fountain 68

CANA

DA: $

5.95

• T

URKE

Y: 6.

00 TL

• U

K: £

2.95

• U

SA :

$ 5.50

MARCH APRIL 2009

A MAGAZINE OF SCIENTIFIC AND SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

O Most Compassionate Show us the truth as being true

and enable us to follow it. Show us falsehood as being false,

and make us refrain from it.

ISSUE 68

4Towards Spelling Out Our Own Line of Thought A Miraculous

Mechanism: DNA Repair34

Will and Balance in NourishmentWill and Balance in Nourishment

23

Lead articLe

MarcH/ aPriL 2009 2

EDITORIAL

A MAGAZINE OF SCIENTIFIC AND SPIRITUAL THOUGHTMARCH ∙ APRIL 2009 ISSUE 68

pg. 4

pg. 31

www.fountainmagazine.com

A win-win scenario, or game, describes a situation where the two parties involved manage to devise an action plan in a way that is beneficial for both. In interfaith dialogue, however, there are more

than two parties and the outcome of sincere efforts towards understanding the other is usually an infinite number of “win-win-…” situations, for par-ticipants are acting not merely according to individualistic interests, but for a lofty cause. WIN (Women’s Interfaith Network) in Houston, Texas, endorses this understanding, reflecting this with its name as well as with its humble efforts. Rev. Louise M. Row, one of the members, narrates the story of WIN’s formation and explains why they call themselves WIN: “As well as describing what we hope to be, the acronym is appropriate because we feel like we are “winners” already, having enjoyed one another.” We hope WIN’s story sets an example and will inspire men and women around the world.

In this issue we examine diverse topics from astronomy to art, from dialogue to genetics. On reading the lead article, you will be filled with hope that once those “who are spiritually alert with faith, hope, and tenacity” roll up their sleeves ready for work, the true message of Islam will be revealed to everyone in the world, for Islam is “a combination of systems that is perfectly compatible with human nature and rich enough to meet all the material and spiritual needs of humanity.”

Although we see it every day as the source of light and heat above us, most of us do not know that the sun is like an “enormous piano with ten mil-lion notes.” “The Trembling Sun” expounds on how helioseismologists gather important information about the sun’s core by studying the echoes that appear on the sun’s surface from the energy produced by these ten million notes.

From the macrocosmic sounds of the sun we move on to studying the marvelous microcosmic world of seeds in “Tiny, With A Great Mission,” which is a contemplative piece on how seeds are equipped with all the necessary information, how are they programmed to become the plant they are meant to be, and so on. In “Will and Balance in Nourishment,” we learn that there is no limit to the absorption of foods that have high calo-ries (lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins), and that this can lead to being overweight. However, in the absorption of minerals, the rules of dynamic balance occur in our intestines, regardless of our will, by the help and mercy of God. The former becomes a test of our appetite, while the latter is a measure divinely installed in our body to protect us from various mal-functions. A similar protective mechanism is found in the DNA, our genetic coding. “A Miraculous Mechanism: DNA Repair” lists various precautions to prevent DNA damage, such as detection by sensor proteins, the damage checkpoint process, and apoptosis.

We are grateful to the authors for their contributions, and owe a special thanks to Ozge Ozturk, Hacer Sartepe, and Sermed Ogretim for their help in producing this issue.

“WIN”-WIN FOR ALL WITH DIALOGUE

Lead articLe

MarcH/ aPriL 20093

Towards Spelling Out Our Own Line of ThoughtM. Fethullah Gülen

4

20

10

16

27

44

51

7

12

34

54

32

Lead Artıcle

Arts & CultureArt / The Dancing PenNisa Nur Terzi

Culture & SocIety / Dialogue in Central Eurasia Zhandos Utegulov

POEM / Never M. Fethullah Gülen

EducatIon / The Education of Gifted Children Hayati Tarhan

Book RevIew / Unity, Diversity, and Dialogue: A Jewish Perspective Turan Kayaoglu

ScıenceAstronomy / The Trembling Sun Kadir Can

PhysIcs / The Holy Qur’an and Dirac’s Theory of Pairs Sultan Bashir Mahmood / Robin Yasin Qusab

BIology / A Miraculous Mechanism: DNA Repair Hasan Altinbasak

See-ThInk-BelIeve / It’s us, Peter, your Eyes! Irfan Yilmaz

BeliefEmerald HIlls of the Heart / Zuhd (Asceticism))M. Fethullah Gülen

Q&A / Desire To Emulate, Envy, and Hastening To Do

Good Hikmet Isik

23BIology

Will and Balance in NourishmentOmer Arifagaoglu

Nature Tiny, With A Great Mission: Seeds and BeesMahmut Veziroglu

48FIctIon

In An Author’s Mind

Sermed Ogretim

28PERSPECTIVES

Holy Migration

Robert Lentz

38InterFAITH DIALOGUE

A Special Blessing: The Story of WINRev. Louise M. Row

60

Lead articLe

4

Lead articLe

In the past, “Islam” used to come into our people’s minds first as far as “religion” was concerned, and it would resonate with wonder in their con-science. Above all,

Islam had left on sound-thinking souls a deep and powerful impres-sion which challenged all kinds of decay or deterioration. Worldwide peace and the eternal serenity of humankind were the main objec-tives of Islam. The arguments it of-fered to realize its promises were so strong that those who recognized it with all its proofs and implications were considered to have attained the utmost glory. Originating from God, it was such a powerful and convincing call inviting people to Him that those who lent a listen-ing ear without prejudice would in-stantly be wrapped in its aura. Its

towards spelling Out Our Own line of thought

4

Lead articLe

IIn the past, “Islam” used to come into our people’s minds first as far as “religion” was concerned, and it would resonate with wonder in their con-science. Above all,

Islam had left on sound-thinking souls a deep and powerful impres-sion which challenged all kinds of decay or deterioration. Worldwide peace and the eternal serenity of humankind were the main objec-tives of Islam. The arguments it of-fered to realize its promises were so strong that those who recognized it with all its proofs and implications were considered to have attained the utmost glory. Originating from God, it was such a powerful and convincing call inviting people to Him that those who lent a listen-ing ear without prejudice would in-stantly be wrapped in its aura. Its

towards spelling Out Our Own line spelling Out Our Own line spelling Out of thoughtOur Own line of thoughtOur Own line

M. Fethullah Gülen

MarcH/ aPriL 2009

MarcH/ aPriL 20095

influence on them would remain forever, for its voice echoed a continuous happiness both in this world and in the world to come. The key to becom-ing angelic was encoded in this voice, a voice from beyond the heavens, and the system it communicated was nothing other than the religion of Islam.

Through this religion, humanity welcomed the most profound and re-warding transformations spreading in ever-widening circles from the center and witnessed the most vital changes. It was Islam which indicated the paths leading to absolute peace and salvation; it offered decisive solutions to the problems of humanity that had amassed over centuries. And today, despite the age-long efforts of many aggressive and brutal people to defame its luminous face and prevent its advance, Islam still maintains its position as a unique source of hope and treats everyone who takes refuge in it with an elixir of immortality.

Although there have been some who chose to darken their fate by break-ing away from Islam during a gloomy period or by opposing it for the sake of obstinacy in a false cause, Islam’s ever fresh and fulfilling message has always been like a lighthouse for those on the voyage and a safe haven for those in peril. For all some people may say, the entire world will one day appreciate this great truth thanks to the real representatives of this religion and will run to its climate of soothing breezes. Who knows? This religion may embrace us all, just like in the first ages of revival, and blow a new soul into this moribund world! May the followers of this religion not disappoint those who pin their hopes on them by dallying and wavering; may they not shake the trust in them that has started to grow in public opinion.

In a single breath, this religion once saved the masses that had sunk up to their throats in heedlessness, ignorance, and aberration, and it elevated them to lofty horizons beyond imagining; likewise, it will certainly be a source of inspiration for today’s dispersed and aimless masses and speak to them of the privilege of being human.

One day, with its well-preserved heavenly nature, this religion will wake the riotous masses of this age to being truly human and will reveal the di-vine in Islam’s essence to everyone; for this religion is not an empty system that consists of nothing but abstract measures, principles, and theories. Islam is a combination of systems that is perfectly compatible with human nature and rich enough to meet all the material and spiritual needs of hu-manity. It is the voice originating from the realms beyond the heavens that promises a bright future for every individual and society. And now, with

one day, With its Well-preserved heavenly nature, this reliGion Will Wake the riotous masses of this aGe to beinG truly human and will reveal the divine in islam’s essence to everyone; for this reliGion is not an empty system that consists of nothing but abstract measures, principles, and theories. islam is a combination of systems that is perfectly compatible with human nature and rich enough to meet all the material and spiritual needs of humanity.

6MarcH / aPriL 2009

its unique rhetoric and enchanting effect engrossing everyone, it offers to humanity a mysterious key to unlock the gates of this world and the afterlife by way of carrying them to the heavenliness once attained in the past.

Although our religion is not be-ing fully expressed due to some of its disloyal followers and destructive enemies—as is no doubt the case today—its voice will be heard in the skies and beyond at a providential period of time, by means of the ef-forts of its auspicious students who have managed to wed their heart with their mind; this will be the true shab-i arus (wedding night) for the people of their time.

If such splendors were achieved in the darkest days of history, why should they not be realized once again? As long as they are aware of their own wonder and spiritual merit, human beings are the same human beings that they were in the past, happiness in this world and in the hereafter is the main goal as it was in the past, the disciplines need to reach the goal are the same disciplines as they were before …. All that remains is for the represen-tatives who are spiritually alert with faith, hope, and tenacity to roll up their sleeves ready for work. Hearts are under God’s control; so all this can come true one day. “When God manifests Himself with His fa-vor, He makes everything easy / He creates the means for attainment, and grants it instantly” (Ibrahim Haqqi). We cannot say represen-tatives of the necessary caliber do not exist at all today. It is true that there is some slackening of enthu-siasm and we are acting slowly, but it is also true that many exceptional projects have been realized so far.

So many of our precious val-

ues have been revived all over the

world that to ignore that fact would

be ungrateful, just as it would be

unfortunate to remain in despair

while they stand before our eyes.

How many other developments

can we refer to that have been

achieved as fast as that in our day?

How many other revivals were

there that have been as immediate

as that of our day? And how many

philosophies and worldviews have

we seen that have been embraced

by the masses in a time as short as

this revival we see in our day? The

world is the same planet, human-

ity is the same humanity, the goal

is the same goal; then, why should

past achievements not be realized

again? Once the long-awaited truth-

ful representatives can make their

voices heard, albeit at low volume,

but in a tone appropriate for all

humans of diverse natures, and

if those with sensible minds and

spirits are made aware of their own

true values, then fair-thinking souls who have always sought a glimpse of light throughout the ages will be saved from the confinements of this world and will rush forward to the expansive lands of these en-lightened representatives, discover-ing a very different life.

Opposing revivalist move-ments, hedonistic circles try to sab-otage every positive development; resistance comes especially from a powerful minority whose minds are completely fixed on gaining this world at the expense of the afterlife. These circles go all out to damn and smear the most positive and innocent activities that do not fit into their worldview, if it can be called a view. While they engender a new conflict every day by attack-ing every thing that is carried out on behalf of religion, sometimes with words like “backwardness” and at other times with delirious slanders like “fundamentalism” and “fundamentalist,” the pure souls who have awakened to true human values have always smiled back and entreated God the Ever-Patient, hoping that even those hostile circles—who are also favored with the wonder of being human—may one day feel regret for what they have done and ask pardon.

What falls to our share today is to put our faith in God, to walk with added determination on the path we know as straight, to em-brace everyone as compassionately as we can, and to pronounce even to hostile groups our overflowing love for humanity. What remains beyond this is to be content with God’s will, to assume active pa-tience against the exasperations of the time, and to move forward with consideration.

What falls to our share today is to put our faith in God, to Walk With added determination on the path We knoW as straiGht, to embrace everyone as compassionately as we can, and to pronounce even to hostile Groups our overfloWinG love for humanity.

7

astronoMy

MarcH / aPriL 2009

Kadir can

The Trembling Sun In 1962 a group of researchers discovered that the sun oscillated backwards and forwards once every five minutes. As research progressed it was determined that as some sections of the sun were coming closer, other sections were receding. In the seventies astrophysicists an-nounced that these vibrations were caused by

acoustic oscillation (sound waves from within the sun).

The sound of the sunSound waves are seismic waves which cause up-down and forward-back-ward movements. According to some scientists with poetic hearts the sound of the sun is like the sound of the heart beat. When a human’s heart beats, it makes varying sounds by contracting and relaxing, and car-diologists use these sounds to determine if there is a problem with the heart. Like the cardiologists who listen to our hearts, helioseismologists (scientists who research the sun’s seismic waves) listen to the sounds of the sun to learn more about its structure and mysteries. The power produced

it is interestinG that the sun’s oscillation, which modern science discovered in the 1960s, Was mentioned much earlier by bedİüzzaman. in fact he Went further and even explained the Wisdom and necessity of the sun’s oscillation as a law of Gravitation keepinG the earth and the other surroundinG planets in orbit.

8MarcH / aPriL 2009

by these sounds makes the sun oscillate like a bell or tremble like someone suffering from a high fever. Another interesting point is that millions of different sounds have been discovered to emanate from the sun and every sound oscillates on a distinct frequency and displays a different pattern on the sun’s surface. If we compare the sun to a piano, a piano has 88 metal wires which produce sounds with varying tones, whereas the sun produces ten million notes. So the sun is like an enormous piano with ten million notes producing sounds at roughly five-minute intervals which create har-monic acoustics resembling the heart beat.

Scientists are trying to decipher these ten million different sounds, which brings us to another interesting point; we cannot hear the sound fre-quencies because they are too low (between 1–4 millihertz) for the human ear (the lowest range of human hearing is 20 Hz). 1–4 millihertz equals to a time span of 200–1,000 seconds, meaning that the sun oscillates once every 3–16 minutes. Even if our hearing ability was suitable, the sound would not reach us because there is no air or layer of gas between the earth and the sun to convey sound. If we could increase the sounds of the sun by 20,000–40,000 times, the sound humans would hear would only resemble a whisper. The sun is like a musical instrument that plays a continuous concerto of ten million notes every day in the sky above us, and we do not even perceive it. Can you imagine the astronomical music if we were to include the galaxy’s 200 million stars?

Scientists gather important information about the sun’s core by study-ing the echoes that appear on the sun’s surface from the energy produced from these ten million notes. The solar oscillations are divided into three categories called the p, g, and f modes. The p mode is the pressure of acoustic waves, g mode is gravity and the f mode refers to the surface-gravity waves. There are ten million of the p and f modes alone and the combina-tion of these modes produce ten million different sounds.

In Bediüzzaman’s Risale-i Nur, his explanation of the letter “Lam” in the verse 36:38 in chapter Ya Sin in the Qur’an, affirms that every-body obtains understanding of this chapter according to his or her own spiritual senses and every chapter of the Qur’an contains thousands of aspects from which everyone benefits according to his or her own depth of understanding, from the common public to scholars, from scholars to the philosopher of the cosmos. In The Words, Nursi goes on to say, “Precise and wise scholars consider li to be causal and adverbial. They understand that since the All-Wise Maker operates behind the veil of ap-parent causality, He has tied the planets to the sun by His law of gravity and causes them to revolve with distinct but regular motions according to His universal wisdom. To produce gravity, He has made the sun’s movement on its axis an apparent cause. Thus a resting place means that “the sun moves in the place determined for it for the order and stability of its own (solar) system.” Like the Divine laws, that motion produces heat, heat produces force, and force produces gravity. … The sun is a light-diffusing tree, and the planets are its moving fruits. But unlike trees,

9 MarcH / aPriL 2009

tree; it is shaken so that its travel-ing fruits do not fall. If it rested, no longer shaken, the attraction would cease, and those attracted to it would weep through space” (Twenty-fifth Word).

It is interesting that the sun’s oscillation, which modern science discovered in the 1960s, was men-tioned much earlier by Bediüzza-man. In fact he went further and even explained the wisdom and necessity of the sun’s oscillation as a law of gravitation keeping the earth and the other surrounding planets in orbit. This is a subject which has only recently begun to be researched by scientists of the present. If we were to look further into the history of the valuable dis-coveries of Imam Rabbani, Ibrahim Haqqi of Erzurum, Ulughbek, and many other scholars, we would be sure to encounter many other sci-entific facts.

references“Solar Ellipticity Fluctuations Yield No

Evidence of g-Modes,” J. R. Kuhn, K. G. Libbrecht and R. H. Dicke, Nature 319, 128 (1986).

“The Excitation and Damping of Solar Oscillations,” K. G. Libbrecht, B. D. Popp, J. M. Kaufman and M. J. Penn, Nature 323, 235 (1986).

“What do Observations Tell us about the Excitation of Solar Oscillation Modes?” K. G. Libbrecht, Proceed-ings of IAU Symposium 123, Ad-vances in Helio- and Astroseismol-ogy (1988).

“Seismology of Solar Oscillation Line Widths,” J. Christensen-Dalsgaard, D. O. Gough, and K. G. Libbrecht, Astrophys. J. Letters 341, L103 (1989).

“Frequencies of Solar Oscillations,” K. G. Libbrecht, M. F. Woodard, and J. M. Kaufman, Astrophys J. Supp. 74, 1129(1990).

“Advances in Helioseismology,” K. G. Libbrecht and M. F. Woodard, Sci-ence 253, 152 (1991).

the sun is shaken so that the fruits do not fall. If it were not shaken, they would fall and be scattered. They also may imagine the sun to be a leader of a circle reciting God’s Names, ecstatically reciting in the circle’s center and leading the others to recite. Elsewhere, I expressed this meaning as fol-lows: ‘The sun is a fruit-bearing

Images taken from

the Soho and Trace

spacecraft. Picture

credit: NASA/

ESA/LMSAL

Lead articLeart

No one knows dancing

like him. Swirl, lift, dip. The

routine continues. Swirl, lift, dip.

This is what Osman Sahin does

to relax. Dance. But he is no chore-

ographer, he is a calligrapher—one

who has mastered the art of Clas-

sical Turkish-Islamic calligraphy

for over twenty-five years. He calls

his calligraphy style “the dancing of

the pen.”

His eyes, eagerly glued to the

paper, anticipate his next move.

His hands lift with each pen stroke,

gliding to the rhythm of his breath,

rising with every new thought and

slowing to the pace of his heart-

beat.

To many of us, calligraphy is

merely fancy handwriting used to

record information, but to a Turk

calligraphy is much more. It is an art—a grand form of art—with its ori-gins dating back many centuries. The Turks refer to calligraphy as Hat (pronounced like “hut”). In its literal sense, Hat means beautiful writing practiced and perfected throughout time as a way to combine spiritual and functional writing with the medium of art.

It is however the spiritual element of Hat that is most striking to view-ers. Because the drawing of human figures is not favored in Islam, Muslim artists throughout time have channeled their talents toward the art of cal-ligraphy.

“Hat is all about symmetry, harmony and measurements,” explains Osman Sahin. “It is the dance of the pen and paper. It’s music to the eyes. Hat is like composed music that soothes and refreshes the spirit and brings peace and harmony to the soul. It enables the person to reach inner tranquility.”

The origins of Hat date back to the early Islamic era when manuscripts of the Qur’an were being recorded and handwritten. However, at that time there was little emphasis on the style of writing but greater emphasis on the message being revealed. It was centuries later, during the Ottoman Era, that Turks focused on the style of writing.

It is a common saying among Muslims that “the Qur’an was revealed in Mecca, recited in Egypt and written in Istanbul.” The Ottoman Turks pro-

nisa nur terzi

The DancingPen

MarcH/ aPriL 2009 10


duced and perfected various styles of script that were passed on throughout the Muslim world.

They loved and respected the art of Hat as it flourished in the great city of Istanbul, which was at the time the focal point of the Ottoman State, and it was there that history’s finest works were produced.

Hat has been used throughout Turkey in enchanting ways to deco-rate palaces, mosques, museums and fountains for many centuries. The renowned Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, referring to the art produced by Muslim calligraphers during the Andalusian period, said, “Muslim cal-ligraphers five hundred years ago reached where I want to reach today.” In present-day Turkey, there are over twenty million artwork treasures that bear witness to this history.

The beauty present in Islamic-Turkish calligraphy is said to be a direct reflection of the inner soul of the calligrapher. As Osman Sahin himself says, “Whenever I am stressed, I pick up my pen and draw. This is because the art of Hat has a therapeutic aspect to it. During the Ottoman era, some of the sick were treated by using fine arts like Hat together with soothing Sufi music and the art of Ebru (water marbling) drawing.”

This extraordinary art form can only be executed with the use of pens made of bamboo cuttings, preferably Balinese bamboo. “The bamboo is cut at a thirty-degree angle and split in half from top to bottom,” demon-strates Osman Sahin. “Even with the technology present today, it is not possible to write better or more beautifully using anything other than bam-boo. The squeaking sound you hear when using the bamboo pen is said to be the weeping of the pen. It is said that the pen weeps so as to not fall into the hands of the ignorant.”

It is no surprise that there is wonder and magic in Turkish-Islamic cal-ligraphy. It is almost as if the art moves and comes alive. Sweet appearance follows a slow, inner flow. There is silence, yet harmonious and metaphysi-cal music echoes. However, this music cannot be heard by the ears but must be heard within.

He breathed in and leaned back comfortably in his chair, looking deep into his finished calligraphy as it stared back at him. The dance was over, the rhythm ceased, and the music was muffled. The bamboo pen lay there on the table, weeping with heartache, unaware of when the next dance will be.

Nisa Nur Terzi is a journalism and law student and a freelance writer living in Melbourne, Australia.

“whenever i am

stressed, i pick up my

pen and draW. this

is because the art of

Hat has a therapeutic

aspect to it. during

the ottoman era,

some of the sick were

treated by usinG fine

arts like Hat toGether

With soothinG sufi

music and the art of

Ebru (Water marblinG)

drawing.”

Lead articLe

THEHOLY

AND DIRAC’S THEORY OF PAIRS

PHysics

Paul Dirac (1902–1984), one of Newton’s successors to the Lucasian Chair of

Mathematics at Cambridge, was one of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century and his work is one of the monuments of

modern physical theory (See Abdus Salam 1966). This paper highlights his great work

on the possible existence of all matter in pairs, and the revelation of the same theory in the Holy Qur’an, thirteen hundred years

before Dirac’s research.

Dirac’s discoveryDirac had the honor of being the first scientist in history to demonstrate the principle that all particles in the universe must exist in pairs, that for each particle there must exist a corresponding anti-particle of exactly the same mass but with an opposite electrical charge. For all matter in the universe, in other words, there must exist an equal amount of anti-matter. Thus the existence of a proton must imply the possible existence of an anti-proton; if a hydrogen atom exists, there must equally exist an atom of anti-hydrogen, perhaps in some distant corner of the universe.

Equal amounts of matter and anti-matter must have been produced in the first moments of the Big Bang. In our present universe, however, a particle will

sultan Bashir Mahmoodrobin yasin Qusab


Lead articLe

not be found co-existing peacefully side by side with its corresponding anti-particle. To understand this, we could recall the old European myth of the doppelganger, the perfect double of the unlucky hero. The message of the stories is always to avoid the doppelganger: if you meet your double you will be destroyed.

Just so, if matter and anti-matter meet they annihilate each other, their energy and momentum dissolving into heat and light. According to Dr. Abdus Salam of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, “In Dirac’s language, anti-matter is ‘minus matter’; matter and anti-matter just cannot co-exist in the same part of the universe without the ever-impending catastrophe of annihilation; and indeed some astronomers do believe that just this type of annihilation of galaxies and anti-galaxies is taking place at the sites of powerful X-ray sources in the heavens” (See Abdus Salam 1966).

Dirac predicted the existence of anti-matter in 1934, and the discoveries of specific anti-particles in the following years confirmed his prediction.

The Fish ProblemAccording to an apocryphal story, the germ of Dirac’s breakthrough materialized from a mathematical brainteaser seemingly unrelated to theoretical physics. During a meeting of the Cambridge Undergraduate Mathematical Society, the Archimedians, the following problem was presented. Those who like a challenge can try working it out for themselves. The answer is provided below for those whose brains become tangled by figures.

After a long day, three fishermen have caught a good amount of fish. They are about to set sail for home when a storm suddenly builds up. Under raging skies, they decide to seek shelter on a nearby island. They unload their catch and set a fire before falling asleep. A few hours later, one fisherman wakes up to find that the weather has settled enough for a safe return to be possible. Not wanting to disturb his friends, he divides the haul into three equal parts. There is one fish remaining, and this the fisherman throws back into the sea. He then leaves with his share.

A little later, the second fisherman awakes, also with the desire to get back home. Unaware that one of his friends has already left, he too divides the catch into three equal parts. Again there is one fish remaining, and again this is thrown back into the sea. The fisherman rows off with his portion. Finally, the third fisherman arises and goes through the same process, dividing the remaining fish into three parts, finding one fish remaining, which he then throws back into the sea. He leaves the island with his portion.

And now for the problem: What is the minimum number of fish in the original catch? To put it another way, what is the smallest number which can be subdivided three times, leaving one fish outstanding each time?

Dirac’s answerDirac thought for a while before arriving at the answer: minus two. If you divide minus two fish three times, each third will contain minus one fish, with plus one fish outstanding. Each time a fisherman throws the plus one fish into the sea, and rows off with the minus one fish. Expressed in an equation, it looks like this: –2 = –1–1–1+1.

MarcH/ aPriL 200913

14MarcH / aPriL 2009

Minus one fish is obviously no use to anyone, and this is certainly a brainteaser. It is important only in that it gave birth to the notion of anti-particles in Dirac’s mind and can help us to understand the math-ematical principle behind his discovery. It led him to the conclusion that all particles exist in opposing pairs and allowed him to see the symmetry of matter and anti-matter.

The Holy Qur’an and Dirac’s theoryAs we have already noted, Dirac was the first man in the history of science to make this profound discovery. For this he must be congratulated, and so must the modern scientific methods which have brought us so much practical information about ourselves and the universe in which we live.

Many centuries before Dirac, however, a text was revealed to an unlettered man in the Arabian desert. Its primary message was of the existence of one Creator and of an Afterlife in which human beings would ac-count for their conduct while on earth. But this was no ordinary religious book, for it continually exhorted its readers to examine the natural world around them for the signs of God, to develop logical and objective think-ing, and to place a crucial emphasis on education. This Book broke down the artificial boundaries which di-vide material and spiritual study. In the Holy Qur’an, science and religion are entirely compatible. Indeed, they cannot be distinguished.

In the Qur’an, we find the following verses, which may be considered relevant to Dirac’s discoveries of the pairings and symmetries of the universe’s structure, and in fact much more:

Glory to GodWho created all things in pairs,

Those that the earth produces, As well as their own (human) kind,And things of which They have no knowledge (Ya Sin 36:36)

The line “Who created all things in pairs” clearly

shows that the Qur’an is referring to a law of nature;

all things on earth and in the heavens—animal, vege-

table or mineral (and even sub-atomic)—have been cre-

ated in pairs. (Modern science has evolved around the

study of pairs, from the male/female pair which gen-

erates animal and plant life to the pairings of quarks

and leptons which are the most basic building blocks

of the universe.) The line “Things of which they have

no knowledge” suggests that the theory of pairs is of

universal scope. It applies equally at all points in time

and space; even in worlds of which we have no knowl-

edge.

Elsewhere in the Qur’an we find a statement which

modern science has spent its history confirming:

Verily all things (without exception),We have created, In exact measures and proportions. (Hadid 57:49)

The line “In exact measures and proportions” is

most revealing from a scientific point of view. The

Qur’an contains the unambiguous lesson that as well

as having perfect symmetry, every force in the universe

is definite, of exact measurement and proportion fol-

lowing precise laws:

And there is not a thing,But its storehouse is with Us,And We send them down,But in definite ascertainable measures. (Hijr 15:21)


God, the Absolute SingularityThe Holy Qur’an tells us of God:

He is the First,And the Last,He is the Outermost,And the Innermost, And He is the knower of all things. (Hadid 57:3)

In this verse “the First” and “the Last” relate to the time domain, and “the Outermost” and “the Inner-most” to the space domain. As such time and space are the first pair of nature. By extension all pairs are finally unified in the only Singularity in the universe—God. All pairs are aspects of the same reality, to which they all must return—the oneness of God.

But the Qur’an does not only give us information about the universe. It goes a step further, requiring us to use this information to develop our thinking. As al-ways, the Qur’an demands the active participation of its reader:

And of everything, We have created in pairs,That you may reflect. (Dhariyat 51:49)

The Qur’an asks us to think, offering both a mental challenge and a proof of God’s existence. If we reflect on the paired structure of the universe by using the methods of scientific reductionism, breaking a complex system down into its simplest units, we will finally come back to a single point of origin, an absolute singularity, the one source of time and space: God (See Mahmood 1991). As the Qur’an says,

And all that is in the heavens, And all that is in the earth, It is from God;And (in the final analysis)Everything will return to Him. (Al Imran 3:109)

guidance for the modern ageThe Qur’an comments on many areas of interest to modern science, from medicine to geology. Many vers-es of the Qur’an have taken on added significance as new scientific discoveries have been made. In fact, it seems that science has been following the Qur’an’s lead for centuries.

Furthermore, in an age when progress in such fields as genetic engineering and chemical weaponry has raised complex ethical questions, the Qur’an teaches the salutary lesson that science should be the servant

of humankind, not vice versa. It provides a model for all our endeavors in which symmetry is a prime value. Technological progress must be balanced by a sym-metrical spiritual development. The new freedoms that we have won through our expanding knowledge must be balanced by an awareness of our new responsibili-ties. Otherwise our achievements will turn upon us, polluting our environment and increasing rather than diminishing our suffering. Without the guidance of Is-lam through the Qur’an, humankind with its scientific achievements will be like a child surrounded by danger-ous toys.

This Book provided the light by which a great sci-entific culture once thrived. The Muslim world today, cursed as it is by illiteracy, intolerance and superstition, is a poor reflection of that former glory. This is the fault of human beings, not of the message of Islam, whose light continues to shine. Its light is every bit as available to a non-Muslim as it is to someone who has grown up in a Muslim environment. Once we move beyond our habitual beliefs and prejudices, all of us can profit from the message of the Qur’an. An independent and freethinking mind is all that is necessary to see its light. If we read, discuss and reflect upon the Qur’an, we can use that light to guide us now in our explorations of the universe and ourselves.

For this reason, we appeal to you to read the Qur’an. The example of the Qur’an’s truth presented in this paper is only one starting point. The Qur’an re-veals further riches with each reading. The light of this Book, which spoke to seventh-century Arabs of things of which they had no knowledge, can teach modern humankind too.

Dr. Sultan Bashir Mahmood is the founder of the Holy Quran Research Foundation in Islamabad. Mr. Robin Yasin Qusab is a graduate of Cambridge Uni-versity and a freelance journalist.

referencesThe Holy Qur’an: with English translation and commentary by

Yusuf Ali, Muhammad Asad, Maulana Darya Abadi, Ali Ünal.

Maurice Bucaille. The Bible, the Qur’an and Science, New York: Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an, Inc., 2003.

Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood. Doomsday and Life After Death, Islamabad: Holy Qur’an Research Foundation, 1991.

Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood, “Symmetry of the Universe and the Qur’an,” Science and Technology in the Islamic World, Vol. 5, No. 1, Jan. 1987. National Science Council of Pakistan.

Abdus Salam. Symmetry Concepts in Modern Science, Lahore: Atomic Energy Centre, 1966.


Eurasia

iN cENtralcen t r a l Eurasia is characterized

by historians as one of the most diverse places on the face of the earth, with its distinct and colorful characteristics. For centuries this geographical region has been at the crossroads of continents, religions, philosophies, ideologies, trade routes, geopolitical and strategic interests. Various cultures and civilizations of West and East have flourished and intermingled through the course of the history in this part of the world. Central Eurasia has experienced a rich history of gener-ally peaceful co-existence of various religions and cultures. Owing to the interpenetration of different traditions, customs, and practices, it has become home to diverse cultures, providing an environment within which the rich experi-ence, aspirations, and customs of nations can be effectively shared. Since ancient times, in particular during the era of the Great Silk Route, cultural values as well as material values and riches have moved between East and West. In Central Eurasia, many im-prints have been left by historical dialogues, which have provided linkages and bridges between regions, cultures and civilizations.

since ancient

times, in particular

durinG the era

of the Great silk

route, cultural

values as Well as

material values and

riches have moved

betWeen east and

west. in central

eurasia, many

imprints have been

left by historical

dialogues, which

have provided

linkaGes and

bridGes betWeen

regions, cultures

and civilizations.

Roughly speaking, the bulk of Central Eurasia consists of Central Asia and the Caucasus but also stretches to such regions as Turkey, the Turkic/Muslim regions of southern Russia, northern Afghanistan, southern Siberia, Tibet and Mongolia.1 Largely due to Turkic influence, shaped historically by a tolerant understanding of co-existence as enjoined in Islam, this region has won prestige internationally for its peaceful efforts in this diverse geographical area.

cuLture & society

Zhandos utegulov


Such leading U.S. universities as Harvard Univer-sity, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the Uni-versity of California in Los Angeles, and the University of Indiana in Bloomington offer graduate courses on Central Eurasian studies and languages. The notion of a “clash of civilizations” promoted by Huntington2 in the era of globalization has never been accepted by many people throughout Central Eurasia in their rich historical experiences of living in “mosaic societies.”

Pluralistic islam at the heart of eurasiaUnfortunately, for last couple of decades the experience of the diverse pluralistic Islam of Central Eurasia has been obscured by the political trends of Islam in the Middle East. The latter, rather than the former, has become the focus of most academic scholars of social sciences and hu-manities and media. Historically, while Turkey formed the western boundary of the Muslim world, Central Eurasia has largely represented the northern and north-eastern boundaries of the classical Islamic world. Islam in Central Eurasia emerged mainly through remarkable Sufi masters like Ahmet Yassavi, Korkyt Ata, Mevlana Rumi, and Baba Tukes. The merchant caravanserais of the Silk Road that traversed vast areas between the Middle East and China came into existence through peaceful means, and new Muslims in this area were very tolerant toward the many religions and cultures of their neighbors. Although the revelation of the Qur’an started in Arabia, most of its scholarly interpretations and the hadith compilations were compiled in Central Asia.3 The greatest contributions to almost all areas of religious and positive sciences, engineering, art and cul-ture were witnessed in this part of the world between the ninth and fourteenth centuries ce. The works of such outstanding intellectual figures as Ibn Sina (Avi-cenna), Al-Farabi (Alfarabius), Al-Khwarizmi still ben-efit people all over the world. The largest library in the world in the thirteenth century ce was in Otrar (a city in present-day southern Kazakhstan), which was later totally demolished by Genghis Khan during Mongol invasion.

Ahmet Yassavi, the great Sufi In the period between the seventh and thirteenth centu-ries ce, the Muslim world was ruled predominantly by Arab caliphs of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. However, starting from the twelfth century up until the beginning of the twentieth century, Muslims of Cen-tral Eurasia of predominantly Turkic origin became the foremost rulers of the Muslim nations. Among them

were the famous states administered by the Seljuks in Central Asia, the Golden Horde in Russia, the Baburides on the Indian subcontinent, the Mamluks in Egypt, and the Ottomans in Eastern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

The Golden Horde’s legacy of tolerance toward Christian, Jewish and Buddhist communities laid the foundation for the flourishing of Moscow and the Rus-sian Empire, which became heir to the Golden Horde’s legacy.4 Saray, which was the capital of the Golden Horde from thirteen to fifteen centuries, and which was located very close to the border of modern-day south-ern Russia and western Kazakhstan, became a center of intercontinental diplomacy as envoys and ambassadors representing princes and popes sought audiences with the Muslim khans of the Golden Horde.5

Dialogue between world religions in Central Eur-asia in the modern secular contextAfter more than two hundred years of Czarist rule, the ex-Soviet Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan, being one of the most diverse countries in the world, the home of 120 ethnic groups and many world reli-gious communities for the last seventeen years became the active initiator of peace, dialogue, integration and reconciliation initiatives across not just the Eurasian states of the former Soviet Union, but also the larger international community. After independence, to ease tension among superpowers Kazakhstan’s government decided unilaterally to dismantle the huge nuclear ar-senal left as the Soviet legacy of the cold war. Follow-ing the breakup of the USSR, Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbaev’s proposal to form a “Eurasian Union” was praised by many leaders across Russia and the ex-Soviet republics. The late pope John Paul II met Nazarbaev in Astana on September 11, 2001.

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbaev with John Paul II on September 11, 2001


Muslim–Jewish dialogue in Central EurasiaIn 2002 Kazakhstan served as the facilitator of Islam-ic–Jewish dialogue in Eurasia, an event which took place in the new capital, Astana. At the conference, thirty rabbis from various countries noted that the only way forward in the relationship between Mus-lims and Jews is through constructive dialogue. They also expressed their wish to see Kazakhstan as a center of Muslim–Jewish dialogue.6 The fact that the head-quarters of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) was placed in Almaty, the largest city in Muslim Ka-zakhstan, at a time when there is growing instability in the Middle East, is a sign of the huge potential of the mutual trust between Muslim and Jewish commu-nities in Eurasia.7 Alexander Mashkevich, the head of the EAJC, considers Kazakhstan a unique example of cooperation and peaceful coexistence between vari-ous peoples and religions. He also noted that the larg-est synagogue in Central Asia, which was opened in Astana, best characterizes Muslim Kazakhstan as the land of inter-ethnic peace and inter-confessional har-mony. The latest phase of this dialogue at the First In-ternational Conference of Peace and Accord was held in Almaty the previous year. Presidents of the lead-ing Jewish organizations of the United States, leaders and plenipotentiaries of the states of Central Asia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, and members of the leader-ship and the Council of Rabbis and Central Asian Muslim leaders condemned terrorism and declared that there are no antagonistic contradictions between Judaism and Islam.

Dialogue between world and traditional religions at the heart of eurasiaAt a time when some dark forces are trying to bring about a clash of world religions and civilizations, Cen-tral Eurasia offered an unprecedented challenge to these dangerous trends by initiating a series of high profile civic activities bringing together members of the clergy of world and traditional religions in the heart

Left: Russian Orthodox Voznesenskyi Church in Almaty, Kazakhstan; Center: Palace of Peace and Reconciliation in Astana, Kazakhstan; Right: Ahmet Yassavi Mausoleum in Turkestan city, Kazakhstan

2003 (left) and 2006 (right) Congress of leaders of world and traditional religions in Astana, Kazakhstan


of Eurasia in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana in 2003 and 2006.8 A unique role model for intercultural commu-nication and dialogue, Kazakhstan, with a number of other countries of Central Eurasia, showed the whole world that traditional values can be reconciled with lib-eral norms in the formation of a successful, peace-loving, civil, mosaic society. Leading Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, active promoter of interfaith and inter-cultural dialogue, valued this significant interfaith event in Eurasia highly and said, “The only way for human-kind to solve its problems is by way of dialogue: meeting, learning and talking to each other…With all my heart I state that all these initiatives done out of pure intentions will serve to establish peace and stability in the region, to improve relationships among nations and also to build lasting peace on the whole planet.”9

Dialogue Eurasia: “DA”A number of Turkish people are working to pave the way for dialogue in the Eurasia region.10, 11 Diyalog Avrasya (Dialogue Eurasia), a publication of the Dia-logue Eurasia Platform, has been the voice of common sense in seventeen countries, from Moldavia to Mon-golia, since its founding in 2000. A bilingual quarterly published in Turkish and Russian, DA adopts an ap-proach to conflict with reconciliation, using the slogan, “Dialogue starts with ‘DA’” (“Da” in Russian means “yes” in English). DA representatives recently gathered in Istanbul and discussed the latest developments in the Eurasia region. DA stressed that its ideology is knowledge and love, and that convergence, compro-mise and understanding constitute the backbone of their policy. Renowned Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aytma-tov, who passed away recently, also served on the jour-nal’s advisory board; he described DA as “the business card of Eurasia.” Garnering great interest in the coun-tries where it is published, DA also brings together

Eurasia’s famous writers, intellectuals and civil society

volunteers. In addition, opinions and essays of leading

politicians frequently appear in the journal.

Interestingly, present and past dialogue efforts in

Central Eurasia go hand in hand with positive trends

in education, which for the last decade or so, has expe-

rienced quite a renaissance.12 Hopefully, dialogue ef-

forts combined with excellence in education will yield

great fruits in the future in this important region of the

world, which will benefit the whole of humanity again

as during the region’s golden ages between the ninth

and fourteenth centuries. There is hope that the dy-

namism of inter-cultural diversity which has prevailed for

centuries on the Eurasian continent with its multi-ethnic,

multi-linguistic and multi-religious characteristics will gain

momentum in future again.

Dr. Zhandos Utegulov is researcher at University of Nebraska-Lincolny.

notes1. http://cesww.fas.harvard.edu/2. Huntington, Samuel P. 1993. “The Clash of Civilizations?”

Foreign Affairs 72(3): 22-49.3. Ali Unal, Alphonse Williams eds. Advocate of Dialogue:

Fethullah Gülen, 2000, The Fountain Publications.4. http://www.accd.edu/sac/history/keller/Mongols/states3.

html5. Janet Martin. Medieval Russia, 980-1584, CUP, 2008.6. http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/display-

story/story_id/19476/edition_id/395/format/html/dis-playstory.html

7. http://www.eajc.org/publish_gen_e.php?rowid=408. http://www.religionscongress.org9. Interview with Fethullah Gülen in Kazahstanskaya Prav-

da, Sept 15, 2006.10. http://www.zaman.com/?bl=culture&alt=&trh=2006120

6&hn=3894011. http://www.interfaithathens.org/article/art/10081.asp12. Ismail Demirkan, Aksar Beketov. “Islam, Science, and Free

and Open Inquiry,” Physics Today, January 2008, p. 11.

Chingiz Aytmatov

Lead articLenature

Plants sustain the continuity of their species through generative re-production either with seeds or through vegetative reproduction that uses suckers, bulbs, or tubers. We can observe these methods of re-production in nature, but we tend to overlook how wonderfully these processes are carried out without any failure and, perhaps due to their

small size, we underestimate the role that seeds play on the planet. The importance of the seeds is indicated in the Qur’an: Have you ever considered the seed you sow (in the ground)? Is it you who cause it to grow, or is it We Who make it grow? If We so willed, We would surely make it into chaff, and then you would not cease to exclaim: “We are indeed in a great loss” (Waqia 56:63–65).

Many important characteristics exist in seeds. Seeds are equipped with all the necessary information about the branches and leaves of the plant which they will become, as well as the number and shape of these leaves. Within the seed

Mahmut veziroglu

With ATiny,GREAT

mission:

sEEDs anD BEEslants sustain the continuity of their species through generative re-production either with seeds or through vegetative reproduction that

GREAT

mission:

sEEDs anD BEEs


Lead articLe

is programmed the color, fine-ness or thickness of the bark, the number and width of the tubes that carry food and water, whether the plant will bear fruit or not, and if it bears fruit, the taste, smell, shape and color of this fruit. Even information about how the plant will react to a negative condition in the environment during normal development is registered in this program. For example, a plant that would normally develop under ideal climatic conditions is programmed to produce seeds in a short term to protect reproduction under unsuitable conditions like drought and great heat. God is He Who splits the seed-grain and the fruit-stone (so that they germinate by His command). He brings forth the living from the dead, and He is One Who brings forth the dead from the living; such is God: how then are you turned away from the truth and make false claims? (An’am 6:95)

If we consider the growth process of the plant from a seed that is equipped with perfect information, we can see that once the appropriate conditions have been created the seed first germinates and then the body and leaves are formed on this stem. When the time is right, flowers form in keeping with the divine order. The flowers that later form the fruit and seeds for fur-ther plants are either brought together with their own pollen (cleistogamy or self-pollenization) or with other pollen from another plant of the same type (cross-pollination) in a perfectly organized system. Self-pollenization occurs either before the flower opens or after the pollen has developed. Because the pistil and stamens of some plants are hidden by some other parts of the plant, it is difficult for the pollen to reach here, so the plant obeys what is ordered and self-pollinates.

In cross-pollination, plants use the pollen from another plant of their own species. Pollen transportation occurs with the help of the wind, rain or insects that visit flowers.

The flowers of many plants that are pollinated by the wind and rain are very modest in appearance, but they have been created in a way to produce pollen in abundance. Although most of the pollen that is carried away by the wind and rain are destroyed, this lost pollen organically enriches the soil and at least some of this pollen will find a flower to pollinate. Our Lord has bestowed those flowers that are pollinated by insects with various colors and shapes to

even if there are other plants which contain more

nectar and pollen, bees only stop at the type of flower

that it first visited. the fact that bees collect nectar

and pollen from the same type of plants all day lonG

shoWs that this is not somethinG they do randomly.

MarcH/ aPriL 200921


attract these visitors. During pollination, the pollen of flowers that have less pollen than the self-pollinating flowers are carried by bees and other insects, whose legs, wings, and antennae have been created specifi-cally for this task, as they have been inspired (Nahl 16:68–69). Nectar and pollen are the reward for these insects which provide pollination.

Bees are the most important group among the in-sects that carry out the task of pollination. When bees are mentioned, most people think of the honeybee, but bumblebees also serve mankind. In addition to the products they offer to us, bees are indispensable for their contributions to plant reproduction.

Bees store the nectar they have sucked from the flowers in a “honey stomach” and then empty this nec-tar into a honeycomb as honey. The bees legs, granted to them by the Creator, allows them in their duty of collecting pollen. The back legs of the bees are different from that of all other insects. The long hairs that are aligned on these stocky legs act almost like a basket to collect the pollen.

Of the 82 plant types that meet 90% of the human food needs around the world, 63 (77%) are pollinated by bees; without bees it would be impossible for these

plants to produce seed. Bees are absolutely necessary for the formation of seeds in plants that we eat, like apples, pears, peaches, apricots, cherries, melons, wa-termelons or pumpkins, or indeed in those used in industry, like sunflowers, safflowers, rapeseed, cotton, or sugar beets, or those used for feeding livestock, like clover, sainfoin, red clover, or vetch. This task carried out by bee pollination every year throughout the world is much more important than the production of hon-ey. Moreover, bees make life possible for animals from thousands of species who use these plants as food or shelter. We should not forget the connection Einstein drew between the disappearance of the bees from the ecosystem and Doomsday.

Another vital mission entrusted to bees is the pre-vention of erosion. Plants that need the pollination of bees, like members of the Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, Brassicaceae, Campanulaceae, Compositae and Fa-baceae families, are widespread in areas were there are serious threats of erosion. Similarly, feed crops, which are very important in feeding livestock and preserving the ecological balance, also need insects for pollina-tion. In plants like clover, the upper side of the flower organs is covered by a membrane; in these plants, bees break this membrane to get at the pollen; if it were not for bees, the pollen would remain trapped.

It is by Divine guidance that bees take nectar and pollen from the same type of plants all day. Even if there are other plants which contain more nectar and pollen, bees only stop at the type of flower that it first visited. The fact that bees collect nectar and pollen from the same type of plants all day long shows that this is not something they do randomly.

Like many other living things in the universe bees are in service to mankind, operating under the rules set by the Lord of the Worlds. However, activities that are carried out without investigating the meaning of the universe and the wisdom behind the creation of the liv-ing things, such as unplanned industrialization, which in turn has lead to an increase in air pollution, or the careless use of chemical materials, are the reason for a decrease in the population of bees, day by day. Never mind the wars and fires started by mankind, any ven-ture that may cause the bees to disappear could lead to the destruction of mankind; if the bees become extinct, mankind will face many disasters, like erosion, deserti-fication and the extinction of plants which are food for us and for the animals we raise.

23

Will and balance innOURISHMenT

BioLoGy

23

“Once, Shaykh ‘Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani, one of the greatest poles of spirituality, may God sanctify his holiness, had a pupil who was the only child of an old, anxious woman. That respected woman went to visit her son only to find him eating a piece of dry, black bread. His physical weakness that was a result of this asceticism aroused his mother’s compassion. Pitying his condition, the woman went to al-Jilani to complain, and saw that the respected Shaykh was eating fried chicken. She said to him, ‘O master! My son is nearly dying of hunger, but you are eating chicken!’ Whereupon, the renowned Spiritual Pole said to the chicken, ‘Rise up, by God’s leave!’ Many truthful, trustworthy, and reliable people narrated that the bones of the chicken brought themselves together and jumped off the dish as a live chicken. The holy Spiritual Pole responded to the woman, ‘When your son reaches this level, then he too can eat chicken!’

“With this act, the holy Pole meant, ‘Whenever your son’s spirit prevails over his body, and his heart over his carnal soul, and his intellect over his stomach, and he demands pleasure for the sake of thankfulness, then he can eat delicious things.’” (Said Nursi, Nineteenth Gleam, 3rd point.)

i too witnessed a similar incident thirty years ago. With a large group of friends from university I was invited to visit a well-known scholar for whom I had a deep respect. We had the opportunity to attend a

omer arifagaoglu

there is no limit to the absorption of foods that have high calories, and this can lead to being overweight. however, in the absorption of minerals, the rules of dynamic balance occur in our intestines, regardless of our will. the former becomes a test of our appetite, while the latter is a measure divinely installed in our body to protect us from various malfunctions.

MarcH / aPriL 2009


dinner with him and among the food served were some delicious cherries. My inner voice said, “If I sit near him, I will not be comfortable enough to eat as many of those cherries as I like.” This was exactly what hap-pened. While I was thinking about how to get a chance to eat more of the cherries, that respected person took one of the cherries, excused himself, and left the table. I still cannot forget how ashamed I was of my thoughts at that time.

As a result of the story of Abdul-Qadir Jilani and my own experience, I started to ponder the activities that function so well in the human body. In medicine, the dynamic balance that entirely governs the body during eating, drinking and digestion is known as homeostasis. The most crucial body fluid in this balance is the blood. All the agents in the blood have a fixed quantity, a fixed measure and are supplied at a constant rate. Blood pres-sure is stabilized according to the characteristics of each vein. For instance, the average blood pressure of large arteries is about 100 mmHg. If the pressure exceeds this figure, then the result is hypertension. Hypertension can lead to cerebral hemorrhages, paralysis, renal failure, cardiac expansion, cardiac failure and heart attacks, all of which can result in death. As for hypotension, this is when the flow of the blood to the organs, mainly the brain, lessens. Another example of the importance of maintaining balance is that the agents which are respon-sible for maintaining the concentration of sugar in the blood (glycemia) must be kept at a suitable balance. If the ratio of the blood sugar (glycemia) rises, the person may go into a sugar coma, which is life threatening. However, if the ratio of blood sugar drops, the organs, in particular the brain, are deprived of energy. A hypoglycemia coma (when blood sugar is too low) is even more dangerous for the brain than hyperglycemia (when blood sugar is too high). The concentration of sodium, potassium, chlorine, calcium and fatty acids present in the blood, like sugar, are kept in a dynamic balance. If this concen-tration is upset, the result may be disease or even death. The Owner of Absolute Will and Infinite Mercy keeps all these in balance thanks to the marvelous mechanisms that He has placed in our bodies. However, we are free as far as actions like eating and drinking are concerned, for we are granted the willpower to choose our actions.balance in nourishmentOne of the most often discussed medical subjects in recent years is obesity. This is an important health problem that poses a threat to life, and it is related to

diabetes, hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis), fatty liver, cirrhosis, cardiac failure and heart failure. Apart from using one’s own will power and eating less, doctors have presented other harmless ways that are appropriate to human nature to treat obesity. Be-ing overweight constrains the ability of a person to move (exercise) and this inactivity, in turn, leads to more and more weight gain. God has enabled us to seek nourishment wherever we like, within certain parameters. Naturally, our stomach has a certain ca-pacity and when this capacity is met, we feel full and do not need to eat any more. Yet, even though we feel full and should not eat, as this is what is necessary for the health of our body, we are overcome by our lower self and tend to overeat extravagantly. The problem of obesity seems to be greater in developed countries.

Our Creator has not put any restrictions on the ab-sorption of food into the blood. All the food we eat


is taken into the intestines so that the nutrients can pass into the bloodstream. If the dynamic balance (homeostasis) were to be maintained here as well then the body would take as much as it needed and the surplus of food would be evacuated from the body without going into the blood; as a result, obe-sity would not be a concern, however much a person might eat. But by allowing all the food we eat to pass into the bloodstream, the Absolute Ruler has set a test for us, challenging our wills and warning us about self-control.

Most of the activity during di-gestion and absorption takes place in the small intestine. Our small intestine is a duct which consists of three parts, namely the duodenum, jejunum and ileum, each having different functions and structures. The length of the intestine is 3–4 meters, and it measures 2–4 centimeters in diameter, vary-ing according to the position in the body. The area of the inner surface of this cylindrical struc-ture is 1,600 cm2 (0.16m2) at its maximum. The inner perimeter of the intestine is not like a flat tube, but rather it has folds, each measuring about 8 millimeters, that stretch over the inner parts of the canal. These folds allow the absorption surface to be in-creased about threefold. If the inner surface of this structure were flat, the absorption capac-ity of the small intestine would not be more than 1/600 of its present capacity. The surface of these folds is also not flat, but covered with protrusions called villi that are shaped like a finger; these stretch into the vacuum of the canal by about 1 millimeter. There are between 20 and 40 villi to every square centimeter on the surface of the intestine. These villi allow for there to be a tenfold

increase in surface absorption. The surface of the villi has cylindrical cells that are arranged in a single row and these help in absorption. The surface of these cells has extensions that are quite thin and dense, known as microvilli, or epithelial cells. Thanks to

these cells with a brush border surface, the absorp-tion surface can increase by about twenty times.

Thus, although the surface area of a flat canal of the same size should be approximately 3,300 cm2, thanks to surface folds, villi and bushy edges, the total absorption surface of the small intestine increases to 2 million cm2 (200 m2).

Moreover, some research has suggested that the total increase could be even greater (about 1,000

times as much). Normally, 100 grams of fat, 50–100 grams of amino acid, 50–100 grams of iodine, and 7–8 liters of water (consisting mostly of fluids produced within the body) are absorbed by the in-testines daily. Furthermore, if one eats or drinks too much, the maximum capacity of the system allows the absorption of several kilograms of carbohydrates, a half to one kilogram of fat, a half to one kilogram of protein and twenty liters of water per day. Our intestines have

been created with the capacity to transfer all this food into the bloodstream. If we do not control our eating, this capacity is abused and we can face conditions like

obesity. In this life, one of whose tests is in our

body, and in which we are required to strive hard using our willpower, there is no limit to the absorption of foods that have high calories (lipid, carbohydrate, and protein), and this can lead to being overweight, as mentioned above. However, in the absorption of minerals, which are not normally considered as making up the basic components of nourishment, but which are of the utmost importance for the human body (in all the operations of the nerves, mus-cles, bones and in the balance of all the elec-trolytes), the rules of dynamic balance occur in our intestines, regardless of our will, by the help and mercy of God. For instance, hemoglo-bin, which is found in the red blood cells (giv-ing the blood its red color) and is charged with the task of transporting oxygen, contains iron. When there is surplus iron in the body, he-

is taken into the intestines so that the nutrients can pass into the bloodstream. If the dynamic balance (homeostasis) were to be maintained here as well then the body would take as much as it needed and the surplus of food would be evacuated from the body without going into the blood; as a result, obe-sity would not be a concern, however much a person might eat. But by allowing all the food we eat to pass into the bloodstream, the Absolute Ruler has set a test for us, challenging our wills and warning us about self-control.

Most of the activity during di-gestion and absorption takes place in the small intestine. Our small intestine is a duct which consists of three parts, namely the duodenum, jejunum and ileum, each having different functions and structures. The length of the intestine is 3–4 meters, and it measures 2–4 centimeters in diameter, vary-ing according to the position in the body. The area of the inner surface of this cylindrical struc-

(0.16m2) at its maximum. The inner perimeter of the intestine is not like a flat tube, but rather it has folds, each

increase in surface absorption. The surface of the villi has cylindrical cells that are arranged in a single row and these help in absorption. The surface of these cells has extensions that are quite thin and dense, known as microvilli, or epithelial cells. Thanks to

these cells with a brush border surface, the absorp-tion surface can increase by about twenty times.

Thus, although the surface area of a flat canal of the same size should be approximately 3,300 cm2, thanks to surface folds, villi and bushy edges, the total absorption surface of the small intestine increases to 2 million cm

Moreover, some research has suggested that the total increase could be even greater (about 1,000

times as much). Normally, 100 grams of fat, 50–100 grams of amino acid, 50–100 grams of iodine, and 7–8 liters of water (consisting mostly of fluids produced within the body) are absorbed by the in-testines daily. Furthermore, if one eats or drinks too much, the maximum capacity of the system allows the absorption of several kilograms of carbohydrates, a half to one kilogram of fat, a half to one kilogram of protein and twenty liters of water per day. Our intestines have

been created with the capacity to transfer all this food into the bloodstream. If we do not control our eating, this capacity is abused and we can face conditions like

obesity. the averaGe

blood pressure of larGe arteries

is about 100 mmhG. if the

pressure eXceeds this fiGure, then

the result is hypertension.

hypertension can lead to cerebral

hemorrhaGes, paralysis, renal

failure, cardiac expansion,

cardiac failure and heart attacks,

all of which can result in death.

Lead articLe

mosiderosis occurs, which leads to the destruction of organs such as the liver and the pancreas, or car-diac failure. If there is an iron de-ficiency, then a person suffers from anemia. It is for this reason that a quite sensitive iron-absorption bal-ance exists in our intestines. Here, it is evident without question that there is Divine Aid and Mercy. The same mechanism works for substances like calcium.

Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him, advice to stop eat-ing before feeling full is a signifi-cant measure against obesity, for it eliminates “false” appetite. This has a psychological truth, for the brain responds to the feel of full-ness a short time after eating. In fact, we all know by experience that we actually feel full a short while (fifteen–twenty minutes) after we stop eating even if it is a small meal.

To conclude, the Almighty One warns us against extravagance and orders us to use our willpower. At this point, we can see how impor-tant a role the blessing of religious belief and the training of the soul and the will play in eating habits. Likewise, the principles of Islam, which is in perfect keeping with hu-man nature, are crucial for the well-being of the community as a whole; charitable alms and fasting, which urge us to help and think about those with less, are obligatory and all kinds of charity and good deeds are encouraged. In Islam extrava-gance is prevented, not only in eat-ing and drinking.

Omer Arifagaoglu is a profes-sor of medicine in Turkey.

As long as the spoken words are sublime truths, then it does not matter who is articulating them. Once the truth is

victorious, then it is the same whether

one’s name is listed or not among the

victors.

***


Lead articLePoeM

Once the heart has found You,Would it ever remember another?

Once it has burned in Your fire,Would it ever burn in another?

Only those who have found YouAre purified in an incessant flow;

Satisfied with Your love,Would they ever be content with another?

You gave being to the universe,All life emanates from You.Having found Your ocean,

Would they ever dive into another?

Your Name is recited everywhere;It is the cure for the ailments of the soul.

Once having truly believed in You,Would they ever assume their Lord to be another?

Absorbed in awe at Your beauty,On the path of love,

Once having tasted the honey from Your comb,Would they ever taste another?

Once having discovered You,Hastening towards and meeting You,

Having entered Your sanctuary,Would they ever seek another?

M. Fethullah Gülen

–To the soul of Yunus*

* A thirteenth-century Turkish Sufi poet.

MarcH/ aPriL 200927

28

PersPectives

MarcH / aPriL 2009

HOLY MIGRATION Most human beings feel a strong loyalty to the place of their birth. Sometimes this loyalty can be transferred to another place, but there are few people who do not treasure some place they consider “home.” This sense of belong-ing is so strong that sacrificing our home is

always painful. Sometimes it is war, famine, or disease that drives us into exile. My own grandparents left tsarist Russia in the early 1900s in the hope of finding a better life in America. America is full of millions of fami-lies with similar stories. On September 1, the first night of Ramadan 2007, I had dinner with a philosophy professor from Turkey who had come to America for a different reason. Rather than migrate to improve his own life, this man had left homeland and loved ones for the sake of human beings he had never met.

We live in a world filled with stereotypes that lead to misunderstand-ing and violence. People across the earth, from every culture and religion, rely on hearsay as they form opinions about others. Where this once might have been of small consequence, today, as the world shrinks ever smaller because of technical advances in communication and other fields,

robert Lentz

"durinG my last trip

to istanbul, a dear

friend Gave me a

framed calligraphic

rendition of a

hadith: 'a believer is a

mirror to a believer.'

true preaching is

not a question of

haranGuinG a Group

of non-believers,

as some radical

christians or muslims

love to do. true

preaching is living in

such a way that we

become mirrors of

God for one another."

Calligraphy by A

ydin Cayir


the results can be disastrous. Christians in the West hear outlandish things about Muslims in the Middle East. The tendency of news media to focus on sensa-tional stories about terrorists is responsible for much of the fear and hostility Christians feel towards Mus-lims, but some Christian prejudice dates from the Middle Ages. At the same time, too many Muslims continue to judge all Christians by the atrocities of crusading armies many centuries ago, or the colonial policies of European governments that no longer exist. Most Muslims have never read the Christian Bible or studied what Christians really believe, but rely on what others have told them about these things; and the same can be said of what Christians know about Islam. God has blessed us with intelligence. In our modern time we are blessed with so many educational opportuni-ties. In spite of these blessings, we prefer to take the lazy way of ignorance and prejudice.

The English word prejudice comes from two Latin words that together mean judging beforehand. Life comes at us so fast that we naturally rely on our expe-rience of predictable patterns we have observed in the past. If everything we experienced was a radically new piece of information, as it is for a newborn child, we could not make the rapid decisions necessary to function in daily life. No matter how useful these “pre-judgments” might often be, however, when it comes to dealing with our fellow human beings, our “pre-judgments”—our prejudices—can seriously limit new, creative ways of so-cial interaction. Because God has blessed human beings with free will, we are amazing creatures potentially full of surprises. The most selfish person can suddenly act gen-erously. Violent people can show compassion. Cowards can become heroes. When we pigeonhole people into convenient categories, and then expect nothing more from them, it may make our decisions in life simpler, but we end up impoverishing our relationships. When we do this to entire groups of people, we end up fight-ing wars, committing injustice, diminishing our human potential.

The man I met in Ramadan 2007 left his home-land so that he can show Christians another face of Islam by teaching Islamic thought in our universities. Most Christians have never had an opportunity to ex-plore the beauties of Islam, whether philosophical or theological. There is a great difference between learn-ing about Islam from a believing Muslim or from an outsider, however sympathetic such a person might be.

If the West is filled with misconceptions about Islam, this is in part the fault of Muslims. My new friend, the philosophy professor from Istanbul, has left his home-land to teach Christians the truth.

At the time of the Crusades, a heroic Christian holy man journeyed to the Middle East for the same rea-son. Fully expecting to die at the hands of Muslims, he traveled to meet Sultan Malik al-Kamil so that the two might speak the truth about matters of faith. His name was Francis of Assisi, and he has become one of the most beloved religious heroes of the human race. After a disastrous battle at Damietta, Egypt, Francis found his way to the sultan’s court, where he spent up to two weeks. When he left, he carried a horn the sultan had given him, the only gift he accepted from the many the sultan tried to shower on him. He also brought a new awareness of Islam that was radically opposed to the prejudices rampant in Europe. He was especially impressed by the daily public prayer of Muslims, an-nounced by the call of the muezzin in every mosque. He wrote letters to the crowned heads of Europe, urg-ing them to begin the practice of calling Christians to prayer in such a way each day. To his own brothers, for he had founded a religious order very similar to the Sufi brotherhoods, he urged the practice of going to Muslim lands to live peacefully, in submission to Muslim rulers, and without preaching Christianity, to show Christianity’s true face by the lives they led. Un-fortunately, his own followers were not made from the same heroic stuff as he, and in the following centuries they usually traveled to Muslim lands with the inten-tion of converting Muslim people by whatever means possible, courting martyrdom in the process.

In the early twentieth century, a member of the French Foreign Legion found his faith once again, af-ter years of sinful living, thanks to the good example of Muslims in North Africa. His name was Charles de Foucauld. Having again become a fervent Christian, he chose to remain in North Africa, rather than return to France. He lived as a hermit among Tuareg tribes-men until his violent death in 1916. Decades later, a re-ligious brotherhood and sisterhood gathered to follow his simple lifestyle. They are called the Little Brothers and Sisters of Jesus, and they are now scattered across the globe. Their rule was to live the most ordinary of lives, preaching only by their example, not by words. Some joined circuses and traveled as ordinary laborers among the circus people. Others lived in huts in Afri-


can jungles, tenements in Mexico City, or apartments in the slums of New York. They wore no distinctive garb outside their homes. At home they lived like monks and nuns. One Little Brother even volunteered to live as a prisoner in a penitentiary, in order to share the life of convicted criminals. Everywhere they went, they relied solely on their good example to teach. They could answer questions about their faith, if they were asked, but they could never initiate religious teaching.

There is a Catholic priest in Pakistan, named Father Bob McCahill, who travels from one Muslim center of population to another, spending three years in each, but no longer. He rents a shack or hut with a dirt floor in the poorest part of town, large enough for a sleeping mat, a kerosene stove, and a bicycle. He spends his time carrying destitute sick people to doc-tors or hospitals. In every new place, he encounters suspicion and hostility the first year, growing curiosity and general acceptance the second year, and deepening affection the third. Once the people have come to love and esteem him, he quietly leaves to find a new home. His intention is to embody the compassion of Jesus. He begins each day at 4.00 am, before his neighbors are awake, so that he can spend a few hours in silent prayer. The rest of his day he is surrounded by teeming humanity. When he is challenged by Muslims who suspect he has ulterior motives, he answers them very simply. “Why do you think I want to convert you? Do you think I want you to be a Christian? I do not. I want you to be what you want to be. I want you to be the very per-son whom you think God wants you to be. You want to be a good Muslim, no? I also want you to be that. You should be a good Muslim, and I should be a good Christian. Is it not so?” He believes it is more important to imitate Jesus than to talk about him.

Four years ago, when my religious superiors transferred me to Hous-ton, Texas, I was blessed to meet followers of Fethullah Gülen. Unlike most Americans, I had studied Islam for a number of years. Like most of my countrymen, I had met very few Muslims. My experience among

the followers of Gülen has trans-formed my life. Like Francis of As-sisi, the founder of my religious or-der, and like Charles de Foucauld, one of my great heroes, the good example of Muslims has taught me much about God and deepened my faith. Never has one of my Muslim friends, whether here or in Turkey, tried to convert me to Islam. They have answered all of my questions about their faith, but they have re-spected my beliefs and my right to be a Christian. I have found that they have been well informed about Islam intellectually, but the impact they have had on my life has been the good example of their lives.

Faith is something that is “caught” more than learned. It is a question of the mind dwelling in the heart, listening well for the quiet voice of God. Both Christian and Muslim philosophers and theologians have devised beautiful proofs for God’s existence, but ul-timately these are very weak when compared to what we see when we gaze into the eyes of a believer. The simplest old grandmother in the back of a mosque or church can of-ten teach us much more about God than a university professor. When the professor can combine knowl-edge with living faith, his impact is so much the greater. During my last trip to Istanbul, a dear friend gave me a framed calligraphic ren-dition of a hadith that summarizes this truth: “A believer is a mirror to a believer.” True preaching is not a question of haranguing a group of non-believers, as some radical Christians or Muslims love to do. True preaching is living in such a way that we become mirrors of God for one another.

In English we have an expres-

Christian monks with Muslim friends, heading for the Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul


sion, “Words are cheap.” In this twenty-first century we are drowning in words because of the televisions and radios that fill our world with noise. Many people have reached a point where they hear but no longer listen. They are numb. While hypocrisy has always undermined religious teaching, now it is a question of even honest words losing their strength. What will turn the world back to God today is humble men and women who embody what they believe in their daily lives. Only their lives will speak loudly enough to rise above the din of the secular world.

In June of 2006, I took two carloads of Muslim men from Houston to the Trappist monastery in Ava, Missouri, as many as the guesthouse could hold. The abbot of the monastery, Father Mark Scott, has been my friend for thirty years. We once lived together in a monastery in New Mexico. With the approval of his monks, he turned a major room in the harem or pri-vate part of the monastery over to the Muslims for use as a mosque. The monks removed all their Christian images and as much of the furniture as was necessary. The Muslims brought carpets and prayer rugs and a few pieces of religious calligraphy for the walls. For eight days the muezzin’s call rang through the cloister, announcing the time for Muslim public prayer. Seven times a day the monastery bells announced the Divine Office and Mass. Barefoot monks attended the Muslim prayer and Muslims sat in the back of the monastic church for the Office. Three times during the week, the monks and Muslims spent an hour together in the evening without conversation, simply reading for one another favorite passages of the Qur’an, the Bible, or mystical poetry. At the end of the eight days, both monks and Muslims were in tears when it was time to leave. Each had discovered brothers in the other. Each had learned something new about God. All had been done in silence and had been possible because of the quality of their individual lives.

In May of that year, I traveled the length of Turkey once again, from Istanbul to Urfa. I wore my religious robes the entire time and frequently entered mosques with my Muslim friends when it was time for public prayer. Many people greeted me warmly and pressed small gifts into my hands. In Urfa I purchased a por-trait of Said Nursi. The next day, as I was rushing through the airport in Gaziantep to catch a plane which was about to take off for Ankara, a guard saw the por-trait of Nursi in my arms and escorted me to a chair in the security office. As precious minutes ticked away, the room filled with other guards and their superior. I wondered if they were arresting me for a crime. Some-

one brought me a Styrofoam cup filled with scalding

hot Turkish tea. Baffled, I sat there with Nursi on my

lap, while they all smiled and waited for me to drink

the tea. Because of the language barrier, conversation

was impossible. Finally, at the last possible moment,

the original guard ran with me through the security

gate, oblivious to all the alarms my luggage set off, and

waved as I ran across the tarmac to the waiting plane.

The whole episode turned out to be an expression of

affection for a Christian monk who had shown honor

to a Muslim saint. I learned something about Muslims,

and the Muslims saw a different face of Christianity.

The healing that occurred that day could never have

happened through words. Hundreds of Christians

have now heard me repeat this story, and I suspect

that the story also spread through Muslim Gaziantep.

What occurred there could not fit into any of our preju-

dices, and we parted, no longer strangers suspicious of

one another, but as brothers.

If we are to find peace as Muslims and Christians,

we have no choice but to assume the responsibility of

showing one another what is true about ourselves. This

is not something we can expect from political leaders.

Nor is it something we can assume our religious lead-

ers are capable of doing. Ordinary men and women,

Muslim and Christian, must come together today as

brothers and sisters. Through our simple goodness

and faith, we will silence the screams of terrorists that

now dominate the global stage. Sometimes we will ac-

complish this by traveling in one another’s lands. Oth-

ers of us will choose to leave our homelands in order

to bear more permanent witness to the truth. Those

who migrate will become pilgrims and strangers. They

will know a form of poverty more painful than doing

without bread. Whatever their pain, they will be follow-

ing the advice of the saints who teach us, in both our

religions, to die before we die. Ultimately, we are all

pilgrims and strangers on this earth, even those who

never leave home. How blessed are those who leave

their homes, for the love of God, to bear witness to

the truth. Surely they will know something of paradise,

even in this lifetime.

Robert Lentz is a Franciscan friar from Holy Name

Province, soon to become part of the academic commu-

nity at St. Bonaventure University.

Lead articLe

zuhd (asceticism)

there are three signs of a true ascetic: feeling no joy

at worldly things acquired or grief over worldly

thinGs missed, feelinG no pleasure When praised or

displeasure when criticized or blamed, and prefer-

rinG to serve God over everythinG else.

Zuhd, which literally means renouncing worldly pleasures and resist-ing carnal desires, is defined by Sufis as indifference to worldly ap-petites, living an austere life, choosing to refrain from sin in fear of

God, and despising the world’s carnal and material aspects. Asceticism is also described as renouncing this world’s temporary ease and comfort for the sake of eternal happiness in the Hereafter. The first step in asceticism is the intention to avoid what has been forbidden and to engage only in what has been allowed. The second and final step is to be circumspect, extremely careful even when engaging in what is allowed.

An ascetic is steadfast in fulfilling his or her responsibilities, is not defeated by misfortune, and avoids the traps of sin and evil encountered during the journey. With the exception of unbelief and misguidance, an ascetic is pleased with how the Creator decides to treat him or her, seeks to attain God’s pleasure and the eternal abode through the blessings and bounties that He bestows, and directs others to the absolute Truth. In the ear of his or her heart, the Divine announcement is echoed: Say: The enjoyment of this world is short; and the Hereafter is better for him who obeys God’s commandments in fear of Him (4:77). The command: Seek the abode of the Hereafter in that which God has given you, and forget not your portion of the world (28:77) radiates itself through all the cells of his or her brain. The Divine warning: This life of the world is but a pastime and a game, but the home of the Hereafter, that is Life if they but knew (29:64) penetrates his or her innermost senses.

Some have described asceticism as observing the rules of Shari‘a, even in moments of depression and especially during financial difficulties, and living for others or considering their well-being and happiness while en-joying well-being and comfort. Others have defined it as thankfulness for God’s bounties and fulfilling the accompanying obligations, and refrain-ing from hoarding money and goods (except for the intention to serve, exalt, and promote Islam).

M. Fethullah GülenBeLieF


Lead articLe

Such renowned Sufi leaders as Sufyan al-Thawri regarded asceticism as the action of a heart dedicated to God’s approval and pleasure and closed to worldly ambitions, rather than as being content with simple food and clothes.1 According to these Sufis, there are three signs of a true ascetic: feeling no joy at worldly things acquired or grief over worldly things missed, feeling no pleasure when praised or displeasure when criticized or blamed, and preferring to serve God over everything else.

Like fear and hope, asceticism is an action of the heart; however, asceticism differs in that it affects one’s acts and is displayed through them. Whether consciously or unconsciously, a true ascetic tries to fol-low the rules of asceticism in all acts, such as eating and drinking, going to bed and getting up, talking and keeping silent, and remaining in retreat or with people. An ascetic shows no inclination toward worldly attrac-tions. Rumi expresses this in the following apt words:

What is the world? It is heedlessness of God;Not clothes, nor silver coin, nor children, nor women.If you have worldly possessions in the name of God,Then the Messenger said: How fine is the property a

righteous man has!2

The water in a ship causes it to sink,While the water under it causes it to float.

Possessing worldly means or wealth is not contrary to asceticism—if the owner can control his or her posses-sions and is not overpowered by them. Nevertheless, the Glory of Humanity, upon him be peace and blessings, the truest ascetic in all respects, chose to live as the poor-est of his people, for he had to set the most excellent example for his community—especially for those charged with spreading the truth. Thus, he would not lead others to think that the sacred mission of Prophethood could be abused to earn worldly advantage.

He also had to follow his predecessors, who pro-claimed: My reward is only due from God (10:72; 11:29), and to set an example for those future scholars who would convey his Message. For these and similar

other reasons, he led an austere life. How beautiful are

the following couplets by Busayri, which express how

the Prophet preserved his innocence and indifference,

even at the time of absolute need and poverty:

Not to feel hunger, he wound a girdle around his bellyOver the stones pressing upon his blessed stomach.Huge mountains wishing themselves gold offered

themselves to him,But he—that noble man—remained indifferent to them.His urgent needs decisively showed his asceticism,For those needs were not able to impair his innocence.How could needs have been able to invite to the world

the oneBut for whom the world would not have come into be-

ing out of non-existence?

There are many beautiful sayings on asceticism. The

following, with which we conclude this topic, belongs

to ‘Ali, the fourth Caliph and cousin of the Prophet,

upon him be peace and blessings:

The soul weeps in desire of the world despite the fact thatIt knows salvation lies in renouncing it and what is in it.A man will have no abode to dwell in after his deathExcept that which he builds before he dies.Our goods—we hoard them to bequeath to heirs;Our houses—we build them to be ruined by time.There are many towns built and then ruined;Their builders—death has come upon them.Every soul—even if it somehow fears death,It cherishes ambitions to strengthen its desire to live.Man exhibits his ambitions but time obliterates them;Man’s soul multiplies them but death puts an end to them.

O God! Show us the truth as being true and enable

us to follow it. Show us falsehood as being false, and

provide us with the means to refrain from it. Amen, O

Most Compassionate of the Compassionate.

notes1. Al-Qushayri, Al-Risala, 115.2. Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 4:197.

MarcH/ aPriL 200933

Lead articLe

We live in a world full of technological de-vices, instruments and machines. Even if we buy them from good retailers, our cars we use to commute, or our CD-players and now-adays the mp3-players

we use to listen to music one day break down, and eventually we change them. Can you imagine a TV which never gets old and can be used forever? The answer is obviously no. But we human be-ings have a miraculous system that always repairs itself—a system called DNA Repair. The proteins which are produced using DNA as a template, are also used to repair DNA when necessary. Before go-ing into details of DNA repair, let us look at what DNA is, what DNA dam-age is, and how it occurs.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is one of four major macromolecules (the others being carbohydrates, lip-ids, and proteins) that constitute liv-ing things. DNA mainly contains

A MirAculous MechAnisM: dna repair

as soon as damaGe

occurs to the dna,

it is detected by

sensor proteins.

these proteins scan

the dna all the time

for any bulGes

or breaks. once

damaGe is identified

the proteins taG it

and dna repair is

initiated.

BioLoGy

Hasan altinbasak


Lead articLe

genetic information encoded by a combination of four different DNA building blocks, nucleotides, to produce proteins. These proteins in turn play a role in cellular reactions. Genetic material is faithfully copied and passed on from generation to generation, perpetuat-ing the characteristics of the parent and providing children with the information necessary for existence. Our sex, most of our personalities, as well as physical traits (eye color, hair color) are dependent on DNA as a part of the biological order established in our body. Moreover, even aging is a result of the shortening of

the packed DNA (chromosome) through time. DNA is crucial for our body, but having such a unique molecule can come at a cost. In

particular, cancer and many other disorders are thought to be caused by a lack of proper DNA-handling in cells, due to a defect in DNA repair.

DNA is a fairly stable molecule made up of two strands. Along each individual there

are covalent bonds which hold sugar and phosphates together, and the two comple-

mentary strands of DNA are bound by hydrogen bonds. But, are these bonds strong enough? Are they unbreakable?

To be able to function properly is DNA ever in need of maintenance? Like everything in this world, DNA too can be fragile in extreme con-ditions (Figure 2). Physical or chemical agents that might cause changes in DNA are commonly

known as DNA-damaging agents or mutagens. Mutagens can be ei-ther endogenous (like free radicals which are produced from normal metabolic byproducts) or exog-enous (like UV radiation or some toxic food chemicals). In addition, DNA can be damaged when synthesizing itself before cell division.

5’5’

3’

A T

TA

CG

GC

TA

TA

CG

CG

GC

A T

A T

GC

CG

A T

A T

CG

CG

CG

GC

GC

TA

GC

GC

CG

A T

3’

AG

TA

CG

GC

TA

TA

CG

CGox

GC

A T

A T

GU

C

A T

A T

CG

CG

C

GC

GC

TA

GC

GCOH

0 -

0 -

0

0

CG

A T

MISMATCH REPAIR

RECOMBINATIONAL REPAIR

BASE EXCISION REPAIR

DIRECT REVERSAL

Me

5’ 3’

NUCLEOTIDE EXCISION REPAIR

5’ 3’

5’ 3’

5’

ORIGINAL DNA

DNAREPAIR SYSTEM

Figure 1. DNA Damage

and Repair. Our body

recruits dif-ferent DNA Repair Sys-

tems to deal with different

DNA dam-ages.

MarcH/ aPriL 200935

Lead articLe

These changes may be caused by enzymatic errors or mis-incorpora-tion of nucleotides. Studies have shown that DNA damage, due to environmental factors and nor-mal metebolic processes inside the cell, occurs at a rate of 1,000 to 1,000,000 molecular lesions per cell per day. While this con-stitutes only 0.000165% of the human genome’s approximately 6 billion bases (3 billion base pairs), unrepaired lesions in critical genes (such as tumor suppressor genes) can impede a cell’s ability to carry out its function and appreciably increase the likelihood of cancer formation.

Although there are many ways that DNA can be damaged, we are equipped with DNA repair mecha-nisms that can reverse the process. As soon as damage occurs to the DNA, it is detected by sensor proteins. These proteins scan the DNA all the time for any bulges or breaks. Once damage is identi-fied the proteins tag it and DNA repair is initiated. A second pre-caution against damage is provided by a process called DNA Damage Checkpoint (Figure 2). Once this has been activated, cell division is delayed or comes to a halt in order to prevent the change from being passed on to any new cells.

Damage can occur on a single strand or on both strands. De-pending on where or how the dam-age has been introduced, we have different repair systems for each type of DNA damage (Figure 1). In figure 1 we can see the difference between the original, undamaged DNA and the damaged DNA. The DNA repair systems responsible for repairing different defects are also shown in the figure to give a

better idea of different DNA repair

systems. Of particular interest is

the fact that there are more than

150 genes that have been identified

to date as being related to DNA re-

pair. When we consider the num-

ber of possible defects that can

threaten the DNA, this number is

surprisingly low in comparison to

the total number of genes (~30,000

as estimated by the Consortium

of the Human Genome Project).

Related to that, research in recent

years has started to show that the

genes which are important for one

particular type of DNA repair are

in fact required for different repair

systems too. When we think about

the enormous number of defects in-

troduced into the DNA as opposed

DEFINITION RELATED DISORDERS

Direct ReversalRepair of damage without the need to break the DNA backbone by chemically reversing it.

?

Base Excision RepairRepair of damage (single nucleotide) caused by oxidation, alkylation, hydrolysis, or deamination. Involves singles strand break.

Cancer (?), neurodegenerative disorders (?)

Nucleotide Excision Repair

Repair of damages (2–30 nucleotides). This process recognizes bulky, helix-distorting changes such as thymine dimers as well as single-strand breaks. It also repairs genes during transcription.

Xeroderma pigmentosum, Cockayne syndrome, Trichothiodystrophy,

Mismatch Repair

Corrects mismatches of the normal bases; that is, failures to maintain normal Watson-Crick base pairing (A•T, C•G) during replication and recombination.

Hereditary colon cancer

Recombinational RepairRepair of double strand breaks via non homologu-es end joining or homologues recombination.

Burkitt’s lymphoma, chronic myelogenous leuke-mia, B-cell leukemia, Fanconi anaemia, Nijmegen breakage syndrome, hereditary breast cancer

Figure 2. DNA Damage. Different pathways that result in changes in DNA and the response of the body to damage.

Table 1. DNA repair system definitions and related disorders in absence of responsible DNA repair.

CellularMetabolism

UV LightExposure

lonizingRadiation

ChernicalExposure

ReplicationErrors

Cell Cycle CheckpointActivation

TranscriptionalProgram Activation Apoptois

DNA Repair* Direct reversal* Base excision repair* Nucleotide excision repair* Mismatch repair*Double strand break repair * Homalogous reoombination

DNA

Damage


Lead articLe

to the very few number of proteins involved in DNA repair (as com-pared to the whole genome), we can easily appreciate the perfection of the system. To give an idea of how DNA is repaired a nucleotide excision repair is shown in figure 3. At the top of the figure, UV ex-posure causes damage to the DNA. After that, DNA repair is initiated and recognizes the damage. The proteins (represented by circles in different colors) which are respon-sible for the repair act one after an-other to bring the DNA back to its original, intact shape.

If damage in DNA is not re-paired at all, then the cells with the damaged DNA are either elimi-nated via a process called apoptosis or mutation occurs. The term mu-tation refers to permanent changes in the DNA. Although most people assume mutations are harmful, they can be silent or even beneficial de-pending on the region of DNA in which they occur. In the worst case, when they are deleterious, they can cause many genetically related dis-

orders as well as cancers (Table 1). In this table, we can see different disorders which are caused by lack of appropriate repair systems.

If the rate of DNA damage exceeds the capacity of the cell to repair it, the accumulation of er-rors can overwhelm the cell and might also result in premature ag-ing. Biologically, aging is an irre-versible state in which the cell no longer divides, and is a protective response to the shortening of the DNA ends (telomeres). The telom-eres are long regions of repetitive DNA that undergo partial degra-dation each time a cell is divided. Aging in cells may serve as a func-tional alternative to apoptosis in cases where the physical presence of a cell is required by the organ-ism, thus serving as a “last resort” mechanism to prevent a cell with damaged DNA from dividing in-appropriately. Since inappropriate division might lead to cancer, the induction of aging and apoptosis is considered to be part of a strat-egy to protect against cancer.

On the other hand, there is an interesting example for researchers where we see a proficiency of DNA repair activity in an organism called deinococcus radiodurans, the most radiation-resistant organism known to date. Specifically, it exhibits a re-markable resistance to radioactiv-ity (which in turn causes double strand breaks on DNA) most likely due to enhanced DNA repair.

In this article we have tried to answer the question of what DNA repair is, how it is regulated in the cells and what the results of a de-ficiency in DNA repair are. Study-ing wonders like the DNA of our biological system is a means of contemplation that leads us to deep reflection on the intricacies of the universe. But one question re-mains unanswered, how has DNA learned to repair itself?

Hasan Altinbasak is a re-searcher at the National Institutes of Health.

referencesLodish H, Berk A., Matsudaira P, Kaiser

CA, Krieger M, Scott MP, Zipursky SL, Darnell J. (2004). Molecular Bi-ology of the Cell, p. 963. WH Free-man: New York, NY. 5th ed.

A physical map of the human genome. The International Human Genome Mapping Consortium. Nature 409, 934–941 (15 February 2001)

h t t p : / / w w w . r i k e n . j p / e n g n / r -w o r l d / i n f o / r e l e a s e /tress/2005/050609_2/index.html

Wood RD, Mitchell M, Lindahl T. Hu-man DNA repair genes, 2005. Mutat Res. 2005 Sep 4;577(1-2):275-83.

Tom Strachan, Andrew Read. 2003. Human Molecular Genetics. John Wiley & Sons Inc.

http://bbrp.llnl.gov/repair/html/over-view.html

http://biology-pages.infoFigure 1: http://bbrp.llnl.gov/repair/

html/overview.html (Modified). Figure 2: http://www.rndsystems.com.Figure 3: https://eapbiofield.wikispaces.

com/16+shep?f=print.

Figure 3. A coordinated sequence of

protein recruit-ments to dam-

aged DNA upon UV

exposure and its repair.

MarcH/ aPriL 200937

38

interFaitH diaLoGue

MarcH / aPriL 2009

There are blessings all around us, of course, but what fol-

lows is my account of an unexpected blessing—a won-

drous surprise if you will—which came at a time when I

needed to experience the presence of God in a new way.

In the winter of 2007, I met Dr. Ayse Coskun at a Turkish

Women’s Coffee Night at the Raindrop Foundation in Houston,

Texas. I had been attending the Coffee Nights for a few months

and mentioned to Dr. Coskun that, while I enjoyed the social

events, I found myself wanting to go deeper. I did not want to take

classes exactly; instead, I wanted to do interfaith dialogue in an in-

formal rather than an academic setting. Almost immediately Dr.

Coskun suggested that we meet for lunch. We lunched together

several times: an American Christian and a Turkish Muslim at

an Asian-fusion restaurant with statues of Buddha as decoration!

I was charmed by Dr. Coskun’s openness, humor, and obvious

intellect. Ayse made me feel comfortable, and she seemed to en-

joy me as much as I did her. God’s blessing was with us as we

laughed and planned.

Ayse and I decided to contact women from diverse faith tra-

ditions to see if they might like to share our interest in learning

A SpecIAl BleSSIng:

rev. Louise M. row

WInThe Story of

We Will probably never completely understand one

another’s faith or customs, but

we have come to appreciate and trust

one another. perhaps appreciation and trust is even more important

than understandinG because, while the

latter connotes mainly an intellectual

connection, the former implies

that one sees the reflection of god in

the other.


about one another’s religious perspectives. We agreed that our group should be small (8–12 women) and consist, at least at first, of only people from Abrahamic traditions (to simplify matters). We also decided that our “experiment” would have a time limit (8 months, meeting 2 hours each month) so that those we invited would not have to make an indefinite commitment. To my shame, Ayse had to do all the inviting, because I knew only Presbyterians! Ayse invited another Muslim woman (new to Houston, but familiar with interfaith dialogue). She also invited a young Roman Catholic woman and a Conservative Jewish chaplain, who in turn invited another Jewish woman. Rounding out the group was a member of the Unity Church of Chris-tianity and two others who had explored a variety of other traditions. Later a Quaker (Religious Society of Friends) seminary professor and another Roman Cath-olic joined us.

At our first meeting I experienced no awkwardness or hesitation. Each woman listened to the others with delight and respect. Our meeting did tend to be a bit chaotic, not because we were disorderly but because we were extremely curious. It was like wandering through a magical forest with a group of precocious children; everyone had unusual questions and surprising in-sights. (Fortunately Dr. Coskun would, after one of our diversions, gently but firmly coax us back to the topic at hand.)

Gradually we created an agenda, but even that was adjusted (or ignored) as situations drew us in different directions. For example, at first we began and closed our meetings with prayers offered by individuals who represented various traditions; we heard prayers in He-brew, in Arabic, and from St. Francis and St. Augus-tine. In time however, while we still closed with prayer by an individual, we began to open our meetings with a unison prayer written by our Jewish chaplain (p. 41), because it seemed to speak directly to what we were about.

Our agenda also began to include a time for shar-ing personal concerns, because we realized that we wanted to know one another as persons, not simply as “token” Jews, Presbyterians, etc. Therefore, when Dr. Coskun told us during a recent Personal Con-cerns Time (PCT) that she had to return to Turkey to help care for her ailing mother, we were able to re-spond immediately. We asked her to teach us a Turk-ish prayer for healing and promised to pray daily for

her mother. It was during our PCT that the Jewish Chaplain told of bombing threats to her synagogue and a Catholic told of several instances of vandalism at her church. One of our group then volunteered to draft a letter as a basis for correspondence that might be sent to all places of worship that receive threats or damage. Often our Personal Concerns Time lasts only briefly; sometimes, as in the above cases, it leads to prayer and action.

The major portion of our meetings has consisted of sharing parts of our scriptures, giving overviews of our various faith traditions, or considering a specific issue from the point of view of our culture and faith. We have also laughed together, eaten together, and spent time exploring the kosher kitchens and touch-ing the beautiful Torah scrolls at a synagogue. Most importantly, we have talked about topics that probably would not have been included in an academic set-ting. For example, the subject of our last meeting was “Mothers.” We first wrote down adjectives describing our own mothers and found that, despite our differ-ent cultures, many of our mothers could be described similarly: selfless, loving, forgiving, religious, and stoic amidst difficulty.

As we turned to what our various faith traditions had to say about mothers, most of us quoted from our scriptures. The Muslims pointed to the section of the Qur’an that dealt with justice, citing many passages about the high respect given to mothers in Islam, re-spect even above that given to fathers. Mothers (as well as fathers) are to be obeyed in all matters except when obedience would go against service to Allah or might

Raindrop Women Association luncheon featuring Captain Kent from the Houston Fire Department.


bring harm to someone else. According to Muslim

law, children are not to argue with or even say “oof”

to a mother. Mothers (and sisters as well) are to be

cared for financially by the eldest son. There are also

rules governing the benevolent treatment of widows,

orphans and stepmothers.

The Roman Catholics pointed to the importance

of the Virgin Mary. Mary is considered to be not only

the mother of Jesus but also the Queen of Heaven and,

given Jesus’ instructions from the cross, the mother of

all Christians: “Woman, behold your son; . . . Son,

behold your mother” (John 19). While Catholics do

not worship Mary, women, in particular, pray to her

because Mary experienced the problems and pain of

being a girl, a young mother, and a grieving mother, all

the while being faithful to what God required of her.

Jewish contributions to the discussion included the

law to “Honor your father and mother.” Depending

upon how one interprets that law, it can be consid-

ered more strict or less strict than the Muslim “Obey

your father and mother.” Jews stress the importance of

“honoring” parents, even if the parents are abusive and

cannot be “loved.” Many stories in Hebrew scripture

extol good mothers (Moses’ mother who risked her life

that her son might live (Exodus 2), and the mother in I

Kings 3, who chose to give her child to another rather

than have him cut in two. Many of the Jewish laws re-

garding the Sabbath apply only to men, because wom-

en are the keepers of the family and must be free to do

unexpected chores if needed. Unfortunately, in recent

years, Jewish comedians have made their mothers the

object of jokes; damaging stereotypes have arisen from

this practice.

While the Protestants hold Jesus’ mother in high es-

teem, they do not have the same special feelings about

Mary as do Catholics. In general, the Protestants had

less to add about mothers, except the household code

in Ephesians 5, which is St. Paul’s list of reciprocal

responsibilities for family members. The Protestants

pointed out, however, that portions of the household

code (“Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the

Lord”) have been emphasized while other portions

(“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the

church and gave himself up for her.”) have been less

The Raindrop Foundation in Houston, Texas, hosts Turkish Women’s Coffee Night regularly. WIN is a fruit of such gather-ings along with other intercultural activities.


emphasized, with the result that women (even wives and mothers) have often been devalued in Christian culture.

The above discussion was particularly pertinent to us women, but given that we added intimate stories about our own mothers and laughed (with a degree of sadness and shame) at the jokes about Jewish mothers, the session would probably have informed/entertained men as well. Our conversation went so long that we had to delete the Business portion of our meeting. And we all agreed that the talk of “Mothers” needed to be expanded to include religious perspectives on women in general. We are also eager to tackle topics such as “Weddings and Funerals,” “Art, Music, and Poetry,” and “Angels and Jinns.”

Early in our time together we decided to call our-selves WIN (Women’s Interfaith Network). As well as describing what we hope to be, the acronym is appro-priate because we feel like we are “winners” already, having enjoyed one another these past months. We will probably never completely understand one anoth-er’s faith or customs, but we have come to appreciate and trust one another. Perhaps appreciation and trust is even more important than understanding because, while the latter connotes mainly an intellectual connec-tion, the former implies that one sees the reflection of God in the other. For myself, I now even see the oth-ers differently in a physical sense: the younger women seem more beautiful, even radiant; and the older wom-en seem both softer and stronger. All have become persons I admire, and I thank God for the blessing of their good and energetic presences in the world.

Before the end of our committed time, several have expressed an interest in continuing and expanding the group. In fact, even before our experiment was half over, several wanted to add friends—an indication of how valuable and enriching we think WIN has been. We have begun work on Mission and Vision State-ments and are brain-storming about how best to pro-ceed. As WIN members have offered their ideas, I have begun to see how our special relationship might ben-efit the community around us. I have also begun to understand in a tangible way that, while I often pray for peace in the larger world, God’s will towards that goal includes small efforts of people like those in WIN, joining to live out peace on a local level.

Truly, both as a group and as individual women, WIN has been God’s special blessing to me.

“Borei Ha’ Olam, Creator of the stars, sun and moon,

“We are mindful of Your world and our responsibilities to it. Bless all who gather here today that we might be-come leaders of change and visionaries of human rights and freedom. Sustain us with courage and endurance that we may sustain one another. Renew our hopes and heal our wounds.

“Compassionate and merciful God, may the joy and cele-bration of this occasion remain as a source of inspiration and dedication to pursue higher ideals for many years to come. We seek Your guidance so that we might have the courage to advance the cause of internalizing oneness and thereby spread God’s shelter of peace and dignity for all humankind.

“Let us find unity in the commonality of our searching and in the sameness of our quest for peace and equality for all. Amen.”

A prayer written by Jewish Chaplain Bobbie Osadchey and prayed in unison at the open of each WIN meeting.

4343 January / FeBruary 2009

44

education

MarcH/ aPriL 2009

The Education of Gifted Children

Humans are created with different levels of ability. A person who is talented in one specific field may not

necessarily be as capable in other areas, and individuals who have natural ability in the same field do not necessarily have the same level of ability because some children are born with an outstanding natural talent.

Hayati tarhan

Lead articLe

Humans are created with different levels of ability. A person who is talented in one specific field may not necessarily be as capable in other areas, and individu-als who have natural ability in the same field do not necessarily have the same level of ability because some children are born with an outstanding natural talent. Therefore, the division of labor in the communities is shaped accordingly and opportunities are sought for the development of skills. Unfortunately, while some governments and nations recognize the varying abili-ties of humans and provide education and facilities ac-cordingly, others show no concern for the educational requirements of gifted children. Discovering the gifted-ness of children in the early stages of education is very important. If they pass unnoticed, this can be a great loss, and may even result in harmful consequences for individuals and their communities. People with ex-traordinary talent can play a huge role in the develop-ment of communities, the course of history, and in the progress of technology, science, and the arts.

Who are gifted students? Gifted students display distinctive qualities in many ways. They usually think differently than their friends; they can come up with extraordinary ideas and self-developed thoughts; details are important for them; they have the ability to learn quickly and progress in academic and intellectual fields; they display high per-formance in one or more type of art. However, these talented people only make up 2% of the society. These individuals do not like to overexert themselves to in-crease their grades in education, nor do they study in a systematic manner or do homework. They tend to choose practical solutions, produce new ideas, and try to develop these ideas. They analyze and question whatever they learn, but nevertheless they can still be disorganized. They are often the students who cause problems at school. Awkward and disruptive in the classroom, they can be argumentative or uninvolved in activities. Research into the lives of many people

who throughout history have caused great change has discovered that the outstanding talent of these famous people usually passed unnoticed by their teachers, and they were actually problematic children in their early years as students. Edison, for example, was taught at home by his mother, an experienced teacher, because he could not conform to or thrive in school life.

To help teachers to recognize gifted students, vari-ous tests have been introduced into the education sys-tems of schools in the West. One of these exams is the IQ test. Some consider IQ tests as the most efficient way of discovering the abilities of students, while some other educationalists say that the only “skill” an IQ test indicates is the ability to take IQ tests; in fact the more you take, the higher you score!

In general, gifted students are recognized by the fol-lowing qualities:1. They are quick to learn; they understand and learn

the topics in which they have greater ability more easily than other pupils, and they comment on or question the information provided.

2. They try to improvise on whatever they learn; they ask questions that will assist them in progressing in the topics they learn and constantly try to develop on these subjects.

3. They enjoy speaking with older people and usually choose the company of friends older than them-selves. They obtain pleasure from discussing with older people, usually teachers.

4. They have the ability to judge and transform infor-mation.

5. They have extraordinary desire for intellectual ac-tivity.

6. As well as being energetic or overactive, they can also be introverted individuals who prefer their own company.

7. They absorb even the tiniest detail in subjects in which they have an interest.

MarcH/ aPriL 200945

outstandinG talent is a Gift from God, a Great blessinG. one Who has a Gift and

the people responsible for discovering it and ensuring it develops, namely the

mother, father, and teacher, must recognize it in the early stages and educate

these children in a beneficial manner so that they will be able to do work which

is of interest to them, Work that ordinary people Would not be able to do.


8. They study only to satisfy their overwhelming desire to learn, and not to please their families or teachers.

9. They are curious, continually asking why and how and other similar questions.

10. They have very good memories.

11. They easily figure out complex objects and events.

Gifted individuals may have many more qualities than those listed above. Another aspect to consider is that if a child has one or a few of these qualities we should not come to the conclusion right away that he is a gifted child. A child could be talented in one certain topic. An individual who shows outstanding performance in mathematics could be completely unsuccessful in social studies and even worse in art, and a student who is successful in art may be very poor at physics. The understanding that an intelligent student must be successful in every field of education is mislead-ing because this is not the case with all individuals. Further, methods of discovering a student’s ability in one field may not be suitable for other subjects.

Types of education for gifted studentsIn different countries of the world there are various kinds of education for gifted students. These can be categorized as separate education, combined education, and individual education.

1. Separate education: Separate education is grouping students to be educated according to the subjects in which they show higher per-formance. This kind of education is usually regarded as unsuitable in present-day understandings of schooling on the grounds that if not well balanced separate education may encourage selfishness, a sense of arro-gance and unsound personality.

2. Combined education: This is a form of education where talented in-dividuals continue studies in their usual environment among their friends in the five different formats noted below:

a) Education in special classes: Students known to have a higher rate of ability are taught in special classes in their own schools.

b) Early education: This is enrolling gifted children in schools earlier than the normal school age, usually a year earlier but in some cases maybe even two years, depending on a child’s general intellectual performance. This format is not advised because early education is said to have nega-tive effects on the physical, emotional and psychological development of children.

c) Accelerated education: This is where children known to have out-standing intelligence are advanced to a higher class. This can be imple-mented two times at the most.

an individual Who

shoWs outstandinG

performance in

mathematics could

be completely

unsuccessful in social

studies and even Worse

in art, and a student

who is successful

in art may be very

poor at physics. the

understandinG that an

intelliGent student must

be successful in every

field of education is

misleadinG.


d) Groups of equal ability: This is a form of educa-tion where students with the same abilities in certain subjects are taught in specific, segregated classes and then encouraged to develop their skills in their topic of interest.

e) Enriched schedule: This is where a skilled indi-vidual is provided with special activities in his or her own classroom alongside the normal curriculum.

3. Individual education: A student with outstand-ing abilities is provided with a specific education in their own field of interest.

Recommended types of education If we look at the various kinds of education, the most appropriate forms of learning seem to be groups of equal ability and the enriched schedule because sepa-rating children from their usual environment and friends can induce various problems.

Education of groups with equal abilityThis is a method where students of equal ability are taught in one class. The ideal number of students per class is three, and a teacher is usually assigned to the class as a counselor.

After lessons the students research the topics rel-evant to their interests or abilities. This research begins with easier tasks, and while they are investigating the topic the students are actually learning and practicing different methods of learning. They learn in sequence how to research a topic and what to do when they are faced with a problem. The students learn study and learning methods without realizing that they are actual-ly learning. This is a very effective method, and in this kind of education students gain the chance to learn and research, develop and innovate while remaining among their friends in their normal environment. Therefore, they are not subjected to the negative aspects of segrega-tion, and gifted students in higher classes become an example for younger, outstandingly gifted students in lower classes.

Education with an enriched schedule In the enriched schedule education program, the stu-dent continues his or her usual education in his or her own classroom guided by the teacher to perform research in the field in which he or she has greater abil-

ity. He or she then explains the research discoveries to classmates. Thus, while students are developing skills in explaining discoveries they are also teaching their friends and representing model students in the class-room. Teachers play a big role in this type of educa-tion. It is their duty to recognize the students’ fields of interest or abilities and arrange a program suitable to the students’ characters.

What the education of a gifted student entails Gifted students should not be told of their superior capabilities because the word “superior” or “outstand-ing” could lead to arrogance in the student, which will cause problems with classmates. Students who think they are superior will begin to think that studying is un-necessary, which could lead to them abandoning their education completely. Nevertheless, their education can be customized according to their greater abilities.

Gifted students are individuals who need special education and trained, professional teachers, just like a student with hearing problems, a blind student or a student with a learning impairment.

ConclusionThe main differences between a student of normal learn-ing capacity and one of outstanding abilities are that a gifted student can achieve what others think impossible. A ship being commanded from land, the discovery of electricity, the invention of motor vehicles, priceless clas-sic paintings, music, literature and works of art are all the products of extraordinarily skilled people.

Outstanding talent is a gift from God, a great bless-ing. One who has a gift and the people responsible for discovering it and ensuring it develops, namely the mother, father, and teacher, must recognize it in the early stages and educate these children in a beneficial manner so that they will be able to do work which is of interest to them, work that ordinary people would not be able to do. In this way, they will be able to benefit others as well as themselves.

They must also develop in their character and spiri-tuality. If a talented person does not have a good char-acter, he or she could become more dangerous than a person of normal intelligence. Great responsibility lies with teachers and the education authorities.

Lead articLeFiction

In an

MIndauthor’s

REDUCTIONIST USED TO INVITE HIS NEIGHBORS TO ACCOMPA-NY HIM wHENEVER HE wAS INVITED TO A PROGRAM RELATED TO wRITING. RATIONAL ESPECIALLY LIkED THEM BECAUSE HE LEARNED NEw THINGS fROM DIffERENT PEOPLE. ROMANTIC

LOVED STAYING ALONE, BUT DOING THIS IN DIffERENT SET-TINGS OPENED wAYS fOR NEw INSPIRATION. REGULAR, ON THE OTHER HAND, wAS NOT VERY THRILLED AT THE IDEA Of

TRAVELING BECAUSE IT DISTURBED HIS DAILY SCHEDULE. BUT HE THOUGHT IT wAS Ok BEING wITH fRIENDS AS PART

Of A BIGGER SCHEDULE THAT SPANS A LARGER TIME.

sermed ogretim

LIfE

wORLD ISLAM REGULAR fANTASTIC ROMANTIC DISCUSSION ISSUE TOMORROw DIffERENT IDEA INSPIRATION CLEVER DUMP RANDOM ENJOY SUfISM MUSLIM EARTH fORGET fEEL fREE fRIENDS DEAD IRRTATED BAC

k fO

RwAR

D fO

CUS

Af

TER BEfORE SUNSET NIGHT DAY BRAIN N

EGLE

CT TH

INk

TALk

GOD LOVE YES NO fARMER wHO wHAT?

wHY

? NO

T L

İSTEN MAN GIRL- LIfE wORLD ISLAM REGULAR fANTASTIC ROMANTIC DISCUSSION ISSUE TOM

ORRO

w DIffERENT ID

EA INSPIRATION CLEVER DUMP RANDOM ENJOY SUfISM M

USLIM EARTH fORGET fEEL fREE fRIENDS DEA

D IR

RTATED

BAC

k fORwARD

fOCUS AfTER BEfORE SUNSET NIGHT DAY BRAIN NEGLECT THINk TALk GOD LOVE

YES

NO fA

RMER

wHO w

HAT? wHY? NOT LİSTEN MAN GIRL LIfE wORLD ISLAM REG

ULAR

fANTASTIC ROMANTIC DISCUSSION ISSUE TOMORROw DIffERENT IDEA INSPIRATION CLEVER DUM

P RANDOM ENJOY SUfISM LIfE wORLD

LIfE wORLD ISLA

M R

EGULAR fANTASTIC ROMANTIC DISCUSSION ISSUE TOM

ORROw DIffERENT IDEA INSPIRATION CLEVER DUMP RANDOM ENJOY S

UfISM

MUS

LIM EARTH fORGET fEEL fREE fRIENDS DEAD IRRTATED BACk fORwARD fOCUS AfTER BEfORE SUNSET NIGHT DAY BRAIN NEGLECT THINk TALk GOD LOVE YES NO fARMER wHO wHAT? wHY? NOT LİSTEN MAN GIRL- LIfE

LIfE wORLD ISLAM REGULAR fANTASTIC ROMANTIC DISCUSSION ISSUE TOMORROw DIffERENT IDEA INSPIRATION CLEVER



Rational, Romantic, and Regular were three room-mates. They were all new writers with splen-

did ambitions. They all dreamt of displaying the best of their talents one day. For this, they had differ-ent styles and writing strategies. Ra-tional, who had graduated from the school of science, always sought a sound reason for writing, and did not schedule a time for writing otherwise. Romantic, on the other hand, had not had any formal edu-cation. But she had been very well trained by her parents to become a keen observer both materially and spiritually. So, Romantic reserved ample time to wait for inspiration and to dress it in the most beautiful words whenever it came. Regular, a graduate of a military school, split his days into well-defined slots, and had a regular time for writing.

Reductionist, their next-door neighbor, was editor-in-chief of a highly recognized magazine. He was kind of older, and so had rath-er a fatherly attitude toward them. Not surprisingly, each of the three writers had one thing in mind—to catch the attention of their next-door neighbor, which was a really tough job. Having seen thousands of different articles in his life, and still editing several of them every day, Reductionist had become very good at categorizing ideas and pieces of writing. So, it was really difficult, if not impossible, to come up with something that he would call original. This state of Reduc-tionist caused competition, and

sometimes jealous actions, among the three writers.

Reductionist used to invite his neighbors to accompany him whenever he was invited to a pro-gram related to writing. Rational especially liked them because he learned new things from different people. Romantic loved staying alone, but doing this in different settings opened ways for new inspi-ration. Regular, on the other hand, was not very thrilled at the idea of traveling because it disturbed his daily schedule. But he thought it was OK being with friends as part of a bigger schedule that spans a larger time.

At the end of one of those trips, they were traveling back home on a dark and rainy night. As they covered each mile of the road, they talked about various topics. After some random ones, they started talking about a topic that really in-terested all of them: writing. They discussed different issues sur-rounding the main idea of writing, such as how to start writing, how to write well, how to make your words carry meanings that would satisfy the mind and the heart, and so on. When it came to the issue of inspiration and new ideas, Roman-tic told a short story:

“A farmer had two fields. He started cultivating both. After the first season, he saw that one of the lands was yielding produce but the other one didn’t. Several con-secutive trials only confirmed the quality of the fertile one. The more trials the farmer made, the faster

he received the produce and the more he reaped. Then the farmer decided not to use the barren field anymore.

“The inspirations are gifts from God. He plants seeds in our hearts in that way. People who value and pay due respect to inspiration are like the fertile field in the story. The farmer enjoys the produce and uses that field more. People who ignore inspiration or postpone dealing with it are the barren land. They don’t foster the seed, and the farmer ceases using them.”

After the apt parable, everybody was submerged in silent thought for a while. Then Romantic suggested, “Why don’t we pull over and talk about this all together with peace of mind? I’m really enjoying this.” But Rational did not share her per-spective: “You know, I really would love to, but we have a long way to go. It is not wise to stop and forget about our trip. What are you going to do when we are all sleepy and not able to continue on the way? And what is wrong with talking while traveling, anyway?”

At the words of Rational, Ro-mantic started crying: “You never listen to me; you always want me to forget my heart. I feel like I am among friends who are like dead statues.” Irritated by the words of Romantic, Regular took a turn, but talked in a way so as to manage the feelings of everybody: “Hey, umm… I think focusing on the discussion is a good idea, but it is not what we usually do. We are not near a lake or on top of a hill. It is neither sun-

LIfE

wORLD ISLAM REGULAR fANTASTIC ROMANTIC DISCUSSION ISSUE TOMORROw DIffERENT IDEA INSPIRATION CLEVER DUMP RANDOM ENJOY SUfISM MUSLIM EARTH fORGET fEEL fREE fRIENDS DEAD IRRTATED BAC

k fO

RwAR

D fO

CUS

Af

TER BEfORE SUNSET NIGHT DAY BRAIN N

EGLE

CT TH

INk

TALk

GOD LOVE YES NO fARMER wHO wHAT?

wHY

? NO

T L

İSTEN MAN GIRL- LIfE wORLD ISLAM REGULAR fANTASTIC ROMANTIC DISCUSSION ISSUE TOM

ORRO

w DIffERENT ID

EA INSPIRATION CLEVER DUMP RANDOM ENJOY SUfISM M

USLIM EARTH fORGET fEEL fREE fRIENDS DEA

D IR

RTATED

BAC

k fORwARD

fOCUS AfTER BEfORE SUNSET NIGHT DAY BRAIN NEGLECT THINk TALk GOD LOVE

YES

NO fA

RMER

wHO w

HAT? wHY? NOT LİSTEN MAN GIRL LIfE wORLD ISLAM REG

ULAR

fANTASTIC ROMANTIC DISCUSSION ISSUE TOMORROw DIffERENT IDEA INSPIRATION CLEVER DUM

P RANDOM ENJOY SUfISM LIfE wORLD

LIfE wORLD ISLA

M R

EGULAR fANTASTIC ROMANTIC DISCUSSION ISSUE TOM

ORROw DIffERENT IDEA INSPIRATION CLEVER DUMP RANDOM ENJOY S

UfISM

MUS

LIM EARTH fORGET fEEL fREE fRIENDS DEAD IRRTATED BACk fORwARD fOCUS AfTER BEfORE SUNSET NIGHT DAY BRAIN NEGLECT THINk TALk GOD LOVE YES NO fARMER wHO wHAT? wHY? NOT LİSTEN MAN GIRL- LIfE

LIfE wORLD ISLAM REGULAR fANTASTIC ROMANTIC DISCUSSION ISSUE TOMORROw DIffERENT IDEA INSPIRATION CLEVER

Lead articLe

set nor nighttime in a café. So, it may be better to wait until tomorrow.” Although these words were as neutral as they could be, Romantic still felt neglected: “I don’t think you are going to give yourselves to the matter if we keep going and talking at the same time. Instead, you are going to exploit and consume this lovely talk as a means to keep awake. This is a clear betrayal; it is hypocrisy toward your heart.”

“Wait a minute. I don’t think being wise is the same thing as hypocrisy. Do you have a really good reason to forget about everything else for the sake of this topic? I mean, what makes this topic so important that you want us all to sacrifice everything for it?” rebutted Rational.

Romantic could not answer this question, and turned her face outward into the darkness veiling the fresh green of the trees. She thought, “I am just like those trees and flowers that suffer from not being able to display their beauty because of the darkness.”

Reductionist, who was driving while listening to all the talk, said, “What is it that you are aiming to get from this talk, whether we do it now or later? I don’t want to be discouraging here, but isn’t this another hay-fire that is going to give a burst of heat and light, but will prove ordinary and transient in the end? This is just another emotion-provoking breeze about inspiration. I have ex-perienced several of those, and yet here comes another. What difference is this going to make when we already have thousands of them out there? What is the point in discovering America over and over?”

Hearing all these arguments, Romantic, Rational and Regular all shut their mouths. Although the three roommates wanted to talk about the new perspective that Romantic had presented, their dispute about how to do it had weakened them in the face of Reduction-ist’s arguments. Nobody could say a word after Reduc-tionist had spoken, and silence covered the quartet like the night.

Although she had been upset by the rest of the group, Romantic was still awake and happy in her mind. She decided to daydream about previous inspirations she had received. That way, she lived again the exhilara-tion and joy that came along with them. Triggered by that energy, Romantic gave a giggle that disrupted the increasing weight of the dark and silence. Rational, who was sorry to have upset Romantic, used this as an opportunity: “I have an idea. By going slower, we can sincerely concentrate on each other and on Romantic’s inspirations. That way, we can convert our trip into a

journey toward the making of an article.” This sugges-

tion triggered Regular to say: “Yeah, depressed nights,

too, are part of our custom for in-depth talks.” Now

everybody was waiting for Reductionist to approve the

idea. Reductionist first slowed down. The reduction

of the noise from the engine strengthened the silence.

In the tense atmosphere, Reductionist laughed like

a thunderclap, and said, “I am going to tell you guys

a little story. A writer had three pens. He picked the

first one and wrote an article with it. After finishing it,

the pen said, ‘I wrote this article for you. Do you like

it?’ The writer smiled back and said, ‘Yes, thank you.’

Then the writer put that pen in his office so that it

could do things for him. Another day, the writer used

the second pen to write a piece. After he finished it, the

pen turned to him and said, ‘I wrote what you told me.

Do you like it?’ The writer smiled back and said, ‘Yes,

thank you.’ Then the writer put that pen in his bag so

that it would write things as he wanted. And finally the

writer used his third pen to write another article. After

finishing it, the pen turned to him with a smile and

said, ‘Thank you for using me.’ The writer smiled back

at the third pen and put it in his pocket right next to his

heart. He carried it everywhere he went, and whenever

he had an original idea, he welcomed it with the help

of his third pen.”

By that time, the rain outside had turned into a rain

of smiles inside the car. Motivated by the unexpected

story Reductionist had told, everybody engaged in an

effort to welcome the inspiration that came through the

one next to the heart. Romantic was not late taking

her turn: “You know, for everything there is a season.

You have to sow your seeds in the fall and wait until

summer to reap. If you sow any time else, you not only

waste your time but also lose your seeds. So, I guess the

best time to work on an idea is when it first descends

from the heavens to your heart.”

Both Regular and Rational looked at Romantic with

wide open eyes. Regular said, “You have an important

point there.”

“That is absolutely right,” concluded Rational.

Sermed Ogretim has a PhD in Aerospace Engineer-ing and is currently working as a postdoctoral fellow at West Virginia University. He has a special interest in psychological fiction.


Lead articLeBooK review

While the appeal of the “dia-logue of civilizations” is on the rise, its sources, func-tions, and consequence cause controversy within and be-tween faith communities.

Amidst these controversies, some religious leaders have attempted to clarify the religious foundations of the dialogue of civilizations. Among them is Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congre-gations of Britain and the Commonwealth. In his Ju-daism-inspired, Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid

the Clash of Civilizations, Sacks offers a framework for the dialogue of civilizations. Rather than mere toler-ance and multiculturalism, he advocates what he calls the dignity of difference—an active engagement to value and cherish cultural and religious differences.

Although the dialogue of civilizations has always been laudable, modern global developments such as economic inequalities, environmental destruction, the spread of information technology, and the increasing power of civil society make dialogue critical for global peace and welfare. Facing these Herculean global chal-lenges, economic and political solutions are not enough

review by turan Kayaoglu

MarcH/ aPriL 200951

Lead articLe

because they empower the rich and powerful at the ex-pense of the poor and weak, leading to the erosion of hu-man dignity. Without a moral dimension, globalization is doomed to remain fragile. Furthermore, it can create resentment as well as a sense of injustice and anger among the poor and weak. However, conflict between the winners and losers in globalization is not inevitable. Religious leaders have the authority and responsibility to add a moral dimension to globalization by voicing “the silent cry of those who today suffer from want, hunger, disease, powerlessness, and lack of freedom” (p. 11).1

In Sacks’ account, religion is integral to global poli-tics. Belying Enlightenment predictions that religion would become “mute, marginal, and mild,” (p. 11) peo-ple are turning to religion across the globe, from Latin America to the Middle East, from the U.S. to China. In-creasing global religiosity does not necessarily contribute to humanity’s hope for peace due to the dual nature of religions as a source of conflict and conflict resolution. In order to contribute to dialogue, harmony, and peace religions must find ways to “acknowledg[e] the integrity of those who are not of our faith.” It is their willingness to “make space for difference,” to “hear the voice of God in a language, a sensibility, a culture not our own,” or simply, their capacity to “see the presence of God in the face of a stranger.”

If religious leaders fail to accommodate other reli-gions, with the increasing salience of religion in inter-national politics, religions will continue to be a source of discord, not harmony. Sacks is unequivocal in his contention about integrating faith into solutions to global problems: “If faith is enlisted in the cause of war, there must be an equal and opposite counter-voice in the name of peace. If religion is not part of a solu-tion, it will certainly be part of the problem” (p. 9).

After describing the moral and political necessity of incorporating religion in global politics, Sacks answers the most thorny question facing religious mobilizations for equality, peace, and harmony: Can monotheistic tra-ditions accommodate the dignity of followers of other monotheistic and polytheistic religions as well as non-theistic religions and philosophies? Is the unity of God compatible with the dignity of difference? Offering a Jew-ish perspective on monotheism, Rabbi Sacks suggests that monotheism is compatible with the diversity of religions.

Before explaining the Jewish perspective for mak-ing space for other faiths, Rabbi Sacks argues that the notion of the universality of truth and the danger of particularity (a notion he traces back to Plato’s The Republic) can have non-religious as well as religious roots. Rabbi Sacks identifies Western universalist cul-tures that have propagated the idea of the existence of one universal truth: ancient Greece and Rome, medi-eval Christianity and Islam, and the Enlightenment. In

addition to these five universalizing cultures, the world is going through a sixth—global capitalism. These at-tempts to unify the world under one religion or cul-ture are not compatible with the Divine Will that is revealed by the diversity and complexity of the natural and social world. Despite his criticisms of universalist cultures, Sacks claims that some universal moral truths exist as codified in the Biblical “covenant with Noah” which forms the basis of modern human rights norms. Despite the existence of these moral universals, Sacks rejects that the existence of one God requires “one faith, one truth, one way.” By creating complexity and plurality in the cosmos, God teaches a lesson on the dignity of difference.

According to Sacks, Judaism represents the best example of a monotheist accommodation of religious plurality. In contrast to the universalist monotheisms of Christianity and Islam, Judaism is a particularist monotheism that “believes in one God but not in one religion, one culture, one truth. The God of Abraham is the God of all mankind, but the faith of Abraham is not the faith of all mankind” (p. 55). One God shows His majesty and mercy through diversity in the cosmos as well as in faiths. God and religion are uncoupled. “God is universal, religions are particular” translations of God in a specific language in the form of a specific life, nation, and community of faith.

Rabbi Sacks’ account puts Abrahamic religions on equal ground. Stressing that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are religions of revelation, Sacks argues, “In the course of history God has spoken to mankind in many languages: through Judaism to Jews, Christianity to Christians, and Islam to Muslims. Only such a God is truly transcendental—greater not only than the natural universe but also than the spiritual universe articulated in any single faith, any specific language of human sensi-bility” (p. 55). However, as I explain later, Sacks revised or removed many of his statements accommodating Christianity and Islam in later editions of his book.

The dialogue of civilizations is the key to sustain-ing moral universals, accommodating the dignity of difference, and humanizing globalization. To this end, Sacks envisions two simultaneous dialogues with complementary functions—an interfaith dialogue and a faith–globalization dialogue. Before defining the term “dialogue,” he clears up some misconceptions about it. Dialogue is not about winning an argument or chang-ing one’s own beliefs, but it is a “disciplined act of communicating . . . and listening.” By communicating we make our “views intelligible to someone who does not share them.” By listening we enter “into the inner world of someone whose views are opposed to” our own. In short, the aim of dialogue is not “to change one’s beliefs but make space for another deeply held


Lead articLe

belief” (p. 83). Once the space for another’s belief is created, the dignity of difference can flourish.

While interfaith dialogue should focus on find-ing religious justifications for the dignity of difference, faith–globalization dialogue should offer ways to en-hance distributional justice in world resources. The integration of religious communities into this process is imperative because they embody the moral respon-sibility to alleviate the suffering of the poor and op-pressed. Among some Jewish moral responsibilities is tzedakah, which requires Jewish people to give charity for distributional justice. In addition to tzedakah, Jon-athan Sacks stresses education, civil society, and envi-ronmental sustainability as other topics which activists should incorporate into the dialogue of civilizations.

The Dignity of Difference is an important contri-bution to the debate about interfaith dialogue, as well as globalization and its discontents. It weaves its argu-ment through theology, political science, economics, and philosophy. Yet, there are three issues Sacks fails to address. First, it is not clear to what extent Sacks’ reading of Judaism is a standard Jewish reading. In other words, “how Jewish is his description?” This is important because of his claim that Judaism is the only particularist monotheism advocating the dignity of difference and accepting Judaism, Christianity, and Islam on equal theological grounds. As Richard Har-ries the Bishop of Oxford details, after the first publi-cation of the book, other Jewish authorities criticized Sacks’ description of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as being on equal theological grounds.2 This criticism suggests that there is not a unity of opinion among Jew-ish scholars about whether and how to accommodate other Abrahamic traditions.

These criticisms led Sacks to rephrase and remove some statements. For example, in later editions, he removed this statement which had been included in the first edition: “Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are religions of revelation—faiths in which God speaks and we attempt to listen.” He also revised the statement that “God has spoken to mankind in many languages: through Judaism to Jews, Christianity to Christians, Islam to Muslims” so it became “As Jews we believe that God has made a covenant with the singular peo-ple, but [this] does not exclude the possibility of other peoples, cultures and faith finding their own relation-ship with God within the shared frame of the Noahide laws.” From an interfaith perspective, these criticisms and Rabbi Sacks’ responses indicate interfaith dialogue may not be sustainable without an intra-faith dialogue within each religion.

Secondly, Sacks refers to seeing God in the face of the stranger, but his examples and his argumentation are based on monotheistic traditions. Accepting the

dignity of an atheist or a polytheist from a monothe-istic perspective is hard, and Sacks fails to get directly involved with this difficulty.

Third, while Sacks talks about accommodating more religious voices in global governance to rectify the inhumane aspects of globalization, he tends to ignore the most outstanding obstacle in front of the integra-tion of religious voices into politics: secularism. How can secular state institutions integrate religious voices while maintaining the separation of church and state? With their claim to sovereignty, nation states, tend to eliminate differences in the name of state- and nation-building and security. Can secularism, sovereignty, and nation state accommodate religious pluralism? If so, how?

Interfaith dialogue can provide solid, theological ground for the religious foundations of the dialogue of civilizations. Creating space for others’ beliefs is one of the most important and urgent challenges of increas-ingly interconnected and complex global world politics. By articulating Jewish justifications and parameters for the dialogue of civilizations, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks joins the company of other religious voices such as Fethullah Gülen3 and scholars such as Fred Dallmayr4 advocat-ing interfaith dialogue, tolerance, and harmony. Any religious and secular voices advocating that end will help both to avoid the clash of civilizations and pos-sibly to add a moral dimension to globalization.

Voices for interfaith dialogue from Judaism are par-ticularly important for religious and practical reasons. Jewish scholars’ struggle to accommodate other reli-gions can influence other Abrahamic religions and the interactions of Abrahamic religions with non-Abraha-mic religions. Politically, it is important because Jewish voices for interfaith dialogue may moderate the ongo-ing tensions in the Middle East and Palestine.

notes1. Jonathan Sacks expands some of his arguments in his sub-

sequent book To Heal A Fractured Word: The Ethics of Responsibility. New York: Schocken. 2005.

2. Richard Harries (2004). “Jonathan Sacks’s The Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations,” Scottish Journal of Theology. (57)1: 109-115. For another thorough review see Fred Dallmayr (2003). “The Dignity of Difference: A Salute to Jonathan Sacks,” Kroc Institute Oc-casional Paper # 24:OP:1.

3. Ali Ünal and Alphonse Williams (Compiled by). Advocate of Dialogue: Fethullah Gülen. Fairfax, VA. The Fountain Press. 2000.

4. Fred Dallmayr. Dialogue Among Civilizations: Some Exem-plary Voices. New York. Palgrave Macmillan. 2002.

MarcH/ aPriL 200953

Lead articLesee-tHinK-BeLieve

irfan yilmaz

{ {MarcH/ aPriL 2009 54


Dear Peter, the organs entrusted to you by the Creator have been describing themselves

to you for quite a while now. As you have probably realized, our friends the heart, stomach, intestine, lungs and pancreas are all the display of a magnificent work of art and care-fully positioned in the spaces of your body. They are not to be underesti-mated, for they are all superb organs that have been appointed to ensure you live a well-functioning life. The functions of these organs are cal-led vegetative functions in modern physiology; in fact the scientists of the Middle Ages called them as such, too. To be more precise, the some of the most basic functions carried out by your body’s organs are the same as those carried out by the organs of plants.

The four main functions requ-ired for life, namely the digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and excre-tory systems are all found in plants but performed by different organs. If these functions are non-existent the dynamism or the essence of existen-ce that we call life will disappear and death is inevitable. If these four func-tions (digestion, circulation, respirati-on, and excretion) are in working or-der, it means an organism is alive but only at the level of plant life. To reach the animal level of life, in addition to the four main functions, functions like senses, nervous and muscular systems are also required.

If these functions fail, life conti-nues, but at the level of plant life. We sometimes hear people saying “in a vegetative state.” When you hear

this, people are usually talking abo-ut a person who has lost the use of the animal functions. He or she may be unable to see, feel, hear, or move. Intelligence, comprehension, will po-wer, conscience and the many other special aspects of human beings can-not be compared with the essential functions of living; these are additi-onal characteristics of being human which accompany the animal system of functions and emerge in relation to a person’s spirituality. This obviously does not mean that those who have lost their abilities are less human and they do not have any rights; on the contrary, it means to say that they are not responsible any more.

The focal points of sensory func-tions of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell are found within the head in the brain, which is the command center of our body and the most complex form of existence we know of in the universe. The brain is con-nected to the nervous system which communicates with all the organs in the human body. This is why the head is so precious; it is a very sensiti-ve part of the body and has to be pro-tected like a jeweler guards precious stones. If you tread on a nail, it may hurt for a while, but with treatment the wound can be cured. But if a nail were to penetrate someone’s head, this could damage any of the sensory functions or, God forbid, could even result in death.

As you have probably understood from our introduction, the head is firstly the center of animal functions then the focus point of the addition of the human senses. When you menti-on the head we are the first thing that

It’s UsPeter, youreyes!

the fibers (zonules) that hold the lens

suspended in place and the cluster of muscles

(corpus ciliare), which changes

our lens according

to the focus distance, are in front of a

layer of blood vessels.


comes to mind: the eyes. Did we hear you ask why?

It’s because we are what you are reading these words

with right now, and because you can see the beautiful

creations of the universe with us—that’s why.

If my Creator had not created us and positioned

us in the two cavities on your head, you would have

no knowledge of the beauties of light, color, insects,

flowers, roses or birds. You would be afraid to walk

without us because you would have no idea where

you are about to tread. The effect of sight can only be

sent through us to your brain and reflected into your

mind. The development of human knowledge would

have been very delayed if God had not created us or

the other sense organs because the only way to gain

knowledge is through healthy sense organs. The sense

organs are the only way of detecting and recognizing

the characteristics of objects.

You need us to realize that water is transparent,

apples are red, quinces are yellow and violets are purp-

le, you need us to recognize your mothers, fathers and

friends. You need us to eat, drink, read and write and

so you do not bump into walls. What do you think will

happen if we close our lids for ten seconds and you try

to walk down the street? Try it if you want!

You see—it was harder than you thought. You were

scared in case you bumped into something or fell over.

Look, Peter, just take a deep breath and give praise to

our Creator while our lids are closed tight, for you co-

uld not tolerate being in the dark for a mere ten se-

conds, so what if you never saw the light? Just think

sometimes about people who are not as fortunate as

you, who cannot see for one reason or another. Give

praise to our Creator for not giving you such a trial,

and pray for the patience of those friends who have

been deprived of sight.

Yes, now we have come to our characteristics and

delicate creation, so pay attention. When Darwin saw

God’s magnificent skill in our creation, he realized that

we could not have been just a coincidence or a self-made

creation, and it was impossible for us to be a creation of

unconscious nature. Due to the guilt he felt inside, he

found it necessary to say that the idea that “the evolution

of complex organs like the brain and the eye could have

been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely con-

fess, absurd in the highest possible degree.”

There is no artificial optical device that can match

the esthetics or precision of our creation. Our opera-

ting principles depend on the optical laws God Al-mighty has determined for the light. As a matter of fact, just by looking at our structure, human beings worked out the rules of optics, you made the simplest of came-ras, and you went on to produce the most magnificent photographic cameras possible. But whatever you do, never try to compare one of us to those cameras you have invented or you may become rather embarrassed.

Your cameras are a simple toy compared to us. From

the time of the invention of the old, wooden box ca-

meras that had to be covered with a black cloth up to

the modern digital cameras of the present, 175 years

have passed. Many people worked for years to bring

cameras to such a perfect state. Can anyone claim that

the old camera made of a wooden box and a lens evol-ved by itself and turned into the high-quality, digital cameras of today? With all the knowledge accumulated by hundreds of scientists over the years, can this in-vention really be called a coincidence? So, can we be a coincidence? Could the eyes of mollusks or insects make themselves evolve and transform into the eyes of humans? Of course not! But to understand this a little better you must pay attention to our structure.

We are globe-shaped and look like covered capsu-les with a multi-layered structure which is quite solid and supple (Figure 1). Each of us is approximately 24mm in diameter. We have an outer layer made of something called sclera (hard coating). We are protec-ted by a strong cover made up of dense ligament fibers,

Figure 1: Human eye is globe-shaped with a multi-layered structure.


and beneath this is the choroid layer (a layer of blood vessels), where the blood vessels nourishing us go into; this layer covers us completely like a network of vessels. In the middle of the eye is the retina which is a layer of film. It is located in the most precious place where our actual receivers of light reside. There are other layers which each have their own duty beneath these layers, but we won’t go into too much detail.

We each have a main casing that is round and has a dome-shaped surface which slightly protrudes. The center of the hard coating, the cornea, is transparent so that it will allow light to pass through. On the outer part of the transparent area is what they call the white of the eye, and the whole areas seen from the front is covered in a clear membrane (the conjunctiva) with mucus cells. This keeps us lubricated. So as to focus light rays, our cornea section is more curved than other sections. There is a tiny chamber behind this curved front and this is actually where the lens, which separa-tes the main chamber, is found. In the front chamber between our lens and cornea is a transparent liquid, the iris, which gives us our color. The black hole in the center of the iris is called the pupil. The iris, which

has a special structure of muscles, works like a curtain contracting and expanding our pupil in response to the brightness of light. If the light is powerful, it contracts to protect the retina from any damage, whereas if the light is dim, the iris expands the pupil to allow more light into the retina.

The fibers (zonules) that hold the lens suspended in place and the cluster of muscles (corpus ciliare), which changes our lens according to the focus distance, are in front of a layer of blood vessels. Our lens, which plays a role in focusing, changes shape and adjusts according to whether the focus point is near or at a distance by thinning and thickening. We do this with the help of the fibers that keep the lens suspended.

Behind the lens is a larger chamber filled with a jellylike, transparent liquid (vitreous humor). The pres-sure and consistency of the jellylike liquid ensure that we keep our round shape. There are photoreceptive cells in the shape of rods and cones which are sensitive to light in the dark chamber behind our retina. The visual images formed by the rays which pass through the cornea and lens to the retina are upside-down. There is a small pit in my retina where almost every


cell has a light receptor cell. This is where your sharpest vision is formed, but that doesn’t mean that it is where you ac-tually perceive the object you are loo-king at. Sight is what happens when a group of cells in the brain’s visual center is stimulated, and the images on our lens are comprehended. It is unbelievable how fast is the effect of the chemical and electro events on our light receptor cells. The effect of light is conveyed to your brain through the stimulation of electric signals in our receptors’ optic nerve where the actual vision is produced in the brain, so in a way we are just the means of vision.

Because we are such delicate and sensitive organs, our Creator placed us in the cavities within the bone structure of your head for protection. We fit in the very strong and secure structure comprising your chin bone, cheek bones, forehead bone, orbital bone (just around us, your eyes), nasal bone and occipital bone (at the rear and bottom of your skull), but this is not our only protective mechanism. We have top and bottom eye-lids that we close to protect ourselves from oncoming dangers. The frequent blinking of our eyelids prevents our cornea from becoming dirty, just like the windscre-en wipers of a car. Our eyelids are not just simple folds of skin, they are a secretion system of glands which continuously lubricate the inner part of your lashes and seize dirt and dust, turning them into harmless particles. When you feel emotion, the secretion produ-ced by the tear glands between us and the nose fills the tear ducts, passes through the two canals, and gives us a good wash. But when you cry too much, the excess secretion empties through another canal, which also washes your nose.

As this system is complex, it can also go wrong so-metimes. If you consider our many parts and our mil-lions of cells you will clearly see the possibility that any one of our components may fail. However, our Creator has formed the eyes in most people’s heads without any defect or failure, so we can serve you with vision of the universe.

The Creator gives us something called illness so we are reminded of our weakness, a defect or failure which arises as an act of wisdom. Some illnesses, like dia-betes, deficiency of vitamin A or atherosclerosis, may have a negative effect on us and even render us useless.

We eyes also have some defects which occasionally appear, such as not

being able to see at a distance, or close up. Focus defects are easily remedied with spectac-les or lenses, but faults in the sensitive light receptor cells in the retina are more difficult to

amend. The pressure of the li-quid in our larger chamber must

be correctly balanced. If this pressu-re increases too much, we will give you a

great deal of pain due to what doctors call glaucoma. If we lose our transparency, your vision will become clo-uded by what is called a cataract. Apart from this, there

are many viruses and bacteria that can cause infections and diseases, but the cells of your immune system are like soldiers who, with the Creator’s help, protect you from those bacteria and viruses.

Look, Peter! It would take pages and pages for us to explain ourselves to you, but we don’t really want to confuse you with even more anatomical information. Our whole aim is to explain the reasons for the creati-on of our parts, to astonish you with the wisdom and fine art of the Divine, so you will contemplate the won-ders of creation and give praise to the Almighty for the blessings he has bestowed upon you. If we have been successful in achieving this, that would be the greatest reward we could ask for.

Irfan Yilmaz is a professor of biology at Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey.

Lead articLe

MarcH/ aPriL 20095959

Janu

ary

/ Feb

ruar

y 20

09

In celebration of the quest for the meaning of existence, the purpose of life, and the nature of reality, The Foun-tain invites all graduate and undergraduate students worldwide to take part in its essay contest. The 2009 Matter and Beyond Essay Contest does not have a single theme; rather it is designed to encourage submission of articles on a wide range of topics. The mission of the contest is to elicit writing talents towards a better un-derstanding of human nature and the universe with an effort to appreciate the grace and wisdom of God. The contest is sponsored by The Fountain and the Matter and Beyond program of Ebru TV. Participants are required to take on a topic that falls under the broad coverage of social sciences, religious studies, philosophy, arts and culture.

Prizes:1st Prize: $2,0002nd Prize: $1,5003rd Prize: $1,0002 Honorable Mentions: $500 each

Deadline for submissions: June 15, [email protected]

ESSAY CONTEST

www.fountainmagazine.com/essaycontest

THE FOUNTAIN announces

For more information on essay topics and submission process please visit

Lead articLeLead articLeQ&a

Desire to emulate (gibta) is a de-

sire to have the same blessings an-

other person has without wishing

for him or her to be deprived of

them; it is looking up to others’

admirable qualities and achieve-

ments. Envy (hasad), however, is

the inability to bear with others’

successes or to acknowledge the

favors and virtues they are blessed

with; it is to wish for the absence of

those favors and good conditions

for others and to desire to possess

them all for oneself. Envy, there-

fore, involves resentment, indig-

nation, and jealousy, whereas the

desire to emulate is admiration.

In a saying reported as a hadith of

the Messenger of God, peace be

upon him, it is said that “Believ-

ers admire, hypocrites envy.” By

this, a bottom line is determined

for believers so that they do not go

further than admiration, and we

are told that jealousy makes hypo-

crites squirm in a constant state of

pain.

To emulate: harmless envyIt is also reported that the Prophet

Muhammad, peace be upon him,

said, “There are only two to envy:

a person whom God has given

wealth and he spends it in the

right way, and a person whom

God has given wisdom (religious

knowledge) and he gives his deci-

sions accordingly and teaches it to

others.”1 It is harmless to admire

those who, after they have learned

the religion well and made it their

way of life, illuminate others with

their knowledge, which they have

made a source of wisdom. They

act as a genuine interpreter of the

Qur’anic truths by both commu-

nicating and representing them.

So, one can say, “I wish I were like

him; I wish I knew my religion so

well, so that I could have illumi-

nated my own life while communi-

cating it to others!” It may even be

a self-rewarding act to do so, for it

is in a sense self-interrogation; re-

alizing our inadequacy we may be

H ow do we distinguish between the desire to emulate and envy? What are your thoughts regarding the charities and alms given away

openly by some leading people in good work in order to inspire others and stimulate their feel-ings of generosity, while others cannot help but feel envy of their generosity?

Hikmet isik

“there are only two to envy: a person Whom God has Given Wealth and he spends it in the riGht Way, and a person Whom God has Given Wisdom (reliGious knoWledGe) and he gives his decisions accordingly and teaches it to others.”


Lead articLeLead articLe

motivated to work harder and even to pray, and thus be filled with lofty feelings. It is not wrong also to admire prosperous people who have been made superior with wealth as well as with generosity, who give away their God-given property in great quantities in charity, and who never feel content with their giving, as if addicted to benevolence. As in the previous situation, one can say, “I wish I had the same resources, so that I could donate as much as he did. I wish I could have built a school and provided grants for hundreds of students as he did.”

Nevertheless, in the hadith given above, the Proph-et, peace be upon him, uses “envy” instead of “desire to emulate,” emphasizing the fact that admiring others is also a state that is close to jealousy. No matter how harmless and even favorable it may be, desire to emu-late shares the same border with envy, rendering its territory somewhat unsafe to walk through. Inability to define the limits of admiration may result in jealousy and envy. For instance, looking up to a friend who is well-versed in the religion, in an admirable condition, and who acts with good conduct, is fine, as long as it does not cross the border into comparison and covert competition, saying, “Why does he know so much that I do not know? How can he communicate our faith better than I can?”

Therefore, believers must keep a distance between themselves and admiration, which is adjacent to envy and separated from it only by a thin veil. They must be content with what has been appreciated for them; they should never complain of their fate, even with the slightest emotional disappointment; they should see no one as their rival, and they should strive to attain their highest potential in virtue.Food supplies delivered at nightIn his “Principles for Sincerity” Bediüzzaman Said Nursi warns not to “provoke [your brothers’ and sis-ters’] envy by making a display of [your] attributes,” defining the responsibility that falls on the shoulders of those people who are admired. Boasting incessantly,

always bringing the subject to one’s own achievements, claiming success for oneself, and appearing at the fore-front all the time are also acts of trespassing in the forbidden zone. Such a person may not envy another person, but with this attitude he drives other people to jealousy of him by provoking their envy.

For this very reason, boasting of one’s personal virtues and abilities is considered inappropriate in Is-lamic culture, so a tradition of engaging in good work privately has developed. Alms used to be left at certain places out of sight and reach of others, so that only the poor could come and get what they needed. Alms col-umns, for instance, which were around six feet tall with a cavity on top, were erected at certain points in towns; it was not easy to discern who was leaving alms there and who was taking them, so that the poor were not made to feel obliged, their feelings were not hurt, and their envy was not provoked. Foundations were instru-ments for transferring donations from benefactors to the poor without causing embarrassment or taunting of the latter, while the former were saved from ostenta-tion and arrogance.

In Islam, intending to hide one’s voluntary prayers and alms is very important. The Prophet declared that God does not accept anything from the one who gives in charity to be known by others, someone crazy for show, nor from a philanthropist who taunts the ben-eficiary of his favors. Performing charity secretly and giving alms without revealing it to others are good ways of being saved from the desire to be praised by others. There are many people who help others secretly and disappear mysteriously without introducing themselves even to the poor person to whom they provided some relief. Many of our noble ancestors made extreme ef-forts to avoid ostentation, praise, and making others feel indebted; some of them, without being seen, sim-ply left their alms in the path of a poor person or any-where he or she was likely to sit. Others would place coins into the pocket of a pauper who was sleeping, while some others secretly carried bags of food

MarcH/ aPriL 200961

62

Lead articLe

MarcH / aPriL 2009

Lead articLe

supplies on their backs and left them on the doorsteps of those in need.

Imam Ali Zaynul Abidin, one of the grandsons of the Prophet, was one of those heroic souls. During the time of this blessed person who devoted his life to true servanthood to God Almighty, society was afflicted by unbearable poverty. Many of the poor would find food and clothes they desperately needed mysteriously left at their doors with a note allowing them to use it at no cost. They did not know who was leaving the bags until one morning, after many years, they found noth-ing at their doors. Nothing had been left that night for anyone. People were wondering what the reason for that was, and then they heard somebody announc-ing “Imam Ali has died!” The caretaker who washed the body of this blessed man before his funeral saw a huge callus formed on the imam’s back. The imam had carried bags of food and clothes to the poor for twenty-seven years, and no one had known about it. It did not matter, for it is only God’s pleasure that counts as the goal, and God knew what Zaynul Abidin was occupied with.

People like Zaynul Abidin fixed their eyes on God’s good pleasure and they chose to race without competi-tion along the track of servanthood. Just as they did not envy others, they were also careful not to provoke others by contaminating their donations with ostenta-tion, praise, and indebtedness. This was their way of investing in the afterlife and earning God’s pleasure, and the Qur’an describes it as tanafus.The goal is the drink of eternityTanafus is used in the verse And to that (blessing of Paradise), then, let all those who aspire (to things of high value), aspire as if in a race (with each other) (Mutaffifin 83:26). It refers to admiring a maturity of character displayed by another person, striving to attain the same virtue, and to working as if in a race with others for a lofty purpose. This verse encourages people, who compete with one another to the point of ruining each other for the benefits of this world, to race instead for eternal bliss and to taste from the drink of eternity.

The race for eternity and good work does not allow

room for a competition in which uncontrolled admira-tion or envy is possible. Every contestant is expected to break his or her own record, as they are responsible for accomplishing the level of perfection determined solely for them. In this race, everyone is an escort for each other, for everyone is a member of the collective body.

In the race for eternity, once assigned works are fulfilled, rewards are shared and deposited to every-one’s account. In Bediüzzaman’s most fitting descrip-tion, serving God is like carrying and protecting a huge and heavy treasure. So, the more people with strong arms join the company, the more those who carry the treasure on their shoulders must be pleased. Far from envying the strength of the helping hands, they must welcome their contribution and applaud them with love. Approaching these people in rivalry will push away sincerity from the work, and the expected result cannot be achieved.

True believers never envy, nor do they stroll within the territories of admiration which borders envy, but they race for good. They see each other as cordial as-sistants and everyone works to carry out a task they are assigned, or anything they are capable of doing. For instance, in the good work of teaching about God, one person can recite the Qur’an beautifully and soften hearts; another one can sing a religious song and en-thuse the audience, paving the way for a third one, who can deliver a speech with wisdom. The task is appor-tioned, everyone performs his own share, and at the end everyone wins. From the beginning, it is not clear who to credit with this work which is not based on one person. Everyone participates and assumes responsibil-ity. They make the best of what they can, and the end result, which belongs to all, is something more than one person can achieve. The Qur’an encourages such a race, saying, “Strive, then, together as if competing in good works” (Maedah 5:48).To set an example and to encourageIn such a race for good work, it is virtuous to give one’s charity openly to stimulate feelings of benevolence. At a time when people are troubled by slackening, indif-ference, and hopelessness, open charity can stir them

63

Lead articLe

63

Lead articLe

to take part in good work with generosity. “Giving alms secretly is more virtuous than

giving them openly. For the person who wishes others to follow him it is virtuous to give them openly”2 said the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. When a person who intends to direct his or her friends’ attention to the here-after performs charity openly, he or she has no intention other than motivating them to engage in good work. By giving the prescribed alms (zakat), which is obligatory in Islam, openly, he or she both obeys the divine rule and reminds others of this duty.

The Holy Qur’an praises those who fulfill the need of any person without delay and en-courages believers to run to do charity: “Those who spend their wealth night and day, secretly and in public, their reward is with their Lord, and they will have no fear, nor will they grieve” (Baqara 2:274).

It is reported that this verse was revealed to praise Abu Bakr, may God be pleased with

64

Lead articLe

MarcH / aPriL 2009

him, the first caliph of Islam, who gave forty thousand dinars all in one day, ten thousand of which he gave at night, ten thousand during the day, ten thousand in se-cret, and ten thousand openly. Likewise, Ali, may God be pleased with him, also shared his only four dirhams of silver with the poor, giving each dirham either dur-ing the day, at night, openly, or secretly. Even though the verse might be indicating these two noble Compan-ions of the Prophet, the ruling of the word of God is universal. Hamdi Yazir of Elmali interprets this verse as defining the types of alms, namely, obligatory (fard), necessary (wajib), and supererogatory (nafila) alms. A time may come when it will be necessary to donate all of one’s property for one’s religion and country, and in such a time of collective mobilization, it will be better to perform it openly to encourage others. Those of us who are in a position to guide our society especially should give in charity most of our property in order to teach people to make a sacrifice for the sake of sublime truths, and doing this openly is absolutely better and we may even consider it a duty.

Yet with a handful of datesThe Companions of the Prophet are the greatest ex-amples of charity. Abdullah ibn Masud narrates that when the verse about alms-giving was revealed, all of them quickly went out to find something to give in the way of God: “Some of us worked as porters to earn yet a little. We carried things on our back in the mar-ketplace, and once we were paid we hastened to the Prophet to join in the company of ‘givers.’”

One day, our Blessed Prophet called on his Com-panions for charity. It was either because he was go-ing to send a contingent to somewhere and he needed equipment, or he was going to feed the poor coming from the desert and see to their needs. Responding to this call, Abdurrahman ibn Awf raised his voice with the valor he always displayed: “O Messenger of God! I have four thousand dirhams. Please accept them.” The Prophet was very pleased, and he prayed for him. After hearing the Prophet’s words of encouragement and see-ing the great sacrifices of the generous ones, everyone wished to participate in this race for good work. The

wealthy ones gave high amounts, while those with lim-

ited means looked for things to donate. Abu Aqil was

one of those poor Muslims of Medina; he possessed

nothing to give other than two handfuls of dates. But

he had to have his name on the list of the “contestants”

in good work. So, he spared a handful of dates for his

family and gave the rest in charity.

Seeking God’s pleasure is a lofty aim, reaching for it

by teaching about God is a holy mission, and racing for

this cause without competing is very good work. Those

people who are focused on God’s pleasure stay far away

from envy and uncontrolled admiration. They are con-

tent with their lot and they carry on with the race as

far as prevailing conditions allow them. They are not

people of desires and misgivings; they do not seek ref-

uge in excuses like “if I had the means, if I were able

to….” They do whatever they can with all the means

God has provided them with, and in this way they offer

thanks in return for the blessings they are granted, and

this is in fact an invitation to further blessings. They

avoid admiration, just as they avoid leading others to it.

Since God’s pleasure is their goal, when necessary they

can retreat two steps or move forward one step. They

may present their own achievements as if they were ac-

complished with the help of or completely by others, if

this is what they think more proper for God’s pleasure.

For them, only the fulfillment of duty matters; who did

it is so insignificant as to not be worth mentioning.

As long as the spoken words are sublime truths, then

it does not matter who is articulating them. Once the

truth is victorious, then it is the same whether one’s

name is listed or not among the victors. For they are

sailors on a ship whose captain is the Prophet Muham-

mad, peace be upon him. Once his ship docks at the

land of peace, then everyone on board will step off onto

the shores of salvation.

notes1. Bukhari, Book #24, Hadith #490.

2. Jamiu’s-sagir, 67.

Lead articLe

6565

Lead articLe

January / FeBruary 2009

65

nov

embe

r / d

ecem

ber 2

008

Lead article

The race for eternity and good work does not allow

room for a competition in which uncontrolled admiration or envy is

possible. Every contestant is expected to break his

or her own record, as they are responsible for accomplishing the level

of perfection determined solely for them. In this race,

everyone is an escort for each other, for everyone is a member of the collective

body.

***

Lead articLe


nov

embe

r / d

ecem

ber 2

008

Lead articleJa

nuar

y / F

ebru

ary

2008

A MAGAZINE OF SCIENTIFIC AND SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

PUBLISHER:

The Fountain is published bimonthly by

THE LIGHT, INC.

26 Worlds Fair Dr, Unit C, Somerset, NJ, 08873, USATel: (732) 868 0210Fax: (732) 868 0211

E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.thelightpublishing.com

EDITING:Copy Editors: Jane Louise Kandur, Ruth Woodhall

Art Director: Engin Ciftci Design: Sinan Ozdemir

CONTACT:Main office:

For all inquiries:

The Fountain Magazine, 26 Worlds Fair Dr, Unit C, Somerset, NJ, 08873, USA

Tel: (732) 868 0210 Fax: (732) 868 0211

E-mail: [email protected]

To submit articles:Correspondence should be addressed to the main office.

For electronic submissions: please e-mail [email protected]

SUBSCRIPTIONS:US and Canada: Individual subscriptions (6 issues): $33.00,

Institutional subscriptions: $45.00International subscriptions

Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, North Africa: €25.00Far East, Americas, South Africa and Pasific: $41.00

Australia, New Zealand: $46.00Turkey: 36 TL (VAT included)

THE FOUNTAIN ONLINE:www.fountainmagazine.com

Outside U.S.:Please contact the representative closest to your country.

REPRESENTATIVES* United Kingdom: Bekir Cinar / 30 Drayton Park,

London N 5 1 PB FAX: +442076190467 [email protected]* Europe: Ismail Kucuk / World Media Group AG,

Sprendlinger Landstr. 107-109, 63069 Offenbach am MainCustomer services +49 69 300 34 111-112 Distribution 69 300 34 103

[email protected]* Australia: Suleyman Unal /

Tel: +61 2 9649 6006 / 415 436 485 [email protected]* Turkey: Isik Yayinlari, Emniyet Mh. Huzur Sk.No:5 Buyuk Camlica 34666 Uskudar/ Istanbul

Customer line +90 216 444 0361 Tel.: +90 216 318 6011 Fax: +90 216 318 6858

[email protected]* Indonesia: Sezai Gokce / Ghalia Indonesia Printing

JI. Rancamaya KM 1/47 BogorTel.: +62 251 24 1905 / 811 91 [email protected]

* Pakistan: Yakup On / House No:9 Main Doubleroad F-10/2 ISLAMABAD Tel.: 0092 321 549 99 91 [email protected]

Canada MailingPublications Mail Agreement No. 41607065. Return undeliverable items to

The Fountain, 26 Worlds Fair Dr. Unit C Somerset, NJ 08873 USA

US MailingThe Fountain ( ISSN 0967-9928)THE FOUNTAIN USPS # 025-001.

Periodicals postage paid at Somerset, NJ, and at additional mailing office.POST MASTER: Please send address changes to: The Fountain Magazine,

26 Worlds Fair Dr., Unit C, Somerset, NJ 08873, USA.

Printed byTranscontinental Metrolitho, Quebec, Canada / March 2009

©2009 The Fountain. All rights reserved. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work.

INFORMATION FOROUR READERS

AND CONTRIBUTORSTo subscribe to The Fountain,

use one of these methods:Visit our website www.fountainmagazine.com and

use the SUBSCRIBE link. Direct transfer to our bank account:

Send proof of payment along with your subscription information.Bank information in USA:

Bank of America, Somerset, NJ 08873Account Holder: The Fountain

Routing No: 021200339 Acct.No: 3810 0159 7341Check or money order:

Send a check/money order in US DOLLARS payable to:The Fountain, 26 World’s Fair D, Unit C, Somerset, NJ 08873

For more information, contact us at:Tel: (732) 868 0210 Fax: (732) 868 0211

Toll Free: 1-888-234-2823Email: [email protected],

[email protected]

Editorial Policy:The Fountain encourages critical thought and scientific inquiry on a wide range of topics: physical science, social science, ethics, education, literature, religion, and comparative studies. All topics are to be dealt with fairly and substantively, and articles are to be bal-anced and judicious. We encourage our readers to contribute articles. Style Conventions:The editors reserve the right to edit and correct all articles. The article’s essence will be maintained. If there are numerous stylistic inconsistencies, the article will be returned to the author for further review and resubmission. The article’s title; author’s full name, address, phone number, and e-mail address; edu-cational background, university affiliation, other publications; the length of the article (number of pages and words); and a brief abstract (150 words or less) should be provided. Articles should not be less than 1,500 words.Proper sources, citations, and endnotes according to the Chicago Manual of Style should be provided. If another style is used, all citations must be consistent. Alphabetize biblio-graphical references in endnotes. References must contain: Author, (year of publication), title, place of publication, publisher, and page numbers. Citations within the text must be in the Harvard style: Author last name, year, page number(s). Quotations from the Sacred Books must be italicized. Provide the chapter’s name and number, and the number of the verse(s). Send original illustrations or photos in hardcopy, or on disk in Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator formats.As The Fountain is intended for general readers, please do not use jargon, region-specific, or technical terms. Non-English or unfamiliar words may be explained in a glossary, or translated/explained immediately after the word.The opinions and views expressed by The Fountain’s contributors and editors are their own, and do not necessarily express The Fountain’s viewpoint or position. The Fountain does not accept responsibility for views expressed in articles or other contributions that appear in its pages. Thank you for your interest in The Fountain. We look forward to working with you while gaining knowledge from your insights and ideas.

Lead articLe

MarcH/ aPriL 20096767

nov

embe

r / d

ecem

ber 2

008

Lead article

With an introduction by M.Fethullah Gülen

A MUST FOR ALL LIBRARIES, PUBLIC OR PERSONAL

ESSENTIAL WISDOM FROM THE HOLY QUR’ÂN

The Reminders is a fully illustrated book of select verses from the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam. Verses have been selected to appeal to all faith communities encouraging readers to reflect on God’s overarching aware-ness, benevolence, and power, as well as the origins and purpose of life, essential human virtues, and signs of divinity in our world. Designed in the format of a charming gift book, The Reminders is filled with thoughtful illustrations that accompany verses throughout the book.

A timely addition to the literature on the holy book of Islam, this translation provides both the original Arabic verse as well as extensive explanations and interpretations in modern English. Additional commentary is offered on the social and historical aspects of Islam, as well as the existence and unity of God, the concept of resurrection, and other theological complexities. Several special glossaries detailing the names of God and Qur’an vocabulary are also included.

by Ali Ünal

www.tughrabooks.com

ISBN: 9781597841443

1416 pages

6 x 9 inches

Paperback

Lead articLe


Lead articLe


Thanks to the Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) teaching,

believing hearts have perceived the world as an exhibition; we

have read the universe as a book, and have found the true route in his

glowing milieu that lead to the

Almighty Lord.

fountain 68

Documents

win situations

infinite number of win

win womens interfaith

spiritual thoughto

spiritual thoughtmarch

rules of dynamic balance

wins story

interfaith dialogue