Question: Among things Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, sought refuge from were “knowledge, hearts, prayers, and eyes” according to one specific tradition? Why did he do so? Are there types of knowledge and prayers we need to be cautious of?

It is related that the noble Messenger of God would often repeat the following prayer: “My Lord! I seek refuge in You from knowledge that is of no benefit, a heart that does not tremble in respect, from a carnal soul that is never satisfied, and from prayer that is not answered.” It is also related in another tradition that he sought refuge from calamities, diseases, and “eyes that do not well up with tears.”    

Knowledge that is of no benefit

The Qur’an says, “Is that of a donkey carrying a load of books (it transports what it does not understand)” (Al-Jumu’ah, 62:5). There are some people who wrote books, completed doctorate upon doctorate, and became “wise” men. Yet, in the words of Sadi, this newfound knowledge is largely useless and non-beneficial if they do not incorporate it into their nature and practice what they have learned.      

Nowadays, there are plenty of ignorant people with degrees. Their mouths are filled with tar and darkness from the lies, deceit, slander and misinterpretations that they spew. All of the knowledge they have learned and all of the books they have written (even if they have written about the heart and spirit of Islam) are of no use if this knowledge is not going to bring them closer to God, be their route into Paradise, and allow them to experience Divine grace.

It is important to read abundantly and to look at a wide variety of books in order to broaden our perspectives, however it is even more important to incorporate that knowledge into our daily lives. Sadi says, “If you do not believe with your knowledge, then you are the epitome of ignorance.” Such people are not only ignorant, but also are ignorant of their ignorance. All the while, some among them arrogantly assume that they are aware of everything. This is described as “triple ignorance.”

A heart that does not tremble

Secondly, the noble Prophet says, “I seek refuge from a heart that does not tremble.”

The word used in the original text is “yahsha,” which refers to a sense of reverence or awe that manifests itself in one’s actions. It is a measure that shows the depth of one’s position before God. It is acting with the consciousness of ihsan, the conviction that we are being seen by God all the time.

The Prophet says that the reverence in one’s heart manifests in that person’s outward form. If one is truly reverent to God then, it will pour out through their iris, facial expressions, hand gestures, tone of voice, and even in the ideas they put forth. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (d. 1960) was a scholar who had the utmost reverence to God and His creation. When he used to retreat to his wooden rack on top of a tree for prayers and contemplation, he would say:

Listen to the stars, to their delightful sermon,

Listen to their message of luminous wisdom

And see what is written in their declaration

“Of all His servants, only those who possess true knowledge stand in awe of God” (Al-Fatir 35:28).             

People with deep understanding have a unique perspective. They are the ones who have engraved their knowledge into their neurons, and this tends to be reflected in all of their actions in such a way that anyone who saw them would notice the deep effects of their faith. When an observer saw such people in prostration he or she would see them in full humility for they pray in a state of “being seen by God.” Little, if any, doubt would be left unresolved with such a representation and state of being.

A carnal soul that is never satisfied

The third thing God’s Messenger sought refuge from was “a carnal soul that is never satisfied.” The Qur’an narrates the story of Korah, who serves as a primary example of a person with such a soul:

“We gave him treasures, the keys alone to which were a heavy weight for a party of strong men” (Al-Qasas, 28:76).

Korah had amassed so much wealth that even the keys to his treasure chests required ten strong men to carry them. The Prophet considered such a greedy soul to be so dangerous that he listed it after useless knowledge and a heart that does not tremble in fear.  

Prayers that are not answered

The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, says, “God does not accept the prayer of the heart which does not know what it wants and desires.” We really need to consider how we recite prayers and supplications from memory: are we doing praying with sincerity or without deeply reflecting upon what we are asking? A person could pray for something good such as, “O God, keep us far away from Hellfire, save us, protect us.” In regards to such a prayer, one should spend a few extra minutes pondering about our lives, try to close their eyes and imagine being in the presence of God, consider the consequences of an irresponsible life. One can even imagine themselves walking on the bridge above the fire. The All-Merciful God will not leave such a vivid seeker of protection in vain.

While praying, “Take us to Paradise along with those righteous people” one should imagine the gardens, trees, and flowers of Paradise to the extent that is humanly possible.        

Prayers are best when they come sincerely from the heart, not subconsciously and without meaning. It is as if something is raining into the hands of the people who sincerely turn to God when they pray to Him.

This is a personal experience that can be achieved through deep reflection and sincerity. There are some steps that can be followed in order to reach such a pious state.

First, God Almighty will accept your prayers and supplications when you are standing in the presence of your Lord with deep concentration, knowing that you are being seen by God and aiming to be in a state as if you are seeing God, too.

Secondly, it is important to make supplications over and over. God Almighty wants to hear the supplications of His servants and wants their prayers to be in their book of good deeds. Consequently, God gives whatever His servant desires depending on how insistent they are in their supplications.

In another tradition, the Prophet says that prayers are answered and advises believers to be patient and not say things such as, “I kept offering my supplications and prayers, but they were not accepted” out of desperation and impatience.

Surely believers will be rewarded with mercy should they remain at God’s doorstep in deep loyalty. He does not leave us completely deprived either, even if He does not give us exactly what we want when we want it.

When the Messenger of God takes refuge in God from supplications that are not accepted, he is referring to those who get weary of making prayers and supplicate with little to no sincerity. God knows best.

Bediuzzaman said the following about the severe pains he felt in his body: “I have supplicated for thirty years to be healed; my prayers have not been accepted externally, yet it has never occurred to me to abandon my prayers. Because illness is the occasion or time for prayer; to be cured is not the result of the prayer.”

Persecuted by oppressive regime, Bediuzzaman was poisoned twenty-one times when he was behind bars. It has not been recorded, or known, that Bediuzzaman ever once made prayers of revenge in his life despite all of the hardship that he endured. He was an emblem of forgiveness and grace, and this character fits monumental personages like him.

This is what we must strive to do as well. Prepare yourself to forgive those who are persecuting you. This is surely a heroic thing to do that takes much strength. Do not respond to evil with evil.

“If you have to respond to any wrong, respond (only) to the measure of the wrong done to you,             

but if you endure patiently, it is indeed better for the patient” (An-Nahl 16:126).

Jesus, peace be upon him, said that excellence in faith is not acting in kindness to those who act kindly to you; excellence in faith is to respond with kindness to those who treat you with evil.             

Be kind to the person who harms you. At least give the alms of a smile, if just a smile. Others may act like monsters, as would be expected from monsters. God has created us as humans, what befits us is to act with humanity. It is impermissible for a true believer to abandon this demeanor.

Eyes that don’t water with tears of sincerity

May God bless us with eyes filled with tears. If there is one antidote to put out the flames of Hell, it would be tears. If there is one thing to take our prayers straight to God, it is the tears we pour for God’s sake.

God’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Don’t laugh too much.      It kills the heart.”

Your prayer mats should be soaked so much so that your mats speak back in their tongue of disposition, “That is enough! I have become fully soaked, that is enough.”          In the dark night, when you try to turn on the lights to the Intermediate Realm, your tears, in a way, should be like oxygen or energy. Your tears will provide light and illumination. May God make us like those who have such eyes.

After that question, I found myself at the doctors.

“If your heart is OK, then your body is OK,” she told me with worrying eyes.

“I’ve never had pain in my chest for this long,” I told her. “It feels as if somebody is sitting on my heart. But if I put my hand on my chest, that warmth helps to alleviate the pain.”

She was concerned. We stopped and she urged me to go to the ER immediately.

“I need to pray,” I told her. “It will take ten minutes and I will be at the hospital praying room. There are always a few people there, so don’t worry.”

She nodded. “I believe in the power of the prayer and meditation,” she added. And she ensured that I see a specialist for the chest pain.

I left that building and crossed the road to go to the other building. I was holding my heart, thinking the metaphors that we think of as a mundane saying. None of the metaphorical descriptions were solely poetry or were merely linguistic elaboration. Rather, they all meant what is untold and unseen and indescribable. At that moment I realized this heart was given to me. I was doing my best for a month to satisfy her needs and to ease her tension. But she was behaving as a separate and independent unit that has her own free will. I realized this for the first time in my life. Maybe the metaphor for this case would be extending a helping a hand to my heart, or to surround her with muscles. Maybe I forced too much on her, or did not appreciate the help my individual organs, my body as a whole, have given me.

That night, a friend of mine, not knowing what I had been thinking during the day, told me that we should talk to our bodies. “You should thank your feet that carried you all those years, my friend,” she said. “You should appreciate your eyes, which never gave up on you. You should thank your arms and hands since you would be speechless without them as a writer. You should thank your brain, for she listened to her Owner all these years and served you to be a better human every day.” “You know,” I added, “you are so right. After all, the one who cannot thank people and things cannot thank their Owner, the Beautiful, the Merciful, the Wise, the Choice Maker!”

I have been reading a lot lately. But there is something we learn from life and other people that no book can cover. Thus, I believe humankind is a unique book, its own kind of scripture. Humans read the universe with one eye, and the Scriptures with the other. Thus, we are given double eyes. And humans stand at the conjunction of these two books of meaning, being ourselves the third book which is uniquely because it is not just a book to read but also a reader. The more humans read these two books, the more we become a readable book.

So what is written in me? I suppose the basis of all lines is this sentence I heard from my doctor today: Save your heart, if the heart is good then your body and mind will be healthy. I wish I knew the language of the heart that would make my body healthy and would make my mind a reader and my self a book. The heart is at the center of human life, both in the physical and metaphysical senses. The heart is at the heart of the fact that humankind is a book to be read and discovered. The heart defines what we feel and motivates us in life. The heart defines which way the mind will travel. The heart is the teacher of the mind. Do you think we can unravel the language of the heart?

In the Hebrew Bible, God says to Moses: “I know you by name.” This knowledge indicates a deeper insight as to who Moses really is and tells that the acquaintance via exchange of the names is not just superficial information, but rather a kind of in-depth knowledge.2 In the Psalms, David narrates: “He leads me on right paths for his name’s sake” (Ps 23:3).

Both in the Hebrew Bible and in the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (hadith), God is present wherever His name is recited: “In every place where I proclaim my name I shall come to you and bless you” (Exod 20:24).

In the Qur’an, in Chapter Baqarah, God declares His intention to create humans. The angels cannot help but ask Him “Are you going to create someone who will shed blood on the earth?” Then God says “I know what you don’t.” When He summoned Adam and asked him to recite the Names He taught Him, the angels were surprised by the knowledge and potential of Adam. “They said: ‘Glory be to You! We possess no knowledge save what You have taught us. Indeed, You alone are All-Knowing, the Wise’.” He said: “O Adam! Inform them of their names.” When he had informed them, God said: “Did I not tell that I know what is unseen in the heavens and on Earth, and I know what you reveal and what you hide?” (Surah al-Baqarah; 31- 33.)

A modern day Muslim scholar, M. Fethullah Gulen, writes that the knowledge given to Adam was not exclusive to him, but rather was given to all humans. Generations of people developed the seeds of knowledge given to Adam and this is how the sciences were developed. Human’s deep desire to know is the seed that was planted in human soul with the “Names.” 3

According to the early 13th century scholar, Fahraddin al-Razi (d. 1209), the knowledge that should be attained first and foremost on earth is the knowledge of God’s names. Only through His names can a person know God.4 20th century scholar Said Nursi (d. 1960) writes that all sciences came from one specific name of God. For instance, 2 plus 2 makes 4, and this relates to equality of the two sides of the equation. Thus, math comes from His name Just, in Arabic, al-‘Adl. Medicine treats an illness and has a strong connection to the name of The Life-Giver, al–Hayy. Similarly, the physics that rule the universe, from gravity to rain, are reflections of God’s name in the language of this world. The clouds function as a sponge, clean the sky, and the rain cleans the earth, leaving behind not only cleanliness but also beauty and tons of benefit for the circle of life. 5

Muslim scholars have written treatises to explain the meaning and function of the Names of God over the centuries. These treatises are called “The Exegesis of God’s Names.” They are manuscripts in libraries, from Spain to Turkey, and in various languages, from Arabic to Turkish. When one considers that Hebrew became a written language in Spain in the 12th century,6 and since God’s names are a theological topic in Judaism, manuscripts on God’s Names in Hebrew might have been penned. I am not aware of any research to disclose the various forms of Hebrew literature on God’s Names. However, there are books in traditional Cabbalist literature on the power of God’s names when recited certain times.7 These types of books also exist in the Islamic tradition, but they are read as a means and formula to pray in the best way to communicate with God. Reciting God’s seven names, though different in Judaism and Islam, exists in both traditions. Certain Muslim scholars used to recite these names, while others recited the other names, either in silence or aloud in a group, once a week, functioning as a social practice of prayer and meditation.

The names of God also formed a genre on its own in poems written by Muslims and Jews. Muslims narrated that the Qur’an reveals a hundred names of God, Allah, being the one that encompass all other names. Yet God’s names are not limited to this number. Another prayer called “Jawshan” enumerated God’s 1000 names poetically.8 This book is narrated in the sources of Shia, yet it is widely read among Sunnis, too. Ali, the son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is known as the door of the city of sciences and knowledge in both Sunni and Shia traditions. Thus, it is not a surprise that Ali narrated this very valuable source on God’s names. After all, God’s names are the keys to opening the doors of knowledge and various sciences till the end of time.

A thousand names of God are poetically narrated in “Jawshan” in a form of prayer for all, 300 names were revealed in the Torah, and another 300 in Bible.9 God’s name reminds believers, not only Muslims of different sects – but also People of the Book, be they Muslim, Jewish, Christian, or someone else – that the hearts and minds of humans address One God, Who has Beauty and Mercy in His Power, and Power and Magnificence in His Beauty.

Notes

1. Clarke, Arthur C. 1983. “The Nine Billion Names of God”. Golden Age of Science Fiction.
2. Exod 33: 12 from Mettinger, Tryggve N. D. In Search of God: The Meaning and Message of the Everlasting Names. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1988, p. 8
3. http://en.fgulen.com/reflections-on-the-quran/4240-al-baqarah-2-31
4. Dilek, Mehmet. “Hadislerde El-Esmau’l-Husna”, HRU Ilahiyat Fak. Dergisi, C: XI, Sayi: VI, Temmuz-Aralik 2003, s. 77-94.
5. Nursi, Said, and Hüseyin Akarsu. The 30th Gleam, in The Gleams, The Risale-I Nur Collection. Somerset, N.J.: Tughra Books, 2008.
6. Menocal, Maria Roa. The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain, 2003.
7. Swart, Jacobus G., The book of Sacred Names, The Sangreal Sodality Press, 2012.
8. Al-Jawshan Al-Kabir: a prayer for all, a supplication of Prophet Muhammad. Somerset, N.J.: The Light, 2006.
9. Sahin, Abdullah. ‘Edebi bir Tur Olarak Klasik Edebiyatimizda Esma-i Husnalar’, A. U. Turkiyat Arastirmalari Enstitusu Dergisi, s. 16, Erzurum, 2001, s. 52.

I know You say

There is no compulsion in religion

But I don’t want this freedom

Any longer

You can have it

And me as well

Only teach me to count

One and one and one is one

And gather up the world’s phone-books

So You can read me

All of Your beautiful names.

Jacob Winkler is a spiritual teacher and creator of the website www.glorytothehighest.com.

Spending so much time in the library for a particular book further amazed me about the answer I was searching for in my research. I am trying to understand how our genome is organized and how it functions. In order to make myself clear, let me first try to explain what the genome is. I bet you will be amazed by the impressive genome organization and its flawless function, too.

The genome can be thought of as a library. Each book in the “genome library” is what we call a “gene”. Every gene is different in size and the information they contain, just like the books in the library. Like the different sections in the library, our genes are also compartmentalized into different chromosomes. We have 23 pairs of chromosomes. One pair contains the information from our father and the other one from our mother. Therefore, unlike libraries, where you may find more than one copy of a book, our genome has two copies of each gene (except the genes on the X and Y chromosomes which carry only one set of genes).

Every cell in our body carries its own library: the genome. Our genome is the smallest library in terms of physical volume, yet contains relatively the largest amount of information. In our body, which contains roughly 100 trillion cells, we carry 100 trillion of these libraries. Here comes the amazing part; each of these libraries contains 3 billion letters of information. If this information were to be printed, it would take 1000 books of 200 pages each. The information in our genome is coded by a 4 letter alphabet; Adenine (A), Guanine (G), Cytosine (C) and Tymine (T). These four letters (A,G,C,T), called deoxyribonucleic acids, are the building blocks of every DNA strand on earth. The collective amount of these letters in any organism constitutes of its genome. We, as humans, have about 3 billion of these letters in our genome, which is encapsulated in the nucleus of every cell in our body. The total length of our genome is 2 meters long. This 2 meter long stretch of DNA (3 billion letters of information) is highly compacted and packaged in the nucleus, which is only 2 micrometer in diameter, an amazing 1,000,000 fold compaction!

How is our genome, which is 2 meters long, compacted so much that it fits in a nucleus only 2 micrometer in size? In the nucleus, DNA is wrapped around a group of 8 proteins called histones. This combination of DNA and histone proteins forms a special structure called “beads on the string”. Each bead is called “nucleosome” (Figure 1).

Multiple nucleosomes are then coiled together and stacked on top of each other. This organisation further packs the DNA up into a thicker fiber called “chromatin”. This chromatin fiber further condenses by forming tight loops. The structure which we call a “chromosome” is actually the most compact form of the chromatin fiber, which is only visible under the microscope during cell division. This remarkable chromatin organization allows a 2 meter long DNA to fit into the nucleus of each cell, an object so small that 10,000 of these nuclei can fit on the tip of a needle!

This remarkable genome organization further impresses us when we think about the utilization of this genetic information by over one hundred trillions of cells in our body. These many cells in our body are not all similar to one another. Most of the cells in our body are specialized to carry out specific functions. We have more than 200 different cell types specialized for unique functions. Some cells, like B and T cells in our immune system, are dedicated to fighting against infectious agents, whereas other cells, like neurons, function by transmitting signals between our brain and muscles. Since these cells have different structures and carry out different functions, they require different sets of instructions coded by genes in the genome. There are roughly 20.000 genes in our genome. Importantly, each specialized cell in our body utilizes only a subset of these genes, not all of them, at any given time. In other words, from the library analogy, roughly two third of the books (i.e., genes) are needed for each cell to function. The remaining one third of the genes is not necessary for that particular cell type. For example, the MYOD1 gene encodes a protein required for muscle cell differentiation. Therefore, this gene is absolutely required for muscle cells. However, the same gene is not required for the B or T cells that function in our immune system. While the MYOD1 gene has to be stored in an easy access location (open chromatin) for muscle cells, immune cells do not need this gene, and therefore it is stored in the depository section of the “genome library” (closed chromatin), which is not used very often.

In line with this, each cell has to organize its genome in a special way so that the genes needed for its function should be easily accessible. This remarkable genome packaging and organization allows each cell to easily and very quickly access the required genes for transcription into the proteins. On the other hand, those genes that are not going to be used are stored in relatively inaccessible regions in the genome library. Therefore, the genome is not packaged similarly all along. Certain regions of the genome are “open” and therefore easily accessible (called euchromatin) for transcription, while other regions are kept “closed” by condensed and packed structure (called heterochromatin). Since each cell type requires different set of genes, the genome is also differentially organized between cell types. Genome organization in a muscle cell is remarkably different than genome organization in, let’s say, a skin cell.

After all these explanations, I hear you asking, “How does each cell in our body know how to organize their genome? How does, lets say, a muscle cell decides to become muscle but not a blood cell?” These are exactly the same questions that many scientists are asking nowadays. Since the completion of the Human Genome Project (HGP)1,2, which determined the entire sequence of information of our DNA, scientists have been trying to understand how this amazing alphabet is being used in each and every cell in our body. Francis Collins, one of the great scientists of our time and the current director of National Institute of Health (NIH-USA), is especially noted for his landmark discoveries of diseases associated genes, as well as his leadership in the Human Genome Project. He calls the information coded in our DNA the “Language of God” in his recent book.3 Recent technological advancements allow scientists to better study the structure and function of this language and get better clues about the organization of this genomic library.

Whether we believe that this genomic information is “the language of God” or not, we are closer than ever to understanding the codes of this amazing language. New technological advancements allow us to get better insights about the organization and utilization of this information. The more we learn about it, the more we are amazed about not only its flawless packaging but also its differential utilization in each cell. At any time and in any tissue, trillions of cells are using different sections of the genome library to get the necessary instructions decoded from “the Language of God” and continue their journey in our bodies without any conscious decision making on our part.

Ahmet Mir Fazil holds Ph.D. degree in molecular Biology. He is a research scientist in Boston.

References

1. International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium (2001). “Initial sequencing

and analysis of the human genome.” Nature 409 (6822): 860–921.

2. Venter, JC, et al. (2001). “The sequence of the human genome.” Science 291

(5507): 1304–1351.

3. Francis S. Collins. 2006. The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. Free Press.

Original Article: Morewedge C.K. et al., Science 330, 1530 (2010).

If you’ve had a chance to visit the Fatih district in Istanbul, then you have probably seen the famous mosque called “As If I Ate” (Sanki Yedim Camii). The history of the mosque is at least as interesting as its name: Kececi Hayrettin Efendi, who lived in Istanbul in the eighteenth century, led a frugal life and used to save the money he could have used for pleasures like good food. Each time he went into a restaurant, he self-suggested “as if I ate” and assumed himself full. Years go by, and one day Kececi Hayrettin Efendi decides to count the money he saved this way. Surprisingly, he realized that he had saved enough money to build a mosque. Research conducted by Carnegie Mellon University behavioral scientists has shown that Kececi Hayrettin Efendi’s “as if I ate” approach might also be a useful way to curb one’s appetite. During the study, a group of volunteers was asked to imagine eating lots of sweets repetitively before eating as many M&Ms as they like, while a second group was asked to imagine inserting coins into a laundry machine. It turned out that the group that imagined eating sweets ended up eating significantly fewer M&Ms compared to the second group. The researchers performed the same experiment with variety of foods and showed that individuals who continually imagined eating a food many times actually ate less of the imagined food than did individuals who imagined eating that food fewer times, imagined eating a different food, or did not imagine eating any food, showing the effectiveness of the “as if I ate” approach.

2- The Brain Confirms: Learning to read knows no age limit

Original article: Dehaene S. et al., Science 330, 1359 (2010).

In this age of science and technology, education affects everyone drastically. Besides getting a better job or a higher social status, knowing how to read has important beneficial impacts on brain functions. In a new study, cognitive neuroscientists identified active regions of the brain in the event of reading. Three groups (illiterate, literate who learned reading at adulthood and literate who learned at childhood) were compared for their brain activities using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The study has not only helped to illustrate the complex neural circuitry of the brain, but has also demonstrated superior brain functions in literate groups, such as responses to visual and spoken stimuli. The real surprise of the study was that people who learned reading in their adulthood had similar brain activities compared to those who learned reading in their childhood. This suggests that literacy can impact the brain at any age. It has always been assumed that the brain becomes less flexible in aging people. Pointing out these new findings, Brian Wandell, a neuroscientist at Stanford University, emphasizes the ability of the brain to adapt and change upon acquiring the ability to read. He says, “Showing that this area is responsive to learning throughout life is a real contribution.”

3- Culturomics: Measuring culture through books

Original article: Michel J.B. et al., Science 331, 176 (2011).

A team of researchers from Harvard University and Google Books Team opened a new quantitative venue for social sciences which they named “Culturomics.” They used a gigantic data set, which was generated by digitizing over 15 million books (published between 1800 and 2008, ~12% of books ever published) in English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese, and Hebrew. The dataset includes over 500 billion words, and by using a new online tool (http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/) one can easily find out how many times a word was used throughout the last two centuries. The study elegantly demonstrates how human kind has changed in the twentieth century. For example, technological advances in the twentieth century became part of the culture almost three times faster than it used to be in the nineteenth century. On average, people became famous and lost their fame two times faster than in the nineteenth century, and the authors claim that the trend for becoming famous and losing fame will be even faster in the future, at which time “everyone will be famous for 7.5 minutes” on average. The researchers also spotted censorship in Nazi Germany by comparing books published in German and English by comparing the popularity of famous Jewish scientists and authors. It is yet too early to assume that this new approach will entirely change the way social scientists approach their problems, but it will certainly provide an unprecedented perspective into the humanities.

4- The search for extra dimensions is not pseudo-science after all

Original article: Bin-Nun A.Y. et al., Physical Review D 82, 064009 (2010).

The plausibility of co-existing dimensions beyond our 4 dimensional space (3 spatial + 1 time dimension) is nothing new. The attempt to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity led to the development of string theory in the late ’60s. M-Theory is a special extension of the superstring theory which predicts that there are 11 dimensions. It is posited that all elementary sub-atomic particles such as electrons and quarks are not 0-dimensional objects, but rather 1-dimensional vibrating “lines” or “strings.” These strings curl in specific patterns to form the subatomic particles, which then combine via nuclear forces to make up atoms and matter as we know it. Although the mathematical basis has long been established for string theory, it has hitherto not been tested due to the lack of observational signatures. A recent study suggests that it may be possible to observe the effects of extra dimensions after all by using supermassive black holes. Black holes, due to their immensely concentrated gravity, curve the space around them. This curvature affects even the light that passes through them. A star directly behind such a black hole may be observed as a warped or brightened astronomical source. It may even be possible to create so called “Einstein rings,” where the background star appears as a ring of light instead. The recent study argues that, if extra dimensions are not as tightly packed, the light that passes through curved space-time may exhibit anomalies which, in principle, can be detectable with very sensitive telescopes.

There are books that I have always kept within arm’s reach on my desk-books that I have enjoyed rereading over and over again, and from which I draw the strength, joy and peace of the heart. Many of the selections from the Mathnawi-the magnum opus of Rumi, the world-famous Sufi master and poetic genius-included in Tales from Rumi, were the first of his stories that I read in Turkish many years ago. Going back as far as I can remember, I was aware that I was reading stories from the celebrated Rumi, who lived and died centuries ago in the Seljuk Turks’ capital of Konya in the heart of Anatolia. Yet, I had no idea then that I was in touch with “world literature.”

I never thought that I was not reading the Mathnawi stories in their original language; instead, I read them in an abridged version in modern Turkish-a book that greatly broadened my perception of the world. I do not think that any of my peers had the language skills to read the original Persian, or even Ottoman Turkish, versions of the Mathnawi. Indeed, many of the world’s literary masterpieces are not read or offered in their original language, and except for a small subset of world literature, most works are unknown outside of their culture. Moreover, when they are translated and read beyond the author’s environment, they require so much local knowledge to be understood that they lose their flavor.

However, Rumi is one of the rare literary figures whose works have circulated beyond their culture of origin, either in translation or in their original language. Now, there are a substantial number of his works that are available in many languages. The Tughra Books has recently published Tales from Rumi, a selection of Rumi’s stories from the Mathnawi, which have been adapted for young readers. This collection of accessible and abridged tales makes the Mathnawi available in an attractive 130-page hardcover book in the English language. The range of stories is admirably broad; each tale in this collection-from “The Rabbit and the Lion” to “The Teacher’s Fear”-has a fascinating, action-packed plot and ends with a moral that reinforces the message. It is most likely that readers will come away with a burning desire to read more of Rumi. Its intended audience includes readers interested in exciting tales and in world literature, especially younger readers, who wish to eliminate barriers and to broaden their perspectives.

Recently, there has been a growing global perspective and the increased awareness of the need to expose children and teenagers to world literature and to broaden their understanding of the larger world. In this age of globalization, while acknowledging the cultural perspectives of Rumi’s stories, young readers will become better aware of the commonalities that exist across the boundaries of various cultures. The stories in Tales from Rumi are selected from among numerous stories in the Mathnawi, adapted and edited by Professor Ali Fuat Bilkan, and translated into English by Jeanette Squires Okur. The stories will provide an enjoyable avenue to this great work of world literature and will offer a truly global perspective for this age group as well.

I would like to especially point out the potential benefits of incorporating this world classic into a secondary education curriculum. Other than recommending it for a list of suggested reading at secondary education institutions, I think that this collection of selected and abridged translations of stories from Rumi’s world classic could also be successfully used in school character education programs, which focus on personal, social, and global dimensions. The classroom study of Tales from Rumi-in an explanatory manner, respectful of cultural and linguistic diversity-will offer teenage students excellent opportunities to discover similarities in values across geography, culture, and time. Rumi’s tales have a variety of vivid human or animal characters portrayed with all the character, wit, and failings of humans. The spectacular and amusing illustrations and snapshots throughout the book are also moving and meditative-bringing the tales to life.

Native and nonnative English readers can understand the virtues and vices of characters in the tales and draw important lessons by making use of their reasoning skills and their appreciation of the book’s enlightening and comprehensible morals. Indeed, there is always more to be found in all the tales when they are read and reread, told and retold, visited and revisited, and mediated upon. In this manner, the tales’ messages may reveal themselves variously at different stages of human development. The tales could provide younger readers with the key to a better understanding of the elements of a good character and provide them with an understanding of the universal traits of respect, modesty, generosity, and the need to learn from mistakes-wisdom that have been revered by the generations of the past and acknowledged by those in the present.

Tales from Rumi is surely a marvelous introduction to one of the best books of the world literature for the youth audience, readers who do not wish to be myopic but want to see more of the world and cross borders they have not yet crossed.

Huseyin Bingul is a staff editor of The Fountain.

According to the Qur’an, every nation in the world receives at least one prophet who speaks to it in its own language. However, one nation, the Children of Israel, has received a great many prophets. The Qur’an does not explicitly tell us why so many prophets arose among the Children of Israel, but a careful reading of the Qur’an reveals an answer. This was what I learned from a profound and enlightening essay by Irfan Ahmad Khan in a book entitled Jewish-Muslim Encounters edited by Charles Selengut (Paragon House 2001). The book is a collection of eleven papers given at a conference in Cordoba, Spain, sponsored by the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace.

Almost all prophets, according to Khan, are like Hud who was sent to the people of Ad or Salih who was sent to the people of Thamud to warn them of their impending destruction due to their corrupt and immoral ways and to call them to repentance. However, the prophets of the Children of Israel are different. First, Abraham is the only prophet we know of whose two sons, Isma’il (Ishmael) and Ishaq (Isaac), are also prophets. Indeed, Abraham’s grandson Ya’qub (Jacob) and great grandson Yusuf (Joseph) are also prophets. Thus, starting with Abraham, God established a family dynasty of prophets. With Joseph and his brothers (the tribes) the extended family became the twelve tribes of Israel, or as they are usually called the Children of Israel/Ya’qub. The Children of Israel were blessed with many prophets inviting them to stay firm in their faith to God; this is expressed in various places in the Qur’an: “When death approached Ya’qub, he said to his sons, ‘Who will (you) worship after I am gone?’ They answered, ‘We will worship your God, the God of our forefathers, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, the One God. Unto Him we will surrender ourselves.’” (2:132)

Second, when Musa (Moses) is sent by God he comes not primarily to warn or rebuke the Children of Israel (his own people) but he is sent “to Pharaoh” ( 20:24, 51:38, 73:15 and 79:17), “to Pharaoh and his chiefs” (7:103, 10:75, 11:97, 23:46, and 43:46), “to Pharaoh and his people” (27:12). Musa is sent to Pharaoh to warn him of the destruction that will fall on Egypt if the Pharaoh does not stop setting himself up as a God and does not let the Children of Israel go free. Musa comes to rebuke Pharaoh and to rescue the Children of Israel. Only when the nation is free from Egyptian bondage do they receive the Torah from God, by the hand of Moses without any mediation of an angel.1 This very enlightening essay by Irfan Ahmad Khan stimulated me as a Reform Rabbi to realize that, as opposed to the accusations of some who blame the Qur’an for being antagonistic toward Jews, there are many narrations in the Qur’an, which present events from Jewish history as archetypal events for all humanity to draw lessons from. Perhaps the fact that the spiritual history of the Children of Israel was so well known is a simple explanation of this. As a Rabbi I believe that the many prophets God sends to the Children of Israel is a sign of the ongoing covenant between God and the Children of Israel.2 The Qur’an narrates Prophet Musa speaking to his people as follows: “O my people! Remember God’s favor upon you, for He appointed among you Prophets, and appointed (among you) rulers, and He granted to you favors such as He had not granted to anyone else in the worlds” (Maidah 5:20).

The principle that God can make a covenant with a whole people, and not just with those who are faithful believers, also helps me understand a powerful verse where the Qur’an narrates that at Sinai, before God gives the Torah to the Children of Israel, He makes a covenant with them. God raises the mountain above the whole people saying, “Hold firmly to what We have given you (the Torah) and remember what is in it” (2:63). The whole nation’s fate stands under the shadow of Mount Sinai, and this explains the miracle of all Israel agreeing to the covenant. This may be the reason why Musa is the only prophet whose book comes not from an angel but directly from God. Individuals who hear a prophet may choose to believe or disbelieve, but in this case God Almighty makes “an offer that you cannot refuse,” so, as far as Judaism is concerned, everyone of the Children of Israel has to struggle for all generations to come with living up to the covenant they chose to enter into. This concept, of a chosen (by being pressed into choosing) people, can lead-and among many ultra orthodox Jews has led-to exaggerated and self-righteous feelings of pride. Thus, when the Qur’an (A’raf 7:171) mentions another time the same event, when the Mount was moved above the Children of Israel, this verse is followed by a reminder in 7:172 that the “children of Adam” were all made bear witness against their own souls: “‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said ‘Yes, we do bear witness.’” God Almighty made a covenant with all individuals “lest [they] should say on the Day of Resurrection, ‘We were indeed unaware of this.’” This reminder by the Qur’an that no religious community should be self-righteous is similar to that of prophet Amos who tells the Children of Israel, “’Are you not like the Children of Ethiopia to me, O Children of Israel?’ says God. ‘Did I not redeem Israel from Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?’” (Amos 9:7).

Thus, although the covenant was made with the whole community of Israel, this community like all other nations, also had people among them whose hearts are like rocks that spring forth streams, while others only yield water when split, and others sink for fear of God (2:74). It is this last segment of the Children of Israel that Prophet Muhammad refers to when he rebukes the Children of Israel. The Qur’an correctly understood does not attack all of Israel. Every community, including the Muslim umma, contains groups of faithful believers and a party who disbelieve. This has always been true and sadly will remain true until the end of time when Judgment Day will occur.

There are ten other papers in this book which will be informative and enlightening to most people; one of them is a stimulating comparison of the similarities and differences between Sufism and Kabbalah mysticism. I recommend the volume to both Jews and Muslims who would like to get an insight into a neighbor’s religion as well as a new insight into one’s own religion.

Allen S. Maller is the former Rabbi of Temple Akiba in Culver City, California. He has authored several books and is currently the editor of a series of prayer books for the Jewish High Holy Days.

Notes

1. See A’raf 7:143–145 for information on God’s speaking to Prophet Moses and the Tablets being entrusted to him.

2. Editor’s note: With all respect to the author’s religious tradition claiming an “ongoing covenant” between God and the Children of Israel, which he further expounds on in the paragraph that follows in his interpretation of the Qur’anic verse 2:63 extending the said covenant to cover all generations of the Children of Israel, Muslim interpreters have commented on this verse and 2:64 arguing that favors mentioned in these verses were related to a certain period when the Divine trust-the representation and promotion of God’s eternal religion-rested on the shoulders of the Children of Israel. Muslim commentators point out that the Children of Israel had great power as a leading nation of human civilization even before Prophet Moses, especially in Egypt during and after the time of Prophet Joseph.

The author describes Ibn al-Haytham’s life in chronological order, with the last chapter concentrating on the occurrences after his death and how his contributions were inherited by especially Western scientists. He starts the book by describing the environment in and around Basra, a city in the south of what is now Iraq, where Ibn al-Haytham was born in 965 AD. After narrating the story of the spread of Islam in the region, the author indicates that the Muslims showed great interest in the knowledge of their subjects:

“The thirst for knowledge was partly from the religious philosophy of Islam. The Qur’an says: ‘Those who remember Allah [God]…reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth.’ Prophet Muhammad says: ‘Seeking knowledge is a duty upon every Muslim.’”

The first chapter “Boyhood in Basra” continues with Muslims’ interest in the writings of ancient Greeks, especially Caliph al-Ma’mun and his founding of Bait-ul-Hikmat, or the “House of Wisdom,” a center dedicated to the study and translation of books. The author notes the fact that Muslims did not merely collect and translate the works of other cultures, but absorbed the material and added to it, making it their own. He adds, “This was true not only in literature, but also in science and mathematics. Muslim advances in these areas changed the course of human history.” The mathematical breakthrough of the invention of the number zero by al-Khwarizmi and Abu Kamil’s contributions to advanced algebra are mentioned.

The first chapter ends with a description of the education system in the 10th century Middle East. Many books, translations and original works, found their place in libraries, sometimes attached to mosques. Ibn al-Haytham’s early education took place at the mosque of Basra. The tradition was that every teacher would take up a position by a pillar while the students sat on the floor in a semicircle around him. Munazarah, or debates, were required of every student, where students were posed controversial and difficult questions. The winner was determined according to the thoroughness of the student’s answer and soundness of his logic. Some teachers required students to produce copies of the books, as books were difficult to reproduce. While in the mosques religion, literature, grammar, and rhetoric were taught, the sciences were taught generally in the private homes of amateur scholars. Ibn al-Haytham first studied theology, Qur’an, Hadith (a collection of Prophet Muhammad’s sayings), and law.

The author quotes Ibn al-Haytham explaining why he was inspired to study philosophy and science: “I decided to discover what it is that brings us closer to God, what pleases Him most, and what makes us submissive to His ineluctable Will.” Steffens describes Sunnah and Shi’ite theologies, as the disagreements between Muslim sects troubled young Ibn al-Haytham. He realized that if one belief was true, then a conflicting belief could not be true. False beliefs were dangerous, he reasoned, as they obscured the truth and led believers away from God. After studying various belief systems in depth, he concluded that, in his words, “whatever differences exist between them are based not on the basic tenets of faith or the Ultimate Reality but on sociological content.” In his autobiography Ibn Haytham later wrote, “I studied in considerable detail the beliefs of various sects, thoughts, and theological systems, but I failed to gain anything which could point the way to Reality.” When Ibn al-Haytham discovered the works of Aristotle, he decided to examine the works of God in the universe, rather than studying the words of men. He not only wrote summaries for Aristotle’s works, but also commentaries. He also studied mathematics by Euclid as well as Ptolemy and Archimedes.

The author quotes from Qaysar that Ibn al-Haytham thought about resigning from the government office he was appointed to because of his love of pure learning. This was almost impossible, however, as resignation would have insulted the person who appointed him. He could not run away as this would bring dishonor to his family. According to Qaysar, Ibn al-Haytham pretended to be insane. The author makes a very detailed analysis of what may have actually happened by examining Ibn al-Haytham’s character and the claim that he misleads government officials by playing insane. The author writes, “This behavior seems incongruous with what is known of Ibn al-Haytham’s character and his commitment to Islam, which condemns lying.” He concludes, “Real or fake, Ibn al-Haytham’s mental breakdown allowed him to escape the drudgery of his government job.”

The book then concentrates on how Ibn-al Haytham traveled to Egypt, where he would make most of his contributions to science and especially optics. His invention of the camera obscura (the pinhole camera), his correct description of vision occurring when light rays enter the eye and stimulate the optic nerve, the fact that light travels in straight rays, and radiates from every point on a luminous object in all directions are all mentioned, along with some errors in his famous book Kitab al-Manazir (The Book of Optics). Most importantly, the author goes into great detail about how Ibn al-Haytham performed his research to arrive at these conclusions. Because Ibn al-Haytham established and used the scientific method as we know it today, it becomes apparent why the author calls him the first scientist. The author includes striking examples with diagrams and pictures demonstrating Ibn al Haytham’s experiments.

In his late life, Ibn al-Haytham supported himself by copying manuscripts, as well as teaching in Cairo. The author reports a story from al-Bayhaqi: “Ibn al-Haytham agreed to tutor a Syrian nobleman, Surkhab, but demanded one hundred dinars a month for payment. The price was high, but Surkhab did not hesitate to pay the fee. For years the Syrian studied with Ibn al-Haytham. At the end of his time, his education complete, Surkhab bid his tutor farewell. Ibn al-Haytham asked the nobleman to wait a moment. ‘You deserve this money all the more,’ Ibn al-Haytham said, returning all 3,600 dinars to Surkhab, ‘since I just wished to test your sincerity and, when I saw that for the sake of learning you cared little for money, I devoted full attention towards your education. Do remember that, in any righteous cause, it is not good to accept a return, a bribe, or a gift.”

In chapter six, the author gives a list of Ibn al-Haytham’s books (about 182 according to Ibn Abi Usaybi’ah), and ends the chapter with a possible journey back to Basra, or a continued stay in Cairo with Ibn al-Haytham’s return to God around 1040 AD. Steffens writes, “He turned towards the Ka’aba, and recited a verse from the Qur’an: ‘Verily my return is to You; I rely upon You and turn unto You.’”

The author ends his book by giving an account of occurrences after Ibn al-Haytham’s death, such as the reason why many works by Ibn Haytham went missing, and how his contributions transferred to Europe. As interest in pure science waned in the Muslim world, the opposite was happening in Europe, the author writes. After giving an account of how Christians in Europe viewed science, he talks about the role of Andalus (current-day Spain) in disseminating knowledge in the Muslim World towards Europe. Also a translator in Toledo translated Ibn al-Haytham’s Kitab al-Manazir, and titled the book De aspectibus, or The Optics. He called the author Alhacen, a Latinized form of al-Hasan. De aspectibus fascinated European scholars. The last chapter recounts how Roger Bacon, a Franciscan monk, wrote Perspectiva, a book on optics based largely on Ibn al-Haytham’s work. One important analysis Steffens makes is very significant:

“Although Roger Bacon acknowledged his debt to Ibn al-Haytham in the field of optics, he did not give the Iraqi scholar credit for having developed the method of inquiry that he strongly advanced. Instead, Bacon praised Peter Peregrinus, a French scholar he met while he was in Paris, as the master of experiments.”

The author explains the reasons behind this by taking a very careful historian’s approach:

“Bacon may have credited Peregrinus over Ibn al-Haytham for pioneering the experimental method because he knew the Frenchman personally and revered his work. Another motive may have been the fact that both Bacon and Peregrinus were devout Christians at a time when Muslims and Christians were fighting for control of Jerusalem and the areas around it in a series of wars known as Crusades. Bacon was a member of the clergy and Peregrinus even fought in one of the Crusades himself. Because of these ongoing conflicts, Bacon may have felt that attaching a Muslim scholar’s name to the scientific method may have slowed down its acceptance among the Christians.”

The book also includes many colorful illustrations from the pages of history relevant to understanding Ibn al-Haytham’s life and his contributions to science. The timeline at the end is very informative. Finally, it has sources, a bibliography, and web pages, which direct the interested reader to further information. I congratulate Bradley Steffens for his beautiful work about Ibn al-Haytham and his advancement of experimental science. I end with the last quotation of the book from Ibn al-Haytham which acts as a general guide for all serious scientists: “The seeker after truth is not one who studies the writings of the ancients and, following his natural disposition, puts his trust in them, but rather the one who suspects his faith in them and questions what he gathers from them, the one who submits to argument and demonstration, and not the sayings of a human being whose nature is fraught with all kinds of imperfection and deficiency. Thus the job of the man who investigates the writings of scientist, if learning the truth is his goal, is to make himself an enemy of all that he reads, and applying his mind to the core and margins of its content, attack it from every side. He should also suspect himself as he performs his critical examination of it, so that he may avoid falling into either prejudice or leniency.”

For the care of baby Zero, the numbers decided to take turns. Each number would hold the baby beside it. As the days passed, the numbers realized a puzzling fact. Those numbers who gave care in the right manner saw a never-seen abundance at home; everything would increase tenfold. The numbers who passed their turns superficially did not see any difference in their living. Was it a sign from God that the numbers could not grasp?

Days passed, and the numbers were expecting to see some developments in the newborn. It was supposed to make facial expressions, start uttering some meaningful sounds, make purposeful movements with its arms, and so on. But zero did not exhibit any of the expected qualities. The numbers thought, “Maybe it’s a late-developer.” But soon they understood that this number was disabled in many respects. It would not give any known response to any of the stimuli. It would not make a difference when used in summation or subtraction games. In the multiplication game, it would give a deep silence as the result, no matter how big a number it played with. And in the division game, no matter what number divided Zero, the result would be a hopeless reluctance to change. The numbers could not reconcile in their minds the miraculous abundance upon the proper care for Zero with its extraordinary disability. What was the deal with this baby?

Years flew by like a stream, and Zero entered adolescence. Now its body was not only growing very fast but was also assuming a more rounded shape, leaving its primitive seed-like dot form. With the rebellious instincts of adolescence, Zero discovered its ability to roll, instead of the step-by-step walk of the others. And soon it discovered that it was able to move much faster than the others by rolling. This unexpected burst of motor skills from Zero made the numbers very happy. They did not have to put burden themselves anymore to move Zero. Once a totally disabled baby, Zero was now the new roller in the numbers kingdom that even the wealthiest numbers could not catch up with.

The downside of this was that Zero was not able to stop. It had to hit another number for that, just like in the multiplication game. Maybe part of the wisdom of the apparent disability of Zero at the beginning of its life was that it needed to gain wisdom to control its super ability to move. However, especially within the first months of the discovery of its new skill, Zero just rolled, rolled and rolled. Even some accidents did not scare Zero from its attempts to roll farther and faster. After all, it had a proper justification for it, considering its long years of immobility.

As Zero grew even more, and as the numbers watched it closely, they realized it had another interesting feature. It possessed an enthralling beauty due to its perfect symmetry. How was it possible that such unparalleled elegance emerged in a number that was initially thought to be disabled? The numbers decided to consult the Savant One. One was the oldest among the numbers, was held noble among all others, and knew history very well. As knowledgeable and noble as it was, One was humble as well, as it would bend its torso to talk with children, instead of distinguishing itself among everybody by raising its head straight up.

Savant One said, “I have been looking at the ancient books about the signs of this number. As told, it was born disabled, and it was raised by its relatives; it then surpassed everyone else by its speed of motion and its perfect rotational symmetry. More than that, as Zero grows, it is assuming the shape that we observe in all heavenly objects. This young member of our community has more to teach us. We need to wait and see.”

After the numbers had left the house of One, Prime Minister Two could not hold back its words and raised its voice: “Could it be that the old guy is mixing things up due to its age? I mean, how do we know that the things written in those books are authentic? Zero is not totally different from us; it is just another number, anyway. Why are we bothering ourselves with something that no one has seen before? Are we going to leave the greatest numbers for the sake of this fledgling egg?” And then, Two burst into laughter. Some of the numbers joined it in laughing, and some others said, “We’ll see!”

As the years passed, Zero started questioning its existence, and contemplating its character as a number. It had heard the words of both the Savant One and the Prime Minister Two, but it could not come to an exact conclusion about itself. Maybe Two was right. Even if the ancient books did actually talk about someone, who said that it was Zero that was expected, anyway? So, with this mindset, Zero preferred a midway between that of Savant One and that of Prime Minister Two.

As Zero was leaving adolescence, something started bothering Zero from inside again. It was as if somebody were periodically disturbing its comfortable life by triggering emotions that were not satisfied with the daily stuff that Zero did. So, Zero started reflecting again. This time, it considered the things it had experienced so far in its unusual life story: its initial disability in life and the consequent burst of motor skill, its initial negligible size and the unparalleled beauty it exhibited as it grew, the words of the Savant One and those of Prime Minister Two, and so on.

It was one of those times that Zero felt a sudden shiver with the coolness of an inspiration that penetrated its whole body. Zero felt that its life was full of opposites, so that, by pondering over the respective non-existence and existence of its qualities, it might understand infinity. These thoughts motivated Zero to investigate infinity by talking to other numbers.

The answer that best resonated with what Zero felt was from Savant One: “I have not seen infinity, but I do know that I was the first one to exist among numbers. I feel that I could not have come to be out of nothing. And seeing all these numbers that came after me, I better understand that what made me is infinity. And, oh my little one, if you ask what one step before me was, the ancient books say that it is you who is going to reveal that.” And the answer that Zero did not like much was from the Prime Minister Two: “There is no such thing as infinity. No matter how great a number you imagine, by adding one, you can always obtain a greater number.

And, this is all there is about it; there is no one who has actually seen infinity, anyway; it is no more than a figment of our imagination.”

When alone, Zero thought, “I can understand Two because when it came to the world, it saw One already there; so, Two cannot comprehend coming to existence without an ancestor. But what I feel inside is more like what One tells me. One can realize the existence of something that triggered its existence because when it came to the world, there was none other than One.” After a silence, Zero mumbled, “If I exist, then you exist. But where are you? If only I could see you…”

Life had been very turbulent for Zero. First, disabilities that burdened it, then a sudden explosion of skills and emotions, then the painful questioning it went through without satisfactory answers, and finally a conclusion that brought peace along with a wish for homecoming. Soon after, not being able to stand the harshness of such turbulence, Zero fell sick. It started losing weight to the point that it almost returned to its initial state at birth. With this final sickness at such a young age, Zero had had enough of it here. Although everybody was sad about what was going on, at the same time they thought that the best thing for this unique number was to die.

And Zero died. They buried it under the quotient line. Roses grew on its grave, as beautiful as Zero, as noble as One. Thus commemorated was the phrase “one over zero,” in order to refer to this beauty. It was then that the numbers understood what Zero felt inside. And the numbers visited Zero from time to time, whenever they needed a glimpse of beauty stretching from infinity. As powerless as it was, Zero helped others understand infinity not by its existence among them, but by lying below them.