Issue 41 (January - March 2003)

The end of the year 2002 was a time for personal reflection, for Yom Kippur, Christmas, and Ramadan all remind us of God's relevance to our lives. Although many people follow the paths of science, agnosticism, hedonism, indifference, and others, millions continue to follow His way, doing their best…

Existence, which exists solely for humanity, was created in order to bear fruit for all people. Earth was decorated for humanity, just as the sky serves as a dome and the sun as a torch to light up this world. All of creation, except for humanity, fulfills its functions perfectly, and all realms be…

O, My Computer Engineer Friend, God willing, you are to be an expert hardware specialist or a good-quality programmer or a first-class network builder or a high-quality system administrator by now But ever bear these important points in your mind: This Universe has such a Hardware Engineer who cr…

Cosmology is the study of the universe's birth and evolution. The Standard Model of Cosmology, a widely accepted modern theory, states that some 15 billion years ago the universe emerged from the Big Bang, an enormously energetic singular event that spewed forth all space and all matter. The univer…

Intelligence is such an elusive and relative concept that even the experts cannot agree on its nature. Definitions range from quick thinking under stress and learning a new language or a musical instrument. In this article, we discuss measuring intelligence, which is a function of brainpower. The m…

The Rise and Demise of Consciousness', '', 'In the very near future, neuroscience researchers will be able to pinpoint the exact area of the brain responsible for a person's consciousness (self-awareness). We already know in which part of mouse brain what certain physiological changes occur when ce…

Does community membership affect its members' responsibility? Can people be responsible for their attitudes even when those attitudes might not be fully within their control? Groups, whether minimally or highly structured, have a strong influence upon their members' attitudes and behavior. Part of…

The following is a conversation between two Muslims, Jamal, a democrat, and Jalal, who has suspicions about democracy. Jalal: Let me begin first. Basing myself on the Islamic viewpoint, I argue that in an Islamic political regime, sovereignty can belong only to God. However, given that democracy m…

Adopted from http://www.islamfortoday.com Little did the famous Muslim geographer Ibn Battuta know that about 22 years after his historic visit to China, the Mongol Dynasty (called the Yuan Dynasty in China) would be overthrown. The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) would begin, and a Muslim boy would help…

Based upon what was mentioned in part 1 of this article, I will now discuss how the Qur'an views Jesus, a major figure in both religions. The paper concludes with the suggestion that the many parallel beliefs of Christianity and Islam should enable their followers to join together to oppose the dam…

One point concerning this verse and one manifestation of the Name of All-Just, which is a Greatest Name or one of the six lights comprising the Greatest Name, like the First Point, appeared to me from afar. In order to bring it closer to the understanding, again by means of a comparison, we say the…

Introduction Eve’s fault? Eve’s legacy Shameful daughters Female education Unclean and impure women Bearing witness Vows A wife’s property Divorce Mothers Female inheritance The plight of widows Polygamy The veil Footnotes International Women's Day is March 8th. In recognition o…

Q: What does the Qur'an say about science? A: The Qur'an was revealed to make us aware of the Creator, affirm that He is known through His creation, direct us to belief and worship, and order individual and social life so that we attain happiness in both worlds. Today, many Muslims pursue science…

Diana L. Eck. Diana Eck, leader of Harvard University's Pluralism Project, introduces readers to America's new religious landscape of mosques, temples, and monasteries. Focusing mainly on the period after the passage of the 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act, she calls this change very subtle…

by M. Fethullah Gulen  The author, one of Turkeys most respected Islamic scholars, discusses Islams core beliefs. After giving brief summaries of traditional arguments for Gods Existence and Unity, Gulen analyzes modern theories related to nature, natural laws, and causes, as well as matter and ch…