The modern age has assumed a split between what is
religious and what is worldly, and the Revelation has
been detached from the Universe and the sciences
that study it, the spiritual from the material, the afterlife from
this life, the heart from the mind and soul. Islam, however, is
based upon the foundation of Unity, which assumes these
pairs do not exist, or at least are not two dimensions of one
whole. The human mind has been under assault from the
storms of denial for the past few centuries, fanned by scientific
thought and the study of natural phenomena, isolated from
meaning. Hearts are wallowing in the mire of the carnal self,
as sinning has become a way of life. These hearts have to be
enrolled in the school of the Revealed Word, purified while
processed through the filter of worship and servanthood and
reshaped by way of constant positive activism. The Universe
and the “perfect human” are a “created Book.” The Book is the
“revealed universe and the perfect human.” They represent different expressions of the same meaning with a different corpus.
This school does not split the heart from the mind; the
reason faculties of the mind and the heart are thus named is
due for the need of a description. In fact, the faculties that are
concerned with the mind are nothing but the functions and
actions of the heart, to the extent that even the carnal self
becomes a mount for the heart, until the heart is purified and
becomes a perfect self. Modern humans have positioned their
hearts on one side and their minds on the other. Nevertheless,
all individuals are essentially addressees of the divine call and
they represent God Almighty on Earth, although most are not
aware of their value. This ignorance does not legitimize a disregard of their essential quality to be “the best of all creation.”
The lead article in this issue, Respect for Humankind, reminds
us of the fact that we are all heading toward the same destination and we have to learn to respect the different modes of travel each has chosen.

Professor Sheremet examines the blind alley that science
has found itself in, inviting people to a reacceptance of
Almighty God as the main agent of every phenomenon we see
around us. Professor Hasgul joins us in this issue with an
interesting article on the Virgin Birth and how we can learn
from this miracle. Ahmet Cokol discusses some interesting theories
on why civilizations collapse, while Mustafa Armagan
presents a sample from the history of eastern-western interaction
as a valid model of perspectives of contemporary objectivity
in Montaigne and the Ottomans. Yusuf al-Qaradawi makes a
very significant argument for the necessity of positive interaction
between the People of the Book, while Professor Yildirim
goes back in time to wipe the dust off the invaluable Madina
Charter-and we look forward to more comprehensive
research on this historical document.

Alcohol does not stay “as it looks in the bottle.” Kathleen
St. Onge describes how a simple liquid can be such a danger
to the individual and to society, and reminds responsible
believers to make it known that they do not drink it, because it
is forbidden by their faith.
Enjoy reading while thinking!