The basic principle in Islam is that the marital relationship should be based upon affection, serenity, and mercy.

And of His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves, so that you may find tranquility in them; and He planted love and compassion between you. In this are signs for people who reflect.[284]

She uttered: My daughter is a homosexual, and I cannot interfere with her decision.

I asked: If she wants to throw herself into fire, would you have interfered or not?

She answered: That is the difference between you and me. You find this behavior dangerous, but I find it natural. Didn’t you hear of the relativity theory? Just as there are various theories of human origin and theories of God's concept, likewise morality is relative, and there are no objective moral values.

In France, we find no problem in our daughters having relationships with their schoolmates outside of marriage, for example. I have paid my daughter’s costs for staying with her boyfriend in a nearby hotel to spare them meeting up, for instance, in a nearby forest and exposing them to bandits.

I told her: having various theories and convictions does not mean that there isn’t a one true and correct theory. The numbers of concepts and theories you may collectively have about the means of transportation that I’d use to get here daily, do not negate the fact that I own a black car even if the whole world believes that my car is red. This belief doesn’t make it red; there is one truth, which is, I own a black car.

It is illogical to decree the convictions of human beings based on their whims and preferences. For example, there is no doubt that rape is a breach of human rights, a violation of his values and freedom; this indicates that rape is evil, so is homosexuality, which is a violation of the universal laws, and adultery.

The truth can’t be denied even if the whole world agreed to invalidate it. A misdeed is as clear as the sun, even if all human beings decided to recognize it as valid.

Also, having various theories of the origin does not negate the presence of one truth, which is: There is only one God “the Creator” the One and Only, who has neither image nor child.

If the entire world wanted to say that the Creator is embodied in the form of an animal or a person, that does not make it so, Exalted be God Almighty.

Hence, your daughter's homosexuality is a wrong and disgraceful act, even if the whole world concurred that it is right. The only and explicit truth is that morality is not relative and does not change with time or place.

One of them interjected: But we must respect the opinions and theories of others.

I declared: We respect the will of choice that God has given to everyone, but we do not respect the disgraceful behavior itself.

Another had questioned: Why did Islam prohibit adoption?

I clarified: Have you heard the story of the Australian girl who accidentally learned, thirty years later, that she was adopted and committed suicide?

If they told her since childhood, they would have spared her and allowed her to search for her family.

Islam urges the sponsorship of orphans, and encourages the sponsor of an orphan to treat him as he treats his children, but upholds the right of the orphan to get to know his real family, to preserve his right in his father's inheritance, and to avoid mixing of lineages.

Another Muslim woman asked next: Why the savagery in the punishment for adultery? Look at the French sophistication.

I countered back: Due to the French sophistication, how many millions do not know where they’ve come from? Is that sophistication or retardation?

She challenged: Why does a woman inherit half of what a man inherits?

I stated: A Muslim friend had told me one day that she strove so hard to understand this point up until the death of her father-in-law. Her husband inherited twice the amount his sister got, but he had to buy some essentials that he lacked, such as a house for his own family and a car.

His sister, on the other hand, bought jewelry from the amount that she got and saved the rest of the money in the bank, as her husband was obligated to provide housing and other essentials. Only then my friend understood the wisdom behind this rule, and she thanked God.

I explained: Before Islam, a woman was deprived of the inheritance. When Islam came, she was included in the inheritance. Indeed, she even gets more shares than the males or equal to them, or even she gets shares while he does not get anything in many cases, whereas the males only obtain higher proportions according to the degree of kinship and descent.

She insisted: But in many societies, women work and toil to take care of their families. The rule of inheritance here is invalid.

I contradicted: Is the malfunction in your phone, which you caused by not following the operating instructions, evidence of the operating instructions being invalid?

 And argued with false arguments to condemn the truth:


The French woman went on with her inquiries: Islam has detracted from the woman's eligibility, by making her testimony half of the man’s testimony.

I elucidated: The testimony of a man was never accepted alone even in the most insignificant financial issues. Muslim men did not object to that and considered it a violation of his integrity, except that the woman has the advantage in accepting her testimony alone without a man and in a more crucial subject than the testimony on small matters. That is in the testimony releated to the childbirth and what it entails in inheritance and lineage.

O you who have believed, when you contract (i.e. when you have or contract a debt) a debt one upon another for a stated term, then write it down. And let a writer write it down between you with justice, and let not any writer refuse to write it down, as God has taught him. So let him write and let the one upon whom is the truthful duty of payment (i.e. the debtor) dictate, and let him be pious to Allah (God) his Lord and not depreciate anything therein. So, in case the one upon whom is the truthful duty is foolish, or weak, or unable to dictate himself, then let his patron dictate with justice. And call in to witness two witnesses of your men; yet, in case the two are not two men, then one man and two women from among the witnesses you are satisfied with, so that (in case) one of the two women errs, then either of the two should remind the other, and let the witnesses not refuse whenever they are called (upon). [285]

The testimony upon which the judiciary system relies on to verify justice based on evidence does not need masculinity or femininity as a criterion to determine its truthfulness or falsehood to decide whether to accept or reject it.

Instead, its criterion fulfills the judge's assurance of the testimony's truth, regardless of the gender of the witness, male or female, and regardless of the number of witnesses.

In any case, we must know that testimony is a responsibility, and when God relieves a woman of it, that is to honor her, not the opposite.

She said: Why does Islam endorse slavery?

I answered: There is not a single verse in the Holy Qur’an that supports slavery! Slavery, which was established before Islam, was a standard system practiced by all populations, without restrictions. Islam’s fight against slavery aimed to change the outlook and mindset of the entire society so that slaves become full and active members in society after their liberation without the need to resort to demonstrations, strikes, civil disobedience, or even ethnic revolutions.

Islam's goal was to get rid of this hateful system as quickly as possible and by peaceful measures.

She asked: How so?

I explained: Islam did not allow the ruler to enslave his people. Moreover, Islam also granted both the ruler and his people rights and duties within the boundaries of freedom and justice guaranteed to all.

So, slaves were gradually set free through expiations, opening the door for alms, the hasting to do good and through the emancipation of the slaves to draw nearer to God.

The woman who bears a child to her owner was not sold and was automatically granted her freedom upon his death. Contrary to all previous traditions, Islam has decreed that the son of an enslaved woman will be conjoined with his father. Therefore, he is free.

It also decreed that the bondservant purchases himself from his master by paying an amount of money or working for a specified period.

If any of your servants wish to be freed, grant them their wish, if you recognize some good in them.[286]

In the battles that Muslims were forced to fight in defense of themselves, religion, and money, Prophet Muhammad, has instructed his companions to treat prisoners of war with kindness and charity.

The prisoners were also able to buy their freedom by paying a ransom or teaching children how to read and write. Also, Islam's enslavement system did not deprive a child of his mother or a brother from his brother.

Islam has commanded Muslims to show mercy to those fighters who’ve surrendered.

And if anyone of the polytheists asks you for protection, give him protection so that he may hear the Word of God; then escort him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know.[287]

Islam had also stipulated the possibility of helping slaves to free themselves by funding them from the Muslims’ money or from the state treasury. The Prophet, had offered a ransom to free the slaves from the public treasury funds.

She questioned: Aren’t the pilgrimage rituals paganistic?

I pointed out: Are we to interpret the respect of the citizens of any country for some monument, in publishing its photos and stamping it on official papers and so on as a worshipping ritual to that monument? There is a massive difference between pagan religions, and the aggrandizing of particular places and sacred landmarks, whether religious, ethnic or national.

She asked: Why do Muslims kiss the Black Stone?

I enlightened her: Would you scold someone for kissing an envelope that has a letter from his father?

She disregarded my question: What about throwing the stones?

I answered her: As for the throwing stones, it shows our opposition to Satan. In this way, we are emulating the actions of our Messenger Ibrahim, peace be upon him, when Satan had intercepted him to prevent him from carrying out his Lord’s order and slaughtering his son, so, he cast some stones at him. [288]

Likewise, walking between the two hills (Al-Safa and Al-Marwah) is following in the footsteps of Hajar (Ibrahim’s wife) when she sought to find water for her son Ismail.

All the pilgrimage rituals are for establishing the remembrance of God and denoting obedience and yielding to Him. They are not intended to worship stones, places, nor people. Islam calls for one God who is the Lord of the heavens and earth and what is between them; The Creator and Sovereign of everything.

I have directed my attention towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth—a monotheist—and I am not idolaters.[289]

She exclaimed: For me, these rituals are frightening. Many Muslims died because of excessive crowding.

I informed her: Dozens may die in this annual event due to excessive crowding, yet millions of people die annually because of alcohol consumption. Also, victims die in more significant numbers in soccer field stadiums, carnivals in South America, etc. because of big crowds.

In all cases, death is inevitable. Meeting God is an ascertained reality. Therefore, dying while doing good deeds is better than dying while sinning.

Malcolm X said: “And for the first time after twenty-nine years that I’ve spent on this earth, I stood before the Creator of everything and felt that I am a complete human being.

I have never witnessed the sincerity of this brotherhood among people of all colors and genders in my life. America needs to understand Islam because it is the only religion that has the solution to the problem of racism.”[290]

Conclusion:

Evelyn Kobold summarized the greatness of the religion of Islam in these words.

“Islam is a word that means submission to God, and it also means peace. The Muslim is defined as the man who walks in his life according to his Creator's will, and the orders of his Lord, and who lives in peace with God and His servants. Perhaps the most beautiful thing in Islam is the Divine Oneness, devoid of traditions and heretics, and its complete adherence to practical matters of life. Faith in the Qur’an is based on good deeds, and there is no faith in Islam without there being a good deed; ever! This is what one finds in the Qur’an more than once in all its chapters and verses. Islam ordained the pilgrimage on the Muslims who can make the journey, so the sick is excused; the poor, and the slave. It is stipulated in the pilgrimage that the road to be devoid of risks. There should not be disease nor injustice in it. Speaking of the pilgrimage, no one can deny that it's of great importance. It overwhelms the soul from soaring to the realm of supreme spiritualistic ideals and helps it break free from the world's vanities. It allows it turn to God with a sound heart along thousands of people of all kinds with different nationalities, languages, and the diversity of their drinks and tastes. These people come from all over the world enduring on their way all kinds of hardships, the disturbance of pathways, and the far-away distances that cannot be estimated or envisioned. All of that is to only stand in one place before God, May He be exalted, approaching Him with pure hearts, eager cores, and tears a-flowing.”[291]

The Religion in the Sight of God

 You are the best nation that has ever emerged for humanity:


I once remember being praised by my German language teacher. She asked: How do you have all this energy to enjoy education, exert effort as well as money and health in studying, working, and take care of your children?

I answered: Prophet Muhammad, may God grant him peace, said: Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your free time before your work, and your life before your death.

Then she said: Wondrous! Summit of wisdom, you are a unique type of human being.

After that, I remembered the noble verse: You are the best nation that has ever emerged for humanity [292]. I thanked Almighty God very much.

 There has come to you from God a light and a clear Book:


A group of Ph.D. holders came to attend an international conference, and eventually they visited our center. During a discussion that we had, one of them asked me about Adam's sin. He said sarcastically: Adam did it because of Eve and we endured it for life.

I told him: That’s what you believe, but in Islam God forgave Adam, and taught us how to return to Him whenever we sinned during our lifetime. It is not the original sin, but it is the original forgiveness.

Then Adam received from his Lord [some] words, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, it is He who is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.[293]

Thus, women do not bear the burden of Adam’s sin, but rather Islam is keen to raise the status of women. Women have played a major role in many of the stories mentioned in the Qur’an, such as Balkis the Queen of Sheba and her story with the Prophet Solomon, which ended with her faith and becoming a Muslim (a worshipper of God alone).

Indeed, I found [there] a woman ruling them, and she has been given of all things, and she has a great throne. [294]

The same group member continued: Can anyone become a Muslim?

I answered: Absolutely.

He asked: How so?

I answered: Every child is born in his right nature, which is being a worshiper of God alone, because without the intervention of parents, schools, or any religious party, he will worship God directly until adulthood.

During his adulthood, he will become entrusted and accountable for his actions. After that, he begins to choose whether to take Jesus as a mediator between him and God, which would make him become a Christian, or to take Buddha as a mediator to become a Buddhist. Other options surrounding him would be taking Krishna for example in order to become a Hindu, or taking Muhammad as a mediator to completely deviate from Islam. Apart from all these options, he still has an option to remain on his nature as a worshiper of God alone (Muslim).

Then, the group applauded.

He asked: Why are non-Muslims not allowed to enter Mecca?

I answered: Even a Muslim who takes Muhammad as a mediator between him and God is not welcome in Mecca. He would be told to stop begging the Messenger or otherwise he should leave the place.

 He asked: Do you not find this against tolerance?


 I asked: Can you buy vegetables from the bank in your country?


 He answered: No.


 I asked: Why?


 He answered: Because the bank is only for financial transactions while buying vegetables is from the supermarket.


I told him: So, the bank guard is not intolerant when he tells you to go to the supermarket to buy vegetables because this place is for financial transactions. I added: Mecca is a place dedicated to worshiping God alone without an intermediary; it is for worship only and not for tourism.

Whoever wants to worship anyone else apart from God should not come to the house of God.

 One of the group members asked: Why does God send human messengers to people like them? Why does he not send them angels instead?


I answered him: What suits human beings, is having another human like them speak in their language and set an example for them. But if God sent a prophet angel to them and did what was difficult for them, they would protest that he is an angel who can do what they cannot.

Say, “If there were angels on earth, walking around in peace, We would have sent down to them from heaven an angel messenger.” [295]

And if We had made him an angel, We would have made him [appear as] a man, and We would have covered them with that in which they cover themselves.[296]

He said: I believe in God, but I do not believe in the message of Muhammad or in Jesus, and I do not believe that God sends messengers.

I realized from his comment that he is Jewish, then I told him: If you knew the Almighty God properly, you would have known that it is impossible that he creates people, and then leaves them without providing them with the guidance that their souls need. He has provided people with all their bodies' needs of food, drinks, earth, air, sun, and moon, but then He leaves them to fall into confusion, bewilderment, and anxiety? It is not possible. If you do not believe that God sends messengers, then how do you believe in Moses? Who sent him the book that he brought?

And they did not appraise God with true appraisal when they said, “God did not reveal to a human being anything.” Say, “Who revealed the Scripture that Moses brought as light and guidance to the people? You [Jews] make it into pages, disclosing [some of] it and concealing much. And you were taught that which you knew not - neither you nor your fathers.” Say, “God [revealed it].” Then leave them in their [empty] discourse, amusing themselves.[297]

 He asked: What is the evidence of Muhammad's prophecy?


 I told him: The evidence of his prophecy is found in his biography. He was known as an honest and faithful man before his prophecy; he was an illiterate who did not read or write.


 And you did not recite before it any scripture, nor did you inscribe one with your right hand. Otherwise the falsifiers would have had [cause for] doubt.[298]


In addition, he presented evidence that confirms his prophecy, which is shown in the Quranic verses.

The verses are in the Prophet’s language; they were rhetoric and eloquent, which makes them rise above the normal words of mankind.

Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an? If it had been from [any] other than God, they would have found within it much contradiction.[300]

Do they say, ‘He has fabricated it?’ Say, ‘Then bring ten chapters like it, fabricated, and invoke whomever you can, besides God, should you be truthful.[301]

But if they do not respond to you - then know that they only follow their [own] desires. And who is more astray than one who follows his desire without guidance from God? Indeed, God does not guide the wrongdoing people.[302]

The group member asked: What is the difference between the Prophet and the Messenger?

I answered: The Prophet is the one who was inspired by the Creator, but didn’t bring a new message or book.  The Messenger is the one whom God sent him a book with a method and law that suits his people, for example, the Torah, the Bible, the Qur’an, the scriptures of Abraham, and book of Salms, which was revealed to Prophet David.

He asked: Is the imam in Islam like a priest in Christianity?

I answered: The term Imam means a person who leads people in prayer, or takes care of their affairs and their leadership.

It is not a religious rank confined to specific people. There is no hierarchy in Islam; all people are equal. The first to lead the prayer must be the person who memorized Qur’an the most, and knowledgeable of the provisions related to prayer. No matter how much the Imam receives respect from Muslims, he still never listens to confessions, nor does he forgive sins. Hence, his duty is different than the priest’s duty.

He asked: What is the difference between Islamic thought and philosophy?

I answered: Islamic thought is the set of science and knowledge based on Islamic foundations and controls.

If this knowledge is against the Islam foundations, then it is a non-Islamic thought. But the reality of philosophy is to delve into the science of speech, and the arbitration of mind in beliefs, including divinities, prophecies, metaphysics, and others without believing in revelation, and this contradicts the axioms of belief.

He asked: What is the difference between the prophet and the philosopher?

I told him: The knowledge of extreme facts comes from God. The philosopher relies on his reason and logic to elicit realities and introduce philosophical concepts into it, while ignoring the limitations of his thinking as a human being. On the other hand, God reveals the facts to the messenger through revelation. There is no comparison between the messenger and the philosopher. A philosopher should follow the messenger, and the messenger must not follow the philosopher. The messenger is an envoy, and the philosopher is an envoy to him; revelation is the ruler, and the mind is ruled on it.

 He asked: What is the new Sharia?


I answered: It is the legislation that contains something new that was not in the previous legislation.

And [I have come] confirming what was before me of the Torah and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. And I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear God and obey me.[303]

He said: The universe is the only source of knowledge and there is no place for revelation. I told him: They are both together; the universe and the revelation. The creation of God and the revelation of God.

The sources of knowledge for a Muslim are the universe and revelation, and its means are sense and brain. As for the curriculum, it differs according to the type of knowledge and the type of source.

Say, ‘Tell me about your partners [you ascribe to God] whom you invoke besides God? Show me what [part] of the earth have they created. Do they have any share in the heavens?’ Have we given them a scripture so that they stand on a manifest proof thereof? Rather the wrongdoers do not promise one another [anything] except delusion.[304]

The verse here indicates that worshipping someone else apart from God includes the claim that they are deities, and God must be a creator.

The proof that he is the Creator is either witnessed by what He created in the universe, or by witnessing the inspiration from God who proved to be the Creator. So, if this claim does not have evidence from the creation of the universe, nor have evidence from the words of the Creator God, then the claim is necessarily null.

He asked: What is the opinion of Islam in the theory of knowledge and rationality of belief?

I answered: If you mean the theory of knowledge being the exact statement of reality, this is what Islam says.

Some Arabs believed that the smart man had two hearts. If one of the Arabs got angry at his wife, he would tell her you are like my mother. Other Arabs adopted a son from another family, and attributed him to themselves as if he was their biological son, similar to what people do in the West nowadays. So, Almighty God judged all these claims as mere words of the tongue, and it is against the truth.

God did not place two hearts inside any man's body. Nor did He make your wives whom you equate with your mothers, your actual mothers. Nor did He make your adopted sons, your actual sons. These are your words coming out of your mouths. God speaks the truth, and guides to the path. [305]

That is because God is the Truth, and that which they call upon other than Him is falsehood, and because God is the Most High, the Grand.[306]

The previous examples show the difference between truth and falsehood, for truth reflects true knowledge that matches reality, and falsehood is an illusion.

The Noble Qur’an affirms the possibility of acquiring knowledge after a person’s birth.

God has brought you forth from the bellies of your mothers while you did not know anything. He made for you hearing, eyesight, and hearts so that you may give thanks.[307]

The senses, such as hearing and sight, are all connected to the brain. They are the source of the inputs, and the brain performs the process of dismantling these inputs (the process of reasoning), which produces the idea relating to the feeling that drives a person to a certain behavior. The brain converts the following signals through the senses into things that make sense to a person.

The mind displays the thoughts and ideas in the heart, which activates the heart muscle and then shows an effect. This can be similar to a battery found in the cavity of the brain, and attached to a nerve wire to a lamp located in the heart muscle. The lamp illuminates from this battery in the brain, and therefore we see in the Holy Qur’an the words of Almighty God:

… It is not the eyes that go blind, but it is the hearts, within the chests, that go blind.[308]

In other words, delusion in the human mind extinguishes the light of the heart that is in the chest, which is a reflection of the misguided thoughts in the interior of man.

The sense that is related the most to the brain is hearing.

 A person hears:

-         Sounds of natural things like thunder, wind, and birds.

-         Words, which are sounds that denote meanings and the Holy Qur’an often uses hearing by this meaning.

As for the one who does not understand speech and does not benefit from it, the Qur’an resembles it with an animal that can only hear voices.

Do you suppose that most of them listen or apply reason? They are just like cattle; rather they are further astray from the way.[309]

The parable of the faithless is that of someone who shouts after that which does not hear [anything] except a call and cry: deaf, dumb, and blind, they do not apply reason.[310]

As for the speech, some of it is right and some of it is invalid, and there is no way to know this with sense alone, so, the mind must join it and decide first whether the speech is contradictory or consistent, and if it finds it contradictory, it is a judgment that invalidates it.

Although a person comes out of his mother's womb, he does not know anything, but his mind is natively associated with monotheism.

In the saying of the Prophet Muhammad, we read:

Every child that is born, is born upon the Fitrah (natural faith), but his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Zoroastrian.[311]

We now understand that:

-         A person is born while having the seed of monotheism planted in his mind, which is the recognition that there is no god worthy of being worshiped except the One God (the Creator).

-         A human being is born with a nature that is appropriate only for the facts and rulings that Islam has brought as a belief and behavior.

So set your heart on the religion as a people of pure faith, the origination of God according to which He originated mankind.[312]

Therefore, Man does not feel calm and comfortable unless he is a Muslim, who is a worshiper of God alone.

Those who have faith, and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of God.’ Look! The hearts find rest in God’s remembrance! [313]

The group member asked: Is the truth the opposite of beauty, art, and culture in Islam?

I previously read books that discussed this matter, and I confidently answered: The “truth” in Islam was formulated to conform to the delicate aesthetic taste; it addresses human instinct and indicates what achieves his happiness in this world and the Hereafter.

Say, ‘Indeed my prayer and my worship, my life and my death are for the sake of God, the Lord of all the worlds. He has no partner, and this [creed] I have been commanded [to follow], and I am the first of those who submit [to God].[314]

The Qur’anic text combines all the aesthetic phenomena with the necessity of thanking their Creator. The texts of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad have shown that the Muslim is required to show God's blessings upon him in apparent and hidden adornment, as showing God’s blessings is considered a part of our thanks and love towards God.

Messenger of God said:

God is Beautiful, He loves beauty.[315]

In fact, the problem of contradicting religion with beauty is a western problem, and not Islamic. The destabilization of religious values in the West, and the bad attitude that intellectuals, writers, and artists have stopped against ecclesiastical perceptions and their history, have helped with trying to exclude them from life, thought and art in general, similar to what happened between the ecclesiastical perceptions, politics, and science.

The world today is in dire need of aesthetic productions that return a person to his humanity, and bring him happiness, which he missed in the midst of his physical preoccupations, along with his inability to harmonize the requirements of the soul with the needs of the body.

This lack of humanity occurred after the person’s feelings sagged because of consuming all what the media informed him.

This media reached our homes today, restricted human awareness, and made people captive to the small screen in the house.

Brzezinski, the former US National Security Adviser, says in his book “Collapse.”: “We have become a society of pornographic permissibility. The individual has violated everything; the words “forbidden” or “prohibited” are no longer in his dictionary.

Thus, civilization will not be righteous and will not continue. The whole ship is sinking and no one has the right to save it, and saving it depends on a return to religion and morals.”

The group member commented: Art and beauty are the sources of culture.

I told him: Culture produces art and beauty, not the opposite.

Willis, a cultural ethnographer, says:

“The boundaries between arts and non-arts must be completely redrawn or abolished, so, it is necessary to not just criticize the view that contributes to art producing culture, but we must declare that culture is what actually produces art, not the opposite.”

Various philosophies have presented their perceptions of art and beauty since ancient times. These perceptions are contradictive and confusing:

-      “Plato” attributes beauty to the eternal example, which is a remnant of memories of the soul, and this is explained by the theory of simulation.

-      “Aristotle” vetoed the theory of simulation and the world of example, and he was interested with reality. He believed that beauty had the consistency of composition.

-      “Baumgarten” linked beauty with sense and feeling.

-      Kant considered art is a target by itself.

-      Gauthier said: There is nothing really beautiful unless it is useless and everything that is useful is ugly.

-      “Fichte” sees art as self-liberation.

-      German philosopher “Schopenhauer” said: Beauty is in spiritually

-      pure meditation without mixing it with our will, so it nullifies the will of Man.[316]

Literature in Islam is committed to an obligation of truth and certainty; it is also committed to language and religion. It is an expression of an issue or subject by pure permissible means. It provides halal (permissible) pleasure that God has permitted to His servants, as well as provides security and safety. Literature in Islam also helps a person fulfill his covenant with Almighty God, which is worship, honesty, succession, and architecture for the land by faith and monotheism. Islam has transferred literature to wide scale that has not happened in human history. It has moved the Arabic language from being the language of one people to being the language of the final prophecy, and the language of worship and obedience to God for every Muslim forever throughout the earth and time.

Islamic aesthetic is achieved through conveying the message of monotheism to the world, in order to worship only One God who is impeccable of partners and equals.

Who has a better call than him who summons to God and acts righteously and says, ‘Indeed I am one of the Muslims’? [317]

Beauty is manifested in the human instinct, which was originated by God. It is also manifested in the soul of the believer and the way he was created, then it’s manifested in his work, along with his words and statement: beautiful patience, beautiful forgiveness, beautiful release, beautiful abandonment, etc. So, beauty extends in the perception of the believer until he lives with true beauty in all things, and that’s according to his faith, his connection with the universe, the awareness of his beauty, and his connection with the Creator of the universe.[318]

We certainly created man in the best of forms, then We relegated him to the lowest of the low, except those who have faith and do righteous deeds. There will be an everlasting reward for them.[319]

He created the cattle, in which there is warmth for you and [other] uses and some of them you eat. There is in them a beauty for you when you bring them home for rest and when you drive them forth to pasture.[320]

And you see the mountains, thinking them rigid, while they will pass as the passing of clouds. [It is] the work of God, who perfected all things. Indeed, He is Acquainted with that which you do.[321]

The group member said: How did the language arise? Is it similar to what scientists say, emerging from the sounds of apes?

His question made me laugh; I recently read about this topic, so I confidently told him: It has been proven that the language nature is inherently (genetically) programmed in the structure of our brains, and that all the languages of the world share the same rules that govern them.[322]

Among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colors. There are indeed signs in that for those who know.[323]

The Noble Qur’an mentioned that Almighty God taught Adam all the names.

And He taught Adam the Names, all of them; then presented them to the angels and said, ‘Tell me the names of these, if you are truthful”.[324]

God taught Adam the names means that Adam learned that everything has a name, whether it is a physical thing like water and sky, or something immaterial like pain and light, or an abstract meaning like freedom and happiness. This is called coding, and the ability to code is one of the finest human mental talents which is practiced by himself and no one else. It is considered one of the fundamental differences between humans and other beings.

He created man, [and] taught him articulate speech.[325]

The statement is the formulation of ideas rationally and according to the rules. The human being uses the symbols which he gave to things. In addition, he uses the rules of the language programmed in his mind.

By the Lord of the heaven (sky) and the earth, it is indeed the truth, just as [it is a fact that] you speak.[326]

Pronunciation is the next stage in the spoken language, and it is performed by the speech organs (larynx, pharynx, and mouth), and the brain centers which are responsible for the work of this device.

This system will not have a benefit and value if it does not have a receiver of this spoken information, so Almighty God created hearing for us.

Say, ‘It is He who created you, and made for you hearing, eyesight, and hearts. Little do you thank’.[327]

The human language system is complemented by the rationalization of what a person hears and understands.

…Thus, do we elaborate the signs for a people who apply reason.[328]

Modern medicine has reached types of imbalances that can affect the pronunciation system. For example, there can be a person who does not understand what he hears, or another person might be unable to hear. In addition, there can be someone else who is unable to pronounce, someone who cannot formulate his thoughts, or someone who looks at something and does not find its name in his mind.[329]

The group member asked: What do you think of Einstein’s time relativity concept when he said: “We do not have to talk about time without space, nor about place without time, and as long as everything moves, it must carry its time, and when the object moves faster, its time will shrink in comparison to other times which associated with other movements slower than it”?

I answered: The Holy Qur’an referred to the relativity of time, and mentioned that there is a day of a thousand years in length, and a day of fifty thousand years in length.

He directs the command from the heaven to the earth; then it ascends toward Him in a day whose span is a thousand years by your reckoning. [330]

The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him in a day whose span is fifty thousand years.[331]

The time, as Einstein says, does not have a single, self-standing fact as characteristic of matter. Also, the universe is like a book in which incidents are accurately recorded, so every movement, action or saying is recorded in this universe. In addition, everything that a person utters from the day of his birth until his death is preserved, and this is what is mentioned with an amazing accuracy in the Holy Qur’an.

He says no word but that there is a ready observer beside him.[332]

We also have other signs that indicate the Holy Qur’an addressing the concept of time relativity.

They remained in the Cave for three hundred years, and added nine more [to that number].[333]

Say, ‘God knows best how long they remained. To Him belongs the Unseen of the heavens and the earth. How well does He see! How well does He hear! They have no guardian besides Him, and none shares with Him in His judgment.[334]

Almighty God mentioned here that they stayed 300 years and increased nine.

The Qur’an preceded all the sciences of astronomy when it estimated the period that the cave people stayed in the cave. They stayed three hundred years, which equals to 309 years.

Every 300 solar years equal to 300 x 365,25 = 109575 days, and 300 lunar years equal to 300 x 354,37 = 106311 days.

The difference between the two calendars is 109575 -106311 = 3264 days = 9 years. So, 309 lunar years correspond to 300 Gregorian years, with a difference of 9 years.

In addition, 300 years (109575) equals to 88 109575 in Mercury (Mercury year 88 Earth days) 1245 years.

Also, these 300 years on Earth equals to 109575 243 = 451 years on planet Venus, and equals to 109575 687 = 59.5 years on planet Mars.

Thus, time remains relative, but the true value does not exist except for Almighty God, who surrounded time and space.

Say, ‘God knows best how long they remained. To Him belongs the Unseen of the heavens and the earth.[335]

The Holy Qur’an also mentions the relativity of worldly life.

He will say, ‘How many years did you remain on earth?’ They will say, ‘We remained for a day, or part of a day; yet ask those who keep the count.’  He will say, ‘You only remained a little; if only you had known.[336]

And on the day when the Hour sets in the guilty will swear that they had remained only for an hour. That is how they were used to lying [in the world]. [337]

It will be, on the Day they see it, as though they had not remained [in the world] except for an afternoon or a morning thereof. [338]

Then the group member said: Many scholars say that every era must document history from its point of view, because each generation’s appreciation of what is important and meaningful to them differs from the other generation. Every generation tries to see the past through its interests and ideas prevailing in it, which means history is relative.

I replied: This is true, but this does not negate the fact that events have one truth, whether we like it or not. The documentation of human beings was subjected to distortion and inaccuracy of events, and it was based on whims, unlike the documentation of the God, which has very accurate past, present, and future.

Byzantium has been vanquished in a nearby territory (lowest), but following their defeat they will be victors in a few years. All command belongs to God, before and after, and on that day the faithful will rejoice at God’s help. He helps whomever He wishes, and He is the All-mighty, the All-merciful.[339]

These verses mention the defeat of the Byzantines against the Persians at the Battle of Antioch. God the Almighty promised the Muslims that the defeat would turn into a victory for the Byzantines in a few years. The Byzantines’ victory was important for the Muslims because they were Christians, and Christians were followers of a heavenly religion, while the Persians were a follower of the Zoroastrian religion which is a pagan religion. The battle took place in the area surrounding the Dead Sea (located in the groove of the Jordan Valley).

The most interesting fact for non-Muslims, which was recently discovered through satellites and modern technology, is that the area surrounding the Dead Sea is the lowest on the earth, and this is a Qur’anic miracle. This fact was not known or expected for the non-Muslims in the seventh century, as satellites and modern technology were not available at that time. The only possible explanation is that the Prophet Muhammad received a divine revelation from God - the Creator of the universe.

After about 7 years of revealing these verses God's promise in the Qur’an was fulfilled by victory for the Romans miraculously. The Qur’an preceded the theory of history relativity, too, in the codification of events in the Preserved Tablet.

We have attached every person’s omen to his neck, and We shall bring it out for him on the Day of Resurrection as a wide-open book that he will encounter. ‘Read your book! Today your soul suffices as your own reckoner’. [340]

The group member asked: How do you see the concept of enlightenment?

I answered him: The Islamic concept of enlightenment is based on a firm foundation of faith and science, which combines enlightenment of mind with the enlightenment of the heart, with faith in God first, and with the knowledge that is inseparable from faith.

The concept of European enlightenment has been transferred to Islamic societies like other western concepts. Enlightenment in the Islamic concept does not depend on the abstract mind that is not guided by the light of faith.

In addition, Man does not benefit his faith if he does not use his mind, the gift that God gave him, in thinking, meditating, forethinking, and doing things in a way that fulfills the public interest, benefits people, and stays forever.

In the dark medieval, Muslims restored the light of civilization and advancement that had been extinguished in all countries of the West and East until Constantinople.

The Enlightenment movement in Europe was a natural reaction to the despotism exercised by the ecclesiastical authorities against reason and human will. This situation was not known nor it existed in the Islamic civilization.

God is the Guardian of the faithful: He brings them out of darkness into light. As for the faithless, their patrons are the Rebels, who drive them out of light into darkness. They shall be the inmates of the Fire, and they shall remain in it [forever].[341]

Reflecting on these Qur’anic verses, we find that God’s Will takes out a person from darkness. This is known as the “Divine Guidance” for a person.