FAQ in the category of World

Just as games, entertainment and music are activities peculiar to humans and a necessity of creation, so too is sport a human activity. For, man has an energetic, passionate and challenging psychology.

Since sport is defined as ‘physical activities in the form of games, competitions and races that aim to improve fitness’, nobody can avoid sport regardless of age and state; everybody is engaged in some kind of sport somehow; everybody plays sports or is somehow interested in some kind of sport.

Sport activities that date back to the beginning of the humankind have assumed very different dimensions today; sport has become an international activity, a universal language and a means of publicity. Every nation has started to speak that common language. Sport has increased its range quite a lot with the support of mass media like TV and the internet.

The majority of the people have focused on a single point at the end of some sports activities especially national squad football matches. Sport attracts people regardless of the level of education and worldview. We have found ourselves in it sometimes as a nation and sometimes as an ummah. 

Sport is a discipline and a set of rules like any other activities.The rule, “the game must be played by the rules” is valid in sport the most. The fact that human dimension is involved makes such a thought obligatory.

When we look at sport in terms of life and belief discipline, it has a tradition and past that it is based on. When its past is examined within the framework of Islam, it will be seen that it has binding aspects.

We see main branches of sport in the civilized discipline of the Era of Bliss peculiar to itself. It is interesting and nice that almost all of the branches of sport that existed at that time still exist today either in the same form or in modified forms.  

The main sports that our Prophet was personally engaged in, encouraged others and stated the principles of are as follows:wrestling, running, competition, horseracing, camel racing, swimming and archery; he watched these activities individually and in groups, and rewarded the ones that won.

Wrestling:In order to become a Muslim, Rukana b. Abdulyazid, one of the famous wrestlers of that age, laid it down as a condition for our Prophet to beat him in wrestling; our Prophet beat him several times. Thereupon, Rukana became a Muslim. 1

It is written in the Siyar (life of the Prophet) resources that our Prophet wrestled with people other than Rukana too, that children of the Companions who reached the age of puberty wrestled each other during the ceremony for recruiting soldiers every year and that Hazrat Hasan and Hazrat Husayn wrestled in the presence of the Messenger of Allah.  

Wrestling was developed during the Ottoman Period; it became well-known worldwide thanks to the support of the Ottoman Palace. Hazrat Hamza, who is the Lord of the martyrs and who is known as the ‘Lion of Allah and the Messenger of Allah’, is regarded as the patron of wrestlers.

Archery:Archery has a significant place in sunnah as a sport of war and a tool of jihad. Our Prophet stated the following,

“All of you should be engaged in shooting arrows”2

On another occasion, when the Prophet was told that a group of Companions went somewhere for fun, the Prophet expressed some discontent at first; however, when he was told that they went for shooting arrows, he said,

“Archery is not entertainment. It is the best thing that you do for entertainment.”3

The prophet stated that sport would ease a person psychologically by saying,

“When you are overwhelmed by sorrow and distress, you can do nothing but take your bow and arrow to overcome it.”

Our Prophet always complimented on the Companions who were good at shooting arrows. He used the sentence, “May my mother and father be sacrificed for you”, which he used for nobody else, for Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas, due to his shooting on target during the Battle of Uhud.4 Due to the encouragement of the Prophet, the Companions gave importance to archery; they shot arrows at any opportunity, even after the evening prayer until the weather got dark.5

Our Prophet even supported some groups during the archery competitions. Salama bin Aqwa narrates how the Prophet supported some groups as follows:

The Messenger of Allah met a group of people who were competing in archery from Bani Aslam. He said to them,

“O Sons of Ismail! Shoot your arrows; your ancestors were good at archery. Shoot! I support such and such tribe” Thereupon, one group stopped shooting arrows.

The Prophet said, “What happened? Why did you stop shooting? They replied as follows:

”How shall we shoot? You support the other group.”  Thereupon, the Prophet said,

“Shoot! I support both groups.”6

The Prophet supported groups in a very special way. He did not break the heart of anyone; he supported each achievement.

Giving prizes to the winner in horse and camel races:

The Prophet gave great importance to horses; he encouraged people to breed horses. According to narrations, he had about 19 horses at various times.  

According to the statement of Ibn Umar, the Messenger of Allah would train his horse and then take part in competitions with it.7

Saying, “There are presents for three things: Camel racing, horse racing and archery”8,

the Prophet rewarded the winners of the races, encouraging others.

The Quran praises the horse, which is originally an element of jihad, in a very nice way. The horses are described as follows in the first five verses of the chapter al-Adiyat:

“By the (Steeds) that run, with panting (breath),
and strike sparks of fire,
and push home the charge in the morning,
and raise the dust in clouds the while,
and penetrate forthwith into the midst (of the foe) en masse―  ...”(al-Adiyat, 100/5)

Swimming:

Our Prophet learned how to swim in Madinah during his childhood; he encouraged the Companions who migrated to Abyssinia during the Meccan Period; he stated that he was pleased with those who knew how to swim. Hazrat Umar emphasized the importance of swimming by saying, “Teach your children how to swim.”

Walking and running:

Our Prophet said,

“There is a reward for each step of a person who runs between two targets.”; he also attracted attention to the benefits of walking by saying,

“Compete in archery, have a fit body and walk barefoot.”9

The Prophet himself raced against Hazrat Aisha twice; in the first race, Hazrat Aisha ran faster and won the race; in the second one, Hazrat Aisha lost the race due to putting on weight; the Prophet, who won the race, said,

“This is the revenge of the first race; now we are even.”10

When it is examined carefully, it can be seen that the criteria and principles that become prominent in these examples,which exist in the sunnah, are to preserve one’s physical condition, to maintain one’s life, vitality, honor and belief, to be fit, to be strong, and to be prepared to fight against the enemy. That is, the kinds of sports that are present in the sunnah are games that have certain aims, targets and benefits. When a person plays sports, he takes pleasure, keeps fit and gains rewards by fulfilling a sunnah act.

Besides, in all kinds of sports that are present in the sunnah, there exist general Islamic criteria. Acts that will cause grudge, hatred and animosity are not allowed in the races and games. In archery and horseracing, both the winners and losers are taken into consideration; those who rank in the competition are given prizes and the losers are asked to make efforts. Those races never turn to gambling.

The Companions had their own jobs to do. Some of them were engaged in science and education. They had families. The sports activities did not cause them to neglect their daily tasks, lifestyles and worshipping; the sports activities did not make them fanatics because they were aware of what they were doing, why they were doing them and how much time they needed to allocate.

When sports are seen from the framework of general criteria of the sunnah,it is clear that running, racing, swimming, horse riding, shooting, wrestling, far east sports like judo, karate and tae kwon do, and fencing should be taught to young people since they have qualities that develop young people and prepare them for the future. These branches of sport and other legitimate games are means of development and entertainment during the childhood period; they are means of activity and letting off steam during the youth period; they will defend people and protect them from various diseases that can be caused by inactivity when they are old. 

Shooting, horse riding, swimming and running are more important than other sports because they will be regarded as worshipping if they are done with a sincere intention since they prepare young people for the struggle in the future.

There exists a reality of sport that we are faced with and that we cannot overlook and ignore. If we examine the sports activities, we will see that they are beneficial as follows:

Its unifying role:

Sport can unify and bring together the people who have different thoughts and beliefs; it can make people sometimes happy and sometimes sad; it also entertains people. However, it should be kept within certain limits. If the limits are exceeded, some negative incidents like fights and even murders can take place due to fanaticism. The most important principle to remain within the limits is the constructive and unifying role of belief and ethics.

The hooliganism observed especially before, during and after the football matches brings about unwanted incidents in the streets.   

Apart from the benefits we have mentioned, sport gives man determination to live, enthusiasm for worshipping and working, and a piece of mind. It develops certain abilities of man. It enables young people to let off steam. It can be used as a means of conveying the message of Islam. The belief, ethics and lifestyle of a sportsman who has religious and spiritual values can serve as a good example for young people.

If people act consciously,team sports cause people to be civilized. They bring about cooperation, solidarity and common actions. They enable common feelings and thoughts to appear and to be shared. They make people get used to discipline and make them active. Besides, sport can be used as a good means of publicity and advertisement. The self-confidence of a nation can be established thanks to sport. It can be used as a means of showing the power of a state in the international arena.

Boxing,which is not regarded as an acceptable sport by Islamic scholars because it damages the human body, once caused a great excitement in the Islamic world. In the sixties, Cassius Clay, who was a phenomenon in the boxing rings, declared that he became a Muslim and changed his name to Muhammad Ali, considering himself as the representative of oppressed nations and the Islamic world; people watched his boxing matches at very early hours, before the sunrise; especially Muslims got very excited.   

There is no drawback to play sports whether individually or as a team sport no matter what the names of the sports are, no matter where they originated.However, Islamic scholars attracted attention to the following issues for the peace and tranquility of man:

1.People must not utter bad words while watching and playing a sport.

2.Sport must not cause waste of time by getting the people who play and watch to abandon their education and work.   

3.The games to be played must not be means of gambling like football pools, jackpot, pick six, etc.

4.It must not prevent fard worshipping like the daily prayers and fasting from being performed on time.

5.It must not be too dangerous for the human body and cause death.

6.It must not cause hooliganism that will disturb people.

7.It must not exceed the limits of covering (tasattur) permitted by the Quran and sunnah.

FOOTNOTES:

1. Abu Dawud, Libas 21.

2. Muslim, Imarah 168.

3. Kanzu’l-Ummal, 4:292.

4. Bukhari, Maghazi 18.

5. Abu Dawud, Sala 6.

6. Bukhari, Jihad 78.

7. Abu Dawud, Jihad 67.

8. Abu Dawud, Jihad 67.

9. Majmau’z-Zawaid, 5:136.

10. Abu Dawud, Jihad 67.

The question What is the Worlds oldest building erected? will surely be answered as The Kaba. No place upon earth is visited as much as the Kaba. In this respect, Mecca and the Kaba have become a center, which plays a role of uniting and gathering people by lifting political boundaries. And again with no religious place upon earth are people in contact for 24 hours a day except the Kaba.

Behold, the first House (of Prayer) established for humankind is the one at Bake (Mecca), a blessed place and a (center or focus of) guidance for all peoples. In it there are clear signs (demonstrating that it is a blessed sanctuary, chosen by God as the center of guidance), and the Station of Abraham. Whoever enters it is in security (against attack and fear). (Al-Imran Surah, 3:96-97)

The Kaba Muslims head towards is the center of the Old World (Europe, Asia and Africa). It is nearly of the same distance from these three continents. It has strategic importance and it is situated on the focus of transportation.

If you take a map and draw a line from North America to Australia, from Northeast Asia to South America, you will see Mecca, therefore the Kaba, at the junction where these lines meet; i.e. at the center. When you make these drawings, you should begin from the furthest points of the continents.

Is Mecca, the center of the continents, also the center of the world? Geographers symbolically divided the earth into small squares with lines called latitudes and longitudes in order to find easily, practically, and correctly show any point on earth. However, the beginnings of these lines are determined theoretically, i.e. arbitrarily. There exist no certain scientific facts. For example, the line of longitude that is presumed to pass from Greenwich, England is taken as 0 (zero). It is a known fact that the earth has a rounded shape, with a slight flat at the poles and bulge around the equator. The longest latitude that crosses the equatorial bulge is called the latitude zero. And it is considered that it divides the world into two theoretically.

The poles are the two ends of an axis that crosses from the exact center of the circle of the Equator. However, the reality is not so. This is just an assumption. The world has real north and south poles. We know that the earth rotates on liquid-iron-nickel like a dynamo and that in the course of this rotation it produces an electromagnetic area and electricity just like a dynamo. This magnetic power forms the magnetic protective layer called magnetosphere, which constitutes the outer layer of the atmosphere coming out of the north and south poles. For this reason, compasses in the North Hemisphere always show the North Pole.

Why are the poles shown by the latitudes and longitudes and the magnetic poles shown by the compass bear a distance of 27? We know that the earth has an inclination of 23º ecliptically. If the head of the world was not inclined that way, we would live just one season, for example always summer or winter. Days shorten and lengthen according to this inclination. This inclination changes the place of the poles. While drawing the latitudes and longitudes, if we take into attention this inclination of the earth, i.e. the real north and south poles that the compasses always show, there would emerge a new equator. Then this time, the Equator, which is the biggest latitude with the zero degree, will cross just the middle of Mecca with its new condition. And this shows that the Kaaba is at the center of the world.

On the other hand, the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer drawn in this way cross the block where Mecca is situated. The longitude drawn in this sense divides the tropics and the Equator again in the same block, uniting the two poles. The junction is again Mecca. That these latitudes and the longitudes intersect in Mecca bears the point that the place of the Kaba was exclusively determined and the mystery why people head towards there. It is thus understood that the Kaba is the center of the world in the present condition of the continents and it was so when the continents were just one body.

Malayani is the useless deeds and futile conversations, which are done for no particular reason at all and in order to kill time and to appear busy.

The most common definition of malayani is Deeds, chatters and ideas which benefit neither the world nor the Hereafter. From this definition, we can benefit as long as we live in this world; it advises us to spend our lives in areas beneficial either for this world or for the Hereafter. Actually, in Islam, these two areas are not separated from one another; because a believer who works in the legitimate circle and on the right path is still performing worship and sending valuable things to his Hereafter even when he is busy with worldly affairs.

Only, when we migrate to the Hereafter, we will understand futile things a little bit different. We will then say everything which does not benefit the eternal world and whose fruits are only in the world is futile.

It is stated in the Risale-i Nur Collection that the world has three faces. One of them is the aspect of being a mirror to the Divine names; another is its being a field to cultivate for the Hereafter; and the third is its aspect of pleasures and delights, games and entertainment. So, every deed, activity, and chatter that does not fall into the first two groups is futile.

However, when the hereafter is mentioned, both paradise and the hell must be thought together. If a deed not only serves as no means to the paradise but also leads man to the hell, we cannot put it into the group of futility. Such a deed is not futile; but is full of grief and punishment.

Futile deeds are fruitless deeds, which do not benefit the Hereafter; but at the same time are not seen as sin or haram-religiously forbidden.

According to the precept “everything you say should be true but every truth cannot be told everywhere”, it is not a right behavior to tell about a truth which can upset a person when there is no need. If their hearts are broken, then you will be responsible. You should invite them to repent not to punish for the mistake they make and make peace.

KARAHAH: Disgust, hatred, detestation, doing something because of being forced or because of an obligation. A deed or something that is close to haram.

Karahiyya and hazr are synonymous. Their opposites are istihsan and ibaha. Makruh (abominable) which is derived from the same word means something that is not wanted by Allah and His Messenger though not certainly. In general, makruh deeds are forbidden. However, if there is a sign that there is no prohibition in the sense of definitely haram or if the evidence is not definite, such a decree is given. The quality of a makruh deed is that it is not liked and Allah is not pleased with it. (Ibnu'l Humam, Fathu'l-Qadir, Egypt 1318, VIII/79, 80)

There are several verses related to the deeds and attitudes that are regarded disgusting. Some of them are as follows:

"O ye who believe! ask not questions about things which, if made plain to you, may cause you trouble."(al-Maida, 5/101).

"Fain would they extinguish Allah's light with their mouths but Allah will not allow but that His light should be perfected, even though the unbelievers may detest (it)." (at-Tawba, 9/32)

"Fighting is prescribed for you and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth and ye know not." (al-Baqara, 2/216)

"They attribute to Allah what they hate (for themselves) And their tongues assert the falsehood that all good things are for themselves: without doubt for them is the Fire, and they will be the first to be hastened on into it!" (an-Nahl, 16/62)

It is seen that the deeds that are not liked and wanted and that Allah and His Messenger are not pleased with are mentioned in the hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh). When the Companions did something that was not liked, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would warn them and showed them the right deed. We can give the following hadiths as examples:

When the verse stating that hajj was rendered fard (see Aal-i Imran, 3/97), the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to his Companions,

"Allah definitely rendered hajj fard; perform hajj." One of them asked,

"Every year? "Hz. Prophet kept silent. When the question was repeated three times, he said,

"If I had said, 'Yes', it would have been fard for you to perform it every year. Leave me with what I have left to you. For, those who were before you were destroyed because of excessive questioning and their opposition to the answers." (Muslim, Hajj, 412)

The following is stated in another hadith:

"Allah does not like it when you gossip, ask a lot of questions and waste your property." (Bukhari, Istiqrad, 19)

According to Hanafis, a prohibition that is based on definite evidence is called haram, a prohibition that is based on probable evidence is called makruh. For instance, the following is stated in a verse:

"He hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name hath been invoked besides that of Allah. but if one is forced by necessity without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits―then is he guiltless." (Bakara, 2/173)

Here, the prohibition that is imposed by a definite verse is defined as "haram". Haram can be definite through a mutawatir or mashhur hadith.

Makruh deedss can be deeds that are stated in some verses that they are not liked and about which there are some signs showing that they are not definitely haram; they can be makruh based on some probable evidence like ahad or mursal hadiths. Makruh deeds are divided into two based on the state of the evidence:  Makruh tahrimi and makruh tanzihi. The former are the deeds that are close to haram, that are definitely demanded not to be committed through probable evidence; in this case, makruh is the opposite of wajib. Wearing silk clothes and golden rings (for men), marriage of a man who probably will not be able to treat his wife justly are among this kind of makruh deeds. The latter are the deeds that are close to halal; in this case, makruh is the opposite of mandub.

A person who commits a makruh tahrimi deed is reproached but a person who commits a makruh tanzihi deed is not reproached. A person who abandons both deeds is praised. (Ibnu'l-Humam, ibid, VIII/80-91 ff.; Abu Zahra, Usulu'l-Fiqh, Daru'l-Fikri'l-Arabi, n.d., p.45, 46)

Karahah Times

There are five period of times called makruh times. It is forbidden to do some kinds of worshipping at those times.

Uqba b. Amir al-Juhani narrates the following:

"The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prohibited us from performing prayers and burying our dead people at three time periods: from the sunrise to the sun's going up about one or two spears long, from the time the sun is perpendicular to us at noon to the time it starts moving to the west, from the time the sun turns yellow to sunset." (Muslim, Musafirin, 293; Abu Dawud, Janaiz 51; Tirmidhi, Janaiz, 41; Nasai, Mawaqit, 31, 34, Janaiz, 89; Ibn Majah Janaiz, 30; Darimi, Salat, 142).

The three time periods mentioned in the hadith above are as follows:

a. From the time the sun rises to forty or forty-five minutes after it.

b. When the sun is perpendicular to our heads. 

c. From just before the sunsets when our eyes are not dazzled to the time when the sun sets. 

In those three karaha times, no missed fard prayers, no wajib prayers like witr, no janazah prayers and no prostration of tilawah can be performed. Otherwise, they need to be performed again. 

However, if the afternoon prayer of that day has been started before the sun sets, it is completed. If the sun rises while performing the morning prayer, that prayer is invalidated. It needs to performed again afterwards.

There are two more time periods that affect supererogatory prayers only.Abu Said al-Khudri narrates:

"I heard the the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) say, 'There is no prayer after performing the morning prayer until the sun rises. There is no prayer after the afternoon prayer until the sun sets.'" (Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, I/19, II/42, III/95).

It is makruh to perform supererogatory prayers in these two time periods. It is not makruh to perform fard and wajib prayers. It is permissible to perform janazah prayers and tilawah prostrations.

Everything, from the sky to the earth, from atoms to globes, has been glorifying Allah since the creation of the universe. In fact, the following is stated in the Quran:

"The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory: there not a thing but celebrates His praise; and yet ye understand not how they declare His glory! Verily He is Oft- Forbearing, Most Forgiving."(al-Isra, 17/44)

The skies, plants, all creatures mention Allah. The gurgling of water, swishing of leaves, squeaking of doors, rattling of the roof are all dhikr of Allah. Every bird that flies in the air, every fish that swims in water, every leaf on trees mentions Allah. The only being that does not mention Him is man, who is heedless.

A teacher ordered his students in order to test them: "Bring me a flower each." The students scattered and returned after a while with a flower in the hand of each of them. However, one of the students brought a flower with a broken stalk. He was the student that teacher liked the most and the other students were jealous of him. When they saw him, they condemned him by saying, "Look at him! He has brought a flower with a broken stalk. The teacher accepted the flowers from his students one by one. When his best student came, he asked, "Why have you brought a flower with a broken stalk?" He replied, "O teacher! Every flower that I wanted to pick was mentioning Allah. Only this one was not mentioning Him. Therefore, I picked it."

A flower mentions Allah as long as it is on the stalk. Everything in our house, from doors, windows, ceilings to lamps and carpets, glorify Allah.  You can say, "Why do we not hear this dhikr?" They make dhikr with their own tongues. As a matter of fact, the following is stated at the end of the verse: "…and yet ye understand not how they declare His glory."

That is, everything glorifies Allah but the glorification of each being is different. For instance, the glorification of a living plant is not the same as its glorification when it dries. From this point of view, to harm plants unnecessarily means to prevent their glorification.

However, when it is necessary, it is permissible to cut them and use them for other things. For instance, to feed animals with them, to prune them, to cut trees in order to make something.

There is no rule like "Being poor is superior to being rich."However, richness is a hard test; most rich people cannot fulfill their duties of worship properly, become very busy with worldly affairs and forget the hereafter. Therefore, the number of the poor people to go to Paradise is more than the number of the rich people.

There are also some rich people who work for the sake of Allah and are not deceived by the world. Those rich people who work for the sake of Allah and who are not deceived by the world are superior to the poor. The test of everybody is different. The test of a poor person is different from that of a rich person. The degree of a person in the eye of Allah becomes certain as he performs the deeds that are most appropriate in his status and as he acts sincerely.

Hadiths about being rich and poor:

"Jibril came to me and said, "O Muhammad! Your Lord sends His greetings and says, ‘There are some people among my slaves; their belief becomes perfect with wealth. If I made them poor, they would act ungratefully. There are also some people among my slaves; their belief becomes perfect with poverty. If I made them rich, they would become unbelievers. There are some people among my slaves; their belief becomes perfect with health. If I gave them illnesses, they would become unbelievers. There are also some people among my slaves; their belief becomes perfect with illnesses. If I made them healthy, they would act ungratefully."

"The first three people to enter Paradise are as follows: One of them is a martyr; the second one is a modest person who had children and who was poor but who protected his chastity and did not beg from people; the other one is a slave who worshipped his Lord and served his master properly. The first three people to enter Hell are as follows: One of them is a ruler who oppressed people, a rich person who did not pay the right of Allah and an arrogant poor man."

"May Allah damn the poor person who acts humbly in the presence of a rich person due to his wealth and loses two-thirds of his religion because of it!"

"On the Day of Judgment, everybody, whether rich or poor, will say, ‘We wish we had lived penuriously in the world." (Ramuz al-Ahadith)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "Do not wish to be like anyone except in two cases. The first is a person whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it righteously; the second is the one whom Allah has given wisdom and who acts according to it and teaches it to others." [Bukhari, Ilm 15, Zakah 5, Ahkam 3, I'tisam 13; Muslim, Salatul-Musafirin 268, (816)]

The hadith in question is as follows:

“Whoever among you wakes up physically healthy, feeling safe and secure within himself (his family), with food for the day, it is as if he acquired the whole world." (Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 21; Ibn Majah, Zuhd, 9)

The word "sirb" mentioned in the hadith means soul. According to another view, it means community. In that sense, it means his family and household. 

In addition, certain herds of animals, especially a herd of camels, are also called sirb. Since camels are regarded among the most valuable possessions, the other valuable possession are also regarded as “sirb”.

According to the meanings above, security of life and property is meant by the word sirb in the hadith.

In that case, it is necessary to have the following in order to have worldly happiness and possessions:

1. Security of life and property:

It is basis of the material and spiritual peace for a person to be safe and secure with his family and beloved ones, not to be afraid of the plunder of his property, to be sure of and not to worry about the attacks of thieves, robbers and oppressors.

Security of life and property comes first. If security cannot be established in a community, anarchy will prevail and the concepts of right and justice will disappear. Bullies and oppressors will crush the weak. Human rights will be violated and a kind of life in captivity will occur. For this reason, the security of life and property is of utmost importance and it is imperative to ensure security for the establishment of the world order and peace of mind.

2. Health of the body:

Man has two important duties: one of them is to obtain sustenance for both himself and the people he has to take care of; the other is to worship Allah and to act in accordance with His orders in the community, family and individual life.

All of these duties and deeds depend on the health of the body. No task can be fulfilled with success and nothing can be achieved without health. Therefore, the importance of health is obvious.

3. Having one’s food ready for the day:

Accepting every day as one day from the life and having enough food and drink for livelihood that day means having no need for livelihood. There is a possibility to work and earn for tomorrow. Having reliance on Allah that one will have enough to eat in the days to come like the present day gives man peace of mind.

The people and communities that have the boons mentioned in the three items above are regarded to have gained the material interests of the world.

To sum up:

- Health of the body is a great boon.

- Living free of the evil and fear of enemy and in security is a great boon.  

- Having daily sustenance is a great boon.

- A person who has those three boons and blessings is like a person who has been given the whole world. He should regard himself like this, be thankful for the blessings and try to attain the happiness of the hereafter.

1. Allah's forgiving a person is based on the condition for him to enter the grave with belief. Those who do not enter the grave with belief (who do not die as believers) will not be forgiven by Allah. The guarantee to enter the grave with belief is not in question even for those who always worship Allah; therefore, it will be insanity to try to obtain this guarantee by committing sins. For, there is a way leading to unbelief in every sin.

As it is stated in a hadith, a black spot occurs on the heart when a person commits a sin. Those spots caused by sins will blacken the heart in the course of time and the heart will be so black that it will be impossible to brighten it with the light of belief; and as it is stated in the Quran those people will lose their ability to believe due to the stains on their hearts.

As a matter of fact, the Prophet (pbuh) stated the following:

"Verily, when the slave (of Allah) commits a sin, a black spot appears on his heart. When he refrains from it, seeks forgiveness and repents, his heart is polished clean. However, if he does not repent, it increases until it covers his entire heart. And that is the stain Allah mentions in the following verse: 'By no means! But on their hearts is the stain of the (ill) which they do.'" (Muslim, "Iman", 231; Tirmidhi, "Tafsir", 75).

2. We live in an empirical age. Let those who say they can put up with fire in Hell try and see how much they can put up with fire in this world.

It is interesting that two of my fingers have been burnt. While I was preparing toast for breakfast this morning, my hand touched the hot toaster for a second. I applied some cream but I still feel the pain. I definitely say that I would never enter fire for half an hour, twenty minutes or ten minutes or even five minutes voluntarily even if I were offered the whole world.

Those who say they can put up with fire are those who cannot imagine Hell. Man has a nature that prefers a small pleasure at hand to great pleasures in the future and that gives importance to a small trouble at hand to a terrible trouble in the future. It is very difficult for a person whose feelings outdo his mind, whose soul outdoes his spirit, whose blind feelings outdo his conscience and whose mean desires outdo his lofty desires to see the truth as it is. Such people can act heedlessly like drunkards by trying to take pleasure in accordance with the mean desires of their blind and deaf souls that do not foresee their ending despite the conscious wailings of their beliefs in the depths of their hearts.

Those who take the orders of the religion of Islam lightly probably joke - if they are believers. If a ten-year-old child says there is a monster, dragon or a highwayman waiting further down a road – though it is highly probable that the child is lying - those who proceed in that road by ignoring him will definitely feel scared. Is it possible to regard the people who do not heed the news conveyed from Allah by 124.000 prophets and 104 books as normal people?

Besides, the people who have pure conscience worship Allah not because of the love of Paradise and fear of Hell only. They regard worshipping as a debt of gratitude to their Lord, who created them out of nothing and gave them innumerable boons.

Allah states the following in sacred hadith by attracting attention to this point: "Were I not a deity worthy worshipping if I had not created Paradise and Hell?” (Ihya, 4/297-98)"

Some of the hadiths regarding the issue are as follows:

“It is better than everything over which the sun rises and sets for you when Allah guides a person to the straight path through you.” (Jamius-Saghir, 3/192; Majmauz-Zawaid, h. no: 9787)

"The two rak’ah sunnah of the morning prayer (fajr) is better than the world and whatever is in the world." (Muslim, Musafirin 96)

"The two rak’ah sunnah of the morning prayer is more valuable than the world for me." (Muslim, Musafirin 97)

"A single walk in the way of Allah in the morning or in the evening is better than the world and everything in the world." (Bukhari, Jihad 5, Riqaq 2; Muslim, Imara 112-115)

"To be on guard duty in the border for one day in the way of Allah is better than the world and everything in the world. A place in Paradise as small as the whip of one of you is better than all the world and whatever is in it. A single walk of a slave in the way of Allah in the morning or in the evening is better than the world and everything in the world." (Bukhari, Jihad 6, 73, Bad'ul-Khalq 8, Riqaq 2; Muslim, Imara 113-114)

“Saying, سُبْحَانَ اللهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ ممَّا طَلَعَتْ عليه الشَّمْسُ  (Glory is to Allah, praise is to Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Allah is the Most Great) is more lovable to me than everything over which the sun rises.” (Muslim, Dhikr, 32)

“If a person reads ten verses on a night, one qintar of thawabs are written for him. That qintar is better than the world and everything in the world.” (Tabarani, Kabir, 2/50-51)

The Prophet (pbuh) teaches us a fact with those hadiths: The shortest time in the hereafter is better and more virtuous than the longest time in the world and the smallest place in the hereafter is better and more virtuous than the largest place in the world.

It is necessary to note that all of the deeds that are encouraged by the statement of their values can be done only in the world. For, the area of the responsibility of man is limited to the worldly life.

Every deed that a person does based on divine commands is something that will make him approach Allah Almighty and connect him with the eternal realm; thus, when man does it, he will realize the purpose of Allah about creating the universe.

So, it is necessary to do every deed in the world by having the hereafter as the purpose and with that thought.

The true translation of the hadith in question is as follows:

“O people! Your Lord is the same; your father is the same; your mother is the same; your religion is the same. Arabic is neither the father or mother of any of you. It is only a language. Therefore, whoever speaks Arabic is an Arab.” (Ibn Manzur, Mukhtasaru Tarikhi Dimashq li Ibn Asakir, 14/41; from Ibn Asakir, Kanzul-Ummal, h. no: 33936)

This narration reported from Muadh is mursal.

When a munafiq defamed some Companions like Suhayb ar-Rumi, Bilal al-Habashi and Salman al-Farisi, who were not Arabs, Muadh complained to the Prophet about him. Thereupon, the Prophet uttered the hadith above.  

Denial of nations is not in question in the hadith. What is emphasized is that even if the languages of some people in a society are different, they will be regarded among the first-class individuals.

Believing in the same Allah is more important than language. Besides, all people are the children of the same father / Hz. Adam and the same mother / Hz. Hawwa (Eve).

It is necessary to understand from the statement “whoever speaks Arabic is an Arab” the following: “Whether the origin of a person is Arab or not, he is not regarded as a foreigner if he lives in that society." We can state it as follows in accordance with the topic of the hadith: "Those who live in the Arab society but who are not originally Arabs are first-class citizens like all Arabs.”

We should not forget that in the ties between communities, Islam accepts ‘the bonds of religion, class, and country’, in place of racialism and nationalism. (Nursi, Sözler, p. 133) Accordingly, the bonds and connections of societies are the unity of religion, class and country.

“Only when the Preserved Tablet is revealed will the races truly be distinguished from each other. To construct movements and patriotism on the idea of true race is both meaningless and extremely harmful. It is for this reason that one of the nationalist leaders and racialists, who was very neglectful in religion, was compelled to say: “If language and religion are the same, the nation is the same.” Since that is so, relations of language, religion, and country should be considered, not true race. If the three are the same, the nation will certainly be strong. And if one is absent, there will still be nationhood.” (Nursi, Mektubat, p. 326)