-for instance-evolved from fish. But it must not be forgotten that each species' behavior is distinct. A fish behaves completely different from an amphibian. If so, did the creature's behavior change according to the biological changes that took place?
This question highlights the evolutionists' dilemmas and contradictions. Darwin was well aware of them and even questioned the proposition that instincts can be acquired and then evolve through natural selection:
. . . [C]an instincts be acquired and modified through natural selection? What shall we say to the instinct which leads the bee to make cells, and which has practically anticipated the discoveries of profound mathematicians?14
We can multiply these contradictions by giving the examples of other living classes such as fish, reptiles, and birds:
Fish have their own unique ways of hunting, building and defending their nests, and propagating their species. These characteristics harmonize perfectly with their existing underwater living conditions. In the breeding season, some fish adhere their eggs to rocks under water and increase the oxygen flow to them by fanning their fins. Birds, on the other hand, conceal their eggs in specially constructed nests and hatch them through incubation.
Each species-whether a
sea horse, bird or goat-displays its own characteristic behavior.
If these creatures have evolved biologically as evolutionists claim,
their behavior must also have been evolved simultaneously. This
claim, however, is irrational. |
Some fish build nests in rock cavities in the water, and some land animals build nests on trees using bark and twigs as building materials, whereas birds use grass and other fine matter. On the other hand, some reptiles such as crocodiles, bury their eggs in sand where they remain for their two-month incubation period.
 "And in your creation and all the creatures He has spread about there are Signs for people with certainty." (Qur'an, 45: 4) |
Mammals, which evolutionists claim to have evolved from reptiles, reproduce altogether differently from other class of animals. While all other species lay eggs, mammals carry their young in their womb for months before giving birth to them, and then feed their babies with mother's milk.
Each animal hunts for food in a different way. Some lurk in ambush over an extended period, others camouflage themselves, and yet others use the advantages of speed or flight. As we know, land animals' behavior varies considerably from that of water dwellers, all depending on their environment and living conditions.
Under these circumstances, animals' instincts must undergo great changes during the evolutionary process. For instance if a fish, following its instincts, sticks its eggs onto a rock and stirs up the water to provide an oxygen flow to them, this inner drive must also change, in the process of its evolving into a land animal. Furthermore, this instinct must change further, to the extent where the species starts building perfect nest structures high above the ground to incubate its eggs.
This is clearly not possible.
Yet another difficulty presents itself: If a species' biological makeup and therefore, its living environment change, but its behavior does not, then it cannot survive. For instance, a fish able to conceal itself in the oceans must quickly develop new defense mechanisms for itself, wasting no time. All of its bodily functions, behavior, and way of life must change at once. Otherwise, it is doomed, and its species will quickly die out along with it.
Obviously a creature devoid of logic and awareness cannot make such sudden decisions requiring reason and strategy. How come, then, that all living things can behave in the most perfect ways, each one befitting its biological and environmental conditions?
In The Origin of Species, Darwin refers to this criticism:
It has been objected to the foregoing view of the origin of instincts that "the variations of structure and of instinct must have been simultaneous and accurately adjusted to each other, as a modification in the one without an immediate corresponding change in the other would have been fatal."15
As we have seen, neither evolutionary processes, nor coincidences, nor "Mother Nature" can explain the behavior of animals and the true origins of instincts. How did species acquire the qualities that enable them to continue their existence?
Actually, the answer is clear and obvious. Anyone who has observed living organisms must agree that clearly, these behaviors neither originate in them nor are the product of successive "selective" coincidences. The true source for animal behavior is to be found neither in their bodies nor in their environment. It is self-evident that these behaviors are governed by an invisible power and intellect, which belong to God, the most compassionate and merciful.
Conclusion: All Living Things Act on the Urging and Behest of God
 |
As we've seen in the previous pages, evolutionists dealing with the subject of animal behavior are facing serious difficulties. On the other hand, the truth is clear. If animals, which clearly do not have intellect or the ability to reason, can discriminate between details, link up events, make the proper decisions, and plan for or predict subsequent events that require intelligence and awareness, they must be governed and directed by some power outside themselves. Evolutionists say that animals are "programmed" to behave in certain ways-but who created their programs? What power inspires the bees to build their combs? The answer is clear and obvious. Every person who has observed living things can clearly see that these behaviors neither originate in them nor are the product of successive coincidences. It is self-evident that there is an intellect and power that controls everything in nature and governs these behaviors. The owner of this intellect and power is God, the Creator of all there is.
The theory of evolution cannot even explain how any organism came into being, much less explain the source of that being's behavior. Therefore, it's of great importance to observe animal behavior, because doing so quickly reveals that no creature is left to its own devices. It is God, the Lord of everything on earth, in the heavens and in between, Who creates every being from nothing, controls it, guards it, and commands its behavior. As the Qur'an reveals:
[Hud said], "I have put my trust in God, my Lord and your Lord. There is no creature He does not hold by the forelock. My Lord is on a Straight Path." (Qur'an, 11: 56)
Animals' Devotion Belies Darwin's Thesis that Only the Fittest Survive
 A protective female crocodile carries her young in her jaws. |
As we have examined over the last few pages, the natural selection process that Darwin proposed suggests that those animals that are strongest and best adapted to their geography's living conditions can survive and continue their species, whereas those that have not adapted well and are weak in comparison perish. According to Darwinism's natural selection scenario, nature is an arena in which all creatures are engaged with one another in a fierce struggle for survival, and where weak individuals succumb to the stronger, leading to the extinction of their species.
According to this claim, every being needs to be stronger, fitter than its counterparts, and must fight to survive. Such an environment leaves no room for devotion, selflessness or cooperation, because any of these traits could work against the animal in question. For this reason, each individual must be as selfish as possible and consider only its own needs-its food, personal safety, and defending its nest.
 For months, penguins carry their young on their feet to protect them from the cold. |
Is nature really full of selfish and fiercely competitive individuals, where each animal is pitted against every other, trying to destroy or subdue one another?
So far, all the observations made in this respect belie evolutionists. Contrary to their claim, nature is not an arena governed by warfare alone. Quiet the opposite is true. There are many examples of devoted animals that often endanger their own lives, displaying selfless behavior at their own expense for the good of the herd, and intelligent group behavior with no personal benefit. In his book Evrim Kurami ve Bagnazlik (The Theory of Evolution and Bigotry), Cemal Yildirim-though himself an evolutionist, explains why Darwin and other evolutionists of his time concluded that nature is a battleground:
Scientists of the nineteenth century were easily misled into adopting the thesis that nature is a battlefield, because more often than not, they were imprisoned in their studies or laboratories and generally didn't bother to acquaint themselves with nature directly. Not even a respectable scientist like Huxley could exempt himself from this error.16
In his book, Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution, evolutionist Peter Kropotkin expresses the error of Darwin and his followers as follows:
... the numberless followers of Darwin reduced the notion of struggle for existence to its narrowest limits. They came to conceive the animal world as a world of perpetual struggle among half-starved individuals, thirsting for one another's blood. . . . In fact, if we take Huxley, who certainly is considered as one of the ablest exponents of the theory of evolution, were we not taught by him, in a paper on the "Struggle for Existence and its Bearing upon Man," that, "from the point of view of the moralist, the animal world is on about the same level as a gladiators' show. The creatures are fairly well treated, and set to, fight hereby the strongest, the swiftest, and the cunningest live to fight another day." . . . [I]t may be remarked at once that Huxley's view of nature had as little claim to be taken as a scientific deduction.17
 "Everything in the heavens and the earth glorifies God. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. The kingdom of the heavens and the earth belongs to Him. He gives life and causes to die. He has power over all things." (Qur'an, 57: 2) |
This state of affairs also indicates that this theory is not based on scientific observation. To support their evolutionist ideology, scientists have misinterpreted some clear features of nature. The war that Darwin imagined taking place in nature is nothing more than imaginary, because there aren't creatures who fight solely for their own gain. Many animals are friendly with others of their species and even behave selflessly. For this reason, evolutionists find it hard to explain such selfless behavior they regularly encounter. An article on the subject published in a scientific magazine exposes this dilemma:
The question is, Why do living beings help one another? According to Darwin's theory, every animal is fighting for its own survival and the continuation of its species. Helping other creatures would decrease its own chances of surviving, and therefore, evolution should have eliminated this type of behavior, whereas we observe that animals can indeed behave selflessly.18
Honeybees sting, even kill any animal that threatens their hive. But in stinging, they will have committed suicide. The barb of their sting breaks off in the adversary, taking with it part of the bee's lower abdomen and some of its internal organs. As we see here, the bee sacrifices its own life for the survival of the rest of the hive.
Male and female penguins protect their young even to the death. Both parents are totally devoted to their young. The male penguin shelters its baby between its legs for four months and during this period, it cannot feed. The female penguin goes in the sea, hunting for food for the baby and transports it back in its gullet.
The crocodile is one of the most ferocious animals, but the female crocodile shows astonishing devotion to her offspring. Once they hatch from their eggs, she carries them to the water in her jaws. From then on, she will keep them either in her mouth or on her body until they become self-sufficient. When the baby crocodiles encounter danger, they instantly seek refuge in their mother's mouth.
The crocodile is not just ferocious, but also an animal devoid of reason and logic. It would not be surprising, therefore, if she were to eat her young for food instead of protecting them.
Some animal mothers are forced to leave their own communities until their offspring are weaned, which exposes them to great dangers. Many species look after their young after they are born or hatched for many days or months and, in some cases, even years, providing them with food, shelter, warmth and protection from predators. Many species of birds feed their fledglings between four and 20 times an hour throughout the day. Mammal mothers have a different set of problems to deal with, for while suckling their babies, they need increased nourishment and therefore, need to hunt for more food. While her baby gains weight, she continues to lose it.
Animals without foresight or reason could be expected to desert their offspring at birth, because they could not be aware that those tiny creatures signify the survival of their species as a whole. Yet instead, they take all the responsibility of caring for their young entirely upon themselves.
Animals do not behave selflessly simply because they protect their young. In many cases, animals have been seen to behave very considerately and constructively toward other animals in their community. One example for this can be observed when food becomes scarce. In such a situation, one might assume that the stronger individuals would eliminate the others and seek to keep the limited resources for themselves. But things don't happen the way evolutionists would expect. In his book, the renowned evolutionist Peter Kropotkin gives examples of such behavior: In situations where food resources dry up, he states, ants begin to draw from their food stores. Birds migrate in flocks. And in a stream where the number of beavers becomes unsustainable, the younger ones migrate north, and the older ones south.19 As these facts demonstrate, no merciless struggle for food or shelter is going on. To the contrary, it can be observed that even in the hardest of times, there is solidarity and cooperation in nature, as if each animal were trying to help ease the conditions for the others.
We must not disregard one important point: None of these animals possesses the intelligence or awareness to make such decisions or to create such a protocol. How is it, then, that they can set a common goal to which they all adhere-and that their chosen aim can be the most effective of all?
No doubt it is God, the Lord of all the universe, Who created these creatures, inspires them to the most befitting behavior, and guards them at all times. God reveals His protection over all His creation as follows:
There is no creature on the Earth which is not dependent upon God for its provision. He knows where it lives and where it dies. They are all in a Clear Book. (Qur'an, 11: 6)
In the face of these realities, the evolutionists' claim that nature is a battlefield, that the selfish ones that fight in their own self-interest come out on top, is unsustainable. The famous evolutionist John Maynard Smith asks his fellow evolutionists the following question:
Here one of the key questions has to do with altruism:How is it that natural selection can favor patterns of behavior that apparently do not favor the survival of the individual?20
The "Instinct" for Continuing the Species
"He said, 'The Lord of the East and the West and everything between them if you used your intellect.'" (Qur'an, 26: 28) |
As we saw in the preceding pages, evolutionists cannot explain the important subject of animals' devotional behavior... The many examples observed in nature disprove the central propositions of the theory of evolution. The late Stephen Jay Gould, a renowned evolutionist, stated that acts of devotion in nature pose "the vexatious problem of altruism."21 Gordon R. Taylor, giving voice to the evolutionists' woes, says that living beings' devotional behavior "has long presented a challenge for Darwinism."22 Wholly "spiritual" qualities like care and compassion deal a clear sharp blow to the materialist worldview that views nature as the sum total of random interactions of matter.
Some evolutionists, refusing to admit defeat, came up with a proposition they termed "selfish gene theory." Richard Dawkins, one of the most ardent adherents and the pioneer of this position, claims that what appears to be selfless devotion is really driven by egotism. According to his view, animals displaying devotional behavior are doing so not because they want to help others of their species, but are acting on behalf of their own genes. To put this idea in context, any animal mother who sacrifices her life for her young is thereby helping pass along her genes. If her offspring survive, they will be more likely to perpetuate her genetic characteristics to the next generation. According to this rationale, all creatures-humans included-are simply "gene machines." Every living organism's foremost responsibility is to pass its genes along for future generations.
Evolutionists claim that living things behave according to their programming, to "want" to continue the species by transmitting their genes along to future generations. The following quote, from the evolutionary book Essentials of Biology, is a fine example of the explanations that classical evolutionists offer for animal behavior:
What might account for potentially self-destructive behavior? At least some altruistic acts are reputed to stem from so-called selfish genes. Parents that work themselves ragged to feed insatiable offspring or go without food as long as a predator is near are probably carrying out genetically programmed behavior-behavior that increases the chances of parental genes within the offspring being passed on to yet another generation. These innate, instinctive responses to predators may seem "purposeful" to the human observer, but in fact they are behavioral programs triggered by sights, sounds, odors, and other cues.23
This quotation says, in effect, that animals' behavior looks as if it has a purpose, an "ulterior motive"-but that these organisms don't commit these acts consciously, much less in order to serve any future end, but simply because they are "programmed to do so." The question that needs asking is this: What is the source of this programming? Yes, genes are encoded data banks, but they cannot think or reason. Genes do not possess intelligence or judgment; so therefore, if a living being's genes contained an order demanding selfless devotion, the gene itself could not be the source of it.
For example, if you press a computer's ON\OFF button, it will shut down-because an intelligent, conscious, knowledgeable programmer designed it to do so. Notice the distinction: The computer does not do this by itself; the button did not become by chance, through trial and error, a device that switches the computer off. Some engineer designed this switch, consciously and deliberately.
In this case, even if a creature's genes were programmed to act selflessly so that the species might continue, this would clearly indicate the existence of an intelligent, knowledgeable power that programmed the genes this way in the first place. God is this power, and He directs all living things, supervises them, and commands their actions-as the Qur'an reveals:
Everything in the heavens and every creature on the Earth prostrates to God, as do the angels. They are not puffed up with pride. They fear their Lord above them and do everything they are ordered to do. (Qur'an, 16: 49-50)
It is God Who created the seven heavens and of the Earth the same number, the Command descending down through all of them, so that you might know that God has power over all things and that God encompasses all things in His knowledge. (Qur'an, 65: 12)
Living Creatures Help not Only Related Animals with the Same Genes, but Other Species Too
 |
In Chapter 3, we'll see more detailed examples of animals that help not only their own young, but also other animals in need. This is an irresolvable issue for the evolutionists, because this behavior does nothing to pass genes along. The following example by the renowned evolutionist John Maynard Smith openly exposes the theory of evolution's dilemma:
In spite of male baboon's lack of genetic relationship, they do display one type of cooperative behavior. When two baboons are in some kind of contest, one of them may enlist the aid of a third baboon. The soliciting baboon asks for help with an easily recognized signal, turning its head repeatedly back and forth between its opponent and its potential assistant.24
Clearly, in short, animals help one another and act selflessly because God commands them to do so.
As we continue through the book, we'll see many more examples of selfless altruism, compassion, and devotion. It must not be forgotten that God has created these animals in the most perfect way, making them behave in this way.
2 John Sparks, The Discovery of Animal Behaviour
(Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1982), pp. 114-117.
3 Hoimar von Ditfurth, Dinazorların Sessiz Gecesi 1 (Turkish
translation of the German original of Im Amfang War Der Wasserstoff ((In the
Beginning Was Hydrogen)), (Istanbul: Alan Publishing, Nov. 1996) Trans. By Veysel
Atayman, pp. 12-19.
4 Gordon Rattray Taylor, The Great Evolution Mystery (London:
Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd, 1983), p. 222.
5 Ditfurth, Dinazorların Sessiz Gecesi 1, pp. 12-19
6 Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species (New York: The Modern
Library), p. 184.
7 Francis Darwin, The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin (New
York: D. Appleton and Co., 1896), Letter of C. Darwin to J. D. Hooker, Down,
March 1, 1854.
8 Darwin, C., The Origin of Species, p. 208.
9 Cemal Yildirim, Evrim Kurami ve Bagnazlik (The Theory of Evolution
and Bigotry) (Ankara: Bilgi Publishing House, January 1998), p. 185.
10 Taylor, The Great Evolution Mystery, p. 221.
11 Darwin, C., The Origin of Species, p. 185.
12 Ibid., p. 204.
13 Cemal Yildirim, Evrim Kurami ve Bagnazlik (The Theory of
Evolution and Bigotry), p. 34.
14 Darwin, C., The Origin of Species, p. 124.
15 Ibid., p. 124.
16 Cemal Yildirim, Evrim Kurami ve Bagnazlik (The Theory of
Evolution and Bigotry), p. 49.
17 Peter Kropotkin, Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution, Chapter
I. (http://www.spunk.org/library/writers/kropotki/sp001503/index.html)
18 Bilim ve Teknik (Science and Technology Journal), no. 190,
September 1983, p. 4.
19 Kropotkin, Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution, Chapter II.
20 John Maynard Smith, "The Evolution of Behavior", Scientific
American, September 1978, Vol. 239, no. 3, p. 176.
21 Taylor, The Great Evolution Mystery, p. 223.
22 Ibid., p.223.
23 Janet L. Hopson and Norman K. Wessells, Essentials of Biology
(USA: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 1990), p. 838.
24 John Maynard Smith, "The Evolution of Behavior", Scientific
American, September 1978, Vol. 239, no. 3, p. 184.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
 |
Now, at the beginning of the twentyfirst century, Darwin's theory of evolution is rapidly losing its scientific crediHbility. This theory, which materialists embraced at the turn of the 20th century and imposed on the masses as scientific fact, has now been clearly recognized as invalid. The most influential factors behind this were developments taking place in microbiology, paleontology and biochemistry, all sciences that have a bearing on evolutionary theory. Discoveries in these scientific fields revealed that life could not have evolved progressively, by chance and through trial and error, as Darwin's theory proposed.
The theory of evolution could never provide scientific evidence for its claims about the origins of life. Also, it left unanswered questions about the origins of living creatures' countless extraordinary features. One of the many considerations that led the theory of evolution into an impasse is the devotion shown by living beings-the subject of this book.
Animals in nature often display acts of devotion and altruism, form relationships based on solidarity and cooperation; and exhibit tender behavior toward one another. These all represent important, irresolvable issues for the theory of evolution.
When Darwin proposed his theory, he based his claims on a mechanism he called "natural selection" that by itself, had no evolutionary capabilities. According to his thesis, all life originated from one common ancestor, which developed into different species as a result of environmental differences. Those who adapted best to their environments survived, to reproduce and pass on to the next generation whatever small genetic changes they had acquired. Thus, after a long period of time, only the fittest and most adaptable individuals escaped extinction. Darwin suggested that all species in nature engaged in a struggle for survival, in which the fittest came out on top and the weak perished.
Julian Huxley, an ardent supporter of evolution, defined nature in this way:
... [M]uch of the struggle for existence is not directed against the forces of nature, nor against enemies, nor against competitors of other species, but against other members of the same species. Not only does the species as a whole have to struggle (in a metaphorical sense) to survive and reproduce, but so do the individuals within it.1
But is it true, as the evolutionists claim, that the natural arena is governed by the merciless rules of a selfish struggle for survival, in which the strong dominate and the weak are eliminated?
 |
The theory of evolution, claiming that nature is only an arena for warfare,
can in no way explain these examples of devotion. Living things disprove
evolution's central claim, clearly and definitely. Natural selection can
never explain why a zebra that has just escaped a predators' attack risks
its own life by returning to save other members of its endangered herd-nor,
for that matter, why the silverside fish should risk death by coming ashore
so as to help ensure the survival of their eggs. According to the claims
made by evolutionists, natural selection should have eliminated this kind
of altruistic behavior long ago.
Along with invalidating the theory of evolution, devotion and cooperation in animals provide evidence of an important truth: that the whole universe has been created by a superior being; and that each and every creature acts on the inspiration of God, its Creator.
In the next few pages, you will be reading about some of the astonishing and admirable behaviors exhibited by animals, who have no power of intellect. Anyone of reason and conscience will easily understand that such behavior can occur only by the power and control of God, the Lord of all living things. As He reveals in the Qur'an:
And in your creation and all the creatures He has spread about, there are Signs for people with certainty. (Qur'an, 45: 4)
1 Julian Huxley, Man in the Modern World (USA: The New American Library, October 1952), p. 173.
The Eternal Abode Of Those Who Seek Only The Approval Of Allah:
(Surat al-An'am: 162)
The Eternal Abode Of Those Who Seek Only
The Approval Of Allah: Paradise
They will have there everything they want and with Us there is still more. (Surah Qaf: 35)
There will be everything from which a man derives pleasure and there will be still more. (Surah Qaf: 35; Surat az-Zukhruf: 71; Surat al-Anbiya': 102)
There is a great kingdom there. (Surat al-Insan: 20)
There are blessings all around. (Surat as-Saffat: 43; Surat al-Insan: 20)
Having died once, they (the righteous) shall die no more. (Surat ad-Dukhan: 56)
They (the righteous) shall abide therein forever. (Surat al-Baqara: 25)
No weariness or fatigue is experienced there. (Surah Fatir: 35)
There is unlimited happiness there. (Surah Ya Sin: 55)
There is total comfort there. (Surat al-Waqi'a: 89)
It is incredibly vast. (Surat al-Hadid: 21)
There is a very pleasant life there. (Surat al-Haqqa: 21)
There is no sorrow or fear. (Surat al-Baqara: 62; Surah Al 'Imran: 170; Surah Fatir: 34; Surat al-A'raf: 35)
The people of the gardens are shown honour there. (Surat as-Saffat: 42)
There are pure, virgin, dark-eyed maidens who have been created perfectly anew, with eyes for their spouses alone. (Surat al-Baqara: 25; Surat as-Saffat: 48-49; Surat ad-Dukhan: 54; Surat al-Waqi'a: 22-23; 36-37; Surat ar-Rahman: 56, 58, 70, 72; Surat an-Naba': 33; Surat al-Waqi'a: 35-37)
There are high-ceilinged halls and fine dwellings there. (Surat al-Furqan: 10, 75; Surat al-'Ankabut: 58; Surat as-Saff: 12)
There is no cold or heat that would disturb one. There is cool and everlasting shade. (Surat al-Insan: 13; Surat ar-Ra'd: 35; Surat al-Mursalat: 41; Surat an-Nisa': 57)
The gardens are watered by rivers. (Surat al-Baqara: 25)
There are rivers of water and rivers of milk there. (Surah Muhammad: 15)
There are elevated and sumptuous woven couches. (Surat al-Waqi'a: 15, 34, Surat al-Ghashiya: 13; Surat as-Saffat: 44)
There are cushions ranged in order, and exquisite rugs spread out. (Surat al-Ghashiya: 15-16; Surat ar-Rahman: 76)
There is abundant provision. (Surah Sad: 54; Surat al-Mu'min: 40)
The blessings there are unending. (Surat al-Insan: 13, Surat al-Waqi'a: 33)
There are sweet fruits hanging close to hand. (Surat al-Waqi'a: 28, 29, 32; Surat an-Naba': 32; Surat al-Haqqa: 23; Surat ar-Rahman: 68; Surat al-Insan: 14)
There are pure water springs. (Surat al-Mutaffifin: 28; Surat al-Ghashiya: 12; Surat ar-Rahman: 50; Surat al-Insan: 6, 18)
There are various beauties and blessings. (Surat ar-Rahman: 48)
There are couches lined with rich brocade. (Surat ar-Rahman: 54)
There are pure youths serving the people of the gardens. (Surat at-Tur: 24)
There are ageless youths like scattered pearls. (Surat al-Insan: 19)
There is a spring as white as the driven snow that does not intoxicate those who drink from it. (Surat al-Mutaffifin: 25, 26; Surat al-Insan: 5; Surat as-Saffat: 46-47; Surat al-Waqi'a: 19; Surat at-Tur: 23)
There are garments of fine silk and rich brocade, ornamented with gold, silver and pearls. (Surat al-Insan: 21, Surat al-Hajj: 23)
Food and drink are served on platters and in cups of gold and silver. (Surat az-Zukhruf: 71; Surat al-Insan: 15-16)
The taste of food there is similar to that found in the world. (Surat al-Baqara: 25)
The Eternal Abode Of Those Who Have Taken Deities Other Than All
(Surat al-An'am: 162)
The Eternal Abode Of Those Who Have Taken Deities
Other Than Allah: Hell
Is someone who seeks to please Allah the same as someone who incurs His displeasure and whose refuge is Hell? What an evil destination! (Surah Al 'Imran: 162)
It is a place of humiliation and eternal punishment. (Surat at-Tawba: 63, 68; Surat al-Ma'ida: 80; Surat al-An'am: 128; Surah Hud: 107; Surat an-Nahl: 29; Surat al-Anbiya': 99; Surat an-Nisa': 14, 151)
Its blaze is terrible and searing. (Surat al-Ma'arij: 15-16; Surah Al 'Imran: 181; Surat al-Ahzab: 64; Surat al-Hajj: 72; Surat an-Nur: 57; Surat al-Furqan: 11)
It has a roaring and seething. (Surat al-Furqan: 12; Surat al-Mulk: 7-8)
It is the most evil destination that Allah has ever created. (Surah Al 'Imran: 162; Surat an-Nisa': 115)
The punishment is unceasing and will not be lightened. (Surah Mu'min: 46-47; Surat al-Ma'ida: 37; Surah Yunus: 52; Surat al-Bayyina: 6; Surat al-Hajj: 22; Surah Al 'Imran: 88; Surah Fatir: 36)
There is no possibility of being saved through dying. (Surah Ibrahim: 17)
There is no one from whom to get help. (Surah Al 'Imran: 91)
There is no way of escape. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 37; Surat al-Kahf: 53; Surat al-Balad: 19-20)
The custodians of Hell are angels. (Surat al-Muddaththir: 31)
The fuel of the fire is people and stones. (Surat al-Baqara: 24; Surat at-Tahrim: 6; Surah Al 'Imran: 10; Surat al-Anbiya': 98; Surah Hud: 119; Surat as-Sajda: 13)
There is branding in the fire of Hell. (Surat at-Tawba: 35)
There will be sighing for them in it. (Surat al-Anbiya': 100)
The evil-doers are yoked together in chains. (Surah Ibrahim: 49)
They will be given there boiling water and scalding pus to drink. (Surat an-Naba': 24-25; Surat al-Ghashiya: 5; Surat al-Waqi'a: 54-55; Surah Yunus: 4; Surah Sad: 57; Surah Ibrahim: 16-17)
Its food is the infernal tree (zaqqum) and the bitter thorny bush. (Surat ad-Dukhan: 43-46; Surat as-Saffat: 62-66; Surat al-Waqi'a: 52-53; Surat al-Muzzammil: 13; Surat al-Ghashiya: 6-7)
Life In The Society Of Ignorance
(Surat al-An'am: 162)
Life In The Society Of Ignorance
In the earlier sections, we mentioned that the main difference between believers and disbelievers is the formers' awareness of Allah's infinite might. We also talked about how a believer, who is aware of Allah's existence, must and does orient his entire life to earn the approval of Allah.
One of the most significant characteristics of someone who can appreciate Allah's might and thus reorients all his deeds to earn Allah's blessing, is his liberating himself from all beings other than Allah. Having his life focused on earning His approval and being a servant to Him, he develops a different outlook on the universe, which he knows is created and controlled by Allah. Since he considers Allah as the only deity, the false deities surrounding him lose their meaning.
In the Qur'an, this subject is stressed in the story of the Prophet Ibrahim (as) as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (sas):
...He was a saintly man and a Prophet. Remember when he said to his father, "Father, why do you worship what can neither hear nor see and is not of any use to you at all?" (Surah Maryam: 41-42)
Since a believer seeks the pleasure of Allah alone, prays to Him, and beseeches only Him, he has become "independent" of all created beings. He does not feel the need to seek other people's pleasure, and does not pin his hopes on anyone other than Allah. The attainment of true freedom is, in fact, possible only through having a full grasp of this fact and turning towards Allah.
The lives of those lacking true faith, unlike those of the believers, are subservient to countless false deities. Such people devote their entire lives to gaining the approval of countless people, and when they seek help, it is from other people. In reality, however, the creatures a disbeliever idolises in his mind are nothing but weak "servants," just like himself. Indeed, these beings are far from fulfilling his desires, much less saving him. Death is, no doubt, the most obvious fact, revealing that these idolised beings can by no means be of any help. However, it would be too late to wait for death to grasp the imaginary nature of these deities.
The deadlock these people face is related in the Qur'an as follows:
They have taken [other] gods besides Allah [Alone], hoping that they may be helped. They cannot help them, even though they are an army mobilised in their support. (Surah Ya Sin: 74-75)
Disbelievers base their entire lives on this very distorted rationale. There emerges from this another important difference between believers and disbelievers: Believers adopt the criteria laid down by Allah as their only guidance. They observe the commands of the Qur'an, the just Book and the Sunnah of the Prophet (saas). Their religion is Islam, which is explained in detail in the Qur'an and is presented to us through the exemplary of the life of the Prophet (saas).
People who lead their lives in a state oblivious of Allah will surely accept the criteria laid down by the imaginary deities rather than the criteria set forth by Allah. Unlike Islam, the one and immutable law of Allah, theirs is a polytheistic religion. These people have various conflicting rules and goals imposed by society. This being the case, the polytheistic religions they abide by take various forms.
Some of them aim at money and power, while others desire a prestigious and influential status. Some aspire to find a "good spouse" and have a "happy family life." This diversity that engenders different life styles and accordingly different "religions" is, in fact, based on the failure to grasp Allah's existence and His limits.
However, man is, by nature, inclined to trust Allah and be a servant to Him. Unable to fulfil his infinite needs and desires by himself, by nature, he tends to turn to Allah alone. Accordingly, the nature of man is inclined to recognise Allah as his Lord:
So, as a pure and natural believer, set your face firmly towards the faith, Allah's natural pattern on which He made mankind. There is no changing Allah's creation. That is the true faith-but most people do not know it. (Surat ar-Rum: 30)
A sincere believer, who is not seized by the evil desires of his soul but who has faith in Allah, learns how to conduct himself throughout his life from the book revealed by Allah, and follows the prophets as his role models. The life of a believer is entirely different from that of a disbeliever. This aside, from the Qur'an and the sunnah of the Prophet (saas) a believer learns the facts of which disbelievers are utterly unaware. For example, Allah has given the glad tidings that for whoever observes his duty to Allah, He will provide a means of salvation:
… Whoever goes in fear of Allah-He will give him a way out and provide for him from where he does not expect. Allah is all-sufficient for one who puts his trust in Him. Allah always achieves His aim. Allah has set a measure for all things. (Surat at-Talaq: 2-3)
A believer who duly acknowledges the power of Allah will dedicate his life to Him, because he knows that Allah will be enough for "whoever puts his trust in Him." This is expressed in the following Quranic verse:
He (Ya'qub) said, "My sons!… in no way can I save you from the might of Allah, for judgement comes from no one but Allah. In Him I put my trust, and in Him alone let the faithful put their trust." (Surah Yusuf: 67)
A believer who grasps this fact will see that his duty in this world is solely to fulfil Allah's commands. This is his duty and his "profession." He is merely responsible for striving in the way of Allah. He asks Allah for everything, because it is Allah Who gives everything to him. Man's purpose of creation is thus recorded in the Qur'an:
I only created jinn and man to worship Me. I do not require any provision from them and I do not require them to nourish Me. Truly Allah, He is the Provider, the Possessor of Strength, the Sure. (Surat adh-Dhariyat: 56-58)
Consequently, it is unlikely that a believer, who displays the morals praised in the Qur'an, can have "fear of the future" in his heart. This fear is peculiar to those who perceive life as a struggle among millions of independent false deities. Unaware that all events take place under Allah's control, in compliance with destiny, they assume that they need to put up a struggle to survive. They believe that they will benefit by "stepping on others" and "abusing them" to achieve their own ends and satisfy their personal interests. Indeed, their thinking matches what they receive…
Said Nursi explains how man fails to understand that his real duty is to be a servant to Allah and adds:
"… They unwisely concluded that life is a struggle."
This rationale, subscribed to by those who do not live according to the values of the Qur'an, is one of the fundamental tenets of their religion. It is due to the rationale in question that these people always suffer feelings of distress and tension:
- The majority of these people, unlike believers, are selfish, self-seeking people whose only concern is to benefit themselves.
- They lack the delicate disposition that develops with self-sacrifice. Their love is based on gaining advantage; they love a person not because of his good values or attributes but because it is in their interest to love him.
- Those whom they consider to be their loved ones, too, approach them with the same rationale, which creates a relationship bereft of loyalty. They always feel concerned about the potential unfaithfulness of their partners, since they know that at any time they may find others who are wealthier or more beautiful…
- They are consumed by jealousy, a trait that prevents them from taking pleasure in beauties and blessings. For example, instead of taking pleasure in someone's beauty and saying "How beautifully Allah has created him or her," they feel restless and ask, "Why am I not as good looking and beautiful as him or her?"
- They do not feel grateful to Allah or are not contented with their blessings. With such a disposition, they always want to possess more. This insatiable desire becomes a constant source of uneasiness.
- Unable to accept their feebleness and weaknesses, they do not ask for help from Allah. They assume they will get rid of their weaknesses if they turn away from Allah haughtily without asking Him for help. However, this is not the way to get rid of their weaknesses. At this time too, they turn to others and pin their hopes on them. Yet those they turn to are also weak individuals who only think about their own benefit. Moreover, they are far from being merciful and compassionate. This being the case, they often feel "depressed," and lose their spirit through a failure to satisfy their expectations.
- They lack forgiveness and tolerance. For this reason, even a minor disagreement among them is likely to develop into a clash or conflict. Most of the time, each party makes it a matter of pride to refuse to accept being the one in the wrong. For this reason, they often feel distressed.
- They do not believe that they live in a world under Allah's protection and control, but rather in a ruthless jungle where they have to "defeat" others to survive. According to their misguided idea, they assume they have to develop a tough, aggressive and egoist character to be able to survive in this "jungle." Indeed, their attitude matches what they encounter. They are either, as the society of ignorance calls it, swallowed up, as in the example of the "small fish," or they grow into a "big and cruel" fish and swallow others.
These laws apply to almost all societies where people do not experience true faith, and behave according to the mistaken morality described above. The Qur'an calls these societies "ignorant and behavent," because they are entirely unaware of Allah and the hereafter.
The Qur'an tells us that the Prophet Musa (as) described the sons of Israel, a tribe that never exercised wisdom or submitted themselves to Allah, as ignorant:
We led the tribe of Israel across the sea and they came upon some people who were devoting themselves to some idols which they had. They said, "Musa, give us a god just as these people have gods." He said, "You are indeed an ignorant people.
What these people are doing is destined for destruction. What they are doing is purposeless." He said, "Should I seek something other than Allah as a deity for you when He has favoured you over all other beings?" (Surat al-A'raf: 138-140)
However, as mentioned earlier, "the society of ignorance" is not of a uniform nature. Though generally called "ignorant," there may be different sections in a given society, all displaying varying characteristics. The society is commonly segmented according to the degree they have attained the criteria-economic power being the foremost-set by the society itself.
The Criterion by which to Appraise People in the Society of "Ignorance"
Muslims take "taqwa" (awe or fear of Allah which inspires the individual to be on guard against wrong actions and eager for ones which please Him) as the only criterion by which to appraise people. As the Prophet (saas) said, they know that "the most perfect man in his faith among the believers is the one whose behaviour is most excellent." (Tirmidhi) In ignorant societies, however, which are made up of people with no faith, "money" is considered the main criterion by which to form an opinion of others:
This being the case, many distorted rationales appear in ignorant societies:
- A rich person, albeit indecent and corrupted, is paid respect.
- Due to this rule laid down by society, one who is "rich but indecent" believes himself actually to be an "estimable" person.
- Because society attaches so much importance to "money," the poor lack self-confidence. This attitude of the poor becomes most obvious when they are among the rich. A poor person may well recognise that he is superior to the rich man next to him because the latter is depraved. However, under the influence of ideas instilled by society, he is unable to overcome his feelings of inadequacy.
- In the society of ignorance, where the possession of "money" is a highly estimable criterion, moral degeneration prevails. Such corruption appears in various forms, such as bribery, abuse of authority or forgery, and is almost totally incorporated into daily life. Since the successful amassing of money is the most important value, all methods rendering the making of money possible, no matter how immoral and unjust they may be, are legitimised.
The story of Qarun in the Qur'an best describes the "money-oriented" stance of the society of ignorance:
Qarun was one of the people of Musa but he lorded it over them. We gave him such treasures that their very keys would have been too heavy a weight for a band of strong men. When his people said to him, "Do not gloat. Allah does not love people who gloat. Seek the abode of the hereafter with what Allah has given you, without forgetting your share in this world. And do good as Allah has been good to you. And do not seek to cause corruption in the land. Allah does not love corrupters." he said: "I have only been given these riches because of the knowledge I have." Did he not know that before him Allah had destroyed generations with far greater strength than his and far more possessions? The evil-doers will not be questioned about their sins. He went out among his people in all his finery. Those who desired the life of the world said: "Oh! If only we had the same as Qarun has been given! What immense good fortune he possesses." But those who had been given knowledge said: "Woe to you! Allah's reward is better for those who have faith and act rightly. But only the steadfast will attain it." We caused the earth to swallow up both him and his house. There was no group to come to his aid, besides Allah, nor was he able to defend himself. Those who had longed to take his place the day before began to say: "Allah gives abundantly to whom He will, and sparingly to whom He pleases. If Allah had not shown great kindness to us, we would have been swallowed up as well. Ah! Truly the disbelievers are not successful." As for the abode of the hereafter, We shall grant it to those who do not seek to exalt themselves in this world or to cause corruption in it. The successful outcome is for those who fear Allah. (Surat al-Qasas: 76-83)
As can be understood from the verses, Qarun and those who envied him were representative of a typical society of ignorance. They failed to comprehend that Allah is the owner of everything and that Allah bestows possessions upon whoever He wishes. Qarun thought that the wealth he possessed had been given to him because of his superiority. But this was not so.
- Because Allah creates every being, He is the real owner of everything. In this sense, one who owns something may be considered as a "trustee," temporarily taking care of a possession which actually belongs to Allah.
- Blessings bestowed upon people are given to them not because they are superior or because they possess something important. These blessings are given to man as a favour or as a trial. What is expected of him in return is not to grow "arrogant" but to be "grateful" to Allah. If one fails to understand this, the property he owns brings him neither happiness nor salvation in this world and in the hereafter.
- Property is not given so that one can "hoard" it and be parsimonious. Allah gives property to man so that he may use it in Allah's way. The end of those who do otherwise is stated in the Qur'an as follows:
Those who are miserly 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 mean with will be hung around their necks on the Day of Rising. Allah is the inheritor of the heavens and the earth and Allah is aware of what you do. (Surah Al 'Imran: 180)
- While spending the wealth bestowed upon him by Allah, the individual must use it wisely to attain the approval of Allah, without fearing the exhaustion of his resources. In the Qur'an, Allah draws attention to this danger and reminds us that Satan threatens man with "poverty" (Surat al-Baqara: 268) It is further stated that Allah repays whatever is spent in His way. The relevant verse about this issue is as follows:
Say: "My Lord gives abundantly to whom He wills or sparingly to whom He pleases. But anything you expend will be repaid by Him. He is the Best of Providers." (Surah Saba': 39)
The story of Qarun in fact reveals a general attribute of the society of ignorance. A closer examination of the story reveals that Qarun could actually be representative of a character in the society of ignorance that embodies rich and prestigious people.
In the relevant verses, reference is also made to those who envy Qarun. These people have the very same ignorant rationale as Qarun and fail to understand that the real owner of property is Allah. So, they attach great importance to Qarun and his wealth.
Those who can distance themselves from the inculcations of society are the true believers:
- Because the criterion of believers was not money but faith and because they knew all property belonged to Allah, they realised that it was unwise to envy Qarun. Furthermore, they understood that he was certainly in a pitiable position.
- Unlike the members of the society of ignorance, they did not say: "Allah gives abundantly to whom He wills, or sparingly to whom he pleases" after Qarun's death, but comprehended this fact right at the beginning.
A similar situation is related in the story of "the owners of the vineyards." The distinction between a man who is given plenty of blessings and property, as is in the case of Qarun, and a believer, who believes in Allah and observes his duty to Him, is related in the Qur'an as follows:
Give them this parable. Once there were two men, to one of whom We gave two gardens of grape-vines and surrounded them with date-palms, putting between them some cultivated land. Both gardens yielded their crops and did not suffer any loss, and We made a river flow right through the middle of them. He was a man of wealth and property and he said to his companion, which conversing with him, "I have more wealth than you and my clan is mightier than yours." He entered his garden and wronged himself by saying, "I do not think that this will ever end. I do not think the Hour of Doom will ever come. But if I should be sent back to my Lord, I will definitely get something better in return." His companion, with whom he was conversing, said to him, "Do you then disbelieve in Him Who created you from dust, then from a drop of sperm, and then formed you as a man? He is, however, Allah, my Lord, and I will not associate anyone with my Lord. Why, when you entered your garden, did you not say, "It is as Allah wills, there is no strength but in Allah"? Though you see me with less wealth and children than you possess, it may well be that my Lord will give me something better than your garden and send down on it a fireball from the sky so that morning finds it a shifting heap of dust, or morning finds its water drained into the earth so that you cannot get at it."
The fruits of his labour were completely destroyed and he woke up wringing his hands in grief, rueing everything that he had spent on it. It was total ruin with all its trellises fallen in.
He said, "Oh, if only I had not associated anyone with my Lord!" There was no group to come to his aid, besides Allah, and he was unable to defend himself. In that situation the only protection is from Allah, the Truth. He gives the best reward and the best outcome. (Surat al-Kahf: 32-44)
The Leaders of the Societies in Which the Possession of Money is the Criterion
In almost every story in the Qur'an, Allah mentions a group of people to whom Muslims convey His message. However, instead of reforming them, the communication of the true religion makes these people grow arrogant and oppress believers. The Qur'an gives an account of the attributes of this group of people that appear in almost all stories of prophets.
In the Qur'an, this segment of society is defined with phrases such as "arrogant chiefs of the people," "those who led lives of ease," "those persisting in immense wrongdoing" and "those who were unjustly proud in the land." Their common quality is their employment of power and possessions to revolt against Allah and to make mischief on earth. In the Qur'an, "the leaders" are described in Surah Saba':
We never sent a warner into any city without the affluent people in it saying, "We reject what you have been sent with." They also said, "We have more wealth and children. We are not going to be punished." (Surah Saba': 34-35)
- The "possessions and children" given to these people added to their arrogance and denial of Allah:
The 'Ad were arrogant and unjust in the land, without any right, saying, "Who has greater strength than us?" Did they not see that Allah, Who created them, had greater strength than them? But they renounced Our Signs. (Surah Fussilat: 15)
- This segment of society harbour a deep-seated enmity against those who believe in Allah. Similarly, believers often receive the strongest reaction from these people "who lead lives of ease." These people, averse to submitting to Allah and using their possessions in His way, nurture resentment and hatred of believers. Due to the hatred they felt for believers, some of them even tried to "do away with" them:
The ruling circle of those of his people who were arrogant said, "We will drive you out of our city, Shu'ayb, you and those who believe along with you, unless you return to our religion." He said, "What, even though we detest it?" (Surat al-A'raf: 88)
Examples of such people, who are extensively referred to in the Qur'an, also exist in today's societies.
Once we consider the main qualities of "those who lead lives of ease," as mentioned in the Qur'an, the subject becomes self-explanatory, because there are striking parallels between the qualities of "those who lead lives of ease" and of some members of a certain segment of society who have adopted the values of the ignorant. This segment of society is called "high society" almost everywhere in the world
The life led by some of the members of this community who enjoy a standard of living far above the average, is quite degenerate.(Of course, there are those with good manners as well as those with bad manners in this section of society). Parties extending from private bars to homes, shows based on a crude understanding of entertainment, young people ruined by drug-abuse, moral failings that irreparably disqualify individuals from being decent and reliable, excessive drinking, extravagant spending, etc., are presented as "natural" in this unbridled social ambience… In this sense, in the guise of the sophisticated concepts of modernism or freedom, all forms of outrage, perversion and immorality are imposed upon people.
Some of the members of this community display all the characteristics of the perverted societies mentioned in the Qur'an: the homosexual practises of the people of Lut, cheating in measure, weight and calculation-a trait peculiar to the people of Madyan (Surah Hud: 84), mocking believers, as in the case of the people of Nuh (Surah Hud: 38), exploitation of people's material wealth by usury, as practised by the sons of Israel. (Surat an-Nisa': 161)
The members of this section of society, having no quality other than their love of luxury, display a life of moral deficiency, while average people can barely earn a living, although they work hard and decently. These people who spend huge sums of money, far above the salary of an average person, in a single night cause great spiritual harm to society at large.
At this point, we need to recall that the Qur'an informs us about the end of the "chiefs who lead their lives in ease," unless they repent and are resolute in their renunciation of such a life:
But then when We seize the affluent among them to punish them, they will suddenly start praying fervently We shall say: "Do not pray fervently today. You will not receive any help from Us. (Surat al-Mu'minun: 64-65)
Morals in the Society of Ignorance
The morality of believers described in the Qur'an is based on fear of Allah and His approval. Since the members of the society of "ignorance" do not establish their value judgments on piety, their moral values are also distorted.
Since the society of "ignorance" is unaware of the infinite power of Allah, its members base their moral understanding on the criterion best expressed in the words: "What will people think about it?" Such an understanding permits the commission of morally unacceptable acts in an environment where no one hears or witnesses them. Alternatively, this immoral understanding is legitimised under a new title and form.
For instance, many people in the society of "ignorance" consider adultery immoral. Some of the individuals who commit adultery hardly dare to admit it. However, they generally do not avoid committing it, provided that not a soul witnesses it.
It is possible to observe various forms of this conduct in the lives of ignorant people.
The Desire to Live Forever
Say: "Death, from which you are fleeing, will certainly catch up with you. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible and He will inform you about what you did." (Surat al-Jumu'a: 8)
Unaware of the existence of Allah and the hereafter, the members of the society of "ignorance" behave "as if they will never die." In this society, death continues to be one of the words that is never pronounced. While making plans, death is ignored outright. They pile up fortunes as if the life of this world is perpetual. Since these plans pertain entirely to this world, those who recall death are labelled "killjoy."
This is one of the most evident indications of the distorted rationale upon which ignorant unbelievers base their lives. Since "every soul shall taste death" (Surah Al 'Imran: 185), a life based on feigning ignorance of death is surely established on a rotten foundation. However, man must employ his intellect:
- Since he is granted the desire to live forever, he must think why his life should be restricted to 60-70 years.
- He should recognise as an unwise rationale, the assumption that avoidance of the thought of death is a way to keep death at distance. This is behaving just like an ostrich with its head in the sand.
- He should grasp the fact that Allah, Who has shaped him into a most perfect body out of a sperm, has the might to recreate him and to give him a new life.
- Finally, he must keep in mind that Allah, Who promised and asserted in hundreds of verses that He would recreate him after death, will surely keep His promise.
All of the above will lead him to comprehend that death is not a form of disappearance, but a transition to the hereafter.
- In this case, he may also understand that fear of death is senseless. In fact, fear of death will not avail him; death is inescapable. Everybody will die at a predestined time. Those who fear death are warned in the Qur'an as follows:
…They are concealing things inside themselves which they do not disclose to you, saying, "If we had only had a say in the affair, none of us would have been killed here in this place." Say, "Even if you had been inside your homes, those people for whom killing was decreed would have gone out to their place of death."… (Surah Al 'Imran: 154)
Death, which is a door to the hereafter, brings bliss and salvation only to those who have spent their lives in compliance with Allah's good pleasure. For those who turned away from Allah, on the other hand, death means utter destruction and the beginning of a horrible disaster. The Qur'an informs us that once death comes, the regret felt by those who have forgotten Allah-as if they would never die-will be of no avail:
There is no forgiveness for people who persist in doing evil until death comes to them and who then say, "Now I repent," nor for people who die disbelievers. We have prepared for them a painful punishment. (Surat an-Nisa': 18)
When death comes to a wrongdoer, he says, "My Lord, send me back again, so that perhaps I may act rightly regarding the things I failed to do!" No indeed! It is just words he utters. Before them there shall stand a barrier until the Day they are raised up. (Surat al-Mu'minun: 99-100)
Everybody who has not devoted his life to Allah will live to suffer this regret unless Allah wills otherwise.
Consider that life is too short, that there is a real eternal life after the life of this world, and that one is entitled to attain eternal life, provided that he earns the approval of Allah in this world;
- We must concern ourselves with the real life, due to begin after death, more than with the life of this world, which is short and worthless next to the eternal abundance promised. That is why, believers who conceive of this fact are of those whose "sincerity has been purified through earnest remembrance of the Abode." (Surah Sad: 46)
- It is senseless to be deceived by the insignificance and deceptive allure of the world and become deeply attached to it. Neither possessions, nor beauty, neither power, family, nor fame can accompany a person to his grave. What is left in the grave is only a body wrapped in a shroud, which undergoes a rapid process of decay after burial.
- What will be taken to the hereafter are the good deeds and acts of worship done to earn the approval of Allah. There, the temporary blessings of this world (health, beauty, wealth and so on) will, in their most perfect forms, be given back to man for all eternity.
- One who fails to comprehend this fact and, remaining niggardly avoids spending his wealth in Allah's way, eventually ruins his eternal life in the hereafter and does harm to his own soul:
Here you are then: people who are called upon to spend in the Way of Allah and then some of you are ungenerous! But whoever is ungenerous to the cause is ungenerous to himself. Allah is Rich and you are poor. If you turn away, He will replace you with a people other than yourselves and they will not be like you. (Surah Muhammad: 38)
Those who fail to grasp this and become deeply attached to this world strive to attain a so-called "immortality," for which reason they desire to "leave something in this world by which people may remember them." This desire appears in various forms:
- Some try to leave "works of art" behind, so that "their name may live on." About this attitude, the Qur'an says:
Will you build a tower on every hilltop, just to amuse yourselves, and construct great fortresses, hoping to live for ever? (Surat ash-Shu'ara': 128-129)
- This rationale best expresses itself in the desire to "raise children." Those who place no hope in the hereafter wish to have children who will carry the family name into the future. This is mainly the reason why families prefer sons.
It is stated in another verse that the desire to "have children" is merely part of the temporal pomp of this world:
Know that the life of the world is merely a game and a diversion, ostentation and a cause of boasting among yourselves and trying to outdo one another in wealth and children: like the plant-growth after rain which delights the cultivators, but then it withers and you see it turning yellow, and then it becomes broken stubble. In the hereafter there is terrible punishment but also the forgiveness of Allah and His approval. The life of this world is nothing but the enjoyment of delusion. (Surat al-Hadid: 20)
Of course, it is most agreeable for people to desire to raise children with good morals. However, in the twisted system of the society of ignorance, the cause of this desire is not to please Allah but to satisfy their arrogance and to leave a permanent mark behind them in this world.
However, when we refer to the Qur'an, we witness the attitude of true believers; they ask for children from Allah only if this is necessary for the pleasure of Allah. Most of the prophets lived their lives without children since they did not have such an opportunity during their time and age and only asked for children from Allah when they grew too old and needed someone who would continue to communicate the message of Allah and advocate His religion.
Therefore, "having children" is necessary only
if it complies with Allah's good pleasure. It is a great mistake to do this simply
out of an instinctive wish to "outdo one another" and to continue their family
names in the way that unbelievers do.
The Understanding of Religion in the Society of Ignorance
Such people as are described above, who fail to give Allah due appreciation and thus are "ignorant," have interpreted religion in accordance with their distorted rationale and beliefs. The resultant understanding of religion shows apparent deviations from the original religion as set forth in the Qur'an. The Qur'an defines the religion brought by the Prophet Muhammad (saas) as a religion that "relieves people of their heavy loads and the chains which were around them." (Surat al-A'raf: 157) and as the religion that "contains no difficulties in it":
…He has selected you and not placed any constraint upon you in the observance of your religion-the religion of your forefather Ibrahim. In this, as in former scriptures he named you Muslims… (Surat al-Hajj: 78)
In the Qur'an, Allah has summoned people to reflect and, recognising the erroneous beliefs and methods they hold, to turn to the lifestyle deemed to be appropriate by Allah.
The society of ignorance, however, feigning not to see the explicit and comprehensible message of the Qur'an, has, in the name of Islam, fabricated a religion bogged down in bigotry. Some of the characteristics of this distorted religion are as follows:
- The religion introduced in the Qur'an summons people to serve Allah alone and thus liberate themselves from the yoke of all other beings. Accordingly, since he is not obliged to seek other people's pleasure, man is only responsible for seeking Allah's approval. The people of the society of ignorance, however, have developed an understanding of religion not as a way to seek Allah's pleasure and hence liberate themselves, but as a social institution. This conceives of religion as a factor applying social pressure to people. Owing to this perception, this false religion has lapsed into a form, which is primarily concerned with "what people would say,"-an understanding far removed from true religion.
- Having such misconceptions about religion, the society of ignorance has to a great extent identified religion with tradition. Local customs and beliefs and cultural factors have been incorporated into the religion, and "being pious" has deteriorated into "adherence to one's forefathers' customs." The religion brought by the Qur'an and embodied in the exemplary life of the Prophet (saas), however, bears no similarity whatsoever to these. In the Qur'an, Allah commands man to take His limits and the sunnah of the Prophet (saas) as a measure and nothing else. Throughout history, the prophets had to struggle with those who attempted to deny the truth by quoting the beliefs inherited from their forefathers. The morality they displayed is indicated in the verse below:
When they are told, "Follow what Allah has sent down to you," they say, "We are following what we found our fathers doing." What, even though their fathers did not understand a thing and were not guided! (Surat al-Baqara: 170)
The same theme is repeated in Surat al-Ma'ida: 104; Surat al-An'am: 91; Surat al-A'raf: 28 and in many other verses as well.
- The members of the society of ignorance, who perceive religion as a social institution and identify it with traditions, have in consequence distanced religion from rationality. However, as the Qur'an informs us, being a Muslim entails being wise. Believers are always summoned to think, to enquire and thus see the verses of Allah. Faith and wisdom are interrelated; as a consequence of exercising wisdom one attains faith, and faith grows ever more profound as one continues to exercise wisdom. The society of ignorance, however, believes faith to consist of "beliefs" alone. They perceive blind adherence to traditional knowledge as faith, whereas wisdom is the key to having a grasp of Allah's existence and His attributes. That is why faith in Allah in the society of ignorance is of a rather weak nature. In order not to shake this anti-Qura'anic, feeble faith, they have developed an irrational stance which implies that, "pondering too much over religious issues may be harmful to one's faith."
- This rationale, stemming from ignorance, sees no harm in introducing new principles to religion and making unlawful what is lawful.
The Qur'an frequently draws attention to this "prohibitive" rationale that disturbs many people:
Say: "Who has forbidden the fine clothing Allah has produced for His servants and the good kinds of provision?" Say: "On the Day of Rising such things will be exclusively for those who had faith during their life in the world." In this way We make the Signs clear for people who know.
Say: "My Lord has forbidden indecency, both open and hidden, and wrong action, and unrightful tyranny, and associating anything with Allah for which He has sent down no authority, and saying things about Allah you do not know." (Surat al-A'raf: 32-33)
What is the matter with you that you do not eat that which has been consecrated in the name of Allah, when He has made clear to you what He has made unlawful for you, except when you are forced to eat it? Many people lead others astray through their whims and desires unchecked by any knowledge. Your Lord knows best those who overstep the limits. (Surat al-An'am: 119)
You who believe! Do not make unlawful the good things Allah has made lawful for you, and do not overstep the limits. Allah does not love people who overstep the limits. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 87)
- As a result of this degeneration caused by the society of ignorance, Islam is being presented as "a religion peculiar to the Bedouins (nomadic Arabs)." Yet the facts are otherwise. Prophets have always been the most civilised people of their time. They were cultured and enlightened people with refined aesthetic values. With his palace, which is known to have been an architectural masterpiece abounding in many exquisite places, the Prophet Sulayman (as) is one of the most outstanding examples cited in the Qur'an.
Being a Muslim means not being attached to traditional culture or taking pleasure in nostalgic values. It is certainly not being "oriental" or being attached to only one culture, either. Being a Muslim is to be a servant to Allah and to be grateful for the blessings granted by Him. It means striving to know Allah, drawing nearer to Him and becoming a human being with a noble character.
A true Muslim is one who seeks the approval of his Creator, Allah, the Almighty, and who has distanced himself from any material or spiritual expectation other than earning His approval.
This is the definition of a Muslim.
Seeking The Most Of The Good Pleasure Of Allah
(Surat al-An'am: 162)
Seeking The Most Of The Good Pleasure Of Allah
A believer is one who has been purified of idolatry and other forms of ignorance, such as placing his hopes on imaginary deities or seeking their approval, thereby becoming subservient to them. He serves Allah alone and seeks the approval of Allah alone. As mentioned earlier, he does this by "striving with all due striving."
The key to "striving with all due striving" on Allah's way is to seek what pleases Allah most. In the face of several choices, all of which are legitimate, a believer must choose the one that pleases Allah most.
This can be briefly described as follows:
- A believer must spend his entire life doing what is "lawful." The Qur'an makes clear which actions are unlawful, and these are indeed very few in number. Anything other than these unlawful deeds is lawful.
- In addition to this, what a believer must do is attend to the deeds and thoughts that please Allah most. In this endeavour, his wisdom and "foresight" guide him.
The example of "spending in the way of Allah" (infaq) will make this concept clearer. A believer is a person who has sold his "property and self" to Allah. He should put whatever he has to use in the way that pleases Allah most. However, he may frequently encounter many choices. Let us assume that he has a considerable amount of money with which he could buy a new suit for himself. This is indeed a legitimate and lawful thing to do; being meticulous about one's appearance is surely something in conformity with Allah's will. However, there may be other things to do with this money which would please Allah better. Giving it to a needy person might well please Allah more. However, this is a decision that rests entirely with the person himself. Considering the specific conditions and environment he is in, he must establish his priorities by consulting his conscience.
Another example will lead to a better understanding of this concept: A believer is responsible for "enjoining good and forbidding evil," communicating Allah's religion and carrying out a struggle on intellectual grounds against the tyrants in the world. Shouldering this all-important responsibility is one way to earn the good pleasure of Allah. Such a responsibility means that certain duties always take precedence. Since there are so many duties demanded by such an important responsibility, it would be incorrect to give priority to any other deed, albeit a legitimate and lawful one. For instance, a man is responsible for taking care of his family; he is the one who provides security and sustenance for the family members. However, using this as an excuse to avoid the responsibility of "enjoining good and forbidding evil" would be conduct unbecoming to a believer.
Indeed, upon reflection, we can see that the "soul" (an-nafs) is involved when one prefers what is less valuable in the presence of Allah. Preferring the less valuable to the more valuable in the presence of Allah is a consequence of setting aside a "share" for one's soul. In this sense, what one needs to accomplish is not to be guided by one's soul, but to go all-out to seek the total approval of Allah. Seeking Allah's consent by a ninety nine percent effort and setting aside a one percent share for the soul may not be acceptable in the eyes of Allah. That is because the person in question has associated his soul with Allah. A mere one percent of idolatry may render his services unacceptable. The situation of those who ascribe partners to any being other than Allah is described as follows:
They assign to Allah a share of the crops and livestock He has created, saying, "This is for Allah,"-as they allege-"and this is for our idols." Their idols' share does not reach Allah, whereas Allah's share reaches their idols! What an evil judgement they make! (Surat al-An'am: 136)
If a person risks his life to protect his family in the event of some injustice done to him, but remains heedless and involves himself with his own business when there is oppression and slander against other believers, we can say that he does not seek Allah's approval. Such an attitude indicates man's inclination towards and submission to his soul (nafs), which is entirely against the Islamic goal of "serving Allah alone." Furthermore, acting in compliance with the desires of the soul is defined in the Qur'an as setting up partners with Allah:
Have you seen him who has taken his whims and desires to be his god? Will you then be his guardian? (Surat al-Furqan: 43)
A believer, on the other hand, devotes all his possessions and his entire life to Allah. This superior attribute of believers is indicated in the Qur'an as follows:
Say: "My prayer and my rites, my living and my dying, are for Allah alone, the Lord of all the worlds." (Surat al-An'am: 162)
As for seeking what most pleases Allah, the attitude of believers in wartime in the days of the Prophet (saas) is related in the Qur'an. In the face of two groups of enemies, believers preferred to fight against the weaker of the two. Yet it was Allah's will that there should be a fight against the stronger. These events are related in the verses as follows:
When Allah promised you that one of the two parties would be yours, you would have preferred the unarmed one, whereas Allah sought to fulfill His promise and to rout the last remnant of the disbelievers. This was so that the Truth should triumph and falsehood be discomfited, even though the evil-doers hated that. (Surat al-Anfal: 7-8)
Finally, Allah made the believers confront the stronger party and led them to the one thing that would please Him most. Ultimately, they triumphed with the help of Allah.
The example related above is an event shaped within the conditions of that period. Yet the fact remains that in every age Muslims are put to the test through different events. Today, for instance, Muslims must engage in a struggle on intellectual grounds against those who deny the Qur'an and the facts of creation and who strive to sow immorality in society. Muslims should determine the best course to follow in this struggle they take upon themselves and then carry it out with commitment. Yet, even if one has the strength to shoulder this responsibility, if one involves oneself with issues of no great urgency only to satisfy one's own desires, that will only incur the displeasure of Allah.
In any case, such a tendency does not conform to a Muslim's sense of right conduct. He is someone who has been chosen by Allah and to whom faith has been granted; he is held responsible for extirpating wrongdoing from society, replacing it with peace, and establishing an environment where everyone lives by Allah's religion. He is responsible for struggling for those men, women and children who are oppressed and who say: "Our Lord, take us out of this city whose inhabitants are wrongdoers! Give us a protector from You! Give us a helper from You!..." (Surat an-Nisa: 75)
This concept is not confined to an intellectual struggle only. Throughout his life, a Muslim must maintain this standpoint in his daily life, his worship and in all the events he encounters.
Meanwhile, we need to bear in mind that the expression, "doing what is most pleasing to Allah" is used to make the concept more comprehensible. Turning away from what pleases Allah most and involving oneself with tasks of secondary importance is in fact displeasing to Allah. Hence, that one thing that pleases Allah most is, under all circumstances, whatever is in accordance with His will. To put it another way, there is no alternative to what pleases Allah most.
Not seeking what will please Allah best, and being contented with less, is actually a consequence of a flawed outlook on the hereafter. Such an outlook is formed because one thinks one deserves paradise. However, nobody can be assured of such a reward. In the Qur'an, Allah warns even the Prophet (saas) with the verse, "…If Allah willed, He could seal up your heart…" (Surat ash-Shura: 24). This being the case, it is obvious that no one is guaranteed paradise.
In any case, a sincere believer, as described in the Qur'an, never thinks that he or she definitely deserves paradise or becomes carried away by this feeling. The true believer typically prays to Allah in "fear and hope." (Surat al-A'raf: 56)
Those lacking real faith also think they deserve paradise because they do not fear Allah as they should and assume that the deeds they do are good. With their flawed rationale, they say, "We will be forgiven anyway." However, this is an attitude peculiar to those who do not fear Allah as He should be feared. Of the situation of these people Allah states the following:
An evil generation has succeeded them, inheriting the Book, taking the goods of this lower world, and saying, "We will be forgiven." But if similar goods come to them again they still take them. Has not a covenant been made with them in the Book, that they should only tell the truth about Allah and have they not studied what is in it? The Final Abode is better for those who have fear of Allah. Will you not use your intellect? (Surat al-A'raf: 169)
There are also those who, deceived by the material wealth granted to them in this world, arrive at the erroneous conclusion that Allah loves them, thereby believing that they too will be welcomed into paradise-although they harbour doubts about its existence. The Qur'an gives us a relevant example:
Give them this parable. Once there were two men, to one of whom We gave two gardens of grape-vines and surrounded them with date-palms, putting between them some cultivated land. Both gardens yielded their crops and did not suffer any loss, and We made a river flow right through the middle of them. He was a man of wealth and property and he said to his companion, which conversing with him, "I have more wealth than you and my clan is mightier than yours." He entered his garden and wronged himself by saying, "I do not think that this will ever end. I do not think the Hour of Doom will ever come. But if I should be sent back to my Lord, I will definitely get something better in return." (Surat al-Kahf: 32-36)
A Muslim, contrary to people with such a mindset, fears "going astray after being guided to the right path." The prayer of believers in the Qur'an is as follows:
Our Lord, do not cause our hearts to go astray after You have guided us. And grant us mercy. You are the Ever-Giving. (Surah Al 'Imran: 8)
However, it is also worth mentioning that this is not the kind of fear that arouses dread or uneasiness in a believer's heart. On the contrary, fear of Allah motivates believers to have zeal in striving to be servants who deserve to enter Paradise and ensures that they spend the life of this world in the best way possible.
A Muslim aims at earning the approval of Allah in the life of this world, which is inherently temporary and short. His thoughts concentrate on a single great event that will happen soon: He will certainly die one day and give an account of his deeds in the presence of Allah. This will lead him either to eternal terrible ruin or to eternal salvation. It would certainly be unwise to pursue some other course or to remain heedless while there is such a great event ahead of him.
For his salvation, a believer is responsible for seeking "what pleases Allah most." Failing to do so means being unaware of the danger waiting ahead. In the face of the humiliation one will face in hell and in the presence of Allah, it is surely essential to seek "what pleases Allah most."
A few examples of the attitude one displays in the face of dangers that one may encounter in this world and the efforts one makes to deal with them will lead to a better understanding of how one seeks what pleases Allah most:
- Assume that you are face to face with a giant torrent and the water level is rising rapidly. In this situation, would you run to the top of a ten-storey building to save yourself, or remain on the fifth-floor and say, "This place is high enough to save me"?
- Let's assume that there is a lift that can take you to the top floor. This lift is not free of charge and it will operate only once. You have just the right amount of money to take you to the top floor. Would you give all the money you have to go to the top, or remain at a lower storey which is vulnerable to the torrent?
- Again, let's assume that there is a party being held on the sixth-floor, where you have taken refuge. Would you attend the party or strive to find a way to the top floor?
- As another example, let's assume that one of your close friends has had a heart attack and he or she should immediately be taken to the emergency room. In this situation, would you drive as fast as you can or not drive so fast and say, "This is fast enough, he or she must bear up."?
As is apparent from the examples above, in the face of danger, a man becomes vigilant and does his utmost to be saved from it. The biggest threat to man is hell. One of the most important goals of a person who seeks what pleases Allah most, is his inner inclination to avoid this danger.
For a moment, let's assume that you are on the edge of hell, around which people will be gathered on the Day of Judgement and witness its stunning images. Having seen hell, would you not choose what pleases Allah most out of a number of alternatives?
Once a person is sent to hell, he will no longer have the opportunity to make choices but will only give an account of his deeds. This being the case, one must already start acting in that light. Indeed, a believer always acts in the light of the idea of the nearness of hell, considering that he can, at any moment, go to the hereafter. On numerous occasions the Qur'an draws attention to the fact that any regret felt in the hereafter will be in vain. One of the relevant verses is as follows:
There they will shout out: "Our Lord! Take us out! We will act rightly, differently from the way we used to act!" But He will answer: "Did We not let you live long enough for anyone who was going to pay heed? And did not the warner come to you? Have a taste of it then! There shall be no helper for the wrongdoers." (Surah Fatir: 37)
On the other hand, just as we strive to stay away from danger, we need to devote similar and even greater efforts to attaining blessings. It is surely unwise to feel contented with having less in paradise. When leaving an island abounding in gold, would you not take as much gold as possible with you? When the time comes to depart from this world, a Muslim should not feel regret and say, "I wish I had done such and such a thing" or "I wish I had gained the rewards of doing a particular righteous deed." To avoid this situation, he should be cautious to choose what pleases Allah most.
Disbelievers do their best to "make the most" of their lives, which is nothing but "a brief enjoyment" (Surah Al 'Imran: 197). While this "brief enjoyment" is doomed to a bitter end, Allah promises His approval, mercy and paradise for believers. A believer, who wishes to avail himself of these promises of Allah, must strive hard to seek what most pleases Him.
The Key to the Approval of Allah: Conscience
In the face of several choices, a believer must choose the one with which Allah will be pleased most. In this, conscience is the most important criterion that will guide him to the correct choice. Allah's Messenger, the Prophet Muhammad (saas) drew attention to the importance of conscience during a conversation with a man:
A person asked Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him): "What is faith?" He said: "When a good deed becomes a source of pleasure for you and an evil deed becomes a source of disgust for you, then you are a believer." He again said to Allah's Messenger: "What is a sin?" Whereupon he said: "When something pricks your conscience, give it up." (Tirmidhi)
One of the most important differences between a believer and a disbeliever is that while the believer will adhere to his conscience, the disbeliever will comply with his soul which inspires evil deeds. Consequently, a believer displays his most natural state when he heeds his conscience.
However, it is by no means true that a believer is immune to the temptations of his self. As the Prophet Yusuf (as) said, "The self indeed commands to evil acts." (Surah Yusuf: 53) Accordingly, it will command the alternatives that are against Allah's Will.
A believer avoids the tricks of his soul by means of his conscience. Faced with a choice, a believer initially tends to select the one that first occurs to him, which is generally the one that pleases Allah most. Then, the self intervenes: it tries to make other alternatives seem more alluring and finds pretexts to legitimise them. A believer must disregard these pretexts and comply with the initial and absolutely correct choice to which his conscience leads him.
Loving for Allah's Sake
That is the good news (the promise of paradise) which Allah gives to His servants who believe and do right actions. Say: "I do not ask you for any recompense for this [but] only good will through kinship. If anyone does a good action, he shall be repaid many times over. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Thankful." (Surat ash-Shura: 23)
A believer devotes his entire life to Allah. He lives for Allah, works for Allah and loves for Allah's sake.
"Loving for Allah's sake" might be an incomprehensible concept for someone who is not well acquainted with true Islam. One who has remained distant from Allah throughout his life, and who has therefore not known Him, will be unaware of how to love Allah intuitively.
However, a believer who knows Allah and witnesses His mercy to him, who recognises that everything he loves is His blessing and that he owes his existence and life to His mercy, loves Allah and attains the noble spirit of loving for the sake of Allah. In the Qur'an, the great difference between believers and other people in this sense is stated as follows:
Some people set up equals to Allah, loving them as they should love Allah. But those who believe have greater love for Allah… (Surat al-Baqara: 165)
As is stated in the verse above, those who associate partners with Allah and who, in their minds, ascribe all attributes of Allah to other beings, love these beings as they should love Allah. This is the kind of love that is based on idolatry.
Aware that everything belongs to Allah and every being's existence is consequential upon Allah's creation, believers love Allah most. This great feature, which is a natural consequence of the believer's recognition of Allah as the One and Only Supreme Being, makes him completely different from other people. This quality of believers is stated in one of the saying of the Prophet (saas) thus:
Whoever has three things discovers the sweetness of faith: that Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than all else, that he love another only for the sake of Allah Most High, and that he hate to return to disbelief as he would hate to be thrown into fire." (Muslim and Bukhari)
Those who associate partners with Allah, on the other hand, cannot stand the remembrance of Allah:
...When you mention your Lord alone in the Qur'an, they turn their backs and run away. (Surat al-Isra': 46)
However, it is worthy of mention that remembering Allah next to their idols does not disturb idolaters. The rationale thus expressed: "We are Muslims, but we can enjoy our day as well" is at the basis of their thinking. The believer, however, grasps the following fact:
- Nothing (be it a human being, a thing or an event, etc.) has a beauty of its own. Allah creates all things and endows them with beauty. Since a person, for example, has not designed and formed his or her face himself, that beauty is a beauty that belongs to Allah.
- Allah gives this beauty to man, whom he created from nothing, for a brief time only (since that person will soon grow old and die). Only Allah possesses the power to recreate that beauty in the hereafter, in an even more perfect form.
- As in the case of a human being, all creatures that deserve love are created by Allah and made "pretty." To remind people that the actual owner of this beauty is Allah, He destines the beauty of these beings to perish with death and ultimately with doomsday. In the hereafter, all beings will be recreated.
This being the case, a believer loves all the things he encounters in this world, aware that they all belong to Allah and that he will encounter the "original" form of their beauty in the hereafter. Consequently, his actual love is for Allah, the One Who provides him with everything he loves: He is the real Owner of every kind of beauty.
Contrary to the concept of love based upon faith in Allah that is enjoyed by believers, disbelievers' love is based on idolatry. In the Qur'an, this form of love is described in the words of Prophet Ibrahim (as):
He said, "You have adopted idols apart from Allah as tokens of mutual affection in this world. But then on the Day of Rising you will reject one another and curse one another. The Fire will be your shelter. You will have no helpers." (Surat al-'Ankabut: 25)
Said Nursi, also known as Bediuzzaman (the Wonder of the Age), one of the greatest Islamic scholars of the twentieth century, likens this form of love to that of a man who looks at the sun through a mirror held in his hand. Once the mirror is broken into pieces and light is no longer reflected from it, the man feels profound distress at having lost a source of light. However, he is not intelligent enough to conceive that the light in the mirror does not actually originate from it. The light comes from the sun; mirrors only reflect it.
A believer shows all his love for Allah. Loving Allah is to love beings, aware that they reflect the attributes of Allah and that these attributes actually belong to Him, as in the case of the mirrors.
Consequently, a believer shows his love for Allah by loving believers who make "manifest" the attributes of Allah in their manner and conduct, and who display the moral values foreseen to be good by Allah. This form of love is not based on kinship, race or any kind of interest. Due to the love felt for Allah, it is solely a matter of loving those who love Allah. In the Qur'an, our Lord describes the love between believers by referring to the love between the companions of the Prophet (saas) in his time:
Those who were already settled in the abode, and in faith, before they came, love those who have emigrated to them and do not find in their hearts any need for what they have been given, but prefer them to themselves, even if they themselves are needy. It is the people who are safe-guarded from the avarice of their own selves who are successful. (Surat al-Hashr: 9)
The Qur'an makes it clear that the love felt for believers has been specially granted to them by Allah:
As for those who believe and do right actions, the All-Merciful will bestow His love on them. (Surah Maryam: 96)
"Yahya, observe the Book with firm resolve." We gave him judgement, tenderness and purity while still a child, and he went in fear of Allah. (Surah Maryam: 12-13)
Believers love only Allah and those who place faith in Him. This being the case, they have no love for anybody who rebels against Allah. This subject is emphasised in the following verses of the Qur'an:
You who believe! Do not take My enemy and your enemy as friends, showing love for them when they have rejected the truth that has come to you, driving the Messenger and yourselves out of your city simply because you believe in Allah your Lord. If you go out to fight in My Way and seeking My pleasure, keeping secret the love you have for them, I know best what you conceal and what you make known. Any of you who do that have strayed from the right way. (Surat al-Mumtahana: 1)
You have an excellent example in Ibrahim and those with him, when they said to their people, "We wash our hands of you and all that you worship apart from Allah, and we reject you. Between us and you there will be enmity and hatred for ever unless and until you have faith in Allah alone…" (Surat al-Mumtahana: 4)
You who believe, do not befriend your fathers or your brothers if they prefer disbelief to faith. Those among you who do befriend them are wrongdoers. (Surat at-Tawba: 23)
You will not find people who believe in Allah and the Last Day on friendly terms with anyone who opposes Allah and His Messenger, even though they be their fathers, their sons, their brothers or their nearest kindred... (Surat al-Mujadala: 22)
As the verses above make it clear, the love of a believer rests on no criterion other than the "love felt for Allah." Setting aside all factors such as kinship or material wealth, this love is deeply rooted in faith and noble values. A believer has love for those whose faith is assured rather than for those possessing fame, money or social status, which are only seemingly important.
Having purified his feelings of love of factors other than "the love felt for Allah," a believer loves the one who fears Allah most and who is most attentive to seeking His pleasure. The more one has of the attributes peculiar to a believer, the more one is cherished by believers. In the Qur'an also, we witness believers holding most dear the Prophet (saas)-the one who is nearest to Allah and the one who fears Allah most:
The Prophet is closer to the believers than they have to each other… (Surat al-Ahzab: 6)
Since a believer's understanding of love is based on faith, he will also establish his marriage on the same grounds. At this point, too, there emerges an all-important difference between believers and disbelievers: disbelievers often base their marriage on mutual material benefits. This is especially true of women, who try to find a "prosperous man" in the expectation of a high standard of living. For such a purpose, a young girl may easily agree to be the life-long spouse of someone for whom she has no affection. This is, in fact, similar to a commercial agreement from which both parties derive benefits. The only difference is that this agreement is purported to be a life-long one.
The examples of such marriages are legion. There are many young people who marry people who are rich or old or who are known for their immorality, solely because they are wealthy or famous.
Marriages of disbelievers are not always based on purely material benefits. There are also many young people who seek "good looks" or attractiveness in the person they want to marry. Such girls marry men who have nothing but physical charm, who they assume to be a "knight on a white horse."
Yet the rationale behind this viewpoint neglects one crucial fact: all these physical traits are eventually doomed to perish. All human beings will eventually grow old. Furthermore, Allah can take back the fortune, good looks or health of a man in a moment. Similarly, it takes but a few seconds to have an accident and become paralysed, bed-ridden or to lose one's good looks. Under such conditions, what would become of such a marriage?
What would a woman do when her husband was blinded in an accident, for instance, if she married him because he had beautiful eyes? Most probably she would only then realise the unreasonable basis upon which her most important decision rested.
A believer aims at eternal paradise in the hereafter. His life is intended to gain the approval of Allah and to attain "salvation and happiness." Having devoted all his prayers and his entire life to Allah, he will surely also devote his marriage to Allah.
A marriage entered into to gain Allah's approval is surely entirely different from one based on "idolatry." In such a marriage, the criteria can by no means be money, fame or beauty. The sole purpose in marrying will be to gain Allah's approval. The true believer would like to marry someone who will be most instrumental in making him or her earn Allah's approval. Consequently, he or she only marries such person as displays a deep loyalty to Allah and is superior in faith and piety (taqwa).
For the reason described above, certain women who lived during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saas), expressed a desire to marry the Prophet (saas). Those who preferred otherwise are described in the Qur'an as desiring "the life of the world and its finery":
Prophet, tell your wives: "If you desire the life of the world and its finery, come and I will give you all you need and release you with kindness. But if you desire Allah and His Messenger and the abode of the hereafter, Allah has prepared an immense reward for those among you who do good works." (Surat al-Ahzab: 28-29)
Attributes of Believers
One who lives by the Qur'an will also love those who live by the Qur'an, that is, the believers. Due to their faith in Allah, believers are granted some attributes that make them worthy of love. A believer will also seek these attributes in other believers and, witnessing these attributes in them, he will cherish them.
The following are the notable attributes of believers as explained in the Qur'an:
- Believers serve Allah only. There is no being that they have idolised in their minds but Him. (Surat al-Fatiha: 1-7; Surat an-Nisa': 36)
- They fear Allah. They refrain from doing anything that Allah has forbidden or that is contrary to the will of Allah. (Surah Al 'Imran: 102; Surah Ya Sin: 11; Surat at-Taghabun: 16; Surat az-Zumar: 23)
- They trust Allah alone. (Surat al-Baqara: 249; Surat at-Tawba: 25-26)
- They fear no one but Allah. (Surat al-Ahzab: 39)
- They always feel grateful to Allah. Prosperity or destitution does not lead them to be boastful or to feel sorry for themselves. (Surat al-Baqara: 172; Surat al-Isra': 3; Surah Ibrahim: 7)
- They have certainty in their faith. The thought of turning away from earning the approval of Allah does not even occur to them. They unceasingly render their services with ever-increasing zeal and ardour. (Surat al-Hujurat: 15; Surat al-Baqara: 4)
- They are committed to the Qur'an. They reorient all their deeds in compliance with the Qur'anic stance. They immediately disown an attitude once they realise it is not in conformance with the teachings of the Qur'an. (Surat al-A'raf: 170; Surat al-Ma'ida: 49; Surat al-Baqara: 121)
- They remember Allah continually. They know that Allah is ever the Hearer and Seer of everything, and always keep in mind the eternal might of Allah. (Surah Al 'Imran: 191; Surat ar-Ra'd: 28; Surat an-Nur: 37; Surat al-A'raf: 205; Surat al-'Ankabut: 45)
- They know their weakness before Allah. They are humble. (However, this does not mean they are weak and thus display unconfident attitudes towards people.) (Surat al-Baqara: 286; Surat al-A'raf: 188)
- They know nothing will happen to them, except what Allah has decreed. They do not become overwrought about anything and always remain calm and put their trust in Allah. (Surat at-Tawba: 51; Surat at-Taghabun: 11; Surah Yunus: 49; Surat al-Hadid: 22)
- They turn towards the hereafter; their main target is the hereafter. They also benefit from worldly blessings and aspire to an environment in this world very similar to paradise. (Surat an-Nisa': 74; Surah Sad: 46; Surat al-A'raf: 31-32)
- They take only Allah and believers as their friends and intimates. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 55-56; Surat al-Mujadala: 22)
- They are the people endued with understanding. Never losing their consciousness of worshipping, they remain cautious and vigilant at every moment. They always render services which are in the interests of believers and religion. (Surat al-Mu'min: 54; Surat az-Zumar: 18)
- They strive to the utmost in the way of Allah. They struggle with disbelievers on intellectual grounds, especially with the leaders of disbelief. They never feel frustrated or weak-hearted in this struggle. (Surat al-Anfal: 39; Surat al-Hajj: 78; Surat al-Hujurat: 15; Surat at-Tawba: 12)
- They do not hesitate to speak the truth. They do not refrain from telling the truth because of their fear of others. They do not mind rejecters' ridiculing and attacking them and are fearless of human censure. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 54, 67; Surat al-A'raf: 2)
- They resort to various methods to convey Allah's message and to summon people to Allah's religion. (Surah Nuh: 5-9)
- They do not oppress others. They are merciful and tender-hearted. (Surat an-Nahl: 125; Surat at-Tawba 128; Surah Hud: 75)
- They are not carried away by their anger; they are tolerant and forgiving. (Surah Al 'Imran: 134; Surat al-A'raf: 199; Surat ash-Shu'ara': 40-43)
- They are trustworthy people. They impress people with their strong personality and make them feel how trustworthy they are. (Surat ad-Dukhan: 17-18; Surat at-Takwir: 19-21; Surat al-Ma'ida: 12; Surat an-Nahl: 120)
- They are accused of being sorcerers or of being mad. (Surat al-A'raf: 132; Surah Yunus: 2; Surah Sad: 4; Surat al-Hijr: 6; Surat al-Qamar: 9)
- They are subjected to oppression. (Surat ash-Shu'ara': 49; 167; Surat al-'Ankabut: 24; Surah Ya Sin: 18; Surah Ibrahim: 6; Surat an-Naml: 49, 56; Surah Hud: 91)
- They persevere in the face of adversity. (Surat al-'Ankabut: 2-3; Surat al-Baqara: 156, 214; Surah Al 'Imran: 142, 146, 195; Surat al-Ahzab: 48; Surah Muhammad: 31; Surat al-An'am: 34)
- They have no fear of oppression or death. (Surat at-Tawba: 111; Surah Al 'Imran: 156-158, 169-171, 173; Surat ash-Shu'ara': 49-50; Surat as-Saffat: 97-99; Surat an-Nisa': 74)
- They are attacked and plotted against by disbelievers; they are mocked. (Surat al-Baqara: 14, 212)
- They are under the protection of Allah. All plots devised against them prove to be futile. Allah protects them against all slanders and plots and exalts them. (Surah Al 'Imran: 110-111, 120; Surah Ibrahim: 46; Surat an-Anfal: 30; Surat an-Nahl: 26; Surah Yusuf: 34; Surat al-Hajj: 38; Surat al-Ma'ida: 42, 105; Surat an-Nisa': 141)
- They are on their guard against disbelievers. (Surat an-Nisa': 71, 102; Surah Yusuf : 67)
- They treat Satan and his followers as enemies. (Surah Fatir: 6; Surat az-Zukhruf 62; Surat al-Mumtahana: 1; Surat an-Nisa': 101; Surat al-Ma'ida: 82)
- They struggle with hypocrites. They do not keep company with people displaying hypocritical attributes. (Surat at-Tawba: 83, 95, 123)
- They prevent the tyranny of rejecters. (Surat al-Ahzab: 60-62; Surat al-Hashr: 6; Surat at-Tawba: 14-15, 52)
- They act by consulting each other. (Surat ash-Shura: 38)
- They do not long for the ostentatious lives of disbelievers. (Surat al-Kahf: 28; Surat at-Tawba: 55; Surah Ta Ha: 131)
- They are not impressed by wealth or status. (Surat al-Hajj: 41; Surat al-Qasas: 79-80; Surat an-Nahl: 123)
- They practise every act of worship in the best manner. (Surat al-Baqara: 238; Surat al-Anfal: 3; Surat al-Mu'minun: 1-2)
- They do not follow the majority, but rather the criteria that Allah has provided. (Surat al-An'am: 116)
- They strive to draw nearer to Allah, and to serve as good examples for those who believe. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 35; Surah Fatir: 32; Surat al-Waqi'a: 10-14; Surat al-Furqan: 74)
- They are not influenced by Satan. (Surat al-A'raf: 201; Surat al-Hijr: 39-42; Surat an-Nahl: 98-99)
- They do not follow their fathers blindly. They behave in compliance with Qur'anic teaching. (Surah Ibrahim: 10; Surah Hud: 62, 109)
- They do not let women be ill-treated. (Surat an-Nur: 4; Surat at-Talaq: 6; Surat al-Baqara: 231, 241; Surat an-Nisa': 19)
- They avoid extravagance. (Surat an-An'am: 141; Surat al-Furqan: 67)
- They guard their chastity, wed and conduct their married lives in the way Allah desires. (Surat al-Mu'minun: 5-6; Surat an-Nur: 3, 26, 30; Surat al-Baqara: 221; Surat al-Ma'ida: 5; Surat al-Mumtahana: 10)
- They are moderate while practising their worship. (Surat al-Baqara: 143; Surat an-Nisa': 171)
- They are self-sacrificing people. (Surat al-Insan: 8; Surah Al 'Imran: 92, 134; Surat at-Tawba: 92)
- They are careful about being clean. (Surat al-Baqara: 125, 168; Surat al-Muddaththir: 1-5)
- They attach importance to aesthetics and art. (Surah Saba': 13; Surat an-Naml: 44)
- They do not spy on or backbite believers. (Surat al-Hujurat: 12)
- They avoid jealousy. (Surat an-Nisa': 128)
- They ask for forgiveness from Allah. (Surat al-Baqara: 286; Surah Al 'Imran: 16-17, 147, 193; Surat al-Hashr: 10; Surah Nuh: 28)
Oppression against Believers
The attributes of believers stated above are actually of two kinds:
The first kind are those which believers display of their own volition; being a servant to Allah, self-sacrifice, and modesty can be cited amongst these.
The second kind, however, are those which they evince in matters beyond their control, e.g. the plots devised against them or their being mocked by disbelievers. In fact, these are very important in enabling one to identify sincere believers. That is because many of the attributes displayed by believers are of an "imitable" nature. For instance, a hypocrite can also practise every act of worship or make sacrifices, provided that he gains from doing so. But the attributes displayed in situations beyond their control are "non-imitable," e.g. when disbelievers subject sincere believers to oppression.
This being the case, these attributes gain great importance in one's evaluation of believers. To understand whether a community is one of sincere believers, these criteria, the immutable laws of Allah as explained in the Qur'an, have to be taken into consideration.
While evaluating verbal oppression and slanders against Muslims, the events that befell Muslims in the past should be our reference point. In this sense, the Qur'an gives an account of the difficulties and slanders encountered by the early Muslims:
Or did you suppose that you would enter the Garden without facing the same as those who came before you?... (Surat al-Baqara: 214)
In the verses in which "trials that came to those who passed away in the past" are related, we come across a noteworthy point. The enemies of prophets and believers did not say: "These people believe in Allah and seek His approval" or "These people are not immoral like us, they possess noble values." On the contrary, they tried to slander believers and accused them in the most unbecoming manner.
Certainly, they would not dare to say: "We are rebellious against Allah and we do not observe any moral limits; we just want to oppress these people who do not serve to benefit us." It would be unwise to expect these people to make confessions such as: "These are the people who observe Allah's commands, whereas we are transgressors." On the contrary, they would strive to legitimise their slanders by maligning believers and presenting themselves as "decent and honest" people. In the stories related in the Qur'an, we see the very same method being employed against the believers of the past.
For example, the Prophet Nuh (as)-like all the other prophets-summoned his people to serve Allah alone. A system established on the basis of serving Allah alone surely hampered the advancement of the interests of the leaders of the society, who acquired wealth and status through a system of disbelief. Surely these leaders would not agree to say that what Nuh (as) demanded was not in their interests. On the contrary, they accused him of pursuing his own interests-"status and prestige." The Qur'an gives an account of this situation as follows:
We sent Nuh to his people and he said, "My people, worship Allah. You have no deity other than Him. So will you not take heed?" The ruling circle of those of his people who were disbelievers said: "This is nothing but a human being like yourselves who simply wants to gain ascendancy over you…" (Surat al-Mu'minun: 23-24)
The Prophet Musa (as) and the Prophet Harun (as) were exposed to the same accusation. Pharaoh and his close circle said to them: "Have you come to us to turn us away from what we found our fathers doing, and to gain greatness in the land? We do not believe you." (Surah Yunus: 78)
The slanders made against believers may reach an unimaginable scale. Throughout history, Allah's messengers have been accused of "bewitching and deceiving" the believers around them:
They said, "These two magicians (Musa and Harun) desire by their magic to expel you from your land and abolish your most excellent way of life." (Surah Ta Ha: 63)
… The disbelievers say, "This is a lying magician." (Surah Sad: 4)
The main ambition of those who slander Muslims is to present an image of a Muslim who has the same vices that they themselves display. This went to such great lengths that they dared to say of the noble Prophet Nuh (as): "He is an insolent liar!" (Surat al-Qamar: 25).
Another slander believers are very often exposed to is that of "insanity." In fact, disbelievers' failure to grasp one important rationale of believers accounts for this slander. Having no concept of "earning the approval of Allah," disbelievers have difficulty in understanding the acts of believers that are aimed at this goal alone. They fail to comprehend why believers, who obviously pursue no interests for the services they render, devote their lives to Allah. In their eyes, such an idealistic attitude can be nothing but "insanity." Throughout history, they have often employed this slander. Of the Prophet Musa (as), Pharaoh said: "This Messenger, who has been sent to you, is mad." (Surat ash-Shu'ara': 27) Also, when denying the Prophet Nuh (as), his people said, "He is a madman." (Surat al-Qamar: 9).
Leaving these aside, believers were also accused of adultery. The Prophet Yusuf (as) and Maryam (as), the role models to follow for all faithful men and women, are noble people who were exposed to this slander. Furthermore, disbelievers accused many prophets of "being in plain error." (Surat al-A'raf: 60).
But it would not be correct to assume that all these events pertain to the past. The Qur'an informs us that other believers may have the very same experiences. Accordingly, each believer advocating the true religion, thereby disturbing those who are far removed from the values of that religion, is vulnerable to the same accusations and slanders.
We need to keep in mind that what disbelievers spread about Muslims may be part of such a slander campaign. As the Qur'an advises, prior to extensive investigation, we must avoid believing in such news spread by "deviators." Of this Allah warns us as follows:
The Purpose Of A Believer's Life: The Approval Of Allah
(Surat al-An'am: 162)
The Purpose Of A Believer's Life: The Approval Of Allah
… Allah will guide to the ways of peace those who follow what pleases Him. He will bring them by His will from darkness to the light, and will guide them to a straight path. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 16)
What makes a Muslim different from other people? Non-Muslims may answer this question in a number of ways; They may talk about cultural and moral differences, about "different outlooks on the world" or values which they deny outright. Alternatively, some may say the difference has its roots in the different ideologies which Muslims embrace. However, all these answers relate to "visible" differences that appear to be the consequences of a more fundamental one. Often, they fail to grasp the reasons underlying this difference. (In fact, if they are not Muslims, it is because they have failed to grasp this very difference.)
There is one point to be stressed before proceeding to explain the basic attribute that makes a Muslim different: When we talk about a "Muslim," we are not referring to someone whose ID card has the word "Muslim" written on it. Muslim is actually the name Allah gives to those who adhere to His religion. The basic attribute, referred to in the Qur'an, that distinguishes Muslims from other people is their being aware of Allah's infinite might. Awareness of Allah's infinite might does not in all cases mean affirmation of the existence of a Creator, however. The Qur'an underlines this fact as follows:
Say: "Who provides for you out of heaven and earth? Who controls hearing and sight? Who brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living? Who ordains all things?" They will reply, "Allah." Say, "Then will you not fear Allah? Such is Allah, your Lord, the Truth, and what is there after truth except misguidance? How then can you turn away from Him?" (Surah Yunus: 31-32)
In the verse above, the questions are put to somebody who acknowledges the existence of Allah, accepts His attributes yet, despite all these attributes, has no fear of Allah and thus turns away from Him. (In fact, Satan does not reject the existence of Allah either.)
Grasping Allah's might is not only a matter of verbal confirmation. Believers are those who recognise Allah's existence and His greatness, "are steadfast in their duty" to Him and re-orient all their deeds and conduct in the light of this reality which has become apparent to them. Others, on the other hand, are either those who deny Allah, or, as in the case of the people depicted in the above verse, those who do not perform their duty to Allah, despite their awareness of His existence.
Throughout their lives, such people remain entirely oblivious of Allah, the Creator of man. To whom they owe their life and how and why they were granted a lifetime on earth are questions with which they do not care to concern themselves. They envision a kind of life entirely separate from Allah and His religion. However, the following comparison in the Qur'an makes it clear that such a life rests upon vain and rotten bases and is doomed to destruction:
Who is better: someone who founds his building on fear of Allah and His approval; or someone who founds his building on the brink of a crumbling precipice, so that it collapses with him into the Fire of Hell? Allah does not love wrongdoers. (Surat at Tawba: 109)
As the above verse also informs us, the lives of those who lack faith, as described in the Qur'an, are founded on the brink of a "crumbling precipice." The major goal to which unbelievers are committed is the attainment of happiness and peace "in this world." In this sense, what they most want is to become rich. They do their best to achieve this goal, making all-out physical and mental efforts. For others, on the other hand, becoming a respected and well-known person is the purpose of life; they will do anything and make any sacrifices to earn public respect. However, these are nothing but worldly goals that will vanish once death comes upon them. Some of them may even elude their grasp right here in this world.
A believer, however, is fully aware of Allah's existence and might. He knows why Allah has created him and what His expectations are of him. For this reason, his basic aim in life is to be a servant with whom Allah is pleased. He employs all means to try to reach his goal, and strives to do so. This being the case, he resolves the mystery of death: for many it means nothing but the ultimate end but for him, death is not extinction, but a phase of transition to the real life.
Disbelievers assume death, which they take to be an incident that puts an end to their lives, to be a "self-generated accident," just as they assume life to have emerged coincidentally and spontaneously. The fact is, however, that Allah creates life and likewise takes it away. Death, which is by no means a coincidence or an accident, is an incident that takes place by the law of Allah at a predestined moment and place.
A Muslim is a person who grasps that Allah has power over all things and that death is not an end but a transition to the real abode of man (the hereafter). Aware of these facts, he carefully avoids building his life on a "crumbling precipice." He turns to Allah, aware that He is the real Owner and Creator of life, death and what lies beyond. In this system created by Allah, he comprehends that wealth, social status or good looks are not the means that lead man to success; they are only "causes" operating under the rules laid down by Allah, which are effective for only a brief period of time.
The key to the system that Allah has created is the consent of Allah. That is because Allah guides only those who seek His approval.
…Allah will guide to the ways of peace those who follow what pleases Him. He will bring them by His will from darkness to the light, and will guide them to a straight path. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 16)
A Muslim is a Muslim because he seeks Allah's approval. This is the most important trait that makes a Muslim different from all other people. Muslims see religion as a way to earn Allah's approval, whereas the majority of people consider it to be a system of beliefs which occupies an insignificant portion of their lives.
Indeed, at this very point there emerges the distinction between real Muslims and those who imitate them (hypocrites). Muslims embrace religion as a path of guidance to the approval of Allah. For hypocrites, however, it is something from which they derive benefits. That is why a hypocrite's prayers are of a "pretentious" nature (Surat al-Ma'un: 6) while Muslims pray in humility (Surat al-Mu'minun: 1-2). Similarly, while Muslims spend their money in Allah's cause, hypocrites spend to impress people rather than to earn Allah's approval.
You who believe! Do not nullify your almsgiving by demands for gratitude or insulting words, like him who spends his wealth, showing off to people and not having faith in Allah and the Last Day. He is like a smooth rock coated with soil, which, when heavy rain falls on it, is left stripped bare. They shall have no power over anything they have earned. Allah does not guide the unbelievers. (Surat al-Baqara: 264)
Due striving for Allah's Approval
Man strives hard to attain worldly favours, on which he sets his mind as being the ultimate goal in life. He does his utmost to gain material prosperity, recognition of social status or some other worldly benefit. For "a paltry price" (Surat at-Tawba: 9) that will slip out of his hands in a very short while, he makes an all-out effort.
Muslims, who aspire to a much greater reward, that is, to the approval of Allah and His Garden, also strive hard for their cause. Of this attribute Allah says the following:
He who desires this fleeting existence shall soon receive in it whatever We will: We bestow Our gifts upon whoever We please. But then We will consign him to Hell where he will roast, reviled and helpless. But as for anyone who desires the hereafter, and strives for it as he ought to, being a believer, his endeavours will be gratefully acknowledged. (Surat al-Isra': 18-19)
A believer strives with "all due striving" for the approbation of Allah and for the hereafter. He "sells" his property and his life for the cause of Allah. In the Qur'an, this characteristic of believers is explained as follows:
Allah has bought from the believers their selves and their wealth in return for the Garden. They fight in the Way of Allah and they kill and are killed. It is a promise binding on Him in the Torah, the Injil and the Qur'an and who is truer to his contract than Allah? Rejoice then in the bargain you have made. That is the great victory. (Surat at-Tawba: 111)
No difficulty a believer encounters in the way of Allah thwarts his commitment, provided that he has sold "his property and self" to Allah. Nothing but Allah's approbation has any attraction for him. Aware that he is not the "owner" of his body and property, he never follows the vain desires of the self (nafs). Allah is the owner of his body and everything he owns, and they will be put to service in compliance with Allah's Will.
This aside, whether one's determination is serious will also be tested by Allah. A believer must not avoid any struggle on Allah's path. That is because had been there any question of "easy gains," hypocrites might also perform any deed which has the appearance of being in compliance with Allah's Will-and not the actual deed with which Allah will be pleased-to attain this "easy gain":
If it had been a case of easy gains and a short journey, they would have followed you, but the distance was too great for them. They will swear by Allah: "Had we been able to, we would have gone out with you." They are destroying their own selves. Allah knows that they are lying. (Surat at-Tawba: 42)
Therefore, the only criterion for being a believer is to feel a sincere desire to seek Allah's approval and not to refrain from making any sacrifices on the way of Allah when circumstances call for such sacrifices. Believers are those who are "purified with a pure thought, remembrance of the Home (of the Hereafter)" (Surah Sad: 46). A believer does not seek any benefit other than Allah's approbation. He hopes to please Allah, have His mercy and attain Paradise, because "anyone, male or female, who does right actions and is a believer, will enter Paradise. They will not be wronged by so much as the tiniest speck." (Surat an-Nisa': 124)
As we have seen, the Qur'an provides an explicit picture of a believer. Paradise is the abode of those who "believe with certainty" in Allah and the hereafter (Surah Luqman: 4) and then "strive with all due striving" in the way of Allah. The end of those who "worship Allah right on the fringe of true faith" and place their trivial worldly interests right next to the pleasure of Allah is described thus in the Qur'an:
Among the people there are some who profess to serve Allah but who stand on the very fringe of good faith. If good befalls them, they are content, but if an ordeal befalls them, they revert to their former ways, losing both this world and the hereafter. That way true perdition lies. (Surat al-Hajj: 11)
Believers are covetous of the hereafter. Allah promises believers a beautiful endless life in the hereafter. Our Lord promises believers that He will give a good life to His believing servants in this world, too. Yet this in no way means that they will not encounter any hardship and troubles in this world. The afflictions they encounter are devised to put them to the test and make them more mature.
The obstacles a believer encounters are ostensibly difficult situations; but once met with submission, Allah relieves him of all difficulties. For instance, when his people attempted to cast the Prophet Ibrahim (as) into the fire because of his faith, his response was the one peculiar to a Muslim; he favoured being thrown into the fire over turning away from his faith or Allah's commands. Being cast into a fire is the most terrible physical suffering that might befall any human being in this world. However, Ibrahim (as), who faced this trial from Allah in the most submissive manner, was saved from this seemingly trying experience by the Will of Allah, and no harm came to him.
He said, "Do you then worship, instead of Allah, what cannot help or harm you in any way? Shame on you and what you worship besides Allah! Will you not use your intellect?" They said, "Burn him and avenge your gods if you are resolved to punish him!" We said, "Fire, be coolness and peace for Ibrahim!" They sought to trap him but We made them the losers. (Surat al-Anbiya': 66-70)
The fact that no harm will befall those who are not afraid to lose anything as they strive for the cause of Allah and that they will attain many material and spiritual rewards are underlined in the Qur'an in a passage which extols the faith of believers even when on the brink of defeat in battle:
People said, "Your enemies have gathered a great force against you, so fear them." But that merely increased their faith and they said, "Allah is enough for us and the Best of Guardians." So they returned with blessings and bounty from Allah and no evil touched them. They pursued the pleasure of Allah. Allah's favour is indeed immense. It is Satan that prompts men to fear his followers. But do not fear them-fear Me if you are true believers. Do not lament for those who rush headlong into renouncing their faith. They do not harm Allah in any way. Allah intends to assign no portion to them in the hereafter. They will have a terrible punishment. Those who sell their faith for unbelief do not harm Allah in any way. They will have a painful punishment. (Surah Al 'Imran: 173-177)
Conclusively, no distress, difficulty or sorrow affect a believer who seeks Allah's consent and observes His commands. This is demonstrated in the course of events by which Allah puts a believer's determination, patience and submission to the test. These are outwardly troublesome and difficult events; but if met with patience and submission they allow the individual to discover Allah's mercy. This aside, Allah informs us in the Qur'an that He does not burden any soul with more than it can bear:
Allah does not impose on any self any more than it can stand. (Surat al-Baqara: 286)
Allah does not punish a believer who duly serves Him, neither in this world nor in the hereafter. On the contrary, He rewards him most bountifully both in this world and beyond:
When the righteous are asked, "What has your Lord sent down?" their reply is, "That which is best." There is good in the world for those who do good, but far better is the reward of the life to come. How wonderful is the abode of the righteous: The Gardens of Eden which they enter, with rivers flowing under them, where they shall have whatever they desire. That is how Allah repays the righteous. (Surat an-Nahl: 30-31)
As a reminder from Allah, torment, difficulty and trouble are inflicted on those who fail to seek the approval of Allah, who do not demonstrate absolute submission to Him but rather observe the wishes of their own souls. When believers make a mistake, they consider the trouble and difficulties they suffer as a consequence as a merciful warning from Allah, carefully derive lessons from them, repent and amend their conduct. Disbelievers, however, never learn from the ordeals they undergo, thereby deserving eternal torment in the hereafter.
Knowing One's Soul
Another very important piece of information the Qur'an gives us about man concerns his "soul" (an-nafs). The "soul," as commonly used in the Qur'an, means "ego" or "one's personality."
In the Qur'an, Allah explains the two aspects of soul: the one inspiring evil and wicked deeds, and the other, guarding against every inculcation of evil. The Qur'an explains this in Surat ash-Shams:
By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it; and its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right; truly, he succeeds that purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it! (Surat ash-Shams: 7-10)
As is evident from the above verses, evil exists in every man's soul. However, he who purifies his soul will attain salvation. Believers do not surrender their selves to the evil in their soul; they simply avoid it with the guidance of Allah's inspiration. As the Prophet Yusuf (as) said: "Not that I am free from sin: man's soul is prone to evil-except his to whom my Lord has shown mercy…" (Surah Yusuf: 53), provides the right manner of thinking for a believer.
Since the soul "is prone to evil," a believer must always remain vigilant about his soul. As the Prophet Muhammad (saas) also said, "the greatest struggle is the struggle against one's self (nafs)." The soul unceasingly tempts a person and never earns him Allah's approval. As it does all these things it tries to present alluring alternatives. A believer, however, thanks to his fear of Allah, is not deceived by this "misleading" attribute of the soul. He always turns towards what is right to lead a life in compliance with Allah's Will. Such is the attitude of a wise person as opposed to a foolish one, as the Prophet (saas) said:
A wise person is one who keeps a watch over his bodily desires and passions, and checks himself from that which is harmful and strives for that which will benefit him after death; and a foolish person is one who subordinates himself to his cravings and desires and expects from Allah the fulfilment of his futile desires. (Tirmidhi)
Refraining From Idolatry
Very briefly, idolatry is associating other beings with Allah. Seeing this definition, some people may raise the objection, "We already do not associate a partner with Allah," although it may actually be the case that they do. Their failure to grasp the meaning of idolatry accounts for such an objection. Indeed, the Qur'an relates the case of many people who associate partners with Allah-that is, who are idolaters--yet who never accept this situation:
On the Day We gather them all together, We will say to those who associated others with Allah, "Where are the partner-gods, for whom you made such claims?" Then they will have no recourse except to say, "By Allah, our Lord, We were not idolaters." (Surat al-An'am: 22-23)
No one must take it for granted that he is totally free from idolatry, but must always pray Allah to keep him from it. That is because idolatry is a great sin. When the Prophet (saas) was asked what the greatest sin was, he answered "To associate partners with Allah, while He has created you." In the Qur'an, Allah states that He may forgive all sins and crimes, except for idolatry:
Allah does not forgive anything being associated with Him, but He forgives whoever He wills for anything other than that. Anyone who associates something with Allah has committed a terrible crime. (Surat an-Nisa': 48)
The initial point of idolatry, which is such a great "sin and slander," is ascribing the attributes of Allah to some other being in one's mind. The fact, however, is that, the attributes (power, intelligence, beauty and so on) which we ascribe to other beings do not actually belong to them; they are endowed with them by Allah for a temporary and specified period of time. Assuming these attributes to "belong" to beings other than Allah simply means taking them as gods. This, in turn, is defined as associating the beings in question as partners with Allah, in other words, setting up partners with Allah.
Regarding Allah's oneness and uniqueness, the Qur'an says the following:
Say: "He is Allah, Absolute Oneness, Allah, the Everlasting Sustainer of all. He has not given birth and was not born. And no one is comparable to Him." (Surat al-Ikhlas: 1-4)
As stated in the verse above, Allah is the Provider of everyone; every being is in need of Him to exist. Nothing equals Him. Once this fact is denied and people start thinking that some beings can exist of their own accord without Allah's sustenance, idolatry surfaces. With such a mindset, one forgets that every living thing is under the control of Allah. A false belief about the existence of some beings who do not need Allah emerges. The assumption that such beings can exist leads man to ask them for help, seek their consent and adopt their rules.
However, believers who do not associate partners with Allah turn towards only Him since they know that Allah has power over all things. The rationale of believers is stated in the Qur'an as follows:
You alone we worship. You alone we ask for help. (Surat al-Fatiha: 4)
Those who associate partners with Allah in fact turn towards beings that are not capable of helping them. That is because the beings they take as deities are also feeble servants like themselves. Of this Allah states the following:
Do they make things into partner-gods which cannot create anything and are themselves created; which are not capable of helping them and cannot even help themselves? If you call them to the right path, they will not follow you. It makes no difference if you call them or stay silent. Those you call on besides Allah are servants just like yourselves. Call on them and let them respond to you if you are telling the truth. (Surat al-A'raf: 191-194)
Consequently, idolatry is a great slander, a great deception and a very unwise attitude. The unwise conduct of those who associate partners with Allah is described in the Qur'an as follows:
Mankind! An example has been made, so listen to it carefully. Those whom you call upon besides Allah are not even able to create a single fly, even if they were to join together to do it. And if a fly steals something from them, they cannot get it back. How feeble are both the seeker and the sought! They do not measure Allah with His true measure. Allah is All-Strong, Almighty. (Surat al-Hajj: 73-74)
Idolatry appears in different forms. Since people take beings other than Allah as deities, they seek their approval. People pin their hopes on these deities and accept their judgements as true. This is how a man becomes subservient to millions of imaginary deities. He hopes to find relief in these beings, who are as impotent as himself. However, one who associates partners with Allah is at an impasse and his loss is, therefore, very great. This fact is related in the Qur'an as follows:
... Associating others with Him is a terrible wrong. (Surah Luqman: 13)
Yet it must be said that such a man wrongs himself. That is because "Allah does not wrong people in any way; rather it is people who wrong themselves." (Surah Yunus: 44)
CONCLUSION
(Surat Al 'Imran: 191)
CONCLUSION
The purpose of this book is to invite the reader to think. The
truth can be communicated to a person in many different ways; it can
be shown by the use of details, pieces of evidence and by using logic.
Yet, if a person does not think over this truth on his own, sincerely
and honestly with the purpose of comprehending the truth, all these
efforts are useless. For this reason, when the messengers of Allah
communicated the message to their people, they told them the truth
clearly and then invited them to think.
A person who reflects, grasps the secrets of Allah's creation, the
truth of the life of this world, the existence of Hell and Paradise, and
the inner truth of matters. He obtains a deeper understanding of the
importance of being a person with whom Allah is pleased, and so he
lives by the religion as is its due, recognizes Allah's attributes in
everything he sees, and begins to think not according to what the
majority of people demand but as Allah commands. As a result, he takes
pleasure from beauty much more than others do, and does not suffer
distress from baseless misapprehensions and worldly greed.
These are only a few of the beautiful things a person who thinks will
gain in the world. The gain in the Hereafter of someone who always
finds the truth by thinking, is the love, approval, mercy and the
Paradise of Allah.
On the other hand, a day is near when those who today avoid seeing the
truth by thinking will come to think, and moreover think deeply and
meditate and see the truth clearly. Yet their thinking on that day will
not be of any use to them but will make them suffer grief. Allah says
in the Qur'an when these people will reflect:
When the Great Calamity comes: that Day man will remember what he has striven for and the Blazing Fire will be displayed for all who can see. (Surat an-Nazi‘at: 34-36)
Inviting people, who suppose that they can escape from their responsibilities by not thinking, to think so that they may reflect upon the end that will befall them and return to Allah's religion is an act of worship for believers. Yet, ultimately, as Allah states in the Qur’an:
… Anyone who will, may pay heed. (Surat al-Muddaththir: 55)
THINKING OVER THE VERSES OF THE QUR’AN
(Surat Al 'Imran: 191)
THINKING OVER THE VERSES OF THE QUR’AN
The Qur'an is the last book Allah sent to all mankind. Every person living on the earth is responsible for learning the Qur'an and fulfilling the commands communicated in it. Most people, however, do not learn it and fulfill what Allah commands in the Qur'an, although they accept it as a divine book. This is a consequence of their not thinking about the Qur'an, but knowing it by incomplete information gained here and there. For a man who reflects, on the other hand, the importance of the Qur'an and its place in man's life is very great.
First of all, someone who reflects wants to know The Creator Who created him and the universe in which he lives, gave him life when he was nothing, and bestowed countless blessings and beautiful things on him. He wants to learn what kind of conduct He would be pleased with. The Qur'an, which Allah sent through His Messenger, is a guide answering the questions above. For this reason, man needs to know the book Allah revealed to people as a guide and in which He distinguished good from evil. He needs to ponder over each verse and fulfill what Allah orders in the most proper and pleasing way.
Allah states the purpose for which the Qur'an was revealed to people:
It (the Qur'an) is a Book We have sent down to
you, full of blessing, so let people of intelligence ponder its Signs
and take heed. (Surah Sad: 29)
No indeed! It (the Qur'an) is a reminder to which anyone who
wills may pay heed. But they will only heed if Allah wills. He is
entitled to be feared and entitled to forgive. (Surat al-Muddaththir:
54-55)
Many people read the Qur'an, but the important thing, just as Allah states in His verses, is to ponder on each verse of the Qur'an, to draw a lesson from that verse and improve one's conduct in compliance with these lessons. Someone who reads the verse, "For truly with hardship comes ease; truly with hardship comes ease," (Surat al-Inshirah: 5-6), for example, reflects upon it. He understands that Allah creates ease with each hardship, and therefore, the only thing he has to do when he meets hardship is to put his trust in Allah and find the ease that is with it. Allah's promise being so, we see that giving up hope or being stricken with panic in moments of difficulty is a sign of a weakness in our faith. After reading this verse and reflecting upon it, our conduct will agree with the verse throughout our lives.
In the Qur'an, Allah relates stories from the lives of the prophets and messengers who lived in the past, so that people can learn the ideal conduct, conversation and lives of a person with whom Allah is pleased, and take them as examples. Allah states in some of His verses that people must think over the stories of the messengers and draw lessons from them:
There is an instruction in their stories for people of intelligence. (Surah Yusuf: 111)
And (We left a Sign) also in Musa when We sent him to Pharaoh with clear authority. (Surat adh-Dhariyat: 38)
We rescued him (Nuh) and the occupants of the Ark and made that into a Sign for all the worlds. (Surat al-‘Ankabut: 15)
In the Qur'an, some of the attributes of past nations, their manners and the disasters that befell them are mentioned. It would be a great misconception to read these verses merely as a narration of historical events which simply relate the incidents that befell past nations. This is because, just as in all other verses, Allah has revealed the verses about past nations for us to think over, and for us to amend our conduct by deriving lessons from the events that came to pass on these nations:
We destroyed those of your kind in the past. But is there any rememberer there? (Surat al-Qamar: 51)
We bore him on a planked and well-caulked ship, which ran before Our eyes – a reward for him who had been rejected. We left it as a Sign. But is there any rememberer there? How terrible were My punishment and warnings! We have made the Qur'an easy to remember. But is there any rememberer there? (Surat al-Qamar: 13-17)
Allah has revealed the Qur'an as a guide to all people.
Therefore, reflecting upon every verse of the Qur'an, and living
according to it by deriving lessons and warnings from every verse is
the only way to gain the approval, mercy and the Paradise of Allah.
What does Allah Summon People to Think about in the Qur'an?
And We have sent down the Reminder to you so that you can make clear to mankind what has been sent down to them so that hopefully they will reflect. (Surat an-Nahl: 44)
Just as in this ayah of Surat an-Nahl, in many other of His
verses, Allah invites people to reflect. Thinking over the things Allah
calls us to think about and seeing the hidden purposes and the
creational miracles He has created is an act of worship. Each subject
on which we reflect helps us to further understand and appreciate the
omnipotence, wisdom, knowledge, art and other attributes of Allah.
Allah Summons Man to Think over His Own Creation
Man says, "When I am dead, will I then be
brought out again alive?" Does not man recall that We created him before
when he was not anything? (Surah Maryam: 66-67)
Allah Summons People to Think Over the Creation of the Universe
In the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation
of the night and day, and the ships which sail the seas to people's
benefit, and the water which Allah sends down from the sky – by which
He brings the earth to life when it was dead and scatters about in it
creatures of every kind – and the varying direction of the winds, and
the clouds subservient between heaven and earth, there are Signs for people who use their intellect. (Surat al-Baqara: 164)
Allah Summons People to Think over the Temporary Nature of the Life of this World
The metaphor of the life of this world is that of water which We send down from the sky, and which then mingles with the plants of the earth to provide food for both people and animals. Then, when the earth is at its loveliest and takes on its fairest guise and its people think they have it under their control, Our command comes upon it by night or day and We reduce it to dried-out stubble, as though it had not been flourishing just the day before! In this way We make Our Signs clear for people who reflect. (Surah Yunus: 24)
Would any of you like to have a garden of dates and grapes, with rivers flowing underneath and containing all kinds of fruits, then to be stricken with old age and have children who are weak, and then for a fierce whirlwind containing fire to come and strike it so that it goes up in flames? In this way Allah makes His Signs clear to you, so that hopefully you reflect. (Surat al-Baqara: 266)
Allah Summons People to Think over the Blessings They Possess
 Man should ponder every animals or inanimate being Allah created. |
It is He Who stretched out the earth and placed firmly
embedded mountains and rivers in it and made two types of every kind of
fruit. He covers over day with night. There are Signs in that for people who reflect.
In the earth there are diverse regions side by side and gardens of
grapes and cultivated fields, and palm-trees sharing one root and
others with individual roots, all watered with the same water. And We
make some things better to eat than others. There are Signs in that for people who use their intellect. (Surat ar-Ra‘d: 3-4)
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Allah Summons Man to Think on the Fact that the Whole Universe Has Been Created for Man
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And He has made everything in the heavens and everything on the earth subservient to you. It is all from Him. There are certainly Signs in that for people who reflect. (Surat al-Jathiya: 13)
And by it He makes crops grow for you and olives and dates and
grapes and fruit of every kind. There is certainly a Sign in that for people who reflect.
He has made night and day subservient to you, and the sun and moon and
stars, all subject to His command. There are certainly Signs in that for people who use their intellect.
And also the things of varying colors He has created for you in the
earth. There is certainly a Sign in that for people who pay heed. It is
He Who made the sea subservient to you so that you can eat fresh flesh
from it and bring out from it ornaments to wear. And you see the ships
cleaving through it so that you can seek His bounty, and so that
hopefully you will show thanks. He cast firmly embedded mountains on
the earth so it would not move under you, and rivers and pathways so
that hopefully you would be guided, and landmarks. And they are guided
by the stars. Is He Who creates like him who does not create? So will you not pay heed? (Surat an-Nahl: 11-17)
Allah Summons People to Think about Their Own Selves
Have they not reflected within themselves? (Surat ar-Rum: 8)
Allah Summons People to Think about Good Values and Deeds
And that you do not go near the property of orphans before
they reach maturity – except in a good way; that you give full measure
and full weight with justice – We impose on no self any more than it
can bear; that you are equitable when you speak – and that you fulfill
Allah's contract. That is what He instructs you to do, so that hopefully you will pay heed. (Surat al-An‘am: 152)
Allah commands justice and doing good and giving to relatives. And He
forbids indecency and doing wrong and tyranny. He warns you so that hopefully you will pay heed. (Surat an-Nahl: 90)
You who believe! Do not enter houses other than your own until you have
asked permission and greeted their inhabitants. That is better for
you, so that hopefully you will pay heed. (Surat an-Nur: 27)
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Have they not looked at the sky above them:
how We structured it and made it beautiful and how there are no
fissures in it? And the earth: how We stretched it out and cast
firmly embedded mountains onto it and caused luxuriant plants of
every kind to grow in it, an instruction and a reminder for every
penitent human being. |
Allah Summons People to Think about the Hereafter, the Hour, and the Day of judgment
On the day that each self finds the good it did, and the evil
it did, present there in front of it, it will wish there were an age
between it and then. Allah advises you to beware of Him. Allah is
Ever-Gentle to those that serve Him. (Surah Al 'Imran: 30)
And remember Our servants Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya‘qub, men of true
strength and inner sight. We purified their sincerity through sincere remembrance of the Abode. (Surah Sad: 45-46)
What are they awaiting but for the Hour to come upon them suddenly? Its
Signs have already come. What good will their reminder be to them when
it does arrive? (Surah Muhammad: 18)
Allah Summons Man to Think about the Animate Beings He Creates
Your Lord revealed to the bees: "Build dwellings in the
mountains and the trees, and also in the structures which men erect.
Then eat from every kind of fruit and travel the paths of your Lord,
which have been made easy for you to follow." From inside them comes a
drink of varying colors, containing healing for mankind. There is
certainly a Sign in that for people who reflect. (Surat an-Nahl: 68-69)
Allah Summons Man to Think about the Punishments That Might Suddenly Befall Him
Say: "What do you think? If Allah's punishment were to come upon you or the Hour, would you call on other than Allah if you are being truthful?" (Surat al-An‘am: 40)
Say: "What do you think?
If Allah took away your hearing and your sight and sealed up your
hearts, what god is there, other than Allah, who could give them back
to you?" Look how We vary the Signs, yet still they turn away! (Surat
al-An‘am: 46)
Say: "What do you think? If Allah's punishment were to come upon you suddenly by night or openly by day, would any but the wrongdoing people be destroyed?"(Surat al-An‘am: 47)
Say: "What do you think? If His punishment came upon you by night or day, what part of it would the evildoers then try to hasten?" (Surah Yunus: 50)
Do they not see that they are tried once or twice in every year? But still they do not turn back. They do not pay heed. (Surat at-Tawba: 126)
We gave Musa the Book after destroying the earlier nations, to awaken people's hearts and as a guidance and a mercy so that hopefully they would pay heed. (Surat al-Qasas: 43)
We destroyed those of your kind in the past. But is there any rememberer there? (Surat al-Qamar: 51)
We seized Pharaoh's people with years of drought and scarcity of fruits so that hopefully they would pay heed. (Surat al-A‘raf: 130)
Allah Summons Man to Think about the Qur'an
Do they not ponder the word (of Allah)? Has anything come to them that did not come to their ancestors the previous peoples? (Surat al-Muminun: 68)
It (the Qur'an) is a Book We have sent down to you, full of blessing, so let people of intelligence ponder its Sign and take heed. (Surah Sad: 29)
We have made it (the Qur'an) easy in your own tongue so that hopefully they will pay heed. (Surat ad-Dukhan: 58)
No indeed! It is truly a reminder to which anyone who wills may pay heed. (Surat al-Muddaththir: 54-55)
In this way We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an and We have made
various threats in it so that hopefully they will have taqwa or it will spur them into remembrance. (Surah Ta Ha: 113)
The Messengers of Allah Summoned Their People, Who Lacked Understanding, To Reflect
Say: "I do not say to you that I possess the treasuries of
Allah, nor do I know the Unseen, nor do I say to you that I am an
angel. I only follow what has been revealed to me." Say: "Are the blind
the same as those who can see? So will you not reflect?" (Surat al-An'am: 50)
His people argued with him. He said; "Are you arguing with me about
Allah when He has guided me? I have no fear of any partner you ascribe
to Him unless my Lord should will such a thing to happen. My Lord
encompasses all things in His knowledge so will you not pay heed? (Surat al-An'am: 80)
Allah Summons People to Resist the Influence of Satan
If an evil impulse from Satan provokes you, seek refuge in Allah. He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. As for those who have taqwa, when they are bothered by visitors from Satan, they remember and immediately see clearly. But as for their brothers, the visitors lead them further into error. And they do not stop at that! (Surat al-A'raf: 200-202)
Allah Encourages the Person to Whom the Message of the Qur'an is Communicated to Think Deeply
Allah Invites People to Think about Death and Dreams
Allah takes back people's selves when their death arrives and those who have not yet died, while they are asleep. He keeps hold of those whose death has been decreed and sends the others back for a specified term. There are certainly Signs in that for people who reflect. (Surat az-Zumar: 42)