So-called ‘new’ viruses most probably derive from existing viruses; in general, viruses of today have ancestors and relatives. However, as viruses show great variety, and many of the viruses of gravest concern mutate rapidly and unpredictably, it is not always possible to trace their ancestry with any great confidence. A ‘new virus may be genuinely new or a major evolutionary variant arising from genetic processes such as mutation or recombination. Their rate of mutation is so high that controlling them, or predicting their behaviour, is well-nigh impossible. High mutation rate means that no RNA (ribonucleic acid) virus population is a single entity, but rather a ‘quasi species’. Introduction of a virus from one species to another and dissemination from a smaller to a larger population are also among the basic mechanisms by which viruses emerge.

The emerging viruses are surfacing from ecologically damaged parts of the earth. When viruses come out of an ecosystem, they tend to spread in waves through the human population. Among the most notorious are: Lassa, Rift Valley, Oropuche, Rocio, Q. Guanarito, VEE, Monkeypox, Dengue, Chikunganya, the Hanta viruses, Machupo, Junin, the rabies like strains Mokola and Duvenhage, LeDantec.

AIDS: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a more difficult case compared to, for example, influenza, itself a great killer – the influenza pandemic of 1918-9 in China caused some 20 million fatalities. We do not know the origin of HIV, but a probable primate origin is often suggested, and appears highly plausible. HIV-2 (one of the major strains of HIV) may be a mutant that jumped into humans from an African monkey known as the sooty mangabey, perhaps when monkey hunters or trappers touched body tissue. HIV-1 (the other strain) may have jumped into man from chimpanzees – perhaps when hunters butchered chimpanzees.

HIV attacks the type of lymphocytes known as helper T-cells that stimulate the activity of B lymphocytes that produce antibodies. After an HIV infection sets in, helper T-cells begin to decline in number and the person becomes more susceptible to infections.

The AIDS virus mutates rapidly and constantly. It is a hyper-mutant, a shape-shifter, spontaneously altering its character as it moves through individuals. It mutates even in the course of one injection.

The drug AZT has been found to be helpful in prolonging the lives of AIDS patients. Also, it has been shown that administration of Interleukin-2 and AT-538 can prevent viral replication in cells in the early stages of the infection.

The Filoviruses

Marburg and Ebola viruses were recently elevated to family status as the Filoviridae. The name, ‘thread viruses’, is based on their morphology. These viruses made their appearance in the 1960s and 1970s in the form of frightening nosocomial and occupational outbreaks, initially among polio vaccine production workers in contact with Ugandan green monkeys and their kidney tissues, then in independent hospital epidemics of devastating proportions during 1976 in the Sudan and Zaire. Mortality from these infections can range to nearly 90%, that is 90% of infections, not just of clinical illnesses.

The incubation period of a filovirus in a human being, is from 3 to 18 days during which time the number of virus particles climbs steadily in the bloodstream. Then the suffering begins.

Marburg was the first filovirus to be discovered. It erupted in a factory producing vaccines using kidney cells from African green monkeys. Thirty-one people caught the virus. Seven infected persons died in pools of blood in just two weeks. This fatality rate of one in four makes Marburg an extremely lethal agent, yet it is the mildest of the filoviruses. No vaccine is available.

Ebola Sudan

The next indication of the existence of filoviruses came from an extraordinary pair of epidemics in 1976. In the Sudan the initial focus was a cotton factory in Nzara, and several of the earliest recognized cases worked there in a single room. Travel to nearby Maridi introduced the virus into the medical care system, with subsequent latrogenic dissemination that devastated the Maridi hospital. In this outbreak, 150 out of 280 infected people died.

In 1979, it recurred in Nzara, Sudan. The index case had worked in the same room in the cotton factory identified in the earlier epidemic. Twenty-two out of 34 infected patients died. When it first erupted, the medical stuff had used dirty needles which facilitated the spread of infection. Again, no vaccine is available.

Two months after the start of the Sudan emergence in 1976, an even more lethal filovirus emerged. The Ebola Zaire, a new strain was nearly twice as lethal as Ebola Sudan. The fatality rate of Ebola Zaire is 9 out of 10. Staff at a hospital which had been at the epicenter of the epidemic were almost all wiped out: 13 out of 17 of the doctors and nurses died. The disease erupted more or less simultaneously in fifty-five villages near the headwaters of Ebola River.

This epidemic was clearly dependent on the use of unsterilized needles and syringes for its major dissemination between villages, although multiple later generations of cases occurred among family contacts without any defined exposure route.

Ebola is distantly related to measles, mumps and rabies. It is also related to certain pneumonia viruses, to the parainfluenza virus which causes colds in children, and to the respiratory syncytial virus, which can cause fatal pneumonia in a person who has AIDS.

Ebola kills a great deal of tissue while the host is alive. It triggers a creeping, spotty necrosis that spreads through all the internal organs. The liver bulges up and turns yellow, begins to liquefy and then it cracks apart. The kidneys become jammed with blood clots and dead cells, and cease functioning. As the kidneys fail, the blood becomes toxic with urine. No vaccine is available.

Ebola does in ten days what it takes AIDS ten years to accomplish. In principle Ebola-like viruses could spread out all over the world in just one month and a half. Richard Preston, the author of Hot Zone argues that AIDS may be the first step in a natural process of clearance. What is being cleared is human beings: the earth’s immune system, so to speak, has recognized the presence of our species and is starting to kick in and signal its potential to rid itself of an infection by human beings. There can be no excuse for failing to reflect radically on the way we manage our economies, our societies and our lifestyles. We have no absolute right of tenure of this planet, nor does our collective intelligence or our science and technology afford a reliable immunity from vulnerability, whether as individuals or as a species. We do need to be fearful perhaps, though not to panic – so that we redress the balance in favour of humility in our attitudes and activities, so that we become more caring and careful in using our God-given faculties to prevent the worst before it happens.

References

• MADER, S. S. (1992) Human Biology, WCB Group.
• PRESTON, R. (1993) Hot Zone, Random House, New York.
• MORSE, S. 5. (1993) Emerging Viruses, Oxford University Press, New York.
• DOWDLE, W. (1993) ‘The Origins of Plagues’, Science, 261 (September 17).
• GRIFFIN, B. E. (1994) ‘Live and Let Live’, Nature, 368 (March 3).

The word ‘robot’ was first used in the 1922 play R.U.R. by the Czech playwright Karel Capek: the title is an acronym for Rossum’s Universal Robots which become so sophisticated that they take over the world. ‘Robot’ is compounded from the Czech words ‘robota’ or work, and ‘robotnik’ or serf (Capek. 1923).

The use of industrial robots, first clearly identified in the 1960s, along with computer aided design (CAD) and computed aided manufacturing (CAM) systems, characterizes the latest trends in the automation of the manufacturing process (Roth, 1983). These technologies arc leading industrial automation through another transition, the scope of which is still unknown.

Growth of the robotics market has slowed compared to the early 1980s. The use of industrial robots is at present concentrated in rather simple, repetitive tasks which do not to require high precision. However, manufacturing market analysis predicts that early next century industrial robots will become increasingly viable in applications which require more precision and sensory sophistication such as assembly tasks. The automotive industry, where robots have been economically justified since the 1970s, will continue to be the leading user. However, the major growth of the US robot population will occur in non-automotive industries.

2. Robot classes and characteristics

Robots can be classified in many ways. To establish a generic classification system, we shall refer to dimensions or degrees of freedom or DOF.

The DOF of a mechanical system refers to the number of physical axes through which motion can occur. In robotics, DOF can often be equated with the number of joints in the robot.

Typical present-day industrial robots have from one to six-DOF, although more are certainly possible. For example, a wrist can be made more flexible by adding rotation to the twisting already in that joint. Similarly, a fourth DOF can be added to the shoulder, where the arm joins the base to allow additional rotation of the arm. Industrial robots are also classified by the mechanical configuration of the individual elements of the arm and actuators. Theses classifications are: rectangular class (X,Y,Z): cylindrical class (R,?,Z): spherical class (R,?,?); and jointed class (?1,?1,?). This classification begins with simple movements in a rectangular co-ordinate system such as the x-y co-ordinate system.

3. World’s robot population

More than 610.000 industrial robots are now at work according to a new annual publication by the secretariat of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) and the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

The world’s robot population grew by about 6% in 1993 compared with 8% the year before. These growth rates fall significantly short of those of 16-23% recorded in the booming late 1980s and early 1990s. However, in view of the deep recession which commenced at the end of 1990 in robot-using countries and resulted in large reductions in investment and industrial employment, growth in the robot stock of 6%-8% is still quite impressive. 

Japan accounts for more than half of the world robot stock. However, the net increase in Japanese robot stock fell sharply in both 1992 and 1993. In 1993, the net increase in the robot stock was only about a third of the record year 1990, underscoring the depth of the Japanese recession.

With 325 robots for every 10.000 persons employed in manufacturing, Japan has by far the world’s highest robot density followed by Singapore with 109, Sweden with 73, Italy with 70 and Germany with 62. As a result of falling employment in the manufacturing industry in 1992-1993, robot density increased rapidly in many countries even though the robot stock increased only modestly.

In most countries, welding is the predominant application area for robots, particularly for major motor vehicle producing countries, accounting for more than 20% of the total robot stock. In a few countries machining was the largest application area. Assembly was the largest application area in Japan, accounting for 40% of the total stock of robots. It is worth noting that in Japan assembly accounted for 50% of the net increase in stock while welding only had a share of 9%.After a solid recovery in 1994, the robot market is forecast to boom in the period up to 1998. Based on macroeconomics forecast of the development of world economics the UN/ECE and IFR forecast that the world stock of industrial robots will increase from some 610,000 units at the end of 1993 to over 830.000 units at the end of 1997. As the number of personnel employed in industry is falling, the density of robots measured as the number of robots per 10.000 workers will continue to surge. In terms of units, shipments are estimated to increase from about 54.000 units in 1993 to over 103,000 units in 1997.

While the robot market was expected to be somewhat hesitant in Japan in 1994 and 1995, it was expected to boom in the United States, Western Europe and the dynamic Asian economies. If growth and world trade gain momentum as predicted from 1995, the prospects for the robotics business seem extremely bright.

The potential for expansion of robotics is enormous. If other industrialized countries were to approach the robot densities of Japan and if industry in general were to reach only half the robot density of the motor vehicle sector, the robot stock would increase manifold, and this is not counting the potential for robots in the service industries. The following example gives an illustration of the potential: if industry in France and the United Kingdom were to achieve a robot density half that of the motor vehicle industry in those countries, the robot stock would more than double; if it reached half the density of the Japanese motor vehicle industry, the robot stock in those countries would increase more than 20 times.

4. Summary

The emphasis in this article has been on industrial robots and techniques currently used in that environment. The future of robotics depends on improvements in many technologies to reduce cost and increase the range of performance so that robots become effective in more environments. These technologies include motors, actuators, contact sensors, non contact sensors, mechanisms, lubrication, electronics, computers and artificial intelligence.

References 

• CAPEK. K. (1923) R.U.R.. Samuel French. London.
• ROTH. B. (1983) Principles of Automation, in Future Directions in Manufacturing Technology, based on the Unilever Research and Engineering Division Symposium held at Port Sunlight, April 1983. Unilever Research. UK

never relieved; it snares the unbeliever in a wild solitude,

wretched in spirit, facing a stride away the blackness

where all his ways come to dead end, where the light

he can bring to bear, his only light, is the torch of ignorance.

In that darkness his imagination is cruelly imprisoned

disabling perception; he discerns neither beginnings nor ends;

nothingness looms monstrously out of bottomless despair;

everything appears confused, ill-proportioned, futile, lost,

a chaos of particles blown by poisonous interstellar winds.

But the believer’s spirit, like his world, is consoled by light

as bright as sunlit sky, a wide-dimensioned space where time

unfolds in purposed direction; and earth displays its beauties

interlinked and opening out like petals; where all paths turn

through infinite, measured variety toward a brighter Paradise.

In that light his imagination is compassionately freed:

enabling vision of eternal spring under glistening clouds,

the spirit can surrender itself to a brief, peaceful sleep,

the heart flies like an arrow to its rest, and shining horizons

beckon to an infinite expanse of light pouring down.

Believing souls traverse that expanse to eternal life

where their dreams are vivid with memories of their past…

their traversing is itself a dream-like journey and surely

they attain their journey’s end, having so earnestly desired it

in the depths of their hearts and in their spirits battled

so mightily against errors of self hood and human arrogance.

As someone born and raised in Britain. I am often asked what we as Muslims have to offer to the West. But before I answer, I should like to ask a question myself: Are we Muslims because we believe in God Almighty, or do we believe in God because we are Muslims?

The question occurred to me during a march through the streets of London, over a decade ago, to protest against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. I’d made a formal conversion to Islam several years prior to this, and it wasn’t my first demonstration. There were banners and placards and much shouting and chanting. Towards the end of the demonstration I was approached by a young man who introduced himself as someone: interested in Islam. ‘Excuse me,’ he said, ‘but what is the meaning of La ilaha illa Allah?’

Without a moments hesitation I answered. There is no god but Allah.’

‘I’m not asking you to translate it.’ he said. ‘I’m asking you to tell me what it really means.’ There was a long awkward silence as it dawned on me that I was unable to answer him.

You are no doubt thinking. ‘What kind of Muslim is it that does not know the real meaning of La ilaha illa Allah’?’ To this I would have to say: a typical one. That evening I pondered my ignorance: being in the majority didn’t help, it simply made me more depressed.

Islam simply made sense, in a way that nothing else ever had. It had rules of government, it had an economic system, it had regulations concerning every facet of day-to-day existence. It was egalitarian and addressed to all races, and it was clear and easy to understand. Oh, and it has a God, One God, in whom I had always vaguely believed. That was that. I said La ilaha illa Allah and I was part of the community. For the first time in my life I belonged.

New converts are invariably enthusiastic to know as much as possible about their religion in the shortest possible time. In the few years that followed, my library grew rapidly. There was so much to learn, and so many books ready to teach. Books on the history of Islam, the economic system of Islam, the concept of government in Islam: countless manuals of Islamic jurisprudence, and best of all, hooks on Islam and revolution, on how Muslims were to rise tip and establish Islamic governments, Islamic republics. When I returned to Britain in early ‘79 from my trip to the Middle east to learn the meaning of La ilaha illa Allah. I was ready to introduce Islam to the West.

It was to these books that I turned for an answer to the question ‘What is the meaning of La ilaha illa Allah? ‘ Again I was disappointed. The books were about Islam, not about Allah. They covered every subject you could possibly imagine except for the one which really mattered. I put the question to the imam at the university mosque. He made an excise and left. Then a brother who had overheard my impertinent question to the imam came over and said: I have a tafsir of La ilaha illa Allah. If you like we could read ii together. I imagined that it would be ten or twenty pages at the most. It turned out to have over 5000 pages, in several books. It was the Risale-i Nur by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi.

Bediuzzaman had seen that modern unbelief originated from science and philosophy, not from ignorance as previously. Paradoxically, the Muslims’ neglect of science and technology caused them to fall behind the West in economic and military fields. But the science and technology which had provided the West with the power to achieve military and economic superiortiy in the world, had caused Western people to lose their faith and traditional moral and spiritual values and fall into a great pessimism, unhappiness and spiritual crisis. This was natural because although the Divine laws of ‘nature’, which are the subject-matter of sciences. are the counterpart of the Divine Scripture or religion, they had been separated from each other in the West and, consequently, a secular morality and economic self-interest, had replaced religious and other traditional values. Bediuzzaman was of the opinion that nature is the collection of Divine signs and therefore science and religion cannot be conflicting disciplines. Rather, they are two (apparently) different expressions of the same truth. Minds should be enlightened with sciences, while hearts need to be illumined by religion.

In his heroic struggle to argue for the religious truths-Divine Existence and Unity. the Resurrection, Prophethood, Divine origin of the Qur’an, the Unseen World and its inhabitants or immaterial dimensions of existence, the necessity of worship, morality, the ontological character of man. etc.-Bediuzzaman first tried to strengthen Islam with modern Western philosophy. Later, he saw that this way meant degrading Islam and that the essentials of Islam were too deep for the principles of human philosophy to reach. He then returned to the Qur’an almost exclusively. He writes:

Thinkers accept the principles of human philosophy and the Western way of thinking and depend on them in their struggle against Europe. I too have filled my brain with the philosophical as well as the Islamic sciences. I thought the philosophical sciences were the means to spiritual progress and enlightenment, and was of the opinion that European way of thinking and philosophy could be used to reinforce and strengthen the truths of Islam. By grafting the shoots of philosophy, which we supposed deep-rooted, on the trunk of Islam, we imagined that could strengthen Islam. However, I have given up this way as it is very difficult and an improbable way to overcome the anti-Islamic trends, and since it means degrading Islam to some extent. The essentials of Islam arc too deep for the principles of philosophy to reach.

In the struggle with the opponents of Islam, in resisting, even overcoming, modern (materialistic trends of thought. the Qur’an sufficed:

While there is a permanent miracle like the Qur’an, searching for further proof appears to my mind superfluous;

While there is a, roof of reality like the Qur’an, would silencing those who deny it weigh heavily on my heart?

Although wholly lacking in any positive rational arguments, unbelief and atheism coming from science and philosophy are more difficult to deal with and remove from hearts than unbelief coming from ignorance. It is unquestionably evident that creation of the universe and establishment of the relations among parts of it, requires an absolute, all- encompassing knowledge and will and power, and that being a design, not a designer, being something printed, not a printer, being a passive object, not an active agent, being a collection of Divine laws, not the law-giver, nature cannot be the creator of itself. Similarly, causes or the law of causality, being no more than things of nominal existence without any knowledge, will and power, cannot be creators of things either. If we ask those who attribute creation to causality or causes what makes, for example, a flower, they will not be able to say water, earth and sunlight make it. They will not simply because they should first answer how earth or water or sunlight know what exactly to do, how they do that and what qualities they have that enable a flower to grow.

So, the Risale-i Nur removes the veil of ‘sorcery’ that materialist science has laid over creation. In the words of Dr Turner:

The Risale-i Nur affirms that anyone who sincerely wishes to look upon the created world as it is, and not as he wishes or imagines to be, must inevitably come to the conclusion La ilaha illa Allah. For he will see order and harmony, beauty and equilibrium, justice and mercy, lordship, sustenance and munificence: and at the same time he will realize that those attributes are pointing not to the created beings themselves but to a Reality in which all of these attributes exist in perfection and absoluteness. He will see that the created world is thus a book of names, an index, which seek to tell about its Owner.

The Risale-i Nur takes the interpretation of La ilaha illa Allah even further. The notion that it examines is that of causality, the cornerstone of materialism and the pillar upon which modem science has been constructed. Belief in causality gives rise to statements such as: It is natural: Nature created it; It happened by chance, and so on. With reasoned arguments, the Risale-i Nur explodes the myth of causality and demonstrates that those who adhere to this belief are looking at the cosmos not as it actually is, or how it appears to be, but how they would like to think it is.

The Risale-i Nur demonstrates that all beings, on all levels, are interrelated. interconnected and interdependent, like concentric or intersecting circles. It shows that beings come into existence as though from nowhere, and, during their brief lives, each with its own particular purpose, goal and mission, act as mirrors in which various Divine attributes, and countless configurations of Divine Names, are displayed- Consider this: When you stand by a river, you see countless images of the sun reflecting in the floating bubbles on it. When those bubbles enter into a tunnel, the images are no longer seen. However, other bubbles coming to the point where you stand will also show the same reflections, and when they also go into the tunnel, the reflections will disappear. This evidently demonstrates that those images do not belong to the bubbles themselves: bubbles can not own them. Rather, by rellecting its images, the bubbles show the sun’s existence, and through their disapperance in the tunnel, they demonstrate their transience vis A vis the permanence of the sun- It is just like this that through their coming into life, impotence and contingence, their total dependence on factors other than themselves, beings demonstrate beyond doubt that they owe their existence to One who necessarily exists, creates and has power over all things, and that through their transience and death. They show the permanence of that One. The materialists, however, see things differently-they do not see different things. They ask us to believe that this cosmos, whose innate order and harmony they do not deny, is ultimately the work of chance. Of chaos and disorder, of sheer accident. They then ask us to believe that this cosmos is sustained by the mechanistic interplay of causes- whatever they may be and not even the materialists know for sure-causes which are themselves created, impotent ,ignorant, transient and purposeless, but which somehow contrive, through laws which appeared out of nowhere, to produce the orderly works of art of symphonies of harmony and equilibrium that we see and hear around us.

The Risale-i Nur destroys these myths and superstitions. Given that all things are interconnected, it reiterates, whatever it is that brings existence to the seed of a flower must also be responsible for the flower itself, as well as for the apparent causes of the flower’s existence such as air, water, sunlight and earth: and given their interdependence, whatever brings into existence the flower must also be responsible for the tree: and given the fact that they are interrelated, whatever brings into existence the tree must also be responsible For the forest, and so on. Thus to be able to create a single atom, one must also be able to create the whole cosmos. That is surely a tall order for a cause which is deaf and blind, and impotent, transient, dependent and devoid of knowledge of our purpose.

The attribution of creative power to Nature or natural laws is no more than a personal opinion reached not as the result of an objective, scientific investigation. Similarly, denial of the Creator of the cosmos, who has placed apparent causes there as veils to cover His hand of power for certain important purposes, is not an act of reason but an act of will. In short, causality is a crude and cunning device with which man distributes the property of the Almighty Creator among the created in order that he might set himself up as absolute owner and ruler of all that he has, and all that he is.

Inspired by the verse La ilaha illa Allah, the Risale-i Nur shows that the signs of God, these mirrors of His Names and attributes, are revealed to us constantly in new and ever- changing forms and configurations, eliciting acknowledgement,acceptance,submission, love and worship. The Risale-i Nur shows that there is a distinct process involved in becoming Muslim in the true sense of the word: contemplation to knowledge, knowledge to affirmation, affirmation to belief or conviction, and from conviction to submission. And since each new moment, each new day, sees the revelation of fresh aspects of Divine truth, this process is a continuous one. The external practices of Islam, the formal acts of worship, also contribute to this process. Belief is therefore subject to increase or decrease, or strengthening or weakening, depending on the continuance of the process. Thus it is the reality of belief that deserves most of our attention; from there the realities of Islam will follow on inevitably.

The Risale-i Nur also concentrates on the ontological character of man. Each of us is born in total ignorance: the desire to know ourselves and our world is an innate one. Thus “Who am I? Where did I come from’? What is this place in which I find myself? What is my duty here? Who is responsible for bringing me into existence? What is that which life and death ask of us?”-these are questions which each of us needs to answer and answers in his own way, either through direct observation or through blind acceptance of the answers suggested by others. And how one lives one’s life, the criterion by which one acts in this world, depends totally on the nature of those answers. According to the Risale-i Nur, all the answers given to these questions, by which each of us determines his own way of living and world-view, are given by either the Divine Revelation manifested in the form of Divine Religions or the ego of everyone. History records the conflicts between these two flows of human life or these two main branches of the tree of humanity, namely religion and human ego. Rejecting to follow the Divine Revelation, ego claims self-ownership in haughtiness, appropriating for itself whatever is given to it by the Creator, and attributing to itself all the accomplishments God Almighty confers on it. This, however, results in the abjection, wretchedness and unhappiness of man. This branch of humanity has so far yielded the fruits of Pharaohs, Nimrods, Neros and other tyrants and those who, having given in to their carnal desires, have themselves gone astray and misled others. Opposite to this branch is the branch on which the Prophets, saints, and other examples of virtuousness have grown. This branch lies in one’s being conscious of one’s servanthood, whose power lies in acknowledgement of one’s inherent weakness before God Almighty’ absolute Power, and whose wealth lies in admission of one’s inherent poverty before His riches. It also requires deep devotion and worship in absolute thankfulness, together with continous reflection on His signs in the universe, and a never-ending enthusiasm in preaching His religion. The Risale-i Nur is no less than a guided tour of the cosmos, as well as of man’s inner world, and the traveller is one who is seeking answers to the questions above, and indeed finds them.

Dr Turner continues:

The secular, self-aborted society of the West is designed on all levels to blind and stupefy

. To mask the fact that the religion of the self has failed to live up to its promises; that the secular trinity of “unlimited progress, absolute freedom and unrestricted happiness” is as meaningless as Trinity discarded centuries ago. To cover up the fact that economic and scientific progress which has secular humanism as its underlying ethos, has turned the West into a spiritual wasteland and ravaged generation after generation. Yet there are those who are beginning to awake, to realize the illusion under which they have been living. It is to these that the disease of ego must he pointed out. One suffering from cancer cannot be cured by giving him a new coat. Yet it is not only modern Western man suffering from this disease, it is common to almost all in the world. What is needed is a correct diagnosis, radical surgery and constant back-up treatment. The Risale-i Nur provides all of these. The Risale-i Nur envisages a revolution, a revolution of the mind, of the heart, of the soul and the spirit. It is designed to lead Muslims from belief by imitation to belief through investigation, study of nature and man’s inner self and reflection on them, and worship, and through further intellectual enlightenment. It also aims to lead unbelievers from worship of the self to worship of God Almighty.

The Risale-i Nur is according to Dr Turner, the only self- contained, comprehensive Islamic work that sees the cosmos as it actually is presents the reality of belief as it truly is interpretes the Qur’an as the Prophet upon him he peace and blessings, intended, diagnoses the real and very dangerous disesases that afflict modern man, and offers a cure. The Risale-i Nur also covers almost everything related to the essentials of belief, worship and morality, and it provides all the necessary criteria for understanding Islam and the Qur’an in the world we live in. A work such as the Risale-i Nur, which reflects the light of the Qur’an and illuminates the cosmos and man’s inner world, cannot be ignored.

The language of the Risale-i Nur

Before discussing the unique language of the Risale-i Nur, we had better have a look at the style of the Qur’an.

Although there is no problem of any theological value, theoretical or practical, which the Qur’an has not dealt with, and it surpasses all scriptual records of pre and post Islamic ages in the abundant variety of its contents, its method of approach, presentation is exclusive and unique to itself. It never deals with a topic in the way ordinarily used by any author of a theological treatise or even in any (as was once conjectured) apostolic writings. On the contrary it expressly says that it has adopted a special manifold method of its own which may be termed as tasrifi. i.e. display of varieties or changing the topics and shifting from one subject to another or reverting to the previous one and repeating deliberately and purposefully one and the same subject in unique and peculiar rythmic and recitative forms to facilitate the understanding, learning and remembering of it.

The display of varities linked together with a rythm of peculiar pitch is to show forth the signs of the Unity of God. The Qur’an aims to stir up the depth of human intellect to reflect on the unity in variety and harmony in diversity. Through this unique style of its, the Qur’an also shows the interrelatedness, interdependence and interconnectedness of things in the universe. As three ‘books’ of God Almighty, the universe, the Qur’an and man are regarded as the three expressions of the same truth. For this reason, the universe is called macrocosm, while man, microcosm. However, we also call the universe macro-human being and man, micro-universe.

It is a fact that the holy Qur’an deals in its different chapters, each of which has it own rythmic patterns, with different topics in different ways, and this variety adds to its unique beauty and matchless eloquence. An attentive reciter or an intelligent audience of the holy Qur’an while experiencing these varieties of rythmical pattern, enjoy it to the extent that ‘the skins of those who fear their Lord shiver with the recitatio of it and their hearts soften to the remembrance of God’.

In order to judge the language and style of the Risale-i Nur, we should consider the style of the Qur’an and the mission of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. Bediuzzaman was not a writer in the usual sense of the word. He wrote because he had a mission: he struggled against the materialistic and atheistic trends of thought fed by science and philosophy and tried to present the truths of Islam to modem minds and hearts of every level of understanding. Bediuzzaman was a preacher and therefore, rather than writing, he spoke and dictated. It is because of this that some parts of the Risale-i Nur were written in quite a short time. For example, the Nineteenth Letter, called the Miracles of Muhammad, which covers about more than one hundred pages as written in ten hours. He poured out his inspirations coming like welcome rain, without missing a single word.

Second. the Risale-i Nur, like the Qur’an, mainly concentrated on the existence and Unity of God, the Resurrection, Prophethood, the Qur’an, the invisible realms of existence. Divine Destiny and man’s free will, and worship and man’s place and duty among the creation. Everything in the universe, all natural phenomena and events in human history provide signs and arguments for the truth of all these Islamic essentials. In fact, all things and events in the universe and man’s individual and social life originate in God’s Names. These Names manifest themselves in two ways: almost all of them are manifested on a single thing or being hut in degrees. For example, we can observe on man the manifestations of nearly all of such of the Names as the All-Merciful, the Provider, the Protector. the All- Powerful, the All-Willing, the All-Wise, the All-Knowing, the All-Seeing, the All-Hearing, etc. However, on each human being one or a few of these Names excel others in manifestation with the others dependent on them. If for example, the Name the All-Wise is prominently manifested on a man, that man will distinguish himself with wisdom. If the Name the All-Knowing has prominence in manifestation on another one, then that one will have reputation for being knowledgeable. This kind of manifestation is called the manifestation of Oneness. The other kind of manifestation is that a Name manifests itself on all things or beings, which we call the manifestation of Unity. So, while studying different beings and entities to show how they point to the Existence and Unity of God Almighty, you will have to make some repetitions. This is also what the Qur’an does.

Thirdly, in order to remove from peoples’ minds and hearts the accumulated ‘sediment’ of false beliefs and conceptions to purify them both intellectually and spiritually, and also in order to strengthen and reinforce Muslims in belief. Bediuzzaman writes forcefully and makes reiterations. He writes in neither an academic nor a didactic way; rather he addresses both minds and hearts at the same time and frequently appeals to feelings and thus aims to pour out his thoughts and ideas into peoples’ hearts and minds in order to awaken them to belief and conviction and rouse them to wise action in the way of God Almighty. Also, white judging the language and style of the Risale-i Nur, we should also consider why Muslims have to recite surah al-Fatiha in each rak’ah of daily prescribed prayers, in which they pray to God Almighty: Guide us to the Straight Path. They do that because it is probable for man to go astray at any moment of his life and therefore he needs God’s uninterrupted protection of him against deviations throughout his life. It is due to this human reality, namely man’s susceptibility to going astray, that the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, declared: ‘Renew and refresh your faith with La ilaha illa Allah.’ So, it is vital for man’s preserving his faith that he should always be reminded of the truths of Islamic faith and his mind and heart should be continuously fed with new arguments for them.

Fourthly, like the Qur’an, the Risale-i Nur addresses all levels of understanding. Since the majority of people are, by definition, of average ability in their power to understand the truths of belief, both the Qur’an and the Risale-i Nur seem at first sight to be simple. They usually speak in parables and comparisons and take into consideration even the weakest understanding. However, they are like an ocean, the deeper you go in them, the more you come to understand that they are too deep to fathom in their entirety. Everyone from the least clever individual to the most learned scholars and scientists have their share in them.

The style and language of the Risale-i Nur are unique. Most of the arguments which Bediuzzaman used are wholly original, and he is also unique and original in many of his approaches. If readers, of whatever intellectual level, study the Risale-i Nur attentively, they will find themselves rewarded and satisfied both intellectually and spiritually. The more you devote your attention to it, the more you will be attracted to it.

‘Between my two wrinkled fingers,

a mess of fading, fretted threads

without particular line or colour

or order or significance: What is it?

(And his feet said.) your memories.

A servant as negligent as he can be

while still clinging to his job.

who answers my simplest needs

with slow, mocking disdain: Who is that?

your body.

Long-winded phrases that flap

aimlessly around my head

at home or in my office till (at last)

they find an open window and jump out:

What are these?

Your passions, loves or hates.

A dozen or so strangers who visit

if and only if I’ m very ill,

lay hypocritical hands on my forehead,

feeling my temperature and

their inheritance, then leave

holding their noses.’ Who are they?

your near relatives.

A narrow rectangular edifice

sinking on shallow foundations

designed to that servant’s specification,

open to any scavenging maggot or worm

that happens by: What is that?

The neat sum, the very grand total

of a lifetime’s shrewd, successful

property management – your grave.

The old man huddled his face in his hands, crumpled up like a lost or abandoned child. He heard his wife calling him once again, and complaining that his breakfast was getting cold. But he sat silent, listening to thoughts that voiced themselves inside his head or heart, from far off, as if from another life, a time long gone. And now and again his feet would answer those thoughts, taunting him: 

Before at last the great trumpet sounds

and sounds again,’ before its mighty echo

converts to an irresistible hail that blasts

open each anguished grave: before the hour

when every individual cell, howsoever

dispersed or decomposed. shall by Decree

be re-joined to every other individual cell.

down to the re-perfecting of a fingerprint:

before that hour, may be long before.

you shall hear the angels’ interrogations

howl in your marrowless, hollowed bones:

what is your religion and your worth?

Run, old man, run!

Where will you run?

Who came with clear warnings, reiterated,

and truth you recognized? Offered forgiveness

and you preferred your sins? Pointed you

to eternal light and you ran in to darkness?

Whose teaching called you the many times

you turned

away to make a killing in the market-place,

or to play hide and seek with your intentions.

promising to be virtuous after you were

wealthy?

or shame you dare not name him, still less

claim a corner/n his protecting shade!

Run, old man, ran!

Where will you run?

The order of things is not as it was.

There, in this life, your heart knew

it’s deepest need for forgiveness.

and you couldn’t careless. Here too,

your heart knows it’s deepest need,

but here the order is truth and justice.

A command joins every conscience 

to every sin, forgotten in this life or

remembered, slight or significant.

the whole chain of it’s circumstance.

antecedent or consequent, actual or

potential. Here your closest secrets

are opened. elaborated, pronounced out loud!

old man, old man!

those you betrayed know it now:

those you robbed know it now:

those you could have helped

but did not help, they are here

staring in your face! Where now,

Where will you run?

Here no hiding or seeking, no turning

aside from the Command: your limbs.

Eyes, ears, tongue, heart, brain, each

obedient, each omniscient tells all

it enacted or endured. Self-accused.

self-condemned, you sit whimpering

like a kitten trapped in traffic ,lost.

desolate, in a pool of shame smelling

worse than your own excrement!

Stinking, stupid feet! Why did you

lead me astray?’ Stinking, stupid man.

we obeyed your every command!

Run, then, if you can, run!

And do you remember the kitten?

Remember the blind man at the roadside

who, gesturing wildly with his stick,

made you stop your important car.

delayed your important appointment

You got out shouting at the blind man.

He only pointed down and said:

I can hear but cannot see to help

the poor thing, it’s hurt. You do it.’

Only then you saw the kitten, it’s tail

broken, it’s nerves shattered by the noise

of passing cars, trembling dreadfully.

covered in the dust of the road.

Do not deny that you considered

carrying the little thing to safety.

Do not deny that you knew what to do.

You knew. But wouldn’t dirty your hands

on it’s dusty fur, not before a business

appointment .So you drove round it

fast leaving the kitten in it’s little agony

and the blind man in confusion.

Run, old man run!

But you have nowhere to run!

The man took his hands from his face

and stared at his feet and said: ‘I will run

to the forgiveness of my Lord. There is no

sin so great that it is greater than His

mercy’. His feet did not reply. Then, much to

his surprise, the old man saw bed and bed

ding disappear from beneath his feet Two

shackles of massive iron rose up and locked

upon each of his ankles: from the shackles

enormous chains, likewise made of massive

iron, descended into a bottomless dark

ness. But the man kept his wits about him

and said in his heart atubu ilayk,

Allahumma, atubu ilayk. The chains fell

away and the darkness closed up. Only the

shackles remained and their weight was

such that the man could not move his legs.

let alone his feet. So he repeated what he

had said in his heart, ever more earnestly.

until the shackles opened. He could now

move his feet but dared not waiting for the

shackles to disappear as the chains had.

But they remained open upon his bed. his

ankles resting in them. Indeed, no matter

how often he urged the words of repen

tance, the shackles remained. So he accepted

them as they were, to serve as a

reminder of the jaws of death.

He heard his wife call him a third time to

come down for breakfast. He got up from bed

briskly and went to wash himself. Not in

preparation for work but, for the first time since (so

long ago, alas) his father had given him a choice

in the matter, in preparation for

prayer.

In one of his sayings, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace. pointed to the human tendency to forget the value of things we possess. He said:

‘There are two blessings which many people lose: Health and free time for doing good’ (Canan. 1988). And in the Qur’an (70.19) God declares that man has an impatient nature. Starting from this guidance, and informed also by contemporary scientific observations, we can identify four fundamentals as the basis for any successful time management scheme.

1. Realization al the value of time.
2. Awareness of how we make use of our time.
3. Understanding aspects of human nature in regard to effective use of time.
4. Utilization of will power

Just as a roof and walls can only work if built on secure foundations, so also techniques for time management work only if the individual understands and implements these fundamentals. Otherwise, they either do not work at all, or not for very long.

The opening of the Quranic chapter ‘Time’ teaches the value of time most eloquently. God swears by the passing of time that human beings are in a state of loss because we are continuously spending from a treasure given to us only once. This realization is the first step towards time-consciousness. Time consciousness is being sufficiently aware that lime is the stream in which all our struggles for achievement take place. Without time, no other resource can he put into use for gain, regardless of how vast it may be. Once this realization occurs, we can begin to take the necessary steps to utilize time as a wise investment.

The first of those steps involves carefully analysis of how we are currently using our time and what we hope to achieve in our ‘life’ time. Organization and planning provide the road-map for successful time management. Two important terms in this context are effectiveness and efficiency. Effectiveness is to do the right (i.e. productive. useful) things: whereas efficiency is to do things in the right way (i.e. expediently. economically) (Covey. 1994). To plan for effectiveness as well as efficiency, we must hear in mind certain traits of human nature. First of all, we should realize that, from an efficiency perspective, no two time periods are the same. The same person can be more or less efficient depending on his state of body, mind and consciousness as well as external factors. The road to increased efficiency passes through increased effectiveness combined with the techniques of time management. The reverse is to try to increase efficiency without paying attention to the big picture that is, our life goals and the principles which guide us.

Another important human trait is our sense of urgency and the corresponding tendency to attend promptly to any situation marked ‘urgent’. Unfortunately we often respond with urgency to work-related pressures but fail to recognize any urgent mark on our spiritual and moral self-development. By assigning an urgent mark to such important issues, we can put our sense of urgency to good long-term use (Hobbs. 1987).

Finally, we should develop our will- power for the implementation of time management principles. Gaining control of our lives requires that we take responsibility for our actions. Ultimately, each individual decides on whether to make use of valuable time or to let it be wasted. We have a tremendous freedom of choice where time is concerned. It is up to us to use it wisely.

Is time management a luxury?

When time management is mentioned, some people are quick to respond dismissively saying: ‘Time management is for those who have the freedom to plan their time.’ or ‘My schedule is filled with things over which I have no control’. But we can test the legitimacy of these claims by asking: I) How many hours do we spend in front of the TV each week? 2) Do we regularly sleep past sunrise? 3) How much time do we usually spend eating? 4) How do we utilize ‘spare’ time while waiting for appointments or public transport or stuck in traffic? 5) How much time do we spend in idle conversation’?

Honest answers to such questions may reveal that many of us indeed have a hidden treasury of time in our daily lives which we do not make the most of.

Although not everyone may be as free to plan their time, everyone can make better use of whatever they have. Some of the methods we will discuss for effective use of time are new concepts, while some are based on age old wisdom. We will also emphasize the elements of lifestyle which were exemplified 1400 years ago by Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and later found to be very effective from a time management perspective.

Give your mind-body a break

Psycho-biologist E. L. Rossi explains in 20 Minute Break (1991) that humans have 90-120 minute cycles forming what is called an ‘ultradian rhythm’ which most of our key mind-body systems follow. At the end of each period, our mind-body sends us signals (such as yawning, day-dreaming, loss of concentration, diminished energy, performance errors, memory problems, hunger and emotional swings) which indicate that we need a break. Often however, we ignore these signals and push ourselves to continue working. If we ignore these signals for long the results are stress, fatigue and a host of psychosomatic illnesses. When these signals occur, we should take a 15 to 20 minute break to change the nature of our activity. Washing the hands and face, or doing light exercise is helpful. Also, closing the eyes for a time closes the source of the largest data input to brain. For the Muslim, prayer provides a great opportunity. During wudu (the washing in preparation for prayer) and prayer attention is focused on God’s presence, which, along with the rhythmic body movements of the prayer promotes relaxation.

Avoiding sleep at sunrise and sunset

Many successful people, inventors, businessmen, scholars, have managed to fit many lives’ work into a single life-time. The vast majority of successful people rarely sleep past dawn. They know the value of being awake and doing work especially during the hours around dawn. Physiologists point to the same fact in connection with the bio-rhythms of the human body. Certain hormones are secreted periodically during more or less fixed parts of the day. Hormones like cortisol, which give the body high awareness and focusing power, are secreted during early morning hours (Chafetz. 1994). Studies suggest this is the best time of the day for planning and organization, and for generating new ideas and tackling conceptually difficult problems. This period is also best for fast acquisition of new facts or information. When coupled with repetitions during afternoon, memorization of these new facts in the hours around sunrise is most effective.

Nap at noon

Many famous thinkers are known to have slept briefly at noon. This response to the body’s natural need for a short break boosts mental and physical performance significantly in the afternoon. Eating a heavy lunch and trying to suppress bodily signals with coffee has the opposite effect. Ultradian rhythm-conscious companies set aside special rooms for their employees to take a short nap. It is interesting to note that a noon nap was also one of the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace (Canan, 1988). Experts advise us to avoid boring tasks during this period. If one is unable to focus or do useful mental work, one should concentrate on physical/spatial tasks instead.

Afternoon and evening

Mental alertness which is at its lowest point around noon and early afternoon, rises again during late afternoon and early evening.

Studies indicate this is the best period for long term memorization. Students with work which requires memorization should plan their study time accordingly. Body temperature is at its highest between 5 and 7 p.m. This means that this period (1 is the best time of day for physical exercise. Aside from improving one’s general health, doing physical exercise also helps those with sleeping problems. The period after 7 p.m. is effective for mental work. This period lasts about three hours and, unless adversely affected by a heavy dinner, the mind usually stays pretty alert at this time.

Nights

Poet and scholar Ibrahim Hakki of Erzurum in Turkey writes in his poem. The Nights’: O eye! Why sleep’? Let’s wake up at night. Observe the beautiful stars at night.’

Nights provide the best period for uninterrupted thinking and reflection which connects the creature with he Creator. Reflection helps us refresh our understanding of the purpose behind our life and plan accordingly.

Night-time is also interesting from a physiological standpoint. From approximately I to 3 a.m. hormones that slow down the body processes are secreted. During sleep, the brain rehashes the matters it had been exposed to during the day and especially those which occurred just before sleep (Chafetz. 1992). Hence, sound advice for those who want to live a disciplined Iife is to read or think about things that will help to shape the future before going sleep.

A goal-driven and planned life

Said Nursi said: ‘If people do not have goals, or if they behave as if there were none, then their ego takes over. They become selfish and self-centred, feeling that the world revolves only around them.’ Modern research confirms that people who have goals in their personal, family, business and social lives and organize themselves around these goals are more successful (Hohhs.1987). Writing down these goals and ordering them according to importance helps in their realization.

Delegation

Delegation is among the most important skills busy people need. Assigning jobs to qualified people rather than doing them ourselves is the first step. Although this seems simple it involves suppressing one’s inner urge to say, I can do this better’. For delegation to succeed, the person to whom the job is delegated should be chosen very carefully, qualified and eager to do the job, and he or she should be provided with the necessary resources to complete the job (ibid.).

Flexibility in planning

Rigidity is one of the most common errors in planning (ibid.). There are many factors in our lives over which we have no control. In every plan there should be room for unexpected events. Flexible empty slots should be left between any two scheduled activities. If one ends later than expected or the other starts earlier than expected the plan will not be disrupted. By doing small ‘floating’ tasks (such as reading), one can effectively fill unexpected gaps.

Also, projects which are too large to handle in a single session should he divided into sub-projects. Otherwise, despite their importance, such large projects are likely to remain on the ‘to-do’ list longer than they should.

To be on time, be in time

Have you ever wondered how some people manage to he on time for every appointment’? Or how do some students manage to catch every class and deliver every assignment on time’? People who achieve this goal have a simple principle: ‘To be on time, try to be in time.’ In other words, finish work before its due date and arrive early for appointments. Being on schedule has additional benefits as well. Fulfilling a responsibility satisfies our inner conscience. This leads to further effectiveness in using time because our trust in ourselves is strengthened. A positive outcome encourages us to achieve more.

Daily activity record

‘Bring yourselves to account before you are brought to give account’. This reminder to review our daily activities and assess how we made use of our time is advice on how to achieve success in the life hereafter, as well as a foundation of an important time management principle. We should ask ourselves the question: ‘Did I spend the gift of time that was given to me in a responsible manner?’

If people check themselves regularly with this question, they will not have unorganized lives. A technique suggested in this regard is to keep a ‘classified’ activity-log (ibid.). In such a log, the time spent on every activity is recorded along with the type of activity and its importance. By logging time spent watching a nonsense movie, or chatting hours on an irrelevant topic, we become more aware of how time can he squandered for no benefit. It is important to distinguish activities which may be classified under ‘leisure’ hut are little more than a waste of time, money and energy, and the different class of leisure time spent for some benefit which is real enough hut hard to define. For instance, spending time with one’s family members or visiting a good friend are entertaining and important, as such activity helps to build and sustain relationships.

Desire or need?

Another litmus test to help keep priorities in check is: ‘Do I need this or don’t want it?’ By not acting spontaneously when the mood strikes, hut rather following a carefully thought out plan, we can save time that would have been spent in unnecessary activity. For example, by analyzing whether to go shopping or not, we save the time it would have taken to travel to the store(s), the time it would involve to make the decision on which item to purchase and of course, money. [8] Along these same lines, like any other device. TV can be used both for good or had. It is important to carefully evaluate our purpose in watching and programmes should be selected carefully. TV can control those who do not control the on/off button.

Eating and sleeping less

Ebu’l Vefa Ali Ibnu Akil, an Islamic scholar said: ‘I try my best to shorten the time I spend on eating. For instance, I prefer ground tirit (a kind of baked food) to bread because the former takes less time to chew, In this manner I can allocate more time for study and writing’ (Canan. 1985). By eating less we gain in many ways. We save time in meal preparation and in the time it takes to eat. We also save or rescue the time which is usually spent inefficiently after a heavy meal. Since blood-flow concentrates around the digestive system after the meal, the brain gets less blood, so mental activities suffer. The signs of sleep after a heavy meal are an indication that the brain is not getting what it needs, so it tends to minimize its activities. A guiding principle for eating more moderately is ‘to stop eating before we feel full’, according to the Prophetic saying.

Finding the reward for the activity inside the activity

Concentration is key to efficient study and work. If the student is distracted, little work is achieved. An hour of concentrated work may lead to solving an important problem or understanding a tough matter. In order to strengthen our will-power in this regard we should refrain from factors which distract our concentration, be in an environment which reminds us of work or study, observe the periods where our mind (body) is awake and work during those hours to get the maximum benefit from time spent (Fry, 1994).

We always hope for God’s blessing and acceptance for our work. When we do our work with the best of intentions and enjoy it, this further encourages us to do more. In other words, we find the reward for the work within the work. The reverse is also true. If we cannot concentrate and thus, cannot achieve, we do not enjoy the task and have no motivation. In order to avoid this pitfall we should heed the words of a prominent poet: ‘Hopelessness is such a quicksand, if it grabs you it sinks you. If you grab your will power you will realize what you can achieve’ (Ersoy. 1993).

Exploiting waiting time

Waiting is a part of our lives. Most of the waiting we do is a result of another’s negligence, a traffic jam or a miscommunication of appointment details. In such cases, we can turn waiting lime into a gain. The simplest precaution is to always carry reading material. If we make this a habit, a significant amount of reading can be accumulated over time. Most public transportation is suitable for reading. An alternative is to write down words on cards if learning a new language or to carry a portable tape player to listen to useful recordings.

The tyranny of urgency and revenge of importance

Deadlines play an important role in our lives. A report to be readied by a certain time, an exam to be prepared, a project our boss assigns with a note of ‘urgent’ all shape our schedules. Human beings have a tendency to attend to what is urgent, even if it is on someone else’s agenda, and not their own. Urgent and possibly unimportant tasks imprison our attention and energy. Reading a book for spiritual refreshment, meeting valuable friends, or spending quality time with family members can be put off just because they are not urgent. Since there is no boss or teacher to press us for these activities, we can easily ignore them (Covey. 1994).

We can turn this tendency to our advantage by making appointments with ourselves for enrichment and enjoyment (Hobbs, 1987). We should set deadlines for these important tasks or their sub-tasks and set up appointments with ourselves to finish one piece at a time.

As in every aspect of effective use of time, this requires the full use of will-power. If we fail to make the appointment with ourselves there will be no boss, colleague, teacher or friend to remind us. There will only be our inner conscience.

In conclusion

Much more can be said on this important topic. We would like to re-emphasize the importance of the four fundamentals of time management: realization of the value of time, time-consciousness (awareness), understanding human nature, and utilization of full potential of will-power. The individual techniques and methodologies of any system of time management are not themselves enough for success. They are bound to be successful to the degree they are backed up by sound adherence to these fundamentals.

We conclude with a prayer : ‘May He who has given us the precious treasury of time guide us, so that we make the best use of it in His sight’.

References 

CANAN. I. (1985) Islamda Zaman Tanzimi (Time Management in Islam). Cihan Publications. Istanbul.

CANAN, I. (1988) Kutub-u Sitte (The Six Books of Prophetic Sayings). Akcag Yayin Dagitim. Istanbul.

CHAFEVZ. M.D. (1992) Smart for Life. Penguin Books. New York.

CONDOR. B. (1994) ‘The Body Clock’. Chicago Trihune. October 31.

S. R. (1994) First Things First. Simon Schuster Audio. New York.

S. (1986) How to Get Organized When You Don’t Have Time. Writer’s Digest Books. Cincinnati, Oil.

ERSOY M. A. (1993) Safahat (Periods from Life). Marmara University Faculty of Theology Publishers. Istanbul.

FRY, R. (1994) Manage Your Time. Career Press. Hawthorne. NJ.

HOBBS. C. R. (1987) Time Power, Harper and Row Publishers. New York.ROSSI, E. L. (1991 )The 20 Minute Break. Tarcher Inc.. Los Angeles.

1. Although sciences are not yet ready to accept it, there are, besides the subdivisions in a world – like the worlds of planets, animals and human beings (vegetable kingdom, animal kingdom and human kingdom) and the world of jinn, many worlds in the universe one within the other or above or enveloping the other. Of these worlds, the visible, material world is that in which we live, addressing itself to our senses. From tiniest particles to galaxies, this world is the realm where God Almighty gives life, fashions, renews, changes and makes to die. Sciences concern themselves with the phenomena of this world.

Above this visible, material world is the immaterial world of Divine Laws or Commands. In order to have some knowledge of this world, we can consider, for example, how a book or a tree or a human being comes into existence. The main part of a book’s existence is it’s meaning. Without meaning, it is impossible for a book to come into existence, no matter how excellent a printing machine or how many sheets we have. As a second example, what stimulates a seed to germinate under earth and grow into a tree is the essence of life and the law of germination and growth with which it is endowed. We can observe even with the naked eye the germination of the seed and the development of a tree from it. But for the essence of life and the laws of germination and growth which, although invisible or unobservable, govern the birth and growth of a new living thing, there would have been no plants in the world.

Similarly, through menstruation, the womb of a female is prepared every month for insemination. This is a process dictated by a (biological) law. Out of millions of mate sperms heading for the womb, one reaches the ovum to fertilize it. After this, menstruation stops until birth. This is another process governed by another (biological) law. The development of the embryo into a new individual through many stages is a third process governed by other (biological or embryological) laws. We conclude the existence of all those laws from almost never-changing repetition of all those processes. Likewise, by observing the (natural) phenomena around us, we also conclude the existence of many other laws like gravitation and repulsion and the freezing or vaporization of water.

Thus, like the laws we have just mentioned and many others like them the spirit too is a law issuing from the world of Divine Laws or Commands. Nevertheless, unlike the others, the human spirit is also a living, conscious law. If the spirit were to be stripped of life and consciousness, it would become a law: if on the other hand, the laws were to be given life and consciousness, they would become each a spirit.

2. While matter or anything in the material world is composed of atoms and atoms are made up of more minute particles, the spirit is a simple entity. Since it is simple, it does not disintegrate. We cannot see it as we see a material thing; we know it through its manifestations in the material world. Although we accept its existence and observe its manifestations, we cannot know its nature. Our ignorance of something’s nature must not mean that it does not exist.

We see with our eyes. In other words, our eyes are simply instruments with which to see. The main centre of sight is in the brain. However, it is not the brain itself which sees. You do not say ‘my brain sees’, but you say ‘I see’. It is we who see or hear or sense. But who is it that we call ‘I’? Is it something that is composed of a brain, a heart and other organs and limbs? Why can we not move when we die although all our organs and limbs are there? How does a factory work? Does it work by itself or does some other thing such as what we call electrical energy move it to work? Any defect or something wrong with the factory which causes a disconnection between the factory and the electrical energy is enough to reduce a whole, once highly productive, valuable factory into a heap of junk. Should this relation between the factory and the electrical energy be, in one way, comparable to that between the spirit and the body?

When the connection of the body with the spirit is cut-the event which we call death-the body is reduced to something which we do not like to keep even a few hours more because it will rot and decompose.

Of course, the spirit is not an electrical power. It is a conscious, powerful thing, which is apt to learn and which thinks, senses and reasons, and continually develops, usually in parallel with the physical development of the body, mentally and spiritually, through learning, meditation, belief and worship. It is also the spirit which determines the character or nature or identity of an individual which makes one different or distinguishable from others. Although all human beings, from the first to the last, are substantially made up of the same elements, they are all different from one another in character, nature and features, down to fingerprints. Thus, what determines this difference is the spirit.

3. The spirit is a simple entity which issues from the World of Divine Commands. In order to be manifested and function in the material, visible world, it needs material means. As the body is unable to get in touch with the world of symbols or immaterial forms, the spirit can not establish any contact with this world without the mediation of the heart, the brain and other organs and limbs of the body.

The spirit functions, as we have just said, through all the nerves, cells and other elements of the body. Therefore, if something wrong happens to a system or organ of the body the relation of the spirit with that system or organ is disconnected and the spirit can no longer command it. If the failure or ‘illness’ causing the disconnection is big enough to cut the relation of the spirit with the whole of the body, the event which we call death happens.

Although some coarse, meaningless movements are observed in hands or fingers as the result of stimulating certain areas of the brain, those movements are like some confused, meaningless sounds produced by pressing the keys of a piano at random. Or rather, those movements are some automatic responses of the body to any stimulation, coming about as the result of the automatic working of the body. Therefore, in order that the body can produce meaningful movements, it needs the spirit, which is conscious and has free will.

Although pyscho-analysists like Freud have tried to make different explanations, dreams cannot be said to consist only in jumbled activities of the subconscious self. Almost everyone has had several dreams which have brought news of the future and have come true. Also, many scientific or technological discoveries have taken place as the result of ‘true’ dreams. So as will be discussed later, dreams point to the existence of a part of man which can see in a different way while man himself is sleeping. This part is the spirit.

Although the spirit sees with eyes, smells with noses, hears with ears and so on, there is a considerable number of examples of people who have demonstrated an ability to see with their fingers or the tips of their noses and smell with their heels.

4. The spirit manifests itself mostly on the face. Truly, one’s face is a window opened on ones inner world. Through all its features, one’s face discloses one’s character.

Psychologists assert that almost all one’s movements down to coughing reveal one’s character. However, one’s face is so clear a sign to discover one’s character, abilities and personality that it caused the birth of an art called physiognomy, which is the art of judging one’s character from the features of one’s face. It is one’s spirit which determines the features of one’s face.

As is known, the cells of the body are continuously renewed. Everyday millions of cells die and are replaced by new ones. Biologists say that the whole of the cells forming the body are renewed every six months. Despite this continuous renewal the face remains unchanging with it’s main features. We recognize individuals through those unchanging features of their faces. Likewise, one’s fingerprints also remain unchanging. Neither the renewal of the cells of the fingers nor the injuries or bruises the singers suffer can cause the fingerprints to change. It is again one’s spirit, different from all other spirits, which secures the stability of ones basic distinguishing features.

5. The body undergoes an uninterrupted change during its whole lifetime. This change is toward physical growth and development until a certain period, becoming stronger and more perfect. However, this growth stops at a certain point and decay begins. Unlike these changes, first toward growth and development and then toward decay and death, a man can continuously grow in learning and he can also continuously develop or may decay spiritually and intellectually or while developing or decaying he may stop at any point and then change his direction.That means his moral, spiritual and intellectual education does not depend at all on his bodily changes. Also, the moral, spiritual and intellectual differences among human beings have nothing to do with their physical structure. Although every human being is composed of the same substantial physical or material elements, what is it that causes the moral and intellectual differences among them? What part of man receives moral and intellectual education and what part of him is trained physically? Does physical training bear any relation to learning and moral and intellectual education? Can we say that the more a man is trained physically, the more he becomes developed in learning and morality? If we cannot say so, and if physical training has nothing to do with one’s scientific, moral and intellectual level, why should we not accept the existence of the spirit and how could we attribute learning and moral and intellectual education to some bio-chemical processes in the brain?

Also, we have mentioned that man undergoes a continuous physical change, first toward growth and then toward decay, and the cells of his body are renewed every six month. But he does change, in parallel to those changes, in character and morality and thinking. Again how can we explain, other than by admitting the existence of the spirit as the centre of thinking, feeling, making choices and decisions, and learning, the differences of opinion and preference among human beings and the differences in their characters.

Furthermore, man is a being who has innumerable complex feelings. He loves or hates, rejoices or becomes grieved, feels happy or sad, hopes or becomes desperate, cherishes ambitions and imagines, and feels relieved or bored, and so on. Also, he likes or dislikes, appreciates or disregards, and he fears and becomes or he becomes timid or he becomes encouraged and feels enthusiastic, and he repents, becomes excited and longs. If we look through a dictionary, we can come across hundreds of words used to express man’s feelings. Besides, he may reflect on events happening around him or on beauties in creation and develops in learning. He also makes comparisons and reasons, and then comes to believe in the Creator of all things. Then through worship and by following His Commandments, he develops morally and spiritually and becomes a perfect man. So how can we explain all these phenomena other than by admitting the conscious part of man, which is his spirit. Can we attribute them to chemical processes in the brain?

6. If we regard man as a physical entity only, made up of blood, bones, flesh and tissues, and attribute all his movements to biochemical processes in the brain, we should not recognize any set of laws to obey. For as we have said earlier, a man’s body is renewed every six months. Suppose a man is being tried in a court for a murder he committed a year before. The following exchange ensues between him and the judge:

– When did you commit that crime?

– A year ago.

The judge announces the verdict:

‘Since the murder was committed a year ago and the cells of this man who is accused of committing it, including those of his fingers which pulled the trigger, were completely replaced with new ones, and therefore since it is impossible to punish the one who committed the murder, the jury has decided on his acquittal.

So, man is not solely a physical entity and his movements, feelings, thoughts, beliefs and decisions are not the result of biochemical processes in his brain. The main part of man’s being is his spirit, which is alive and conscious, and which feels, thinks, believes, wills, decides and which commands the body. The body is the instrument of the spirit, which the spirit uses to put its decisions into action.

7. As was pointed out earlier, God acts in the material, visible world behind the veil of causes. However, besides this one, there are many other worlds or realms like the world of ideas, the world of symbols or immaterial forms, the world of the inner dimensions of things and the world of spirits, where God acts directly and which have nothing to do with matter and causes. The spirit is breathed into the embryo directly without the mediation of causes. It is a direct manifestation of the Divine Name, the All-living, and therefore the basis of human life. Like ‘natural’ laws, which issue from the same realm from which the spirit is sent, the spirit is invisible and known through its manifestations.

In this world, matter is refined in favour of life. A lifeless body, no matter how big it is, like a mountain, is lonely, passive and static. But, life enables a body the size of a bee, for example, to enter into transactions or business with almost the whole world and causes it to go as far as saying: ‘This world is my garden and flowers are my business partners? The smaller a living body is the more active, astonishing and powerful life is. You can compare a bee, a fly or even micro-organisms with an elephant. Also the more refined matter is the more active and powerful a body is. For example, when wood burns, it produces flames and carbon. When heated, water vaporizes. We come across electrical energy in the atomic or subatomic world. We cannot see electrical energy but we can come to know how powerful it is though its manifestations. That means existence does not consist in the visible, material world. Rather, this world is only the apparent, mutable and unstable dimension of existence. Behind it lies the pure invisible dimension, which uses matter to be seen and known. Thus, the spirit belongs to that dimension and is therefore pure and invisible.

8. The arguments for the existence of the spirit also point to the existence of the Creator. They are as follows:

a. Just as the body, which God creates from elements, needs the spirit to command and govern it, the universe, with everything in it, needs God to bring it into existence and to command and govern it.

b. There is a single spirit for a single body to make it alive and govern it. So, there must be a single Lord, with no partners to create and govern the universe. Otherwise, disorder and confusion would be inevitable.

c. We cannot say that the spirit is in any place or part of the body. It is not contained in a specific place in the body. It may even leave the body but, as is the case with dreams, continues its relation with the body by means of a cord special to it. Likewise, God Almighty is not contained by time or space; although He is always present everywhere. He is nowhere. However, the spirit is in the body and therefore contained by space.

d. The sun is one and the world is very distant from it. But the sun is present everywhere in the world through its heat and light and its image may even be in every transparent thing in the world. Therefore, it may be said that the sun is nearer to things than things themselves. Similarly, the spirit has the same relation with the whole of the body as well as with all of the cells separately at the same time. This may be an analogy to understand God’s relation with the existence. He controls and directs all things at the same time like a single thing and although we are infinitely distant from Him, He is nearer to us than ourselves.

e. The spirit is invisible and its nature is unknown to us. Likewise, however we think of or imagine God, He is different from it. His Essence cannot be known at all. Like the spirit, God Almighty is known through the manifestations of His Names, Attributes and Essence.

9. The body is not the cover of the spirit. Rather, the spirit has a cover or envelope of itself and when it leaves the body at death, it is not left naked, without a cover. This cover is like the ‘negative’ of the material body and called by various names such as the envelope of light, ethereal figure of man, energetic form, second body of man, astral body, the double (of man) and phantom. The picture of this body can be taken through Kirlian photography. In the pictures taken through this kind of photography, even amputated limbs can be seen.

No religion commends self-indulgence;all religions, and all traditional ways of life inspired by religious principles, commend self-discipline, that is containing and limiting, rather than expanding, one’s needs. Islam, with its conspicuous patterns of regular prayers, fasting and taxation of one’s wealth and property is particularly emphatic about the importance of self-discipline. Within the norms of Islam, self-discipline means a controlled, moderate, balanced way of living – not orgies of self-denial, followed (inevitably enough) by orgies of self-indulgence. Modern Western ways of life are not traditionally based, not inspired by religion, but motivated instead by what the economic market requires, which is for individuals to spend more and more, regardless of need. One area of such spending is food and drink: certainly among the better-off classes in Western societies, food is purchased, partly eaten and partly wasted, on an unimaginable scale. Muslims who are responsive to the Qur’an’s command to avoid squandering and waste, and to avoid activities or habits which cause harm to oneself (as over-indulgence always does), can never feel at ease living according to the modem Western values and norms.

But the reality is that non-Muslims cannot do so either, at any rate not for long, certainly not for ever. Just as over- exploitation and abuse of the environment demands, sooner or later, a return to saner and ethically more sound relationships with the earth’s finite resources, so too overindulgence at the level of individual lives demands, sooner or later, a return to a healthier life-style, a simpler, more sustainable diet. For the present, this reassertion in Western societies of the saner traditional norms (which, as we have noted, are common to all religious traditions) appears in many individual lives as an unpredictable swing between extreme over-indulgence (visible as obesity) and extreme self-denial (seen in crash courses to lose weight). It is true that vast, even obscene, amounts of wealth are engaged in the slimming industry which (as it were) feeds on the inability of many people to achieve a change in life-style and eating habits which they can sustain. Nevertheless, there is a growing understanding that, in the end, fat-free fats are a real waste of energy: the only point in slimming foods and dieting generally is to train oneself to live in a different, healthier way, and do it for good.

What is obesity?

Generally, obesity is regarded as being synonymous with being overweight. This is not strictly accurate. What actually matters is the excess of fat present in the body. One man may be overweight because he sits all day and eats but does no exercise; another, say an athlete, may be overweight because intensive training has increased his muscle bulk. The first man might be called obese, the second could not. However, as it is difficult to measure the amount of fat present in the body but easy to measure weight by simply using scales, the terms overweight and obesity are for everyday purposes interchangeable.

Does obesity matter?

Statistical studies (done by life assurance companies who have to be good at assessing health risk) provide undeniable evidence that obesity increases morbidity (illness) and the likelihood of early death. Fat people are more likely to suffer, among other things, from increased blood pressure (which may be the cause of stroke, kidney disease or coronary thrombosis), diabetes, arthritis, gallstones, varicose veins, complications of pregnancy or labour, and post-operative problems. Other illnesses not necessarily directly caused by obesity may be aggravated by a person being overweight. For example, a man suffering from angina (pain caused by impaired circulation of blood to the heart muscles) is more likely to die suddenly if he is overweight than if he is of normal weight. Obesity matters therefore because it can lead directly to illness (often serious) and reduces lifespan.

Causes of obesity

The one obvious and direct cause of obesity is that food intake is in excess of the body’s energy requirements or, in plain English, overeating. Why do some people eat more than they need?

By far the commonest reason is that their energy use slows down while their food intake remains the same. This happens in many people as they grow older because little by little they slow down physically, whereas their eating habits remain unaltered. This leads to the well-known condition of middle-age spread. Just one potato or one slice of bread more than the body needs each day can add to its weight each week until, perhaps, by the end of the year the excess amounts to a whole stone.

The genetic make-up of some individuals can make it difficult for them to avoid putting on excess weight because their bodies function at a low metabolic rate. Many fat children, though by no means all, probably fall into this category. It is well recognized that fat parents often produce fat children, and it is unlikely that this phenomenon can he explained entirely on environmental grounds as the children adopted by fat parents are no more likely to become fat than other children.

There are people who overeat because they have a psychological or psychiatric disorder of a lasting kind. Others may overeat when they are temporarily depressed or under emotional stress: they look for consolation for their trouble in eating. For example, some cigarette smokers when trying to give up their bad habit try to compensate by eating. It has also been suggested that, after giving up smoking, the bowel tends to absorb food more efficiently which may aggravate the problem of increased weight.

According to a theory that has been popular for some years now children who are allowed to become fat during the first two years of their lives form a large number of fat cells. They then spend the rest of their lives filling up these cells with fat that is, they have an increased predisposition towards depositing fat within their bodies. However, though popular, this theory has not yet been proved.

Cultural norms and expectations influence people in all sorts of ways, among them, in the way they look. In most Western societies of the present, the cultural preference is for slimness. But this is not true of all societies, not even all Western ones – for example, in southern Italy and elsewhere in Europe, a mother is expected to be ‘well-rounded’.

Treatment of obesity

Treatment of obesity requires a reduction of calorie intake to below the level of the body’s daily energy requirements. Weight will he lost only if there is a negative calorie balance. Eating less food than the body requires means that the body uses up its own fat to meet its energy requirements. In extreme cases, where losing weight is of paramount importance and where, for one reason or another (usually psychological), dieting has failed, surgical procedures may be necessary. These can include wiring up the jaws to prevent entry of solid food while allowing liquid matter to enter the mouth, or even more rarely, short-circuiting large sections of the bowel, a high risk procedure that carries with it a very significant mortality rate.

Nutrition and diet

Nutrition is concerned with the correct provision of essential factors for body growth, maintenance and repair, together with the necessary number of calories to meet the body’s energy requirements. A correct slimming diet is one that reduces the daily intake of calories without depriving the body of its nutritional needs. Some understanding of nutrition and correct dieting is important not only for those who are already obese, but for many young, normal individuals who, without this knowledge would be likely in the course of time to become obese. A well-balanced diet must have adequate amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, mineral salts and water. Proteins, fats and, particularly, carbohydrates, are important sources of calories and hence of energy. Proteins also supply the amino acids essential to body growth and repair. Fat in addition to being a subsidiary source of energy is the principal source of some vitamins.Vitamins are important in the utilization of energy and in the body metabolism but are not themselves a source of energy and do not contribute to body weight. Lack of vitamins causes disease but so too can an excessive intake of some vitamins. 

A number of mineral salts are essential for the human body. Iron, for example, is essential for the formation of hemoglobin. Calcium is necessary for ossification of bone (the change of cartilage into bones). Phosphorus is required for many purposes including the manufacture of ATP. Iodine is necessary for the correct functioning of the thyroid gland. Other important minerals include potassium and sodium.

Water is one of the most important elements in our diet. It makes up about 70% of body weight and shortfall in its intake results in dehydration. Caloric foods are essential for body energy requirements. To appreciate their importance it is necessary to understand both how calories are expended by the body and how these calories are provided by the food eaten. The total calories expended by the body each day is the sum of the calories required for basal metabolism and those required for physical activities. Basal metabolism is the chemical change occurring within the body in the state of complete physical rest when the only bodily functions that are occurring are respiration, growth and repair of body tissues. Physical activity includes obvious exercise such as walking or running and other activities such as digestion and absorption of food. The requirements of basal metabolism depend on the size of the person, but on average about 1,700 calories per day. For comparison it is interesting to note that walking utilizes about 200 calories per hour, household work about 100 calories per hour, and mental work no calories.

Calories are provided by certain constituents of the diet. The most prolific source on a calorie-per- weight basis are fats, which yield 9 calories per gram, followed by carbohydrates and proteins which each yield 4 calories per gram. It would appear that, in order to lose weight with maximum efficiency, the part of the diet which should be reduced is the fat content. However, the average diet contains nearly twice as much carbohydrate as it does protein and fat put together. Therefore, in practical terms, most slimming diets concentrate on the reduction of the carbohydrate content of the food eaten.

Dieting

By ‘dieting’ people usually mean a ‘reducing diet’, that is, a programme of eating less in order to achieve weight reduction. But there are other types of diets used for different purposes such as lowering the level of cholesterol or increasing the bulk content of food in the bowel.

Reducing diets are designed to provide less calories in the food intake than are used by the body in the expenditure of energy. There are infinite variations, both in the content of such diets and in their efficacy.At its simplest, good diets are diets that work. The important criteria of such diets are:

1. Palatability: it is pointless following a diet which forbids all foods that one likes and allows only foods that one dislikes.
2. Practicability: that is a diet that can be followed with a minimum of fuss and preparation and can be used when one is out at work or at a restaurant.
3. Moderation: a diet should be one that ensures a weight loss of not more than 2 lb a week. Diets which produce weight loss in excess of 2 lb are usually crash diets and come into the second category namely, bad diets.

Bad diets fail to satisfy the criteria described above. They fail because they are monotonous or cause tremendous hunger and are soon abandoned, with a consequent return to previous eating habits and the regaining of weight lost. Even if maintained with perseverance and weight is successfully lost, when the diet is eventually stopped, when the desired weight has been achieved, former eating habits are almost always resumed and weight rapidly regained. Weight rapidly lost is weight rapidly regained in almost every instance. It hardly needs saying that the most important aspect of dieting is the re-training of one’s eating habits so that after a time dieting is no longer a conscious activity but a totally natural and permanent way of eating for health. In practical terms the most effective way of achieving this is by gentle reduction of the amount of food eaten. For example, one potato less, one slice of bread less, substitution of artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, are all ways of reducing calorie intake in a gentle and painless manner. There are numerous other tactics (usually classed as behaviour therapy) such as eating from a smaller plate, which can all help different individuals to adapt gradually and permanently to a different regime of eating.

Slimming tablets are controversial. Opinion as to their usefulness is divided. They appear to be very popular with patients but not so popular with doctors. It is possible that tablets have a use particularly when hunger is a problem during sensible dieting or when the reduction of weight has reached a plateau which appears to be permanent or long-lasting. A short-term plateau is a common occurrence while on a reducing diet and perseverance is required as weight loss is usually resumed after a short period. The problem with slimming tablets is that they can cause unpleasant side effects such as insomnia or, conversely, drowsiness, and they may cause dependency. 

Exercise

The importance of exercise in the context of weight reduction is frequently overstated. For example, a walk of one mile will probably use up less than 60 calories. If this activity is undertaken every day it will probably achieve a weight loss of less than 1 lb a month. However studies have shown that sedentary individuals appear to lose weight with more difficulty than active individuals on identical diets.

Bran

Recently doctors have become aware of the importance of something that has been missing in the refined diets of Western societies for a long time: this is vegetable fibre. Observation of peoples in the African continent have shown that the local inhabitants rarely suffer from constipation, bile and other bowel disorders so common in Western countries. This has been convincingly explained as being due to the presence in their diet of vegetable fibre. The theory has been advanced that if vegetable fibre is added to our Western diet the incidence of such bowel disorders will be reduced and this appears to be borne out. The addition of vegetable fibre, generally in the form of bran, may well prove to be a useful constituent of our everyday diet. A further advantage of bran, particularly while on a reducing diet is that it has a tendency to fill up one’s stomach and thus alleviate hunger.

Diet and corona heart dease

Cholesterol is a fatty substance present in everyone’s blood. It causes problems as it is deposited in the lining of arteries making them narrower. Cholesterol also forms an important constituent of arteromatous plaques (lumpy deposits on the inner lining surface of arteries) which may cause narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries (those supplying the heart), leading to pain on exertion (angina pectoris). Blockage of the coronary arteries causes coronary thrombosis which results in destruction of the heart muscles. The relationship between high blood cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease is undisputed. Numerous studies have shown that the risk of dying from coronary heart disease is more than doubled if one has an abnormally high level of cholesterol in the blood. The relationship between blood cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease is probably a direct causal one. The classic observation is that Japanese men who came to live in San Francisco acquire high blood cholesterol levels and suffer an increased incidence of coronary heart disease in similar proportions to those of the indigenous population and in marked contrast to the low cholesterol levels and low incidence of heart disease of the indigenous population of Japan. However, the possibility remains that some other factor or factors are responsible for both the high cholesterol level and coronary heart disease has been postulated.

Cholesterol is derived partly from the diet and partly from the breakdown of other food substances within the body. The main sources of cholesterol are animal fats and dairy products. These include fatty meats, liver, milk, cheese, cream and butter. All these foods contain a good deal of saturated fatty acid which in the body breaks down to form cholesterol. In addition, eggs contain pure cholesterol. When the amount of cholesterol and saturated fatty acids in the diet is reduced the level of blood cholesterol is also reduced.

What does seem likely is that even a moderately raised level of cholesterol over a long period of time may predispose towards coronary heart disease. Doctors and nutritionists are therefore becoming increasingly aware of the importance of correct diet starting in childhood. It is likely (and certainly it is to be hoped) that, with increased general awareness of the importance of cholesterol levels, there will be some alteration of the present eating habits in schools – informed teachers could provide an important impetus. This is particularly desirable as the eating habits of adults and their likes and dislikes are acquired largely during childhood. There should be a trend towards a reduction of the animal fat and dairy product content of the diet (though by no means their total exclusion because they still form an important source of certain essential nutrients) together with an increase in food containing more polyunsaturated fats (which do not lead to the rise in cholesterol levels) such as lean meat and the substitution of soft margarine high in polyunsaturated fats in place of butter, and the use of corn oil, sunflower oil and safflower oil in cooking instead of cooking fat.

As Muslims, of course, we must be abstemious and refrain from overindulgence. Good health is a valuable gift from God Almighty and we shall he held accountable for how we treated our bodies. In the inimitable words of the Wise Qur’an: Let not your own hands contribute to your own destruction’.

Different views of the teacher

The curriculum is a process. It is not a set of documents distributed win a central government office. The curriculum is based on a set of beliefs and views about the classification and organization of knowledge the respective roles of the teacher and learner, and the process of learning.

It may seem obvious that good teaching is carried out by good teachers, but within this simple concept are many diverse issues. Is a good teacher one who comes to school early and stays late? Is he or she one who stimulates the children, writes copious notes about philosophy of education or plans every moment of the day according to a teacher’s maul? Does the teacher’s dress have any bearing on ‘good teaching’? Can the individual who does not speak to his or her neighbours make a good teacher?

The idea of ‘good teacher’ is not simply a job description related to employment contracts, it is the very essence of educational philosophy. Earlier in the century the ‘good teacher’ was a ‘good disciplinarian’. With this notion came a particular understanding of the curriculum and classroom practice. During the l960s, the teacher was seen as a ‘facilitator’ inspiring children to ‘discover’ knowledge. This contrasted with the image of the all-knowledgeable specialist whose job it was to ‘till empty vessels’ with a commodity called ‘knowledge’.

Educationalists have arrived at the conclusion, that effective change in education cannot take place without re-examining the role of’ the teacher. This is an on-going process and the teacher is now seen as a ‘reflective practitioner’ or ‘an artist who is constantly striving to improve his or her art’. Stenhouse (1985) made a ‘call to arms’ saying that ‘the way ahead is to disseminate the idea of teacher as artist with the implication that artists exercise autonomy of judgement founded upon research directed towards the improvement of their art.’

Teachers need to reflect. They need to improve, but improvement does not take place in a vacuum. It takes place in discussion about issues. The contribution of early Muslim philosophers and educationalists can make an interesting contribution to this discussion.

The role of the teacher in Islamic education

The Prophet Muhammad,upon him be peace, affirmed: ‘Verily I was sent as a teacher.’ and himself established the status and role of the teacher. He chose, prepared and sent Companions to teach whole communities. Of all aspects of Islamic education, the role of the teacher has been the most clearly defined one.

The teacher has always been more important than the books. Imam al-Shafi’i, the famous jurist, said: ‘Whoever learns from books will miss the required achievement’ (lbn Jumah, p.87). Among the most concise descriptions of the teacher’s role was written by Imam al-Ghazali (d, 505H/ 1113) in his Ihya Ulum al-Din. (‘The Revival of the Islamic Sciences’) and his Ayyuha 1-Walad (‘0 Child!’). A text written nearly a hundred years later and covering similar themes and used in training teachers. Ta’lim al-Muta’allim by al-Zamuji. has also been translated into English. Below we summarise some of the main principles of teaching according to al-Ghazali.

Ghazali’s view of teaching and learning

Ghazali likens studying to the acquisition of wealth. There are four states in both. One may he:

1. actively seeking them but relying on others
2. self sufficient and independent
3. enjoying one’s hard-earned acquisition
4. enjoying and sharing one’s acquisition with others.

The fourth state is the highest. The one who shares his wealth is charitable. The one who shares his knowledge is a teacher. The Prophet upon him he peace said: ‘The best of you is the one who learns the Qur’an and teaches it.’ However, not all who claim to be teachers fall into this category.

In his hook al-Bidaya ,Ghazali describes three types of teacher: ‘There is a man who seeks knowledge as a provision for the life to come … he is of the successful ones’. There is the one who seeks knowledge for worldly benefit. This person is in jeopardy. It is possible that his knowledge will save him and he will repent before he dies. If he does not repent, he may be faced with a bad ending and punishment in the Next World. The third type has been overcome by the devil. He has chosen knowledge as a means to get wealth and influence. In addition to this evil intention he has become arrogant and feels he has obtained a high status with God. Such a person is among those who will be punished in the Hellfire. To be of the first category, Ghazali prescribes eight duties.

1. Empathy with one’s students

The teacher is often likened to the parent. He should feel the same sense of duty and love that the parent feels. The Prophet upon him be peace said: ‘I am to you like the father to his child.’

2. Not working for remuneration

Teachers do the work of the Prophets,that is they educate people in the ways of goodness. The Prophets did not ask for remuneration. They said : ‘Oh my people, I ask you not for riches. My reward is of God alone’ (Hud. ll.29), Teachers should not feel that their students ‘owe’ them anything. They should always give the students full credit and respect for disciplining themselves in order to come close to God. Teachers should not feel pride in what they have done. Although a teacher is allowed to take payment, anyone that teaches for money will soon lose the satisfaction and pleasure of teaching. Payment is a necessary but secondary aspect of a teacher’s motivation. The Messenger, upon him be peace said: ‘Three things which (society) cannot do without: paying of teachers, otherwise people would be ignorant: the selling of Qur’ans otherwise the Book would become rare: and judges. otherwise people would ‘eat’ one another.’

3. Guidance through the programme of study

The teacher should never hold back good advice. The religion is built on good counsel. Guiding the student is part of the religion. Groundwork must always be covered before attempting new tasks and approaching new concepts. ‘Guidance’ means reminding the student of the goal of study and condemning any desire for power boasting and competition.

4. Sensitivity and gentleness in addressing students

As a ‘guide’ the teacher should ‘drive away’ bad characteristics. This requires sensitivity and gentleness. Reprimand should take the form of suggestion as much as possible and guidance should not be through rebuking. Rebuking and outright and direct prohibition invite defiance and encourage stubbornness.

5. Respect for other disciplines

The teacher must never belittle other fields of knowledge in front of his students. He should respect them and prepare his students to study all useful knowledge without impressing on them his or her own personal interests.

6. Matching the lesson to what the student can understand

The teacher should follow the Prophets about whom the Prophet Muhammad said: ‘We Prophets have been commanded to place people in their rightful places and to speak to them according to their ability to understand.’ Giving students concepts which are beyond their comprehension may lead to misunderstanding and frustration. For this reason Jesus said: ‘Do not hang pearls around the necks of pigs.’ The teacher has to assess and evaluate the students’ level and then plan and guide.

7. Dealing with remedial learners

Not all people are the same. The teacher has to ensure, while helping learners to fulfil their potential that they are not given work or exposed to concepts which confuse and frustrate them. Some knowledge is compulsory. The teacher has to make sure the student attains this knowledge and then, sometimes, protect the student from going too far into what might cause harm.

8. Practising what one preaches

It is important that the teachers’ actions match what they teach. The student learns through observation of behaviour. Teachers open themselves to ridicule and accusation if their conduct belies their teachings. He will, through such behaviour, only encourage secret or open disobedience and bad character. In this respect a learned person has a greater responsibility than an ignorant one.

To be of the ‘best of people’ is not easy. The reward is great but so is the responsibility. The descriptions found in the works of Ghazali are as important today as they were 900 years ago. They are based on the words of the greatest of teachers. one who showed us how to fulfil that great role.

Refences

• AL-GHAZAIJ (n.d.) lhya ‘Ulum al-Din, Beirut.
• AL-GHAZALI(1983) Ayyuha 1-Walad (with notes by Daghi, MA.), Cairo.
• STENHOUSE, L. (1985) ‘Curriculum research. artistiy and teaching’ in RUDDUCK. J. AND HOPKINS, 0. (eds) from the Research as a Basis for Teaching: Readings Work of Lawrence Stenh use,London.
• AL-ZARNUJI 1947) Ta’lim, wal-Muta’allim, translated by C. E. Von Grunebaum, New York.
• IBN JUMAH (1933) Tadhkirat al-Sami’ wa’l-Mutakallim, Hyderabad.

To cite another example, for a palace to be built, first an architect conceives it and then gives form to his conception. Afterwards, he makes a plan of the palace. according to which the palace will be built. Building means the materialization of the architect’s conception of the palace in floors, rooms doors, windows, and so on by using the necessary material. Even if the palace is destroyed years later, it will continue to exist in the architect’s mind and in the memories of those who saw it.

The universe is like a book written by God or a palace built by Him, to make Himself known by conscious beings primarily including mankind. The universe essentially exists in God’s Knowledge in meaning. Creation means, through His Will, God Almighty’s specifying or giving a distinct character and form to that meaning in His Knowledge as species races families or individuals, and then through His Power, clothing each in matter and making each visible in the material realm contained in time and space. That is, the Divine Will specifies and forms and the Divine Power clothes and makes visible. After a thing ceases to exist, it continues to live both in God’s Knowledge and in memories and through its offspring. if it has any. For example, when a flower dies, it continues to exist in God’s Knowledge. in memories, and in its seeds.

We see that everything has five stages or degrees of existence. Essentially, it exists in the Creator’s Knowledge as meaning. Even if God Almighty did not create it, it would continue to exist in His Knowledge as meaning. Thus, that meaning constitutes the essential existence of everything. The second stage or degree of a thing’s existence is that it exists in the Divine Will as a form or ‘plan’. Then comes the stage of a thing’s material existence in the material realm. This is followed by its existence in memories and, if it has any, through its offspring. The fifth stage is its eternal existence in the other world. God Almighty will ‘use’ the wreck of this world in the construction of the other one, where animals will continue their existence, each species through a representative of its own, while each human being will find an eternal life which will have been designed for him according to his living in this world.

I hope now it is clear what kind of a relationship there is between science and Islam or the Qur’an. First of all, the universe, the subject-matter of the sciences is the realm where God’s Names are manifested and therefore has some sort of sanctity. Everything in it is a letter from God Almighty inviting us to study it to have knowledge of Him. Thus, the universe is the collection of those letters or as Muslim sages call it the Divine Book of Creation, issuing primarily, from the Divine Attributes of Will and Power. As for the Qur’an issuing from the Divine Will of Speech, it is the counterpart of the universe in written form. If we call the universe the Qur’an of Creation (al-Qur’an al-Takwini), we may call the Qur’an the Recorded Qur’an (al-Qur’an a-Tadwini). Just as there can be no conflict between a palace and the paper written to describe it there can also be no conflict between the universe and the Qur’an, which are two expressions of the same truth.

Similarly, man is also a Divine book corresponding to the Qur’an and the universe. It is because of this that the term used to signify the sentences of the Qur’an-ayah-also means events taking place within the souls of men and phenomena in the world of nature. Mans life is so mysteriously interrelated to the natural phenomena and events that, according to Ibn Sina (Avicenna), one who discerns these phenomena can draw hundred-per cent-true conclusions about the future of the world: that is to say, the laws of history can be deduced from what is going on in nature.

It is interesting that the first revelation of the Qur’an was: Read: in and with the name of your Lord Who created. He created man of an embryo suspended. Read: and your Lord is the Most Munificent. Who taught by the Pen, taught man that he knew not (96.1-3).

The Qur’an orders man to read at a time when there was nothing yet to read, this means he is commanded to read-study-the universe itself as the book of creation of which the Qur’an is the counterpart in letters or words. Man has to observe the universe and perceive its meaning and content, and as he perceives it he comes to know more deeply the beauty and splendour of the Creator’s system and the infinitude of His Might. Thus, it is incumbent upon man to penetrate into the manifold meanings of the universe, discover the Divine laws of nature and found a world where science and faith complement each other so that man will be able to perform his function as God’s vicegerent on earth and attain true bliss in both worlds.

Thus, as S. Hussain Nasr points out, revelation to man is inseparable from the cosmic revelation which is also a book of God. Islam. by refusing to separate man from nature and the study of nature from gnosis or its metaphysical dimension. has preserved an integral view of the universe and sees in the arteries of the cosmic and natural order the flow of Divine grace. From the bosom of nature man seeks to transcend nature and nature can be an aid in this process provided man learns to contemplate it as a mirror reflecting a higher reality. This is the reason why one finds in Islam an elaborate hierarchy of knowledge integrated by the principle of Divine Unity- juridical, social and theological sciences and also gnostic and metaphysical ones-and why so many Muslitn scientists like lbn Sina. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi. and Ibrahim Haqqi of Erzurum were either practising Sufis or were intellectually affiliated to the gnostic schools of Islam. A man like Ibn Sina could he a physician and Peripathetic philosopher and yet expound his Oriental philosophy which sought knowledge through illumination. Nasr al-Din al-Tusi was the leading mathematician and astronomer of his day and the author of an outstanding treatise on the metaphysical dimension of Islam. Ibn Jarir al-Tabari who is one of the most outstanding figures in Islamic jurisprudence, history and Qur’anic interpretation, wrote eleven centuries ago about how the winds fertilize clouds so that rain falls. The examples could be multiplied but these suffice to demonstrate that in Islam observation of nature and contemplation of it has always represented a very important aspect of the spiritual journey of a Muslim. Furthermore, there has been in Islam an intimate connection between sciences and other fields of Islamic studies. This connection is to be found in the Qur’an itself, which, as the Divine Scripture of Islam. corresponds to the macrocosmic revelation which is the universe.

Does the Qur’an allude to scientific developments?

Before answering this question. we should point out that however great a mistake it is to consider sciences as conflicting with religion and to consider scientific study as separate from and independent of the Qur’an. it is also a mistake of the same degree to reduce the Qur’an to being a book of sciences and try to show every new scientific theory or fact as compatible with it.

Scientific theories are usually like clothes which, after being put on for some time, are worn out and discarded. Trying to show that every new scientific fact or theory was predicted by the Qur’an is a display of inferiority complex and means giving priority to sciences over the Qur’an. Each verse and expression of the Qur’an has a universal content addressing each learning level of mankind at all times: any interpretation put forward during history points to only one aspect of that universal content. Every interpreter or every scientist and man of gnosis depending either on his spiritual discovery or intuition, or the evidence he obtains, or his natural disposition prefers one of those aspects. Besides, as was pointed out earlier, we accept both the physics of Newton and the physics of Einstein as ‘science and true. Although. in absolute terms, both may be false, there must certainly be some truth in both. Causality is a veil God Almighty has spread over the rapid flux of existence so that we could plan our lives to some degree, and therefore both the physics of Newton and the physics of Einstein are relatively true. In short, while pondering the Qur’anic verses, we should take into consideration the relative truths in existence and our lives, which are much more numerous than the unchanging absolute truths.

By way of an example of the multiple meanings of the Qur’anic expressions. consider the verses He let forth the two seas that meet together, between them a barrier they do not overpass (55.19-20). which are ardently repeated by saintly people in their daily recitations. There is an indication to all of the pairs of ‘seas’ or realms, spiritual and material. figurative and actual. from the realms of Lordship and servanthood to the spheres of necessity and contingency, from this world to the Hereafter, including the visible corporeal world and the World of the Unseen, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the Mediterranean and Red Sea, salt water and sweet water in the seas and under the earth, and the big rivers such as the Euphrates and Tigris carrying sweet water and salty seas to which they flow. All of these, together with many others I do not deem necessary to mention here, are included in the content of the aforementioned Qur’anic verses, whether in a literal or figurative sense. Because of this, even if we see that a Qur’anic verse or expression exactly points to an established scientific fact, we should not restrict its meaning to that fact, rather, we should take all other possible meanings and interpretations into consideration.

However, this does never mean that the Qur’an does not point or allude to any scientific development and fact, Being the Divine Revelation which includes everything of wet or dry (6.59), it should certainly not exclude scientific developments and facts. Indeed. it refers to them directly or indirectly, but not in the manner of science and materialistic or naturalistic philosophy. It is not a book of science that it should speak of the cosmological or scientific matters elaborately. It is the eternal interpretation of the book of the universe and the interpreter of sciences dealing with the phenomena of creation. It comments upon the visible and invisible worlds, and discloses the spiritual treasures of the Divine Beautiful Names in the heavens and the earth. The Qur’an is the key with which the hidden realities behind the events taking place in both nature and human life may be perceived. and is the tongue of the Hidden World in the Manifest World. It is like the sun shining in the spiritual and intellectual sky of Islam. and is the sacred map of the next world. It is the expounder of the Divine attributes. Names and acts, and the educator of mankind guiding them to truths and virtues. It is a book of law and wisdom, a book of worship and prayer, a book of Divine commands and prohibitions, and also a book which contains everything to satisfy man’s spiritual and intellectual needs.

There is actually no problem of a theological, social, economic, political, or even scientific nature that the Qur’an does not deal with briefly or in detail, directly or by allusion or symbolically. However, its method of’ approach and presentation is unique to itself and inimitable by mankind. It expressly says that it has adopted a special manifold method of its own which is termed tasrifi that is the display of varieties of topics and the shifting from one subject to another and then the reverting to the previous one and repeating the same subject with deliberation and purpose thus showing the essentially integral character of existence and displaying unity within multiplicity. It uses unique and rhythmic forms of recitation to facilitate understanding and memorization.

Also the Qur’an considers the creation not for its own sake, but for the sake of knowledge of its Creator. By contrast, science besides considering the creation only for its own sake, addresses particularly those specialized in it. The Quran addresses the whole of mankind, and since it uses creation as evidence and proof to guide mankind, and the majority of’ mankind are common people the evidence should be manifest and obvious in order to be understood by the common people easily, and guidance requires that things of little importance should be touched on only and the subtle points be made understandable by means of parables and comparisons. In order not to mislead people into errors, it should not change things which in their view are obvious in a way which will be of no use or may even be harmful to them.

Essentially like every other thing in existence, sciences have their sources in one of the Beautiful Names of God Almighty. It is the Name the All-Healing that shines on medicine: geometry and engineering depend on the Names the All-Just, the All-Shaping and the All-Harmonizing and philosophy reflects the Name the All-Wise and so forth. As was pointed out above, the Creator has referred in His Book, the holy Qur’an to everything that He has allowed man to learn and a means to his material and spiritual progress. Since the Qur’an’s primary aim is to make God Almighty known to man, to open the way to faith and worship and organize man’s individual and social life, thus guiding man to perfect happiness in both worlds, it makes references to things and events, as well as to scientific facts, to achieve this aim. So it mentions each thing proportionally to its significance with respect to this aim: the more significant a thing is the greater right it has to be mentioned in the Qur’an. Thus, the Qur’an while elaborately explaining the pillars of faith fundamentals of religion, and the foundations of human life and essentials of worship hints at some other things according to their significance for human life, The meaning of a verse may be compared to a rosebud: it is hidden by successive layers of petals. A new meaning is perceived as each petal unfolds, and everyone discovers one of those meanings according to his capacity and is satisfied with it.

Examples of the Qur’an’s references to scientific facts and developments

The Qur’an hints at technological advances and marks their final development, besides many other ways by mentioning the miracles of’ the Prophets. It encourages man to fly in the air and alludes implicitly to the fact that one day man will be able to make spaceships and aircraft, by the verse. ‘And to Solomon (We subjugated) the wind: its morning course was a month’s journey, and its evening course was a month’s journey (34.12). It also invites man to search the remedy of every illness in the verse. (Jesus said): I also heal the blind and the leper and bring to lift the dead, by the leave of God (3.49) and hints that man will one day be able to cure every illness and thus gives the impression as if death would no longer overtake man. By the verse, Said he who possessed knowledge of the Book. ‘I will bring it (the throne of the Queen of the Yemen) to you (to Solomon in Jerusalem) before ever your glance returns to you (27.40) the Qur’an foretells that one day images or even the things themselves will be transmitted in a moment through knowledge of the Divine book of the universe, just as a man who possesses knowledge of the Book of Divine Revelation is able to bring things from a long distance before his glance returns to him. The Qur’an also symbolically informs us that it might be possible to identify the killer of a person by sonic cells taken front his body at the time of death by narrating that the killer of a person was found out in the time of the Prophet Moses upon him be peace, by smiting the slain man with part of a cow the Children of Israel were ordered to slaughter by God Almighty (2.7 1-2). There are many other examples in the Qur’an of allusions to the scientific and technological advances to be made by mankind in the future, but these instances suffice to give an indication of the matter.

The Qur’an being the Divine Revelation for every age and every person until the Day of Judgement, has great depths of meaning: it is an infinite ocean in which every person of knowledge and ability can dive deeply, and according to his capacity finds its pearls and coral. Its scientific wisdom is, as it were, rejuvenated with the passage of time. Every generation discovers its wisdom anew, and its secrets continue to be revealed with the passage of time.

In a verse about the creation of the universe, ‘Then He turned to the sky when it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth. ‘Come willingly or unwillingly.’ They said: ‘We come willingly’ (40.1 I), the Qur’an indicates that there is a difficulty in the cooperation between the earth and sky. As is known, the molecules and atoms in the atmosphere try to escape into space while the earth tries to attract and hold them. For the formation of an atmosphere, the motions leading to the force of escaping molecules has to be counterbalanced by the gravitational attraction of the earth. This is an almost impossibly difficult, condition to fulfil. From the standpoint of geophysics, these extremely difficult conditions require the preservation of three important balances: (i) atmospheric temperature. (ii) proportionate gravitational attraction on the part of the earth, and (iii) the non- violation of this balance by various radiant energies arriving from space. The Qur’an expresses all these facts by the phrases. ‘Then He turned to the heaven… and said to the heaven, and the earth. ‘Come willingly o,’ unwillingly’. That the almost impossible conditions are fulfilled only by God’s power is indicated by the phrase. They said: ‘We come willingly’.

Verses 12- 14 of surah al-Mu‘mi-un-Surely ,We created man from a filtered product of wet earth; then placed him as a drop of seed in a safe lodging: then fashioned We the drop a suspended clot, then fashioned We the clot a little lump, then fashioned We the little lump bones, then clothed the bones with flesh, and then produced it us another creation. So blessed be God, the Best of creators!,-explicitly mentions the stages a human embryo undergoes in the womb until it grows into a human being. This information the Qur’an gave fourteen centuries ago has recently been confirmed by the science of embryology, a fact which proves the Divine authorship of the Qur’an and the Prophethood of Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings.

The verse, ‘Glory to be Him. Who created in pairs all things that the earth produces, as well as their own selves, and many other things of which, they know nothing (36.36), after beginning with the warning that God Himself is beyond being involved in any double or pairing, any likeness or equal, proceeds to tell of the existence of created things in pairs. a condition of opposition simultaneously with similarity. The scientific definition of the creation in pairs implies ‘similar opposites’. The Qur’an gives three examples of existence in pairs: (i) pairs produced by the earth (positron-electron, proton-antiproton, neutron-antineutron; pairs that differ in their physical and chemical characteristics. e.g. metals and nonmetals, biologically composed pairs: male and female sexes of plants and animals, and physically opposed pairs); (ii) pairs of their selves (man and woman, personality traits such as compassionate and cruel, generous and mean, and traits which are similar but subject to opposed value judgements such as true and false. etc.): (iii) pairs we do not know about. The discovery in contemporary physics of ‘parity’ (creation in pairs) has been hailed as a major turning point in the advancement of knowledge, an idea that was mentioned fourteen centuries ago by the Qur’an.

The verse, He is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and all that lies between them, He is the Lord of the easts (37.15), indicates the spherical shape of planets and their rotations because the concept of the ‘Easts’ introduces infinite dimensions, and differs for each location on the earth. A point on the earth is in the east with respect to its western regions, therefore the ‘East’ concept is different at every point on earth, and these form an ensemble of easts. Besides, there are 180 points of sunrise, that is, the sun rises at one place for only two days in a year so there are 180 ‘easts’. Therefore, this verse is also indicative of meridians as well as of infinite dimensions, and of the relativity of space and the spherical shape of planets as well as the rotation of the earth.

The French scientist Jacques Cousteau has discovered that the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean differ in terms of their chemical and biological constitution. He conducted various undersea investigations at the straits of Gibraltar in order to explain this phenomenon, concluding that unexpected fresh water springs issue from the southern and northern coasts of Gibraltar. These water sprouts gush towards each other at an angle of 45 forming a reciprocal dam like the teeth of a comb. Due to this fact, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean cannot intermingle. Subsequent to this assessment, Cousteau was amazed upon being shown the Qur’anic verse. ‘He has let forth the two seas, that meet together Between them a barrier, they do not overpass’ (55.19-20). These verses, of which some other connotations we pointed out above, further invite our attention to the plankton composition of the seas, and to the flora and fish distributions that change with variations in temperature.

There are many other verses in the Qur’an which shed light upon scientific facts, and invite everyone to study. Certainly, the day will come when God will have shown mankind His signs in the outer world, as well as in their own inner worlds and it will be manifest to them that the Qur’an is the truth: We shall show then? Our signs in the outer world and in their own selves until it will he manifest to them that it (the Qur’an) is the truth (48.53). Humankind will more concentrate on sciences in future and the Qur’an, which is the counterpart in letters of the universe, the realm where God’s Names are manifested, will prove itself to be Gods Revelation.

You may ask why then have Muslims not developed sciences and discovered such Qur’anic truths, and why are they under the dominion of the West?

As we explained earlier, to the extent that the time and the prevalent conditions allowed them to, Muslims did discover the truths of the Qur’an and, obeying its injunctions, founded a magnificent civilization, which lasted for many centuries.

A typical example: while explaining the meaning of the verse, We send the wind fertilizing, and cause water to descend from the sky, and give it you to drink (15.22). Ibn Jarir al-Tabari writes about how the winds fertilize clouds so that rain may form. The verse clearly mentions the winds fertilizing clouds because it is about the formation of rain. As has recently been discovered, clouds are also charged with electricity and it is only when positive and negative poles in clouds form a circuit that rain forms.

Also, in his Tafsir named al-Bahr al-Muhir, Ahu Hayyan al-Andalusi records from Abu Ja’far ibn al-Zuhayr that from the initial verses of surah al-Rum. Alif Lam Mim. The Romans have been defeated in the nearer land, and they, after their defeat will be victorious. Within nine years-God’s is command in the former case and in the latter-and in that day believers will rejoice in God’s help to victory. He helps to victory whom He wills. He is the Mighty, the Merciful, Abu’l Hakem ibn Barrajan deduced many years before the exact date-with its year, month and day-the recapture of Jerusalem by Muslims from the Crusaders in 1187.

Islam ruled two-thirds of the old civilized world for at least eleven centuries. During its whole history of fourteen centuries, it has had to confront continual onslaughts from both the East and West and it was able to retain its superiority until the eighteenth century. However, when moral and spiritual decay and laziness and negligence of what was going on around them were added to the endless attacks from the West and East, the magnificence and supremacy of the Islamic civilization began to decline until its collapse in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Military victories and a sense of superiority had induced the Muslims to become content with what they had achieved and to neglect further researches in sciences. They had abandoned themselves to living their own lives, reciting the Qur’an but without ever studying its deeper meanings. Meanwhile the Western world made had been making great advances in sciences and technology, which they had carried forward from the Islamic civilization. As already mentioned in this book, sciences are in reality the languages of the Divine book of creation and an aspect of religion. Therefore, whoever neglects to study this book and benefit from it is destined to lose in the worldly life, and this negligence was one of the main reasons why Muslims fell under the domination of the West.

It is impossible that the present Western civilization will endure long since it is materialistic and far from satisfying man’s perennial needs. Western sociologists such as Oswald Spengler and others have predicted the collapse of this civilization, which is against basic human nature and values. Either it will abandon itself to its inevitable decay or equip itself with the creeds and moral and spiritual values of Islam, as well as its social and economic principles. In other words, Muslims will re-discover that, in essence, science and religion are two aspects of the same reality and know that to be a Muslim means, first of all, to represent the beauties of Islam in practical life. The luminous world of the future will be founded upon the firm foundations of Islamic morality, spirituality and its socio-economic and political order.