The exemplary justice of the Prophet (saas)

In the Qur'an, Allah commands believers to"Be upholders of justice,
bearing witness for Allahalone, even against yourselves or your
parents and relatives. Whether they are rich orpoor, Allah is well
able tolook after them. Do not follow your own desires and deviate
from the truth..."(Surat an-Nisa': 135). With the rules he imposed on
Muslims, his just and tolerant attitude towards those of other
religions, languages, races and tribes, and his way of not
discriminating between rich and poor, but treating everybody equally,
Allah's Messenger (saas) is a great example to all of mankind. Allah
says this to His Prophet (saas) in one verse:
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)
The Prophet (saas) abided by Allah's commands, even with such
difficult people, and never made any concessions in his implementation
of justice. He became an example for all times with the words,"My
Lordhas commanded justice…"(Surat al-A'raf: 29).
A number of incidents testify to the Prophet (saas)'s justice. He
lived in a place where people of different religions, languages, races
and tribes all co-existed. It was very difficult for those societies
to live together in peace and security, and to check those who sought
to spread dissension. One group could grow aggressive towards and even
attack another over the slightest word or action. Yet, the justiceof
the Prophet (saas) was a source of peace and security for those other
communities, just as much as it was for Muslims. During the timeof the
Prophet (saas), Christians, Jews and pagans were all treated equally.
The Prophet (saas) abided by the verse"There is no compulsion where
the religion is concerned…"(Surat al-Baqara: 256), explaining the true
religion to everyone, butleaving them free to make up their own minds.
In another verse, Allah revealed to the Prophet (saas) the kind of
justice and and conciliation he needed to adopt towards those of other
religions:
So call and go straight asyou have been ordered to. Do not follow
their whims and desires but say, "I believe in a Book sent down by
Allah and I am ordered to be just between you. Allah is our Lord and
your Lord. We have our actions andyou have your actions. There is no
debate between us and you. Allah will gather us all together. He is
our final destination."(Surat ash-Shura: 15)
This noble attitude of the Prophet (saas), beingin total harmony with
the morality of the Qur'an, should be taken as an example of how
members of different religions today should be treated.
The Prophet (saas)'s justice brought about understanding between
people of different races. In many of his addresses, even in his final
sermon, the Prophet (saas) stated that superiority lay not in race but
in godliness as Allah states in the verse:
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 that one of you who best
performs his duty. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.(Surat al-Hujurat:
13)
Two hadiths report the Prophet (saas) as saying:
"You are sons of Adam, and Adam came from dust. Let the people cease
to boast about their ancestors." ( 1)
"These genealogies of yours are not a reason torevile anyone. You are
all children of Adam. No one has any superiority over another except
in religion and taqwa (godliness)." (2)
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." (3)
The agreement made with the Christians of Najran in the south of the
Arabian Peninsula was another fine example of the justice ofthe
Prophet (saas). One of the articles in the agreement reads:
"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." (4)
The Compact of Medina, signed by the Muslim immigrants from Mecca, the
indigenous Muslims of Medina and the Jews of Medina is another
important example of justice. 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
relevantarticle reads:
"The Jews of Banu 'Awf are one nation with the Muslims; the Jews have
their religion and the Muslims have theirs…" (5)
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." (6)The
Prophet(saas)'s companions remained true to that article in the
treaty, evenafter his death, and evenpracticed it with regard to
Berbers, Buddhists, Brahmans and people of other beliefs.
One of the main reasons why the golden age of Islam was one of peace
and security was the Prophet (saas)'s just attitude, itself a
reflection of Qur'anic morality.
The justice of the Prophet (saas) also awoke feelings of confidence in
non-Muslims, and many, including polytheists, asked to be taken under
his protection. Allah revealed the following request from the
polytheists in the Qur'an,and also told the Prophet (saas) of the
attitude he should adopttowards such people:
If any of the idolators ask you for protection, give them protection
until they have heard the words of Allah. Then convey them to a place
where they are safe. That is because they are a people who do not
know. How could any of the idolators possibly have a treaty with Allah
and with His Messenger, except for those you made a treaty with at the
Masjid al-Haram? As long as they are straight with you, be straight
with them. Allah loves those who do their duty.(Surat at-Tawba: 6-7)
In our day, the only solution to the fighting and conflict going on
all over the world is to adopt the morality of the Qur'an, and, like
the Prophet (saas), never to depart from the path of justice, making
no distinction between different religions, languages, or races. The
Prophet (saas)'s human love, kind thought and compassion, which turned
those around him to true religion and warmed their hearts to faith, is
that superior morality which all Muslims should seek to reproduce.
(For further reading about the attributes of the Prophet(saas), see
"The Prophet Muhammad (saas)" by Harun Yahya)
1 Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 41, Number 5097
2 Ahmad, 158/4
3 Prophet Muhammad's Last Sermon ( http://www.stanford.ed u/~jamila/Sermon.html)
4 The Pact of Najran, Article 6, http://www.islamicresou
rces.com/Pact- of-Najran.htm
5 The Constitution of Madina, http://www.islamic-
study.org/jews-prophet- p.-2.htm
6 The Constitution of Madina, http://www.islamic-
study.org/jews-prophet- p.-2.htm

Design in nature

Let's think of an aspirin pill for a moment; you will immediately
recall the mark in the middle of it. This mark is designed in order to
help those who intake half a dose. Every product that we see around us
is of a certain design even though not as simple as the aspirin pill.
Everything from vehicles we use to go to work, to TV remotes.
"Design", briefly, means a harmonious assembling of various parts into
an orderly form towards a commongoal. Going by this definition, one
would have no difficulty in guessing that a car is a design. This is
because there is a certain goal, which is to transport people and
cargo. In realization of this goal various parts such as the engine,
tires and body are planned and assembled in the plant.
However, what about a living creature? Can a bird and mechanics of
itsflying be a design as well? Before giving an answer, let us repeat
theevaluation we did for the example of a car. Thegoal at hand, in
this case, is to fly. For this purpose, hollowed bones, strong muscles
that move these bones are utilized together with feathers capable of
suspending in the air. Wings are formed aerodynamically, and
metabolism is in tune with the bird's need for high levels of energy.
It is obvious that the bird is product of a certain design.
If one explores other creatures besides a bird, similar facts are
attained. There are examples of a certain meticulous design in every
creature. If one continues further on thisquest, one would discover
that our selves are also a part of this certain design. Your hands
that hold these pages are functional as no robot hands could ever be.
Your eyes that read these lines are making vision possible with such
focus that the best camera on earth simply cannot.
Hence one arrives at this important conclusion;all creatures in
Nature, including us, are of a Design. This, in turn, shows the
existence of a Creator Who designs all creatures at will, sustainsthe
entire nature and holds absolute power and wisdom.
However, this truth is rejected by the theory ofevolution that was
formed in the middle of 19th century. The theory set forth in Charles
Darwin's book "On The Origin of Species" asserts that all creatures
evolved within a chain of coincidences and essentially mutated fromone
another.
According to the fundamental assertion of this theory all living
things go through minute and coincidental changes. If these
coincidental changes help the creature then it gains advantage over
the others, which in turnis carried onto followinggenerations.
This scenario has been passed around as if it is a very scientific and
convincing one for 140 years. When scrutinized under a bigger
microscope and when compared against the examples of the Design in
creatures Darwin's theory paints a very different picture i.e.
Darwinism's explanationof creation is nothing more than a
self-conflicting vicious circle.
Let us first focus on the"coincidental changes". Darwin could not
provide a comprehensive definition to this concept due to lack of
genealogical knowledgein his time. The evolutionists who followed him
put forth the concept of"mutation" on this subject. Mutation is
arbitrary disconnections,dislocation or shifts of genes in living
things. Most important point is that there is not one single mutation
in history that is shown to improve the condition ofgenetic
information of a creature. Nearly all the known cases of mutations
disable or harm these creatures and the rest are neutral in effect.
Therefore, to think that a creature canimprove through mutation is
same as shooting at a crowd of people and hope that the injuries will
result in healthier and improved individuals. This would clearly be
nonsense.
As importantly, on contrary to all the scientific data, even if one
assumes that a certain mutation could actually improve a being's
condition, Darwinism still cannot be delivered from inevitable
collapse. The reason for this is a concept called"irreducible
complexity".
The implication of this concept is that majority of systems and organs
inliving things function as a result of various independent parts
working together, elimination or disabling of even one of which would
be enough to disable the entire systemor organ.
For example, an ear perceives sounds only through a chain reactionof a
series of smaller organs. Take out or deform one of these, e.g.one of
the bones of the middle ear, and there would be no hearing whatsoever.
In order for an ear to perceive a variety of components such as
auditory meatus,malleous, incus and stapes bones, tympanic membrane,
cochlea and fluid, sensory cells, vibration sensor extensions of these
cells, net of nerves that connect to brain and hearing center in the
brain have to work together without exception.
The system could not have developed in segments because none of the
segments could possibly function alone at all.
Hence the concept of irreducible complexity demolishes the theory
ofevolution from its foundations. What is really interesting is the
fact that Darwin also worried about these very prospects. He wrotein
OnThe Origin of Species:
"If the impossibility of formation of a complex organ through a series
of small changes was ever to be proven my theory would have certainly
collapsed. However I could not findsuch an organ..."(CharlesDarwin,The
Origin of Species: A Facsimile of the First Edition, HarvardUniversity
Press, 1964, page 189.)
Darwin could not or might not have wanted to find such an organ at the
premature levels of 19th century science. However the science of 20th
century did study the nature down to minute details and proved that
majority of living structures embodyirreducible complexity. Therefore,
Darwin's theory has most"certainly collapsed" just as he feared.
As we examine the livingbeings we will not only see an immense error
Darwinism makes but also witness the greatness of wisdom that these
systems were created with. These mechanisms will be found anywhere
from the wings of a bird to inside a bat's skull. Hence we will see
the indisputable evidences of God's creation without error. Likewise,
the power and faculty ofGod to create without error is expressed in a
surah of Qur'an as follows:
"He is God - the Creator, the Maker, the Giver of Form. To Him belong
the Most Beautiful Names. Everything in the heavens and earth
glorifies Him. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise."(Qur'an, Al-Hashr,
59:24)

The pacifism of Islam

According to the Koran, war represents an"unwanted obligation" which
has to be absolutely carried out with strict observance ofparticular
humane and moral values and resorted only when it is inevitable.
In a verse, it is explainedthat those who start wars are the
disbelieversand that God does not approve wars:
…Each time they kindle the fire of war, Allah extinguishes it. They
rush about the earth corrupting it. Allah does not love
corrupters.(Surat al-Ma'ida: 64)
A closer examination of Prophet Muhammad's life reveals that war is a
method resorted for defensive purposes only in unavoidable situations.
The revelation of the Koran to Prophet Muhammad lasted for 23years.
During the first 13 years of this period, Muslims lived as a minority
under a pagan rule in Mecca and faced much oppression. Many Muslims
were harassed, abused, tortured, and even murdered, their houses and
possessions were plundered. Despitethis however, Muslims led their
lives without resorting to any violenceand always called pagans to
peace.
When the oppression of pagans escalated unbearably, Muslims emigrated
to the town of Yathrib, which was later to be renamed Medina, where
they could establish their own order in a more friendly and free
environment. Even establishing their own political system did not
prompt them to take up weapons against aggressive pagans of Mecca.
Only after the following revelation, theProphet commanded his people
to get prepared for war:
Permission to fight is given to those who are fought against because
they have been wronged - truly God has the power to come to their
support - those who were expelled fromtheir homes without anyright,
merely for saying, 'Our Lord is God'…(Surat al-Hajj: 39-40)
In brief, Muslims were allowed to wage war only because they were
oppressed and subjectedto violence. To put it in another way, God
granted permission for war only for defensive purposes. In other
verses, Muslims are warned against use of unnecessary provocationor
unnecessary violence:
Fight in the Way of God against those who fight you, but do not go
beyond the limits. God does not love those who go beyond the
limits.(Surat al-Baqara: 190)
After the revelations of these verses, wars occurred between Muslims
and pagan Arabs. In none of these wars, however, were theMuslims the
inciting party. Furthermore, Prophet Muhammad established a secure and
peaceful social environment for Muslimsand pagans alike by signing a
peace agreement (Hudaybiya) which conceded to the pagans most of their
requests. The party who violated the terms of theagreement and started
anew war was again the pagans. However, with rapid conversions into
Islam, the Islamic armies attained great power against the pagan Arabs
and Prophet Muhammadconquered Mecca without bloodshed and in a spirit
of tolerance. Ifhe willed, he could have taken revenge on paganleaders
in the city. Yet, he did not do harm to any one of them, forgave them
and treated them with the utmost tolerance. Pagans, who would
laterconvert to Islam by their own will, could not help admiring such
noble character of the Prophet.
The Islamic principles God proclaims in the Koran account for this
peaceful and temperate policy of Prophet Muhammad. In the Koran, God
commands believers to treat even the non-Muslims kindly and justly:
...God does not forbid you from being good to those who have not
fought you over religionor driven you from your homes, or from being
just towards them. God loves those who are just.God merely forbids you
from taking as friends those who have fought you over religion and
driven you from your homes and who supported your expulsion...(Surat
al-Mumtahana: 8-9)
The verses above specify the outlook of a Muslim on non-Muslims: A
Muslim should treat all non-Muslims kindly and avoid making friends
only with those who show enmity to Islam. In case this enmity causes
violent attacks against the existence of Muslims,that is, in case they
wage a war against them, then Muslims should respond them justly by
considering the humane dimensions of the situation. All forms
ofbarbarism, unnecessary acts of violence and unjust aggression are
forbidden by Islam. In another verse, God warns Muslims against this
and explains that rage felt for enemies should not cause them to drift
them into injustice:
You who believe! Show integrity for the sake of God, bearing witness
with justice. Do not let hatred for a people incite you into not
beingjust. Be just. That is closer to heedfulness. Heed God (alone).
God is aware of what you do.(Surat al-Ma'ida: 8)
The Meaning of the Concept of "Jihad"
Another concept that deserves clarification due to the content of this
article is the conceptof "jihad".
The exact meaning of"Jihad" is "effort". That is,in Islam, "to carry
out jihad" is "to show efforts, to struggle". Prophet Muhammad
explained that "the greatest jihad is the one a person carries out
against his lower soul". What is meant by "lowersoul" here is the
selfish desires and ambitions. A struggle given on intellectual
grounds against anti-religious, atheist views is also a form of jihad
in its complete sense.
Apart from these ideological and spiritual meanings, struggle in the
physical sense is also considered as "jihad". However, as explained
above, this has to be a struggle carried out solely for defensive
purposes. The use of the concept of "jihad" for acts of aggression
against innocent people,that is for terror, would be unjust and a
great distortion.
Compassion, Tolerance and Pacifism in Islam
To state briefly, the Islamic political doctrine is extremely peaceful
and moderate. This fact is also confirmed by many non-Muslim
historians and theologians. One of these is the British historian,
Karen Armstrong, a former nunand a renowned expert on Middle East
history. Inher book, Holy War, in which she examines the history of
the three great divine religions, she comments:
... The word Islam comes from the same Arabic root as the word peace
and the Koran condemnswar as an abnormal state of affairs opposed to
God's will: "When the enemies of the Muslims kindle a fire for war,
Allah extinguishes it. They strive to create disorder in earth, and
Allah loves not those who create disorder."(Koran 28:78). Islam
doesnot justify a total aggressive war or extermination, as the Torah
does in the first five books of the Bible. Amore realistic religion
than Christianity, Islam recognizes that war is inevitable and
sometimes a positive duty in order to and oppressions and suffering.
The Koran teaches that war must be limited and be conducted in as
humane a way of possible. Mohammed had to fight not only the Meccans
butalso the Jewish tribes in the area and Christian tribes in Syria
who planned on offensive against him in alliance with the Jews. Yet
this did not make Mohammed denounce the People of the Book. His
Muslims were forced to defend themselves but they were not fighting a
holy war against the religion of their enemies. When Mohammed sent his
freedman Zaid against the Christians at the head of a Muslim army, he
told them to fight in the cause of God bravely but humanely. They
mustnot molest priests, monks and nuns nor the weak and helpless
people who were unable to fight. There must be no massacre of
civilians nor should they cut down a single tree nor pull down any
building. This was very different from the wars of Joshua. [1]
Following the death of Prophet Muhammad, Muslims continued to treat
the members of other religions with tolerance and respect. Islamic
states became the secure and free home of both Jews and Christians.
After the conquest of Jerusalem, Caliph Omar calmed the Christians who
were in fear of a massacre and explained to them that they were
secure. Furthermore, he visited their churches and declared that they
could continue to practise their worship freely.
In 1099, 4 centuries afterthe conquest of Jerusalem by Muslims,
Crusaders invaded Jerusalem and put all Muslims inhabitants to the
sword. Again, contrary to the fears of Christians, Saladin, the Muslim
general who captured Jerusalem and saved the city from invasion in
1187, did nottouch even a single civilian and did not allow a single
soldier to plunder. Moreover, he allowed the invading Christians to
take all their possessions and leave the city in security.
The periods of Seljuk Turks and the Ottoman Empire were also marked by
the tolerance and justice of Islam. As is known, Jews who were
expelled from Catholic Spain found the peace they sought on the
landsof Ottoman Empire, where they took refuge in 1492. Sultan Mehmed,
the conqueror of Istanbul, also allowed Jews and Christians religious
freedom. Regarding the tolerant and just practises of Muslims,
historian A. Miquel states the following:
The Christians were ruled by a very well administered state which was
something that did not exist in the Byzantium or Latin sovereignty.
They were never subjected to a systematized oppression.On the
contrary, the Empire, and foremost Istanbul, became a refuge for the
much tortured Spanish Jews. They were never forced to accept Islam.
[2]
John L. Esposito, a professor of Religion and International Politics
at the Georgetown University, makes a similar comment:
For many non-Muslim populations in Byzantineand Persian territories
already subjugated to foreign rulers, Islamic rule meant an exchange
of rulers, the new ones often more flexible and tolerant, rather than
a loss of independence. Many of these populations now enjoyed greater
local autonomy and often paid lower taxes... Religiously, Islam
proveda more tolerant religion,providing greater religious freedom for
Jews and indigenous Christians. [3]
As is clarified in these words, history never witnessed Muslims
as"makers of mischief". On the contrary, they brought security and
peace to the people from all nations and beliefs inhabiting the large
territory over which they reigned. (Forfurther reference, see Justice
and Tolerance in the Koran, by Harun Yahya, 2000)
In brief, compassion, peace and tolerance constitute the very basis of
the values of the Koran and Islam aims to wipe mischief out of the
earth.
The commands of the Koran and the ways Muslims practised them
throughout history are so clear as to leave no room for dispute.

22 The Rivers and Seas in the Garden:

Sources of water are abundant, refreshing and cleansing, and places
near water often have a climate that is both more liveable and
pleasing to people because of its temperateness. For this reason,
places that people choose for relaxation are often near the sea, on
lake-shores or on the banks of rivers. So, in the Qur'an, Allah,
glorious is He and exalted, says that those who have taqwa will, by
Allah's mercy, be "amid Gardens and Springs." (Surat al-Hijr: 45)
The Prophet made frequent mention of the rivers in the Garden:
The rivers of the Garden spring from mountains or hills of musk.
(Mukhtasar Tadhkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 307/501)
Sayhan, Jayhan, the Euphrates and the Nile are among the rivers of the
Garden. (Sahih Muslim)
Allah reveals in the Qur'an that there will be rivers of milk, honey
andwine in the Garden (Surah Muhammad: 15), but these are quite
different from the milk, honey and wine of this world, and are created
according to the special conditions of the Garden. In the Garden, each
of them is deliciousand refreshing. For example, the wine of theGarden
is not like earthlywine. It will not make the People of the
Gardendrunk or cloud their awareness. Allah describes "a cup from a
flowing spring" He has prepared in the Garden as, "white as driven
snow, delicious to those who drink, which has noheadache in it and
does not leave them stupefied." (Surat as-Saffat: 46-47)
This example of rivers of milk, honey and wine points to other
wonderful things in the Garden that may await Allah's faithful slaves.
Milk is a perishable food,but the fact that there are rivers of it in
the Garden points to the perfection of the blessings there. It is very
easy for Allah to create such manifestations when the People of the
Garden desire them.
But as for those who have iman and do right actions, We will admit
them into Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them
timelessly, for ever and ever. In them theywill have spouses of
perfect purity and We will admit them into cool, refreshing shade.
(Surat an-Nisa': 57)
The use of the word rivers emphasises the abundance of these blessings
in the Garden. In this world, people canonly have a limited number of
these blessings, in jars, glass bottles and in other types of
packaging, but the fact that there are never-ending and unadulterated
streams of them in the Garden is a wondrous blessing.
These rivers are described in detail in theQur'an:
An image of the Garden which is promised to those who have taqwa: in
it there are rivers of water which will never spoil and rivers of milk
whose taste will never change and rivers of wine, delightful to all
who drink it, and rivers of honey of undiluted purity; in it they will
have fruit of every kind and forgiveness from their Lord… (Surah
Muhammad: 15)
In this verse Allah gives examples including water, milk, honey and
wine. But it is possible for rivers of other imperishable blessings,
abundant and pure as water, to flow for the delight of the believers.
Allah tells us that drinks will be offered in goblets in the Garden,
and that the People of the Garden will not get headaches from them or
lose their self-composure. In another verse of the Qur'an, Allah says,
"a cup from a flowing spring passing round among them." (Surat
as-Saffat: 45)The inmates of the Garden, "… are given the choicest
sealed wine to drink, whose seal is musk – mixed with Tasnim,"
which has been prepared for believers (Surat al-Mutaffifin: 25-27).
Tasnim is a fountain in the Garden.
Allah, exalted is He, also says in the Qur'an that these beverages are fragrant.
An image of the Garden which is promised to those who have fear of
ALLAH: in it there are rivers of water which will never spoil and
rivers of milk whose taste will never change and rivers of wine,
delightfulto all who drink it, and rivers of honey of undituted
purity;..." (Surah Muhammad: 15)