101 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ISLAM
this took me hours ,so you beter like it!!!!!!!!!!! joke
Interesting Facts About Islam;
1.Islam" means "peace through the submission to God".
2."Muslim" means "anyone or anything that submits itself to the will
of God".
3.Islam is a complete way of life that governs all facets of life:
moral, spiritual, social, political, economical, intellectual, etc.
4.Allah is not the God of Muslims only. He is the God of all people
and all creation. Just because people refer to God using different
terms does not mean that they are different gods. Spanish people refer to
God as "Dios" and French people refer to God as "Dieu", yet they are all
the same God. Interestingly, most Arab Jews and Arab Christians refer
to God as "Allah". And the word Allah in Arabic appears on the walls of
many Arab churches.
5.he Islamic concept of God is that He is loving, merciful, and
compassionate. But Islam also teaches that He is just and swift in
punishment. Nevertheless, Allah once said to Prophet Muhammad, "My mercy
prevails over my wrath." Islam teaches a balance between fear and hope,
protecting one from both complacency and despair.
6.Muslims do not believe in the concept of "vicarious atonement"
but rather believe in the law of personal responsibility. Islam teaches
that each person is responsible for his or her own actions. On the Day
of Judgment Muslims believe that every person will be resurrected and
will have to answer to God for their every word, thought, and deed.
Consequently, a practicing Muslim is always striving to be righteous
7.The word "jihad" does not mean "holy war". Instead, it means the
inner struggle that one endures in trying to submit their will to the
will of God. Some Muslims may say they are going for "jihad" when
fighting in a war to defend themselves or their fellow Muslims, but they only
say this because they are conceding that it will be a tremendous
struggle. But there are many other forms of jihad, which are more relevant to
the everyday life of a Muslim such as the struggles against laziness,
arrogance, stinginess, or the struggle against a tyrant ruler or against
the temptation of Satan, or against one's own ego, etc.
8. Zaid RadiAllahu Anhu is the only Sahabi whose name is mentioned in the
Quran (Surah Ahzaab)
9. Rasulullah (SAW) made duaa to Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala that, He strenghten Islam with Umar bin Al-Khattab or Umar bin Hisham i.e. Abu Jahl. Allah accepted the duaa in favour of Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA).
10. Abu Bakr (RA) received the title 'As-Siddeeq' on readily saying that he accepted Rasulullah (SAW)'s Night Journey (Mairaaj) to the Heavens when the Kuffar asked for his opinion.
11. Ali bin Abi Talib (RA) walked all the way from Makkah to Madeenah, at the time of Hijrah, while hiding from the pursuing Quraish.
12. Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari (RA) was blessed by Allah to be the first host of Rasulullah (SAW) in Madeenah.
13. Rasulullah (SAW) called Yahya (AS) son of Zakariyyah (AS) 'Shaheed bin Shaheed' meaning 'Martyr son of Martyr'.
14. Uthman bin Affan (RA) did not fight in the battle of Badr as he stayed home to take care of his sick wife Ruqayyah (RA), daughter of Rasulullah (SAW). She died shortly before Madeenah received the news of Victory for the Muslims in the battlefield.
15. All of Rasulullah (SAW)'s children died before him except for his daughter, Fatimah (RA).
16. Amr bin Thabit (RA) became a muslim during the battle of Uhud, and died as a martyr in the same battle. When asked about him, Rasulullah (SAW) said that he was from the People of Paradise, even though he had not prayed a single salaah.
17. Zaid bin Harith (RA) accompanied Rasulullah (SAW)when he went Taif.
18. The cause of Abu Lahab's death was the wife of his brother Abbas (RA), Umul-Fadl (RA). on hearing about the defeat of non-muslims at Badr, he started abusing a muslim servant, so she took a log and hit him, which caused his skull to crack. He died a few days later because of it.
19. Ameer ul Mumineen Uthman RA. had given the duty of collecting and compiling the first holy Quran to Zaid Ibn Thaabit RA., who fulfilled it by the help of other companions and off course the help of Allah. Zaid RA. once said that "By Allah, if they had asked me to move a whole mountain from its place, it would have been easier than the task of compiling the Quran which they ordered me to fulfill".
20. Abdullah Ibn Masood RA. was the first Muslim to read the Quran publicly near the Kaaba in Makkah, after the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Waa Sallam.
21. Bilaal RA./was an African. His name was Bilal ibn Rabah, or Bilal the Abyssinian... was the first Muezzin chosen by RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.
22. RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam had four daughters ZAINAB, RUQQAYYAH, UMM KULTHOOM AND FATIMA RadiAllahu Taala Anhun and three sons QASIM, TAYYAB OR TAHIR, AND IBRAHIM, but all the sons died in their infancy.
23. Did you know that the original name of the holy city of Madinah was "YATHRIB"
24. Rasool Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallams' father's name was ABDULLAH and his mother's name was AAMINAH.
25. Khadijah RadiAllahu Anha was the first person and the first woman to take shahada and accept Mohammad Sallallahu alaihi Wa Sallam as the Prophet and Messenger of Allah, followed by Zaid Bin Haritha RA., Ali Ibn Abi Talib RA. and Abu Bakar Siddique RA.
26. The first Hafiz of Quran was Uthman bin Affan (RA, offcourse after RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.
27. Ali RadiAllahu Anhu Said that he heard The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam say "TALHA(RA) AND ZUBAIR(RA) ARE MY NEIGHBORS IN PARADISE"
28. Did you know that Rasoolallah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam performed only one Hajj in his lifetime.
29. Usamah Bin Zaid(RA) was the son of Zaid Bin Harith(RA)and his wife Barakah(RA)(known also by the name of Umm Ayman(RA))
30. If all Quraans in the world today were destroyed, the original Arabic would still remain, because millions of Muslims, called Huffaz have memorized the text of the Quraan letter for letter from beginning to end, every word and syllable. Also, chapters from the Qur'an are precisely recited from memory by every Muslim in each of the five daily prayers.
31. The Islamic calender is based on the phases of the moon, with it being approximately 11 days shorter than the 365 days of the year in the Georgian calender. Hence, the dates of our festivals (Eid -ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha) move through the year.
32. Adam Alayhis salam was approximately 30 Ziraa tall. Ziraa is a measurement and one Ziraa is approximately half a metre.
33. The Majority of muslims do not live in the middle East. The most populous muslim country is Indonesia, the 4th largest country in the world with approximately 184 million muslims
34. The splitting of the Moon was was one of the greatest miracle of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa sallam. When Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) was 52 years old, the leaders of the disbelievers of the Quraish tribe came to him and said, "If you are a Prophet, then split the moon into two parts." Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) dearly wanted the people to convert to Islam, especially his close friends and relatives. He prayed, raising up his hands, and the moon split into two equal halves. Each part of the moon was seen above different mountains. The disbelievers said, "Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) has performed magic." They did not accept Islam.
35. The Ummah of Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam), are more than that of all the Ummahs of all the other Ambiya put together.
36. It is obligatory on every Muslim to love Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi wasallam). The sign of love for him is to adapt his way of life and always remember him.
37. According to the Qur'an, the Kaaba was first built by the Ibrahim Alaihi Salaam and and his son Ismail Alaihi Salaam.
38. Muslims do not worship the Kaaba; the Kaaba is simply a focal point for prayer ordered by Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala..
39. Prominent Kuffar like Abu Jahl would secretly listen to the verses of the Holy Quran because they were fascinated by it.
40.According to Islamic governments there are over 1.2 billion Muslims in the world today. The Muslim population of Russia alone is over 50 million. In other words, at least one out of every six persons in the world is Muslim, which is one of the reasons why
41.the name “Muhammad” is the most common name in the world...
42.At least one of Prophet Muhammad’s wives was African. Her name was Maria the Copt. Two of the Prophet’s wives were Jewish...their names were Raihanah and Safiyah...
43.Albania is the only European country whose population is over 90% Muslim. It is on the Adriatic Sea, and borders Greece and Yugoslavia...
44.Former pop star Cat Stevens is an Islamic scholar currently living in England. His Muslim name is Yusuf Islam.
and loads of people ther are lots of popular people who converted too!
45.To find the Gregorian equivalent to any Muslim calendar date (i.e., 1 Muharram of any year), multiply 970,224 by the Muslim year, point off six decimals, and add 621.5774. The whole number will be the Gregorian year and the decimal multiplied by 365.24 will be the first day of the Muslim year.
46.The Majority of Muslims do not live in the middle East. The most populous muslim country is Indonesia, the 4th largest country in the world with 184 million muslims. There are more muslims in India than the combined population of Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine and the whole of the Arabian Peninsula.
47.The following English words are borrowed from Arabic: Algebra, Zero, Cotton, Sofa, Rice, Candy, Safron, Balcony. And even 'alchohol' derives from Arabic : al-kuhl meaning powder. These are just a few mentioned here.
48.The first treatise on smallpox and measles was written by Abu Bakr alrazi (c.864-925,known to Europe as Rhazes). (Due to this) Inoculation agianst smallpox became a common practise in muslim lands. Despite this , Scientific text book credit the invention of a smallpox vaccine to Edward Jenner.(1749-1823).
49.Early Oxbridge students studied books written by muslims on mathematics, medicine, chemistry, optics and astronomy.
50.Adelard of Bath (a city in the UK) was a leading scholar of the middle ages. what made him famous was translating the word of muslim scientists from Arabic to Latin!
51.The 1860 city records of Cardiff (UK) show a masjid in operation in a converted building at 2 Glynrhondda St. Yemani sea men on their trips between Aden (in Yemen) and Cardiff founded this masjid.
52.The first purpose built masjid is claimed to be in Woking (South of England) with money provided by the ruler of Bhopal, in India (the Shah Jehan masjid was built in 1889).
53.The grand doors of our prophets (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) masjid in Medina weigh 2 and half tonnes each! Enormous quantities of "sag wood" was gathered from all over the world and shipped to the united kingdom to be dryed in computerised furnaces (the traditional drying process would have taken many years!). Even then , it took 5 months to dry the wood! the wood was then shipped to Barcelona (Spain), Where the main body of the doors where made. And finally the French even paid their little part, as the brass ornamentation was carried out in the city of Roi (France). Next time you visit the holy masjid, keep this entirely in mind!
54.# It was only in 1932 the Kiswah (cloth of the Ka'bah) was wholly made by Saudis (citizens of Saudi Arabia).
55.The roof top of our Prophet's (SalAllahu alayhi wasalam) masjid in Madina is designed to be strong enough to carry addtional floors in the future.
56.Some verses in the Koran refer to man being equal to woman. Mathematically, the number of times the word "man" appears in the Koran is 24. The number of times the word "woman" appears in the Koran is also 24.
57. The Holy Quran has 30 parts
58.The Holy Quran has 114 surahs
59.Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem is repeated 114 times in the Quran.
60.All except for Surat “Al Tawbah” start with Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem.and Surat “Al Namel, No. 27” has Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem in its body
61.Al-Baqarah is the longest surah in the Quran while Al-Kawthar is the shortest surah in the Quran
62.Milk is the best drink mentioned in the Quran while, Honey is the best food thing mentioned in the Quran
63.The best month is Ramadan while,The best night is the Night of Power in Ramadan (Laylat al Qadr)
64.-----------------------
65.Quran was revealed over 23 years: 13 in Mecca and 10 in Madina!
66.Surat Al-Dahr was revealed in respect to Ahlul Bayt (P)
67.Surat Al Nissa speaks about laws of marriage
68.Whoever reads one letter of the Quran gets 10 Rewards.Surat Al-Ikhlas is considered 1/3 of the Quran
69.Reading 1 verse in Ramadan is equal to reading the entire Quran in other months
70.Ramadan is the Spring of the Holy Quran
71.The Quran will intercede for people who recited it on Judgment Day
72.The Quran will complain of people who didn’t recite it on Judgment Day
73.Summiyyah RadiAllahu Anha mother of Ammar RadiAllahu Anhu and wife of Yassir RadiAllahu anhu was the first to meet martyrdom for the cause of Islam.
She was killed by Abu Jahl the enemy of Islam.
74.Two of the Ummahatul Mu'mineen (Mothers of the Ummah), (RasoolAllah Sallallahu Wa Sallam' wives) died before him, they are Khadija RadiAllahu Anha and Zainab Bint Khuzaimah RadiAllahu Anha.
75.Salmaan Farsi RadiAllahu Anhu was the one who suggested to RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam about digging a trench around the city of Madina at the time of the battle of Khandakh (trench)
76.Rasulullah (SAW) made duaa to Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala that, He strenghten Islam with Umar bin Al-Khattab or Umar bin Hisham i.e. Abu Jahl. Allah accepted the duaa in favour of Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA).
77.Rasulullah (SAW) called Yahya (AS) son of Zakariyyah (AS) 'Shaheed bin Shaheed' meaning 'Martyr son of Martyr'.
78.Zaid bin Harith (RA) accompanied Rasulullah (SAW)when he went Taif.
79.Khadijah RadiAllahu Anha was the first person and the first woman to take shahada and accept Mohammad Sallallahu alaihi Wa Sallam as the Prophet and Messenger of Allah, followed by Zaid Bin Haritha RA., Ali Ibn Abi Talib RA. and Abu Bakar Siddique RA.
80.Ali RadiAllahu Anhu Said that he heard The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam say "TALHA(RA) AND ZUBAIR(RA) ARE MY NEIGHBORS IN PARADISE"
81.Muslims do not worship the Kaaba; the Kaaba is simply a focal point for prayer ordered by Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala..
82.The Zam Zam well came into existance at the time of prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (alayhum salam). It then "dissapeared" for nearly 26 centuries (2600 years) due to the certain events and was rediscovered and dug by the grandfather of our beloved prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). The location of the well was revealed to him in a dream.
83.The black stone (as it is known), Cannot really be described in full, because the parts we touch with our hands and "Kiss" , are eight small pieces, the biggest of which is the size of a date.
84.Narrated 'Abdullah bin Mas'us: "The Prophet (saw) recited Surah An Najm (No. 53) at Makkah and prostrated while reciting it and those who were with him did the same except an old man who took a handful of small stones or earth and lifted it to his forehead and said, This is sufficient for me. Later on, I saw him killed as a disbeliever." [Hadeeth 569, al Tajrid al Sarih, Sahih Bukhari]
85. and it's the FASTEST growing religeon according to many sources...it is projected that Islam will be the #1 religeon by the year 2030. INSHALLAH
86. Did you know that the Prophet (PBuH) went up to the sky..
87.Summiyyah RadiAllahu Anha mother of Ammar RadiAllahu Anhu and wife of Yassir RadiAllahu anhu was the first to meet martyrdom for the cause of Islam. She was killed by Abu Jahl the enemy of Islam.
88.The 10 Sahabah who were promised Paradise during their lifetime were Abubakr Siddique, Umar bin Khattab, Uthman bin Affan, Ali bin Abi Talib, Talha Bin Ubaidullah, Saeed Bin Zaid, Abu Ubaidah Bin Jarrah, Zubair bin Awwam, Saad Bin Abi Waqqas, and Abdur Rahman Bin Auf RadiAllahu Anhum Ajmaeen.
89..Did you know that Imam Bokhari Rahmatullah Alaih compiled his collection of 7,275 Ahadith by selection from 600,000. Before writing each Hadith he would make 2 Rakaat nafl Salaat.
90.Ammar RadiAllahu Anhu Built the First Masjid at the request of RasoolAllah Alaihi Wa Sallam. It was the Masjid in Quba.
91.Prior to 2001 most reports seem to have the number roughly around 25,000 American converts per year
92.Two of the Ummahatul Mu’mineen (Mothers of the Ummah), (RasoolAllah Sallallahu Wa Sallam’ wives) died before him, they are Khadija RadiAllahu Anha and Zainab Bint Khuzaimah RadiAllahu Anha.
93.The Holy Qur'an has no flaws or contradictions. The original
Arabic scriptures have never been changed or tampered with.(**obviously**)
94.Salmaan Farsi RadiAllahu Anhu was the one who suggested to RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam about digging a trench around the city of Madina at the time of the battle of Khandakh (trench)
94.Islam is not "spread by the sword". It is spread by the word
(Islamic teachings) and the example of its followers. Islam teaches that
there is no compulsion in religion (the Holy Qur'an 2:256 and 10:99).
95.Abdullah Ibn Zubair (RA) was the first baby boy to be born after Hijrah. His Father was Zubair (RA) and his mother was Asma (RA). His aunt (mother's sister) was none other than Ummul Mu'mineen Aaiysha (RA) and his grand father was Abu Bakr Siddique (RA)
96.Muslim women wear the head covering (hijab) in fulfillment of
God's decree to dress modestly. From a practical standpoint, it serves to
identify one as attempting to follow God in daily life and, therefore,
protects women from unwanted advances from men. Righteous women
throughout history have worn this type of modest dress. Prominent examples are
traditional Catholic Nuns, Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary, mother of
Jesus.
97.Interestingly, the inside of the Kaaba is empty.
98.Hindus believe that inside the Kabba, ther is 1 of their Gods:asta ig:called shiva lingam ( lol lol lol) and if you look up what lingam means ,you will be shocked!!!!
99.English translations of the Quran head the American best-seller list...
100. The word "jihad" does not mean "holy war". Instead, it means the
inner struggle that one endures in trying to submit their will to the
will of God. Some Muslims may say they are going for "jihad" when
fighting in a war to defend themselves or their fellow Muslims, but they only
say this because they are conceding that it will be a tremendous
struggle. But there are many other forms of jihad, which are more relevant to
the everyday life of a Muslim such as the struggles against laziness,
arrogance, stinginess, or the struggle against a tyrant ruler or against
the temptation of Satan, or against one's own ego, etc.
101.Islam is not a "race", it is a religion.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Quran & Science
The Miracle of The Ant
By Harun Yahya
On his way to school every day, Joseph walks over to the garden of the house across the street and waits there for a while. A very special friend of his lives in this garden. No one knows this friend, but Joseph loves him a lot. Joseph never forgets to visit his friend, and enjoys their friendship a lot.
After all, he has a friend who is more intelligent than anyone else. Despite being very small in size, his friend can do many important things. He is also very hard-working. He does all of his jobs very well and at the proper time, just as if he was a soldier in an army. Although he does not go to school like Joseph, he successfully carries out the many tasks which he needs to do in his life. You are wondering who this little friend is, aren't you?
Joseph's secret friend is a little ant, who can do many wonderful things. You may never have heard how skilful and intelligent ants are. Some of you may even think of them as simple insects that wander around all day without doing anything. But those of you who think like that are mistaken, because ants, just like many other living things, also have a life of their own.
Ant families are very big. For instance, you probably have a family of 4-5 people. In an ant family, however, there are sometimes millions of ants. Now think for a minute: if you had millions of brothers and sisters, would you be able to live in a single house? Surely not!
The astonishing features of ants do not end here. Despite the fact that millions of them live together, they have no problems with each other, no mix-ups and no disorder. They live an extremely well planned life with everyone obeying the rules.
Some ant families do tailoring, others grow their own food like farmers, and yet others run small farms where they raise some smaller animals. In the same way as human beings breed cows and use their milk, ants breed small plant lice (aphids) and use their milk.
Weaver ants are skilful tailors. They combine leaves by pulling them from two sides and sewing the leaves together. In this way, they make a nice home for themselves.
Joseph: I first noticed him when I saw his tiny head emerging from the earth. His head attracted my attention, as it was a bit bigger than his body. I wondered why his head was like that and started to watch this tiny friend of mine. The big head on his little body was helping him serve as a guard at the entrance of the nest. Do you want to know 'how?' He was checking whether the ants that attempted to enter the nest belonged to his own family or not, and did not let them in if they were strangers.
Soon after seeing him, I met him and asked him to tell me what was happening inside. My little friend understood my curiosity, and started to tell me about it. What I was wondering most was how the ants with big heads recognized their nest-mates and let them in. ...and these are my hard-working friends.
The Ant: Joseph, let me first tell you that we call our families a 'colony.' In other words, we live in communities called colonies. An ant can easily tell whether another ant belongs to its own colony or not. He does it by touching the other ant's body with his antenna, (thin little rods coming out of the top of his head) which helps him to distinguish strangers, thanks to the 'colony scent' they have. If the ant is a stranger, then we cannot let him into our home. Moreover, we may even have to use force to send him away.
Ants do not want strangers to enter their nests, because this will threaten their security. They never hesitate to get into a fight to protect their nest and friends.
Joseph was surprised to hear about their perfect security system and wondered how strangers that tried to enter the nest dared to do so. When he shared this thought with his friend, he smiled at him and said that there were many other things that would surprise him.
The Ant then said: "Let me tell now you about the inside of our nest, which you were eager to know about. Our colonies consist of the queen ant, male ants, soldiers, and worker ants.
The queen and male ants keep our species going. The queen is larger than all of us. The duty of the males is to make the queen give birth to new ants. Soldiers are responsible for protecting our colony, hunting, and finding new places for nests. The last group consists of the worker ants. Worker ants are all sterile female ants. That is, they cannot give birth to new ants. They take care of the queen and her babies, and clean and feed them.
In addition, they also have to do all the other jobs in the colony. They build new corridors in the nest, search for food, and clean the nest up. The worker and soldier ants also divide into smaller groups among themselves. Some of these are breeders, builders, and food-hunters. Each group has a different job. While one group fights off enemies or hunts, another group builds the nest, and yet another takes care of the cleaning and repairs of the nest."
As Joseph's little friend explained all that, he listened to him with wonder, and then asked him: "Do you never get bored, waiting at the entrance of the nest all the time? What is your duty in the nest?"
The Ant replied: "I am also a worker, and my duty is to serve here as a doorman. As you see, my head is big enough to cover the entrance hole of the nest. I am pleased that I have this ability, and I carry out my duty with great pleasure. I never get bored; on the contrary, I am very glad that I protect friends from threats."
Joseph couldn't help but be amazed at his answer. Ants were working all the time to help others, with no thought for them selves and without any problems-something even people cannot manage most of the time.
From what his little friend told him, he could easily understand that the work of the nest was perfectly divided up between the ants. It was obvious that the life of ants was very well-ordered and all the ants had to be quite unselfish. Then he wondered whether they had any fights amongst themselves because some of them claimed that they were better or stronger than others. His friend said that nothing like that ever happened and added:
"We are a big family, Joseph. There is no jealousy, competition, or ambition among us. We always help each other and do our best to serve the colony. Everything in the colony is based on sacrifice. Each ant thinks of the good of his friends first, and only then of himself.
Let me give you an example. When there is a shortage of food in the colony, the worker ants immediately change into 'feeder' ants, and start feeding others with the food in their reserve stomachs. When there is enough food in the colony, they again become worker ants. I used to hear people saying that there is competition among living things in nature. Never believe what they say. We know very well that we have to cooperate to be successful."
Joseph said that what he had told him about himself and his colony was a very good example of this. He was very glad to know that God had created him so unselfish, helpful and so fond of his friends. After what he told him, he decided to be at least as thoughtful of others as ants were, and be a good person whom God loves.
When mentioning the bees who have a social order similar to that of the ants, Allah states in the Qur'an that this social order has been "revealed" to them:
"And your Lord revealed to the bee: 'Build dwellings in the mountains and the trees and also in the structures which men erect. Then eat from every kind of fruit and travel the paths of your Lord, which have been made easy for you to follow.' From inside them comes a drink of varying colors, containing healing for mankind. There is certainly a sign in that for people who reflect." (an-Nahl: 68-69)
The verse conveys the message that everything the honey bees do is governed by a "revelation" Allah has given to them. Accordingly, all the "homes", that is, hives - and therefore the entire social order in these hives - and all the work they perform to make honey, are made possible by an inspiration Allah has given them.
When we look at ants, we see that things are no different for them either. Allah has inspired in them a social order also and they abide by it absolutely. This is the reason why each group of ant performs the duty assigned to it perfectly with absolute self-surrender and does not strive for more.
The Miracle of The Ant
By Harun Yahya
On his way to school every day, Joseph walks over to the garden of the house across the street and waits there for a while. A very special friend of his lives in this garden. No one knows this friend, but Joseph loves him a lot. Joseph never forgets to visit his friend, and enjoys their friendship a lot.
After all, he has a friend who is more intelligent than anyone else. Despite being very small in size, his friend can do many important things. He is also very hard-working. He does all of his jobs very well and at the proper time, just as if he was a soldier in an army. Although he does not go to school like Joseph, he successfully carries out the many tasks which he needs to do in his life. You are wondering who this little friend is, aren't you?
Joseph's secret friend is a little ant, who can do many wonderful things. You may never have heard how skilful and intelligent ants are. Some of you may even think of them as simple insects that wander around all day without doing anything. But those of you who think like that are mistaken, because ants, just like many other living things, also have a life of their own.
Ant families are very big. For instance, you probably have a family of 4-5 people. In an ant family, however, there are sometimes millions of ants. Now think for a minute: if you had millions of brothers and sisters, would you be able to live in a single house? Surely not!
The astonishing features of ants do not end here. Despite the fact that millions of them live together, they have no problems with each other, no mix-ups and no disorder. They live an extremely well planned life with everyone obeying the rules.
Some ant families do tailoring, others grow their own food like farmers, and yet others run small farms where they raise some smaller animals. In the same way as human beings breed cows and use their milk, ants breed small plant lice (aphids) and use their milk.
Weaver ants are skilful tailors. They combine leaves by pulling them from two sides and sewing the leaves together. In this way, they make a nice home for themselves.
Joseph: I first noticed him when I saw his tiny head emerging from the earth. His head attracted my attention, as it was a bit bigger than his body. I wondered why his head was like that and started to watch this tiny friend of mine. The big head on his little body was helping him serve as a guard at the entrance of the nest. Do you want to know 'how?' He was checking whether the ants that attempted to enter the nest belonged to his own family or not, and did not let them in if they were strangers.
Soon after seeing him, I met him and asked him to tell me what was happening inside. My little friend understood my curiosity, and started to tell me about it. What I was wondering most was how the ants with big heads recognized their nest-mates and let them in. ...and these are my hard-working friends.
The Ant: Joseph, let me first tell you that we call our families a 'colony.' In other words, we live in communities called colonies. An ant can easily tell whether another ant belongs to its own colony or not. He does it by touching the other ant's body with his antenna, (thin little rods coming out of the top of his head) which helps him to distinguish strangers, thanks to the 'colony scent' they have. If the ant is a stranger, then we cannot let him into our home. Moreover, we may even have to use force to send him away.
Ants do not want strangers to enter their nests, because this will threaten their security. They never hesitate to get into a fight to protect their nest and friends.
Joseph was surprised to hear about their perfect security system and wondered how strangers that tried to enter the nest dared to do so. When he shared this thought with his friend, he smiled at him and said that there were many other things that would surprise him.
The Ant then said: "Let me tell now you about the inside of our nest, which you were eager to know about. Our colonies consist of the queen ant, male ants, soldiers, and worker ants.
The queen and male ants keep our species going. The queen is larger than all of us. The duty of the males is to make the queen give birth to new ants. Soldiers are responsible for protecting our colony, hunting, and finding new places for nests. The last group consists of the worker ants. Worker ants are all sterile female ants. That is, they cannot give birth to new ants. They take care of the queen and her babies, and clean and feed them.
In addition, they also have to do all the other jobs in the colony. They build new corridors in the nest, search for food, and clean the nest up. The worker and soldier ants also divide into smaller groups among themselves. Some of these are breeders, builders, and food-hunters. Each group has a different job. While one group fights off enemies or hunts, another group builds the nest, and yet another takes care of the cleaning and repairs of the nest."
As Joseph's little friend explained all that, he listened to him with wonder, and then asked him: "Do you never get bored, waiting at the entrance of the nest all the time? What is your duty in the nest?"
The Ant replied: "I am also a worker, and my duty is to serve here as a doorman. As you see, my head is big enough to cover the entrance hole of the nest. I am pleased that I have this ability, and I carry out my duty with great pleasure. I never get bored; on the contrary, I am very glad that I protect friends from threats."
Joseph couldn't help but be amazed at his answer. Ants were working all the time to help others, with no thought for them selves and without any problems-something even people cannot manage most of the time.
From what his little friend told him, he could easily understand that the work of the nest was perfectly divided up between the ants. It was obvious that the life of ants was very well-ordered and all the ants had to be quite unselfish. Then he wondered whether they had any fights amongst themselves because some of them claimed that they were better or stronger than others. His friend said that nothing like that ever happened and added:
"We are a big family, Joseph. There is no jealousy, competition, or ambition among us. We always help each other and do our best to serve the colony. Everything in the colony is based on sacrifice. Each ant thinks of the good of his friends first, and only then of himself.
Let me give you an example. When there is a shortage of food in the colony, the worker ants immediately change into 'feeder' ants, and start feeding others with the food in their reserve stomachs. When there is enough food in the colony, they again become worker ants. I used to hear people saying that there is competition among living things in nature. Never believe what they say. We know very well that we have to cooperate to be successful."
Joseph said that what he had told him about himself and his colony was a very good example of this. He was very glad to know that God had created him so unselfish, helpful and so fond of his friends. After what he told him, he decided to be at least as thoughtful of others as ants were, and be a good person whom God loves.
When mentioning the bees who have a social order similar to that of the ants, Allah states in the Qur'an that this social order has been "revealed" to them:
"And your Lord revealed to the bee: 'Build dwellings in the mountains and the trees and also in the structures which men erect. Then eat from every kind of fruit and travel the paths of your Lord, which have been made easy for you to follow.' From inside them comes a drink of varying colors, containing healing for mankind. There is certainly a sign in that for people who reflect." (an-Nahl: 68-69)
The verse conveys the message that everything the honey bees do is governed by a "revelation" Allah has given to them. Accordingly, all the "homes", that is, hives - and therefore the entire social order in these hives - and all the work they perform to make honey, are made possible by an inspiration Allah has given them.
When we look at ants, we see that things are no different for them either. Allah has inspired in them a social order also and they abide by it absolutely. This is the reason why each group of ant performs the duty assigned to it perfectly with absolute self-surrender and does not strive for more.
The Miracles of Zam-Zam Water
The story of Ibrahim (AS) is well known to Jews and Christians as well as to Muslims. In Islam he is remembered as one of the great Prophets, and as the father of the Prophet Isma'il (AS), who was the ancestor of Mohammed (SAW) himself. Centuries ago, Hagar searched desperately for water in the hills of Safa and Marwa to give to her newly born son Ismail (AS). As she ran from one place to another in search of water, her child rubbed his feet against the sand. A pool of water surfaced, and by the grace of God, shaped itself into a well which came to be called Zamzam water.
Let me go back to how it all started. In 1971, an Egyptian doctor wrote to the European Press, a letter saying that Zamzam water was not fit for drinking purposes. I immediately thought that this was just a form of prejudice against the Muslims and that since his statement was based on the assumption that since the Ka'aba was a shallow place (below sea level) and located in the center of the city of Makkah, all the wastewater of the city collecting through the drains fell into the well holding the water.
Fortunately, the news came to King Faisal's ears who got extremely angry and decided to disprove the Egyptian doctor's provocative statement. He immediately ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources to investigate and send samples of Zamzam water to European laboratories for testing the potability of the water.
The ministry then instructed the Jeddah Power and Desalination Plants to carry out this task. It was here that I was employed as a desalting engineer (chemical engineer to produce drinking water from sea water) and was chosen to carry out this assignment.
At this stage, I remember that I had no idea what the well holding the water looked like. I went to Makkah and reported to the authorities at the Ka'aba explaining the purpose of my visit. They assigned a man to give me whatever help was required. When we reached the well, it was hard for me to believe that a pool of water, more like a small pond, about 18 by 14 feet, was the well that supplied millions of gallons of water every year to pilgrims ever since it came into existence at the time of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), many, many centuries ago.
I started my investigations and took the dimensions of the well. I asked the man to show me the depth of the well. First he took a shower and descended into the water. Then he straightened his body. I saw that the water level came up to just above his shoulders. His height was around 5 feet, 8 inches. He then started moving from one corner to the other in the well (standing all the while since he was not allowed to dip his head into the water) in search of any inlet or pipeline inside the well to see from where the water came in. However, the man reported that he could not find any inlet or pipeline inside the well.
I thought of another idea. The water could be withdrawn rapidly with the help of a big transfer pump which was installed at the well for the Zamzam water storage tanks. In this way, the water level would drop enabling us to locate the point of entry of the water. Surprisingly, nothing was observed during the pumping period, but I knew that this was the only method by which you could find the entrance of the water to the well. So I decided to repeat the process. But this time I instructed the man to stand still at one place and carefully observe any unusual thing happening inside the well. After a while, he suddenly raised his hands and shouted, "Alhamdulillah! I have found it. The sand is dancing beneath my feet as the water oozes out of the bed of the well."
Then he moved around the well during the pumping period and noticed the same phenomenon everywhere in the well. Actually the flow of water into the well through the bed was equal at every point, thus keeping the level of the water steady. After I finished my observations I took the samples of the water for European laboratories to test. Before I left the Ka'aba, I asked the authorities about the other wells around Makkah. I was told that these wells were mostly dry.
When I reached my office in Jeddah I reported my findings to my boss who listened with great interest but made a very irrational comment that the Zamzam well could be internally connected to the Red Sea. How was it possible when Makkah is about 50 miles away from the sea and the wells located before the city usually remains dry?
The results of the samples tested by the European labs and the one we analyzed in our lab were found to be almost identical. The difference between Zamzam water and other water (city water) was in the quantity of calcium and magnesium salts. The content of these was slightly higher in Zamzam water. This may be why Zamzam water refreshes tired pilgrims, but more significantly, the water contains fluorides that have an effective germicidal action.
Moreover, the remarks of the European labs showed that the water was fit for drinking. Hence the statement made by the Egyptian doctor was proved false. In a way, it was a blessing that this study was undertaken to show the chemical composition of the water. In fact, the more you explore, the more wonders surface and you find yourself believing implicitly in the miracles of Zamzam water that God bestowed as a gift on the faithful coming from far and wide to the desert land for pilgrimage.
Let me sum up some of the features of Zamzam water. This well has never dried up. On the contrary it has always fulfilled the demand for water. It has always maintained the same salt composition and taste ever since it came into existence. Its potability has always been universally recognized as pilgrims from all over the world visit Ka'aba every year for Hajj and Umrah, but have never complained about it. Instead, they have always enjoyed the water that refreshes them. Zamzam water's appeal has always been universal. This water has never been chemically treated or chlorinated as is the case with water pumped into the cities. Biological growth and vegetation usually takes place in most wells. This makes the water unpalatable owing to the growth of algae causing taste and odor problems. But in the case of the Zamzam water well there wasn't any sign of biological growth.
Let me go back to how it all started. In 1971, an Egyptian doctor wrote to the European Press, a letter saying that Zamzam water was not fit for drinking purposes. I immediately thought that this was just a form of prejudice against the Muslims and that since his statement was based on the assumption that since the Ka'aba was a shallow place (below sea level) and located in the center of the city of Makkah, all the wastewater of the city collecting through the drains fell into the well holding the water.
Fortunately, the news came to King Faisal's ears who got extremely angry and decided to disprove the Egyptian doctor's provocative statement. He immediately ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources to investigate and send samples of Zamzam water to European laboratories for testing the potability of the water.
The ministry then instructed the Jeddah Power and Desalination Plants to carry out this task. It was here that I was employed as a desalting engineer (chemical engineer to produce drinking water from sea water) and was chosen to carry out this assignment.
At this stage, I remember that I had no idea what the well holding the water looked like. I went to Makkah and reported to the authorities at the Ka'aba explaining the purpose of my visit. They assigned a man to give me whatever help was required. When we reached the well, it was hard for me to believe that a pool of water, more like a small pond, about 18 by 14 feet, was the well that supplied millions of gallons of water every year to pilgrims ever since it came into existence at the time of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), many, many centuries ago.
I started my investigations and took the dimensions of the well. I asked the man to show me the depth of the well. First he took a shower and descended into the water. Then he straightened his body. I saw that the water level came up to just above his shoulders. His height was around 5 feet, 8 inches. He then started moving from one corner to the other in the well (standing all the while since he was not allowed to dip his head into the water) in search of any inlet or pipeline inside the well to see from where the water came in. However, the man reported that he could not find any inlet or pipeline inside the well.
I thought of another idea. The water could be withdrawn rapidly with the help of a big transfer pump which was installed at the well for the Zamzam water storage tanks. In this way, the water level would drop enabling us to locate the point of entry of the water. Surprisingly, nothing was observed during the pumping period, but I knew that this was the only method by which you could find the entrance of the water to the well. So I decided to repeat the process. But this time I instructed the man to stand still at one place and carefully observe any unusual thing happening inside the well. After a while, he suddenly raised his hands and shouted, "Alhamdulillah! I have found it. The sand is dancing beneath my feet as the water oozes out of the bed of the well."
Then he moved around the well during the pumping period and noticed the same phenomenon everywhere in the well. Actually the flow of water into the well through the bed was equal at every point, thus keeping the level of the water steady. After I finished my observations I took the samples of the water for European laboratories to test. Before I left the Ka'aba, I asked the authorities about the other wells around Makkah. I was told that these wells were mostly dry.
When I reached my office in Jeddah I reported my findings to my boss who listened with great interest but made a very irrational comment that the Zamzam well could be internally connected to the Red Sea. How was it possible when Makkah is about 50 miles away from the sea and the wells located before the city usually remains dry?
The results of the samples tested by the European labs and the one we analyzed in our lab were found to be almost identical. The difference between Zamzam water and other water (city water) was in the quantity of calcium and magnesium salts. The content of these was slightly higher in Zamzam water. This may be why Zamzam water refreshes tired pilgrims, but more significantly, the water contains fluorides that have an effective germicidal action.
Moreover, the remarks of the European labs showed that the water was fit for drinking. Hence the statement made by the Egyptian doctor was proved false. In a way, it was a blessing that this study was undertaken to show the chemical composition of the water. In fact, the more you explore, the more wonders surface and you find yourself believing implicitly in the miracles of Zamzam water that God bestowed as a gift on the faithful coming from far and wide to the desert land for pilgrimage.
Let me sum up some of the features of Zamzam water. This well has never dried up. On the contrary it has always fulfilled the demand for water. It has always maintained the same salt composition and taste ever since it came into existence. Its potability has always been universally recognized as pilgrims from all over the world visit Ka'aba every year for Hajj and Umrah, but have never complained about it. Instead, they have always enjoyed the water that refreshes them. Zamzam water's appeal has always been universal. This water has never been chemically treated or chlorinated as is the case with water pumped into the cities. Biological growth and vegetation usually takes place in most wells. This makes the water unpalatable owing to the growth of algae causing taste and odor problems. But in the case of the Zamzam water well there wasn't any sign of biological growth.
The Miracles of Zam-Zam Water
The story of Ibrahim (AS) is well known to Jews and Christians as well as to Muslims. In Islam he is remembered as one of the great Prophets, and as the father of the Prophet Isma'il (AS), who was the ancestor of Mohammed (SAW) himself. Centuries ago, Hagar searched desperately for water in the hills of Safa and Marwa to give to her newly born son Ismail (AS). As she ran from one place to another in search of water, her child rubbed his feet against the sand. A pool of water surfaced, and by the grace of God, shaped itself into a well which came to be called Zamzam water.
Let me go back to how it all started. In 1971, an Egyptian doctor wrote to the European Press, a letter saying that Zamzam water was not fit for drinking purposes. I immediately thought that this was just a form of prejudice against the Muslims and that since his statement was based on the assumption that since the Ka'aba was a shallow place (below sea level) and located in the center of the city of Makkah, all the wastewater of the city collecting through the drains fell into the well holding the water.
Fortunately, the news came to King Faisal's ears who got extremely angry and decided to disprove the Egyptian doctor's provocative statement. He immediately ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources to investigate and send samples of Zamzam water to European laboratories for testing the potability of the water.
The ministry then instructed the Jeddah Power and Desalination Plants to carry out this task. It was here that I was employed as a desalting engineer (chemical engineer to produce drinking water from sea water) and was chosen to carry out this assignment.
At this stage, I remember that I had no idea what the well holding the water looked like. I went to Makkah and reported to the authorities at the Ka'aba explaining the purpose of my visit. They assigned a man to give me whatever help was required. When we reached the well, it was hard for me to believe that a pool of water, more like a small pond, about 18 by 14 feet, was the well that supplied millions of gallons of water every year to pilgrims ever since it came into existence at the time of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), many, many centuries ago.
I started my investigations and took the dimensions of the well. I asked the man to show me the depth of the well. First he took a shower and descended into the water. Then he straightened his body. I saw that the water level came up to just above his shoulders. His height was around 5 feet, 8 inches. He then started moving from one corner to the other in the well (standing all the while since he was not allowed to dip his head into the water) in search of any inlet or pipeline inside the well to see from where the water came in. However, the man reported that he could not find any inlet or pipeline inside the well.
I thought of another idea. The water could be withdrawn rapidly with the help of a big transfer pump which was installed at the well for the Zamzam water storage tanks. In this way, the water level would drop enabling us to locate the point of entry of the water. Surprisingly, nothing was observed during the pumping period, but I knew that this was the only method by which you could find the entrance of the water to the well. So I decided to repeat the process. But this time I instructed the man to stand still at one place and carefully observe any unusual thing happening inside the well. After a while, he suddenly raised his hands and shouted, "Alhamdulillah! I have found it. The sand is dancing beneath my feet as the water oozes out of the bed of the well."
Then he moved around the well during the pumping period and noticed the same phenomenon everywhere in the well. Actually the flow of water into the well through the bed was equal at every point, thus keeping the level of the water steady. After I finished my observations I took the samples of the water for European laboratories to test. Before I left the Ka'aba, I asked the authorities about the other wells around Makkah. I was told that these wells were mostly dry.
When I reached my office in Jeddah I reported my findings to my boss who listened with great interest but made a very irrational comment that the Zamzam well could be internally connected to the Red Sea. How was it possible when Makkah is about 50 miles away from the sea and the wells located before the city usually remains dry?
The results of the samples tested by the European labs and the one we analyzed in our lab were found to be almost identical. The difference between Zamzam water and other water (city water) was in the quantity of calcium and magnesium salts. The content of these was slightly higher in Zamzam water. This may be why Zamzam water refreshes tired pilgrims, but more significantly, the water contains fluorides that have an effective germicidal action.
Moreover, the remarks of the European labs showed that the water was fit for drinking. Hence the statement made by the Egyptian doctor was proved false. In a way, it was a blessing that this study was undertaken to show the chemical composition of the water. In fact, the more you explore, the more wonders surface and you find yourself believing implicitly in the miracles of Zamzam water that God bestowed as a gift on the faithful coming from far and wide to the desert land for pilgrimage.
Let me sum up some of the features of Zamzam water. This well has never dried up. On the contrary it has always fulfilled the demand for water. It has always maintained the same salt composition and taste ever since it came into existence. Its potability has always been universally recognized as pilgrims from all over the world visit Ka'aba every year for Hajj and Umrah, but have never complained about it. Instead, they have always enjoyed the water that refreshes them. Zamzam water's appeal has always been universal. This water has never been chemically treated or chlorinated as is the case with water pumped into the cities. Biological growth and vegetation usually takes place in most wells. This makes the water unpalatable owing to the growth of algae causing taste and odor problems. But in the case of the Zamzam water well there wasn't any sign of biological growth.
Let me go back to how it all started. In 1971, an Egyptian doctor wrote to the European Press, a letter saying that Zamzam water was not fit for drinking purposes. I immediately thought that this was just a form of prejudice against the Muslims and that since his statement was based on the assumption that since the Ka'aba was a shallow place (below sea level) and located in the center of the city of Makkah, all the wastewater of the city collecting through the drains fell into the well holding the water.
Fortunately, the news came to King Faisal's ears who got extremely angry and decided to disprove the Egyptian doctor's provocative statement. He immediately ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources to investigate and send samples of Zamzam water to European laboratories for testing the potability of the water.
The ministry then instructed the Jeddah Power and Desalination Plants to carry out this task. It was here that I was employed as a desalting engineer (chemical engineer to produce drinking water from sea water) and was chosen to carry out this assignment.
At this stage, I remember that I had no idea what the well holding the water looked like. I went to Makkah and reported to the authorities at the Ka'aba explaining the purpose of my visit. They assigned a man to give me whatever help was required. When we reached the well, it was hard for me to believe that a pool of water, more like a small pond, about 18 by 14 feet, was the well that supplied millions of gallons of water every year to pilgrims ever since it came into existence at the time of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), many, many centuries ago.
I started my investigations and took the dimensions of the well. I asked the man to show me the depth of the well. First he took a shower and descended into the water. Then he straightened his body. I saw that the water level came up to just above his shoulders. His height was around 5 feet, 8 inches. He then started moving from one corner to the other in the well (standing all the while since he was not allowed to dip his head into the water) in search of any inlet or pipeline inside the well to see from where the water came in. However, the man reported that he could not find any inlet or pipeline inside the well.
I thought of another idea. The water could be withdrawn rapidly with the help of a big transfer pump which was installed at the well for the Zamzam water storage tanks. In this way, the water level would drop enabling us to locate the point of entry of the water. Surprisingly, nothing was observed during the pumping period, but I knew that this was the only method by which you could find the entrance of the water to the well. So I decided to repeat the process. But this time I instructed the man to stand still at one place and carefully observe any unusual thing happening inside the well. After a while, he suddenly raised his hands and shouted, "Alhamdulillah! I have found it. The sand is dancing beneath my feet as the water oozes out of the bed of the well."
Then he moved around the well during the pumping period and noticed the same phenomenon everywhere in the well. Actually the flow of water into the well through the bed was equal at every point, thus keeping the level of the water steady. After I finished my observations I took the samples of the water for European laboratories to test. Before I left the Ka'aba, I asked the authorities about the other wells around Makkah. I was told that these wells were mostly dry.
When I reached my office in Jeddah I reported my findings to my boss who listened with great interest but made a very irrational comment that the Zamzam well could be internally connected to the Red Sea. How was it possible when Makkah is about 50 miles away from the sea and the wells located before the city usually remains dry?
The results of the samples tested by the European labs and the one we analyzed in our lab were found to be almost identical. The difference between Zamzam water and other water (city water) was in the quantity of calcium and magnesium salts. The content of these was slightly higher in Zamzam water. This may be why Zamzam water refreshes tired pilgrims, but more significantly, the water contains fluorides that have an effective germicidal action.
Moreover, the remarks of the European labs showed that the water was fit for drinking. Hence the statement made by the Egyptian doctor was proved false. In a way, it was a blessing that this study was undertaken to show the chemical composition of the water. In fact, the more you explore, the more wonders surface and you find yourself believing implicitly in the miracles of Zamzam water that God bestowed as a gift on the faithful coming from far and wide to the desert land for pilgrimage.
Let me sum up some of the features of Zamzam water. This well has never dried up. On the contrary it has always fulfilled the demand for water. It has always maintained the same salt composition and taste ever since it came into existence. Its potability has always been universally recognized as pilgrims from all over the world visit Ka'aba every year for Hajj and Umrah, but have never complained about it. Instead, they have always enjoyed the water that refreshes them. Zamzam water's appeal has always been universal. This water has never been chemically treated or chlorinated as is the case with water pumped into the cities. Biological growth and vegetation usually takes place in most wells. This makes the water unpalatable owing to the growth of algae causing taste and odor problems. But in the case of the Zamzam water well there wasn't any sign of biological growth.
Why Pork is forbidden in islam?
Why Islam Forbids Pork?
By: Rashid Shamsi
(The Muslim World League Journal, Rajab 1420 - October 1999)
Food and drink have direct effect on our health. That is why Islam has prescribed regulations about our food and drink. It lays great emphasis on our physical as well as moral health, because both of these are equally important for a healthy society. The abstention from eating pork is one of the steps taken by Islam to practise hygiene and to attain purity of soul.
Islam, for the cultivation of inner faculties, insists upon the cleanliness of body and the purification of soul through Salaat (prayers) Zikr (remembrance of Allah) and other devotional duties. Islam teaches us how to attain the virtues and how to give up bad habits because both good and bad grow in the man according to his upbringing, education and environment.
A human being has natural desires: food, sleep and sex being the three primary ones. He has also other natural emotions: sorrow, happiness, love, fear, disgust and avarice etc. Islam doesn't recommend the complete abrogation of these impulses but offers a method of controlling them through religious education and discipline.
The prohibition of eating pork in Islam is relevant in this context. There is a saying in English that "a man becomes what he eats." According to physicians and medical experts, pork is a harmful diet. Consumption of swine-flesh creates lowliness in character and destroys moral and spiritual faculties in a man.
Body and Soul
The life of a man is a compound of body and soul. Anything, which is harmful for the body, hurts the soul as well. Consumption of swine-flesh reduces the feeling of shame and as such the standard of modesty. Those nations, which consume pork habitually, have a low standard of morality with the result that virginity, chastity and bashfulness are becoming a thing of the past in Europe today. The number of unwed mothers is on the increase despite of the use of pills and other contraceptives.
According to a report, 60 to 70% of girls in Sweden become mothers before marriage. The formula of "skin to skin is no sin" is taking its toll but there is hardly any feeling of shame or remorse over the end-result. Since the European nations have become addicted to wine and pork, sexual freedom with all its attendant evils has got ingrained in their culture. Consequently, homosexuality has been legalized by the British Parliament.
The Holy Qur'an has prohibited the swine-flesh, hence the Muslims would not dare touch it. The Bible has also forbidden swine-flesh, but Christians disregarded this order and started consuming it. The Europeans now proclaim that pork is a very powerful diet, rich in protein. Some of them further argue that since there is a great scarcity of food-stuff in the world and swines are available in abundant quantity, they should be consumed in the diet to overcome the food shortage. If this argument is true, why don't they use dog's meat as dogs too are available in abundance? The Europeans perhaps hate the mere mention of dog's meat in the same way as the Muslims shun pork.
Another wrong notion about swine-flesh is that its consumption lengthens life-span, although this is a pure myth and absurdity. On the contrary, people, who abstain from pork and liquor, have a longer span of life. The Muslims in Central Asia bear a testimony to this truth.
However, in the consumption of flesh Muslims are required to be selective and to distinguish between Halaal (Lawful) and Haraam (Unlawful). This step leads automatically to the deeper understanding of the need for the cultivation of a pure human nature. As blood is virtually our life-stream and whatever we consume ultimately affects the blood system, it is, therefore, necessary to exercise choice in the selection of our food and drinks as part of the requirements of the Shariah.
There are certain food and drinks specified by Allah, and His Messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as forbidden. The prohibition of these food and drinks is not by any means an arbitrary action or an unwarranted decree of Allah. It is the first and foremost a divine intervention in the best interest of man and for his own benefit.
The reasons behind the Divine intervention are numerous. They are of a nature intellectual and spiritual, moral and mental, physical and economic. And the sole purpose is to show man how to develop himself according to an upright course of life in order to be a healthy unit in the structure of the family, then of society and eventually of humanity at large.
Reliable medical doctors and social scientists are able to realize how those food and drinks forbidden by Islam are harmful and destructive to the human spirit and morality as well as to the physique and moral fibre of man and to verify the benefits of Islamic legislations on the subjects.
The prohibition is based on the aim of the purification of one's nature, because food, when consumed, doesn't merely enter the stomach and intestines and become excreta. It is absorbed and metabolized into the system and circulated to all parts of the human body, including the brain, and this in no small way affects man's nature.
Take a look at the nature of the pig for example. The pig is naturally lazy and indulgent in sex, it is dirty, greedy and gluttonous. It dislikes sunlight and lacks the spirit and will to "fight." It eats almost anything, be it human excreta or anything foul and unwholesome. Amongst all animal flesh, pork is the favoured cradle of harmful germs. Pork also serves as a carrier of diseases to mankind. It is for this reason that its flesh is not suitable for consumption.
Some people have argued that the "modern pig" reared in farms is given only clean foods, therefore, its flesh should be consumable. The answer is that you may feed the pig on clean, wholesome food, but you can't change its nature. It is still a pig and will always stay so. A pig is not a plant and you cannot change it by bud-grafting.
Medical Reports
Dr. E. Kazim. M.D. in his article "Medical aspects of forbidden foods in Islam" (July 1981 issue of Muslim Journal has described diseases carried or caused by the flesh of the swine.
He writes:
The pig is a scavenger. It is an omnivorous animal. It eats everything. There are many diseases carried from swine to man, particularly parasite infestations. Lately extensive research has been focused on senility-old age is characterized by hardening of inner lining of the blood vessels of the heart, brain etc. a process called atheroselerosis. When a clot forms, it results in coronary thrombosis or a heart attack, cerebral thrombosis or stroke.
Different dietary factors are responsible for atheroselerosis. Gross atheroma may be produced in rabbit by feeding it with cholesterol, but when you add lard (derived from hog fat) to the cholesterol, the incidence of atheroma is increased and thus you would produce coronary thrombosis, and myocardial infraction.
Besides, lard contains 2800 units of vitamin D per 100 grams and no vitamin A at all. Lately vitamin D has been held responsible for atheroma, by causing increased absorption of calcium in the blood vessels. In human beings, serum cholesterol is not dependent on the intake of cholesterol in the diet, but depends upon the proportion of animal fats in the diet, which elevates the beta-lipo protein level in the blood. Animal fats contain saturated fatty acids and these saturated fatty acids have been found to be as one of the causes of atheroma in man. Medium fat bacon contains 25% proteins and 55% fat.
According to medical research, the fat content in pork is more than any other meat (beef, mutton etc.) and it takes longer to digest. Dr. M Jaffer in an article in the Islamic Review (London) of January 1997 issue has listed 16 kinds of harmful germs, which have been discovered in pork in modern researches and the diseases, which could be caused by them. The number of patients suffering from tapeworm disease is the highest in the world among pork eating nations. Other diseases attributed to pigs are caused by tri-chinelia spirates and intestinal worms occupy first place among such nations too.
Dr. Glen Shepherd wrote the following on the dangers of eating pork in Washington Post (31 May 1952).
"One in six people in USA and Canada have germs in their muscles - trichinosis 8 from eating pork infected with trichina worms. Many people who are infected shows no symptoms. Most of those, who do have, recover slowly. Some die; some are reduced to permanent invalids. All were careless pork caters".
He continued "No one is immune from the disease and there is no cure. Neither antibiotics nor drugs or vaccines affect these tiny deadly worms. Preventing infection is the real answer."
After reading the statement of Dr. Shepherd, one can realize that there is no real guarantee of safety when eating pork that one would not be affected by trichina worm. That is why modern doctors advise three prohibitions during illness: no liquor, no pork and no smoking.
Muslims follow the divine law which is much higher than the medical advice. The Glorious Qur'an says, "So eat of the lawful and good food which Allah has provided for you, and thank the bounty of your Lord if it is Him you serve. He has forbidden for you only carrion and blood and swine-flesh and that which has been immolated in the name of any other than Allah; but he who is driven thereto, neither craving nor transgressing, Lo! then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (16:114-115)
The above is the order from the Creator of the universe and the Supreme Law-Giver. All Muslims are under the obligation to obey it. This is a plain and straightforward answer to those, who usually ask why Muslims abstain from eating pork. Nevertheless, there is no sin, if a Muslims is forced by famine or starvation to eat pork in order to save his life.
By: Rashid Shamsi
(The Muslim World League Journal, Rajab 1420 - October 1999)
Food and drink have direct effect on our health. That is why Islam has prescribed regulations about our food and drink. It lays great emphasis on our physical as well as moral health, because both of these are equally important for a healthy society. The abstention from eating pork is one of the steps taken by Islam to practise hygiene and to attain purity of soul.
Islam, for the cultivation of inner faculties, insists upon the cleanliness of body and the purification of soul through Salaat (prayers) Zikr (remembrance of Allah) and other devotional duties. Islam teaches us how to attain the virtues and how to give up bad habits because both good and bad grow in the man according to his upbringing, education and environment.
A human being has natural desires: food, sleep and sex being the three primary ones. He has also other natural emotions: sorrow, happiness, love, fear, disgust and avarice etc. Islam doesn't recommend the complete abrogation of these impulses but offers a method of controlling them through religious education and discipline.
The prohibition of eating pork in Islam is relevant in this context. There is a saying in English that "a man becomes what he eats." According to physicians and medical experts, pork is a harmful diet. Consumption of swine-flesh creates lowliness in character and destroys moral and spiritual faculties in a man.
Body and Soul
The life of a man is a compound of body and soul. Anything, which is harmful for the body, hurts the soul as well. Consumption of swine-flesh reduces the feeling of shame and as such the standard of modesty. Those nations, which consume pork habitually, have a low standard of morality with the result that virginity, chastity and bashfulness are becoming a thing of the past in Europe today. The number of unwed mothers is on the increase despite of the use of pills and other contraceptives.
According to a report, 60 to 70% of girls in Sweden become mothers before marriage. The formula of "skin to skin is no sin" is taking its toll but there is hardly any feeling of shame or remorse over the end-result. Since the European nations have become addicted to wine and pork, sexual freedom with all its attendant evils has got ingrained in their culture. Consequently, homosexuality has been legalized by the British Parliament.
The Holy Qur'an has prohibited the swine-flesh, hence the Muslims would not dare touch it. The Bible has also forbidden swine-flesh, but Christians disregarded this order and started consuming it. The Europeans now proclaim that pork is a very powerful diet, rich in protein. Some of them further argue that since there is a great scarcity of food-stuff in the world and swines are available in abundant quantity, they should be consumed in the diet to overcome the food shortage. If this argument is true, why don't they use dog's meat as dogs too are available in abundance? The Europeans perhaps hate the mere mention of dog's meat in the same way as the Muslims shun pork.
Another wrong notion about swine-flesh is that its consumption lengthens life-span, although this is a pure myth and absurdity. On the contrary, people, who abstain from pork and liquor, have a longer span of life. The Muslims in Central Asia bear a testimony to this truth.
However, in the consumption of flesh Muslims are required to be selective and to distinguish between Halaal (Lawful) and Haraam (Unlawful). This step leads automatically to the deeper understanding of the need for the cultivation of a pure human nature. As blood is virtually our life-stream and whatever we consume ultimately affects the blood system, it is, therefore, necessary to exercise choice in the selection of our food and drinks as part of the requirements of the Shariah.
There are certain food and drinks specified by Allah, and His Messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as forbidden. The prohibition of these food and drinks is not by any means an arbitrary action or an unwarranted decree of Allah. It is the first and foremost a divine intervention in the best interest of man and for his own benefit.
The reasons behind the Divine intervention are numerous. They are of a nature intellectual and spiritual, moral and mental, physical and economic. And the sole purpose is to show man how to develop himself according to an upright course of life in order to be a healthy unit in the structure of the family, then of society and eventually of humanity at large.
Reliable medical doctors and social scientists are able to realize how those food and drinks forbidden by Islam are harmful and destructive to the human spirit and morality as well as to the physique and moral fibre of man and to verify the benefits of Islamic legislations on the subjects.
The prohibition is based on the aim of the purification of one's nature, because food, when consumed, doesn't merely enter the stomach and intestines and become excreta. It is absorbed and metabolized into the system and circulated to all parts of the human body, including the brain, and this in no small way affects man's nature.
Take a look at the nature of the pig for example. The pig is naturally lazy and indulgent in sex, it is dirty, greedy and gluttonous. It dislikes sunlight and lacks the spirit and will to "fight." It eats almost anything, be it human excreta or anything foul and unwholesome. Amongst all animal flesh, pork is the favoured cradle of harmful germs. Pork also serves as a carrier of diseases to mankind. It is for this reason that its flesh is not suitable for consumption.
Some people have argued that the "modern pig" reared in farms is given only clean foods, therefore, its flesh should be consumable. The answer is that you may feed the pig on clean, wholesome food, but you can't change its nature. It is still a pig and will always stay so. A pig is not a plant and you cannot change it by bud-grafting.
Medical Reports
Dr. E. Kazim. M.D. in his article "Medical aspects of forbidden foods in Islam" (July 1981 issue of Muslim Journal has described diseases carried or caused by the flesh of the swine.
He writes:
The pig is a scavenger. It is an omnivorous animal. It eats everything. There are many diseases carried from swine to man, particularly parasite infestations. Lately extensive research has been focused on senility-old age is characterized by hardening of inner lining of the blood vessels of the heart, brain etc. a process called atheroselerosis. When a clot forms, it results in coronary thrombosis or a heart attack, cerebral thrombosis or stroke.
Different dietary factors are responsible for atheroselerosis. Gross atheroma may be produced in rabbit by feeding it with cholesterol, but when you add lard (derived from hog fat) to the cholesterol, the incidence of atheroma is increased and thus you would produce coronary thrombosis, and myocardial infraction.
Besides, lard contains 2800 units of vitamin D per 100 grams and no vitamin A at all. Lately vitamin D has been held responsible for atheroma, by causing increased absorption of calcium in the blood vessels. In human beings, serum cholesterol is not dependent on the intake of cholesterol in the diet, but depends upon the proportion of animal fats in the diet, which elevates the beta-lipo protein level in the blood. Animal fats contain saturated fatty acids and these saturated fatty acids have been found to be as one of the causes of atheroma in man. Medium fat bacon contains 25% proteins and 55% fat.
According to medical research, the fat content in pork is more than any other meat (beef, mutton etc.) and it takes longer to digest. Dr. M Jaffer in an article in the Islamic Review (London) of January 1997 issue has listed 16 kinds of harmful germs, which have been discovered in pork in modern researches and the diseases, which could be caused by them. The number of patients suffering from tapeworm disease is the highest in the world among pork eating nations. Other diseases attributed to pigs are caused by tri-chinelia spirates and intestinal worms occupy first place among such nations too.
Dr. Glen Shepherd wrote the following on the dangers of eating pork in Washington Post (31 May 1952).
"One in six people in USA and Canada have germs in their muscles - trichinosis 8 from eating pork infected with trichina worms. Many people who are infected shows no symptoms. Most of those, who do have, recover slowly. Some die; some are reduced to permanent invalids. All were careless pork caters".
He continued "No one is immune from the disease and there is no cure. Neither antibiotics nor drugs or vaccines affect these tiny deadly worms. Preventing infection is the real answer."
After reading the statement of Dr. Shepherd, one can realize that there is no real guarantee of safety when eating pork that one would not be affected by trichina worm. That is why modern doctors advise three prohibitions during illness: no liquor, no pork and no smoking.
Muslims follow the divine law which is much higher than the medical advice. The Glorious Qur'an says, "So eat of the lawful and good food which Allah has provided for you, and thank the bounty of your Lord if it is Him you serve. He has forbidden for you only carrion and blood and swine-flesh and that which has been immolated in the name of any other than Allah; but he who is driven thereto, neither craving nor transgressing, Lo! then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (16:114-115)
The above is the order from the Creator of the universe and the Supreme Law-Giver. All Muslims are under the obligation to obey it. This is a plain and straightforward answer to those, who usually ask why Muslims abstain from eating pork. Nevertheless, there is no sin, if a Muslims is forced by famine or starvation to eat pork in order to save his life.
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