The Muslim's attitude towards Valentine's Day

The Muslim's attitude towards this holiday should be clear:
1- He should not celebrate it, or join others in their celebrations of
it, or attend their celebrations because it is forbidden to celebrate
the festivals of non-Muslims.
Ath-Thahabi said: "If the Christians have a festival and the Jews have
a festival, which is peculiar to them, then the Muslim should not join
them in that, just as he does not join them in their religion or their
direction of prayer."
This is so because the basic principles of the pious predecessors
[As-Salaf As-Saalih] was Al-Walaa' wal-Baraa' (loyalty and friendship
vs. disavowal and enmity), therefore, it is obligatoryfor every Muslim
to follow this principle. He should love the Muslims and should not
follow the non-Muslims; rather, he mustbe different from them. By
doing so, he achieves immeasurable benefits, just as imitating them
causes greater harm.
In addition to this, when the Muslims imitate non-Muslims, this makes
the latter happy and fills their hearts with joy. If any Muslim girl
celebrates this holiday because she sees Margaret or Hilary or whoever
does so, then this undoubtedly reflects the fact that she is imitating
them and approves of their behavior. But Allaah Says (what means): "O
you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as
allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an
ally to them among you - then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed,
Allaah guides not the wrongdoing people." [Quran 5:51]
One of the bad effects of imitating them is that this increases their
number, as this makes it look as if they have more supporters and
followers. How can it be appropriate for a Muslim who recites in every
Rak'ah (prayer unit) Allaah's words (which mean): "Guide us to the
Straight Way, The way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace,
not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went
astray" [ Quran 1:6-7], to ask Allaah for guidance to the Straight
Path of the believers and to keep him away from the path of those who
have earned His anger and of those who went astray, and then
deliberately follows their path and imitates them?
Statistics indicate that Valentine'sDay is second only to Christmas
inpopularity. So it is clear that the Feast of Love is one of the
festivals of non-Muslims and that it is second only to the festival of
Christmas. So it is not permissiblefor Muslims to participate in
suchcelebrations, because we are commanded to differ from them in
their religion, customs and other things that exclusively belong to
them, as is stated in the Quran, Sunnah (Prophet's tradition) and
scholarly consensus.
2- He should not help the non-Muslims in their celebrationsbecause it
is one of the rituals of disbelief. Helping them and approving of what
they do is helping them to manifest disbelief and make it prevail, and
approving of it. The Islamic religion does not allow a Muslim to
approve of disbelief or help others to manifest it and make it
prevail.
Hence, Ibn Taymiyyah said:"It is not permissible for the Muslims to
imitate them in anything that is specifically part of their festivals,
whether it is food, clothing, bathing, lighting fires, or changing a
custom of daily life or worship."
3- He should not help any Muslims who celebrate it. Rather,it is
obligatory to denounce them, because for the Muslims tocelebrate the
festivals of non-Muslims is an evil action which must be condemned.
Ibn Taymiyah said: "Just as we should not imitate them in their
festivals, we should not help a Muslim to do that as well; rather, he
should be told not to do that."
Based on this, it is not permissible for Muslim businessmen to deal in
gifts for Valentine's Day, whether they areparticular kinds of
clothes, red roses, or whatever. Similarly, it is not permissible for
the one who is given a gift on this occasion to accept it, because by
accepting it,he is showing approval of this holiday.
One Daa'iyah (caller to Islam) said: we went to a flower shop inone of
the Muslim countries and we were shocked to find it completely
prepared for this occasion, with red carpets at the entrance, red
placards and red decorations. We were met by oneof the people who
worked there, and we asked him why they had done so much to decorate
the place for this occasion.
He said that these preparations had begun early, and that there had
been so many orders… Then he told us that he had been amazed by that,
because he was a new Muslim who had left Christianity. He had known
about that before he became Muslim, sohow come his customers were
Muslims and not Christians?
Other shops ran out of red roses, which were being sold at high
prices. When one of the female Du'aat entered upon the female students
who were gathered in the lecture hall, she was dismayed to find them
all carrying something red. One had a red rose, another had a red
scarf, or a red handkerchief, or a red bag, or red socks…
Among the things that have beenseen among the Muslims on this holiday:
a- All the female students agreeing with their friends to tie a red
ribbon on the right wrist.
b- Wearing something red (a blouse, hair clip, shoes…). This reached
such an extent last year that when we entered the classroom we found
most of the students wearing it, as if it was a uniform.
c- Red balloons on which are written the words "I love you". They
usually bring these out at the end of the school day, in an area far
from where the teachers can see them.
d- Writing names and hearts on their hands, or just initials.
e- Red roses are widespread on this day.
Groups of girls entered their lecture rooms on February 14, each of
them wearing somethingred, with red heart-shaped stickers on their
faces, wearing red make-up. They started to exchange red-colored gifts
and kiss one another warmly. This happened in more than one university
in the Muslim world, even in an Islamic university. In other words,
they were celebrating Saint Valentine's Day.
On that day, secondary schools (high schools) were astonished by the
large numbers of female students who brought red roses of the finest
quality, colored theirfaces with red cosmetics, wore red earrings, and
started to exchange gifts and warm greetings, in celebration of this
day.
Valentine's Day has come to a number of Arab and Muslim countries, and
has even reached the heartland of Islam (the Arabian Peninsula). It
has reachedsocieties which we had thought far removed from this
insanity. InRiyadh, the price of roses has risen incredibly, to an
extent thata single rose costs 36 riyals (10 dollars), whereas before
this day it cost 5 riyals. Gift shops and card shops compete in
designing cards and gifts for this occasion, and some families hang up
red roses in the windows of their homes on this day.
In some of the Muslim countries, shopping centers and hotels
haveorganized special celebrations forValentine's Day. Most of the
stores and business places are covered in red. One of the finest Gulf
hotels was full of balloons and dolls. Following the customs of the
Feast of Love and the pagan myths, one restaurant owner put on a
dramatic production with "Cupid", the idol of love in the Roman myths,
nearly naked and carrying a bow and arrow. He and his cohorts were
looking to select "Mr. & Mrs.Valentine" from among the people present.
Less expensive restaurants also celebrated this day in their own way.
Some stores replaced their regular plates with heart-shaped plates,
used red tablecloths and linens, and put a red rose on eachtable for
the man to present to his beloved.
We must oppose these things by all possible means. The responsibility
rests with us all.
4- We should not accept congratulations on Valentine's Day, because it
is not a holiday or an 'Eed for the Muslims. If the Muslim is
congratulated on this occasion, he should not return the
congratulation. Ibn Al-Qayyim said: "With regard to congratulating
others with the congratulations used by the non-Muslims on such
occasions, it is prohibited by scholarly consensus, such as
congratulating them on the occasion of their festivals or fasts,
wishing them a blessed festival, etc.
Finally, we must explain the true nature of this holiday and other
festivals of the non-Muslims to those Muslims who have been deceived
by them, and explain to them that it is essential for the Muslim to be
distinguished by hisreligion and to protect his 'Aqeedah (belief) from
anything that may damage it. This should be done towards the Ummah
(Muslim nation) for the sake of Allaah and in fulfillment of the
command of enjoining good and forbidding evil.

Is Insurance Haram?

Is Insurance Haram?
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be
upon HisMessenger.
Dear questioner, we would like to thank you for the great confidence
you place in us, and we implore Allah Almighty to help us serve His
cause and render our work for His Sake.
Responding to the question, Dr. Monzer Kahf, Scholar in Islamic
Economics & Financial Expert, states the following:
"In the circles of contemporary Shari'ah scholars, there are three
opinions about life insurance. They all recognize that it is a
newcontract not known in the history of Fiqh. A minority consider it
haram and with all kinds of argument against it including Riba,
gambling, gharar and speculation on the will of Allah. This view does
not carry muchweight.
The second view is that itcontains gharar because no one knows whether
the liability of the insurer(the company) will ever materialize nor
when it will , if ever. This is a serious gharar that leads to a major
defect in the contract. It is therefore forbidden.
The third opinion is presented by the late Sheikh Mustafa al Zarka. He
argued that the gharar in the contract is remedied by the fact thatit
is a contract based on overwhelming statistical knowledge and the
application of the theory of probability. With this in mind, there is
no gharar on the part of the insurer and the contract is permissible
with two conditions: that it contains no Riba clause and that its
subject (insured thing) be legitimate. These two conditions rule out
regular fixed return life insurance because the value of the policy is
the outcome of investment premiums at a compounded rate of interest,
(while variable - return life is permissible if the funds are invested
in the Shari'ah approved stocks or mutual funds). They also rule out
insuring a prohibited activity such as casinos.
The advocators of the second opinion argue that the gharar problem
applies only in exchange contracts. If the contract is modified and
restructure on the basis of cooperation or mutuality, where there will
be an association of the insured instead of a profit motivated insurer
company, the gharar is then tolerated. This is so because the relation
between the association and its members become based on contribution
or tabarru' rather than exchange and a tabarru' can accommodate
certainconditions ( i.e., that the association compensate in case a
hazardous eventhappens). On the basis of this all the "Islamic
insurance companies" were established.
In this regards, al-Zarka adds, that if a mutual or cooperative
insurance exists he prefers it to profit motivated insurance out of
his respect to the opinion of opponents. There is an old argument
(from the 1950s), even by those who oppose insurance, that whenever
insurance is forced by law, one must do it and one is excused, from
the Shari'ah point of view. This include car insurance, social
security,workman compensation, and employer's imposed insurance if it
is not optional for the employee to this we add another element that
if the insurance provided by the employer is paid completely from the
employer, i.e., given as a fringe benefit without deducting any part
of thepremium from the pay checks, then it is a kind of grant from the
employer and if a hazard happens the paid policy amount is halal
because the it is an outcome of the grant.
Now think for yourself: if your life insurance is onlyterm life, you
may apply the opinion of Sheikh al-Zarka, and if it is imposed by
employer, you also have room to accommodate, and if it is a grant from
employer it is also tolerated. Otherwise you need to see the specifics
of the contract you have and determine, in the light of the above
briefing, whether you keep or seek to withdraw from it."

NAMES IN THE QURAN:

First Category: Those Names found not in annexation nor in plural form,
but in Singular Word or Noun :
1. ALLAH , la Ilaha illa Huwa, i.e, there is no god but He:
The most common Name found in the Quran and Sunnah.
First proof in the Quran (1:1) meaning Surah (i.e, chapter) 1, and
Ayah (i.e, verse) 1.
2. Ar-RAHMAAN : (1:3)
3. Ar-RAHEEM : (1:3)
4. Al-MALIK : (59:23)
5. Al-QUDDUUS : (59:23)
6. AS-SALAAM : (59:23)
7. Al-MU'MIN : (59:23)
8. Al-MUHAYMIN : (59:23)
9. Al-AZEEZ : (59:23)
10. Al-JABBAAR : (59:23)
11. Al-MUTAKABBIR : (59:23)
12. Al-KHAALIQ : (59:24)
13. Al-BAARI' : (59:24)
14. Al-MUSAWWIR : (59:24)
15. Al-HAKEEM : (59:24)
16. Al-AWWAL : (57:3)
17. Al-AAKHIR : (57:3)
18. At-THAAHIR : (57:3)
19. Al-BAATIN : (57:3)
20. Al-HAYY : (2:255)
21. Al-QAYYUM : (2:255)
22. Al-ALIYY : (2:255)
23. Al-ATHEEM : (2:255)
24. Al-AHAD : (112:1)
25. As-SAMAD : (112:2)
26. Al-ALEEM : (22:59)
27. Al-HALEEM : (22:59)
28. Al-AFUW : (22:60)
29. Al-GHAFUUR : (22:60)
30. As-SAMEE' : (22:61)
31. Al-BASEER : (22:61)
32. Al-HAQQ : (22:62)
33. Al-KABEER : (22:62)
34. Al-LATEEF : (22:63)
35. Al-KHABEER : (22:63)
36. Al-GHANIYY : (22:64)
37. Al-HAMEED : (22:64)
38. Ar-RA'UUF : (22:65)
39. Al-WAAHID : (39:4)
40. Al-QAHHAAR : (39:4)
41. Al-GHAFFAAR : (39:5)
42. Al-WAHHAAB : (3:8)
43. Ar-RAZZAAQ : (51:58)
44. Al-MATEEN : (51:58)
45. Al-FATTAAH : (34:26)
46. Al-KAAFI : (39:36)
47. Al-HAKAM : (6:114)
48. As-SHAAKIR : (2:158)
49. As-SHAKUUR : (35:30)
50. Al-HAFEEDH : (11:57)
51. Al-HASEEB : (4:6)
52. Al-MUQEET : (4:85)
53. Al-KAREEM : (82:6)
54. Al-AKRAM : (96:3)
55. Al-QAREEB : (11:61)
56. Al-MUJEEB : (11:61)
57. Al-WAASI' : (2:115)
58. As-SHAHEED : (85:9)
59. Al-WADUUD : (85:14)
60. Al-MAJEED : (85:15)
61. Al-KAFEEL : (16:91)
62. Al-QAAHIR : (6:18)
63. Al-WAKEEL : (6:102)
64. Al-GHAALIB : (12:21)
65. Al-QAWIYY : (42:19)
66. Al-WALIYY : (42:28)
67. Al-MAWLAA : (47:11)
68. Al-MUBEEN : (24:25)
69. Al-MUHEEDH : (2:19)
70. Al-QAADIR : (75:40)
71. Al-MALEEK : (54:55)
72. Al-MUQTADIR : (54:55)
73. Al-MUTA'AAL : (13:9)
74. Al-BARR : (52:28)
75. At-TAWWAAB : (49:12)
76. Al-MUSTA'AAN : (21:112)
77. Al-KHALLAAQ : (15:86)
78. Al-QADEER : (2:284)
79. Al-HAADI : (25:31)
80. An-NASEER : (25:31)
81. Ar-RAQEEB : (4:1)
82. Al-A'LAA : (87:1)
Second Category: Those Names that were derived as they happened
in plural form though the meaning is singular since Allah is One:
83. Al-WAARITH : (15:23)
Third Category: Those Names found in annexation with other Nouns:
84. Al-ALLAAM : (5:109)
85. Al-FAATIR : (35:1)
86. Al-MUHYI : (41:39)
87. Ar-RABB : (1:2)
88. Al-MAALIK : (3:26)
89. Al-AALIM : (59:22)
90. Al-GHAAFIR : (40:3)
91. Al-BADEE' : (2:117)
92. An-NUUR : (24:35)
93. Al-JAAMI' : (3:9)
Fourth Category: Those Names found with 'Dhu' or 'Dhi' or 'Dhal':
94. Dhul Fadhl : (2:105)
95. Dhul Arsh : (85:15)
96. Dhil Ma'aarij : (70:3)
97. Dhul Jalali wal Ikram : (55:27)
98. Dhul Tawl : (40:3)
NAMES FOUND IN THE SUNNAH:
99. SUBBUUH (i.e, The Exalted):
A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of
Allah (Peace be upon him) would say while in Salaah in Ruku' (i.e,
bowing) and in Sujuud (i.e, prostrating):
' Subbuuh , Qudduus , Rabbul Malaaikah wa Ruuh '
(i.e, Exalted is He, Holy is He, Lord of the angels and the Ruuh ,
i.e, Jibreel) ."
(Related by Muslim; See Husnil Muslim of Qahtaani, #35)
100,101,102. QAYYIM, MUQADDIM, MU'AKHKHIR
(i.e, The Keeper, The Expeditor, The Delayer):
Ibn Abbaas (may Allah be pleasedwith him) reported: When the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) got up at night (for Tahajjud , i.e, latenight
prayer), he would say in Du'aa Istiftah (i.e, opening his prayer):
'O Allah! All Praise belongs to You,You are Nuur (i.e, The Light) of
the heavens and the earth and allthat is within them. All Praise is
due to You, You are Qayyim (i.e, The Keeper) of the heavens and the
earth and all that is within them. To You belongs all Praise, You are
Rabb (i.e, The Lord) of theheavens and the earth and all that is
within them. Praise be to You, to You belong the kingdom of the
heavens and the earth and all that is within them. Praise to You, You
are Malik (i.e, The King) of the heavens and the earth. And'Lakal
Hamdu' (i.e, All Praise due to You), You are Al-Haqq (i.e, The Truth),
Your promise is true, YourWord is true, meeting You (in thehereafter)
is true, Al-Jannah (i.e, the Garden of Paradise) is true, An-Naar
(i.e, Hellfire) is true, the Prophets are true, Muhammad (PBUH) is
true, and the Final Hour (of the end this world) is true. O Allah!
unto You I submit, in You I believe, upon You I rely, to You I turn in
repentance, for you I havefought, and to you I seek arbitration. So
forgive me of my sins: for what I have done in the past, and what will
come to pass,and what I have hidden, and what I have confessed, and
what You know better than me (of what I did or will do). You are
Al-Muqaddim (i.e, The One who favours and puts forward whom He
pleases), and You are Al-Mu'akhkhir (i.e, The One who delays and holds
back whom He pleases), there is no god but You,and You are my Ilah
(i.e, God), none has the right to be worshipped except You. " (Related
by Bukhari and Muslim and others; See Husnil Muslim of Qahtaani, #32)
103, 104. HANNAAN, MANNAAN (i.e,The Compassionate, The Benefactor):
Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I was sitting
in a gathering with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and a man was
standing for Salaah, after bowing and prostrating he sat. He said
Tashahhud and then supplicated saying, 'O Allah! Verily, I ask of You,
by the fact that to You belongs all Praise, there is no godexcept You,
You alone and You have no partners, Al-Mannaan (i.e,The Benefactor), O
Badee' (i.e, Originator) of the heavens and the earth, O Dhal Jalali
wal Ikram (i.e, Lord of Majesty, Bounty and Honour), O Hayy (i.e, The
Everliving) and O Qayyum (i.e, The Self-subsisting): Indeed I ask of
You Al-Jannah (i.e, The Garden of Paradise), and I seek refuge with
You from An-Naar (i.e, Hellfire)'. The Prophet (PBUH) said to his
companions, 'Do you know with what he had supplicated?' They said,
'Allah and His Messenger know best. He (PBUH) said, 'By Him in Whose
Hand is my soul! hehas supplicated Allah with His Greatest Name, The
One with Which if He is supplicated (in Duaa) He answers, and with
Which if He is asked He gives' ." (Related by Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi,
Nasaa'i, Ibn Maajah; Albaani declared it Sahih in 'Sifatu Salatu
Nabi'; See Husnil Muslim of Qahtaani, #64)
In a version of the same above hadith of Anas ibn Malik, related by
Imaam Ahmed in his Musnad: The Name of Allah Al-Hannaan (i.e,The
Compassionate), is there instead of Al-Mannaan (i.e, The Benefactor).
(Musnad, Vol. 3, p. 158; Albaani said it is Sahih in Mishkat Masaabih,
Kitab Da'wat,#2290; See Fath Rabbani by Ahmed Al-Banna, Vol. 14, p.
279)
105. AS-SHAAFI (i.e, The Curer or Healer):
A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: Whenever theProphet
(Peace and Blessings be upon him) paid a visit to a patient or a
patient was brought to him, he used to supplicate,
' O Allah! Rabbi Naas (i.e, Lord of Mankind)! Remove the trouble and
heal the patient, for You are As-Shaafi (i.e, The Healer). No healing
is of any avail but Yours, healing that will leave behind no trace'. "
(Related by Bukhari, Vol. 7, Kitab 'Dhib'; and Muslim in Kitab
'Salaam';
See Lu'lu wal Marjan, #1414)
106. HAYIYY (i.e, The Modest):
Salmaan Al-Faarisi (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The
Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Verily,
Allah (Most High) is Hayiyy (i.e, Modest), and Kareem (i.e, Generous),
and He is ashamed to turn away empty the hands of Hisslave when he
raises them to Him." (Related by Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah, and
Ahmed;See Sahih Jaami Sagheer of Albaani, #1757)
107. SITTEER (i.e, The One Who covers faults):
Ya'ala ibn Umayyah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The
Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Verily,
Allah is Hayiyy (i.e, Modest), and Sitteer (i.e, Covers faults), and
He loves modesty and covering other's faults." (Related by Abu Dawud,
Nasaa'i, and Ahmed; See Sahih Jaami Sagheer of Albaani,#1756)
108. TAYYIB (i.e, The Good):
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger
of Allah (Peace and Blessings be upon him) said, " Verily, Allah (Most
High) is Tayyib (i.e, Good), and He accepts only that which is good."
(Related by Muslim in Kitab 'Zakaah'; See Arba'iin Nawawi, #10)
109. RAFEEQ (i.e, The Kind):
A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of
Allah (Peace and Blessings be upon him) said, " Verily, Allah is
Rafeeq (i.e, Kind), and likes kindness in all matters." (Related by
Bukhari and Muslim; See Riyadh Saleheen of Nawawi,#633)
110. JAMEEL (i.e, The Beautiful or Elegant):
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The
Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings be upon him) said," 'Anyone
who has an iota of 'Kibr' (i.e, Pride and Arrogance) will not
Paradise'. Someone said, 'What about a man who likes to have nice
clothes and nice shoes?He (PBUH) replied, 'Verily, Allah is Jameel
(i.e, Beautiful), and He loves beauty (and elegance). 'Kibr' (i.e,
Pride and Arrogance) means rejecting the truth and looking down on
other people.' " (Related by Muslim; See Riyadh Saleheen of Nawawi,
#612)
111. MUHSIN (i.e, Doer of that which is best)
Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet
(Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, " If you discharge
judgment between people be just, and if you kill do itwell, verily,
Allah is Muhsin (i.e, Doer of that which is best), and He loves those
who do the best (i.e, the appropriate, or be just, or be humane, or be
more efficient)." (Related by Ibn Abi Aasim and Abu Nu'aim; See
Silsilah Sahihah of Albaani, #469)

The sublime creation of marine life forms

Marine mammals possess special bodily systems to allow themto survive
entirely in water.
Whales and dolphins represent the living group known as, "marine
mammals." These creatures are part of the mammal class because, just
likemammals on dry land, they give birth to and suckle their young,
use lungs for breathing, and heat their own bodies. However, since
they are mammals that livein the sea, their physical structures
arerather different to those of other mammals. They have special
bodily systemsdesigned for living entirely in water, thanks to which
they are able to swim for many kilometres without tiring and to see
everything in the water and on land with the same clarity. (Harun
Yahya, The Design in Nature)
The Ability to See Clearly in Different Environments
The eyes of whales and dolphins permit them to see in very different
surroundings. Their vision is equally perfect beneath and above the
water. A dolphin, for example, can leap 6 metres above the water and
easily seize a piece of food held up for it in the air. Yet, most
living creatures, human beings included, are unable to see very well
outside their own habitats, due to differences in the refraction of
light. Thedifference between the eyes of marine mammals and
terrestrial mammals are astonishingly detailed. On land, the potential
dangers facing the eye are physical impacts and dust. That is why
terrestrial mammals have eyelids. In a water environment, however, the
greatest dangers are salt levels,the pressure arising when diving down
to great depths, and damage due to marine currents. In order to avoid
direct contact with the current, the eyes are located on the sides
ofthe head. There is alsoa hard layer that protects the eye during
deep diving. Since the bottom of the sea is in darkness beneath a
depth of 9 metres, the eyes of marine mammals have been equipped with
various features allowing them to adapt to the darkness. For example,
the lens is perfectly spherical. Light-sensitive rod cells are more
numerous than cone cells, which are sensitive to colour anddetail. In
addition, there is a special phosphorus containing layer inside the
eye. That is why marine animals can see so well in the dark.
The Miracle of Life in Salt Water
Mammals, such as whales and dolphins, that live in the sea require
fresh water in order to survive. Unlike fish, however, they do not
meet that need using salt water. These mammals meet the greater part
of their water requirements by eating other living things that contain
only a third as much salt as the level in the oceans.
For marine mammals, with such restricted water resources, it is of the
greatest importance that as much water as possible be stored
andpreserved inside their bodies. The well-known scientific journal,
Scientific American, examined this important subjectunder the heading,
"How marine mammals drink salt water." In a statementin the magazine,
the marine biologist, Robert Kennedy, described how marinemammals
obtain the water they need from the food they consume. Kennedy noted
that marine mammals reduce the levels of salt in their bodies and
regulate the water in their blood by avoiding salty food particles
(Scientific American, July, 2001).
Research has shown that marine mammalsare able to preserve the fresh
water in their bodies, thanks tosolutions that are unique to them. In
order to avoid water loss, these creatures do not sweat since they
have no sweat glands in their skin. Their kidneys also reduce the
amount of water expelled in urine by maintaining a high level of urea
in the blood. Water loss is thereby reduced to a minimum.
Complex Mechanisms
These vital functions are obviously essential to marine mammals'
survival. However, it is impossible for them to have thought of
anddiscovered all these finely-tuned details of their own will. These
creatures possess no intelligence with which to choose what they will
eat or to maintain the water in their bodies. Even if they did possess
such intelligence, it would still be impossible for them to construct
the complex mechanisms in question inside their own bodies. All these
solutions, the product of intelligence, are signs of creation revealed
tous by science that we encounter in a great many living things. There
is no doubt that it is Almighty Allah, Lord of the Worlds, who creates
marine mammals and inspires them with how to maintain the levels of
water in theirbodies.
The Interesting Way That Marine Mammals Sleep
How do marine mammals, that spend their entire lives in the water,
manage to sleep without drowning?
A team led by Bruce Hecker, director of the South Carolina Aquarium,
investigated the answer to this question and revealedtwo basic methods
of sleeping.
Marine mammals either rest silently in ahorizontal or vertical
position in the water, or else sleep while slowly swimming alongside
another animal. Dolphins, which live alone, tend to sleep more deeply
and at night. This is known as "logging," because, in this state, the
dolphin resemblesa log floating on the surface of the water. When
marine mammals sleep and swim at the same time, this is known as
"napping." Young whales and dolphins rest and sleep by being drawn
into the slipstreams created bytheir mothers, known as "echelon
swimming." At these times, the mother is also able to sleep while
moving. Adult male dolphins, on the other hand, usually travel in
pairs and swim side by side when sleeping. Females and youngsters
travel in larger groups, or pods.They are able to rest in the same
general area or else pair up with companionable animals to sleep
whileswimming.
When sleeping, these animals shut down half of their brains, together
with the opposite eye. The other half of the brain remains awake at a
low level of alertness. This attentive side is employed to watch out
for predators, obstacles, and other animals. At the same time, it also
emits a signal telling the animal when to rise tothe surface for fresh
air. After some two hours or so, the animal reverses the situation,
resting the attentive half of the brain and activating the other. This
model is generally referred to as "cat-napping." Dolphins generally
sleep at night, once, and for a period of only a few hours. Theyare
generally active during the later hours of the night, probably
matching this period of wakefulness to catch fish and squid.
There can be no doubtthat it is Almighty Allah who bestows these
systems on marine mammals. Allah has created these life forms with the
ideal characteristics to permit them to survive. Our responsibility is
to have sure and certain faith in our Lord and to be able to see the
manifest evidence of His existence on Earth:
"And in your creation and all the creatures He has spread about there
are Signs for people with certainty."(Surat Al-Jathiyya,4)