Welcome to Islam, - A Jewish American Embraces Islam

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I saw her radiant face in a mosque that is located on a hill in a small American state, reciting a translation of the Noble Quran. I greeted her and she returned the greeting warmly and cheerfully; we got talking and became good friends in no time. One night, we were on the shore of a beautiful lake, where she related to me the story of her conversion to Islam. I want to share her experience with you, dear readers, so we can deduce some wisdom from it.
The sister, who was a new Muslim, related,
"I grew up in the Jewish American home of a dysfunctional and broken family; after my parents' divorce, my father married another woman. My stepmother tortured and mistreated me a lot; this drove me to run away from home when I was seventeen. I moved to another state where I met some young Arab men who were, as my homeless friends told me, 'generous'. All a girl needed to do was to give one of them a smile and she would find someone to buy her dinner and offer her a cozy place and a comfortable bed to spend the night.
“I followed in the footsteps of my homeless girlfriends, but at the end of each night I would run away; for I did not like such illicit relationships and I hated Arabs. Nonetheless, I was not happy with my life at all and I never felt safe or secure; I was haunted all the time by distress and a sense of loss.
“At this stage of my life I resorted to religion, to relish the sweetness and warmth of spirituality, hoping to find in it the motivation to keep me going in my harsh life; however, I found my religion, Judaism, unconvincing. I found it a religion that does not respect women or humanity. I realized that Judaism is a selfish religion that fosters backwardness; I did not find in it my objective, for I do not believe in superstition or myths, so I embraced Christianity.
"However, in Christianity I found even more contradictions and unbelievable things which Christians were expected to believe in without questioning. I frequently asked questions such as: how could the Lord kill His son? How could the Lord have a son in the first place? How can one believe in three gods and not even be able to see any of them?I was bewildered and perplexed at all these unanswerable questions, so I gave up Christianity, yet I always believed that this universe, definitely, has a Creator. I used to spend my nights thinking and pondering on this thought until morning.
"Onebleak and gloomy night when it was almost dawn, I was about to commit suicide due to my state of depression. I hit rock bottom and nothing in the world made sense to me anymore. It was raining heavily that night and thick clouds had gathered, enveloping my universe as if they were imprisoning me. Watching the trees around me, I felt as if the crowding trees were looking at me furiously and the drops on rain were playing a hideous and dull melody, as I peered out of the window of an abandoned house.
"For some reason I found myself praying to God, saying: ‘O my Lord, I know that You are out there… I know that You love me… I am a prisoner… I am one of your weak creatures; guide me to the right path. O my Lord, either guide me or let me die.’ I kept praying and crying bitterly that night until I fell asleep and in the morning, I woke up with a cheerful heart, but I did not know the reason behind this unfamiliar feeling. I went out on my daily pursuit of livelihood. Perhaps I would find a young man to pay for my breakfast, or wash his dishes and earn some money.
"Then, I met a young Arab man and we talked and talked for a very long time. After breakfast, he asked me to go with him to his home and live with him. I accepted his offer and went with him.
“While we were having lunch, drinking and laughing, a bearded young man named Sa’d – as I came to know later when my Arab friend called out his name in surprise – visited us. This bearded young man took my friend by the hand and drove him away. I stayed there shaking; there I was, face to face with a terrorist! However, he did not do anything scary but politely asked me to go home. I told him that I had no home; he looked at me sadly and I saw on his face how he pitied me, and said, ‘Alright, you can stay here for tonight’ – since it was bitterly cold outside – ‘but you should leave tomorrow. Take this money to live on until you find a job.’
"He headed towards the door, so I asked him to stop and said, ‘Thank you! Please stay; I will leave, but I want to ask you a favor: could you tell me why you did what you did with me and your friend?" He lowered his gaze while he spoke to me, saying, ‘It is Islam; it forbids what is unlawful and makes permissible what is lawful. It also forbids sitting in seclusion with a non-Mahram )marriageable( woman and drinking alcohol, and Muslims are enjoined to treat people kindly and adopt high morals.’
“I was perplexed and surprised at his answer; were these the Muslims who were being called terrorists? I thought they carried guns and killed everybody they met; for this was the image drawn by the American media of Muslims. I told him, ‘I would like to know more about Islam, can you tell me?’ He responded, ‘I will take you to a religious Muslim family and I know that they will teach you Islam in the best way.’
“The next dayat ten o'clock, he took me to this Muslim family who welcomed me warmly. I kept asking them about Islam and Dr. Sulaymaan, the head of the family, answered me until I was totally satisfied and convinced with everything he said about Islam. At that moment, I knew that I had found what I was looking for: a clear and straightforward religion that is compatible with common sense and I did not find any difficulty in believing what I heard about it; it was the truth.
“That day, I felt ecstatic and savored a sense of bliss when I announced I had embraced Islam, and wore the Hijaab immediately on the same day!
“Late that evening, Dr. Sulaymaan's wife took me to the best room in the house and told me, ‘This is your room and you are welcome to stay here as long as you wish.’ She saw me looking out of the window, smiling with tears running down my cheeks. She inquired about the reason behind my tears. I said, 'Yesterday, exactly at this time, I was standing next to a window, praying to Allaah The Almighty and imploring Him either to show me the right way or let me die. He guided me to the Right Path and now I am an honorable Muslim woman who knows her Lord, her Creator and knows the path that leads to Him; Islam is the path to Allaah.’ Dr. Sulaymaan's wife burst into tears and hugged me affectionately."

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M

Welcome to Islam, - The facts of life, confirmed by science

Materialist philosophy lies at the basis of the theory of evolution. Materialism rests on the supposition that everything that exists is matter. According to this philosophy, matter has existed since eternity, will continue to exist forever and there is nothing but matter. In order to provide support for their claim, materialists use logic called “reductionism”. This is the idea that things which are not observable, can also be explained by material causes.
To make matters clearer, let us take the example of the human mind. It is evident that the mind cannot be touched or seen. Moreover, it has no center in the human brain. This situation unavoidably leads us to the conclusion that the mind is a concept beyond matter. Therefore, the being which we refer to as “I,” who thinks, loves, gets nervous, worries, feels pleasure or pain, is not a material being in the same way as a sofa, a table or a stone.
Materialists, however, claim that mind is “reducible to matter.” According to the materialist claim, thinking, loving, worrying and all our mental activities are nothing but chemical reactions taking place between the atoms in the brain. Feelings of love and fear are merely chemical reactions in some cells in our brain. The famous materialist philosopher Karl Vogt stressed this logic with his famous words: “Just as the liver secretes gall, so do our brains, secrete thought.” )Encyclopedia Britannica(. However, gall is matter, whereas there is no evidence that thought is the same.
One of the most prominent features of this picture is “information” which is present in nature and can never be reduced to matter.
Matter cannot produce information
There is incredibly comprehensive information contained in the DNA of living things. Something as small as a hundred thousandth of a millimeter contains a sort of “data bank” that specifies all the physical details of the body of a living thing. Moreover, the body also contains a system that reads this information, interprets it and carries out “production” in line with it. In all living cells, the information in the DNA is “read” by various enzymes and proteins are produced according to this information. This system makes the production of millions of proteins possible every second, with the required type of protein for specific places needed in our bodies. In this way, dead eye cells are replaced by living ones and old blood cells by new ones.
At this point, let us consider the claim of Materialism: Is it possible that the information in DNA could be reduced to matter, as materialists suggest? Or, in other words, can it be accepted that DNA is merely a collection of matter, and the information it contains came about as a result of the random interactions of such pieces of matter?
All the scientific research, experiments and observations carried out in the 20thcentury CE show that the answer to this question is a definite “No.” The director of the German Federal Physics and Technology Institute, Professor Dr. Werner Gitt has this to say on the issue: “A coding system always entails a nonmaterial intellectual process. A physical matter cannot produce an information code. All experiences show that every piece of creative information represents some mental idea-giver who exercised his own free will, and who is endowed with an intelligent mind. There is no known law of nature, no known process and no known sequence of events which can cause information to originate by itself in matter.” )Werner Gitt. In the Beginning Was Information(.
Werner Gitt’s words summarize the conclusions of the “information theory” which has been developed in the last 50 years and is accepted as a part of thermodynamics. Information theory investigates the origin and nature of the information in the universe. The conclusion reached by information theoreticians as a result of long studies is that “Information is something different from matter. It can never be reduced to matter. The origin of information and physical matter must be investigated separately.”
For instance, let us think of the source of a book. A book consists of paper, ink and the information it contains. Paper and ink are material elements. Their source is matter: Paper is made of cellulose and ink of certain chemicals. However, the information in the book is non-material and cannot have a material source. The source of the information in each book is the mind of the person who wrote it.
Moreover, this mind determines how paper and ink will be used. A book initially forms in the mind of the writer. The writer builds a chain of logic in his mind and orders his sentences. As a second step, he puts them into a material form, which is to say that he translates the information in his mind into letters, using a pen, a typewriter or a computer. Later, these letters are printed in a publishing house and take the shape of a book made up of papers and ink.
We can therefore state this general conclusion: “If physical matter contains information, then that matter must have been designed by a mind that possessed the information in question. First, there is the mind. That mind translates the information it possesses into matter, which constitutes the act of design.”
The origin of information in Nature
When we apply this scientific definition of information to Nature, a very important result ensues. This is because Nature overflows with an immense body of information )for example in the case of DNA, and since this information cannot be reduced to matter, it therefore comes from a source beyond matter.( This fact is revealed as in the following verse in the Quran )which means(:“They said: ‘Exalted are You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise.’”]Quran 2: 32[
One of the foremost advocates of the theory of evolution, George C. Williams, admits this reality, which most materialists and evolutionists are reluctant to see. Williams has strongly defended Materialism for years, but in an article he wrote in 1995, he states the incorrectness of the materialist )reductionist( approach which holds everything is matter: “Evolutionary biologists have failed to realize that they work with two more or less incommensurable domains: that of information and that of matter. These two domains will never be brought together in any kind of the sense usually implied by the term “reductionism.” The gene is a package of information, not an object. In biology, when you are talking about things like genes and genotypes and gene pools, you are talking about information, not physical objective reality. This dearth of shared descriptors makes matter and information two separate domains of existence, which have to be discussed separately, in their own terms.” )George C. Williams. The Third Culture: Beyond the Scientific Revolution(.
Therefore, contrary to the supposition of materialists, the source of the information in nature cannot be matter itself. The source of information is not matter, but a superior Wisdom beyond matter. This Wisdom existed prior to matter. Matter was brought into existence, given form and organized by the Creator of the Heavens, the Earth and all that exists.

Welcome to Islam, - Oxidation in the blood

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Allaah Almighty Says )what means(:“No! Rather, what they have earned has rusted up their hearts."]Quran 83:14[
The term ‘rusted’ used to describe hearts in verse of the chapter Al-Mutaffifeen may be a reference to biochemical reaction that takes place in the heart—Allaah knows the truth. Rust is the result of iron reacting with oxygen – oxidation.
The oxygen we absorb from the air is carried through the body thanks to the iron in the hemoglobin in the blood. During this process, the oxygen reacts with the iron in the blood. This means there is a constant process resembling rusting in the blood in the human body, and therefore in the heart, the center of the circulation system.
An excess of iron in the blood can even lead to premature aging in all the body's cells by causing rust-like oxidation. In the disease known as `hemochromatosis,' caused by excess iron accumulating in the body, iron produces toxic effects and causes organs such as the liver to collapse. Since this is the result of iron oxidation, this phenomenon is often described as organs `rusting' or `rust accumulation' in organs. In the journal Science News, Dr. Sharon McDonnell describes the iron oxidation in cells making up organs as `rusting'.
Another reference says this about the disease: "...those with hemochromatosis absorb iron, storing it in their organs. Over time, it accumulates in toxic amounts, causing organs to fail because they literally rust."
It is only possible to identify the reaction of iron with oxygen in the body—oxidation in the blood—in laboratories with highly advanced equipment. The fact that such a comparison, so compatible with the scientific data, appears in the Quran is an evident miracle, given the time when the Quran was revealed. The fact that the Quran also contains countless other pieces of information all in agreement with modern science is another sign that it is the revelation of Omniscient Allaah, our Lord and the Creator of all things.
The mother’s womb with its secure protection
Allaah Almighty Says )what means(:"Did We not create you from a liquid disdained? And We placed it in a firm lodging for a known extent. And We determined ]it[, and excellent ]are We[ to determine.”]Quran 77: 20-23[
And,"And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay. Then We placed him as a sperm-drop in a firm lodging. Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump ]of flesh[, and We made ]from[ the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allaah, the best of creators.”]Quran 23: 12-14[
The above verses about the creation of human beings contain fundamental information from the field of embryology. The description of the womb as a "secure receptacle" indicates an important feature that has been better understood through modern science—Allaah knows the truth. The process that begins with the zygote, produced by the sperm and egg cells coming together and continues until the emergence of a complete human being, made up of trillions of cells all working in harmony, takes. The word "makeen," translated as `secure' above, also suggests such meanings as `unshakeable, sound, resolute, powerful, fixed and safely put in place.' The word "karaar" also means `location, stability, permanence and place of settlement: These words very wisely describe the womb as a sound and safe location. The mother's womb provides insulation against external agents, light and sound, and particularly protects the baby against shock and pressure.
Located in the pelvic cavity, the womb is well protected by the thick and strong bones that surround' endometrium’ on the inside, helping bear the weight of the embryo until the end of pregnancy. This structure made up of powerful muscles is ideally constructed for the baby's growth and development. During pregnancy, the ligaments attaching the bones in the region together become thicker and longer. These ligaments that attach the top of the womb to the strong pelvic bones make the womb strong and stable.
The embryo also has a source of the heat, water, oxygen and nutrients it needs during the course of its development. The mother's womb undergoes many changes that enhance its strength during pregnancy. Together with the muscles, ligaments and elastic tissues it contains, there is also an increase in the number of blood vessels and nerves. The womb is thus able to increase 20 times in more elasticity. The constant changes in the womb continue even after the embryo has grown into a healthy baby many hundreds of times larger than its initial state. The womb now changes in such a way as to permit the baby to exit in a healthy manner.
During pregnancy, another most miraculous state of affairs regarding the protection of the baby comes about. The baby is also protected against internal threats. When a foreign body enters the body, such as during an organ or bone—arrow transplant, the host's defense system begins reacting, and this can sometimes lead to fatal consequences. But that never happens to the fetus, and the mother's immune system does not regard it as a foreign body. It is extraordinary how the mother's immune system tolerates foreign genes from the father; because the baby is 50 percent foreign body. Marianne van den Heuvel, a scientist from Guelph University, describes this as `fascinating' and continues: `That was always a puzzle from an immunology standpoint because the fetus is actually foreign. It's part of the mother and "It's part of the mother and also part of the father. It should be rejected by the body...,” but, by the will of Allaah, no such thing happens, and the womb remains a very safe and secure place.
All the information about embryology provided in the Quran is in full agreement with modern medicine. This information, which has emerged through advanced technology, is one of the clearest proofs that the Quran is the revelation of our Lord, the Creator of all. It is also revealed in the Quran, which is full of information from hundreds of years ago that sheds light on the scientific world of today, that: Allaah Almighty Says what means:"And in the creation of yourselves and what He disperses of moving creatures are signs for people who are certain ]in faith[."]Quran 45:04[

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M

Fathwa, - Impotence and its implications for a marriage

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Question
What is the ruling on a person who is under an impotence spell and is unable to have intercourse with his wife? Is she entitled to ask for divorce?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammadis His slave and Messenger.
An impotence curse is a form of magic that is worked on a husband to prevent him from having sexual intercourse with his wife.
If a person finds himself afflicted with this curse then he should seek treatment, because there is a cure for every disease, regardless of who realizes this cure and who does not.
We would also like to advise the husband in question to give divorce long and thorough consideration and we advise his wife to be patient with him, for Allaah The Almighty might cure him and relieve them from their distress.
As for the Sharee‘ah )Islamic law( ruling concerning the issue of divorce, there are two possibilities with regard to the husband: The first case is that the husband is obliged to divorce his wife because she is harmed by his impotence, which is most probably the case, unless she accepts it. Sexual intercourse is one of a wife’s rights, however she may choose to give it up.
The second case is if the wife is not harmed by her husband’s impotence. In that case he is not obliged to divorce her. In fact, it is even more unfavorable for him to do so, because there is no need for it.
As for the wife she has two options: either to continue with the marriage or to ask for divorce after the husband has been given a one year respite to seek treatment. An-Nafraawi the Maaliki scholarstated that a husband should be given a one-year respite if his wife finds him unable to have intercourse with her, whether because of magic or disease. This would also apply to the case where the wife did not know about her husband’s impotence at the time of their marriage. However, if she knew this at the time of the marriage, then she has no option here for divorce because she accepted it from the beginning.
Allaah Knows best.

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M