The way to escape selfishness and egotism is through the moral values of Islam

· What damage does selfishness and egotism do to society?
· How can selfish and egotistical societies escape this spiritual sickness?
Omniscient Allah has created the human soul with a predisposition to
selfishness as a test. Unless he lives by the moral values of the
Qur'an and tames his earthly desires, this feeling will come to
dominate his whole moral framework. Such a person generally thinks of
himself alone, rather than everyone else. He always wants the best,
finest and most perfect of everything for himself. He wants to have
possessions and children and for his own family merely to be
comfortable. Whenever he encounters any difficulties he will expect
the people around him to undergo all kinds of risks and troubles
forhim and to support him, evenat the cost of their own interests. He
seeks to protect his own whims and interests and to ensure his own
ease and comfort. When the situation is different he can forgo many
things he values, for the sake of protecting his own interests and
preventing any harm coming to him. Allah has revealed this passionate
selfish feeling in human earthly desires as follows in the Qur'an:
" Truly man was created headstrong –
desperate when bad things happen,
begrudging when good things come –." (Surat al-Ma'arij, 19–21)
Selfishness and Egotism Are a Major Threat to Modern Societies
The materialist, Darwinist thinking that is widespread in modern
societies that do not live by religious moral values reinforces the
selfish and egotistical spirit in human nature and disseminates a
"me-first" philosophy. Indeed, the idea of " So long as I'm all right,
who cares what happens to anyone else?" or "Looking out for number
one" generally dominates such societies. But selfishness and egotism
are a major threat to society because ideas like truth, justice and
law vanish in such a society .Feelings such as beauty, love,affection,
compassion and respect become regarded as unnecessary. Thus, people
who are oppressed and slaughtered, innocent babies, people who lack
the money for proper hospital treatment, or who have to wait for hours
or even days in hospital queues, despite being old or weak, people who
are forced out of their homes or lands because of their faiths and
tiny, defenseless children thrown out onto the streets to survive as
best they can are of no interest to such people.This structure
generally leadsto a troubled and unhappy air in society.
This structure among people and societies who are selfish,loveless,
aggressive, who protect their own interests and violate everyone
else's, who wear a harsh mask and who have no love or fear of Allah,
can only be eliminatedthrough people living by the moral values of the
Qur'an, asIslam and cultivating love of Allah is the only way to
acquire such instances of good conscience as compassion and
helpfulness, features at the root of Qur'anic moral values, and to
escape selfishness and egotism. Our Lord reveals how the Qur'an leads
people from the darkness to the light as follows:
"… A Light has come to you from Allah and a Clear Book.
By it, Allah guides those whofollow what pleases Him to the ways of
Peace. He will bring them from the darkness to the light by His
permission, and guide them to a straight path." (Surat al-Ma'ida,
15-16)
People Can Only Protect and Watch over One Another with Love and Fear of Allah
Fear and love of Allah enables people to submit themselves to Him, to
see the best in everything and to have compassion. In the verses Allah
reveals how the only interest of concern to believers is His approval:
" They fulfill their vows and fear a Day whose evil will spread far and wide.
They give food, despite theirlove for it,to the poor and orphans and captives:
'We feed you only out of desire for the Face of Allah. We do not want
any repayment from you or any thanks.
Truly We fear from our Lord a glowering, calamitous Day.'
So Allah has safeguarded them from the evil of that Day and has made
them meet with radiance and pure joy." (Surat al-Insan, 7-11)
Our Prophet's (saas) words that " He who goes to bed full when his
neighbor is hungry is not one of us" is animportant warning that
believers desire to earn Allah's approval. Therefore, anyone aiming to
earn Allah's approval will not just settle for a solution to his own
problems; he will also assume responsibility for resolving the
problems of others around him in need. This may of course require
people to give up things theylove or to sacrifice their own comfort.
The way that Muslims look to protect and watch over the poor by giving
alms, help people in need by canceling their debts and spend their
possessions on Allah's path, rather than accumulating andhoarding
them, are moral virtues bestowed by the ethical values of the Qur'an.
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ISLAMIC ARTICLE - ~ Plants with interesting qualities

Compared to animals, plantsmay be seen as silent and motionless
beings. However, this silence shouldnot be thought of as a deficiency
of biological functions. Plants are capableof very surprising
behaviors, take special precautions to maintain their lives and have a
variety of methods to continue their lineage by the special abilities
bestowed on them by Allah.
Interesting Plants Created With Special Precautions to Adapt to Their
Environment
The Most Resistant Plant in the World: Welwitschia Mirabilis
This plant that dwells in desert environments in Namibia is created
with qualities very adaptive to conditions of drought. The stem of
this plant, which consists of two leaves, a strong stem and a root,
both gets longer and wider and reaches a height of two meters and a
width of eight meters. This plant, which draws even the slightest
moisture inside it through this stem, can live for five years with no
rain.
A Reviving Plant : Elaginella lepidophylla
The Selaginella lepidophylla also known as "Erica's rose" is also a
desert plant. The interesting thing about this plant is that it can
live with almost no water. This plant completely dries during times of
drought and turns into a ball by tucking in its branches and leaves.
However, when rains begin, it revives again by opening its branches
and leaves and starts all of its vital functions again.
Plant That Looks Like a Baseball: Euphorbia obese
Even though the orb shape ofthis cactus species known as"euphorbia
obese" makes it look like a baseball it is known for having the
least amount of surface area, and it stores the greatest amount of
water. The plant decreaseswater loss to a minimum and adapts to desert
conditions with its thick trunk and orb-like shape. The poisonous
juice of the plant is an effective substance thatprotects it from
other beings.
This plant, which is shaped with a tiny deep greened hunch and
decorated with eight tubes, is green like many other species of
cactus,but it also has a very decorative appearance with its red and
purple sections and the small flowers at the top. This plant is one of
the best examples of Allah's name, Al-Muzayyin (The Adorner).
As with all beings on earth, there is no doubt that Allah isthe One
Who places the necessary information inside the plants discussed here
to adapt to their environments, creates all things and knows about all
sorts of creation. Allah reveals this truth in oneverse:
"Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the sky and then in
the morning the earth is covered in green? Allah is All-Subtle,
All-Aware." (Surat al-Hajj, 63)
Plants That Develop Interesting Methods to Continue Their Lineage
The Biggest Flower of the World: Rafflesia Arnoldii
The flower of this plant, which is created for the climate conditions
of rain forests, has a diameter of 90 centimeters and a weight of
between seven to eleven kilograms. This biggest flower of the world
draws insects to itself with the scent it secretes for the threeto
seven days that it stays alive. This plant, which blossoms only once
in nine months, draws almost every insect to itself, spreads its
pollens and continues its lineage in this way.
A Plant That Smells Like Ammonia: Amorphophallus Titanum
Amorphophallus titanum, which is taller than a man, is named as "titan
arum" (carrion flower). Even thoughthis plant, which has the tallest
flower in the world, appears very elegant, it begins to spread a sharp
smelling ammonia gas (NH3).The last structure of the plantis as
interesting as the smell it spreads. The section, where the pollens
are, is at the bottom of the leafy structure and it cannot be seen
from outside. Therefore, spreading smells is not enough to attract
insects' attention. When pollens are ready to be fertilized, the
flower warms the outer part of the flower with its smell. So the
warming and smell, which takes place only during the morning times and
within a day, is very attractive for insects. Scientists, who try to
find an answer to the question of how this heat and smell appears,
found that as a result of the acceleration in the plant's metabolism,
a special acid came into being. This substance called "glutanamicacid"
is broken down chemically and spreads heat and odors. Thanks to
this, insects come to the flower. However, this is not enough for
insects. Because the pollen dust of amoorphophallus titanium is inside
specialized sacs closedat the bottom, the flower is prepared for this.
Due to its greased outer surface, insects fall into the flower and
cannot climb up from theslippery walls. There is a sweet fluid
produced by the flower's female organs in this section.

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Paradise and hell are in existence now in another dimension in the Sight of Allah

What incorrect ideas dosome people hold about paradise and hell being
experienced in this world?
· Where are Paradise andhell?
· What happens when a person dies?
Allah reveals the existence of angels, satan, Paradise andHell in the
Qur'an. Whether out of ignorance or weakness of faith, some people
misinterpret these facts and the manifest existence of Allah (surely
Allah is beyond that). In these people's superstitious eyes, Paradise
and Hell exist in this world alone. There is even a widespread belief
among such people that everything takes place in thisworld, and that
one can be restored to life in this world, even though this has no
place in the Qur'an. The fact is, however, that our Lord
hasdefinitively pronounced that the life of this world ends once a
person dies and that they will be recreated in the Hereafter. In this
verse Allah refers to that recreation:
" We have created them a (new) creation."(Surat al-Waqi'a, 35)
Allah Has Created Many Dimensions, and the Life of This World Is Only
One of Them
As revealed in the Qur'an in the verse, " All praise belongsto Allah,
the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earth, Lord of all the
worlds " (Surat al-Jathiyah, 36), Allahhas created many worlds in many
different dimensions. The world we are now living in is but one of
these worlds and dimensions. The people living on Earth are in the
third dimension. Angels, spiritual beings and the Prophet Jesus (pbuh)
are in the fourth dimension. But these dimensions are all
interconnected. For that reason, by the will of Allah, angels and the
Prophet Jesus (pbuh) can come down to a lower dimension, in other
words, this world. This may be compared to a person reading a book or
watching television because the paper or television are just like a
lower dimension for a personlooking from the outside. A person looks
at these things from a higher dimension. Angels and other spiritual
entities watch us from a higher dimension. But since all dimensions
are interconnected, angels and spiritual beings can momentarily become
visible by descending from the fourth dimension to a lower one.
Angels come to this world when Allah so wishes to do things that He
wishes, and this shows that it is possible, by our Lord's leave, to
cross from one dimension to another. It is revealed in the Qur'an that
angels come down to Earth, by Allah's leave, to transmit His
revelation to people, to assistand support believers and doother
things of which Allah approves:
" In it the angels and the spirit descend by their Lord's authority
with every ordinance ." (Surat al-Qadr, 4)
The fact that by Allah's leave angels descend to Earth at various
times and return backinto the presence of Allah does not, of course,
mean that they cease to exist according to our conceptions.They merely
cross from one dimension to another, and continue living outside our
understanding. In the same way, when people who die pass beyond our
understanding, or cross to the dimension of the hereafter, in other
words, they also continue their lives either in Paradise or Hell.
Allah Has Also Created Various Dimensions for Human Beings
- Our Dreams: The finest evidence of Allah's creation of various
dimensions for human beings is dreams. When a person goes to sleep he
enters a different dimension and environment. That new environment is
not the world he knows and is familiar with. But it is as real as the
phenomena and objects in the world he inhabits. The fact that this
world is in fact a dream, and that people wake up in the Hereafter, is
revealed in another verse:
" They will say, 'Alas for us! Who has raised us from our
resting-place? This is what the All-Merciful promised us.The
Messengers were tellingthe truth'." (Surah Ya Sin, 52)
As in the verse Allah notes, the passage from this world to the
Hereafter takes place as quickly as that from dreaming to waking, and
people are unaware of that transition.
- Trance states: Waking out of a dream is not the only way that people
change dimensions. One can pass from the third dimension to another
dimension in a state of trance. A trance, bestowedby Allah on rare
occasions on people such as messengers, religious scholars and
guides,resembles neither sleep nor wakefulness. Our Prophet (saas)
spoke to Gabriel (puuh) while in a state of trance. One can meet with
Hazrat Khidhir (pbuh) in that state. A trance is an extraordinary
dimension thatBediüzzaman Said Nursi often entered.
- The Rank of Martyrdom: Another verse indicating the existence of
other states of being outside the one people are familiar with
concerns the ranks and position of martyrs. One such verse reads:
" Do not say that those who are killed in the Way of Allahare dead. On
the contrary, they are alive but you are not aware of it." (Surat
al-Baqara 154]
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Mayan people believe that the year 2012 is the beginning of a new age when some blessed people will appear:

Mayan people belive that thedate December 21st, 2012, which is the end
of the Mayan calendar system madeup of periods of thousands ofyears,
refers to the end of a long age.
According to the Mayan calendar the world enters a new age every 1
million 872 thousand days. The history ofthe world consists of periods
of nearly 5125 years and the end of each one of these periods mark
radical changesand great renovations.
According to the Mayan people, the period in which we live is the
fifth and the last period and it will come to an end on the date
13.0.0.0.0. According to the Gregorian calendar, this date is 21
December 2012.
According to the Calendar of the Maya, the date of December 22nd 2012
would be represented by what are named: 13 Baktun, 0 Katun, 0Tun, 0
Uinal, and 0 Kin. On their calendar a total of 1,872,000 days will
have elapsed since the beginning of the Maya Era, and this date will
mark the new beginningof the New Era.
For this reason, Mayan peoplethink that December 21st, 2012 is not
only the end of a particular period. They believe that this date is
the beginning of a new period during which some wise, blessed people
will appear and bring a Golden Age to the world.
The Stella (stone structure) depicting that the date December 21st,
2012 is the time when an age will end and a new one will begin.
A stella was found nearby Nohoch Mul, the second highest pyramid among
the Coba Pyramids of the AncientMayan civilization. This stella
depicts the age that starts on August 11, 3114 BC and ends in December
21st 2012.
It is estimated that this stella is at least 2000 years old, because
settlements in the area where the pyramids of Coba exist have been
dated somewhere between 600 and 900 CE.
Mayan glifs signifying December 22th, 2012
According to the Mayan people the end of the long Mayan Cycle will
bring the end of the age of oppression and violence, and this will
bethe beginning of the "GoldenAge". However this beginning will not be
a peaceful transformation; there will be upheavals in every corner of
the world, many disasters will come upon that will wear-out the
structures of the state. These will not happen in a short while; they
will occur in a long period of time. Again according to the Mayan
people, following all these happenings, "great blessed people", whom
they believe will be the spiritual leaders of all humanity, will come.
Before their coming, there will be spiritual workers whowill prepare
their way. Mayan people believe that the date December 21st, 2012
signifies the time whenthese spiritual workers will gradually increase
their influence.
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