For the Peoples whom celibirates GOOD FRIDAY - - The Light that guides our path. The Love that fills our heart. The Sacrifice that strengthens our Soul. To that power, we say Praise the Lord. Happy Good Friday!!

Miracles of The Quran About the Sun

One of the things that prove that Quran is the words of Allah, is that
it informs us of scientific facts that no one could have possibly
known aboutwhen Quran was sent 1400 years ago. The information
provided in Quran about the Sun is just one of these amazing miracles.
http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/scientific_110.html
HE HELIO-CENTRIC SYSTEM
He created the heavens and the Earthwith truth. He wraps the night
around the day and wraps the day around the night, and has made the
Sunand Moon subservient, each one running for a specified term. Is He
not indeed the Almighty, the Endlessly Forgiving? ( Surat az-Zumar, 5)
In the above verse themovement of the Earth is described by the word
"yukawwiru," which comes from root verb "takwir," meaning "tocover up
a spherical body," in the way thatthe rotation of the Earth gives rise
to night and day, like the winding of a turban. In addition to the
spherical shape ofthe Earth the word is also the most
accurateexpression of its movement around theSun. Because of the
Earth's spherical shape and its movement around theSun, the Sun always
illuminates one side of the Earth while the other is in darkness. The
side in shadow is shrouded by the darkness of night, to be replaced by
the brightness of day when the Sun rises. The positions of the Sun and
Earth are revealed as follows in Surah Ya Sin:
And the Sun runs to itsresting place. That is the decree of the
Almighty, the All-Knowing. And We have decreed set phases for the
Moon, until it ends up looking like an old palm spathe. It is not for
the Sun to overtake the Moon nor for the night to outstrip the day;
each one is swimming in a sphere. (Surah Ya Sin, 38-40)
The movements of theSun and Moon in verse 40 of Surah Ya Sin are
described by the Arabic word"yasbahoon a ," meaning "flowing, passing
or swimming." This wordrefers to an action performed by someone on
their own. Someone acting according to this verb continues to perform
it alone, with no intervention from anyone else. The above verses may
therefore be referringto the Sun's independent movement in the
universe, independent of any other celestial body. (Allah knows the
truth.) It is impossible for us to see or follow the movement of the
Sun with our own eyes. It is only possible to determine that movement
using special technological equipment. As stated in verse 39 of Surah
Ya Sin, in addition to rotating around its own axis once every 26
days, the Sun also moves through its own course.
The verse also reports that the Sun is not allowed to "overtake the
Moon," and the Qur'an thus states thatthe Sun and Moon do not revolve
around the same body, as astronomers put it. At the same time, the
verse makes it clear that there is no connection between the motion
responsible for night and day and the movement of the Sun and Moon.
(Allah knows the truth.)
Until the 16th century it was thought that the Earth was the center of
the universe. This view is known as the "geo-centric model," from the
Greek words geo (Earth) and centron (center). This belief was
questionedby the famous astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in 1543 in his
book De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (Ofthe Revolutions of
Heavenly Spheres), in which he suggested that the Earth and the other
planets revolve around the Sun. But as a result of observations using
a telescope performed by Galileo Galilei in 1610, it was
scientifically established that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
Since it had hitherto been thought that the Sun revolved around the
Earth, most scholars ofthe time rejected Copernicus' theory. The
famous astronomer Johannes Kepler's views setting out the movements
ofthe planets confirmedthe helio-centric model in the 16th and17th
centuries. In this model, whose name comes from the words Helios
(Sun) and centron (center), the Sun is the center of the universe,
rather than the Earth. Other heavenly bodies also revolve around the
Sun. Yet this was all revealed 1400 years ago in the Qur'an.
By saying that the Earth was the center of the universe, the ancient
Greek astronomer Ptolemy was responsible for the geo-centric idea of
the universe that prevailed for hundreds of years. Forthat reason, at
the time of the revelation of the Qur'an, nobody knew that the
Earth-centered model that accounted for the formation of day and night
in terms of the movement of the Sun was incorrect. On the contrary,
all the stars and planets were regarded as revolvingaround the Earth.
Despite these prevalent errors of the time, the Qur'an contains many
expressions that agree with the scientific facts regarding day and
night:
By the Sun and its morning brightness, and the moon when itfollows it,
and the daywhen it displays it, and the night when it conceals it
(Surat ash-Shams, 1-4)
As set out in the above verse, day, the brightness of the Sun, is the
result of the movement of the Earth. It is not the movement of the Sun
that is responsible for night and day. In other words, the Sun is
immobile in terms of night and day. The information in the Qur'an
refutes the thesis that the Earth isfixed while the Sun revolves
around it. The Qur'an is clearly descended from the presence of our
Lord, He Who is unfettered by space and time. As science and
technology advance more and more examples of the compatibility between
the Qur'an and science are coming to light. This isset out in another
verse from the Qur'an:
There is instruction in their stories for people of intelligence.This
is not a narration which has been invented but confirmation of all
that came before, a clarification of everything, and a guidance and a
mercyfor people who believe. (Surah Yusuf, 111)
http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/
THE SUN WILL EVENTUALLY EXPIRE
And the Sun runs to itsresting place . That is the decree of the
Almighty, the All-Knowing. (Surah Ya Sin, 38)
The Sun has been emitting heat for around 5 billion years as a result
of the constant chemical reactions taking placeon its surface. At a
moment determined by Allah in the future, these reactions will
eventually come to anend, and the Sun will lose all its energy and
finally go out. In that context, the above verse may be a reference to
the Sun's energy one day coming to an end. (Allah knows the truth.)
The Arabic word"limustaqarrin" in the verse refers to a particular
place or time. The word"tajree" translated as"runs," bears such
meanings as "to move, to act swiftly, to move about, to flow." It
appears fromthe meanings of the words that the Sun will continue in
its course in time and space, but that this motion will continue until
a specific, predetermined time. The verse "When the sun is compacted
in blackness," (Surat at-Takwir, 1) which appears in descriptions of
Doomsday, tells us that such a time will be coming. The specific
timing is known only to Allah.
The Arabic word"taqdeeru," translatedas "decree" in the verse,
includes such meanings as "to appoint, to determinethe destiny of
something, to measure." By this expression in verse 38of Surah Ya Sin,
we are told that the life span of the Sun is limited to a specific
period, one ordained by Allah. Other verses of the Qur'an on the
subject read:
Allah is He Who raised up the heavens without any support –you can see
that – andthen established Himself firmly on the Throne. He made the
Sun and Moon subservient, each running for a specified term . He
directs the whole affair. He makes the Signs clear so that hopefully
you will be certain about the meeting with your Lord. (Surat ar-
Ra'd, 2 )
He makes night mergeinto day and day merge into night, andHe has made
the Sun and Moon subservient, each one running until a specified
time . That is Allah, your Lord. The Kingdom is His. Those you call on
besides Him have no power over even the smallestspeck. (Surah Fatir,
13)
He created the heavens and the earthwith truth. He wraps the night
around the day and wraps the day around the night, and has made the
Sunand Moon subservient, each one running for a specified term . Is
He not indeed the Almighty, the Endlessly Forgiving? (Surah az-Zumar,
5)
The use of the word"musamman" in the above verses shows that the life
span of the Sun will run for a"specified term." Scientific analysis
regarding the end of the Sun describes it asconsuming 4 million tons
of matter a second, and says that the Sun will die when that fuel has
all been consumed . 1 The heatand light emitted from the Sun is the
energy released whenmatter is consumed ashydrogen nuclei turn into
helium in the nuclear fusion process. The Sun's energy, and
thereforeits life, will thus come to an end once this fuel has been
used up.(Allah knows the truth.) A report titled"The Death of the Sun"
by the BBC News Science Department says:
... The Sun will gradually die. As a star's core crashes inwards, it
eventually becomes hot enough to ignite another of its constituent
atoms, helium. Helium atoms fuse together to form carbon. When the
helium supply runs out, the centre collapses again and the atmosphere
inflates. The Sun isn't massive enough to fully re-ignite its core for
a third time. So it goes on expanding, shedding its atmosphere in a
series of bursts... The dying core eventually forms a white dwarf - a
spherical diamond the size of the Earth, made of carbon and oxygen.
From this point on the Sun will gradually fade away, becoming dimmer
and dimmer until its light is finally snuffed out. 2
A documentary, also called "The Death of the Sun," broadcast by
National Geographic TV, provides the following description:
It (the Sun) generates heat and sustains life on our planet. But
likehumans, the Sun has alimited lifespan. As our star ages, it will
become hotter and expand, evaporating all of our oceans and killing
all life on planet Earth... The Sunwill get hotter as it ages and
burns fuel faster. Temperatures will increase, eventually wiping
outanimal life, evaporating our oceans and killing all plant life...
the Sun will swell and becomea red giant star, swallowing up the
nearest planets. Its gravitational pull will lessen and perhaps allow
Earth to escape. By the end, it will shrink into a white dwarf star,
emitting a week glow for hundreds of billions of years. 3
Scientists have only recently unravelled the structure of the Sun and
discovered what goes on inside it. Before that, nobody knew how the
Sun obtained its energy or how it emitted heat and light. The way that
such a giant mass of energy would one day consume all its energy and
expire was revealed 1400 years ago in the Qur'an shows the presence of
a sublime knowledge. That knowledge belongs toour Lord, Whose
knowledge enfolds allthings. Another verse of the Qur'an reveals:
... My Lord encompasses all things in His knowledge so will you not
pay heed? (Surat Al-An'am, 80)
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun
2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/stars/death/index.shtml;
3. "Death of the Sun", National Geographic Channel, 20 Mart
2006,director: Rabinder Minhas, bölüm no. 25, sezon no. 3.

Mistakes are part of destiny

No one wants to make a mistake and do himself or others mischief.
However, making mistakes is animportant part of our trial in the life
of this world. Allah created our trial in the life of this world in
this way.Anyone can make a mistake but what is important is that he
repents after his mistake and strive notto repeat this mistake.
Allah reveals in the verses of the Qur'an that human beings are weak
creatures who can forget and be mistaken. A personcan make a mistake
when he does not think something through, ignores something, does not
take the necessary precautions, is overwhelmed by his weak points,
forgets or is mistaken. This is very natural. Howeverthe important
thing ishow the person reactsafter this, rather than the mistake
itself. However big the mistake is, as soon as the person decides to
resign himself and begins to show the attitude hoped to please Allah,
that mistake disappears -by Allah's leave. Almighty Allah reveals as
such in Surah Al- Imran:
" Those who, when they act indecently or wrong themselves, remember
Allah and ask forgiveness for their bad actions (andwho can forgive
bad actions except Allah?) and do not knowinglypersist in what they
were doing." (Surah Al 'Imran, 135)
Allah Creates Everything We Do
Everything a person lives throughout his or her life, everything they
do, every situation they face, allof them are created by Allah with
all of thepros and cons. In the verses it is revealed that not even a
single leaf falls without the knowledge of Allah. (Surah al-An'am,
59). In Surat al-Qalam, it is revealed "Everything they did is in the
Books. Everything is recorded, big or small." (Surat al-Qamar, 52-53).
This means that the personmakes that mistake because Allah wills him
to do so; it is in his destiny to make that mistake. When heacts
according to the Qur'an, something good will happen after that
mistake.
For example, a personmay break a vase when walking by it because he is
not careful enough or does not look ahead. Or he can bump into adinner
plate preparedwith great effort and knock it off a table. Hemay cause
the people waiting for him to delay their jobs because he fell
asleep.Now in all these there is a variety of reasons created by
Allah. Allah is the One Who breaksthat object. Maybe that object would
have caused a conflictbetween its owners or broken in a dangerous way
that would harm someone.Maybe Allah will makea much more beautiful one
to be purchased instead. In the same way, Allah is the One Who makes
the food spill on the floor. Maybe there is an bad ingredient inside
that food and itwould have made someone ill. Maybe that food would
have prevented that personfrom eating something healthier. Also Allah
is the One Who does not wake a person who is late for a job because he
fell asleep because maybehis friends waiting forhim need to be late
aswell. Maybe this will protect them from some danger or maybe bring
the means to carry out a more important job.
If one does not realizethese facts, when he makes a mistake he would
panic and feel anxiety and sorrow. He would feet unease and dismay.
His sadness would increase even becauseof the effect of this situation
on other people and his troubles increase day by day. However, it is
not in line with the moral values of the Qur'an to feel sad, dismay
and troubled because of a mistake, which took place in his destiny by
Allah's will. Muslims overthrow their discomort and anxieties as a
result oftheir mistakes again by turning to Allah and acting according
to the moral values of the Qur'an. They do not fall into depression
like people who do not live by the morality of religion. They do not
feel sadness, sorrow or hopelessness by evaluating their mistakes with
an emotional state of mind. They only experinece a very deep and
strong sense of regret. However this is not anevil kind of regret; it
is a Muslim kind of regret because this feeling of regret helpsthem
hold onto the Qur'an even more strongly. They pray to Allah even more
deeply. Their religiousenthusiasm, determination to live by the moral
values ofthe Qur'an, submission to Allah, faith in the hereafter and
fear of Allah increase tremendaously. They take very sincere decisions
to become better in every way and become more enthusiastic and
energetic by striving more in this way. They know that even if they
could take the time back, they wouldstill make the same mistakes. When
they criticize themselves and feel regret for their actions, they do
not forget that all things have occured according to destiny.
Therefore they do not"live in a sense of guilt" as irreligious people
do. Allah revealed in the Qur'anas such:
"Everything they did is in the Books. Everything is
recorded, big or small.(Surat al-Qamar, 52-53)

It is impossible to claim that a person will never make any mistakes
throughout his life and is complete and flawlessbecause human beings
are created as weak creatures who can make mistakes. Our Almighty Lord
is the One Who is forgiving and accepts repentance. Therefore, a
believer needs to take lessons from the mistakes he made knowingly or
unknowingly or because he followed his inner self. What heneeds to do
is to regret it and follow the truth and submit to our Lord and strive
not to repeat that mistake. Of course he needs to be very careful
about not making any mistakes and commit any further sins and
protecting the boundaries of our Lord. But even if he makes a mistake
it is avery good quality of faith to ask for forgiveness from Allah.
The names of Allah as "The Acceptor of Repentance" (At-Tawwab), "The
All-Forgiving" (Al-Ghaffar), "The All-Merciful" (Ar-Rahman) are
manifested on the believers who regret their mistakes, ask
forforgiveness and turn to Allah.
Believers Take LessonsFrom Their Mistakes
As a result of their faith and fear of Allah,mistakes help believers
become more clean morally. Maybe they make a mistake on one thing, but
they remember that mistake all their lives and avoid making a similar
mistake by taking lessons from it.
However, Allah created human beingsespecially in a character so that
they can use their conscience, feel regret and repent, turn to Him and
ask for His forgiveness and take decisions not to repeat that mistake.
A person must do all he can not to make a mistake; and strive to act
in a very moral way by using his mind, will and conscience to the
end.But when there is a mistake, he needs to act in the way as
described in the Qur'an.
If that mistake has helped the person to better understand his
weakness in the face of Allah's infinite power and his need for Allah,
then this shows that person's sincere faith and fear of Allah. If he
regrets his mistake and fears to be held responsiblein the Day of
Judgment, and if he submits to Allah's mercy and forgiveness, then he
isabiding by the moral values of the Qur'an by Allah's leave. Such a
person prays sincerely so Allah accepts his repentance and forgives
him. He promises to Allah witha true heart not to repeat that mistake.
In one verse, our Lord heralds that He will accept the repentanceof
his sincere servants:
"But if anyone makes repentance after his wrongdoing and puts things
right, Allah will turn towards him. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most
Merciful." (Surat al-Ma'ida, 39)
The Qur'an is the only measure for believers,so their approach to
aperson who makes a mistake is always in line with the moral values of
the Qur'an. Abeliever knows that every person is a human being who is
weak and who can make a mistake easily.He does not forget that Allah
is the One Who creates everything –by Allah's leave- and he can
distinguish a sincere mistake from a deliberate one. When a person is
sincere, hislove or respect would not change because of a single
mistake - by Allah's leave.

Repentance is a blessing that givesrelief to the heart

One of the most important characteristics that distinguishes
unbelievers from believers is that believers repent oftenas an act of
worship. As unbelievers consider themselves faultless and sinless,
they do not feel the need to repent. Believers, on the other hand, do
not want to commit any sins against Allah. However, by their nature,
people can sintemporarily by following their inner selves. They can be
laxin carrying out Allah's commands. But in the end they regret and
turn to Allah and ask for our Lord's forgiveness.
Allah created people as very weak beings. People indulge in negligence
due to ignorance or unawareness; they can be mistaken forgetting even
the subjects they know best, they can think ina wrong or mistaken way,
take the wrong decisions, or act in an unsound manner knowingly or
unknowingly. This is because people have a vicious enemy like satan
who is trying to drag them into rebellion and divert them from the
true path by giving them suggestions. The inner self also commands
evil all the time. People can earn the good pleasure of Allah to the
extent that they can protect themselves from thesetwo negative Powers.
His Highness Master Bediuzzaman says, "Inthese times of distortion and
misery where this world has many captivating attributes, our basic
action point must be to dismiss evil and abandon sins". However no
matter what happens, Allah always guides people to make up for their
mistakes; this guidance is repentance.
It Is a Great Blessing That Our Lord is All-Merciful,
All-Compassionate andKind and Protective toHis Servants
Allah always gives people the opportunity to ask forforgiveness and
repent for their mistakes and sins. A person who sincerely abandons
his mistakes and repents to Allah can hope that Allah will forgive
him. Allah reveals in many verses of the Qur'an that He is
"Forgiving", "Merciful", the "Protector" and "Compassionate". Allah's
names of "At-Tawwab" meaning "The One Who Accepts Repentance" and
"Al-Gaffar" meaning "All-Forgiving" and "Ar-Rahman"
meaning"All-Merciful" manifeston all those who regret and repent. In
one verse Allah heralds His servants by saying, " Tell My servants
that I am the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful." (Surat al-Hijr,
49).
It is impossible to claim that a person has not made any mistakes and
been faultless and perfect throughout his entire life, because people
are created as beings capable of making mistakes. Our Almighty Lord is
the One Who is All-Forgiving and All-Merciful. Therefore, believers
have to take notice of their mistakes, which they made knowingly or
unknowingly by falling into negligence or listening to their inner
selves. They have to regret their mistakes and direct themselves to
the right path and turn toour Lord as soon as possible and strive not
to make that mistake again. Of course a person has tobe careful not to
make mistakes and commit sins and protect the boundaries of our Lord;
but when he makes a mistake in spite of this, it is a great
characteristic ofa believer to ask forgiveness from Allah. Our Lord's
names "The One Who Accepts Repentance" (At-Tawwab), "All-Forgiving"
(Al-Gaffar), "All-Merciful" (Ar-Rahman) manifest on believers who
regret their mistakes, repent and turn to Allah.
Repenting Very Often Is an Important Believer Characteristic
Repenting frequently is a sign of the believer's humility and
awareness of his weakness in the face of Allah. It is a behavior that
pleasesAllah. In return for this act of worship, Allah gives relief
to, lifts the burdens on and opens the minds of those who repent
often.
With Repentance AllahWants People to LearnLessons and Notice Their Mistakes
One of the wisdoms ofrepentance is that thebeliever experiences real
regret and turns to Allah without wasting any time and strives not to
repeat that mistake. Therefore, he repents in a true and sincere
manner. He repents and keeps his word that he will remain onthe right
path until the end of his life. In the Qur'an, the point of view of
someone who sincerely repentsis described in the verse, " Allah only
accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and then
quickly make repentance after doing it. Allah turns towards such
people. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise..." (Surat an-Nisa', 17) In
another verse, Allah reveals how a believer should behave, " Those
who, when they act indecently or wrong themselves, remember Allah and
ask forgiveness for their bad actions (andwho can forgive bad actions
except Allah?) and do not knowinglypersist in what they were doing."
(Surah Al 'Imran Suresi, 135).
Submitting to Allah right after making mistakes and not delaying
repentance is an important point. This is because as Master
Bediuzzaman describes, "(If mistakes) are not erased with repentance,
they turn into a poisonous snake that bites the heart. Once the heart
is stained it becomes open to further stains.So man falls into a
(corrupt) circle. Every sin brings a new one; not only this but also
it destroys the feelings of repentance and regret (jealousy). In the
end the secret behind the verse "Their hearts have rusted" (Surat
al-Mutaffifin, 14) becomes visible."
Of course, even if a person who experiences true regret carefully
strivesnot to repeat that mistake or sin, he can still fall into the
same mistake. This situationshould not lead to thisperson losing his
self-confidence. For every person there is an opportunity to repent
and sincerely submit to Allah until death.
However a person should not be mistaken for the time he has been
given. He should not behave in a ways to abuse Allah's mercy,
forgivingness, grace. He should use the time Allah grants him and find
guidance by repentance and asking for forgivenesswhile there is still
time. This is because faith and repentance at the moment of death may
not be accepted in the sight of Allah. Therefore he needs to behave
like he will die any moment and strive to edify.
It should not be forgotten that a person can make small or big
mistakes throughout his life, but as long as he repents and submits to
Allah Who forgives and accepts repentance and turns evil into good
with a sincere heart, he can hope that his mistakeswill be forgiven.
Allah always answers for repentance. Allah forgives his mistakes and
turns them into good and rewards his good deeds with the best.
Every Mistake Is Created for a Reason
Allah's merciful name is one of the greatest blessings and
conveniences our Lord bestowed on people. It is an ill conjecture that
people fall into hopelessness and think that they will never recover
from their mistakes. A person who ignores Allah's mercy, compassion,
forgivingness torments himself and acts in a way not in line with the
morality of the Qur'an. Mistakes increase the degrees of believers,
who immediately abandons their mistakes and compensates for theseby
displaying the right attitude in line with the Qur'an, in the
hereafter; make them more mature and help His servants better
understand their weaknesses and helplessness. The important thing is
to regret and repent without insisting on one's sins. In the verses,
our Lord reveals that He will forgive those who do good deeds, pay
alms and live the moral values of the Qur'an and take them under His
grace:
"But I am Ever-Forgiving to anyone who makes tawba and has faith and
acts rightly and then is guided." (Surah Ta Ha, 82)
One of the reasons that distract people from the morality of religion
is to see themselves as people "who are compulsive and will never get
better" as a result of guilt due to their sins. Satan constantly
provokes these people who forget the Ar-rahman and Ar-Rahim names of
Allah and that Allah is the One Who accepts repentance and has
infinite mercy and suggests them the idea "you are already a sinner,
it is impossible for you to recover, accept it as it is." Then satan
pulls them into a greater mire with deceptions like "you have sinned
once, it is okay to do it again". He uses the feeling of embarrassment
a person feels in the face of Allah because of his sin and abuses this
feeling to draw that person away from Allah completely.But this
practice is weak like satan's every trick, because when a person sins
it does not mean that this person will not find the right path from
now on. Allah reveals in the Qur'an that He will forgive allwho
sincerely repentsfor their sins, ask for forgiveness and strivenot to
commit that sinagain as such: "But if anyone makes tawba after his
wrongdoing and puts things right, Allah will turn towards him. Allah
is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Surat al-Ma'ida, 39)