Secret to True Love: Meaning of True Love in Islam

I once had a friend who grew to be very close to me. Once when we were
sitting at the edge of a swimming pool, she filledthe palm of her hand
with some water and held it before me, and said this: "You see this
water carefully containedon my hand? It symbolizes Love."
This was how I saw it: As long as you keep your hand caringly open and
allow it to remain there, it will always be there. However, if you
attempt to close your fingers round it and try to possesit, it will
spill through thefirst cracks it finds.
This is the greatest mistake that people do when they meet love...
they try to posses it, they demand, they expect... and just like the
water spilling out of your hand,love will retrieve from you. For love
is meant to be free, you cannot change its nature. If there are people
you love, allow them to be free beings.
Give and don't expect. Advise, but don't order. Ask, but never demand.
It might sound simple, but it is a lesson that maytake a lifetime to
truly practice. It is the secret totrue love. To truly practice it,
you must sincerely feel no expectations from those who you love, and
yet an unconditional caring.
A good companion is not like the rain, which comes and goes. It's like
the air, sometimes very quite!
If you love something, setit free; if it comes back it's yours, if it
doesn't, it never was. Richard Bach

Man: The living machine

The human body, a totally separate world ofits own, resembles a living
"machine." Inside that machine there is equipment with a technology
far superior to any advanced technology outside, specialized elements
displaying consciousness, by the will of Allah, fully equipped
soldiers and many other systems. It is our Lord, Almighty Allah, Lord
of the Worlds, who creates this order in the systems in the body and
the sublime design visible at every point.
BRAIN / COMPUTER
Every nerve cell possesses special units for transmitting data. All by
itself, the brain is capable of performing the work of 4.5 million
transistors that permit the transmission of data by the microprocessor
ina good computer. This figure is very low compared to the 10 billion
nerve cells engaged in the electricalexchange of informationin the
brain. In addition, while the brain is able toperceive taste and smell
signals, there is as yet noproduct of industry capable of doing this.
MUSCLE AND BONE / CENTRAL HEATING-AIR CONDITIONING
The movement of the muscles warms the body in cold weather. In this
way the muscles are ableto provide 90% of body heat. Perspiration, on
the other hand, functions as an ideal cooling mechanism in the event
of overheating. These two complementary systems work to keep the body
temperature stable under all circumstances. This system works much
faster, and with much better results, than any central heating or air
conditioning system.
HORMONES / THE MAIL SYSTEM
Everything in the body isin a state of communication. Many messages
consist of hormones, made up of large molecules. There is no
destination address on the message packet carried by hormones, which
travel freely through the circulatory system and neurons. Yet,the
package still reaches its destination because the organs to open it
areequipped with special receptors to capture these messages.
KIDNEYS/ PURIFICATION FACILITIES
Thanks to up to a millionmini-filters known as nephrons, the human
kidney filters 140 liters of blood a day. Over the course of 80 years
around 1 deciliter a minute (one-tenth of a liter) is constantly
subjected to this filtration process. Processing facilities, used for
industrial wastes, have a greater capacity than that of kidneys.
However, their life spans are incomparably shorter. Moreover, the
structure of the substances being filtered is much simpler than that
of blood. The kidney has a far more complex and efficient system than
any filtration facility
THE HEART / PUMPING SYSTEMS
The heart starts beating while still in the mother's womb and works
non-stop at a rateof 70-200 beats a minutethroughout one's life. It
rests for at least half a second between beats. Itbeats approximately
10,000 times a day. At the time of resting, the heart of someone
weighing 60 kilos pumpsan average of 6.5 liters of blood. During one's
life time the heart pumps enough blood to fill 500 swimming pools with
a volume of 300 m3. Man-made pumping systems are unable to function as
efficiently without requiring any maintenance.
ARM / LEVER
The arm works like a lever. It uses the elbow as a fulcrum and
establishes movement bystretching and contracting the muscles. Levers
operate on the same principle. Yet, Levers have to show the same
effort no matter what weight is involved,whereas the arm muscles are
capable of adjusting their contraction accordingly.
EYE / CAMERA
The retina layer in the eye is the most light-sensitive of all known
materials. Different typesof light-perceiving cells are arranged so as
to provide the best image of the field of vision. Theeye also focuses
automatically and adjusts its sensitivity according to the intensity
of light outside.Such features make the eye far more superior to any
camera or photographic equipment in the world.
EAR / HI-FI
Hairy cells in the human inner ear convert vibrations in the air into
electrical signals, like a microphone. The ear only perceives sounds
between frequencies of 20-20,000 Hz. This range is the ideal specially
selected for human beings. If the human hearing range had been any
wider, we would be able to detect the footsteps of an ant walking on
the ground or the high-frequency sound waves in the atmosphere. Living
in such a constant state of noise would mean that human beings would
never enjoy neither peace nor comfort.
IMMUNE SYSTEM / ARMY
Our organisms are beingprotected by some 200 billion lymphocytes
(white blood corpuscles). These have intelligence systems, lethal
weapons and particular war strategies, similar to thatof soldiers.
Nevertheless,no army in the world is as accurate, flawless, and
successful as the immune system. (Harun Yahya, SIGNS OF GOD Design in
Nature)
CELL / ENGINE
In terms of fuel, the cell is a very economical engine. It burns small
molecules namely ATP as fuel. The efficiency it maintains in using
these molecules is greater than that of any engine. The cell also
performs various and highly complex functions whichtechnological
devices are not able to perform.

The background of suicide bombers who claim to act in the name of Islam

Following the World War II, the the psyche and minds of the people
living in Islamic countries in the the Middle East were affected by
the post war era and introduction of Communism . This new outlook,
which was in no way compatible with the tenets of Islam, was
stealthily changing the mindset of people on these lands that were
once shaped with the beautiful values of the Qur'an for centuries.
This also had its impact on the nascent political structures
gradually forming in the region.
Given this history, the dreadful state of Syria in our modern day
cannot be attributed to Islam. It is surely a legacy of the
communist ideology that was planted in those lands whose borders
were artificially created following the collapse of the Ottoman
Empire. In the absence of a ruling system predicated on Islamic
tenets like that of the Ottoman Empire, the countries that emerged
became vulnerable to ideologies that were either Western or
Eastern, (Communist Soviet Union and China), and did not value or
give importance to the ideas of love, brotherhood, and compassion,
or simply humane ideas.
Syria is just one example. When Hafez Assad came to power with the
Ba'ath Party in the 1960s, the state started to exert violence over
its own people. This type of harsh and cold rule by the Ba'ath party
became widely known in the world as the news of the horrible Hama
massacre dominated the international headlines of the press.
Syria was not the only country in the Middle East that was subjected
to the inhuman practices of the Ba'ath Party. The Party also became
influential in Egypt and Iraq. Meanwhile other Arab countries
including Iran silently came under the sway of communist China.
Another part of the Middle East whose roots were detached from
Islam and surrendered itself to communism was Palestine. The
al-Fatah movement that had grown in this country was not hiding the
ideology by which it was acting upon.
The conflicts and bloodshed that raged throughout the Middle East
were a result of communism coupled with Arab nationalism that
steadily intensified. Withn the regimes that identified with
communism and socialism, it is then not surprising that such
violent developments would take place, it is actually a part of the
normal course of events.
These countries - as systems and individuals – having gone through a
transformation to communism and socialism, and departed Islam still
kept their names as "Islamic Republics", and were thus always
identified with Islam. This being the case, all the crimes,
murders, mass killings perpetrated by these regimes and individuals
were always incorrectly attributed to Islam and Muslims.
A suicide bomber is a typical example. A suicide attack happening
in any corner of the world today is being identified incorrectly
with Islam and it is perceived by the West, especially those who
are unfamiliar with the tenets of Islam, as a practice encouraged
by the religion of Islam.
Islam, however, is a religion that gives the utmost value to human
life. It is a religion based upon humanity, love, compassion,
brotherhood, tolerance, justice, and peace. It treats the "human
being" as a very precious being. Communism, on the other hand, is a
savage system that in no way appreciates an individual as a human
being. It is founded on the tenets of Darwinism and the theory of
evolution, which incorrectly expounds social darwinism, namely that
the strong are eligible to survive while the weak are doomed to
perish. Thus one should not be surprised by the actions of
communists, since it is a system based on a cruel set of ideas.
Therefore communist regimes do not hesitate to kill people, even if
they are of their own nation, race or ethnicity. Indeed, killing
people is such an indispensable and inherent part of this system
that, committing suicide or taking part in suicide bombings,
becomes acceptable, while it is openly an outrageous act condemned
by God in the Qur'an.
According to Islam, suicide is an unlawful act no different from
killing another person. In other words, committing suicide equates
to murder. It is God Who gives life to a person and it is only He
Who can take back that life. A person does not have the right to
kill himself thinking that it is his own life and thus he can decide
when to put an end to that life. Therefore a person who is ready to
kill innocent children, women, that is anyone, together with
himself, openly acts against the provisions of the Qur'an and thus
can by no means be a Muslim. Such a person's mind and soul is
totally divorced from Islam and thus Islam cannot be held
accountable for such crimes.
As we have seen, individuals, communities and systems in the Middle
East of today have gone through a grand transformation. The norms
that shaped the behavior of the citizents of the Middle Eastern
countries aare no longer purely based on Islam. Communism,
socialism and other ideologies that are completely against Islam
have entered the equation and have been influencing them for a
quite long time. Since this is the root cause of radical and
extremist mindsets, one has to reflect and think deeply about the
underlying motivations for the behavior of radicals and extremists
in order to make a correct judgment, otherwise we would attribute a
false label on an entire religion.

About the rank and position of Holy Quran in the Islamic Traditions

Learning and teaching, reading and memorizing,planning and acting on
the contents, there are numerous traditions in the Sunni and Shiite
sources that its studying can display and manifest the importance and
greatness of the Heavenly book. These traditions have been compiled in
the books of traditions under the headings of "books of traditions",
the "book of the excellence of Holy Quran", and the "book ofthe Merits
of Holy Quran".The commentators of Holy Quran especially the
commentators living in the beginning of Islam have narrated these
traditions in their books. In addition to the above, some of the
earlier scholars have made efforts to write books under the heading
of"the book of the Fazl-ul-Quran or the book of Navader-ul-Quran."
Ofcourse, some of these writings could not be transferred to the other
periods. But, in the periods of recent scholars, the late Allama
Majlisi has allocated a part of the nineteenth volume of his
book"Bihar al-Anwar" to the Book of Holy Quran. This part has been
printed in the volumes 89 and 90. Besides, this point that this part
of the book of Bihar al-Anwar, like the other parts of this
magnificent treasure, notonly includes numerous writings of scholars
of the earlier centuries, but implicitly it contains many traditions
from Holy Prophet Muhammad(saw) and the Holy Imams(as). It is a very
useful reference.
Lastly, in the selection of the traditions of these writings, great
emphasis has been laid on selecting the short Quranic traditions. In
some cases, a part of the tradition has been mentioned from summary
viewpoint. We have refrained from mentioning the reference of the
traditionso that it will be easier toread or memorize them. But, those
interested for finding the references of every tradition can refer to
their sources.
01 - The superiority and excellence of the Holy Quran.
a) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw)said:
"The superiority and preference of the Holy Quran on all other books
and sayings is the same as the superiority of Almighty over His
creatures."
b) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"The Holy Quranis superior and excellent to everything other than
Almighty Allah (SWT)."
c) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"One who reads the Holy Quran, then he imagines that somebody (else)
has received better and superior than him, then most certainly he has
considered it insignificant the thing that is honorable and great
before the Almighty."
d) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"Whenever mischief and seditions surround you like a part of the
darkness of the night then (take refuge and) go towards the Holy
Quran."
e) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"The Holy Quran is a wealth that no wealth can equal (or reach) it.
And there will be no poverty after it."
02 - the Comprehensiveness and value of Holy Quran.
a) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"The Book of the Almighty comprises of the narratives and incidents of
the ancients; the news of the future ones; and the rules and
regulations amongst you.The Holy Quran was the measure and weight of
the truth and falsehood and it is not facetious and in vain."
b) Ameerul Momineen Ali (as)said:
"The Holy Quran is beautiful apparently and it is deep and profound
inwardly. Its wonder is everlasting and the curtains of darkness will
not be removed when refraining from it."
03 - Learning and teaching the Holy Quran.
a) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"The best of you are those who have learned the Holy Quran and teachto
the others".
b) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"One who teaches an Ayat of the Holy Quran, the Sawab (good deed) will
be earned and returned to them so long as the Ayat is being recited."
c) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"For the teacher of the Holy Quran, all the particles of the world
seek forgiveness and supplicate for him even the fishes of the
oceans."
d) Ameerul Momineen Ali (as) said:
"Learn and study (Holy) Quran. It is the best of the sayings. Peruse
and think and deliberate on it as it is the spring of thehearts."
e) Imam Jafar Sadiq (as)said:
"It is deserving and worthy of a believer that he should not depart
from this world but that he has learned the (Holy) Quran or is in the
path of learning it."
f) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"The (Holy) Quran is the (dining) table of the Almighty. Therefore,
utilize it and learn as far as possible."
04 - The Recitation of TheHoly Quran; Its Effect and Its Usefulness.
a) The best of the worships is the recitationof the (Holy) Quran. The
traditions that have beennarrated about reward and good deeds for the
recitation of the Holy Quran is considered as the best of worships. It
is important to mention that during the period ofHoly Prophet
Muhammad(saw); the learning of theword and meaning of the Holy Quran
was considered jointly. Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) recommended the
recitation of the Holy Quran along with understanding their meanings.
The conduct of Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) shows us that he would
teach ten Ayats of the Holy Quran to his companions and till the time
they would not learn and understand the practical rules and science of
the ten Ayats, he would not commence the next ten Ayats. Thus, the
reader ofthe Holy Quran was aware and well conversant of their
meanings.
b) Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said:
"The Quran is the covenant and programs the Almighty for His
creatures. It is deserving that every Muslim should look at this
divinely testament every day and recite fifty Ayats from them every
day."
c) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"One who recites ten Ayats of the (Holy) Quran during the night is
from amongst the negligent and the heedless. One who recites fifty
Ayats is from amongst the recites and commemorators. One who recites
hundredAyats is from amongst the humble and meek ones. One who recites
two hundred Ayats will be counted from amongst the one who fears the
Almighty and from amongst the specialones. One who recites three
hundred Ayats will be from amongst the delivered and saved ones. And
one who recites five hundred Ayats, he will be from amongst the
jurisprudents."
d) Ameerul Momineen Ali (as) said:
"In the day of Resurrection, it will be said to the reciter of the
Holy Quran (Qaari) that recite (The Holy Quran) and step above. Recite
as you have recited in the (previous) world. Your status and position
is up to the last Ayats that you have recited."
e) Ameerul Momineen Ali (as) said:
"One who recites the (Holy) Quran is like the one on whose heart has
been inserted the Prophet hood except that"Wahi" (revelations) have
not been revealed for him."
f) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said to Salman Mohammadi:
"O Salman! Upon you be about the recitation of the (Holy) Quran. Its
recitation is kaffarah (atonement) of sins."
g) Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said:
"One who recites the Holy Quran and he is a young believer, then his
body and blood will be blended and mixed with it."
H) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"Surely, these hearts are rusts like rusted irons. Surely (the thing)
which gives it luster and polish is the recitation of the (Holy)
Quran."
05 - The ways and the Manners of The Recitation of The Holy Quran.
a) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"Discharge (your duty towards the Holy) Quran in a good way and search
for its wonders and strangeness."
b) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"Recite the (Holy) Quran in the tone of the Arabs and with their
dialects and accents."
c) Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said:
"The (Holy) Quran has been revealed in a sad and sorrowful manner. So,
you also recite it humbly and sadly."
d) Ameerul Momineen Ali (as) said:
"During the recitation of the (Holy) Quran, express it in a good
manner. And do not hurry in it like as reciting the poems and do not
scatter it like the pebbles." But, install fear and alarm in your hard
hearts through it. Your efforts should not be thatyou should recite
and reach the end of the Ayat.
e) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"Learn the (Holy) Quran in Arabic. Refrain from adding an extra word
or alphabet in it."
06 - The Recitation Of TheHoly Quran in a beautiful and Melodious Tone.
a) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"For everything there is an adornment and a decoration. The adornment
of the (Holy) Quran is a beautiful voiceand tone."
b) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"Adorn and decorate the (Holy) Quran with your (good) voice."
c) It was asked from Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) that which of the
peoples voice in the recitation of the (Holy) Quran is better. He
said;"The voice of that person is better who while reciting the Holy
Quran and his recitation reaches you, you feel that he is feaful of
Allah."
d) Imam Ali al-Hadi (as)said:
" Ali ibn Hussein (Zainul Abedin)would recite the (Holy) Quran in
such a beautiful voice the passer byes who would pass from his house
would swoon and (would be overcome) by his voice."
e) Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said:
While interpreting the Ayat of the Holy Quran,"The meaning of this
Ayat is that one should recite the Holy Quran in a slow and pauseful
manner and make your voice beautiful with its recitation."
07 - Memorizing The Holy Quran and Its Effects.
a) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"The most honorable andnoble from amongst my Ummat are the memorizers
of the (Holy) Quran and those who (stay) awake (for worshipping)."
b) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"The carriers of the (Holy)Quran are those who are included and
covered by the Mercy of Allah."
c) Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said:
"Recite the (Holy) Quran and memorize it. Allah will not punish the
heart in which the Quran has been placed (in it)."
d) Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said:
"The memorizer of the Quran and the one who acts on it will be the
companions with the preferable divine ambassadors - the Angels."
e) And from amongst the Duas and supplications ofImam Jafar Sadiq (as):
"O Allah, select and approve for us two works: to recite the Quran in
a good manner and to memorize their Ayats."
f) Imam Musa Kazim (as)narrates from Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) who said:
"The carriers of the (Holy)Quran are the learned persons of the
inhabitants of the Heavens."
08 - The Recitation of TheHoly Quran While Looking At The Moshaf.
a) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"Looking at the Moshaf (Holy Quran) is (considered as) worship."
As per some traditions, Moshaf is a name, which has been ascribed to
the Holy Quran. This word has not come in the Holy Quran in this form,
but itsderivative of "Sohof" has been used in the Holy Quran on 8
occasions.
b) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"The recitation of the Holy Quran from the Moshaf (Book) is better
that its recitation from memory."
c) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"Nothing is more difficultand harder for the Shaitan than the
recitation of the Quran from the Moshaf (book)."
d) Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said:
"One who recites the Quran from the Moshaf (Book) then his eyes will
enjoy and profit (from itsgood deeds and blessings)."
09 - The Recitation Of TheHoly Quran And Contemplating And Deliberating On It.
a) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"Woe is upon the one who recites the divine Ayats, but dose not
contemplates and thinks about it."
b) Ameerul Momineen Ali (as) said:
"Beware, there is no good in recitation (of theHoly Quran) and not
deliberating and thinking on it."
c) Ameerul Momineen Ali (as) said:
"Learn the (Holy) Quran as it is the best of the speeches and think
and reflect on it as it is the spring of the hearts."
d) Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) while interpreting the Ayats of the Holy
Quran, the right to the recitationof the Quran is thinking and pause
over every Ayat, which propounds about the Heaven and the Hell.
10 - The Recitation of TheHoly Quran And Acting OnIt.
a) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"How numerous are the reciters of the Holy Quran, and the Holy Quran
curses them."
b) Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:
"The one who does not consider the Haram (forbidden) acts of the Holy
Quran as Halal (permissible) does not believe and has no faith in the
Holy Quran."
c) The one who learns the Holy Quran and does not act on it, Allah
(SWT) will raise him as a blind (person) on the day of Resurrection."
d) Ameerul Momineen Ali (as) said:
"By Allah, pay attention to the Holy Quran. It should not be that
othersovertake and take precedence over you in acting and practicing
(onthe Quran)."
e) Imam Ali Reza (as)said:
"(Quran) is the word of Allah (SWT). Do not exceed and trespass
fromits boundary. Do not seekguidance other than from its shadow and
protection or you will be deviated and misguided."
f) Ameerul Momineen Ali (as) said:
"One who recites the (Holy Quran) and then enters the Hell, he is
fromthose who have ridiculedand mocked at the Ayats of the Holy
Quran."