Darwin proposed the concept of natural selection as an “evolutionary mechanism” in the 1800s.

Natural selection is in other words “natural choosing”. The idea of natural selection is based on the idea that powerful life forms well adapted to their natural surroundings will survive. For example, in a herd of zebra menaced by lions, it is those zebra that run fastest that will survive.

Natural selection is certainly a mechanism observed among living things in nature. But it does not possess the ability as imagined by evolutionists of bestowing new features on life forms and thus creating new species.



We can clarify this with an example: Let us imagine that in a geographical region somewhere there are two similar kinds of dog, one with longer fur and the other with relatively shorter.  If the temperature in this region falls significantly for some ecological reason, then the longer haired dogs will be more resistant than the shorter haired ones. As a result, the longer haired dogs will gradually come to have an advantage, meaning that they will live longer, and reproduce and find food easier. After a while, the number of shorter haired dogs will decrease considerably, and they will either migrate to warmer climates or else become extinct. In other words, the longer haired dogs will be favored by natural selection.

But note that no new breed of dog emerges during this process. One of the two breeds that were already in existence acquired an advantage through natural selection. It is not the case that as a result of natural selection long haired dogs appeared where there had been none before. It is in any case absolutely impossible for these dogs to turn into another species.



In short, new species and new characteristics do not appear by way of natural selection, only the chances of survival of already existing increasing species rise. Since no new species or characteristic form, it is impossible to speak of “evolution” taking place. To put it another way, no “evolution” comes about through natural selection. Indeed, Darwin himself admitted as much:
Natural selection is incompetent to account for the incipient stages of useful structures.i

The well-known British evolutionist and paleontologist Colin Patterson makes this confession on the subject:

No one has ever produced a species by mechanisms of natural selection. No one has ever got near it and most of the current argument in neo-Darwinism is about this question. . ii



Natural selection is not a mechanism that produces anything new and thus causes species to change, one that works miracles, such as causing a reptile to gradually turn into a bird. In the words of the well-known biologist D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson, “... We see in natural selection is not to create but to destroy—to weed, to prune, to cut down and to cast into the fire.” iii

Darwinists are therefore lying when they describe natural selection as an evolutionary mechanism. Even though they know full well that natural selection does not bring evolution about, they still try to impose this deception.  Adopting the legacy inherited from Darwin and not being able to invent a new mechanism for their imaginary scenario make them so devoted to this outdated claim, this terrible falsehood. There are still Darwinist scientists today who adhere to this terrible lie. Those who have seen that this lie cannot be maintained have come up with another one. That is the idea that “mutations cause evolution.”


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i Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species, 6th edition, 1859 (London: J.M. Dent and Sons Ltd., 1971) - Nicholas Comninellis, Creative Defense, Evidence Against Evolution, Master Books, 2001, p. 84
ii Colin Patterson, "Cladistics", Interview by Brian Leek, Peter Franz, 4 March 1982, BBC.
iii Lee M. Spetner, Not By Chance, Shattering the Modern Theory of Evolution, The Judaica Press Inc., 1997, p. 175

If people consider themselves superior to others, this feeling is called arrogance. Arrogant people behave in a way designed to make others feel inferior. However, it is wrong to regard arrogance as a defect only in regards to one's behavior toward others, because when arrogant people are called to follow Allah's religion and the true path, they display their arrogance by refusing to do so.

People will fall into a trap set by the self as long as they do not act according to their conscience, do not give up their selfish desires, and do not live by the morality laid down by Allah, because: "the self indeed commands to evil acts - except for those on whom my Lord has mercy" (Surah Yusuf, 53). Those who listen to satan's blandishments and see in themselves superior characteristics that have no basis in reality are, in fact, entirely under the control of the self. As a result, they are inescapably arrogant.

Arrogance is one of satan's most clearly defined characteristics. As the Qur'an tells us, all of the angels bowed to Prophet Adam (as) when Allah told them to do so - all except satan, who regarded himself as superior to Prophet Adam (as) and thus was filled with conceit. Allah reveals:

We said to the angels: "Prostrate to Adam," and they prostrated, with the exception of Iblis. He refused and was arrogant, and was one of the unbelievers. (Surat al-Baqara, 34)

… then We said to the angels: "Prostrate before Adam," and they prostrated - except for Iblis. He was not among those who prostrated. He [Allah] asked: "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you to?" He [Iblis] replied: "I am better than him. You created me from fire, and You created him from clay." He [Allah] said: "Descend from Heaven. It is not for you to be arrogant in it, so get out! You are one of the abased." (Surat al-A'raf, 11-13)

In reality, neither satan nor those who heed his deceitful calls have any superiority at all. On the contrary, such people fall into foolishness and demean themselves by refusing to accept the fact that Allah has supreme power over everything. Allah tells us about those who claim superiority for themselves: "… [they] have nothing in their breasts except for pride, which they will never be able to vindicate" (Surah Ghafir, 56).

And, according to Prophet Muhammad (saas): "Verily, Allah is Graceful and loves Grace. Pride is disdaining the truth (out of self-conceit) and having contempt for the people." (Sahih Muslim: Book 1, Number 0164)

In other words, no matter how great their desire, the unbelievers can never achieve the superiority that they want. They cannot achieve it because real superiority belongs only to Allah, Who exalts those of His servants who devote themselves to Him, and brings low, both in this world and the Hereafter, all those who insist upon their unbelief. Allah describes the unbelievers' blindness and incomprehension in the following terms:

The creation of the heavens and Earth is far greater than the creation of humanity. However, most people do not know it. The blind and the sighted are not the same, nor are those who believe and do right the same as those who do evil. What little heed they pay! The Hour is coming - there is no doubt about it. But most people have no faith. (Surah Ghafir, 57-59)

Determination is the most significant attribute of a believer. A believer never loses his enthusiasm and devotion. He engages in his struggle only to earn the pleasure of God. That is why, no difficulty proves to be a hindrance to his endeavours. His only goal is to deserve the favour of his Lord; and he shapes his life accordingly.
 
God certainly puts the determination of believers to the test in various ways; either by periodically giving them trouble or making them undergo suffering. Details of the test are given in the verse below:
 
We shall test you with fear and hunger, with loss of life and property and crops but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. (Al-Baqara, 155)
 
However, a believer with total commitment displays his patience under all circumstances. God praises this attitude of believers in the following verse:
 
How many of the prophets fought (in God's way), and with them (fought) large bands of godly men? But they never lost heart if they met with disaster in God's way, nor did they weaken (in will) nor give in. And God loves those who are firm and steadfast. Their only words were: "Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and anything We may have done that transgressed our duty; make us firm of foot and help us against those that resist faith." (Al-Imran, 146-147)
 
Lack of commitment, on the other hand, is not a trait attributable to believers. The following verse confirms this fact:
 
Only those ask you for exemption who do not believe in God and the last day, and whose hearts are fieled with doubt, so that they waver. (Al-Tawba, 45).
 
Desiring the hereafter and striving for it with all their might, as well as avoidance of extravagance in daily affairs are indications of determination demonstrated by believers. Those who "strive with all their might" are thus described in the Qur'an:
 
Those who wish for the hereafter, and strive for it with all their might and have faith- they are the ones whose endeavours are acceptable (to God). (Al-Isra, 19)
 
Determination, consequently, is a significant attribute of believers. Those who seek an "immediate gain and an easy journey" (At-Tawba, 42) fail to show an unyielding determination. Believers, on the other hand, accomplish what is expected of them and display an unchanging determination until they meet their death.
 
The community of Kahf, into whose hearts God put courage, (Al-Kahf, 14) sets the best example for believers in the sense of determination. Continuity in worshipping is also important in the sense of consistency. Only death puts an end to the determination of a believer. A believer is responsible for showing patience and fulfilling his pledge to God until death comes.
 
Truly, those who plight their fealty to you do no less than plight their fealty to God: the hand of God is over their hands: then anyone who violates his oath, does so to the harm of his own soul, and anyone who fulfils his pledge to God, will soon be granted a great reward by God. (Al-Fath, 10)

ome people assume that love of Allah is enough for those who seek to live according to religious morals and earn Allah’s good pleasure. However, Allah informs us that His servants who possess superior morals and love Him also have a genuine fear and respect for Him. Every person who acknowledges Allah with all of His attributes and appreciates His greatness, as well as those who have intelligence and a conscience, will fear and respect Allah to the utmost degree. Allah enables such servants, who also abide by His will, to distinguish good from evil and to observe the limits that He has set for humanity. Allah informs us of the blessings He gives the believers in the following verse:

O you who believe. If you fear [and respect] Allah, He will give you discrimination, erase your bad actions, and forgive you. Allah’s favor is indeed immense. (Surat al-Anfal, 29)

For example, such people do not lie. Even if their self-interests suffer a loss, they will worry about not earning Allah’s good pleasure and thereby earning His retribution. Therefore, they will act in an honest manner. If they indulge in even a moment’s heedlessness and say something that is not right, they will immediately repent and undertake never to repeat that action in the future. Similarly, despite being in great need, they will not try to earn a living through unlawful means because they fear (and respect) Allah.

Every person who does not appropriately fear and respect Allah has his own private boundaries. Even if he is true and honest up to that boundary, he will act according to his own interests beyond it. Those who fear and respect Allah, on the other hand, will never stray from the straight path, regardless of how difficult their situation is. When confronted with any hardship, they immediately turn to Him in complete trust and ask Him to show them a way out.



Allah loves His servants, wills the good for them, is oft-forgiving and merciful, helps them in every instance, and bestows kindness upon His servants without seeking recompense. The idolaters and unbelievers are far away from Allah’s mercy. Our Lord, the possessor of infinite justice, provides for His pious servants who possess a genuine heart and true belief in Allah, and will reward them in this world and the Hereafter. Those who insist on unbelief will suffer the pains of Hell.

So fear [and respect] Allah as much as you are able to, and listen and obey. (Surat at-Taghabun, 16)
Spend in the way of Allah. Do not cast yourselves into destruction. And do good: Allah loves good-doers. (Surat al-Baqara, 195)

Those who comprehend our Lord’s infinite strength and ability to punish in the Hereafter hold Allah in complete awe and respect. As a result, they are careful not to adopt an attitude that does not earn our Lord’s good pleasure. However, on the other hand, as a result of their genuine and faithful love of Allah, hoping Allah will forgive their sins and accept their repentance, they do their best to earn His good pleasure and be rewarded with Paradise for their striving in His path. The Qur’an mentions the believers’ morals, as follows:

Those who fear [and respect] their Lord in the Unseen will have forgiveness and an immense reward. (Surat al-Mulk, 12)

O you who believe. Fear [and respect] Allah the way He should be feared [and respected], and do not die except as Muslims. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 102)
But those who have fear [and respect] of their Lord will have Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever: hospitality from Allah. What is with Allah is better for those who are truly good. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 198)

Every believer who genuinely loves Allah will feel a great awe for Allah’s punishment and, by trying not to lose His love and consent, will strive to earn His good pleasure. Allah says of those believers, who have these morals:

But as for anyone who desires the Hereafter and strives for it with the striving it deserves, being a believer, their striving will be gratefully acknowledged. (Surat al-Isra’, 19)

The Qur'an reveals in many verses that even those who live among believers and display a similar moral character may act quite differently when confronted with hardship. Many people can put up with some hardship in an otherwise comfortable environment, but they may not show this moral quality when hardship occurs. In any case, only those people who have strong belief can really trust in Allah, remain committed to Him, and struggle to overcome their difficulties.

Some individuals ignore this fact, feeling that it is enough to do a few good deeds in the midst of their prosperity. However, in times of hardship, they avoid such self-sacrifice on the pretext of having done some good deeds already. They present these deeds as proof that they have the spirit of self-sacrifice described in the Qur'an. Such people also claim that they are not responsible for dealing with other people's problems when they have to deal with their own difficulties. They think that someone else should assume this responsibility.

But such thinking has nothing to do with the Qur'an's moral teaching, for Allah has made people responsible for living a good moral life. Therefore, everyone is responsible for making a life-long commitment to self-sacrifice and for remaining patient, trusting, sincere, honest, loyal, and faithful at all times: "Wealth and children are the embellishment of the life of this world. But in your Lord's sight, right actions that are lasting bring a better reward and are a better basis for hope" (Surat al-Kahf: 46). The self-sacrifice described in the Qur'an is something undertaken willingly by those who are patient even when their own interests are thwarted and they are put at risk.

The Qur'an tells us that the self-sacrifice of those believers who are experiencing difficulties is not the same as the efforts made by those who are in the midst of secure prosperity. People in need and those dealing with their own problems, and yet who still give generously of what they have, have far more value in His sight:

And how is it with you that you do not give in the way of Allah, when the inheritance of the heavens and Earth belongs to Allah? Those of you who gave and fought before the victory are not the same as those who gave and fought afterwards. They are higher in rank. But to each of them Allah has promised the best. Allah is aware of what you do. (Surat al-Hadid: 10)

In another verse, Allah reveals the real reason why people with weak belief are reluctant to engage in self-sacrifice in difficult times: "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…" (Surat at-Tawba: 42). These people live and work in harmony with sincere believers in times of comfort and prosperity, but are discouraged when hardships come.

But because they fear and respect Allah, sincere believers show courage and determination even in times of hardship. Their zeal to win Allah's favor never falters. In fact, such apparently difficult situations actually become easy for believers who view them through the eyes of belief. They live trusting in the knowledge that Allah will help all sincere believers who are committed to practicing the Qur'an's moral teachings and winning His favor regardless of any worldly benefit.

Believers who are aware of this reality must continue to practice self-sacrifice in times of hardship. However, Allah says that certain people are exempt from this responsibility: "Nothing is held against the weak and the sick, nor against those who find nothing to spend, provided that they are true to Allah and His messenger. There is no way open against good-doers. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful" (Surat at-Tawba: 91). Those who fear and respect Allah in their conscience and know this truth do not shirk their duty to pursue their own interests. For the Qur'an gives us some examples from the time of our Prophet (saas), revealing that no excuse for doing so is valid:

There are only grounds [of complaint] against those who ask you for permission to stay when they are rich. They were pleased to be among those who were left behind. Allah has sealed up their hearts, so they do not know. (Surat at-Tawba: 93)
They will make excuses to you when you return to them. Say: "Do not make excuses, [for] we will not believe you. Allah has already informed us about you. Allah will see your actions, as will His messenger. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible, and He will inform you of what you did." (Surat at-Tawba: 94)

These people try to persuade those around them that their attitudes are quite reasonable. But in reality, they are only attempting to quiet their own conscience. Sometimes they use the excuse of having family or business responsibilities to give the impression that they are not in a position to sacrifice for others. However, they know that their excuses are invalid. In addition, they are aware that everything in this life is transitory and that only Allah is eternal; He is the One to Whom everything will finally return. Allah knows their real intention: "We know those of you who have gone ahead and those who are still to come" (Surat al-Hijr: 24). In spite of this, they still prefer to satisfy their lower self rather than to win Allah's favor. They fall into the serious error of thinking that it is to their advantage to protect their own interests, whereas their real advantage is to seek His approval, for only He, the Lord of the worlds, can protect and bestow blessings upon them, and ensure their security, contentment, and ease.

Those who have a selfish moral character will find themselves belittled both in this world and in Hereafter. In fact, the Qur'an proclaims about those who avoid self-sacrifice:

If Allah returns you to a group of them and they ask you for permission to go out, say: "You will never go out with me, nor will you ever fight an enemy with me. You were happy to stay behind the first time, so stay behind with those who are left behind." (Surat at-Tawba: 83)

In addition, those who claim to believe and yet choose their own interests over earning Allah's approval will experience great sorrow in the Hereafter. But if they consider these truths and live as best as they can according to the Qur'an's moral teachings, they can hope to be saved from this eternal sorrow.

The Prophet Ibrahim (as) is cited by Allah in the Qur'an as an example on a number of varied subjects. The most important virtues of the Prophet Ibrahim (as) were the deep faith which he possessed, his great devotion to Allah, and his great courage in doing battle against the unbelievers. In a verse of the Qur'an, Allah refers to him as "a community unto himself" (Surat an-Nahl, 120). This accorded status should be regarded as an example by all Muslims. Every Muslim schould become "a community in himself", which is to say, that even if he is alone, he can possess faith, courage and determination, by which he may also inspire others.

In a number of verses, Allah relates the examples of the courage that was coupled with powerful insight in the Prophet Ibrahim (as). One account provided in the Qur'an describes the astounding courage shown by him in the face of the unbelievers who worshipped idols:

One of his followers in faith was Ibrahim when he came to his Lord with an unblemished heart, and said to his father and his people, "What are you worshipping? Is it falsehood-gods besides Allah-that you desire?" "So what are your thoughts about the Lord of all the worlds?" He took a look at the stars and said, "I am sick." So they turned their backs on him. He turned surreptitiously to their gods and said, "Do you not eat? What is the matter with you that you do not speak?" He turned on them, striking out with his right hand. (Surat as-Saffat, 83-93)

As we are told in these verses, the Prophet Ibrahim (as) opposed himself to the entire tribe, and through clever dialogue, made them recognize that their idols were not gods, but only manmade sculptures of wood. The unbelievers, who had not until then ever met anyone who denounced their idols, were angered by and wanted to punish him:

They came rushing back to him. He said, "Do you worship something you have carved when Allah created both you and what you do?" They said, "Build a pyre for him and fling him into the blaze!" They tried to outwit him but We made them the lowest. He said, "I am going towards my Lord; He will be my guide." (Surat as-Saffat, 94-99)

In spite of their rage, the Prophet Ibrahim (as) continued to speak of the existence and unity of Allah, carrying out his duty with courage. Knowing that all people, including the tribe who were so violently opposing him, are under the control of Allah, he behaved steadfastly, showing his boundless trust in our Lord. The leaders of the tribe wanted to throw him into a fire, but Allah saved him by a miracle. This is a proof of Allah's promise of help to all believers who battle fearlessly on His path.

In other verses of the Qur'an, the Prophet Ibrahim's (as) show of devotion to Allah, and the courage he demonstrated, are held up as examples of the behavior for believers to aspire to:

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? Why should I fear what you have associated with Him when you yourselves apparently have no fear of associating partners with Allah for which He has sent down no authority to you? Which of the two parties is more entitled to feel safe, if you have any knowledge?"Those who believe and do not mix up their faith with any wrongdoing, they are the ones who are safe; it is they who are guided.' (Surat al-An'am, 80-82)

Almost every newborn creature is weak and helpless, unaware of the dangers that surround it. It is very unlikely that it could survive and grow on its own. From the moment it is born it will always have adults nearby to feed it, protect it from danger and, if necessary, sacrifice their own lives for it.

Young animals can survive only if they are looked after by strong grown-ups. A gazelle abandoned at birth or bird's eggs left uncared for have no chance of survival. But young animals usually can survive because they have careful parents who do not neglect their responsibilities, even before their young are still in the egg or the womb. Many creatures go to a lot of trouble to protect their eggs, hiding them where they will not get broken, keeping them warm and when necessary, protecting them from too much heat. They will guard over their eggs for weeks and even carry them around in their mouths without harming them in any way.

But why do these creatures work so tirelessly on behalf of their young? Why don't they leave them on their own, instead of dutifully attending to all their needs? Do they do so consciously? For example, is it reasonable to think that a bird can be consciously determined to risk its own death to protect its young? Of course not! An animal cannot possess such feelings of tenderness and compassion on its own. The plain fact is that God has inspired in these creatures a wondrous sense of tenderness and parental love. And one of creation's greatest wonders is the self-sacrifice of parents for their babies.

Another wonder is how cute all young animals are. Babies of most species usually have big eyes and round faces; and an expression that we humans interpret as innocent, helpless, and bewildered. Also, their behavior makes them loveable and awakens in us the instinct to protect them.

These qualities in young animals are manifestations of God's gentle artistry (gentle in this sense also includes the ideas of "lovable," "friendly," "tame" and "docile"). As with everything else in the universe, these animals are submissive to God, as He reveals to us in the following verse:

… when everything in the heavens and Earth, willingly or unwillingly, submits to Him and to Him you will be returned... (Surah Al ‘Imran, 83)

The sublime art of Allah reigns in all living things. In the Qur’an, Allah calls on people to reflect on and examine the proofs of Creation around them. Scientific research constitutes a significant source of information for us to obey this command of Allah’s in the Qur’an. Through this research we can better understand the infinite intelligence, knowledge and might of Allah.

And mankind and beasts and livestock are likewise of varying colors. Only those of His servants with knowledge have fear of Allah. Allah is Almighty, Ever-Forgiving. (Surat al-Fatir, 28)

The research recently conducted into the golden frogs that live in Central and South America is one example of this. Although they are very attractive in appearance, gold frogs are very dangerous animals because of the poison they produce. The source of that poison is a chemical substance called alkaloid secreted from beneath the skin. The poison produced by a single golden frog is strong enough to kill 10 human beings. Researchers discovered that golden frogs obtain this poison thanks to “careful food selection.” They established that golden frogs manufacture alkaloid thanks to feeding patterns that include large quantities of “ants.” Valerie Clarck of Columbia University and the American Museum of Natural History in New York and her colleagues analyzed poisons obtained from three different species of frog living in Madagascar and determined that the frogs release toxic secretions thanks to the ants they consume.  These frogs use ants both as food and also for the purpose of manufacturing the poison that allows them to defend themselves. (Researchers Pinpoint Source of Poison Frogs' Deadly Defenses)

How do golden frogs know that they need to produce poison to defend themselves?

How do frogs with no knowledge of chemistry know that they can manufacture poison by eating ants?

How is it that the ants that make the manufacture of this poison, powerful enough to kill 10 people, do not harm the frogs themselves?

How do frogs with no laboratories or means of performing tests know that the ants they eat will not harm them?

It is of course impossible for these two life forms, with no reason or consciousness, to decide and take action for themselves. These superior characteristics in the frogs are powerful evidence of Allah’s infinite Creation. Allah reveals this in another verse of the Qur’an:

The creation of the heavens and the Earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are signs for people with intelligence. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 190)

Those who deify worldly things employ a way of speaking peculiar to themselves. It can be clearly discerned from their speech that they have made the life of this world the major object of their longing. Some speak with envy, some with covetousness of the fine things they see in the possession of others. These desires hidden in their hearts arise out of ignorance of the truth of this worldly life as well of the afterlife, while, in the Qur'an Allah tells us that the blessings of this world are to test people:

Know that your wealth and children are a trial and that there is an immense reward with Allah. (Surat al-Anfal: 28)

Because they are unaware of this, those who have no faith are partial to others who possess more in this world than they do, and adopt a fawning manner of speaking towards them. For example, when speaking of the car and the clothes of a person who is rich and famous, their profound jealousy, compounded by feelings of inferiority, captivates them. They exhibit this longing through such statements as "If only I were as rich as he," "If only I were in his place right now," and "What a fine car he has; if only it were mine." In fact, those they look upon with envy are all-as they themselves are-weak and needy in the sight of Allah. Everything that people possess belongs ultimately to Allah. Everybody, for the whole period of his or her life, is being tested with the blessings which Allah proffers.



Because they know that the true and lasting life is the one in the Hereafter, the faithful strive throughout their worldly lives to attain the abode of Paradise. They desire worldly blessings, like wealth and property, only to use them in a way that is pleasing to Allah, to show their gratitude to Him, and to exalt Him. Because of this moral excellence, even if they lose one such worldly blessing, or even all their possessions, they do not give way to sorrow or despair. They consider it to be predestined by Allah, and they want Allah to give them the real blessings and finer things of the Hereafter. In addition, it can be understood from all that they say that they know that Allah provides sustenance and other worldly blessings through His mercy and wisdom. In a verse of the Qur'an, Allah tells us the following:

Allah expands provision to anyone He wills and restricts it. They rejoice in the life of this world. Yet the life of this world, compared to the Hereafter, is only fleeting enjoyment. (Surat ar-Ra'd: 26)



Failing to grasp that specific purposes have been preordained by Allah, those who are passionately devoted to their wealth and property, render interpretations of events that are worldly-oriented. For example, a person, whose wealth and fame they covet, may, at bottom, be one of low morality. Nevertheless, those who lack understanding will not consider him to be of base morality at all, nor will they think about that which he will encounter on the Day of Judgment, and possibly see no fault in longing for that person's wealth or repute. Muslims, however, see the truth of this worldly life, and try to earn Allah's approval to attain the afterlife. For this reason, their manner of speech consistently reflects their knowledge of this reality. As an example, the Qur'an cites the instance of certain people envious of the wealth of a rich man named Qarun:

Qarun was one of the people of Musa but he lorded it over them. We gave him treasures, the keys alone to which were a heavy weight for a party of strong men. (Surat al-Qasas: 76)



Addicted to the life of the world, and, for this reason, unable to evaluate accurately what a malefactor was Qarun, these people said the following when they saw his wealth:

He went out among his people in his finery. Those who desired the life of this world said, "Oh! If only we had the same as Qarun has been given! What immense good fortune he possesses." (Surat al-Qasas: 79)

While Muslims had reminded them that He Who had provided Qarun his possessions was our Lord, and that his real destination was the afterlife, those who failed to speak with a morality particular to a Muslim were affected by Qarun's wealth and behaved ignorantly. The Qur'an tells of the warning given to these people by Muslims like this:

But those who had been given knowledge said, "Woe to you! Allah's reward is better for those who believe and act rightly. But only the steadfast will obtain it." (Surat al-Qasas: 80)



In the Qur'an we are told that, because of his immorality, Qarun and his house were brought down. After this, those who had formerly envied Qarun saw that he was powerless in the front of Allah and, realizing their error, this time responded by speaking as Muslims:

We caused the earth to swallow up both him and his house. There was no group to come to his aid, besides Allah, and he was not someone who is helped. Those who had longed to take his place the day before woke up saying, "Allah expands the provision of any of His servants He wills or restricts it. If Allah had not shown great kindness to us, we would have been swallowed up as well. Ah! Truly the unbelievers are not successful." (Surat al-Qasas: 81-82)



As we are told in the verse, "Do not let their wealth and children impress you. Allah merely wants to punish them by them during their life in this world and for them to expire while they are unbelievers." (Surat at-Tawba: 55), Muslims show that they do not covet worldly wealth, and that they are people who think always of Allah and their final home in the afterlife, reflected in all their actions and their speech. This firm morality of Muslims receives its reward, by the grace of Allah, in this world, as in the afterlife. Allah tells us that He will grant blessings and the best rewards, both in this world and the afterlife, to those who purify themselves of worldly ambition and aim to earn His approval:

Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will give them a good life and We will recompense them according to the best of what they did. (Surat an-Nahl: 97)

The lifestyles and life goals of the millions of people who live in non-religious communities are very similar to one another. Even if they seem different at first glance, they are still really the same at the end of the day because even if the conditions in which they live differ, their desires, passions, ambitions, plans, ideals and aspirations for the life of the world are practically identical.

The years during which a person's character begins to take shape are the childhood years. During these years children live very carefree lives in ignorance of the world. Then they face school life and the teenage years. During these years ambition is limited to the typical desire to have a wide circle of friends, to be popular at school, to wear designer clothes and to put on a show for people. Then school finishes and careers begin. During working life a person tries to better himself in his own profession, make more money and achieve promotion. He devotes all his time and energies to this. At the same time he tries to find and marry a good wife and produce a family. In his own eyes, the only important thing in the world is the establishment of a happy home. In short, he is born, he is educated, he enters working life, he tries to the best of his ability to earn money and respect and later he marries off his children and becomes a grandfather… And he lives with such limited worldly aims and ideals.



The years pass quickly and then all of a sudden, he faces the greatest and most inescapable truth of life. The time of death comes. Whatever his age at the time, he departs from the world.

Until that moment he has thought of death very little or not at all. He has seen a number of people around him die but he has always regarded his own death as something far off. Throughout his life he has failed even to grasp the idea of death because his mind has been so occupied with worldly things that the thought of death has not managed to cross it. For this reason, he is far removed from essential considerations such as Allah's good pleasure and the Garden and the Fire. He has been unable to understand the true purpose of life by reflecting upon such realities. Throughout his time in the world he has pursued aims, plans and ideals very different from those that are really important. He has worked very hard for worldly things but is totally unprepared for the Hereafter.

While in this condition, he meets with death when he least expects it, unprepared and confused like someone who suddenly awakes from sleep. Feeling regret at last, he wants to turn back but it is now too late. Allah describes the situation of this person and those like him in Surat as-Sajda:

Say: "The Angel of Death, who has been given charge of you, will take you back and then you will be sent back to your Lord." If only you could see the evildoers hanging their heads in shame before their Lord: "Our Lord, we have seen and we have heard, so send us back again and we will act rightly. Truly we now have certainty." (Surat as-Sajda: 11-12)

So, how does a person wind up in this position? How does he manage to avoid reality until the time comes when he feels a regret for which there is no cure? How does he manage to ignore the purpose for which he is placed in the world?

There are various defense mechanisms which people use to ignore the truths of life and to console themselves by doing so. One of these, perhaps the most effective, is self-deception. A person who deceives himself believes he can evade all realities, including death and all responsibilities. In fact self-deception is not a solution. On the contrary, failure to understand the true purpose of existence in this world sets a person on a path that leads straight to Hell. What a person really needs to accomplish is to avoid deceiving himself by ignoring the truth and take the maximum possible advantage of the period that Allah has allotted to him in the world.



Now, think about all this in terms of yourself. Up to now you may have lived along the lines described above. You may have failed to think about the true purpose of life, you may have put aside your responsibilities towards Allah, Who created you, and you may have deceived yourself. If you do not want to meet death suddenly while in this state and to be faced with eternal regret, you should read what this book has to say and think very seriously about it because in this book we point out the matters about which people deceive themselves and the truths which they ignore.

Do not forget that waking up and seeing the truth at the moment of death does nobody any good. Allah has given us a clear warning about this:

Give from what We have provided for you before death comes to one of you and he says, "My Lord, if only You would give me a little more time so that I can give charity and be one of the righteous!" Allah will not give anyone more time, once their time has come. Allah is aware of what you do. (Surat al-Munafiqun: 10-11)

Allah clarifies in the Qur'an that Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is His Messenger and that "those who are with him are fierce to the disbelievers, merciful to one another". (Surat al-Fath: 29)

As this verse makes explicit, the people to whom believers show compassion are again believers, that is, those who have faith in Allah and who fear Him. One and above all else, they fulfil this as a command of Allah. This aside, seeing a believer's love for Allah, his elevated morality and his striving to earn Allah's approval and the exemplary morality he displays inspires a natural love, mercy and compassion in other believers' hearts. As is expressed in this verse, "Your friend is only Allah and His Messenger and those who believe: those who establish prayer and pay the welfare tax, and bow" (Surat al-Ma'ida: 55), believers know that they are the guardians of one another and act with the sincerity and fondness this acknowledgement brings. These attributes are expressed in another verse as follows:

The men and women of the believers are friends of one another. They command what is right and forbid what is wrong, and establish prayer and pay the welfare tax, and obey Allah and His Messenger. They are the people on whom Allah will have mercy. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise. (Surat at-Tawba: 71)

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, also told believers, "You will not be true believers until you are merciful with one another." (Bukhari and Muslim)

Thus, having this concept of friendship, believers aspire to eliminate all factors likely to cause trouble for one another and to create a peaceable and comfortable environment. They are aware that their brothers are weak servants of Allah like themselves. They acknowledge that they are apt to make mistakes, to commit errors of memory or to be forgetful. Therefore, they are never seized by feelings of anger or mercilessness and compassionately encourage one another to do good.

Nevertheless, Allah orders believers to be "fierce" to the disbelievers. That is because disbelievers struggle with the religion of Allah and even try to prevent people from living by it. This being the case, showing mercy to such people means turning a blind eye to the harm they are likely to do to religion. This is an utterly unacceptable situation with which believers would severely struggle until the end of their lives. Accordingly, they feel compassion towards sincere believers who fear Allah and who strive to earn Allah's approbation.

Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord - there is no god but Him - and turn away from the idolaters. (Surat al-An'am: 106)

Allah chose our Prophet (saas) and revealed to him the Qur'an, which will apply until the Day of Judgment. The Qur'an also informs us that Prophet Muhammad (saas) is the last Prophet. Our Prophet (saas) adhered to the Qur'an and advised people to read it and respect only its judgments. The related verses are as follows:

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)

Follow what has been revealed to you and be steadfast until Allah's judgement comes. He is the Best of Judges. (Surah Yunus: 109)

Our Prophet (saas) also recommended to his companions that they read the Qur'an and observe its commands:

Why do some people impose conditions that are not present in Allah's Book (Laws)? Whoever imposes a condition that is not in Allah's Laws, then that condition is invalid even if he imposes one hundred conditions, for Allah's conditions are more binding and reliable. (Bukhari)

Allah's Book is Allah's rope; he who follows it has guidance, and he who abandons it is in error. (Muslim)

He who spoke according to the Qur'an spoke the truth, and he who acts in accordance with its directions entitles himself to reward. Again, he who judges according to the Qur'an is just and fair. Then, as for him who invites people to the Qur'an is indeed guided on the Right Path. (Tirmidhi)

While enjoining good or forbidding evil, our Prophet (saas) adhered only to the Qur'an as a guide. All of his words stemmed from it: "I follow only what has been revealed to me from my Lord. This is clear insight from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy, for people who believe" (Surat al-A'raf: 203). For instance, his people asked him for a fatwa (legal opinion concerning Islamic law) about women. Allah told His Messenger (saas) to say: "Allah gives you a fatwa about them" (Surat an-Nisa': 127). Similarly, when people asked for a fatwa about inheritance, Allah ordered him to say: "Allah gives you a fatwa about people who die without direct heirs" and "Allah makes things clear to you so you will not go astray. Allah has knowledge of all things." (Surat an-Nisa': 176)

In another verse, Allah reveals our Prophet (saas) to reply as follows to those who say: "Bring a Qur'an other than this or change it."

Say: "It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I follow nothing except what is revealed to me. I fear, were I to disobey my Lord, the punishment of a Dreadful Day." (Surah Yunus: 15)

Consequently, the Sunna of our Prophet (saas) is to apply the Qur'an to daily life. For this reason, Allah informs us that obeying him is a basic tenet of faith. In one verse, Allah states that such obedience is actually obedience to Him (Surat an-Nisa': 80). Anyone who complies with his words and follows his Sunna also observes the Qur'anic judgments, for every attitude, decision, and word of our Prophet (saas) stems from the Qur'an. In the following prophetic tradition, our Prophet (saas) said:

He who obeys me has obeyed Allah, and he who disobeys me has disobeyed Allah; he who obeys the Amir (the Ruler I appoint) has obeyed me, and he who disobeys the Amir has disobeyed me. (Bukhari)

As the Qur'an states, our Prophet (saas) was a person of moral excellence who was distressed by the believers' suffering. He was deeply concerned about the believers, and was gentle and merciful toward them (Surat at-Tawba: 128); a noble person who enjoined good and forbade wrong, and relieved the believers of their heavy loads and the chains that were around them (Surat al-A'raf: 157); and was a blessing to people, purified them, and taught them the Book and Wisdom (Surah Al 'Imran: 164).

To be a true Muslim with whom Allah is pleased, a person must obey the Qur'an's commands, embrace the Sunna of our Prophet (saas), and meticulously practice whatever they tell us to do. Since the Qur'an gives a detailed account of our Prophet's life, Muslims are obliged to examine his life, follow in his footsteps, and seek to display his moral excellence. In the Qur'an, Allah explains that the Prophet (saas) sets the best example for believers:

You have an excellent model in the Messenger of Allah, for all who put their hope in Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah much. (Surat al-Ahzab: 21)

•     He must believe there is no other god than Allah,

•     That it is Allah alone Who creates all things,

•     That it is Allah Who performs all deeds,

•     That all hearts are under the control of Allah alone,

•     That Allah enfolds all things,

•     That He determines destiny,

•     That His might is sufficient for all things and that He does what He wishes,

•     That He knows and hears all things,

•     That He watches over and protects all things,

•     That He knows the unseen,

•     That He has no need of anything and is unfettered by any deficiency,

•     That He is unborn and has not given birth,

•     That He never goes wrong or forgets,

•     That all things belong to Him alone,

•     That he is the sole heir to all,

•     That He is eternally living,

•     That He is the sole Lord of chastity and honor,

•     That he is always victorious,

•     That the most beautiful names belong to Him,

•     That He is the Lord of pronouncement and wisdom,

•     That He is closer to His servants than their own jugular veins,

•     That He knows even the smallest things in their hearts,

•     That He knows the most secret things,

•     That He is infinitely just,

•     That He is the most compassionate of the compassionate,

•     That He is forgiving toward His servants,

•     That He loves His servants,

•     That He accepts repentance,

•     That He answers sincere prayers,

•     That He greatly rewards goodness and gratitude,

•     That He teaches men all things,

•     That He warns and frightens,

•     That He resurrects the dead and creates the Day of Reckoning,

•     That He helps those who help the religion in this world and the Hereafter,

•     That His promise is true,

•     That He creates Hell for deniers and Paradise for believers.



WHAT KIND OF FEAR OF ALLAH DOES HE POSSESS?

•     He fears Allah alone.

•     He feels fear for none other than Allah.

•     He fears Allah with all His might.

•     He feels that it is Allah Who installs faith and fear of Him in hearts.

•     He feels this fear at every moment, not just in times of difficulty and helplessness.

•     He does not forget that Allah knows the most secret things and what lies in people’s hearts.

•     He remembers at every moment that Allah sees places that nobody sees.

•     He acts in the knowledge that he will have to render account.

•     He is scrupulous when it comes to what is lawful and unlawful.

•     Everything he does is based on that awe.

•     He turns to Allah in all he does.

•     He knows that Allah alone metes out punishment.

•     He fears Allah’s station, threats and the Hell.

•     He never forgets the punishments Allah inflicted on those who have gone before.

•     He feels a respectful, trembling and powerful fear of Allah.



WHAT KIND OF FAITH DOES HE POSSESS?

•     He possesses a faith based on fear and love of Allah alone, through which;

•     He worships Allah alone,

•     He holds Allah above all else,

•     He looks for no other god than Allah,

•     He ascribes nothing as an equal to Allah,

•     He knows that everything comes from Allah,

•     He knows that Allah is with him at all times and sees everything he does,

•     He makes ‘earning the approval of Allah’ his true aim at every moment,

•     He lives his whole life for Allah,

•     He scrupulously observes the bounds set by Allah,

•     He realizes his helplessness in the face of Allah,

•     He is sincere to Allah’s verses,

•     He trusts in and relies on Allah alone,

•     He knows that help comes from Allah alone,

•     He always remembers Allah,

•     He establishes strong bonds with the Qur’an,

•     He is never ungrateful to Allah,

•     He has absolute faith until the Day of Judgment,

•     He has total belief in the Hereafter,

•     He is prevented from being deceived by the life of this world,

•     That eliminates concerns for the future,

•     That causes him to feel everything is for the best, through which

•     He turns to Allah in all things,

•     He never forgets that all characteristics possessed belong to Allah,

•     He willingly obeys Allah, His commandments and His envoys,

•     That allows satan to have no influence,

•     That ensures he listens to the voice of his conscience at all moments,

•     That bestows a state of mind that turns unconditionally to Allah alone,

•     That ensures he takes only Allah and other believers as his friends,

•     That involves a sincere struggle to draw closer to Allah,

•     That ensures he is grateful to Allah at all times,

•     That bestows fortitude in the face of all difficulties and a determination that cannot be worn down,

•     That bestows superior moral virtues,

•     That ensures continuity in the signs exhibited by a believer and

•     That leads him to compete in taqwa.



WHAT IS HIS CONCEPTION OF DESTINY?

•     He knows that everything is created with a destiny,

•     That Allah creates all events, from birth to death, on the basis of destiny,

•     That everything happens only at the time ordained by Allah,


•     That he must be devoted to Allah with a fully satisfied heart,

•     That he must submit with a sincere heart,

•     That Allah sees all of time as a single moment,

•     The need to submit, unreservedly, to Allah alone,

•     That no matter what he does, Allah will determine its conclusion,

•     That he will never be saddened in the event he fully submits to Allah,

•     And the need to accept every image created by Allah.

•     Since he knows that everything that befalls to him comes from Allah;

•        He never becomes excited.

•        Is never saddened or troubled.

•        Never panics.

•        Never despairs.

•        Never experiences stress.

•        Is never troubled.

•        Is never angry.

•        Never says, “If only...”

•        Never overreacts.

•        Never grieves in the face of death.

•        Does his best and is never saddened by what befalls him.



WHAT SORT OF MINDSET AND MORAL VALUES DOES HE POSSESS?

•     He possesses a mindset and moral values that properly reflect on the Qur’an,

•     Evaluates everything through the logic of the Qur’an,

•     Always thinks positively,

•     Acts in the direction dictated by his conscience,

•     Realizes that everything happens in the manner ordained by Allah in destiny,

•     Tries to see the goodness and wisdom behind every event,

•     Thinks of Allah at every moment, when standing, sitting or lying down,

•     Reflects deeply on the existence of Allah and the artistry in His creation,

•     Investigates and reflects on those matters to which Allah draws our attention and the signs leading to faith,

•     Finds the answers to questions in the Qur’an alone,

•     Always looks for solutions to problems in the Qur’an,

•     Always thinks in favor of the religion,

•     Realizes that whispering comes from satan and seeks refuge from it in Allah,

•     Always thinks the best of believers,

•     Can always consider others’ needs,

•     Can identify matters of urgency and give them priority,

•     Can make the appropriate comparisons between truth and superstition in the light of the Qur’an,

•     Can think with an unsullied reason,

•     Can reflect on his own creation,

•     Can reflect on the Day of Judgment,

•     Can reflect on Doomsday,

•     Can think about Paradise and Hell and draw appropriate conclusions,

•     Can properly reflect on advice directed toward him and

•    Possesses a reason and logic able to make accurate decisions.



WHAT KIND OF CONCEPTION OF LOVE DOES HE POSSESS?

•      He loves Allah more than anyone or anything else.

•     His love for believers is one based on the approval of Allah.

•     The people he loves most are those who strive most for Allah’s approval and those he considers to have most taqwa.

•     He feels no passionate love for the baubles of this world.

•     He expects no reward for the good deeds he performs other than the love of Allah.

•     He feels no love for those who rebel against Allah and His envoy.

•     The love and need he feels for something do not prevent him foregoing it.



HOW AND OF WHAT DOES HE SPEAK?

•     He addresses Allah by the finest names.

•     He speaks the finest words.

•     He uses the term “Insha’Allah,” meaning “If Allah so wishes,” when speaking of events in the future.

•     He praises the glory of Allah by saying “Masha’Allah” every time he sees beauty reflecting the artistry of Allah.

•     He speaks the words he hopes will be most pleasing to Allah.

•     He recalls the verses when he speaks.

•     He speaks wisely.

•     He speaks briefly, to the point and comprehensible.

•     He speaks no empty or useless words.

•     He speaks according to need.

•     He tells no lies.

•     He speaks so respectfully he will not even breathe a sigh against his mother and father.

•     He speaks gentle words.

•     The other party feels he is to be trusted when he speaks.

•     He speaks as sincerely and genuinely as possible.

•     He avoids speaking in secret.

•    He speaks in the knowledge of what his words mean and considers them carefully.

•     He gives advice when he speaks.

•     When entering someone’s home, he says the word “Salaam,” as set out in the Qur’an.

•     When he meets ignorant people, he does not address them in an ignorant manner, but with the word “Salaam.”

•     He speaks not a word of slander.

•     He never joins in such talk, but passes by in an honorable manner.

•     He speaks in such a way as to encourage good and moral behavior and discourage bad behavior.

•     He speaks with moderation, never shouting.

•     He knows he is responsible for every word he speaks.

•     He never swears for aimless and empty purposes.

•     He never disparages or accuses anyone when he speaks.

•     He never gossips.

•     He speaks words that stir people’s consciences.



HOW AND FOR WHAT DOES HE PRAY?

•     He prays by turning to Allah in all things.

•     He prays to Allah alone and seeks help only from Him.

•     He knows that all prayer is addressed to Allah.

•     He knows that Allah is closer to him than his own veins and hears what he thinks at all moments.

•     He addresses Allah by the finest names and thinks deeply on their meaning.

•    He places no bounds on what he asks from Allah in prayer.  

•     He knows that prayer has no set form, and that all activity performed for Allah’s approval is prayer.

•    He knows there is no special place for prayer, and that one can pray anywhere, at any time.  

•    He prays to Allah in the most respectful manner.

•     He prays in times of plenty and blessing, not when he is troubled and in need.

•     He is not ungrateful for the blessings that come in the wake of his prayers.

•     His prayer is true and sincere.

•     He begs and beseeched Allah in prayer.

•     He never prays for show.

•     He prays in fear and hope.

•     He prays for the prophets and other believers as much, or even more, as he does for himself.

•     He prays for the health, security, ease, wealth and strength of believers.

•     He prays to draw close to Allah, to be successful, to live by the religion in the best way and to be able to display fortitude in his moral values.

•     He prays for Allah to give the best and increase His blessings in this world and the Hereafter.

•     He prays for nobody to harm believers.

•     He adopts the prayers of the prophets cited in the Qur’an as models.

•     At the end of his prayers He calls on Allah by saying “Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds." (Surah Yunus, 10)     

Throughout their lives, human beings experience images that Allah shows them in their brains. Everything consists of electrical signals forming in the very small visual cortex in the brain. The originals of these images do exist on the outside, but human beings only see images created within the brain. Allah creates the external world solely as a reflection in our brains, and we perceive all these things with the soul that belongs to Allah. It is the soul that sees, hears, feels and experiences all these. 

When one considers all these perceptions that Allah creates in the soul, one immediately realizes that it is not matter that is the essence of everything, but that the essence lies with the soul. Because it is evident that the soul controls and directs matter. It is the soul that feels, and matter, in other words our bodies and events in our surroundings, are shaped in the light of those perceptions. Flesh or bone cannot grieve, rejoice, feel excitement, take decisions or possess powers of judgment and reason. It is the soul that feels, thinks, decides, constantly uses its conscience and rejoices. The soul that people think of as “mine” is actually the soul of Allah, as revealed in the verse: “He Who has created all things in the best possible way. He commenced the creation of man from clay; then produced his seed from an extract of base fluid; then formed him and breathed His Soul into him and gave you hearing, sight and hearts. What little thanks you show!” (Surat as-Sajda, 7-9)

Allah breathed of His own spirit, giving eyes and hearts to human beings whom He created with a sublime creation and to whom He gave reason and consciousness. The soul belongs to Allah; the soul that people refer to as theirs is actually the spirit of Allah. With His omniscience and infinite creative power, Allah performs this creation in such a perfect manner that, as a part of the test, people are able to assume ownership of this soul bestowed on them and say it is “mine.”

Human beings possess an enormously wealthy memory adorned with all kinds of details. Allah creates a memory for people moment by moment, as an assembly of past and present. Allah constantly creates the memory He produces for people right throughout their existence. For example, you are now reading these lines, and in a few minutes this text will take its place in your memory as a single moment. This text may maintain its place in your memory for perhaps a few days, or months or even years, and will come to your mind from time to time. When you stretch your memory and powers of recall you can remember a great many details. Countless trivial details of a great many events can be brought up again in your mind. Despite the passage of many years, for instance, something that happened on your first day of school, the games you played with your friends and the joy you felt on seeing a much loved toy all co-exist as a single moment in your memory. A great number of events, more than can be expressed in numbers, constitute your memory, what you refer to as “recollections,” for as long as you live. This memory is made a single whole at every moment of your life. Human beings assume possession of the soul Allah creates for memory and make the mistake of thinking it actually belongs to them. When they think of their memories, when they say, “I was happy on that day, I was excited on that day and felt these things,” they make the error of thinking it was their own soul that experienced those things.  

As stated above, Allah creates memory as a part of the way people are tested in this world. With His omniscience, Allah creates the test in the most perfect form. Some with a Qur’anic perspective on events realized the great secrets in this creation and lives in full awareness of the marvelous nature of the environment of the test. But because of their lack of awareness, people who live distanced from the spirit and moral values of the Qur’an live in ignorance of this great reality created by Allah. 

The soul that Allah causes us to feel is “ours” is totally the spirit of Allah. The feeling of possession of the soul, as if it were one’s own, that Allah creates as a manifestation of the infinitely wondrous nature of His creation is just one of the beauties and marvels of the test for someone who realizes the true nature of this creation.

When we think of the fervent joy in our souls, although created with a powerful feeling of belonging to us, we must not forget that it is Allah Who actually does the loving. All kinds of feeling that arise in the soul actually belong to the eternal spirit of Allah.  We feel that these things belong to us solely to the extent that Allah desires and permits. We fall into error by the detail and vivid nature of the things in our memories. It is in fact the Soul breathed into man by Allah that loves, is loved, thinks, has compassion, feels affection and sympathy, delights in beauty, knows and turns to beauty and goodness and employs its own conscience. 

Allah creates all things together with their destinies. Everything created by Allah, human beings, animals, plants and other objects, all has its own destiny. Every human being is born together with a destiny chosen for him by Allah and adorned with thousands or even millions of details. He lives that destiny at every moment of his life, with every breath he takes. And when the time comes to die, Allah, our Almighty Creator, takes that person’s soul at the moment and in the place determined in his destiny.  The destinies of sincere Muslims who fear Allah and make obtaining His approval their aim in life are always created together with a great deal of beauty.

Everything is beautiful for a Muslim. In the same way that blessings are beautiful, so the difficulties, troubles, sicknesses and temporary sufferings of this world that Allah creates as part of the test, and the pressure and threats from unbelievers described by Allah in the Qur’an, are all blessings that turn into beauty for believers. Everything that may appear to be difficult and troublesome when looked at from a superficial perspective far removed from the moral values of the Qur’an turns into infinite beauty in this world and also in the Hereafter, where our real lives are lived, for Muslims possessed of faith and fortitude. Muslims always enjoy a positive state of mind that comes from the awareness and joy of knowing they are living out their destinies. They look at everything that Allah confronts them with in this world as containing wisdom and a means of obtaining Allah’s approval in the Hereafter. Nothing can cause a Muslim any sorrow or unhappiness. 

An honest person who knows that Allah dislikes such a state of mind in believers constantly lives with the joy bestowed by the existence of Allah, His infinite greatness and His creation of all things in the most perfect form. Omniscient and Eternal Allah, Who is mighty enough to create all things, also creates in the most perfect form in the Hereafter, and this is one of the happiest tidings for Muslims in this world. The excitement that comes from love of Allah, the fervor of living by the moral values of the religion and knowing that one is constantly drawing closer to the Hereafter, the one destination at the end of the very brief life of this world keep Muslims always optimistic, alive, active and strong in mind.  Someone who lives in such a state of mind is always hopeful of Allah and always positive. It is in his destiny to be always smiling and to look on everything positively and with the perspective that Allah demands of us in the Qur’an. People around him feel the warmth of the moral values of the religion and the superior moral values of the Qur’an through his facial expression, words and behavior.  He is always inclined to speak the finest words and encourages Muslims and looks for the best in everything. A Muslim reveals all the beauty created in his destiny in the details of his life.

Deniers are also created with a destiny. Allah creates everything with His omniscience and infinite wisdom. The life of a believer who adopts his own earthly desires as his purpose in life rather than the approval of Allah is devoid of all beauty and all the blessings that Allah bestows on Muslims. Deniers are deprived of the greatest blessings that Allah bestows on man, such as faith, an untroubled conscience, peace, love and fear of Allah and fervor for the Hereafter. The physical blessings that Allah bestows on such people as He wishes as part of the test, such as health and wealth, will turn into eternal suffering in the Hereafter for unbelievers. Deniers can enjoy none of the blessings that Muslims are given in this world, and can never attain happiness, which Allah reveals He will bestow on believers alone. Characteristics created in Muslims’ destiny, such as enjoying beauty, loving for the sake of Allah, altruism, loyalty, cleanliness, inner peace, foregoing one’s own rights and always behaving in a moral way do not have the same effect on a denier’s heart. They do not look for beauty in that way. Human characteristics are of no interest to them. They lack the sensitivity possessed by Muslims. In terms of sensitivity of spirit and other aspects of behavior, they literally exhibit the kind of moral values that more resemble those of animals. 



Allah has created animals with all these features because that is how He wants them to be in their destiny. They all act and behave as determined in their destiny.  Their physical appearances and reactions are those created with great wisdom by Allah. In the same way, someone who is irritable, proud, unable to control himself, who mocks others, who is unaware that Allah creates events and who imagines he has some independent power of his own – surely Allah is beyond that – displays such behavior because that is how Allah has created him in destiny. 

Human beings are entities with the attribute of being able to control their souls and train their worldly desires. They think deeply and perceive all details. They delight in beauty, and their souls are inclined toward beauty and cleanliness. But animals are devoid of these superior features that Allah has inspired in the human soul alone. Since that is how they are created, that is how they live. Allah describes the situation of people devoid of human characteristics as follows in the Qur’an:

"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)

“Do you suppose that most of them hear or understand? They are just like cattle. Indeed they are even more astray!” (Surat al-Furqan, 44)
 
As Allah reveals in His verses, deniers are like animals, or even more unaware. In the same way that Allah creates animals in the form they display in their destiny, deniers exhibit similar features in their destiny, and are distinguished from Muslims in a most evident manner.   

Satan always wishes to instill feelings of insecurity, despair over the future and a pessimistic view of events in those who adopt him as their friend. He does not want people to have faith, to be obedient to Allah, to submit to destiny or to be people who place their trust in Allah and are optimistic and filled with enthusiasm. Because these things are all characteristics that are pleasing to Allah and draw one closer to Him, and that are essential if one is to live by the moral values of the religion. Satan does not want people to draw close to Allah or to live by His religion in an enthusiastic and determined manner. For that reason, he always tries to instil feelings of weariness, pessimism and despair in people by encouraging hopelessness. 

One of the things that satan wants to make believers do, but cannot is to cause them to fall into despair in the face of seemingly unwelcome conditions. Satan has no power over sincere believers and cannot draw them to his side. Because of believers’ faith they always abide by the commandments and advice of Allah. Optimism is a commandment that Allah has definitively revealed in the Qur’an. There is therefore no question of believers behaving in any other manner on the subject. Because in His verses Allah tells believers, "... Do not despair of solace from Allah. No one despairs of solace from Allah except people who are unbelievers.” (Surah Yusuf, 87) Believers therefore strongly avoid entering any such state of mind.
Pessimism is also condemned in other verses of the Qur’an and described as a negative attribute of deniers. We are told in verses that:

Man never tires of praying for the good    and if evil touches him, he despairs and loses hope. But if We let him taste mercy from Us     after he has suffered hardship, then he says, ‘This is my due. I do not think that the Hour is going to come. And if am returned to my Lord, I will definitely find the best reward with Him.’ But We will inform those who are kafir of what they did and make them suffer a ruthless punishment. (Surah Fussilat, 49-50)

Those who reject Allah’s Signs and the meeting with Him, such people can despair of My mercy, such people will have a painful punishment. (Surat Al-‘Ankabut, 23)

People who fall into hopelessness and rebellion have fallen into satan’s trap and are obeying his command. But believers, who are always optimistic and look hopefully toward the future win Allah’s approval and the merit of the Hereafter, as well as living a healthy and happy life in this world as a blessing from Allah. Since they are optimistic under all circumstances, cling tightly to the Qur’an and close friends of Allah, satan will be unable to deceive them and inflict despair upon them.  Since this is one of the important issues that constitute the essence of the moral values of the religion, believers are very scrupulous regarding it, as they are in all other Qur’anic matters.

Another aspect of the subject is that satan, who is unwilling for anyone to live by Allah’s religion, always wants people to adopt irreligious life styles, of which model pessimism is one component. So much so that in some societies pessimism literally becomes a philosophy of life. People whom satan manages to bring under his influence come to delight in songs, films and writings that express pessimism and despair.

Yet pessimism is incompatible with human reason, logic and the power to make healthy decisions. Pessimism damages mental and physical health and is a psychological disorder that can even lead to suicide, depending on its severity. One cannot, of course, expect such people to live by the moral values of the Qur’an. And this suits satan’s purposes very well. Because in this way he leads people astray from the moral values of the religion in such a way that they have no expectation of the Hereafter, and condemns them to eternal suffering alongside him. This has been satan’s greatest aim throughout the course of human history.

A hopeless person also spreads negativity and pessimism to those around him. With this attitude he literally acts like satan’s helpmate. Because through him satan encourages the kind of state of mind he wants to instil in people. By adopting such an attitude, a person has, willingly or otherwise, entered into the service of satan. But man is created to serve Allah and His religion, not satan.    

Human beings are certainly entities with no power to do anything. As with all living things, it is Allah alone Who creates human beings and causes them to act as they do. In that sense it is correct for a person to say ‘I am not strong enough’ on any matter. But it is highly dishonest to use the same term in a different logical framework and suggest that this is also compatible with the religion. For example, there is no question of any sincere and devout person saying, when asked to exhibit some proper moral virtue, “I have no independent power of my own, for which reason I am not strong enough to do that.” Such a person is trying to avoid living by that moral virtue by imagining he can use some of the fundamental elements of the religion for his own ends.

The fact is that believers are tested in the life of this world. Of course human beings have no power and it is Allah Who creates all things. But Allah has also given human beings a conscience with which to distinguish between right and wrong, and to make judgments and select the best and proper course of action at all times. People must know their helplessness and neediness before Allah. At the same time, they also have a responsibility to select and live by the moral values that Allah will find most pleasing, by the use of their reason, conscience and abilities. 

Therefore, if a person just says, “Allah in Almighty, whereas I am a helpless entity; so my strength is not up to the task unless Allah so wishes, and I can only manage it if Allah wishes” when confronted with a difficulty or a situation calling for hard effort, and if he then acts in the light of that idea, that is an incorrect way of behaving. Believers never forget their helplessness in the face of the infinite might of Allah, but they also know that if Allah wishes and by manifesting his infinite power in His servants He can give them the strength to overcome any kind of difficulty.

It is exceedingly important for believers to live with this awareness of faith. Otherwise, it is incompatible with the religion for someone to regard himself as having any power independent of Allah (surely Allah is beyond that), or to imagine that any strength or even weakness and helplessness bestowed on him by Allah actually belongs to him. Because Allah is infinitely mighty. Allah can make the most impossible thing easy, or create something thought to be impossible at the very moment He chooses. Therefore, the kind of language used by someone who believes in these truths must be expressive of belief in the infinite power of Allah. He must use the kind of language that shows that he is personally helpless and that, since Allah is Almighty and through the blessing of Allah, he can exhibit the finest moral virtues on even the most difficult-seeming matters.
 
Indeed, we are told in many verses of the Qur’an, ‘there is ease in every difficulty’ and ‘Our Lord will provide an ease and way out for those of His servants who fear and are in awe of Him.’ Therefore, when one encounters a situation one cannot resolve by oneself, one must look at it from the perspective of these secrets of the Qur’an and say: “Whatever Allah has created is best for me. Everything Allah has created has so far been for the best for me. And since I am a Muslim He will continue to create what is best for me. I am a helpless entity in need of Allah. If I seek shelter in Allah, beg for help from Allah and place my trust in Him, He will make even the worst difficulties easy for me and bless me with the spiritual strength with which to overcome them.”

Allah will, insha’Allah, make all difficulties easy for anyone who acts with that faith, and who properly places his trust in Him. Allah will give that person a great strength and power he never knew he had. This power that Allah will bless believers with and the way He will make all difficulties easy for them and show them the way out are described as follows in the Qur’an:
 

Certainly THERE IS A TRANSMISSION IN THIS for people who worship. (Surat Al-Anbiya’, 106)


... WHOEVER HAS TAQWA OF ALLAH – HE WILL GIVE HIM A WAY OUT. (Surat at-Talaq, 2)


... WHOEVER HAS TAQWA OF ALLAH – HE WILL MAKE MATTERS EASY FOR HIM. (Surat at-Talqa, 4)


O Prophet! say to those you are holding prisoner, ‘IF ALLAH KNOWS OF ANY GOOD IN YOUR HEARTS, HE WILL GIVE YOU SOMETHING BETTER THAN WHAT HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM YOU and forgive you.’ Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surat al-Anfal, 70)

... Allah does not demand from any self more than He has given it. ALLAH WILL APPOINT AFTER DIFFICULTY, EASE. (Surat at-Talaq, 7)

WE WILL EASE YOU TO THE EASY WAY. (Surat Al-A‘la, 8)


[AS FOR HE WHO] CONFIRMS THE GOOD, WE WILL PAVE HIS WAY TO EASE. (Surat al-Layl, 6-7)

FOR TRULY WITH HARDSHIP COMES EASE; TRULY WITH HARDSHIP COMES EASE. (Surat al-Inshirah, 5-6)    

The Qur'an states: "If someone shuts his eyes to the remembrance of the All-Merciful, We assign him a satan who becomes his bosom friend." (Surat az-Zukhruf, 36)

Allah reveals that those who turn their backs on religion become the friends of Satan. In another verse this fact is set out in these words: "Children of Adam! Do not let satan tempt you into trouble as He expelled your parents from the Garden, stripping them of their covering and disclosing to them their private parts. He and his tribe see you from where you do not see them. We have made the demons friends of those who do not believe." (Surat al-A'raf, 27) Satan brings those he makes friends with under his control and directs them in the ways of his own loathsome moral values.

People who win the friendship of satan instead of the approval of Allah are deprived of a great many blessings. One of these losses is the way that such people never have true friends. Friendship is a blessing given by our Lord to those who take Him as their friend. As revealed in the verse, "Your friend is only Allah and His Messenger and those who believe: those who perform prayer and give the alms, and bow." (Surat al-Ma'ida, 55), Allah grants these people the friendship of devout believers.

Satan's friendship, on the other hand, leaves a person permanently alone. That is because satan tells those he adopts as friends that lies, deviance, rebellion, denial and hatred are pleasant things. People under the influence of satan approach those around them with just that moral understanding. They will primarily act according to their own interests and agenda. Such a person's best friend is him or herself. It is therefore impossible for such people to build true and permanent friendships as alluded to in the Qur'an.

In a society which does not live by the moral values of the Qur'an, it is very hard to find a reliable and sincere friend from whom to seek help, to whom to entrust property or valuables or money or to confide in. Furthermore, this situation has become so widely accepted that many regard it as an immutable fact of life.

It is impossible for people to be at ease in such an insecure environment. That is because even when a friend seems to have been found, there always exists the danger that these "friends" may in fact be acting out of self-interest. This scenario is therefore far removed from true friendship. Some people look upon one another with envy in relation to jobs, cars or homes which they may covet. They may wish to achieve superiority over the other. They therefore take advantage of even the slightest opportunity to locate each others' weaknesses and rise above one another.

People who behave with such an understanding are aware that they are living in a most untrustworthy and insincere environment. They are perfectly aware that they have no friends in the true sense of the word. Yet since they fail to seek a solution by living by the moral values of the Qur'an, they are unable to escape their predicament. Neither will these people who fail to turn to the true path have any friends in the Hereafter. They will find the same uneasy, insincere, insecure environment they experienced in the world but multiplied many times over in the Hereafter. The position in the Hereafter of those who take satan as their friend in this world is revealed by our Lord:

Therefore here today he has no friend. (Surat al-Haqqa, 35)

They will be bundled into it head first, they and the misled, and every one of Iblis's regiments. Arguing in it with one another, they will say: "By Allah, we were plainly misguided when we equated you with the Lord of all the worlds. It was only the evildoers who misguided us and now we have no one to intercede for us; we do not have a single loyal friend." (Surat ash-Shu'ara', 94-101)

Believers' friendships with one another are very powerful and long-lasting. That is because it is their sincere faith in and fear of Allah which bring believers together and make friends out of them. As revealed by our Lord in the verse:

Hold fast to the rope of Allah all together, and do not separate. Remember Allah's blessing to you when you were enemies and He joined your hearts together so that you became brothers by His blessing. You were on the very brink of a pit of the Fire and He rescued you from it. In this way Allah makes His signs clear to you, so that hopefully you will be guided." (Surah Al 'Imran, 103)

Believers are brothers. For that reason, the friendship based on faith continues, by the will of Allah, both in this world and for ever in the life of the Hereafter.

Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger will be with those whom Allah has blessed: the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. What excellent company such people are! (Surat an-Nisa', 69)

Right through the course of history, there have been leaders who have misdirected those around them. They have been taken as role models by wider society and their alleged successes have been the subject of envy. These people, who rebel against Allah and reject His verses, have used their material means to turn others away from the path of Allah. Allah refers to these people as "leaders, summoning to the Fire" (Surat al- Qasas, 41) in the Qur'an.

Pharaoh and Qarun, reported to have lived in the past in the Qur'an, are examples of this. In the verses "They followed Pharaoh's command but Pharaoh's command was not rightly guided. He will go ahead of his people on the Day of Resurrection and lead them down into the Fire. What an evil watering-hole to be led to!" (Surat al-Hud, 97-98), Allah reveals how on the Judgement Day Pharaoh will lead his people to the flames.

The common characteristic between Pharaoh-a major deterrent lesson for all the peoples that have come after him-and Qarun is that they possessed great wealth but used it unwisely, treading not on Allah's path but on satan's. As a result, both were punished by Allah. That is because nothing people possess in the life of this world, neither their wealth nor their close friends nor their status in society, can save them from Allah's retribution in this world or the next. For that reason, all the effort people make to deny the truth merely rebounds against their own selves. In the Qur'an, Allah reveals that prominent affluent people who become spoiled in their well-being, such as Pharaoh and Qarun, actually only succeed in establishing an order which works against themselves:

And likewise in every city We set up its greatest wrongdoers to plot in it. They plot against themselves alone, but they are not aware of it. (Surat al- An'am, 123)

Qarun, who boasted of his wealth and property and grew proud against Allah, also suffered a terrible defeat. All that he owned availed him nothing. Qarun's position is revealed thus in the Qur'an:

He [Qarun] said: "I have only been given it because of 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 evildoers will not be questioned about their sins. (Surat al-Qasas, 78)

Similarly, Pharaoh's dominion also came to naught in the face of Allah's punishment; Allah destroyed Pharaoh, his palace, all his goods and his army:

… And We utterly destroyed what Pharaoh and his people made and the buildings they constructed. (Surat al- A'raf, 137)
Such was the case with Pharaoh's people and those before them. They denied their Lord's signs so We destroyed them for their wrong actions. We drowned Pharaoh's people. All of them were wrongdoers. (Surat al-Anfal, 54)

All these verses show that no matter how powerful a person may be in the life of this world, all human beings are completely helpless in the face of the might of Allah. Since some people are unable to see the true face of the world, they form an inflated impression of prominent members of society. They sometimes seek to adopt the mistaken behavior of people they admire. They often do this simply on account of the said individual's wealth. These people are often taken as role models and obsessed fans will attempt to imitate them. They may regard such peoples' faulty behavior as justified or even support it, even though it contravenes the general norms of that society. This disastrous mentality was the kind of perspective the people around Qarun possessed. It is revealed in the Qur'an that, impressed by Qarun's wealth, these people said the following:

He [Qarun] went out among his people in his finery. Those who desired the life of this world said: "Oh! If only we had the same as Qarun has been given! What immense good fortune he possesses." (Surat al-Qasas, 79)

As we have seen, leading figures among the unbelievers, who had a negative influence over the societies in which they lived, called on those around them to live by the ungodly system of satan and used all the means at their disposal to lead others to perdition with them. The fact is, however, that Allah has made every individual responsible for living in faith, calling those around him or her to the truth and ensuring that they avoid evil. The opposite will inflict grave responsibilities on that person in the sight of Allah and in the Hereafter. Allah has revealed that people who lead others to denial instead of setting a good example and calling them to the true path may be charged with those peoples' sins in addition to their own in the Hereafter:

So on the Day of Resurrection they will carry the full weight of their own burdens and some of the burdens of those they misguided without knowledge. What an evil load they bear! (Surat an-Nahl, 25)

Once the Judgment comes, the followers of the callers to the Fire will see in the Hereafter fate of those people they adopted as role models in the life of this world-simply on account of their wealth, standing or superior status in society-and will suffer a terrible regret. They will understand that these people whom they imagined to be powerful and superior are actually helpless and powerless.

They, the followers, will seek the help of the followed in the Hereafter just as they did in the life of this world. Both will wish for salvation from the eternal torment of Hell. But they will be powerless to do anything to save themselves. Allah has revealed this discourse amongst the unbelievers in the Qur'an:

When they are squabbling with one another in the Fire, the weak will say to those deemed great: "We were your followers, so why do you not relieve us of a portion of the Fire?" (Surah Ghafir, 47)

Those deemed great will say: "All of us are in it. Allah has clearly judged between His servants." (Surah Ghafir, 48)

All this information provided by Allah in the Qur'an shows how the "leaders summoning to the Fire" assume an enormous responsibility in the life of this world. It expl