General Articles, - The Prophets, Messengers sent by Allah, are the true source of democracy

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:-> Liberty, an important component of human life and one that greatly enhances its quality, is only possible when the idea of democracy prevails. Because democracy is a form of government under which everyone enjoys social justice, equality, rights and freedoms, it is a blessing that Almighty Allah has revealed to His servants in the Divine Books by way of the prophets. A climate of liberty, love, compassion and justice, in which everyone can live freely and speak their own minds and live together in peace, is commanded in all the Divine Books. That is why ancient Greece, regarded as the birthplace of democracy, or Europe, regarded as the center of democracy today, learned about it from the true faiths. However, the most highly developed form of democracy will come with the global dominion of Islamic moral values. Some people who are unacquainted with Islamic moral values, or have only just begun learning about it, may harbor false opinions and prejudices about it because they have turned to incorrect sources of information. These people fall prey to an error of thinking, despite the fact that it is completelyuntrue, that Islam will restrict their living space, obstruct their freedoms, control their thoughts and put limitations on art and science. The truth is that Islam is a faith that provides for freedom of worship and expression, places rights of all kinds under protection and offers people true liberty. In the Qur’an, verse 41 of Surah Yunus, “If they deny you, say, ‘ I have my actions and you have your actions. You are not responsible for what I do and I am not responsible for what you do’ ,” is one of those verses in which Almighty Allah enjoins democracy for His servants. In this verse Allah clearly reveals the importance of everyone enjoying freedom of ideas and belief, free of any pressure or compulsion. All the Conditions of Democracy Can Only Be Met When People Live by Islamic Moral Values 1-SOCIAL JUSTICE: Almighty Allah Commands Social Justice and Sharing Social justice is one of the basic principles of democracy in true democracies. People learned social justice from the Prophet Noah (pbuh) and the Prophet Abraham (pbuh). According to religious sources, when the Ark came to dry land after the flood, the Prophet Noah (pbuh) boiled together the small quantities of remaining chickpeas, lentils, raisins, figs, wheat and the like to make a kind of sweet broth. Everyone on the Ark then ate it together. That is social justice, because by this example Prophet Noah (pbuh) teaches everyone equality, solidarity and generosity and the importance of distributing food to all: As revealed in verse 69 of Surah Hud, “Our messengers brought the good news to Abraham. They said, ‘Peace!’ and he too said, ‘Peace!’ and brought in a roasted calf without delay” the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) immediately killed a calf when guests arrived and had it prepared for them to eat. Almighty Allah notes that by offering food to people whom he had never met, the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) was behaving in the best way, and wisely stresses the importance of feeding the poor and of social justice. 2-EQUALITY: Almighty Allah Reveals in the Qur’an That No Race Is Superior to Any Other As Almighty Allah reveals in one verse of the Qur’an, superiority lies in piety alone. In this verse Allah tells us: Mankind! We created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you might come to know each other. The noblest among you in Allah’s Sight is the one with the most piety. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (Surat al-Hujurat, 13) Our Prophet (saas) expresses this truth commanded by Allah as follows in the hadiths: "You are sons of Adam, and Adam came from dust. Let the people cease to boast about their ancestors." (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 41, Number 5097) "These genealogies of yours are not a reason to revile anyone. You are all children of Adam. No one has any superiority over another except in religion and taqwa (godliness)." (Ahmad, 158/4) During his final sermon, the Prophet (saas) called on Muslims in these terms: "There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab and for a non-Arab over an Arab; nor for white over the black nor for the black over the white except in piety. Verily the noblest among you is he who is the most pious." (The Prophet Muhammad's Last Sermon; http://www.stanford.ed u/~jamila/Sermon.html) 3-JUSTICE: Almighty Allah Commands Justice Allah issues this commandment to believers in the Qur’an: “... You who have faith! Be upholders of justice, bearing witness for Allah alone, even against yourselves or your parents and relatives. Whether they are rich or poor, Allah is well able to look after them. Do not follow your own desires and deviate from the truth. If you twist or turn away, Allah is aware of what you do.” (Surat al-Nisa’, 135) The commands that our Prophet (saas) issued among Muslims and his just and affectionate attitude toward people of different religions, languages, races and tribes, as well as the way he treated everyone equally, making no distinction between rich and poor as Allah revealed in the Qur’an, represents an excellent example of the conception of democracy. In one verse, Allah tells our Prophet (saas): They are people who listen to lies and consume ill-gotten gains. If they come to you, you can either judge between them or turn away from them. If you turn away from them, they cannot harm you in any way. But if you do judge, judge between them justly. Allah loves the just. (Surat al-Ma’ida, 42) Our Prophet (saas) adhered to Allah’s commandment, even among difficult people, and never made any concessions on justice. As revealed, he always said, “My Lord has commanded justice...” (Surat al-A’raf, 29), thus serving as a role model for all times. Democracy Will Come about When People Are Living by the Moral Values Commanded by Allah As we have seen, in the essence of Islam, there is intellectual freedom, freedom of faith and expression. Some people assume that democracy entered the history of humanity with the ancient Greeks. However, it is Allah Who teaches democracy to people. From the time of the Prophet Adam (pbuh), all prophets have been the genuine representatives of intellectual freedom and respect to views. The essence of all the primary concepts – freedom of justice, not putting any pressure upon anyone, treating everyone as a first class citizens, respecting and trusting people, not judging anyone due to his views- which are associated with democracy are present in the morality of religion. Throughout history, people have learned these concepts from the righteous religions revealed by Allah and witnessed its most beautiful examples during the times when people lived by the righteous religions. When we look at the times when people were oppressed due to their opinions and their different ideologies, members of various religions were humiliated, while the arts, science and architecture died out; times when people lost their joy in living and almost turned into robots, or when book burnings, murders, massacres, genocides became widespread, we see the influence of irreligious, atheist ideologies or those who misinterpreted religious morality with a radical mindset by distancing it from its essence. Once Allah’s righteous religion is lived in the form it is commanded by Allah, the true justice, democracy, respect and love, that people have been longing for, can be experienced. Very soon, democracy, brotherhood, love, friendship and peace will, by Allah’s leave, dominate the world and people will experience the joy, bliss and abundance of faith as much as they can. As one can clearly see from the signs of the verses, hadiths of our Prophet (saas) and words of great Islamic scholars, the time in which we live is the End Times. The difficult and troublesome days of the End Times will, in this century, come to end with the Prophet Jesus’ (pbuh) and Hazrat Mahdi’s (pbuh) being instrumental, and the world will enter a brand new, bright era. Communicating the Oneness and Unity of Allah in the most beautiful and wise manner, and introducing people to Islam as described in the Qur’an and lived in Age of Felicity lays a very important foundation for the bright days that we will attain in the near future. Our wish is that Allah will also render this article instrumental in attaining the beauties in question. We sincerely hope that the days when we see “people entering Allah’s religion in droves” come at once. Allah reveals these glad tidings as follows in the Qur’an: When Allah’s help and victory have arrived and you have seen people entering Allah’s religion in droves, then glorify your Lord’s praise and ask His forgiveness. He is the Ever-Returning. (Surat an-Nasr, 1-3) Freedom Is Important in Islam, and Compulsion and Pressure Are Prohibited Every Muslim, as a requisite of the morality of the Qur’an, is responsible for showing people the true path, enjoining the good and forbidding that which is evil. But this never means to oblige others to think, live, act and dress like oneself. A Muslim shows the truth and leaves the choice to the person himself. This is the commandment Allah informs us in the Qur’an in the verse, “There is no compulsion in the religion...” (Surat al-Baqara: 256). In line with Almighty Allah’s commandment, our Prophet (saas) made a contract with the Christians of Najran, who lived in the south of Arabia. This makes it clear that Islam is the true source of freedom of thought and belief in democracies. The contract included the following article: “The lives of the people of Najran and its surrounding area, their religion, their land, property, cattle and those of them who are present or absent, their messengers and their places of worship are under the protection of Allah and guardianship of His Prophet.” (The Pact of Najran, Article 6, http://www.islamicreso urces.com /Pact_of_Najran.htm.) The Compact of Medina, signed by the Muslim immigrants from Mecca, the indigenous Muslims of Medina, the Christians and the Jews of Medina is one of the finest examples of the conception of democracy in Islam. As a result of this constitution, which established justice between communities with differing beliefs and ensured the protection of their various interests, long years of enmity were brought to an end. One of the most outstanding features of the treaty is the freedom of belief it established. The relevant article reads: “The Jews of Banu 'Awf are one nation with the Muslims; the Jews have their religion and the Muslims have theirs…” (The Constitution of Madina, http://www.islamic- study.org/jews-prophet- p.-2.htm) Article 16 of the treaty reads: "The Jew who follows us is surely entitled to our support and the same equal rights as any one of us. He shall not be wronged nor his enemy be assisted.” (The Constitution of Madina, http://www.islamic- study.org/jews-prophet- p.-2.htm) The Prophet’s (saas) companions remained true to that article in the treaty, even after his death, and even practiced it with regard to Berbers, Buddhists, Brahmans and people of other beliefs. Like all the other prophets, many events took place during the course of Rasulullah’s (saas) prophethood that manifested his conception of democracy. Peoples of various races, religions, languages and tribes lived together in the lands in which our Prophet (saas) lived. It was not easy for these communities to live together in peace and harmony and for those who wished to create strife to be neutralized. One group could be angered and attack another as the result of the slightest word or action. But our Prophet’s (saas) conception of justice, his just rule, represented a source of peace and security for these communities as much as for Muslims. During the Age of Felicity, everyone on the Arabian Peninsula, Christians, Jews, pagans and everyone, without distinction, was treated justly. In line with Almighty Allah’s commandment, “there is no compulsion in the religion...” our Prophet (saas) told everyone of true religious moral values but left the final decision up to them.

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M

General Articles, - Sheikh Nazim of Cyprus: The rising day belongs to Islam. The rising day belongs to the Just. Truth hascome and falsehood has vanished. For this reason, don't be hopeless. Believers, give your hearts to Allah.

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:-> His Highness Sheikh Nazim al-Qubrusi was born in Larnaca, Cyprus, on the 23 rd of April, 1922. The full name of this blessed person, known as Sheikh Nazim al-Qubrusi, meaning Sheikh Nazim of Cyprus, is actually Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Qubrusi al-Haqqani . His maternal line goes back to Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi, the founder of the Mawlawiya Sufi Order. His father was one of the exceptional people blessed with Islamic moral values. His Highness Sheikh Nazim, who is known for always having a smiling countenance and being very patient, spent his childhood with his grandfather, an Islamic scholar in Cyprus at the time, and received his basic Islamic education from him. This initial education was instrumental in his being very gentle and fond of people, inviting them to Allah’s path with his joyful face and pleasant conversation. His Highness Sheikh Nazim began studying chemical engineering at the Istanbul University Bayazit campus in 1940. In 1944, he went to Tripoli (Trablus, the second largest city in Lebanon), where he made the acquaintance of the Mufti of Tripoli, Sheikh Munir al-Malik, one of the Islamic scholars of his period. At the same time, he came to know Abdullah ad-Daghestani, a well-known Islamic scholar of the time, and took part in his conversations. The education that His Highness Sheikh Nazim received from his grandfather and from Abdullah ad-Daghestani led to him coming to possess a profound knowledge of Islamic moral values. His Highness Sheikh Nazim then embarked on European visits in 1974, meeting and talking with people from any culture or faith during those years, and trying to introduce them to religious moral values. He is loved by hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, and thousands are keen to benefit from his conversations. The reason why he is so popular is that he elaborates on religious moral values in a very sincere, warm and lively way, possesses enormous tolerance and always approaches everyone with the love and fear of Allah with a smiling and cheerful face. Adnan Oktar: The Master Sheikh Nazım sent me his quilted turban. Masha’allah. I received it yesterday. Masha’Allah. He is very blessed, very sweet, very magnificent person, our Master Sheikh Nazim . Insha’Allah I keep it with great respect insha’Allah. Notice that in this world there is one Qutb al-Aqtab and a Qutb al-Irshad. Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is the Qutb al-Irshad. In my opinion, that is, if people have any conviction about my knowledge, Qutb al-Aqtab is Sheikh Nazim. AN EXCERPT FROM AN INTERVIEW MADE WITH SHEIKH NAZIM AL-QUBRUSI IN 1987 Allah ordered our brother Adnan isolation in prayer to manifest in him in the way He manifested in Prophet Joseph (pbuh). We hope that Mr. Adnan will have perfect services in the path of Allah in the future. His Highness Sheikh Nazim undertook his first trip to America in 1991, visiting some 15 different states. There, he met Muslims, Christians, Jews and members of other faiths, and told them of the moral values of Islam. His second trip to the US came in 1993, when he visited many cities and towns, and took time to visit the mosques, churches and synagogues in them. In this way, he was instrumental in bringing more than 10,000 people whom he met in North America to Islam in a very short period of time . In 1993 he opened the “Haqqani Convention and Retreat Center” in Fenton in the state of Missouri, to hold seminars and dialogues. Thousands of his students who had adopted his moral values as a role model then traveled to other countries to tell others what they had learned from him. This fervent movement took the name of the Grand Opening . In 1996, His Highness Sheikh Nazim began his Far Eastern visits, travelling to important cities in Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He met with eminent figures in all the countries he visited and was received by statesmen and leading individuals in all of them. By means of his knowledge, modesty, approach to other people and deep devotion to Allah under all circumstances, he was welcomed with affection and deep respect by everyone who saw him. His Highness Sheikh Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Qubrusi currently welcomes and addresses guests from all over the world who visit his home, which is in the form of a madrassa in Lefke, Cyprus. Despite being 88 years old, he still strives with esteemed efforts to encourage people to live by the all-embracing moral values of the Qur’an all over the world. Sheikh Nazim al-Qubrusi: We are not at the beginning of the world; we are the communities of the End Times. We are the communities of the prophet of the End Times. We came neither in the beginning, nor in the middle. We came at the end. The time we could come is the end of the Times. The owner of the time is insha’Allah close. The coming of the Owner of the Time is close. The world will change, there is no other alternative. We are getting closer to the Day of Judgment. The length of single day in the Sight of Allah is 1000 years. That means the life of the communities of Allah is 1500. Now we are in 1400s. It is 1432. Allah knows its meaning. May Allah make our end blessed. They could not comprehend what Almight Allah’s will is and now they have come into that half a day. With the appearance of the portents of the Day of Judgment such as coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as), who is the Owner of the Time, and Jesus’ (as) descend, the end of the world comes. Adnan Oktar: Masha’Allah. Notice that my Sheikh sent me a present. He has a house more than 200 years old. The garden is full of mandarin and orange trees. He has a very beautiful garden masha’Allah. He sent me quite a lot of mandarin from there, masha’Allah. They smell very nice, very beautiful masha’Allah. He says, “The time is the time.” There are 70 years. Hazrat Mahdi (as) is alive now. Jesus (as)is also alive insha’Allah. Sheikh Nazim al-Qubrusi: There are 70 years until the Day of Judgment. It has drawn closer. Many portents have appeared. THE WORLD WILL TURN INTO A DIFFERENT ONE. IT WILL CHANGE. THE AGE IN WHICH WE ENTERED IS THE AGE OF HAZRAT MAHDI (as). THE HELP IS CLOSE. We have remained without an Owner. My Lord; send us an owner. We, Muslims are without an owner. They do not know where to go. This is the case…Our Lord, sen us an Owner. May Allah grant him a long life and bless us with his presence insha’Allah.

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M

Marital Life, - Men taking charge of women

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:-> Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Men are in charge of women by ]right of[ what Allaah has given one over the other and what they spend ]for maintenance[ from their wealth. So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in ]the husband's[ absence what Allaah would have them guard. But those ]wives[ from whom you fear arrogance - ]first[ advise them; ]then if they persist[, forsake them in bed; and ]finally[, strike them. But if they obey you ]once more[, seek no means against them. Indeed, Allaah is ever Exalted and Grand. And if you fear dissension between the two, send an arbitrator from his people and an arbitrator from her people. If they both desire reconciliation, Allaah will cause it between them. Indeed, Allaah is ever Knowing and Acquainted ]with all things[.{]Quran 4:34-35[ Like other creatures in this universe, Allaah The Exalted created humans and made living with mates a part of their nature. He Says )what means(:}And of all things We created two mates; perhaps you will remember.{]Quran 51:49[ Then He ordained that the mates of the human be the two parts of only one self. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one self and created from it its mate.{]Quran 4:1[ Subsequently, He willed that the two parts of the one self gather, among the other things that He Willed, to serve as a source of its tranquility, quietness for the nerves, reassurance for the soul, repose for the body and a means to cover, safeguard and protect it. Moreover, this gathering is a source for procreation and expansion of life along with the self's ongoing progress in caring for the tranquility, calmness, reassurance and covering of the gathering place. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(: }And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy.{]Quran 30:21[ }They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them.{]Quran 2:187[ }Your wives are a place of sowing of seed for you, so come to your place of cultivation however you wish and put forth ]righteousness[ for yourselves.{]Quran 2:223[ }O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones.{]Quran 66:6[ }And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith - We will join with them their descendants, and We will not deprive them of anything of their deeds.{]Quran 52:21[ As the two parts of the one self are equal in the sight of Allaah The Almighty and out of His honoring for humankind, He honored the woman and made the reward and compensation of her deeds equal to that of the man's. Moreover, He provided her with the rights of ownership, inheritance and independency of her civil character. Allaah The Exalted created people in the form of male and female; two mates in accordance to the general norm upon which this universe is established. He entrusted the woman with the tasks of pregnancy, birth, suckling and maintaining the fruit of her connection with the man, which is the children. These tasks are huge and dangerous. Their requirements are neither simple nor easy to be fulfilled without a deeply-set organic, psychic and mental preparation within the entity of the female. It is fair, on the other hand, that the other half – the man – is entrusted with the job of satisfying the necessary needs and providing protection for the woman. In this way, she would be able to devote herself to her difficult job and not be overburdened with the tasks of pregnancy, birth, suckling and maintaining her child, on one hand, and working, being exhausted and staying awake in order to protect herself and her child at the same time on the other. It is also fair that both the man and the woman are endowed with special characteristics in their organic, nervous, mental and psychic formation that help each of them to efficiently fulfill the requirements of his role. This is the reality and your Lord does not wrong anyone. Along with other characteristics, the woman is provided with gentleness, kindness, quick-excitement and the immediate response for the requirements of childhood with neither awareness nor pre-thinking. That is because all the intrinsic human necessities, even in the one person, are not left for one's disturbed awareness and slow thinking; rather the response for them was made invountary, in order to facilitate immediate fulfillment. Indeed, the woman does so in what is coercion-like, however it is an internal coercion that is not dictated from the outside, and is mostly nice and desirable in order that her response be quick, on one hand, and comfortable, on the other, regardless of the extent of hardship and sacrifice. It is the doing of Allaah The Almighty, Who perfected all things. These characteristics are not superficial; rather they are deeply-set within the organic, nervous, mental and psychic formation of the woman. Even senior specialist scholars say that these characteristics are deeply-set in every cell because they are established in the formation of the first cell which divides and procreates in order to form the fetus with all his original characteristics. Along with other characteristics, Allaah The Exalted provided the man with the characteristics of roughness, strength, low-excitement, unhurried response and using his awareness and thinking before movement and response. This is because all his tasks, starting with hunting - which he practiced after coming to this life, fighting - which he usually undergoes to defend his wife and children, satisfying the needs of life, as well as other tasks in this world require some premeditation before execution, and an unhurried response in general. Exactly like women, these characteristics are deeply-set in his very formation. Such characteristics make the man more capable and eligible to take charge of the woman. Moreover, they oblige him to spend on the woman, which is one of the branches of distributing functions that makes him more entitled to this task. This is because providing for the means of life within the institution of the family and its members are included in this duty. Furthermore, supervising the disposal of wealth within this institution is a task that is nearer to man's nature and task within the family. These are the two factors that the abovementioned Quranic text highlights while it states that men are in charge of women in the Muslim community. It is a cause-based task. Some of these causes are related to formation and preparation, while others are related to the distribution of jobs and functions, and a third group that are related to equality in distribution, on one hand, and charging every part of this distribution with the jobs that are facilitated for him and he is naturally prepared for, on the other hand. He is, in reality, entitled to take on this task as the man is ready to undergo the task of taking charge of the woman, trained on it and has fulfilled its requirements. This is because the institution of the family cannot stand without entrusting the task of taking charge to someone, like other institutions, though the latter may be less in importance and value. Moreover, while one of the two parts of the human self )the man( is prepared for this task, supported to do it and charged with its obligations, the other part )the woman( is neither prepared nor supported to do this. Therefore, it is not fair to overburden her with this task and charge him with its obligation along with her other duties. Even when she is prepared and scientifically and practically trained to do this, it will negatively affect her readiness to fulfill the obligations of the other role: the job of motherhood, as it also has requirements and preparations. Quick-excitement and immediate response come in the first place as well as other preparations that are deeply-set in the nervous and organic formation of the woman and its effects in her behavior and response. These are very important issues. It is more dangerous if they are controlled by human whims and left for them to randomly dispose of them at will. When these issues were left to human beings during the pre-Islamic ages of ignorance as well as in the modern ages of ignorance, they threatened the existence of humanity itself and the existence of human characteristics upon which human life is established and with which it is distinguished from creatures. The nature on which Allaah The Exalted created people already exists and governs, and its rules control human beings, even while they deny, reject its rules and try to ignore them. The following are some of the proof behind this fact: -The confusion and corruption that afflicts the human life, along with deterioration and collapse and being threatened with destruction and stagnation every time mankind contradicts this norm. The authority of taking charge within the family was shaken, its features are confused and it has deviated from its natural and original norm. -The woman herself looks to entrust the task of taking charge to the party that it is originally entrusted to within the family. No one can deny that she feels deprived, inferior, worried and sad when she lives with a man who neither fulfills the requirements of taking charge nor has the necessary qualifications and, therefore, he entrusts her with this task. It is an observable fact that all women admit, even the deviant among them who wander in darkness. -The children who are raised in a family within which the task of taking charge is not entrusted to the father, either because he has a weak character in a way that the character of the mother surpasses and dominates him, or because he is absent due to death, or not having a legitimate father, it is rare that they grow as perfect human beings. It is rare that they grow without deviation to a certain irregularity in their nervous and psychic formation or in their moral and practical behavior.

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M