Most Read in the Category of Stories of the Prophets

1-) Prophet Yunus [Jonah] (Peace be upon him)

So also was Jonah (Yunus) among those sent (by us).
When he ran away (like slave from captivity) to the ship (fully) laden
He (agreed to) cast lots, and he was condemned:
Then the big Fish did swallow him, and he had done acts worthy of blame.
Had it not been that he (repented and) glorified Allah,
He would certainly have remained inside the Fish till the Day of Resurrection. (as-Saffat, 139-144)

THE PROPHET FROM NINEVEH

Nineveh was a city in Mosul. Assyrians grabbed this city from Children of Israel and made it their capital city.

The Prophet Yunus, who was born in Nineveh, was sent as a prophet to the people of this nation.1 He was 30 years old when he became a prophet.

The Prophet Yunus is also known as Ibn Matta (Son of Matta). According to a narration, Matta was his father's name but according to another narration, it was his mother's name. He is mentioned as Zannun2 and Sahib al-Hut3 in the Quran because he was swallowed by a fish. Both terms means owner of the fish.

Nineveh was one of the richest and biggest provinces during the time of Hz. Yunus. Its population was more than 100.000.(*)

The abundance of sustenance and extreme wealth caused the people of this city to commit sins and perversion. The people of Nineveh were in heresy in terms of belief. They worshipped idols and did not believe in Allah.4

THE PROPHET YUNUS ABANDONS HIS NATION

After being given the duty of prophethood, the Prophet Yunus called the people of Nineveh to the truth for 33 years but they did not obey him. They insisted on committing sins and polytheism. Only two people followed him at the end of 33 years; the others remained in heresy.5

The Prophet Yunus started to lose his hope and belief about his nation that they would follow the right path.

The Prophet Yunus got very angry with his nation and felt very frustrated and bored because they did not obey him. When he felt very bored and frustrated one day, he decided to leave Nineveh. While leaving the city, he told the people that a big wrath would hit them soon.

The Prophet Yunus made this decision without getting permission from Allah and left the city without His permission.6 As a matter of fact, he was a loyal slave and an honorable prophet of Allah. It was not fit for a prophet to leave the place where he stayed without the permission of his Lord.7

In fact, this leaving did not originate from escaping from a duty or rebelling against the being who gave him this duty.8 He left his nation, who did not obey the divine call, as a result of his anger. However, it was regarded as a big mistake for a prophet.

INVOCATION IN THE STOMACH OF THE FISH

After leaving Nineveh, the Prophet Yunus went to the seaside and embarked a ship that was about to set off.9

The ship that Hz. Yunus embarked set off. It stopped after sailing for a while. It could not move forward or backward. The people on the ship tried everything but could not move the ship. They were stuck in the middle of the sea. The storm that broke out all of a sudden was about to make the ship sink. Everybody was scared. They were in a state of panic. They attributed it to ill omen and said,

"There is a big sinner among us. The ship will not move if he does not leave the ship."

How were they going to find the sinner among them? Various suggestions were put forward. Finally, they agreed to draw lots. The person whose name was going to be drawn was going to be thrown out of the ship.10

They drew lots as they decided. The name of the Prophet Yunus was drawn.11

The people on the ship were surprised. When Hz. Yunus embarked the ship, he had introduced himself to the people on the ship. The people on the ship talked among themselves:

"He is a righteous person. He cannot be the sinner. It was probably a coincidence."

They drew lots again. The name of Yunus was drawn again. The Prophet Yunus realized his mistake. While he was trying to take off his clothes in order to jump into the sea, some people stopped him. They drew lots again. The result was the same. It became certain that the person who needed to leave the ship was the Prophet Yunus.

When the Prophet Yunus was about to thrown into the sea, it was midnight. The sea was moving with storms. The Prophet Yunus jumped into the sea and struggled against the fierce waves. Then, he was swallowed by a big fish.12

While entering the stomach of the fish, the Prophet Yunus thought it was his end. However, when he realized that he did not die in the stomach of the fish, he took refuge in Allah.

The Prophet Yunus mentioned Allah's name and glorified Him throughout his life. He started to glorify Him more enthusiastically after he was thrown into the sea. For, all of the material causes for his salvation disappeared. The night, the sea and the fish acted together against him. The being to save him needed to be dominant over the night, the sea and the fish. A being that could not be dominant over all of them would not be able to save him.

In that case, the Prophet Yunus saw clearly and felt fully that there was nobody else except Allah Almighty to apply to take refuge and no other place to go. Having these feelings, he started to confess his mistake. He took refuge in Allah, glorified Him and prayed Him:

La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu mina’z-zalimin.

"O Lord!There is no god but Thou: Glory to Thee: I was indeed wrong."13

Allah Almighty accepted this sincere repentance of Hz. Yunus. He ordered the fish to approach the coast and throw Yunus out of its stomach.

The fish carrying Hz. Yunus in his stomach approached the coast and threw him out of its stomach. It was a place near Nusaybin or Mosul.14

The salvation of Hz. Yunus was due to his continuous glorification of Allah Almighty during his life and his sincere invocation in the stomach of the fish. The following is stated in the Quran:

"Had it not been that he (repented and) glorified Allah, he would certainly have remained inside the Fish till the Day of Resurrection.”15

Hz. Yunus was exhausted and ill. The days he spent under abnormal circumstances in the stomach of the fish made him very weak.

He needed protection. He felt as if he had been born again.16

Allah Almighty caused to grow over him a spreading plant of the gourd (yaqtin) kind that would provide him shade and protect him from insects like flies. It had wide leaves and grew up quickly.17 The Prophet Yunus relaxed a bit in the shade of that tree, which protected him from the scorching sun. He also ate from the fruit of the tree and got strong. He became well soon.

The soundest narration about the tree mentioned as yaqtin tree in the Quran is that it is gourd or pumpkin. In Arabic, yaqtin means gourd or pumpkin.

When the Messenger of Allah was asked why he liked yaqtin, he said, "Because it is the tree of my brother Yunus." This indicates that it is yaqtin. This hadith interprets that verse.18

THE NATION THAT WAS SAVED FROM DESTRUCTION

After Hz. Yunus left his nation, the signs of the wrath he had mentioned appeared. The area was covered by black clouds and fumes. Terrible sounds like the sound of the wind that destroyed the nation of Ad were being heard.

The people understood that what the Prophet Yunus said was right and that they made a big mistake by not obeying him. They were looking for Hz. Yunus in regret. They wanted to believe in him and follow him in order to be saved from the wrath that would hit them. However, they could not find Yunus. Their fear and panic increased. They started to gather near a desert outside the city, cry and pray Allah. They asked one another to forgive them. They paid their debts to their creditors.

Allah Almighty accepted this sincere repentance of the nation of Yunus. He moved the wrath away with His mercy.19

It is narrated that the nation of Yunus prayed as follows when they saw the approaching wrath:

"O Lord! Our sins are big. However, you are bigger. Do what fits you not what fits us.”

The day they prayed was Friday, the 10th of the month of Muharram. It was day of Ashura.20

Verse 98 of the chapter of Yunus indicates that Allah will accept the prayers of the people who take refuge in Allah when they are in a difficult position and when they are victims.

In fact, prayers need to be said by humans all the time and it is useful in both the world and the hereafter. However, during times of misfortunes, hearts become more sensible and man feels his weakness and despair more. He believes heartily that no power except Allah can help him. In such a mood, sincerity is in the foreground and those prayers are more likely to be accepted.

This incident is narrated as follows: in the Quran:

"Why was there not a single township (among those We warned), which believed― so its Faith should have profited it, except the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed from them the Penalty of Ignominy in the life of the Present and permitted them to enjoy (their life) for a while.”21

Thus, throughout history, the only nation whose wrath was moved away was the nation of Hz. Yunus; they got rid of heedlessness and repented just before the wrath to destroy them was going to hit them.

THE PROPHET YUNUS RETURNS TO HIS NATION

The Prophet Yunus stayed for a while near the coast where he was saved from the stomach of the fish under the tree of yaqtin and got well. After that, he returned to his nation.

When he arrived in Nineveh, he found his nation waiting for him. All of them had repented before he came. They were ready for the orders to be given to them by the Prophet Yunus.

Hz Yunus became very happy when he saw his nation like that and he started his duty of guidance again.

The people of Nineveh obeyed Hz. Yunus as he was alive. They obeyed the orders and prohibitions of Allah. After the death of the Prophet Yunus, they started to deviate and move away from the true religion.

Thereupon, Allah Almighty allowed the city of Nineveh to be occupied by the enemy. Thus, the state of Assyrians was eliminated.22

CAN MAN LIVE IN THE STOMACH OF A FISH?

There are several exemplary aspects in the story of the Prophet Yunus. However, it might seem incredible for a man to be swallowed by a fish and to be able to come out of that fish alive. The incident we will narrate below will shed light on the issue.

l) An interesting incident took place off the Falkland Islands in the ocean in 1891.

It took place on a whaler. The ship was returning from a very good fishing trip, the holds of the ship crammed with fish. The people on the ship saw a very big whale off the shore of Falkland Islands; they had never seen such a big whale before. The crew wanted to do their best to catch this fish. They were running about the deck with great enthusiasm. However, when they approached the whale so near as to see the sea birds on its back, a surging wave threw James Bartley, one of the crew on the ship, into the sea. They put two dinghies on the sea immediately but the search was in vain. They lost hope of his life.

The hunting of the whale lasted several hours, but eventually they dragged it on board by spearing it. The crew started to cut it with knives as sharp as razors. Suddenly one of the crew pointed to an abnormal bulge in the stomach of some whales. This bulge might have been ambergris, which was sound in the stomach of some whales. It might have made all of them very rich.

When the knives started to cut the swollen stomach open, excitement increased and suddenly cries of astonishment rose. For, the swelling was nothing other than James Bartley, who disappeared hours ago in the sea. Bartley was still alive though his body had become white due to the digestive juice of the whale's stomach.

Bartley regained consciousness after one and a half day. He was taken to the coast for treatment immediately. The people made fun of the crew when they told the incident about Bartley. However, when Bartley was examined, the doctors determined definitely that he had been exposed the digestive juice of the whale's stomach. After that, James Bartley was a person of distinction who was known as the hero of the most awesome sea adventure and this incident was announced to the whole world by the American author Kate Smith.

James Bartley remained in the stomach of the whale about a day. The time period Hz. Yunus remained in the stomach of the fish is one day according to a narration The following information is given in verse 144 of the chapter of as-Saffat in "Asbab an-Nuzul":

"There are a few narrations about how long Hz. Yunus remained in the stomach of the fish. It is narrated that he remained there three or forty days. It is also narrated that he was swallowed in the morning and was thrown out in the evening. Allah knows it best. The last view is more reasonable."

Whales have amazing features in terms of size. For example, an adult whale is 13 meters long and weighs more than 40 tons. Only the liver of such a whale weighs half a ton; and its heart is about 150 kilos. This whale can take up to one ton of food in its stomach; a man's weight is not even one tenth of it. As a matter of fact, a three-meter long shark was extracted out of the stomach of a whale that was caught. If we take into consideration that some whales can be 25 meters long and can weigh more than 100 tons, the reasonability of the incident will be understood better.

Captain Jacques Cousteau made a special underwater research about the fish that swallowed the Prophet Yunus and obtained very interesting results.

This research of Cousteau's was broadcast on world televisions as "The Fish That Swallowed The Prophet Jonah". According to this research, it is not difficult for a grouper, which is a fish that can weigh up to 500 kilos, to swallow a man. For, these fish have an extremely interesting mouth-throat-stomach structure and can swallow fish that are almost equal to their own height and weight.

Jonah being swallowed by a fish and coming out of the dark realm alive is not difficult for the power of our Lord.

Yes, our Lord, who keep billions of babies in the wombs of their mothers for 9 months and take them out to the light after feeding them in the dark and narrow realm, can keep a prophet in the stomach of a fish, which is at His disposal, and take it out to the light so that His servants will take lessons from it.

We need to know how to take lessons from incidents and surrender to that sublime power.23

2) A woman called Zinnet Uğur from Balçıklı village of Özalp township of Van drank water from the canal in the village one night when she was twenty years old. She felt that something went into her stomach but she did not give much importance to it. Apparently, she swallowed a young snake. This snake lived for 15 years in the lady's stomach. Zinnet said she had a swelling in her stomach and that she heard some sounds coming from her stomach; she was examined by doctors but it was in vain. Finally, in January 1984 in Van Hospital, Dr. Cemalettin Karaağaç, an anesthesiologist, managed to take the snake out of her stomach through her mouth. The snake was seventy centimeters long. This woman had eight children while the snake was in her stomach.24

LESSONS TO BE TAKEN FROM THE STORY OF THE PROPHET YUNUS

Badiuzzaman Said Nursi explains a lesson to be taken by the people living today from the incident of Hz. Yunus being saved from the stomach of the fish as follows:

Now we are in a situation one hundred times more awesome than that in which Hz. Yunus (Jonah) first found himself. Our night is the future. When we look upon our future with the eye of neglect, it is a hundred times darker and more fearful than his night. Our sea is this spinning globe. Each wave of this sea bears on it thousands of corpses, and is thus a thousand times more frightening than his sea. Our fish is the caprice of our soul which strives to shake and destroy the foundation of our eternal life. This fish is a thousand times more maleficent than his. For his fish could destroy a hundred-year lifespan, whereas ours seeks to destroy a life lasting hundreds of millions of years. This being our true state, we should in imitation of Yunus (pbuh) avert ourselves from all causes and take refuge directly in the Causer of Causes, that is, our Sustainer. We should say:

La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu mina’z-zalimin. (O Lord! There is no god but You, Glory be unto You! Indeed I was among the wrongdoers.)

And we should understand with full certainty that it is only He who can repel from us the harm of the future, this world, and caprice of our souls, united against us because of our neglect and misguidance. For the future is subject to His command, the world to His jurisdiction, and our soul to His direction. What cause is there other than the Creator of the Heavens and Earth who can know the most subtle and secret thoughts of our heart; who can lighten the future for us by establishing the Hereafter; who can save us from the myriad overwhelming waves of the world? No, outside that Necessarily Existent One, there is nothing that can in any way give aid and effect salvation except by His consent and command. This being the case, considering that as a result of his supplication, the whale became for Jonah a vehicle, or a submarine, and the sea, a peaceable plain; and the night became gently lit for him by the moon, so too, we should make the same supplication:

La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu mina’z-zalimin. (O Lord! There is no god but You, Glory be unto You! Indeed I was among the wrongdoers.)

With the sentence "There is no god but You", we draw the gaze of mercy upon our future; with the word "Glory be unto You!", we draw it upon our world; and with the phrase "Indeed I was among the wrongdoers," we draw it upon our soul. Thus, our future is illumined with the light of belief and the moonlike luminosity of the Quran, and the awe and terror of the night are transformed into tranquility and joy. Then too, embarking on the ship of the truth of Islam, fashioned in the dockyard of the Most Wise Quran, we may pass safely over the sea of this earthly abode, which through the alternation of life and death is boarded by corpses unnumbered, borne on the waves of the years and centuries, and cast into nothingness. Once aboard that ship we may reach the shore of salvation and fulfill our life's duty. The tempest and surging of the sea will appear a series of pleasing images on a screen, and instead of inspiring terror and dread, will delight, caress and illumine the reflective and the meditative gaze. By virtue of the mystery of the Quran, and the effect of that Criterion of Truth and Falsehood, our soul will ride no longer us, but instead become our mount. As we ride it, it will be for us a powerful means for the attainment of life everlasting.”25

FOOTNOTES

1 as-Saffat, 139; an-Nisa, 163; A. C. Paşa, ibid, I/36; Ö. N. Bilmen, ibid, III/1432.

2 al-Anbiya, 87; al-An’am, 86.

3 al-Qalam, 48

(*) Ubay b. Ka’b narrates: "I asked the Prophet (pbuh) about the word 'more' in the hadith 'We sent him (Yunus) as a prophet to one hundred thousand people or more.' The Messenger of Allah said, “20 thousand.” (Tirmidhi, Q. Tafsir; Ibn Kathir).

4 Tajrid trnsl., IX/151.

5 ibid, IX/151.

6 al-Anbiya, 87.

7 Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, ibid, V/4072.

8 The conveyors of the true cause need to be patient, calm and determined. Hz. Yunus struggled against his nation for 33 years with those characteristics. However, that only two people believed in him caused him to make a mistake by leaving Nineveh. The real reason for Hz. Yunus's mistake was his leaving Nineveh without the permission from Allah. It was impatience and hurry in a sense. It was not fit for a prophet to do so. Allah addressed Hz. Muhammad as follows telling him not to act like Hz. Yunus even if he was under difficult conditions: “O Muhammad! So wait with patience for the command of thy Lord, and be not like the Companion of the Fish”

9 as-Saffat, 140; A.C. Paşa, ibid, I/36.

10 H. Basri Çantay, ibid, II, 804, note: 88.

11 A. C. Paşa, ibid, I, 36.

12 as-Saffat, 142.

13 al-Anbiya, 87.

14 M. Vehbi ibid, XII, 4749.

15 as-Saffat, 143-144.

16 as-Saffat, 145.

17 as-Saffat, 146; al-Qalam, 48-50.

18 M. Vehbi ibid, XII, 4749.

19 Yunus, 98.

20 M. Vehbi, ibid, VI, 2266; Bilmen ibid, III, 1433.

21 Yunus, 98.

22 Bilmen, ibid, III, 1433.

23 Zafer Magazine, issue: 85, January 1984.

24 Milliyet 8 January 1984.

25 Lem’alar.

2-) Prophet Adam (Peace be upon him)

“Behold, your Lord said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerent on earth." They said: "Will You place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood?- whilst we do celebrate Your praises and glorify Your holy (name)?" He said: "I know what you know not.” (al-Baqara, 30)

FIRST INHABITANTS OF THE WORLD: THE JINN

Life on the earth started long before the creation of humankind. Firstly, plants were created; then animals and lastly human beings were created.

Before humankind, the improvement and control of the earth were assigned to the jinn from spiritual beings. [1]

Allah the Glorious created the jinn so that “they would recognize Him with faith and worship Him” just like the humankind. [2]

However, the jinn did not behave in accordance with their reason of creation; and they caused mischief on the earth instead of justice.

Besides, they went so far in mischief and rebellion that their bad deeds excelled their good deeds far and away, and in return, the position of ownership of the world was taken away from them. [3]

Allah the Supreme wished to create another being on world instead of them, which would improve and control the world well.

This new species of being, to whom the control of the world would be given, was the humankind.

NEWS GIVEN TO ANGELS

The first human being Allah created on the earth was Adam (pbuh). Later Eve was created as a spouse for him. The humankind was generated from them.

Allah the Glorious gave the news that He would create Adam to angels first:

— “I am about to create man from clay, [4] I will create a vicegerent on earth. [5] When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in obeisance unto him.” [6]

Angels were surprised by this order. They thought the control of the earth would be given to them after the jinn, because the control of the earth was taken away from the jinn as a result of their mischievousness and rebelliousness. However, angels would obey and worship Allah all day and night. In this sense, it seemed that they were worthy of the ownership of the world.

However, this expectation was in vain. Allah declared that He would create a new living being called “human” and would make him the vicegerent of the earth. Moreover, He ordered angels to prostrate before him. And it meant that the living being to be created was superior to angels. But how could it be? For what reason could the living being called human be superior to angels who obeyed and worshipped Allah all day and night? Not to even mention that angels found out that the humankind would cause mischief and rebel on earth. [7] So, what could be the wisdom in making a living being, who would cause mischief and rebel, and shed blood on earth, vicegerent of the earth? In order to find the answer to the issue which caused them surprise and curiosity, angels said to Allah the Glorious:

— O Lord! Will You make those who will make mischief and shed blood on earth vicegerent? Is our worship and revering You not enough? We praise, extol and bless You al the time.” [8]

Allah answered angels’ question as follows:

— Deep secret and fine wisdom do not only consist of what you know. I know what you know not.” [9]

The reason why Allah informed angels about the creation of humankind was that there was a close relationship between those two different beings.

Indeed, angels have got a great influence on human beings’ existence, acts and behaviors. [10]

CREATION OF PROPHET ADAM

After that conversation with angels, Allah created Adam.

All of the Quranic verses which tell about the creation of humankind clearly state that Adam was created from the element of earth (clay).

Some of the verses are as follows:

“Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I am about to create man from clay” (as-Sad, 71)

“We created man from sounding clay, from mud moulded into shape” (al-Hijr, 26)

“He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery” (ar-Rahman, 14)

According to the narration of Abu Musa al-Ash’ari:

- The Messenger of Allah stated: “Allah the Supreme created Adam from a handful of earth He gathered from all over the world. That is why human beings are in accordance with earth; some of them have got pink skin, some of them have got black skin, some of them have got white and some of them have got dark skins, and the colors in between them. Just like the types of earth, there are human beings who are sharp, smooth and mild, good and bad.” [11]

According to the statement of the verse, Allah created the humankind with His own hand of power. (as-Sad, 75).

And our Prophet said: “Allah the Supreme kneaded Adam’s dough with His hands in 40 days” [12]

All of them clearly indicate that humankind was created as a superior and separate species. As a matter of fact, humankind did not evolve from another species as Darwinists claim.

It is deduced from the Quranic verses and hadiths which tell about the creation of Adam that his creation was not all of a sudden but by stages and that it was long after the clay from which Allah created Adam was shaped. Indeed, Allah is capable of creating things out of nothing and all of a sudden; He can also create gradually and by compounding. There is no difference between those two ways of creation in terms of His might. Creation sometimes occurred exceptionally all of a sudden and sometimes occurred gradually compounding from different substances, depending on the reasons. Said Nursi states the following regarding the issue in The Flashes:

“Indeed, the All-Powerful One of Glory has two ways of creating: The First is through origination and invention. That is, He brings a being into existence out of nothing, out of non-existence, and creates everything necessary for it, also out of nothing, and places those necessities in its hand.

The Second is through composition, through art. That is, He forms certain beings out of the elements of the universe in order to demonstrate subtle instances of wisdom, like displaying the perfections of His wisdom and the manifestations of many of His Names. Through the law of providing, he sends particles and matter, which are dependent on His command, to these beings and employs the particles in them.” [13]

Adam’s creation, which was not all of a sudden but gradual, is included in the second form of creation.

TEACHING OF NAMES TO PROPHET ADAM AND HIS TESTING WITH ANGELS

Having created Adam, Allah taught him the names, essences and features of the things so that he could settle on the earth, and benefit from what is around. It is called the teaching of names (ta’lim-ul asma). Then, He wished to show angels that this new creature that they despised was superior to them in knowledge and comprehension. For this reason, He tested Adam and angels on their knowledge. Showing several things to angels He said:

“If you are still insistent on your question why I made him the vicegerent, tell the names and the features of these things.” [14]

Angels could not answer because they did not have the knowledge of them. They apologized to Allah:

“Glory to Thee, of knowledge we have none, save what Thou Hast taught us: In truth it is Thou Who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom.” [15] Now it was Adam’s turn. Allah said to him:

“O Adam! Tell the names of these things to angels.” Adam told them their names and features one by one and Allah said to angels:

“Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth, and I know what you reveal and what you conceal?” [16]

The greatest miracle of Adam’s is that he was taught the names of the things and tested with angels. At the end of this test, it was discovered that Prophet Adam was superior to angels in knowledge and the secret behind why humankind was made the vicegerent of the earth was revealed.

“What is meant by the names taught to Adam is the things which they represent. Maybe Allah taught Adam the knowledge of things without a limit. Allah also created necessary knowledge of the essence of things, divine laws that rule over them, ways of benefit and harm in human mind, as a requirement of his talent. The apparent situation confirms it. Human beings have inherited that inborn talent from their ancestors for thousands of years and eventually have solved the mysteries and laws of nature which realizes Allah’s promise “I am about to create a vicegerent on the earth” and makes them the vicegerent of the earth. It has been said that Allah created Adam as a vicegerent of mountains, seas, plants, animals, the earth and the sky, and He created for him the knowledge related to humankind that he could need in order to face the life.” [17]

PROSTRATION OF ANGELS AND SATAN’S REJECTION TO PROSTRATE

When superiority of Adam was revealed as a result of the test, Allah ordered angels to prostrate before Adam. All the angels obeyed this order without hesitation. [18]

It is narrated that firstly Gabriel, then Michael, and then Israfel and Azrael prostrated before Adam. And other angels followed them in prostration.

This order of prostration was not meant for worship but for respect. It was an expression of admitting Adam’s superiority and submitting to Allah who gave this superiority to him. (*)

Amongst the angels, there was another being called Azazel. This being, who would be called Iblis (**) and Satan due to his disobedience to Allah, was not created from divine light like angels but from fire. [19] He was indeed from the jinn. [20] However, he had been with angels for a long time. He had reached an honorable position amongst them with his worship and knowledge. For this reason, he was also ordered to prostrate before Adam.

Nevertheless, Iblis was not born innocent (sinless) like angels. He was too arrogant. He attributed the high position he gained to his own worship and knowledge. He believed that he was superior to these beings.

For this reason, he strongly opposed to prostrate before Adam, because of his arrogance. [21]

Angels were surprised by it.

Frankly, Allah the Glorious had not ordered or advised Iblis something which opposes to his desire and He had not tested him with anything which would trigger his arrogance until that time. The fact that Iblis had not rebelled and that he had always been obedient till that time was because the events which had happened and the responsibilities which he had been given until then had been in accordance with his desires and wishes.

However, the prayers and worship performed in such situations cannot be said to have been only in order to obey the Divine Order and earn Allah’s pleasure. This is because when something is both appropriate for Allah’s order and one’s desires, it cannot be assured whether it is Allah’s orders or one’s own desires that he obeys. [22]

In this sense, Allah’s order for all angels to prostrate before Adam following his creation was also a test of loyalty for Iblis. That test showed the real feelings of Iblis and revealed his true essence, the arrogance and proud that he concealed.

Thus, angels understood that Iblis’s friendship and his resemblance to them was a result of the fact that his own desires and Divine orders had not been in conflict till that time and thus there had not been a situation which made him rebel. Otherwise, Iblis had nothing to do with the angelic trait of “ismah” which means “not being rebellious against Allah’s orders but obeying them”.

IBLIS’S DEMAGOGY

When Satan refused to prostrate before Adam, Allah the Glorious asked him the reason of his behavior:

“O Iblis, what prevents you from prostrating before Adam whom I created with my hands? Did you disobey because you deem yourself superior to Adam?” [23]

Instead of apologizing to Allah for his disobedience, Iblis, who was taken away by his pride, tried to prove his rebellion was right:

“I am more decent than Adam, because you created me from fire and him from clay. Shall I prostrate before someone whom you created from clay?” said he, despising Adam.

Iblis revealed the arrogance and pride he had inside by saying “I am more decent than Adam.” To prove this claim right, he put forward that he was created from fire and Adam was created from clay. In this way, he tried to prove his superiority to and decency over Adam judging from the elements they were created from.

In this claim of Satan’s were hidden all of Satanic characteristics:

a) Iblis could not admit that his primary duty was to serve and obey Allah and that service and obedience required modesty and submission. Therefore, he chose to complain and rebel in response to his Creator.

b) He dared to claim that he was superior to Adam, for he was created from fire and refused to prostrate before him although his duty was to merely obey. Also, he put this claim forward as the reason for him not to prostrate before him. Thus, Iblis became the first being which attempted to take the way of perversity and false explanation and of willful misinterpretation.

c) It is a true judgment that Iblis said “You created me from fire and him from clay.” However, concluding from that judgment, he made a comparison between those two elements of creation and eventually decided that “fire was superior to earth.” That decision of Iblis was nothing but merely a demagogy. As a matter of fact, with that expression, he confessed that the creator was Allah and, on the other hand, influenced by his arrogance and proud, he attracted the attention to the elements they were created from and sought decency and superiority solemnly in material factors. He deliberately ignored the aim Allah created Adam for, the superiority of knowledge and reasoning He bestowed upon him, and that He made him the vicegerent of the earth. That is to say, he thought that Adam had no other specialty than being created out of earth, and that he had no other specialty than being created out of fire. Therefore, he considered that Allah the Glorious, who bestows the specialties and features of things from His treasury of kindness and mercy, was dependant on materials.

However, the reason why the elements of the earth and fire have got different features is not the essence of those elements but it is a result of Allah’s decision. With his utterance, “You created me from fire and him from clay”, Iblis, demagogically made a false reasoning like “Fire is more decent than earth” and claimed that he was more decent than Adam putting forward that false reasoning as his evidence. [24]

In fact, both fire and earth are two elements created by Allah. They are equal to each other in terms of creation. Besides, no creature has got a specialty and superiority of their own apart from what Allah has bestowed upon them, no being has got the right to despise other beings. Moreover, it would be seen that earth has got more specialties than fire and features which are more precious than it when fire and earth are compared in terms of their specialties. These specialties and features that earth has got are explained in Masnawi an-Nuriyya, as follows.

“Just as the world is the heart of the universe, so too is the element earth the heart of the world. And the shortest way that leads one to their goals is earth like modesty and humility. Maybe earth is a shorter way to the Creator of the skies (universe) than the highest sky. It is earth which is the most appropriate for the manifestation of Godhood, works of might, place of vicegerency and manifestations of the names al-Hayy and al-Qayyum. The highest mercy is over the waters; similarly, the highest form of life and resurrection is on earth. Earth is the greatest mirror reflecting manifestations and phenomena. Yes, the more elegant is the mirror of something which is opaque, the more obvious it reflects the appearance of it. And the more opaque is the mirror of something which is elegant and bright, the more lustrous it reflects the manifestations of the names.

For instance, in the mirror of air, only a weak light of the sun is seen. Although the sun can be seen with its whole light in the mirror of water, its seven colors cannot be seen. However, the mirror of earth shows the seven colors of the sun with the colors of the flowers.

The hadith which is translated as “The position in which one is closest to Allah is when he prostrates, putting his head on earth” indicates that mystery. [25]

It is so obvious that it is a false reasoning of Iblis to be proud of the fact the he was created from fire, while Allah the Glorious created the humankind, which is the vicegerent of the world, from the element of earth that has got so many elevated features and specialties.

A Witty Remark:

Teaching of names to Prophet Adam, prostration of angels before Adam and Satan’s objection to prostrate before him are told in various chapters and verses of the Quran. The reason why those events are deemed so important is explained in “The Words” as follows:

“In the All-Wise Qur’an are numerous minor events behind which are concealed universal principles, and which are shown as the tips of general laws. For example, He taught Adam the Names, all of them. This is the ‘teaching of the Names,’ which was a miracle of Adam before the angels because of his ability to be Allah’s vicegerent on earth, and was a minor event. But it forms the tip of a universal principle which is as follows: it was the teaching, due to man’s comprehensive disposition, of countless sciences, and numerous all-embracing branches of knowledge about the universe, and extensive learning about the Creator’s attributes and qualities, which afforded man superiority over not only the angels but also the heavens and earth and mountains in the question of the bearing of the Supreme Trust. And like the Qur’an states that through his comprehensive disposition, man is Allah’s spiritual vicegerent on earth, so the minor event in the Unseen of the angels prostrating before Adam and Satan not prostrating is the tip of a broad and universal observed principle; these hint at a extensive truth which is as follows:

Through mentioning the angels’ obedience and submission before the person of Adam, and Satan’s pride and refusal, the Qur’an makes understood that most of the physical beings in the universe and their representatives and appointed beings are subjugated to man, and that man’s senses are predisposed and amenable to benefiting from all of them. And pointing out what a fearsome enemy and serious obstacle in the path of man’s progress are evil matter and its representatives and evil inhabitants, which corrupt man’s nature and drive him down wrong paths, the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition, while speaking of a minor matter with Adam (Peace be upon him), converses in elevated fashion with the whole universe and all mankind.”

“By describing under the title of ‘the teaching of the Names’ all the attainments of learning and scientific progress and wonders of technology which man manifests through his comprehensive disposition, this wondrous verse contains the following subtle and elevated allusion: all attainments and perfections, all learning, all progress, and all sciences, have an elevated reality which is based on one of the Divine Names. On being based on the Name, which is concealed under numerous veils and has various manifestations and different spheres, the sciences and arts and attainments find their perfection and become reality. They are not some incomplete and deficient shadow.” [26]

EXPULSION OF IBLIS FROM THE MERCY OF ALLAH

Allah the Glorious was very angry at the arrogance and pride of Iblis:

- “Get thee down from this: it is not for thee to be arrogant here: get out, for thou art of the meanest (of creatures).” [27] said Allah and expelled him.

By expelling him, Allah reminded Iblis that He was the only owner of all superiorities and high qualities, and that He could elevate the one He wished and demean the one He wished whenever He wanted. Iblis paid severely the penalty of not knowing his limits. [28]

***

Iblis understood that it was not a reason for superiority from which elements the beings were created, after Allah the Supreme’s wrathful address to him.

He was desperate because he thought that Allah would exterminate him because of the fault he had made. However, he could not even think of apologizing because of his pride. As a last resort, he asked Allah of something:

- “Give me respite till the day they are raised up (the day of resurrection).” said he. [29]

In his wish, there is another thing that shows his satanic characteristics.

Iblis wanted respite until the day of resurrection because he thought of avoiding death as he meant the stage when the Sur (pipe, horn) would be blown for the first time. However, he did not utter that desire clearly but tried to reach his desire craftily by asking for respite till the day of resurrection. This is because it was the day of “coming into life.” After that day, there would not be death anymore. He was planning to avoid agony of death by omitting the Day of Judgment.

However, as Allah - who sees into even the smallest secrets of people’s hearts - knew his plan replied to his demand of respite as follows:

-“Be thou among those who have respite." [30]

So, Satan will live till the Day of Judgment and after experiencing the agony of death like other beings, he will be resurrected in order to account.

SATAN’S AMBUSH

Iblis was very happy to have the respite he wanted. Instead of spending this long respite with repentance and thanksgiving and trying to escape from this degrading end, he insisted on his rebellion and answered Allah:

- Then, because You made me stray, degrade and become perverted, I will try to stray humankind. I will sit on your straight way and lay in ambush on that way of faith and right destination that leads humans to You. I will stray them from the straight way by attacking them at their front, back, right, left and all sides. I will do my best to stray them. Then you will not find most of the people obedient and thankful to You. I cannot stray only a small number of them. And they are Your true servants. [31]

Thus, Iblis declared his enmity to Adam and his generation obviously. He would take his revenge by straying people from the way of Allah. And he was very hopeful for that. He was hopeful because he knew in which natural disposition and temperament Adam was created. The Messenger of Allah expressed the issue with the following words:

“When Allah created Adam in Heaven and left him alone for a while, Iblis started to wander around him and figure out what he was. Finally, when he saw that he was empty inside, he understood that he was created in a natural disposition that cannot control lower-self’s tendencies.” [32]

When Iblis revealed his ill will about Adam, he was expelled from mercy once again, having been cursed by Allah. He was expelled from Heaven and prohibited to enter Heaven forever.

Allah also said to him:

- O Iblis, pester Adam and his generation with all might and power you have. Use your all devilish mischievousness and tricks. I swear that whoever of the humankind leaves my way and gives into you, I will fill the Hell with you and the ones who follow you. However, those true servants of Mine, whom you said you cannot deceive, never quit praying in order to deserve my consent. No matter how much you try, you cannot rule over them.” [33]

As it can be understood, there will come such people in the future that Satan will not be able to stray them from the straight way. Contrarily, Iblis’s trying to pervert them will only result in advancing their goodness.

Although a diamond of a few grams is lighter than tonnes of coal, it is much more superior to and precious than coal; those people whom Satan will not be able to deceive will be enough for saving humankind’s honor and proving that humankind is worthy of being the vicegerent of the world. Allah’s rightfulness of wisdom and reason in creating humankind will be realized with them.

The fact that those people whom Satan cannot deceive are not many in number but that they are great in preciousness resulted in creation of humankind despite of all their mischief and rebellion. It is also the reason behind Allah’s allowance to great fight and conflict between the humankind and Satan. If the fight between humankind and Satan were not allowed, those righteous servants Allah exalted would not come out and thus, services expected from humankind would be in vain.

CREATION OF EVE

After the prohibition of Iblis’ entrance into Heaven, Allah created Eve as his spouse and a lifelong friend in order to save Adam from loneliness and to enable the reproduction on earth. According to a well-known narration, Eve was created from Adam’s left rib bone. And the majority of the Quran interpreters interpreted the verse, which is translated as, “O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord, Who created you from a single soul (Adam) and from it created its mate (Eve)…” [34] in line with this narration.

However, there are some scholars who oppose that interpretation. As a matter of fact, Abu Muslim Isfahani interpreted the expression “from it created its mate” in the 1^st verse of chapter an-Nisa as “from the same kind of it”.

Another hadith which states that woman is created from rib bone was not said to mean woman was physically created from the rib according to some scholars. With this expression, it was meant that woman is sensitive, aggressive and fractious in her natural disposition and that she will not obey man properly. For this reason, men are advised to accept women as they are and treat them as gently as possible and to avoid offending them.

Another narration by Bukhari supports that view. In this narration, the Prophet says:

“Woman is like the rib. If you try to straighten her, you will break her. If you want to get on well with her and be happy, you can only benefit from her by accepting this reality” [35]

Regardless of whether Eve was created from the clay from which Adam was created or from his rib, we do not have any information about the real truth behind this creation.

FORBIDDEN FRUIT

As it is narrated, Adam and Eve were settled in Heaven, on a golden throne and dressed in clothes made of divine light. At that time, Allah addressed them:

“O Adam! You and your spouse, dwell in Heaven. Benefit from the boons of Heaven abundantly” [36]

Moreover, they were also told that they would not experience any starvation and thirst in Heaven, they would never be without a dwelling and clothes, in short, they would never experience any destitution and hardships. [37]

Allah also warned Adam and Eve saying that Satan was a major enemy of them. Satan could deceive and lead them to rebellion and eventually cause them to be expelled from Heaven. And on earth, great troubles and hardships were awaiting them. For this reason, they had to be alert against Satan’s deceptiveness.

According to what is narrated from Bukhari, when Adam entered Heaven, Allah ordered him to go to angels and salute them, and then to listen carefully to their answer. Allah stated that it would be an example of salutation both for him and the generation to come from him.

Adam obeyed that order and saluted the angels. And the angels said “Assalamu alaike wa rahmatullahi” in response to him. [38]

It is the secret behind the importance of salutation in Islam and why it became the sign of Islam.

Adam and Eve were allowed to do whatever they wish in Heaven and to benefit from all boons in Heaven. There was only one exception to that wide freedom: Adam and Eve were prohibited to go near a tree in Heaven and eat its fruits. [39] That prohibition was the first responsibility Allah placed on them. Except for it, they were free to do anything. Allah told Adam and Eve that if they did not obey His rule, they would be from unfair people and be expelled from Heaven. [40]

IBLIS’S PLAN

Allah the Supreme had placed Adam and Eve in Heaven temporarily. Adam’s dwelling in Heaven was not forever. It was possible to understand it from Allah’s address to them when they entered Heaven. [41]

Iblis had been waiting for an opportunity to deceive Adam and planning with which trick he could deceive him since Adam was settled in Heaven. He was delighted when he heard that a tree in Heaven was forbidden for Adam. There was the opportunity he had been waiting for. Immediately, he started planning his baleful trick. He wanted to get them to go near that tree and eat its fruit somehow.

FIRST SIN

While Adam and Eve were wandering around in Heaven, they would sometimes come near to the door of Heaven. Although Satan was expelled from Heaven, he was not sent to earth yet. He was watching them from the outside of Heaven and wandering around outside Heaven. [42]

He found the opportunity he had been waiting for, finally.

It was when Adam and Eve came near the door of Heaven. Iblis called to them from the outside and told them to come close to him. He started making up stories to get them to eat that tree’s fruit:

- O Adam! Shall I show you a way to stay in Heaven forever and gain an endless sovereignty?

- What is it? Show it…

Satan stretched out his finger and pointed out to the tree which Allah had forbidden.

Adam had already understood that Satan was trying to deceive them. He scolded him and sent him away.

However, Satan did not seem to give up. After a while, he came near them again. This time, he said:

- Why do you think your Lord forbade this tree for you? It is the tree of immortality. If you eat its fruit, you will stay in Heaven forever.

Or you will turn to angels. What are you still waiting for? Go eat from its fruits and stay in Heaven forever. [43]

Adam and Eve did not pay attention to those words either.

- “Go away! Do you want to deceive us? Allah forbade that tree for us. Our duty is to obey Him.” they said.

Iblis’s plan was inconclusive at first. Yet, he did not lose his hopes. He kept repeating the same words every time he saw Adam and Eve. He reminded them that they would stay in Heaven temporarily, by saying “If you want to stay in Heaven for ever, you do not have any other choice but to eat that fruit.”

He even swore that he was telling the truth and that the only thing he wanted was the good of Adam and Eve. [44]

Satan understood that he could deceive Eve more easily after some time. He realized that his suggestions had an effect on her. It could be easier to deceive Adam through Eve.

With that thought, he focused his propaganda on Eve. As a matter of fact, he got a result. He managed to get Eve to believe him.

Then he wanted Eve to persuade Adam.

Everything worked out as Satan wanted. Eve managed to persuade Adam. She persuaded him to go near the forbidden tree and eat its fruit in order to stay in Heaven forever and have endless bliss. [45]

Satan figured out the temptation in human’s heart towards endless bliss. [46] He managed to trigger that inborn temptation in their nature by persistent efforts and intensive propaganda.

As soon as Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, the heavenly clothes on them disappeared. They were suddenly naked. They were ashamed of it and tried to cover themselves with leaves of trees. They understood their mistake. Nevertheless, it was too late; they had disobeyed Allah by listening to Satan. That was Satan’s first victory over humankind.

ADAM AND EVE BEING SENT DOWN TO EARTH

Their Lord called unto them: "Did I not forbid you that tree, and tell you that Satan was an avowed enemy unto you?" [47] Hearing this, Adam and Eve were ashamed of themselves. They admitted their fault and confessed it and said that they were regretful of what they had done: “Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls: If thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy, we shall certainly be lost.” [48] This repentance of theirs was accepted later after they were sent down onto Earth.

Satan’s aim in having Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the forbidden tree was to lead them to disobedience which would deprive them of Heaven permanently. He thought that they would also be expelled from the mercy of Allah and be deprived of it eternally like himself this way.

However, he had never thought that Adam and Eve would repent for their fault and be forgiven due to their repentance. Actually, his main aim in encouraging every believer to disobey Allah is making themselves like him and pursue disobedience. He never thinks that those people will repent and be forgiven. If he already knew that they would repent, he would never bother with them. To be more frank, he hopes that believers will no more find delight in faith in their hearts, being taken away with sins and that they will lose their faith permanently as a result of persevering in sinning. Nevertheless, when a believer is saved from his sins through a purely sincere repentance, Satan feels wrecked because of his anger and defeat. As a matter of fact, it happened just like this in his case, too and eventually Satan could not reach his aim.

Allah had warned Adam and Eve before and told them that they would have been expelled from Heaven if they had followed Satan. For this reason, He expelled them from Heaven and sent them down to the Earth because of their fault.

Now a brand-new life was beginning for them. The generations to come from Adam and Eve was going to live on the Earth for a certain time until the Day of Judgment and they were going to benefit from the boons and blessings endowed upon them throughout this period of time and then they were going to die. However, this death would not mean non-existence. They were going to be resurrected one day and receive the rewards for their good deeds and suffer from the punishment of their evil deeds performed on the Earth. It was the requirement of Allah’s pre-eternal wisdom.

While sending them down to the Earth, Allah called unto them, Adam, Eve and Satan all together:

“Get ye down, with enmity between yourselves.” [49]

That is to say, enmity and great conflict between the humankind and Satan were going to continue on the Earth as well, because Satan thought that it was the creation of humankind which led him to rebel and to be expelled from the mercy of Allah. Therefore, he was feeling hatred with all his existence towards the humankind and he had become an enemy for them. He would, of course, try to deceive them, captivate them and make them rebel against Allah.

Man was weak in disposition, which made him prone to be deceived by Satan’s delusions and tricks. Moreover, there were weaknesses in his disposition such as forgetfulness, impatience and emotionality. It was possible for him to protect himself only with continuous guidance and warning. The Divine Mercy, of course, would not leave a being with such disposition alone and on his own. He would not leave it without support against an intriguer like Satan. Actually, He did not leave him without support. Allah the Glorious warned Adam and Eve about the issue when He sent them down to the Earth:

“Get ye down all from here; and if, as is sure, there comes to you Guidance – True Faiths and Prophets - from me, whosoever follows My guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. But those who reject Faith and belie Our Signs, they shall be Companions of the Fire; they shall abide therein." [50]

***

Adam and Eve were sent down unto different places on the Earth. Adam was placed on an island called Ceylon which is in south of India and Eve was placed in Jeddah. [51] They lived far away from each other for a long time. They were taught how to repent for their sins before they were sent down to the Earth. And they repented for their sins while on the Earth as they were taught. Finally, Allah accepted their sincere and proper repentance and forgave them. They began to live together there. [52] According to the narration, Adam’s repentance was accepted on the tenth day of the month Muharram, which is the Day of Ashurah.

Allah taught Adam the ways of earning livelihood, especially farming, so that they will obtain their daily needs. [53] Thus, Allah’s warning of hardships and misery “O Adam! Verily, this is an enemy to thee and thy wife: so let him not get you both out of the Garden, so that thou art landed in misery.” [54] was manifested. Although this warning meant that both of them, Adam and Eve, would be expelled from Heaven, the misery and hardships to be experienced on the Earth were placed upon Adam only. It was deduced from this that it was men’s duty to earn livelihood both for themselves and for their women and eventually the hardship of earning livelihood was also for men.

THE SIN OF EATING THE FRUIT OF THE FORBIDDEN TREE AND WISDOMS BEHIND ADAM’S BEING EXPELLED FROM HEAVEN

Christians exaggerated this sin of eating the fruit of the forbidden tree so much that they put forward that it is an unforgivable sin and an indelible taint which caused the humankind to have been cursed and expelled from Heaven and sent down to the Earth. This belief of the original sin has endured for ages to this day in Christian world. [55] However, there are many good results and useful wisdoms for the humankind behind this occurrence, which is apparently unfavorable.

a. Adam was sent down unto the Earth not because he was cursed as he ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, as Christians thought. Contrarily, it was for the value of the humankind and their difference from and superiority to other beings, which were then yet a potential, to be manifest. Many prophets, saints and many righteous people, who deserved Heaven, grew up on the Earth, which became the place of trials, as a requirement of Allah’s wisdom, through this occurrence.

And this occurrence was not anything against the humankind.

Contrarily, it turned out to be a blessing for the humankind; the earth was improved and has been the plot for so many civilizations due to it.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) says in a hadith,:

“The most virtuous day on which the Sun rises is Friday, because Adam was created on that day; he was placed in Heaven on that day and he was expelled from Heaven on that day. The Day of Judgment is going to be on Friday, too.” [56]

As it is obvious, Adam’s being expelled from Heaven was mentioned amongst the reasons which make Friday a virtuous day, in the hadith.

Actually, eating the fruit of the forbidden tree is neither a fault which happened coincidentally nor a meaningless event. It happened as a result of Allah’s wisdom and decision, in accordance with Fate’s judgment and resulted in many benefits.

It is possible to comprehend it from both hadiths and Quranic verses. A hadith is narrated as follows:

“Prophet Adam and Prophet Moses talked to each other in the world of spirits. Moses said: O Adam, you are our father! You caused us to be expelled from Heaven and to live in misery.” And Adam said to him: “And you are Moses; Allah made you superior by addressing His words (Book) to you. He wrote a book with His own hand for you. How can you criticize me for something which Allah had decided for me forty years before He created me?” Moses was persuaded and silenced by these words.” [57]

As it can be deduced from the hadith, this event happened as a result of the Fate’s judgment and according to the permission and decision by the Divine Wisdom. What Allah expected from human beings could be actualized only by Adam’s being sent down to Earth from Heaven. Of course, Allah could not expel Adam and Eve from Heaven, where He placed them, without a reason. So, this event was an apparent reason and resulted in this divine decision to be realized.

Frankly, if Allah did not will Adam to be expelled from heaven, He would not let Satan deceive human beings in the first place. And He would not make just one tree forbidden to them, leaving others free; and thus He would not give Satan the opportunity to deceive them by using the forbidden tree.

Badiuzzaman explains how expulsion from Heaven resulted in the wisdom behind Allah’s creation of humankind to be manifest as follows:

Question: What wisdom does it spring from, Adam (Upon whom be peace) being expelled from Paradise?

Answer: The wisdom of it concerns the charging of duties; Adam was sent charged with such a duty that the unfolding of all mankind’s spiritual progress and the revealing of all mankind’s potentialities and man’s essential nature being a comprehensive mirror to all the Divine Names, are the results of it.

If Adam had remained in Paradise, his rank would have been fixed like that of the angels; man’s potentialities would not have unfolded. In any case, the angels, whose ranks are unchanging, are numerous, and there is no need for man to perform that sort of worship. Indeed, since Divine wisdom required a realm of accountability appropriate to the potentialities of man, who would traverse infinite degrees, he was expelled from Paradise for his well-known sin, sin being the requirement of man’s nature and contrary to that of the angels.

That is to say, just as Adam being expelled from Paradise was pure wisdom and pure mercy, so is it just and right that the unbelievers should be sent to Hell.” [58] So, Adam’s being expelled from Heaven is both a wisdom and a mercy.

b. In this event, there are significant lessons to be drawn for the humankind, in the example of Adam of Eve, because Adam and Eve understood through this event they experienced that human beings had some weaknesses and they had a disposition which made them prone to be deceived by Satan and therefore they needed to seek refuge with Allah all the time.

They fully understood that following Satan would put human beings in such big troubles. They learnt what following Satan could cost them and thus they learnt that they should not be deceived by him again. If Adam and Eve had been sent down unto Earth directly, without staying in Heaven for some time, and if they had not been imposed to Satan’s first trick, they could not have learnt all matters properly. Even though they had had divine warnings and advices, they would not have known how much following Satan could degrade one and how much of Allah’s wrath it would cause. However, this event they experienced was a good lesson for them and taught them a lot of things. It showed them the true colors and danger of Satan clearly. A well-known proverb says: “One trouble teaches better than a thousand advices.”

The following is stated in the Quran after the event that happened between Adam and Satan is narrated:

“O ye Children of Adam! Let not Satan seduce you, in the same manner as He got your parents out of the Garden, stripping them of their raiment, to expose their shame.” [59]

Allah invites all human beings to learn lessons through this cautionary event in question so that they could be alert for Satan’s tricks.

c. Maybe, the most important result of this significant even is the fact that it paved the way for human beings to repent. Human beings cannot avoid sins and faults due to their disposition. For them, having such disposition and repentance is a significant blessing. Through it, they can be purified from their sins and faults and gain Allah’s forgiveness and mercy.

The Dearest Prophet put this matter into words as follows:

“Man always sins and makes mistakes. The most virtuous person is s/he who does not persist on their sins and repents right away…”

Another hadith says:

“One who repents for his sins becomes as if he had never sinned.” [60]

The following saying by Abu’l-Hasan Shazali is quite though-provoking:

“What an honorable fault it was to elevate the faulty one to the rank of vicegerency and to enable repentance for people to come till the Day of Judgment.” [61]

This saying is not meant to praise the fault but to congratulate Adam on coming down to the Earth and be a vicegerent there and also to appreciate having such nice blessing as repentance.

The following hadith expresses very well what a significant blessing and means of salvation the repentance is:

“The Honorable Messenger one day said that there would be believers who would enter Heaven because of their sins. Hearing this, the Companions asked him to explain it by saying: How can it be, O Messenger of Allah? The Messenger of Allah said: A believer does not forget the sins he committed and this forms a fear of Allah in his heart and he seeks refuge with his Lord sincerely. This way, he becomes a favorable servant in the eyes of Allah.” [62]

Abu’l Jawza says: “A servant (of Allah) commits a sin and he feels great regret inside. Finally, he goes to Heaven. When Satan sees him, he complains saying I wish I had not made him sin…” [63]

THE FIRST HUMAN BEING - THE FIRST PROPHET

After Adam and Eve reunited on the Earth, the human generation started to reproduce fast. As stated in the History of Tabari, every time Eve gave birth, she had twin babies, one being girl and the other being boy. Due to the obligation of the humankind to increase in number, marriage between siblings was not forbidden yet in those times. However, a girl and a boy born at the same time were not allowed to marry each other but they could marry the ones who were born either before or after them. This obligation was abolished when the population of human beings reached a certain level. And marriage between siblings was prohibited for the first time in the laws of Noah. This prohibition continued in all religions after Noah. [64] It is said that the population of human beings had reached forty thousand by the time Adam died. [65]

***

Allah made Adam both father and prophet for people to descend from him. Thus, he was honored with being both the first human being and the first prophet. [66]

Adam carried out the duty of prophethood until his death. Moreover, Allah had sent him a list of instructions of ten pages indicating His orders and prohibitions. Considering these instructions the most important part of his duty, Adam taught them to his sons word for word. He told them about Satan’s enmity towards human beings, the ways of protection from him, about how he was deceived by him once and thus expelled from Heaven for a certain time. Moreover, he told them that this world was a temporary place of life and the real life was in the otherworld; and he advised them not to be deceived by Satan’s tricks and that they were going to have either reward or punishment for what they did on the Earth.

BUILDING THE KAABA

According to linguists, Kaaba is a proper noun derived from the root Ka’b. And Ka’b means to be high, to have four corners and to bloom.

And as a technical term, it is a holy building which is known with evidence to have been built by Prophet Abraham in the middle of Makkah Valley, which is rectangular in shape and surrounded by haram walls and which is made fard for people, who can afford and have got physical strength, to visit for once in their lifetime.

According to the statements of Islamic historians, the Kaaba has been destroyed and rebuilt 11 times until today.

According to narrations, the Kaaba was first built by angels. The Kaaba is an image, on the Earth, of Bayt al-Ma’mur, which is a place above the seven skies and below the Earth and continuously circumambulated (tawaf) by angels. Bayt al-Ma’mur and the Kaaba, which is also known as Baytullah, stand in the same line, the former being in the skies and the latter being on the Earth. Bayt al-Ma’mur is a place of circumambulation for angels who are the inhabitants of the skies. 70.000 angels visit and perform circumambulation around it every day and once one of them performs circumambulation, he has got no more turns to perform circumambulation again until the Day of Judgment. And Baytullah is primarily the place of circumambulation for human beings, the inhabitants of the Earth.

Adam built the Kaaba with the help of angels after he was sent down unto the Earth. The Kaaba built by Adam endured till the Flood of Noah, having been repaired by Adam’s sons from time to time. The Kaaba was destroyed with the Flood without a trace and finally, it was revealed by Prophet Abraham, with the revelation from Allah and rebuilt. [67]

It is certain and determined by the statement of the Quran that the Kaaba is the first place of worship on the Earth and that it was built by Prophet Abraham. For this reason, some say that he was Prophet Abraham who first built the Kaaba. The verse is appropriate to deduce this meaning. However, there are many narrations saying that it was first built by Adam with the help of angels, though being weak.

A trusted narration saying that there is a forty-year of period of time between the building time of the first place of worship on the Earth, that is the Kaaba, and the second one, Masjid al-Aqsa, [68] supports those weak narrations.

According to those who accept that the Kaaba was built by Adam before, Abraham is the one who built the Kaaba for the first time after the Flood of Noah.

ADAM’S DEATH

Adam, the first human being and the first prophet, was also the first prophet to pass away from this world, after having lived for a thousand years.

His sons buried Adam in the mountain of Abu Qubays. Eve died two years after him. They buried her next to him. [69]

According to narrations, when the time of death came for Adam, he said to Allah: “O Lord! My enemy, Iblis, will be happy and mock at me if he sees me dying, for he is going to live till the Day of Judgment.” And Allah said to him in response: “O Adam! You are going to enter Heaven again. However, he is going to stay on the Earth and feel the agony of death as many times as the number of people to come until the Day of Judgment and he is eventually going to die in misery. His death has been postponed for this reason.”

Hearing this, Adam asks Allah to tell him how Iblis is going to experience death. Allah begins to tell him; however, Adam cannot bear it anymore and says: O Lord! That is enough! Then he dies in peace. [70]

FIRST FUNERAL PRAYER

The first funeral prayer on the earth was performed for Prophet Adam. As narrated from Ubay bin Ka’b, while waiting for death in his bed, Prophet Adam said: “My sons! I wish to eat the fruits of Heaven, I long for it.” His sons went to look for them to fetch their father. They came across angels. Angels had shroud, scent, a pickaxe and spade for Adam with them. Angels said: O the sons of Adam! Where are you going and what are you looking for? They said: Our father is sick. He wishes to eat fruits of Heaven; he sent us to pick them.”

The sons of Adam returned with angels. They came near Adam.

Angels took Adam’s soul away.

Then they washed and enshrouded him. They put scent on him and dug his grave. One of the angels stepped forward and other angels stood behind him. And the sons of Adam also stood behind them. They performed the funeral prayer. Angels went down into the grave and placed Adam therein. They covered the grave with mud-brick. They stood on the grave and then said: “O sons of Adam! This is exactly what you should do for your dead people.” [71]

WISDOM BEHIND THE LONGFLIFE OF ANCIENT PEOPLE

There are some reasons and wisdoms behind the fact that Adam and other first people lived very long. They are as follows:

1- The living conditions of the time when humankind settled down on the Earth and began to reproduce were very different from those of today. The climate of the earth was very different. The earth was untouched. People of that day were having a harsh struggle against nature. Their facilities in this struggle were quite limited. It can be said that they had nothing but just physical power in their struggle against wild nature. For this reason, the people of that time were relatively taller and larger than people of today. They were feeding on natural foods. Their foods were simple and basic things. The air they breathed in was not polluted; it was without microbes, without poison and it was all clean. All physical conditions to live long, to stay fit and healthy were available.

If we consider that there are people who live up to 150 years of age in nature although the lifetime of people today is about 60-70 years, we can understand to some extent the effect of the nature on the lifespan of human beings.

2- Another reason why ancient human beings lived long is the obligation of reproduction. Building cities on the Earth, establishing states and civilizations were possible for human beings only if they lived long. For this reason, Allah made their life spans long.

3- Technological facilities of today have turned the whole world into a global village. Things, which used to be achieved at the end of long and challenging efforts centuries ago, are achieved in quite a short time now. For instance, travels which lasted for months in the past are completed in a few hours today. Mountains which were thought to be insurmountable are surmounted today and the destinations which seemed inaccessible are accessed easily. It is possible to communicate with the whole world at the same time. People of today may live shorter in terms of years yet in terms of benefiting from the earth, they live a life equal to a life of hundreds of years. People of today are able to do more things in their short lives than ancient people who lived such long years.

4- Allah made people responsible for worshipping as much as they live. He endowed the great amount of thawabs, which ancient people earned by worshipping throughout their long lives, also upon people of today who have got short lives. Allah made this in order to increase the amount of thawabs earned through worships so that there would be equality and justice between the worships performed throughout a long life and a short life.

THE TWO SONS OF ADAM: ABEL AND CAIN

Eve gave birth to two sons one after another named Abel and Cain. [72] Abel was one year younger than Cain.

Years passed and the two sons of Adam grew up. They were old enough to help their father with work. Although Abel was younger than Cain, he was stronger that his elder brother, Cain. However, he was also relatively soft-hearted, mild and merciful. And Cain, on the other hand, was sassy, aggressive and hateful.

Adam divided the jobs between his two sons. Cain did the farming and Abel herded the sheep and cattle, which he liked a lot.

They left their caves before the Sunrise and Cain went to pick fruits from trees and plant seeds or harvest; and Abel went to herd the animals. And Adam obtained food for the family by hunting.

Some more time passed by. Abel and Cain grew into two young strong men. Now it was time for them to marry.

As we stated before, Adam and Eve had twins in every birth, one being boy and the other being girl. Twins could not marry each other but to their other sibling born before or after them.

Abel and Cain had sisters born at the same time with them, too. In this sense, Cain was going to marry Abel’s twin sister and Abel was going to marry Cain’s twin sister.

However, the girl whom Abel was going to marry, Aqlimah, was more beautiful than the one Cain was going to marry. And this evoked jealousy in Cain’s heart. He wanted to marry Aqlimah.

Adam explained to him that it was against Allah’s order; however, Cain opposed to his father saying, “It is not Allah’s order, it is your opinion” and persisted on his wish.

When Adam saw that his words and advice did not affect Cain, he left this matter to the decision of Allah. He wanted his sons to sacrifice to Allah. The one whose sacrifice would be accepted was going to marry Aqlimah.

Sacrifice is a gift offered to Allah in order to deserve His consent. The gifts offered to Allah used to be placed on the top of a mountain. If Allah was pleased with the sacrifice, He would send a fire like lightning from the sky and have that sacrifice burnt. If He did not accept the sacrifice, it would stay untouched by fire; and the face of the one who made that sacrifice would become dark.

As he was a herdsman, Abel chose the fattest one of the sheep he herded and sacrificed it. He put it on the top of a mountain. As Cain was a farmer, he put some fruits and vegetables in a basket and put them next to Abel’s sacrifice.

The following day, they climbed the top of the mountain with their father to see whose sacrifice was accepted. There were only ashes where Abel’s sacrifice stood yesterday. And Cain’s sacrifice was still there as yesterday. It meant Cain’s wish to marry Aqlimah was refused by Allah.

CAIN THREATENS ABEL

While Abel was happy because his sacrifice was accepted and he was giving thanks to Allah, Cain was writhing in anger and jealousy and he was complaining to his father by saying:

- “Allah accepted Abel’s sacrifice because you supplicated for him. You did not supplicate for me. You do not love me. You always side with Abel…”

And Adam was trying to calm him down and telling him to show contentment with Allah’s decision.

This event increased Cain’s hatred and jealousy for Abel and doubled his anger. Therefore, it was an unmissable opportunity for Satan. He went up to Cain right away and began to whisper that demonic idea to his ear:

- “Why are you still waiting? Kill your brother. Get rid of him…”

Cain tried to shrug off this idea at first. However, he was finally taken in by Satan’s seduction and the agitation of hatred and jealousy he felt inside. He gradually adopted the idea of killing his brother. He started to wait for the most convenient time.

Finally, one day, he found the opportunity he had been waiting for. He saw Abel alone on the top of a mountain. He rushed toward him. In anger and hatred, he said to him:

- “Say your last prayer! I am going to kill you!”

Abel was surprised. He was looking at his elder brother with surprised, wide-open eyes:

- “Why are you going to kill me?” asked he. “What wrong did I do to you?”

Cain answered, gritting his teeth:

- “What else could you do? Father loves you more than me. He supplicates for you. And Allah accepted your sacrifice…”

Abel said, in a soft voice:

- “Killing me will not change anything. Besides, if you kill me, you will lose father’s love permanently. You will face Allah’s wrath and curse. You will go to Hell.”

But Cain would not relent; he could not silence the hatred inside him. He shouted out at his brother:

- “I will not relax, I will not find peace if I do not kill you; do you understand?” Abel answered in a soft voice again:

“Brother! You will never find peace by killing me. Fear Allah and be contented with His decision. And know that I will not beat you although I am stronger than you because I fear Allah, the Lord of the Universe.” [73]

Abel stepped back slowly after saying those words. He went away from his brother. Cain was standing there as if he had been frozen. He was repeating to himself: “I am going to kill him.”

FIRST BROTHER BLOOD SHED

Cain could not sleep all through that night till the next morning. Satan was repeating that demonic suggestion to him:

- “You will not find peace on the Earth unless you kill your brother.”

He had made up his decision by the time morning broke. He was going to kill his brother definitely this time.

Abel was gone with his sheep and herding them in the grasslands early in the morning. He seemed calm and joyous, which made Cain even angrier.

He picked up a large stone from the ground and silently approached his brother from his back. He wanted to trap him while he was unaware. He jumped onto him suddenly and started to beat his head with the stone. He beat, beat and beat… He beat on and on until Abel fell down onto the ground lifeless. Everywhere was in blood. So, the first murder on the Earth was committed and the first human blood was shed on the ground. This first blood dropped on the ground would not stop at all. Cruel people who have got a character like that of Cain’s would continue to shed the blood of innocent people like Abel until the Day of Judgment. This horrible movement was started by Cain, the brother murderer.

In a hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) emphasized the greatness of Cain’s sin and cruelty [75] by saying: “More sin is added to the sins of the first son of our father Adam with every human being cruelly murdered because he is the pioneer of those who made murdering a tradition.” [74]

Strangely enough, the first fight on the Earth took place because of a woman and the first murder was performed for a woman.

Cain was petrified in front of his brother’s bloody body. He pulled himself together after a while. He finally understood what a horrible and evil thing he had done. What happened to him like that? What did he gain by killing Abel?

He was filled with fear, grief and sadness. He felt as if everything, living and non-living, was shouting out at him:

- “Murderer! Murderer!”

He jumped up in awe. Yet he could not stand and fell down by his brother’s body.

LESSON TAUGHT BY CROW

While Cain was pondering what he was going to do with his brother’s body, he saw a crow. There was a dead crow next to it. Cain started to watch what the crow was doing.

The crow was digging the ground with its claws and beak, trying to make a hole. When it finished digging up the hole, it put the dead crow into the hole and covered it with earth again by using its claws and beak.

Cain watched all of it in astonishment.

He murmured to himself:

- “Shame on me. I could not do what a crow did.” He started to dig a hole right away. After the hole was done, he dragged the body and put it in the hole. He covered it with earth. [76]

Now that the body was hidden, he felt a bit relieved.

Meanwhile, Adam was looking for his sons, because they were late.

Cain saw his father approaching to him from a distance and suddenly he was frightened and nervous. He began running away. When Adam saw Cain running in fear, he was worried. It was obvious that something was wrong.

Soon he saw the blood on the ground and the newly covered hole. Then he understood what had happened. He started to shed tears. He shouted out, as loudly as he could, after his son, who was running:

- “Cain, what did you do to your brother?”

Adam’s voice was so loud that Cain thought that the whole world heard it. His fear increased. He went down the mountain and continued running away without looking behind.

Adam was still shouting after him:

- “Cain, never be in peace! You are a cursed, unwanted man from now on…”

This curse of Adam’s destroyed Cain’s life.

SOME LESSONS TO LEARN FROM THE STORY OF PROPHET ADAM

1. Exaltation of Humankind:

The story of Adam in the Quran clearly shows the value and preciousness of the humankind for Allah. No human ideology or philosophy and social school has ever reached the exaltation in terms of the value of the humankind mentioned in the Quran.

This exaltation of the humankind springs out from the fact that they were created as the vicegerents of the Earth. Allah prepared all means by which their vicegerency will be actualized and therefore, He taught them all names, that is to say all knowledge and information they need and the ways of comprehending things and knowing the truth. Another matter which indicates the exaltation of the humankind is that angels were ordered to prostrate before Adam in respect.

This respect attributed in the Quran to Adam is not for his self but for all the generations to come from him. It is stated clearly in the Quran with the verse, which is translated as:

“We have honored the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favors, above a great part of our creation.” [77]

Contrary to this exaltation of the humankind in the Quran, many modern western philosophies consider the humankind the most inferior and the most vulgar of all beings. Actually, according to J. P. Sartre, a human being is “a dirty worm and an inferior insect living in the trash of life.” And according to Nietzsche, a human being is “a monkey which God created as a toy in a long term of evolution.”

While the Quranic approach to human gives him a superiority and nobility, sublimity and honor; those philosophical approaches kill all the ideals in him and makes him the target of weapons of despair and pessimism.

2. Result of arrogance:

One of the most important lessons to learn from the story of Adam is that arrogance leads to devastation.

Actually, Satan was cursed and expelled from the mercy of Allah and from Heaven just because of his arrogance. Human beings should refrain from arrogance in order not to experience the same end with Satan. They should always be modest and humble.

3. Warning to protect ourselves from evils:

In the story of Adam, Allah tells about Satan’s enmity towards Adam and that he deceived him by making him eat the fruit of the forbidden tree, that he made him rebel against the Lord and that Adam and Eve were expelled from Heaven as a result of this.

All of these show that they are the demons (Satan and his army) that cause all the evil, mischief and devastation in the world.

A believer should always be alert against Satan’s tricks and delusions and whenever he feels an inclination towards evil, he should know that it is the seduction of Satan and should try to get rid of it by seeking refuge with Allah.

The safest way of being protected from Satan’s tricks is being a sincere servant to Allah. Satan himself confessed that he could not trick Allah’s sincere and true servants.

Another way of beating Satan and being safe from his attacks is repenting right after every fault and sin committed as a result of being deceived by Satan. Knowing and realizing one’s own fault is also a kind of repentance.

Repentance and regret make the inclination for goodness have victory over the inclination for evil. This destroys Satan, who is the encourager and seducer of evil, psychologically.

4. Jealousy is evil:

Jealousy is the first sin on the earth and in the skies, with which Allah was rebelled against. The one in the skies is the jealousy Satan felt for Adam and the one on the Earth was the one Cain felt for Abel.

ANECDOTES AND APHORISMS ABOUT ADAM

Abu Muhammad Marwazi says:

Satan was devastated only because of the following 5 facts:

1- He did not confess and admit his sin

2- He did not regret for his rebellion.

3- He never criticized himself.

4- He did not repent.

5- He lost his hope for Allah’s mercy.

And Adam found salvation thanks to the following 5 facts:

1- He confessed his sin.

2- He regretted for his sin.

3- He criticized himself.

4- He repented right away.

5- He always hoped for Allah’s mercy. [78]

***

Hasan al-Basri says:

“Allah ordered Adam to have 4 features and stated that all positive things come from these 4 features and said: “One of them is mine, the other one is yours, the third one is both mine and yours and the fourth one is yours and other people’s:

· First one: Do not attribute partners with Me in worship.

· Second one: Your deeds. I will give you the rewards for your deeds in your most difficult time.

· Third one: Supplicate to me and I will answer it.

· Fourth one: Treat people the way you want them to treat you. [79]

***

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“I am the one most like Adam amongst all people. And the one who is like me the most in terms of moral qualities and disposition amongst all people is Abraham.” [80]

According to a narration, Prophet Noah took a couple from all animal species and boarded them on his ark. One day he saw an old man on the ark. He could not recognize him and asked:

- Who are you? Who let you on the ark?

- I am Satan. I boarded on the ark to deceive your people, said the old man.

- Get off the ark, you evil! Noah said.

- I know five things, with which I deceive people. I will tell you three of them if you let me stay on the ark, said Satan.

Allah said to Noah:

- Leave those three things and let him teach you the other two things.

Upon this, Satan said:

- I lead people to devastation with these two things: jealousy and greed. Besides, I became the cursed Satan because of jealousy. As for greed, Allah made everything in Heaven available for Adam, yet He forbade one tree. And I deceived Adam using his greed and passion for that tree…” [81]

***

Prophet Moses asked in a supplication to Allah: “Lord, You created our father Adam with your own might and You endowed upon him this and that… How did he give thanks for all of them?” And Allah said in response: “By knowing that all of them have come from Me and by never forgetting it…” [82]

That is to say; comprehending that all blessings and boons come from Allah is a spiritual thanksgiving.

***

It is reported that once Prophet Adam said: “Allah endowed 4 superiorities and means of respectability to the followers of Muhammad (pbuh). He did not endow them even upon me:

1- He accepted my repentance only in Makkah; yet He accepts the repentance of Muhammad’s followers everywhere.

2- I was dressed; when I sinned, I became naked. The followers of Muhammad disobey while they are naked and Allah dresses them up.

3- When I wronged, Allah made my relationship with my wife break off. Yet, He does not do that the same thing to the followers of Muhammad. They disobey yet He does not make their relationship with their wives break off.

4- I committed a fault in Heaven and He expelled me. However, the followers of Muhammad make faults outside Heaven and when they repent, He takes them into Heaven. [83]

***

Awn bin Abdullah went up to Fadhl bin Muhallab. At that time, Fadhl was the governor of the city called Wasit. Awn said to Fadhl:

- I would like to give you advice.

- Go ahead, said Fadhl.

- Do not be arrogant, because the first rebellion to Allah was because of arrogance. “We said to the angels: "Bow down to Adam" and they bowed down. Not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty: he was of those who reject Faith.” (al-Baqarah, 34)

- Do not be greedy, because it was greed which took Adam out of Heaven where Allah had placed him. He ate the fruit of the tree which Allah forbade and thus he was expelled from Heaven.

- Do not be jealous, because Cain murdered Abel due to his jealousy. [84]

***

Qalshandani says:

“It is reported that the one who invented all kinds of writing was Adam. He wrote them all on the earth ground and baked them on fire. This was 300 years before he died. When the Flood of Noah occurred on the Earth, every tribe chose its writing.”

“And it is also said that all kinds of writing were sent down to Adam written on 21 pages.” [85]

Hasan al-Basri says: “Before Adam made that well-known mistake, his deeds were behind him and his death was before him. After that mistake, it changed. He took his deeds before him and his death behind him.” [86]

***

In a hadith, the Prophet said:

“Allah the Supreme taught Adam a thousand arts and craftworks and said to him:

“O Adam, tell your children to learn these craftworks and arts and to earn their livelihood by them. However,, they should not try to earn their livelihood using their religion…” [87]

***

According to what is narrated from Abu Huraira, the Prophet (pbuh) said:

“Allah created Adam in a beautiful human form, making him 60 zira’ (1 zira’ equals to 75-90 cm) tall. Since Adam is the ancestor of the humankind, everyone will enter Heaven in the beautiful form of Adam. People coming after Adam had been decreasing in stature since Adam’s creation. This decrease ended with the people of Muhammad.” [88]

According to Ibn-i Haldun and Farid Wajdi, Adam was 60 zira’ tall in Heaven. He was given a normal height, which is appropriate for earthly conditions when he was sent down unto the Earth with Eve.

In another narration of this hadith, the following is stated, “Allah created Adam in His own figure.” In another narration, the following is stated, “Allah created man in the figure of Rahman.” How Adam, and therefore human beings, was created in the figure of Rahman is explained as follows:

“One aim of the above-mentioned Hadith is as follows: “Man is in a form showing the Divine Name of All-Merciful in its entirety.” For sure, as we explained before, just as the Divine Name of All-Merciful is manifest through the rays of a thousand and one Names on the face of the universe, and is apparent through the innumerable manifestations of Allah’s absolute dominicality on the face of the earth, so also is the complete manifestation of the Name All-Merciful apparent in a small measure in man’s comprehensive form, like on the face of the earth and the face of the universe. A further indication is this: the evidences to the Necessarily Existent One of places of manifestation like animate creatures and man, who are proofs of and mirrors to the All-Merciful and Compassionate One, are so certain, clear, and obvious that just as it may be said of a shining mirror which reflects the image of the sun: “That mirror is the sun,” indicating to the clarity of its brilliance and evidence, so also it has been said and may be said: “Man is in the form of the All-Merciful One,” indicating to the clearness of his evidence and completeness of his connection. It is as a consequence of this mystery that the more moderate of those who believed in ‘the unity of existence’ said: “There is no existent but He,” as a way of expressing the clarity of this evidence and perfection of connection.” [89]

Footnotes

¹ Ibn Kathir, the Interpretation of the Quran, I. 70; The Signs of Miraculousness, 250.

² adh-Dhariyyat, 56.

³ ibid.

⁴ Sa’d, 71.

⁵ al-Baqarah, 30.

⁶ Sa’d, 72.

⁷ According to the statement by the interpreters of the Quran, angels obtained this information via these three ways:

a) This information was given to angels by Allah.

b) Angels deduced it by looking at the disposition of human beings. Actually, human beings had feelings such as anger and lust like demons. And these potentials of theirs were not naturally restricted. It was obvious that mischief would come out when lustful potential exceeded its limits and that there would be cruelty and killing when the potential of anger exceeded its limits.

c) Angels obtained this information by reading the great book of fate, that is Lawh al-Mahfuz, in which everything that happened and that is going to happen is written.

(See. Husayn Jisri, Risala al-Hamidiya, 581-582; The Signs of Miraculousness, 251)

⁸ al- Baqarah, 30.

⁹ al-Baqarah, 30; The Signs of Miraculousness, 249.

¹⁰ For information on this matter, see: Mehmet Dikmen, İslâm İlmihali.

¹¹ Abu Dawud, H. No: 4693.

¹² Ihya, IV, 502.

¹³ The Flashes, 183.

¹⁴ al-Baqarah, 31.

¹⁵ al-Baqarah, 32.

¹⁶ al-Baqarah, 33.

¹⁷ Afif Abdulfattah Tabbara, Prophets and Our Prophet in the Quran, 36.

¹⁸ al-Baqarah, 34; al-A’raf, 11; Ta ha, 116; al-Kahf, 50; al-Isra; 61.

(*) Some eminent Quran interpreters, primarily Baydawi, claim that prostration performed before Adam was a prostration of worship. In this sense, the one who was prostrated before was indeed Allah, yet Adam was made the qiblah for this prostration. (see; Baydawi, I, 140-140)

(**) Iblis is a proper name which is not Arabic. According to Abu Ubayda, Iblis is a word derived from Iblas, which means being away from good and losing one’s hope for Allah’s mercy.

¹⁹ It is stated in the Quranic verse that Iblis was created from “nar as-samum” which means a fire without smoke, which is so hot. (al-Hijr, 27; M Vehbi, Hülâsa, VII, 2743-44).

²⁰ al-Kahf, 50.

²¹ al-Baqarah, 34.

²² Hak Dini Kur’an Dili, III, 2131.

²³ Sa’d, 75; al-A’raf, 12.

²⁴ Hak Dini Kur’an Dili, III, 2132-33.

²⁵ Mesnevi-i Nuriye, 119-120.

²⁶ The Words, 281, 299.

²⁷ al-A’raf, 13.

²⁸ Hak Dini Kur’an Dili, III, 2134.

²⁹ al-A’raf 14.

³⁰ al-A’raf, 15.

³¹ al-A’raf, 16-17; al-Isra’, 62.

³² Muslim trnsl., 8, 80.

³³ al-A’raf, 18; al-Isra’, 63.

³⁴ an-Nisa, I.

³⁵ Bukhari, IV, 145. There are some biological and genetic wisdoms behind the fact that Eve was created from the rib of Adam. See: Dr. Halûk Nurbaki, Kur’ân-ı Kerîm’den Âyetler ve İlmî Gerçekler, IV, 64-65.

³⁶ al-Bakqarah, 35; H.Jisri, ibid., 602.

³⁷ Ta ha, 117-119

³⁸ Tajrid (translation), IX, 76-77.

³⁹ Islamic scholars had conflicts about the true essence of this tree. Some said it was wheat, some said it was pig tree, some said it was apple tree and even some said it was a tree of affection.

⁴⁰ al-A’raf, 19; al-Baqarah, 35.

⁴¹ The word “uskun” in the 33^rd verse of chapter al-Baqarah, which was used for order for Adam and Eve to dwell in Heaven, is derived from the word “sukna” which means “to dwell, to stay.” According to this, the phrase “uskun al-Jannata” in the verse means “ dwell you in Heaven.” And this expression does not indicate that they are the owners of Heaven but being allowed to use it.

Actually, a person who was created as the vicegerent of the Earth should be called so. Otherwise, if he had been dwelled in Heaven permanently, his reason of creation would not be manifest. So, Adam, too, understood from these words of Allah that he would not be in Heaven eternally but for a certain time.

⁴² Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, ibid., al-Baqarah, 33.

⁴³ al-A’raf, 20; Ta ha, 120. What is meant by “being an angel” here is having some angelic characteristics such as being strong and living long, not being affected by tiring and grieving things.

⁴⁴ al-A’raf, 21.

⁴⁵ The Prophet said: “If it had not been for Eve, no woman would have learnt how to deceive their husbands.” (Bukhari. IV, 103).

⁴⁶ The Words, 489... Badiuzzaman, in another work of his, explains that there is a desire and passion for eternity and eternal life in human disposition as follows: “Included in human nature is an intense love. Even, because of the power of imagination, man fancies a sort of immortality in everything he loves. Whenever he thinks of or sees their passing, he cries out from the depths of his being. All the lamentations at separation are interpretations of the weeping resulting from love of immortality. If there was no imagined immortality, there would be no love. It might even be said that a reason for the existence of the eternal realm and everlasting Paradise is the intense desire for immortality arising from that passionate love of immortality, and from the innate and general prayer for immortality. The Enduring One of Glory accepted man’s intense, unshakeable, innate desire and his powerful, effective, general prayer, for He created for transient man an eternal realm.” (The Flashes, 13).

⁴⁷ al-A’raf, 23.

⁴⁸ al-A’raf, 23.

⁴⁹ al-Baqarah, 36; al-A’raf, 24.

⁵⁰al-Baqarah, 36; al-A’raf, 24.

⁵¹ İslam Ansiklopedisi, I, 134; Muslim trnsl., IV, 79-80.

⁵² İslam Ansiklopedisi, I, 134; Muslim trnsl., IV, 79-80

⁵³ H. Jisri, ibid., 616.

⁵⁴ Ta ha, 117.

⁵⁵ This belief influenced even Western philosophies. Christian Philosopher St. Augustine (A.C. 5^th Century) pondered over the reason why the sin Adam and Eve committed would include all humans. (L. Öztabağ, Lise III, Felsefe Dersleri, 12. basım, 1963, İstanbul).

⁵⁶ Muslim, Sharh Nawawi, IV, 141.

⁵⁷ Muslim, IV, 2042; at-Taj, I, 37.

⁵⁸ The Letters, 39.

⁵⁹ al-A’raf, 27.

⁶⁰ Kashfu’l-Khafa.

⁶¹ H.Jisri, ibid, 611.

⁶² ibid., 612.

⁶³ Tanbihu’l-Mughtarrin, 329.

⁶⁴ H. Jisri, ibid., 624.

⁶⁵ Taberi History, (translation)., I. 80.

⁶⁶ Aal-i Imran, 33.

⁶⁷ See: Abu’l-Walid al-Azraqki, History of Makkah and the Kaaba, 29-48.

⁶⁸ Tajrid (translation)., VI, 21.

⁶⁹ İslam Ansiklopedisi, I, 134, Adem Maddesi.

⁷⁰ Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, ibid, IV, 3062.

⁷¹ Ibn-i Sa’d, Tabaqat, I, 33-34; Ahmed bin Hanbal, Musnad, 5., 136.

⁷² Tajrid trnsl., IX, 84.

⁷³ al-Maidah, 27-29.

⁷⁴ Tajrid trnsl., IX, 83.

⁷⁵ In a hadith, the Prophet stated the two ways of pioneering which will continue to influence and affect others separately: “Whoever pioneers a good practice is given thawab both for that deed and for the people who will take it an example for themselves till the end of time. And whoever pioneers an evil practice is given the sin both for that deed and for the people who will take it an example for themselves till the end of time.”

⁷⁶ al-Maidah, 31.

⁷⁷ al-Isra, 70.

⁷⁸ Tanbihu’l-Mughtarrin, 63

⁷⁹ Ihya trnsl., II, 491

⁸⁰ Ihya trnsl, II, 899.

⁸¹ Ihya trnsl, III, 73.

⁸² Ihya, III.

⁸³ Tanbihu’l-Ghafilin, 547.

⁸⁴ Ihya trnsl, III. 423.

⁸⁵ Qalshandani, 3,7.

⁸⁶ Ihya trnsl., IV, 814.

⁸⁷ Tanbihu’l-Mughtarrin, 396, 397.

⁸⁸ Tajrid, IX, 77.

⁸⁹ The Words, 12-13.

3-) Prophet Nuh [Noah] (Peace be upon him)

When the word went forth: "O earth! Swallow up thy water, and O sky! Withhold (thy rain)!" and the water abated, and the matter was ended. The Ark rested on Mount Judi, and the word went forth: "Away with those who do wrong! (Hud, 44)

FIRST IDOLATRY

The Prophet Idris appointed some religious scholars of his ummah to guide people after him. These scholars did their best to guide the people living in various regions of the Arabian Peninsula and to show them the right way. People liked them soon due to their high ethics, nice preaching and advice. They liked talking to and listening to them, and benefited from them.

As those scholars died one by one, people felt very sorry. They always wanted to remember them and cherish the memory of them. They thought about what to do. In the end, they decided to erect their statues in squares of towns and hang their pictures on the walls of their houses. They started to gather around the statues at certain times. They told one another the words and advice of those scholars called Wadd, Suwa, Yaghus, Yauq, Nasr.

This deed, which started with a good intention, started to deviate from its purpose. The new generations that imitated what they saw from their fathers forgot about the reason why the statues were erected in squares and the pictures were hang on the walls. The pictures and statues ceased to be means and started to be aims. Instead of being a means of worshipping Allah, the pictures and statues started to be regarded as deities to be worshipped.

Thus, the custom of worshipping idols by forgetting Allah started in the world for the first time. [1]

When people started to move away from worshipping Allah and to worship idols, Allah Almighty sent Hz. Nuh (Noah) as a prophet to them.

Hz. Nuh was a child in a family that followed the religion of the Prophet Idris. When he was appointed as a prophet by Allah Almighty, he was 40 years old. [2]

Hz. NUH'S STRUGGLE OF ONENESS

The Prophet Nuh first preferred to act secretly in his struggle against the belief of idolatry. He called his relatives and friends to believe in the oneness of Allah and to worship Him one by one. Then, upon the order of Allah, he started to call people openly. He declared it to everybody. Those who had simple hearts and high ethics accepted his call. They followed Hz. Nuh. Most of them were poor people.

The rich, conceited, ill-natured and cruel people insisted on idolatry. They thrust their fingers into their ears and covered themselves up with their garments so as not to see Nuh's face. [3] Their intention was to demoralize him, to drive him to despair and to make him give up his cause. They sometimes uttered some words that would offend him.

However, the number of those that believed in him increased day by day. This enraged and infuriated the idolaters. They started to seek solutions to prevent him.

First, they made fun of the believers who followed him. They tried to ridicule them among people. However, they failed. Hz. Nuh showed patience against their bad treatment.

He continued to fulfill his duty and said to them,

"I am a prophet that warns you about the wrath of Allah. Do not worship anybody except Allah. Otherwise, I fear that you will undergo a painful torture." [4]

The notables of the idolaters expressed the following reason for opposing Hz. Nuh:

"O Nuh! You say you are a prophet. How can a person like us be a prophet? Those who follow you are poor and miserable people. If your cause were true, clever and rich people like us would follow you. You ask us to follow you but do you have any superiority over us." [5]

Hz. Nuh answered them as follows:

"O my people! I am a human being like all of the prophets that came before me. For, only a human being like me can be a guide to human beings. My Lord sent me as a prophet to you and gave me some miracles to affirm my cause. I show them as to you evidence for my cause. If you close your eyes to the truth and overlook it, you will not harm me. For, I cannot force you to believe. [6]

That the people who believe in me are poor does not overshadow the truth of my cause. Allah does not look at people's ancestry, lineage, wealth and poverty. He looks at their religiousness and fear of Allah in their hearts." [7]

The idolaters who judged everything by matter and power could not understand these words of Nuh's. Some of them even said that Hz. Nuh's purpose was to grab the property of the rich. The Prophet Nuh answered this claim as follows:

"You have wrong thoughts about me. I do not want any material things in return for my duty. My reward is only from Allah. Know it very well that all of my efforts are for your happiness in the world and the hereafter. Give up refuting me by acting upon groundless worries and bad thoughts." [8]

AN OFFER FROM IDOLATERS TO THE PROPHET NUH

When the idolatrous tribe of Nuh saw that all of their measures failed, they started to seek more insidious tactics. They thought they finally found one. They said to Nuh,

"O Nuh! Dismiss all of the poor and miserable people around you. We find them contemptible and feel it beneath us to be together with them. If you dismiss them, we will believe in you."

Their intention was clear. They expected Nuh to accept this offer. Thus, he would fall out with the believers. And they would eliminate him easily.

However, Hz. Nuh disappointed them. He replied to their insidious offer as follows:

"I will never dismiss them. They are people who believe in Allah and the hereafter. The fame of those who believe in Allah is high. Their Lord prepared so many bounties for them in Paradise. However, you think superiority lies in transient and ephemeral property and positions. You are unaware of the richness of the bounties waiting for believers in the hereafter." [9]

When this insidious plan also failed, the idolatrous tribe had only one thing to do: To apply oppression and pressure on the believers.

When they resorted to this way, Allah Almighty sent them a big trouble. He stopped sending them rain for 40 years. During this period, their goods and animals were destroyed. Their gardens and orchards faded. Their women could not give birth to children. Their generations ceased. Everybody was busy with their own problems. They could not take on with Hz. Nuh and the believers that followed him.

THE PRAYER OF THE PROPHET NUH

This famine and drought that hit the tribe of Nuh was a nice means of calling them to the true path.

Hz. Nuh wanted to take advantage of this situation and addressed his tribe as follows:

"O my tribe! These misfortunes that hit you are due to the sins you committed. They are due to oppressing the believers and worshipping idols. You attracted Allah's wrath. Your rain was stopped as a punishment. Your animals were destroyed. However, do not lose hope. Your Lord is merciful and forgiving. If you beg Him and ask for forgiveness, He will send rain to you in abundance." [10]

He also told them about the majesty of Allah. [11] He explained them the harms of associating partners with Allah by worshipping idols. He finished his address as follows: "O my tribe! One day, you will die and enter graves. Then, your Lord will raise you forth again. He will punish and reward you for what you did in the world.

Believe in Allah. Give up worshipping idols. Take refuge in Allah from a more terrifying torture awaiting you." [12]

However, the tribe of Noah did not care what he said. They refused him and got very angry. They said,

"O Nuh! You went too far and prolonged the dispute with us. You have been threatening us since you started this. That is enough. If you are telling the truth, bring that torture." [13]

The tribe of Nuh did not believe in Allah; therefore, they did not think the torture mentioned by Nuh would be possible. They thought what he said was only unreal threat. Hz. Nuh made the following explanation to make them change their minds:

"O my tribe! Allah, who is the Creator of the earth and the sky, will bring torture on you. What do you rely on when His wrath hits you? Do you have any place to take refuge in? Everywhere belongs to Allah. If He has decided to send you His wrath, you will not be able to escape it. No force can stop His wrath." [14]

Hz. Nuh had called his tribe to the true path since the first day of his prophethood. He told them about his cause in an unyielding manner. However, they refused him. They also made fun of him. They sometimes used force. This state continued for 950 years. [15] During this period, Hz. Nuh did his best. He used all of the methods of guidance. The insistence of his tribe on worshipping idols and telling him, "bring this wrath" despite all of his efforts was beyond endurance.

He opened his hands and started to pray Allah:

"O Lord! Send the help You have promised against this cruel tribe. They have always disobeyed me. They have insisted on worshipping idols and did not agree to worship you. They have never approached the true path.

O Lord! Grant no increase to the wrongdoers but in straying. Do not leave anybody alive among the unbelievers and idolaters on the earth." [16]

Allah Almighty gave every prophet a right of prayer to be accepted. Hz. Nuh used this right by that prayer. He asked Allah to eliminate all of the unbelievers and idolaters on the earth and not leave any of them alive.

NUH'S ARK

Allah accepted the prayer of Hz. Nuh. He told Nuh what to do as follows:

"O Nuh! Build an ark as We reveal you. When the earth and the sky intermingle and oppressors are destroyed, do not ask anything from me by pitying them. They have indeed deserved this wrath." [17]

Hz. Nuh started to build a big ark with the help of Allah. Jibril himself described him how to build the Ark. [18] Hz. Nuh and the believers acted upon his description.

When the tribe of Nuh passed by him, they threw ridicule on him. [19] They said to Hz. Nuh:

"O Nuh! Have you started carpentry by giving up prophethood? Is carpentry more profitable?"

Days and months passed like that. The construction of the ark was completed in the end. It is narrated that it took 2 or 4 years. [20] It is also narrated that the ark had 3 floors. [21] There are signs in the Quran that this ark had a furnace and a steam boiler. [22] In that case, it can be said that Nuh's Ark was a steamship. [23]

Allah informed Hz. Nuh that a big deluge would start after the construction of the ark ended. He ordered Nuh to embark the believers, their families and a pair (male and female) of each kind of animals. [24]

So he said: "Embark ye on the Ark in the name of Allah, whether it move or be at rest! For my Lord is, be sure, Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful!" When the ark was about to be completed, all kinds of preparations had been made. The people and animals that would get on the ark gathered around the ark. When the divine order came, the animals were embarked first. Then, the believers embarked the ark saying, "Bismilah". [25]

It was the tenth of the month of Rajab. About 80 families of the believers embarked the ship. That was the number of the people that believed in Nuh during his prophethood that lasted hundreds of years. [26]

However, Nuh knew that his duty was to convey the message. The result was up to Allah. He was not responsible for the refusal of his call by his nation. Therefore, he did not feel sorry and never said, "Why did very few people believe in me?" He felt content because he fulfilled his duty perfectly.

Hz. Nuh's wife called Wahila did not believe in him. She did not believe that the wrath mentioned by him would be sent. Therefore, she did not embark the ship though all of the believers embarked with their families. She opposed Nuh.

Wahila enjoyed a lot of bounties since she was the wife of a prophet. However, she did not appreciate those bounties. She dared to deny the prophethood of her husband instead of supporting and helping him. In addition to her denial, she dared to tell his secrets to the idolaters. She went too far and called her husband "mad". [27] She was drowned during the deluge as a punishment for her denial and arrogance7.

Nuh's wife was not the only person in his family to deny him. His son called Kanan insisted on worshipping idols like his mother. Nuh gave up all hope for his wife but he still hoped that his son would believe.

Thus, Hz. Nuh struggled against the idolatrous people outside, and his wife and son at home for years. This increased his trouble and agony.

It is known by everybody that unrest and disagreement at home wear out man more than the people outside.

However, Hz. Nuh showed great patience that fits a prophet against all of them.

THE DELUGE

Hz. Nuh and the people who believed in him embarked the ship and started to wait for the deluge.

They did not wait long. The sky was suddenly covered by black clouds. It started to pour. Besides, water started to gush forth from the ground; the land started to be flooded gradually. The strong wind produced giant waves as big as mountains.

The idolaters were in panic. Most of them were drowned as soon as the deluge started. Those who survived started to climb up to hills and mountains.

Once, Kanan, Nuh's idolatrous son, caught Nuh's eye. He was climbing up a mountain. He felt pity for his son. He addressed his son as follows:

-"O my son! Believe in Allah. Embark with us, and be not with the Unbelievers! You see that water is rising continuously. You cannot escape it." [28]

Kanan did not show any signs of regret despite the deluge. He felt hatred against his father. Therefore, he refused his merciful call. He said,

"I prefer going to the top of some mountain to embarking your ship." [29]

Hz. Nuh tried to save his son. He said,

"O my son! There is no salvation for anyone except believers today. Do not be obstinate. Come with me." [30]

However, before Hz. Nuh finished his word, a big wave interrupted between them and dragged his son away.

Nuh's Ark was floating on giant waves. There was peace and security on the ship. The believers were watching the manifestation of the divine justice in tawakkul (reliance on Allah). They spent their days praising and thanking Allah together with Nuh. They were waiting patiently for the deluge to stop.

When Hz. Nuh was ordered to construct the ship, he was also ordered to embark the believers, their wives and a pair (one male and one female) of animals of different species so that they would not be extinct.

The reason why he wanted to embark his son Kanan while he was embarking people was due to this order and permission of Allah. Hz. Nuh did not understand the wisdom behind it first and prayed Allah Almighty as follows:

"O my Lord! Surely my son is of my family! And You promised me that my family would be saved. You never break your promise." [31]

Allah answered him as follows:

"He said: "O Nuh! Know it very well that he is not of your family; for, his conduct is unrighteous. So, ask not of Me that of which you have no knowledge!" [32]

Upon this warning of Allah Almighty, Hz. Nuh realized that his request was not appropriate. That is, the bond of kinship on its own had no value in the eye of Allah. Belief was also necessary for kinship to be a means of intercession.

Once Hz. Nuh realized that his request was inappropriate, he said,

"O my Lord! I do seek refuge with Thee from asking Thee for that of which I have no knowledge. And unless Thou forgive me and have Mercy on me, I should indeed be lost!" [33] Thus, he took refuge in Allah Almighty and received mercy and forgiveness from him.

The water of the deluge that started to rise on the 10th of the month of Rajab covered the whole land soon. Even the highest mountains were lost in water and became invisible. The believers survived the deluge on the ship but not one idolater survived it. Thus, the wish of Hz. Nuh came true.

The deluge lasted for 6 months. Then, the rain stopped when Allah said, "O earth! Swallow up thy water, and O sky! Withhold (thy rain)!" [34] The water gushing forth from the ground stopped. The storm lulled and the rain stopped. The water started to ebb. Noah's Ark settled on a mountain called Judi. [35] When the land dried and became suitable for living, Allah Almighty sent the following revelation:

"O Nuh! Come down (from the Ark) with Peace from Us, and Blessings on thee and on some of the Peoples (who will spring) from those with thee: but (there will be other) Peoples to whom We shall grant their pleasures (for a time), but in the end will a grievous Penalty reach them from Us." [36]

Hz. Nuh and the believers disembarked on the 10th day of the month of Muharram. [37] They performed fasting on that day as a debt of gratitude. They gathered all of the food and drinks that remained. They cooked a dish called ashura (Noah's pudding).

This tradition is still present. All believers celebrate the salvation of Hz. Nuh and the believers with him by performing fasting and cooking ashura on the 10th day of the month of Muharram. [38]

They remember the deluge again and take lessons from this incidence.

After the deluge, a new life started for the humanity on earth.

* * *

According to the view of the most scholars, the deluge occurred only in the Arabian Peninsula and the area around it. For, human beings lived only in that area at that time. Therefore, the deluge was universal in that it included all of the human beings in the world but it was local compared to the whole world since it covered only the area where these people lived. [39] However, there are also some scholars who claim that the deluge covered the whole world.

A NEW LIFE STARTS ON EARTH

Hz. Nuh is also called the Second Father of the Humanity and the Second Adam since he caused the number of the human beings to increase again. [40]

Hz. Nuh was a person of exemplary character in terms of patience, perseverance and determination. He always prayed Allah openly and secretly; he never left his heart empty of Allah. He said Bismillah at the beginning of every deed and Alhamdulillah at the end of every deed. He never complained about his situation. He was described as most grateful in the Quran since he thanked Allah a lot. [41]

After Hz. Nuh became a prophet at the age of 40, he fulfilled the duty of prophethood for 950 years fearlessly and continuously. Then, he witnessed the deluge and according to some strong narrations, he died after living sixty years following the deluge. [42] Thus, his whole life is 1050 years.

After the deluge, human beings reproduced from the sons of Hz. Nuh and the believers who were with him. According to a narration, among Nuh's children, SHEM is the father of Arabs, Persians and Byzantines, HAM is the father of the Sudanese and JAPHETH is the father of Turks.

The nations of the world do not consist only of the nations mentioned above; so, it is certain that the other nations also come from the believers that were rescued from the deluge together with Noah. [43]

THE DELUGE OF NOAH AND ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE AND REMAINS OF NOAH'S ARK

İsmail Hami Danişmend gives the following information about Noah's Ark in his book called Historical Truths:

“According to the results obtained by the excavations and studies of science today, the deluge really occurred. The Prophet Nuh is the historical hero of the deluge. However, with the excavation carried out by Stephen Langdon, an Assyriology professor of the Cambridge University, in 1929 it was definitely determined that the deluge started in the Sumerian land in South Iraq and moved to the north; even the point where Noah embarked the ship was determined.

There is another question: Where did Noah's Ark land?

According to the Torah, this place is Mt Ararat (Ağrı); according to verse 44 of the chapter of Hud in the Quran, it is Mt Judi. Judi mountains are located about 40 km north-east of Diyarbakır. Its highest point is four thousand meters. [44]

The following detailed information is given in the periodical called Bilim ve Teknik (Science and Technology):

"It is part of the mythology and legends of almost all cultures on earth with some variations that a universal deluge flooded the world as it is written in holy books. Even people like the Hopi Indians living far away from the sea in the south-east of America have legends about a terrible deluge that covered their whole land, reached the top of their mountains and eliminated almost all life on earth.

We have evidence showing that the deluge really occurred. This amazing result comes from two different disciplines that are completely independent from each other: geologists studied the shells of a small sea creature that lived 11.600 years ago and archeologists read some writings by a person who lived 8000 years ago and translated them.

* * *

First, let us mention the role of archeologists. It started in the ruins of Nineveh, which was the capital city of Assyrians. According to what is written in the Holy Book, it was a place full of disgrace and debauchery. It was a city in Mesopotamia, which is in Iraq now. Sumerians, who are regarded as the first human civilization by some archeologists, lived near Nineveh; they lived there 5.500 years ago. In 1850, an amateur English archeologist called Sir Henry Layard succeeded in finding thousands of clay tablets. The tablets were sent to the British Museum in London. A small group of scientists who devoted their lives to this task managed to decipher the strange cuneiform script engraved on clay tablets. There was also an amateur called George Smith, who was interested in Assyriology. He actually was a banknote engraver. He would come to the museum at night and studied the signs which were no different from the traces of bird in the mud for a novice.

One night, he took a tablet that had been cleaned during the day and began to read the story of a flood in the Assyrian language in increasing surprise. What he read was the Babylonian version of the Deluge included in "the Epic of Gilgamesh". It mentioned a man called Utnapishtim and his wife; it stated that they built a ship and were the only survivors of the universal deluge.

Its resemblance to the story of Noah was amazing and it was almost impossible for it to become a coincidence. Since Babylonian people and several other stories existed in the Holy Book, the scientists concluded that both incidents originated from the same local floods maybe due to the overflow of the Euphrates and Tigris that passed through Mesopotamia and flowed into the Persian Gulf. 5 years later. In 1877, Pennsylvania University (USA) decided to fund an excavation in Mesopotamia. 50.000 tablets were removed from the ground in the excavations in the ancient Sumerian city of Nippur. Another story of the deluge recorded in The Epic of Gilgamesh was seen on a tablet 3700 years old among those tablets.

* * *

After that, Sir Leonard Woolley, an English archeologist, started excavations in the middle of the desert between Baghdad and the Persian Gulf in 1922. The broken tower of a magnificent temple indicated the place of the city of Ur, one of the main cities of Sumerians. Woolley's men made a great discovery as they excavated the sand. They found the graves of the kings of Ur. They found many legendary works of art in this cemetery, where the Sumerian kings and nobles were buried: helmets, swords, musical instruments, and other works of art made of gold, silver and precious stones. There were some other things too: historical recordings engraved onto clay tablets with amazing great skill and mastery, and high technique.

Before Woolley started his excavation, scholars had the list of Sumerian kings and a scheme of the history of the Sumerian Kingdom. However, they did not believe in it very much. It started with the kings that lived before the deluge and the domination of the 8 kings covered 241.000 years with the addition of the other kings. This chronology looked quite illogical.

Woolley found writings that included the same names in the list of the kings in Ur; there was even the name of the founder of the first dynasty of Ur. Before this discovery by Woolley, this dynasty was thought to be mythological. After his discovery, it became historical. According to the list of the kings, the first dynasty started after the deluge. Accordingly, many Sumerian kings lived a few times longer than a normal lifespan of man.

Woolley concluded that the cemetery was established before the first Ur dynasty. Woolley believed that a highly developed civilization existed before the first dynasty. However, no physical evidence except the list of the kings that mentioned the dynasty before the deluge was present showing that Sumerians did not come out like the seeds that explode after some simple rain.

After examining the evidence thoroughly, Woolley decided to continue the excavation under the cemetery. The workers dug about one meter under the muddy bricks and started to break the pots and pans. Woolley wrote as follows: "Then, everything suddenly stopped. There were no pots, pans or clay, only clean mud brought by water."

The Arab workers who were drilling said there was nothing else to find and wanted to dig somewhere else. However, Woolley was a very stubborn man. He told them to go on digging. After digging a clean layer of clay for about two and a half meters, the workers came across with tools made of emery stone and pieces of pottery. Woolley climbed down and reached the bottom. He took some notes and called two people from his team. He asked them whether they could explain it or not. They could not say anything. Woolley asked his wife the same question. She turned round and said, "It is definitely flood." Woolley confirmed her saying, "That is the right answer."

A microscopic analysis showed that a thick layer of clean clay had been accumulated by a deluge big enough to eliminate the ancient Sumerian civilization. The ideological evidence of a big flood that was parallel with the tradition in history books and that was too real to be debatable stood out. According to the scientists, the deluge written in the holy books came to light. It took place in Ur, where Hz. Ibrahim (Abraham) started his journey. Thus, Hz. Ibrahim took with him the story of the deluge to the places he visited. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the story of Noah combined in a common source, a well dug in the Mesopotamia Desert. This story of the deluge remained as it was for about 40 years. At the end of 1960s and the beginning of 1970s, two Americans extracted some sediments from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico through long, thin, cylindrical containers. There were some tiny unicellular planktonic organisms called foraminifera in the sediments. When these organisms lived on the surface, they kept the chemical "records" of the temperature and salinity of the water in their shells. During the time of reproduction, the shells were discarded and fell to the bottom of the sea. One section of this ground, which formed the sediment, kept the record of the climates that dated back to 100 million years. Every inch of sediment in the form of a cylinder displayed 100 years of the history of the earth.

These sediments were studied by two different groups: Cesare Emiliani of Miami University, and James Kennett of Rhode Island University and Nicholas Shackleton of Cambridge University. A dramatic change was determined by both analyses. This proved an enormous fresh (unsalted) water flood into the Gulf of Mexico. Jerry Stipp, a geochemist of Miami University, determined that the flood took place about 11.600 years ago by using radiocarbon dating system.

The last ice age started about 30.000 years ago and reached its peak about 18.000 years ago. At that time, Canada and North America were covered by a thicker layer of ice than the one that covers the South Pole today. A smaller ice layer covered Northern Europe and Siberia. These ice coverings and the glaciers on top of the high mountains had withdrawn the water on earth into these frozen masses. The surface of the seas was about 100 meters lower than today and the primitive immigrant colonies appearing on land were a few fathoms under the sea now. Emiliani said, "11.600 years ago, the North American glacier suddenly broke and started to melt; these enormous masses of water consisting of melting ice started to flow into the Gulf of Mexico. Thus, they caused the sea level to rise. It spread to the whole world with the speed of a tidal wave. That is, it covered the globe in 24 hours. People had to escape inland; this universal migration brought about the memory of a universal deluge."

An image like that pictures a terrifying disaster. Enormous walls of ice break into pieces when the ice layers move forward and they go down to the River Mississippi and then to the Gulf of Mexico. The climate that starts to get warmer causes the glaciers to melt; thus, enormous masses of water flow into both the Atlantic and the Pacific. However, according to Emiliani, most of the water was carried by the Mississippi into the Gulf of Mexico.

Nevertheless, some scientists do not believe that these discoveries prove the deluge mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Holy Book. Some geologists do not accept Emiliani's view that the melting glaciers flowed into the Gulf of Mexico through the Mississippi. Other scientists claim that they never flowed into the Gulf of Mexico and that most of the water that melted flowed into the Atlantic through the St. Lawrence or that they were stored in "proglacial lakes".

According to Emiliani, these questions and debates are of no significance because it is a fact that enormous amounts of melting water of glaciers flowed into the Gulf of Mexico. We know it because the oxygen isotope rates of foraminifera shells caused a temporary decrease in the salinity of the water of the Gulf of Mexico. This clearly indicates that the main period of the deluge is between 12.000 and 11.600 years ago. There is no doubt that a deluge took place here and it is a universal deluge.

The findings of Emiliani are strengthened by the geologists Kennett and Shackleton; they also concluded that melting waters of enormous glaciers flowed into the Gulf of Mexico through the River Mississippi and its tributaries. During the maximum flow of this water, the salinity of the surface water definitely decreased about 10%.

Naturally, the flow of fresh, unsalted water into the Gulf of Mexico is not the only evidence for the existence of the floodwaters. Emiliani says, "Some South Pole (Antarctica) glaciers must also have melted to provide extra water. The ice sheet covering West Antarctica can do it; it can be shown as evidence that the ice sheet covering West Antarctica is not very stable. It happened before and it can happen again. The studies we made in the Gulf of Mexico show what can happen when an ice sheet breaks off, how fast the process takes place and how fast the sea level rises." According to his estimation, it is about 32 centimeters a year and it is enough to have a big effect on the slightly inclined caps of the Gulf of Mexico.

There is no information on the date of the deluge in the Holy Book. It only states that the deluge happened. The shells of those tiny dead creatures and the earliest recordings of human beings on baked clay tablets definitely prove that the earth once was flooded universally. [45]

LESSONS TO BE TAKEN FROM THE STORY OF PROPHET NOAH

1. Human will is free to choose the way of belief and guidance:

There are many lessons to be taken from the fact that Nuh's wife and son did not believe in him and died as unbelievers despite all efforts of Nuh. Allah does not place belief in the hearts of people unless they want to believe using their own will. He does not remove the belief from the heart of a person by force without any reason. If a person loses his merit for belief through his own deeds and acts, Allah will extinguish the light of belief in his heart. He will leave that person in the darkness of unbelief.

Yes, the effect of the environment on a person cannot be denied. It is known that those who live in a good environment usually become good people and those who live in a bad environment usually become bad people. However, this quality of being good or bad is only one of the reasons. As a matter of fact, sometimes just the opposite happens. The situation of Nuh, his wife and his son is a good example of it. They lived in the house of a prophet and in a good environment but they did not believe because they used their will in a bad way. So, what matters is a person's choice of belief or unbelief using his own will. In order to obtain belief, man needs to request it, work hard, make efforts and pursue it first of all. Allah will grant it based on these deeds. Thus, a person will be a believer.

Sa'd Taftazani describes belief as follows: "It is a light placed into the heart of a person by Allah Almighty after that person uses his freewill." [46]

The fact that Noah's wife and son became unbelievers and worked against him and in favor of the unbelievers played an important role in the difficulties he faced during his duty of prophethood that lasted 950 years and in his saying, "O Lord! I am one overcome."

If Noah's wife, Wahila, and his son, Kanan, had helped and supported Noah like Hz. Khadijah helped the Messenger of Allah with might and main, the troubles and agonies suffered by Noah would have decreased.

The unrest at home is more effective and destructive than the unrest outside for man. The unrest outside remains outside when you close the door. If there is peace and tranquility at home, and there is agreement and love among the members of family, all of man's grief, pain and agony decrease. He obtains fresh power and enthusiasm to continue his duty. However, if the troubles and agonies outside continue at home, his pains and agonies increase.

2.The religion always protects the poor and the weak; it fills the big gaps between classes:

According to Marxism, which is the basic philosophy of communism, all religions approve the dominant and cruel administrative class and aristocratic group's exploitation of the common people; and they serve the continuation of the system of oppression. Therefore, religion is the opium of the people according to communism. Religion has always supported the oppression of the dominant class and served their imperialistic aims.

This idea of Marxism about all religions including Islam is a wrong and unjust idea. It might be somewhat true for Christianity, which was distorted after Jesus and became a means of oppressing the people by the clergy, but it is not valid for the true religions, especially Islam. No true religion stood with oppression and exploitation and closed its eyes to the exploitation of the poor people by the minority of the irreligious upper class of the rich and the nobility.

The emergence of the true religions aims to establish a system based on rights and justice by replacing the wrong systems.

They aim to fill in the deep precipices between the rich and the poor, the administrators and the people, the nobles and the common people, to make them equal before law and to integrate them in the brotherhood of Islam.

All prophets struggled hard against injustice, the wrong and oppression in order to establish justice. It is clear in the stories of the prophets narrated in the Quran. The upper class always panicked when they saw that the poor and the oppressed believed in the prophets first; they resorted to all kinds of tricks and secret plans in order to prevent this gathering around the prophets: mocking, insulting, slandering, torture, pressure and even attempts to kill. One of those plans is the following offer of them to Noah: "Dismiss all of the poor and miserable people around you. Then, we will believe in you" [47]

3.Shirk (polytheism) are a big oppression and murder that causes the earth and the sky to enrage.

Another important lesson Hz. Nuh's story teaches us is that polytheism and unbelief is a big murder that enrages not only Allah Almighty but also the earth and the sky. [48] For, unbelief and polytheism is a terrible violation of the rights of Allah Almighty and the creatures. It means to accuse the creatures of meaninglessness and to regard the universe as strayed, purposeless and vagrant. It is the biggest insult to the universe and all of the creatures in it.

Because of this murder and sin of man and insult to the creatures, the skies and the earth sometimes enraged and punished the unbelievers and polytheists by destroying them with the permission of Allah. As a matter of fact, the nation of Noah was destroyed by the deluge that occurred as a result of the rising of the seas and continuous heavy rain.

STORIES ABOUT NOAH AND SAYINGS

According to a narration, Hz. Umar wept for a long time when he heard the death of the Messenger of Allah and he uttered an elegy mentioning the distinguished properties of the Messenger of Allah that had not been given to other prophets. One part of his elegy is as follows:

"May my mother and father be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah!

Nuh prayed as follows: for his nation:

'O my Lord! Leave not of the Unbelievers, a single one on earth.' (Nuh, 26)

If you had prayed like that, none of us would be alive now.

They ripped your cheek and broke your teeth.

Let alone cursing them, you prayed as follows:

'O Allah! Forgive my nation because they do not know.'

May my mother and father be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah!

Despite your short life and few real friends, more people than Noah's nation followed you."

* * *

According to a narration, Jibril said to Nuh:

"O the Prophet with the longest life! How did you find the world?" Noah answered:

"It is like an inn with two doors; I entered into one of them and exited through the other."

* * *

When Noah was at his deathbed, he summoned two of his sons and addressed them as follows:

"O my sons! I order you to do two things and prohibit you from doing two things. What I prohibit you from are POLYTHEISM and CONCEITEDNESS. One of the things I order you is to say, "LA ILAHA ILLALLAH (There is no god but Allah)". For, if the earth, skies and all of the creatures in them were to be placed in one scale of a balance and kalima at-tawhid were to put in the other scale, kalima at-tawhid would outweigh. If the earth, skies and all of the creatures in them were brought together and kalima at-tawhid were placed on them, they would collapse and be broken. I also order you to say "SUBHANALLAHI WA BIHAMDIHI (Glory be to Allah and Praise Him)" because it is the prayer for everything. Everything is given their food thanks to it."

* * *

Mujahid narrates: "When Allah drowned the nation of Nuh in the deluge, the mountains felt conceited and elevated. However, Mt Judi showed modesty. For, the other mountains were high but it was not so high. Allah elevated it since it displayed modesty and placed Noah's Ark on top of it.

* * *

While explaining the hadith, "The most severe misfortunes hit prophets and after them saints" in his book called Ihya, Ghazzali writes:

"Do not think that the disease that Ayyub suffered was only a bodily illness. A misfortune hits both the body and the spirit. For instance, the biggest misfortune for Nuh was his nation's resistance to his call and denying belief in him despite his call that lasted for centuries. Therefore, when the Messenger of Allah felt irritated by the statements of some people, he said,

"May Allah show mercy to my brother Moses; he was harassed a lot but he put up with them and showed patience."

That is, prophets were always harassed and tested by deniers; similarly, saints and scholars are harassed and tested by ignorant people. Therefore, saints of Allah were always tested by several troubles like being exiled, being informed against, being witnessed against that they were unbelievers, being decreed that they were unbelievers; very few of them got rid of these troubles.

* * *

Abu Hurayra reports form Hz. Prophet: "On the Day of Judgment, the Prophet Nuh and his ummah are called first. Hz. Nuh will be asked:

"Did you fulfill the duties you were ordered? Did you convey the message to the people?" Nuh will say,

"Yes, I did. O Lord!"

Then, his nation will be asked:

"Did Nuh convey the message of Allah to you?

The nation of Nuh will say,

"No. If you had sent us a prophet, we would have obeyed your verses and become believers. He did not convey us what You told him".

Then, Nuh will be asked,

"They claim that you did not convey them the message of Allah. Do you have a witness that you did?" He will say,

"Yes, I do." He will be asked,

"Who?" Hz. Nuh will say,

"The ummah of Muhammad."

Thereupon, the ummah of Muhammad will be called. They will be asked whether Nuh fulfilled the duty of conveying the message of Allah. They will say,

"Yes he did. We witness that he conveyed the message of Allah to his nation."

Thereupon, the nation of Nuh will say,

"How can you witness? We lived before you. You lived after us."

The ummah of Muhammad will reply them as follows:

"We witness because Allah sent us a messenger. He sent down a book to that messenger. He narrated us your story in that book"

Abu Hurayra said,

"We are the last ummah that arrived but we will be the first ummah on the Day of Judgment."

This meaning is confirmed by the following verse:

"Thus have We made of you an Ummah justly balanced That ye might be witnesses over the nations and the Messenger a witness over yourselves.” (al-Baqara, 143)

FOOTNOTES

¹ M. Vehbi, Hulasatü'l-Beyan, XV, 6168.

² ibid, X, 4176.

³ Nuh, 7.

⁴ Nuh, 9.

⁵ Hud, 28-29.

⁶ This expression is a clear statement that there is no compulsion in religion.

⁷ Hud, 28-29; ash-Shuara, 112-113.

⁸ ash-Shuara, 109.

⁹ ash-Shuara, 111, 112, 115.

¹⁰ Nuh, 11-12.

¹¹ Nuh, 13-16.

¹² Nuh, 17-18.

¹³ Hud, 32.

¹⁴ Hud, 33-34.

¹⁵ al-Ankabut, 14.

¹⁶ al-Qamar, 10; Nuh, 21, 24, 27, 28.

¹⁷ Hud, 37.

¹⁸ M. Vehbi, ibid, VI, 2338.

¹⁹ Hud, 38.

²⁰ M. Vehbi, ibid, IV, 1660.

²¹ M. Vehbi, ibid, VI, 2338.

²² Hud, 40.

²³ Hak Dini Kur'an Dili, IV, 2780-81.

²⁴ M. Vehbi, ibid, VI, 2342.

²⁵ Hud, 41.

²⁶ M. Vehbi, ibid, VI, 2341.

²⁷ Hak Dini Kur'an Dili, VI, 5131.

²⁸ Hud, 42.

²⁹ Hud, 43.

³⁰ Hud, 43.

³¹ Hud, 45.

³² Hud, 46.

³³ Hud, 47.

³⁴ Hud, 44.

³⁵ M. Vehbi; ibid, VI., 2348-2354.

³⁶ Hud, 48.

³⁷ Hak Dini Kur'an Dili, IV, 2786.

³⁸ To perform fasting on the day of Ashura (10th of Muharram) was the sunnah of all prophets. Both Jews and Arabs who worshipped idols performed fasting on the day of Ashura. The Prophet performed fasting on the day of Ashura and ordered his Companions to perform fasting on the day of Ashura until the second year of the Migration, when fasting in Ramadan was rendered fard. When fasting in Ramadan was rendered fard, he left his ummah free to perform or not to perform fasting on the day of Ashura.

A person who wants to perform fasting on the 10th of Muharram needs to perform fasting on the 9th and 10th or on the 10th and 11th days of Muharram. It is makruh to perform fasting only on the 10th of Muharram because Jews performed fasting only on the 10th of Muharram. It is a nice deed to perform fasting before or after the 10th of Muharram too so as not to resemble Jews. (see Tâhirü’l-Mevlevî, Müslümanlıkta İbadet Tarihi, 103-112).

³⁹ M. H. Yazır, ibid, IV, 2784.

⁴⁰ M. Vehbi, ibid, VI, 2354.

⁴¹ al-Isra, 3; ibid, VIII, 2942.

⁴² ibid, X, 4176.

⁴³ M. H. Yazır, IV, 2758.

⁴⁴ Tarihî Hakikatler, 2, 396-398.

⁴⁵ Bilim ve Teknik, Nuh, Tufan ve Gerçekler,’den, issue 121.

⁴⁶ İşarâtü’I-î’câz, 41.

⁴⁷ This insidious offer was made to all prophets. As a matter of fact, the notables of Makkan polytheists made the same offer to the Prophet. The reason why verse 52 of the chapter of al-Anam was sent down is stated as follows in tafsir books:

When some of the notables of the Quraysh stopped by the Messenger of Allah, they saw that some poor Companions like Suhayb ar-Rumi, Ammar b. Yasir, Bilal al-Khabashi, Khabbab and Salman were sitting with him. The Qurayshis said, “O Muhammad! Do you prefer being with these people by leaving your tribe? Do you want us to follow these people? If you dismiss them, we will talk to you and follow you.”

That verse was sent down upon this occasion.

The following is stated in another narration: The Messenger of Allah did not agree to dismiss them. Thereupon, they said, "At least, send them away when we come to you. When we leave, you can call them again. We cannot imagine our people seeing us sitting with these slaves.” The Messenger of Allah accepted it upon the offer of Hz.Umar. The polytheists wanted him to write this on a piece of paper. The Messenger of Allah asked Hz. Ali to bring a piece of paper. Just then, the following verse was sent down:

“Send not away those who call on their Lord morning and evening seeking His Face. In naught art thou accountable for them, and in naught are they accountable for thee, that thou shouldst turn them away, and thus be (one) of the unjust.”

(Tabari, Jamiu’l-Bayan, VII, 200-201; al-Wahidi, Asbabu’n-Nuzul, s. 124; Alusi Ruhu’l-Maani, VII, 160; Hak Dini Kur’an Dili, III, 1941).

⁴⁸ Lem’alar, 76-77.

4-) Prophet Ismail [Ishmael] (Peace be upon him)

Also mention in the Book (the story of) Ismail: he was (strictly) true to what he promised, and he was a messenger (and) a prophet... (Maryam, 54)

THE PROPHET ISMAIL

Hz. Ismail is the first son of the prophet Ibrahim. He was born of Hz. Hagar, who was a maid of Hz. Sara.

Hz. Sara and Hz. Ibrahim got old but they did not have any children. Therefore, Hz. Sara asked her husband to marry her maid, Hz. Hagar. Hz. Ibrahim married Hz. Hagar. Hz. Ismail was born out of this marriage.

* * *

After a while, Hz. Sara started to be jealous of Hz. Hagar because Hz. Hagar became respectable in the eye of Hz. Ibrahim. This affected the feminine feelings of Hz. Sara. She asked her husband to take Hagar somewhere else. Allah Almighty sent a revelation to Hz. Ibrahim and ordered him to act in accordance with Hagar’s wish. He took Hz. Hagar and little Ismail to Makkah. The revelation ordered him to leave his son and Hagar in this desolate valley. Hz. Ibrahim acted accordingly.

After the settlement of Hz. Hagar and Ismail in Makkah, Jurhumis from Yemen also arrived and settled there. The Valley of Makkah, which was dry and arid, became a big city soon.

Hz. Ismail was brought up there.

Hz. Ibrahim visited his son and wife from time to time and returned to Damascus.

* * *

One night, Allah ordered Hz. Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail in his dream. When he saw the same dream three times on end, he told his son, Ismail about it. Hz. Ismail asked his father cold-bloodedly and showing patience to fulfill this divine order. It was a great test for both the father and the son. Thus, Allah Almighty measured their loyalty and devotion. They passed the test by showing great patience and devotion. Allah Almighty sent Ibrahim a ram and ordered him to sacrifice is it instead of his son. Thus, Hz. Ismail was saved.

The Prophet stated the following in a hadith: “I am the son of two sacrifices.” He meant his ancestor Hz. Ismail and his father Abdullah with this hadith. His grandfather Abdulmuttalib also vowed to sacrifice his son Abdullah. Then, Abdullah was saved when Abdulmuttalib sacrificed one hundred camels.

* * *

Hz. Ibrahim visited his son and wife in Makkah from time to time.

Once, Hz. Ibrahim met his son near the Zamzam Well and talked for a long time. Then, they started to build the Kaaba due to the divine order. Hz. Ismail carried stones and Hz. Ibrahim constructed the Kaaba with those stones. Thus, the construction of the Kaaba was completed. All of the believers made hajj under the guidance of Hz. Ibrahim. Thus, hajj was rendered fard for believers.

* * *

Afterwards, Allah Almighty gave Hz. Ismail the duty of prophethood. He gave him the duty of guiding the people of Amalika in Yemen. Hz. Ismail lived with this nation for fifty years and conveyed them the divine message and orders. Some of them believed in Hz. Ismail but others insisted on unbelief and polytheism.

It is stated in the Quran that Hz. Ismail first ordered his wife, then his children, relatives and nation to perform prayers and give zakah (alms).1

There is a great lesson to be taken from his attitude:

Man needs to guide and improve himself first; then, he needs to guide and improve his family, relatives, clan and nation respectively. Indeed, a person who cannot improve himself cannot improve others. A person who does not do as he says cannot affect others by preaching. The people one needs to improve and guide after himself are his family and relatives. It is easier and more necessary to improve them since there is kinship between him and them. As a matter of fact, all prophets started to convey the message to their families and closest relatives first. Those who believed in the Messenger of Allah first were his wife Hz. Khadijah, and his cousin Hz. Ali. Allah Almighty gave Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) the following order: “Admonish your nearest kinsmen.”

As it is understood from the statement of the Quran, Hz. Ismail acted in accordance with this principle of guidance. First, he himself practiced the religion; then, he made his relatives practice them; after that, he conveyed the message of the religion to his nation.

HZ. ISMAIL’S MARRIAGE

When Hz. Ismail became a young man, he had learnt Arabic from the tribe of Jurhum and become popular among Jurhumis. Jurhumis married him off to a young girl from their tribe. Hz. Hagar died when she was ninety years old. They buried her in Hatim, next to the Kaaba.

After Hz. Ismail’s marriage, Hz. Ibrahim visited his son and daughter-in-law one day. When he arrived, Hz. Ismail was not at home. He asked his daughter-in-law where he had gone. She said he had gone out to find sustenance.

Hz. Ibrahim asked his daughter-in-law some questions in order to find out whether she deserved to be Ismail’s wife and find out the degree of her devotion to Allah:

“How is your livelihood?” Hz. Ismail’s wife answered,

“We have very little food. We have a miserable life.” She complained about her life.

Ibrahim found out about her character. While he was leaving, he said to her,

“When your husband comes, give my greetings to your husband and tell him to change his doorstep.”

When Hz. Ismail arrived home, he felt that his father had come. He asked his wife,

“Did anybody come to our house?” She said,

“Yes an old man wearing old clothes came and asked about you. I answered him. Then, he asked me about our livelihood. I said we were having hard times.” Thereupon, Hz. Ismail said,

“Did he advise you anything or did she tell you to say anything to me?” She said,

“Yes, he told me to give you his greetings and to change your doorstep.”

Thereupon, Hz. Ismail said to his wife,

“The old man is my father. He ordered me to divorce you. You can go to your parents’ house.” He divorced his wife and married another woman. He started to lead a peaceful and happy life with his new wife.

After a while, Hz. Ibrahim came to visit him again. Hz. Ismail was not at home. His second wife welcomed Hz. Ibrahim. He asked his daughter-in-law where he had gone. She said she had gone out to find sustenance.

In order to test his new daughter-in-law, Hz. Ibrahim asked:

“How are you? How is your livelihood?” Hz. Ismail’s wife said,

“Thank Allah, we are in a good state and we are happy.” Hz. Ibrahim asked,

“What do you eat and drink?” She said,

“We eat meat and drink water." Thereupon, Hz. Ibrahim prayed for them as follows:

O Lord! Make their meat and water abundant and blessed!”

During the time of Hz. Ibrahim, vegetables and grains were not grown in Makkah. People fed on the meat of hunted animals. If there had been vegetables and grains, Hz. Ibrahim would have prayed for them, too.

While leaving, Hz. Ibrahim said to his daughter-in-law,

“When your husband comes, give my greetings to your husband and tell him to keep his doorstep.”

When Hz. Ismail arrived home, he felt that his father had come. He asked his wife,

“Did anybody come to our house?” She said,

“Yes an old man with a luminous face came.” She praised Hz. Ibrahim and added: “He asked me about you and I told him you had gone out to find sustenance. Then, he asked me about our livelihood. I said we were good and happy.”

Thereupon, Hz. Ismail asked her,

“Did he give you any advice?”She said,

“He told me to give you his greetings and to keep your doorstep.” Hz. Ismail was glad to hear it. He said to his wife,

“He is my father. You are the honorable doorstep of our house. My father ordered me to treat you well and to get on well with you.”

HZ. ISMAIL’S DEATH

Hz. Ismail died when he was one hundred and thirty-seven years old. His sons buried him next to Hz. Hagar.

In the year he died, Hz. Ismail went to Makkah. Then, he went to Palestine to visit his father’s grave. Meanwhile, he visited and talked to his brother Ishaq (Isaac). Ishaq had two children: Ays (Is) and Yaqub (Jacob). Hz. Ismail had a daughter called Sabiha. Sabiha and Ays got married. After that, Hz. Ismail returned to Makkah and died in the same year.

Hz. Ismail had several sons. They moved to various places and settled there. However, two of his sons, called Qayzar and Thabit, remained in Makkah. Thabit undertook the duty of taking care of the Kaaba. Qayzar was one of the ancestors of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). The tribe of Quraysh came from the children of Qayzar.

SOME VIRTUES OF HZ.ISMAIL

The most outstanding virtue of Hz. Ismail is keeping his promise.2 He always kept his promise and he was very serious.

Once, he decided to meet a person somewhere and they determined a time. Hz. Ismail went there on time but the other man did not. Hz. Ismail waited for the man for two days there.

Another distinguished quality of Hz. Ismail was his patience and devotion. Hz. Ismail showed his patience and devotion when his father asked him to sacrifice him. Allah Almighty gave him great bounties in return for his patience and devotion. Besides, Allah sent Muhammad (pbuh), the Seal of the Prophets, from his progeny, which is the greatest bounty.

FOOTNOTES

¹Maryam, 55.

² Maryam, 54.

5-) Prophet Yaqub [Jacob] (Peace be upon him)

He (Yaqub) said: "I only complain of my distraction and anguish to Allah, and I know from Allah that which ye know not. (Yusuf, 86)

Hz. Yaqub and Children of Israel

As it is known, when Hz. Ibrahim died, Hz. Ismail, one of his sons, became a prophet in Makkah and Hz. Ishaq, another son of his, became a prophet in Kenan. Hz. Ishaq had two sons: one of them was Ays and the other one was Yaqub. Ays settled in Damascus while Yaqub stayed in Kenan. He was given the duty of prophethood by Allah there. Hz. Yaqub called people to obey and worship Allah for fifty years. He is also one of the restorers of Masjid al-Aqsa after the Prophet Nuh (Noah).¹

The Prophet Yaqub married Layya, his maternal uncle's daughter first. He married Rahil, the younger daughter of his uncle, after that. He had sons called Rubil, Yahuza, Shemun and Lawi form Layya; He had sons called Yusuf and Bunyamin (Benjamin) from Rahil.

When Layya and Rahil married the Prophet Yaqub, their father, Laban, gave a woman slave to each. They gave these women slaves to their husband, Yaqub, so that they would give birth to sons. He had three sons from each of these two women slaves. Thus, he had twelve sons altogether.²

The youngest and cutest son of Hz. Yaqub was Yusuf. When he was little, all of the members of the family including his elder brothers loved him very much.

Hz. Yaqub’s nickname was Israel. Therefore, his sons were called "Banu Israel" (Children of Israel). The nation that came from their progeny and Hz Musa (Moses) was sent as a prophet to was known as Children of Israel; finally, a state called Israel was founded in the last century.

The clan of each of them was called "sibt", which meant grandchild; they were called "asbat" (grandchildren) as a whole. In several verses of the Quran, they are referred to as "asbat".³

The incidents of the Prophet Yaqub's going to Egypt with his family, begging Allah for his guilty children, giving his last will to his children and his death will be included in the life of Hz. Yusuf in the next chapter.

FOOTNOTES

¹M. Asım Köksal, ibid. p. 267.

² ibid. p. 264.

³al-Baqara, 136.

6-) Prophet Ayyub [Job] (Peace be upon him)

And (remember) Job, when he cried to his Lord "Truly distress has seized me But Thou art the Most Merciful of those that are merciful." (al-Anbiya, 83)

HIS PROPHETHOOD

Hazrat Ayyub comes from the progeny of the Prophet Ishaq (Isaac). He was sent as a prophet to the people around Damascus.¹

Hz. Ayyub received divine revelation and was chosen by Allah as a prophet like the prophets Ibrahim, Ismail, Ishaq, Yaqub, Asbat and Isa (Jesus). His prophethood was in the same period as Hz. Yaqub. His religion was also the religion of oneness like that of his ancestor Ibrahim. The principles of his religion consisted of belief in the oneness of Allah and arranging the relationships among people.

The Prophet Ayyub was a very rich person. He had a lot of children, herds of animals, vineyards and orchards.² This richness did not cause Hazrat Ayyub to be heedless. He did not fell conceited or spoilt due to his wealth. He showed mercy to the poor and needy. He continued worshipping Allah and calling people to the right path.

TEST OF PATIENCE

Allah Almighty wanted to show Hazrat Ayyub to people as an example of patience and obedience. Therefore, Allah subjected him to a hard test. He withdrew all of the bounties and richness like children, vineyards and orchards He had given to Ayyub.³

Hazrat Ayyub did not panic, fret or complain. He continued showing patience. People were astonished when they saw his patience.

The test of the Prophet Ayyub was not confined to losing his wealth. Allah also gave him a severe illness. After that, Hazrat Ayyub could not get out of bed and work.

Hazrat Ayyub’s wife was also stoic and patient like her husband. She came from the progeny of the Prophet Yaqub. There are various narrations about her name: Rahmah, Rahima or Layla. It is said that her name was Rahmah and her parents were Zulaykha and Yusuf.⁴ She looked after her husband patiently, without showing any signs of depression and weariness; She served him caringly and compassionately.

Hazrat Ayyub and his wife moved to a hut away from people. They continued their lives there patiently and by thanking Allah.

Hazrat Ayyub’s illness gave him big agonies and pains. It was also a dangerous illness.⁵ Therefore, nobody from his relatives, neighbors and friends visited him. Ayyub and his wife earned their livelihood through the handiwork she made.

Ayyub's illness deteriorated day by day. All of his body except his tongue and heart was inflamed.

However, he did not complain about his situation at all. He thought about the reward he would get due to the illness he was suffering from. He thought about the consent of Allah and found strength for showing patience and endurance.

* * *

Many years passed like that.

There were no signs of improvement in his illness but there was no decrease in his patience. As his illness increased, his patience and endurance increased.

Satan often visited Hazrat Ayyub and tried to dissuade him from thanking and to persuade him to complain about his situation. When Satan realized that he would not be able to decrease his patience, resorted to a slier delusion. He said Hazrat Ayyub made use of his illness to make people obey and follow him. He said Hazrat Ayyub perverted his relatives, neighbors and friends.⁶ Hazrat Ayyub found these delusions of Satan's really harder than his illness. They gave him severe pains and agonies.

Hazrat Ayyub took refuge in Allah from these delusions of Satan's. He asked Allah to increase his patience and endurance.

Allah Almighty fulfilled this wish of Ayyub's. After that, Satan's delusions and his illness did not give him more severe pains than he could endure.

THE PRAYER OF THE PROPHET AYYUB

Allah increased the illness of Hazrat Ayyub in time. Eventually, Hazrat Ayyub could not worship Allah even with his tongue and heart, which he was able to do before.

Hazrat Ayyub never thought about his health and relaxation. The only thing he wanted was to be able to worship Allah.(*)

However, he could not worship Him even with his heart and tongue now, which frightened and panicked him. Therefore, he opened his hand and started to beg and pray Allah:

O Lord! The illness has started to harm me. It prevents my heart from worshipping you and my tongue from mentioning your names. I cannot live without worshipping and mentioning your name. I ask your mercy.⁷

Hazrat Ayyub did not utter this prayer for the improvement of his health and for relaxation but for worshipping Allah ⁸; that is, he uttered it so as not to miss worshipping. Allah accepted his pure and sincere prayer. Allah sent him the following revelation:

"O Ayyub! Strike with thy foot: here is (water) wherein to wash, cool and refreshing and (water) to drink."⁹

Hazrat Ayyub rushed out of the hut with the excitement caused by this order. He hit the ground with his foot in front of the hut. He saw that lucid and clear water gushed forth. He had a bath with this water and drank it. He became healthy again with the permission of Allah.¹⁰

Treatment with sulfurous and healing hot water is a method that is valid also today. This method of treatment was taught to human beings through Hazrat Ayyub, who was a hero of patience.

Hazrat Ayyub passed the test of patience. Richness, poverty and severe illness did not distort him and prevent him from worshipping Allah.

Afterwards, Allah Almighty made him a rich person again and increased his children.

* * *

The Prophet (pbuh) narrates the moment of Hazrat Ayyub’s recovery from his illness as follows:

"While Ayyub was having a bath with the miraculous water, a lot of golden locusts fell in front of him. Ayyub started to pick them and fill his pockets with them. Thereupon, Allah said,

"O Ayyub! Did I not make you rich again by returning your wealth to you? Why did you need to collect them?" The Prophet Ayyub answered as follows:

"Yes, you did, my Lord! You made me rich again. However, this does not make me feel indifferent to your bounties. I will accept whatever is granted by You because You give it. How can I refuse something given by You?"¹¹

There is a great lesson to be taken from the words of Hazrat Ayyub. There is no drawback to liking and wanting clean and legitimate things given by Allah. The religion of Islam does not forbid having property; what it forbids is to forget Allah with the ambition of being rich.

It is approved by the religion of Islam to want to be rich and to work for it without forgetting Allah and without skipping religious duties like zakah and sadaqah.

PERMISSION FOR AYYUB

One day during Ayyub's illness, his wife delayed serving him and annoyed him. Due to this trouble, Hz. Ayyub vowed to hit her with a cane 100 times when he became well.¹²

After Hz. Ayyub recovered from his illness, he remembered his vow. How could he beat his compassionate and loyal wife 100 times? Was this beating going to be the reward for her good deeds and loyalty for Allah? If he broke his vow, what would happen? Allah Almighty helped him and relieved him by giving him the following order:

"O Ayyub! Take a bunch of sticks and hit your wife with it once; thus, you can keep your vow.¹³

Hz. Ayyub was very glad to hear this order; he picked one hundred thin sticks and formed a bunch with them. He hit his wife with it once. Thus, he hit her with one hundred sticks and kept his vow.¹⁴ When his wife saw this grace of Allah Almighty's, she felt very happy and thanked and praised her Lord, who helped them, more and became more loyal to her husband.

This method, which is referred to as "the Permission for Ayyub" in the Islamic fiqh, is sometimes used related to vows and punishments.¹⁵

DEATH OF HZ. AYYUB

It is narrated that 7 people among his nation believed in Hz. Ayyub and that he died at the age of 140 or 93.¹⁶

According to Ayni, who explained Bukhari, the grave of Hz. Ayyub is in Basna, Damascus.¹⁷

It is also narrated that Hz. Ayyub had a son called Bishr and that he became a prophet and continued his father's duty after his death.¹⁸

LESSONS TO BE TAKEN FROM THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET AYYUB

The Prophet Ayyub was a generous and merciful person. He helped the poor, guests and orphans when he was rich. He took care of them and tried to solve their problems.

He was famous for his patience and endurance.

According to a narration, he suffered from that illness for eighteen years. He never complained about it. Once, his wife said to him,

"Had you not better pray Allah Almighty and get rid of your troubles and illness?"

Hazrat Ayyub answered her as follows:

"I lived in welfare for 80 years. The period of hardship and trouble has not been that long by any means. I feel ashamed to ask Allah Almighty something like that. How can I pray Him and ask Him to remove this illness?"¹⁹

According to another narration, Hz. Ayyub uttered the following statement whenever a misfortune hit him:

“O Allah! You gave it and you took it back."

Allah Almighty set His prophets as examples in both material and spiritual matters.

Man was informed through prophets about what to do regarding all kinds of things that happen to him. Poverty, richness, illness, etc are things that can happen to man any moment.

The lives of the prophets Yusuf (Joseph) and Sulayman (Solomon) should be examples for rich people. They should try to get rid of conceitedness, arrogance, impertinence and naughtiness.

Those who are exposed to troubles and misfortunes should regard the Prophet Ayyub as an example. They should take lessons from his patience and endurance in order to put up with troubles and misfortunes firmly.

The Prophet (pbuh) stated the following regarding the issue:

"Among people, those who are exposed to troubles and misfortunes the most are prophets. After prophets come saints and then other people. Troubles and misfortunes are inflicted on a person based on the degree of his religiousness."

There are several reasons why Allah inflicts most troubles and misfortunes on His beloved servants. Some of them are as follows:

1. In our religion, worship is divided into two:

First: positive worship. Fulfilling Allah's order like prayers (salah) and fasting is regarded as positive worship.

Second: negative worship. Showing patience and endurance to the troubles and misfortunes sent by Allah is regarded as negative worship.

Negative worship is purer and more sincere than positive worship. For, man can show off while performing prayers. However, something like that is not in question when he shows patience to a misfortune. Therefore, the reward of negative worship is much greater.

This is one of the reasons why Allah sends the biggest misfortunes to His beloved servants.

For, the more a person is hit by misfortunes, the more he worships. The more he worships, the more rewards he receives.

2. Man's skills and talents can develop only through hardship and troubles.

Life becomes pure and its value increases only through misfortunes; thus, man gets rid of nonexistence and nihility.

Only through misfortunes can the negative feelings of man be tamed

If there were no misfortunes and troubles, man would act heedlessly and could forget his purpose of creation and his main duties. He could move away from good deeds by being affected by his bad feelings. Therefore, misfortunes and troubles play an important role in educating and warning man.

3. Misfortunes and troubles are also a test for man. Lofty spirits pass this test thanks to patience and consent; thus, they attain higher degrees. Mean spirits fail this test due to their disobedience and complaints.

As man is elevated spiritually and as his spiritual rank and degree increases, his test becomes more difficult. The test of an elementary school student and a university student cannot be the same. Therefore, the tests of troubles and misfortunes of Allah's beloved servants, who are like university students, will definitely be harder than those of other people.

FOOTNOTES

1 C. Paşa, I, 27.

2 ibid, I, 27.

3 ibid, I, 27; M.Vehbi, IX, 3469.

4 Bilmen, III, 1611.

5 M. Vehbi, IX,3469.

6 M. Vehbi, XII, 4803.

(*} In some tafsir books, it is stated that there were worms in the wounds of Hz. Ayyub. It is unanimously agreed by Islamic scholars that prophets are free and away from the states that can disgust people. Therefore, it is definite that Hz. Ayyub is also free and away from the states that can disgust people when they are seen from outside. Then, his wounds on his body were not so open as to make people disgust. Therefore, those who looked at him could not see his chronic wounds clearly but knew that he was in pain. As a matter of fact, there are so many people with cancer and other diseases in hospitals today; their inner organs are inflamed but people cannot notice them from outside. They do not disgust people.

The state of Hz. Ayyub was like that. Those who looked at him could not see anything that would make them disgust but the microbes and worms in his wounds harmed his body including his tongue and heart. They prevented him from mentioning the names of Allah and meditating. (A. Şahin, Yeni Asya Newspaper, 24/2/1976).

7 al-Anbiya, 83.

8 Lem’alar, 14.

9 Sa’d, 42.

10 M. Vehbi, XII, 4804.

11 Tajrid, IX, 143.

12 Çantay, II, 817.

13 Sa’d, 44.

14 Çantay, II, 817.

15 Tajrid trnsl., IX, 142.

16 Bilmen, IV, 2174.

17 Tajrid, IX, 143.

18 Kısas-ı Enbiya, I, 27.

19 Bilmen, IV, 2173.

7-) Prophet Isa [Jesus] (Peace be upon him)

His name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah. (Aal-i Imran, 3/45)

Hz. MARYAM (MARY)

As it was mentioned in the previous chapter, Hz. Isa’s mother was Hz. Maryam, who gave birth to him without a father.

Hz. Maryam’s father was Imran and her mother was Hanna. Maryam belonged to the tribe of Masan of Children of Israel. Her lineage goes back to Hz. Sulayman (Solomon).1

Hz. Maryam was always engaged in worshipping in her small room on the eastern side of Masjid al-Aqsa. Only Hz. Zakariyya entered her room. Despite this, Hz. Maryam always had a cover over the door.2 Thus, she acted cautiously to protect her chastity. Once, Hz. Jibril came while she was worshipping. He was disguised as a young man.3 Hz. Maryam was appalled when she suddenly saw a man that she did not know. Since she did not know why he had come, she said to him,

"O stranger! I take refuge in Allah from your evil. If you fear Allah go away and make me feel safe from your evil."4

Hz. Jibril's arrival like that was a testing for Hz. Maryam. Allah Almighty wanted to make it clear how fastidiously she protected her chastity.

Hz. Jibril introduced himself immediately in order to eliminate Hz. Maryam’s fear. He told her that he was Jibril.5 Hz. Maryam felt relieved; she was convinced that he was Jibril.(*) Thereupon, Hz. Jibril told her the reason why Allah sent him to her:

"O Maryam! I am only a messenger from your Lord to announce to you the gift of a holy son"6 His name is Masih, son of Maryam. He is distinguished and honorable in both the world and the hereafter; he is among those who were made close to Allah. He will speak to people in the cradle and when he grows up. He is among the righteous people." 7

Hz. Maryam was surprised by this unexpected good news. She was astonished by the news that she would have a child though he was not married. She expressed her astonishment by asking Jibril,

"How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?"8 Hz. Jibril said,

"Allah has power over everything. He creates whatever He wishes. When He decides about something, He says "be" and it takes place. He will create your child without a father as a sign of His majesty and power.”9

After this statement, Hz. Jibril blew toward Hz. Maryam (causing a magnetic effect) and left. At that time, Hz. Maryam was about 15 years old.

The divine will decreed that Hz. Isa was going to be born. The reason why Hz. Maryam asked Hz. Jibril how it could take place was not because of doubting the divine power. Hz. Jibril told her about something that would take place for the first time since the time of Hz. Adam. In fact, Hz. Adam was created out of mud without a father and mother. The power that created him definitely had the ability to create Hz. Isa. However, a long period of time passed after that; people reproduced through marriage. Coming to existence through another way seemed almost impossible after Hz. Adam. To tell someone that a child was going to be born without a father would definitely cause astonishment. That was why Hz. Maryam was astonished. To be the subject of such an extraordinary event that nobody had experienced before excited and astonished her. Besides, what was she going to say to the other people? How was she going to make them accept such a thing? Were they going to believe that she had a baby without a father? These issues were the biggest causes of her excitement and astonishment.

HZ. ISA’S BIRTH

After this good news of Jibril’s, Hz. Maryam increased her prayers and worshipping. She started to thank Allah more.

After a while, signs of pregnancy became apparent in Mary. Thereupon, she retired into seclusion, to a remote place away from people.10 She was going to wait for her child to be delivered.

Pregnancy was very difficult. Hz. Maryam had sorrowful and troubled days. Once, she was walking around in the garden of the place where she was staying; she was under a dry date tree. Her pains increased. She held onto a date branch and started to think: People knew her as a clean and chaste girl. What would they say when they saw her with a baby? Hz. Maryam’s heart seemed to be stopping when she thought about the blaming words and accusations she would hear. She said to herself,

"Ah! Would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!"11

Suddenly, the dry date tree that Hz. Maryam was holding started to green and give fruit.12 There was a similarity between the dry tree becoming green and giving fruit and Maryam’s giving birth to a child without a father. Hz. Maryam thought about this issue and consoled herself; she felt that her troubles were relieved.

At the end of the ninth month of her pregnancy, Hz. Maryam gave birth to her son Isa.

With the birth of Hz. Isa, Hz. Maryam’s anxiety increased. She started to think about how she would meet people like that. What was she going to say when they asked, “Where did this baby come from?”

While sitting sadly with those thoughts in mind, Hz. Maryam suddenly heard a voice. It said,

"Do not grieve." Hz. Maryam looked at the baby in her arms in surprise. Yes, the voice came from him. He continued:

"Mum! Your Lord has created a glorious child (that is, me) from you.13 And shake toward you the trunk of the date tree: eat its fruits that will fall down. When you feel thirsty, drink from the rivulet flowing under your feet. (According to a narration, when Hz. Isa was born, Allah Almighty created a rivulet from the ground where his feet touched.) Cool your eye with me. Do not worry.

And if people ask you about me, say `I have vowed a fast to Allah, the Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being.'" Then, show me to them.14

With the inspiration and power of Allah, Hz. Isa talked, guided his mother and consoled her though he was a new-born baby.

In the shari'ah of the Prophet Zakariyya, it was possible to fast by not talking to people. The little Isa wanted his mother to do so and told her that he was going to answer the people who would ask questions.

Indeed, it was very difficult for Hz. Maryam to defend herself and to acquit herself. Only the speech of the baby in the cradle could have silenced them and persuaded them that it was a miracle.

HOW DOES THE QURAN EXPLAIN HZ. ISA’S BIRTH WITHOUT A FATHER?

• Hz. Isa is similar to Hz. Adam.

Christians do not accept that Hz. Isa was born without a father. They say that nobody can come to the world without a father and claim that Hz. Isa is Allah’s son. The Quran rejects their claim as follows:

"This similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him: "Be" and he was.15

As it is known, in similes the thing to which something is likened should be stronger than the thing that is likened in terms of the reason for likening. In the simile that is used in the verse, Hz. Isa is likened to Hz. Adam; in this simile, Hz. Adam is superior in terms of extraordinariness. That is, both of them are similar since they were both created without a father but Hz. Adam had no mother.

What is meant by this simile is to silence the deniers and to tell people about the truth by eliminating the issue that may lead to suspicion. We can sum up as follows:

Hz. Isa is a human being that was created in an extraordinary way. That he was created like that does not mean that he is God as Christians claim. The big aspersion cast by Jews is eliminated.16

We need to quote the explanation made by Badiuzzaman Said Nursi regarding the proof of the birth of Hz. Isa without a father here:

“Fourth Question:

At one time, an unfortunate doctor said, "Hz. Isa had a father"17, showing a verse as evidence with a crazy interpretation. The following definite decree: "The similitude of Jesus before God is as that of Adam" and similar ones show definitely that Hz. Isa had no father; thus no importance may be given to the words of those who attempt to change through idiotic, forced interpretations this firm and authentic truth, due to supposing to be impossible contravention of a law of human reproduction.

For there is no law at all that has no exceptions and from which individuals are exempt. And there is no universal rule which has not been breached by extraordinary individuals. Since the time of Adam there has been no law to which there have been no individual exceptions.

Firstly, the law of reproduction was violated in regard to origins by the origins of the two hundred thousand animal species, and brought to an end. That is, the two hundred thousand progenitors of the species, quite simply like Adam's, violated the law of reproduction. They were not born of a father and mother, and were given existence outside the law. Furthermore, the greater part—innumerable individuals—of the hundred thousand species we see with our eyes every spring are created outside that law, on the surface of leaves and on putrified matter.

So you can see just how unreasonable is someone who cannot accept with his reason the exception of a single individual in one thousand nine hundred years to a law that was violated and breached at its origin and has been so even every year, and clings to forced interpretations of the definite statements of the Qur'an.

The things those wretches call natural laws are the laws called ‘adatullah' or Divine practices, which are a universal manifestation of the Divine command and dominical will, and which Almighty Allah changes for certain instances of wisdom. He shows that His will and choice govern in everything and in every law. Certain extraordinary individuals breach those ‘practices.' This truth He points out through His decree, "The similitude of Jesus…".18

Dr. Haluk Nurbaki makes the following scientific explanation on the birth of Hz. Isa without a father:

In man's cells, his genetic codes are hidden. No cell can produce a new human being by decoding it. Only the sex cells were created in a way that can decode them. However, the phases of preparation for reproduction of these cells are very interesting. If we think of a woman reproduction cell (a big cell called ovum), it exists as a whole surrounded by rich chemicals which have not been known very well yet. Every woman has an average of four hundred cells like that. These cells become ready when she reaches the age of puberty. Each one of these cells was created carefully. For, their number is very small: 400, which is a very low number in terms of cell biology. Every month, one of these cells are transferred into the abdominal cavity by being retouched a bit in a complicated hormonal system and then to the reproduction tubes through reproduction ducts. The phase called retouch is actually the division of the cells into two in the middle. When these cells, called ovum, take action to produce a new human being, the genetic codes are cut into two. They are made ready for insemination so that the other half is taken from the father; this biological tradition has been going on since the beginning of humanity. Thus, the birth of a new living being is removed from the biologic will of a human being and is given to the full control of Allah. If it had not been like that and if the ovum of the woman had gone to the uterus with the ability to repeat itself and a baby had been born on its own, the physical and biological structure of the mother would have repeated and new faces would not have been seen. Due to this fine wisdom, the authority of the ovum to produce a baby was removed from it though it had the ability to produce a child alone. Then, the real miracle is not to give birth to a child without a father but to be forced to give birth to a child with a father.

When these biological facts are taken into consideration, if a scientist describes Hz. Isa’s birth without a father as "impossible", it means he says, "I do not know biology." However, the intervention of Allah Almighty is necessary for an ovum cell to continue reproduction in order to produce a human being on its own by decoding.

This subtlety is described as an extraordinary scientific miracle in the chapter of Maryam. Jibril’s beaming Maryam down or having an unknown magnetic effect on her expresses this fact. Otherwise, Allah Almighty could have said, “I wished it and created Hz. Isa in Maryam’s womb." On the contrary, the expression of Allah Almighty's special intervention through Jibril aims to emphasize this fact.

All of the researches done in laboratories by believing or unbelieving scientists are in the direction of making use of the secret of this verse whether they notice it or not.”19

• Hz. Isa is mentioned by being attributed to his mother in the Quran

In the Quran, no prophet is mentioned by their fathers' or mothers' names like "son of …….". All prophets are mentioned by their names like Adam, Idris (Enoch), Nuh (Noah), Hud, etc. However, Hz. Isa is always mentioned as “Isa son of Maryam” in the verses and is attributed to his mother. With this expression, the Quran rejects all of the wrong ideas and unjust slanders about him:

Hz. Isa is not Allah's son as Christians claim. He was born of Hz. Maryam. His difference from other people is that he was born without a father, thanks to the power of Allah. Allah Almighty had created Hz. Adam without a mother and father before him. Hz. Isa is similar to him. Therefore, he is not a deity.

Hz. Isa is not son of Yusuf (Joseph) as Jews claim.20 He is a word thrown by Allah into Maryam. He was created without a father with the order "Be!"

In a hadith the Prophet (pbuh) resembled his cousin Hz. Ali to the state of Hz. Isa and said, “O Ali! You resemble the state of Hz. Isa. Jews hated him and accused his mother. They denied his prophethood and perfection. Christians loved him but transgressed the limits and called him 'the son of God.”21

Some Shiites loved Hz. Ali excessively and said, "Ali is Allah." Umayyads and Kharijites denied him completely and refused his perfection.

THE BABY THAT TALKED

Hz. Maryam waited for 40 days after giving birth to her son Isa. When she became clean after the puerperum, she returned to her place.

When the people saw Hz. Maryam carrying a baby in her arms, they were astonished. Then, they got furious and started to criticize and blame her:

"O Maryam! What did you do? What is this baby in your arms? O sister of Aaron (Harun)22 ! Your father was not a man of evil, nor your mother a woman unchaste. You used to be a chaste girl that worshipped until recently. How come you did such a bad thing? You disgraced yourself and your family."23

To do an ugly and forbidden deed is bad for everybody and it necessitates punishment. However, if they are committed by the children of righteous people and scholars, they are worse and necessitate more punishment. Therefore, her nation reminded Hz. Maryam that her family was righteous and blamed and criticized her more than others.

* * *

When Hz. Maryam was criticized and insulted by her nation, she did not say anything. She pointed to the baby in her arms. She meant, "Ask him." The people thought Hz. Maryam was mocking them. They said,

"How can we talk to a child in the cradle? He cannot answer us. Do you want to waste our time since you cannot answer it?"24

However, something unexpected happened. Upon the sign of his mother, the baby in the cradle started to speak. He spoke clearly: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He has given me revelation and made me a prophet; He has enjoined on me prayer and charity as long as I live. He has made me kind to my mother, who is chaste and whom you blame. He did not make me an unfortunate oppressor. So Peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die and the day that I shall be raised up to life again."25

This answer of Hz. Isa’s was very significant. That he started his talk as, "I am indeed a servant of Allah" was a rejection beforehand of those who would claim that he was a deity. He acquitted his mother by saying, “He has made me kind to my mother.”

According to what is reported in the tafsir called Hazin, these words of Hz. Isa’s were uttered at a place where Hz. Zakariyya was present. When Hz. Isa started to speak, Hz. Zakariyya encouraged him and said, “Talk with your evidence and silence them.”26

When Hz. Isa uttered those words, he was a baby of 40 days old. After he uttered them, he kept silent. He did not speak again until he reached the normal age of speaking.27

As it is seen, Hz. Isa first stated that he was a servant of Allah; thus, he refused Christian's claim in the future that he was a deity and he proved that Allah was free from having a child and a partner. After that, he proved that his mother was innocent and chaste.

As a matter of fact, it was necessary to prove his mother's innocence first in appearance because that accusation was in question at that time. Hz. Isa was called Allah’s son afterwards.

We understand that the elimination of the accusation and slander that Allah had a son was more important than the elimination of the accusation against Hz. Isa’s mother. Besides, there is an indication here that the rights of Allah are superior to the rights of parents. When the rights of Allah are necessary to be fulfilled, the rights of parents are fulfilled later. As a matter of fact, the demands of parents that necessitate disobedience to Allah's decrees are not fulfilled. In that case, it is wajib not to obey the orders of parents.28

The order of a person who orders disobedience to Allah and committing a sin is not fulfilled no matter who he is (the president, parents or any other person). This is a principle of Islam.29

They show that it is the primary duty of a believer to give priority to the rights of Allah. Therefore, Hz. Isa rejected the slanders and accusations to be made against Allah Almighty in the future before rejecting the accusations against his mother.30

THE MARTYRDOM OF HZ. ZAKARIYYA AND YAHYA

Hz. Isa’s speech in the cradle refuted the accusations of Jews about Maryam. Therefore, they kept silent. However, after a while, they started to make the same accusations and cast aspersions. They claimed that Maryam had committed fornication; they said nobody could be born without a father. Some of them even said, "Probably Zakariyya committed it." In the course of time, people started to believe in this idea. Eventually, they were agitated and killed the Prophet Zakariyya, who was innocent.31

They did not stop there. Afterwards, they also martyred the Prophet Yahya due to something insignificant.32

Due to these evil murders, Jews are mentioned as the killers of prophets in the Quran and condemned.

No other nation in history dared to kill their prophets.33

THE PROPHETHOOD OF HZ. ISA

Realizing that Jews were going to attack her after martyring Hz. Zakariyya, Hz. Maryam left Quds with her son. She settled in a place higher than the sea level. It was a nice place with fresh air, water and fruits.34 According to some narrations, it was a place in Egypt.35

Hz. Maryam stayed there for 12 years. Then, she returned to Quds and settled in a village there.

She lived there until Hz. Isa reached the age of 30.36

When he became 30, Allah sent Hz. Isa as a prophet to Children of Israel.

After stating that He sent Noah (Nuh) and Abraham (Ibrahim) as prophets, Allah Almighty stated that some of them believed but that many of them became rebellious transgressors.37

In the verse that followed, it is stated that many more prophets were sent after Nuh and Ibrahim and finally Jesus the son of Mary was sent as a member of the chain of prophets who shared the same belief in order to guide his nation.38

As soon as Hz. Isa became a prophet, he started to call Jews to the right path:

"I am definitely a messenger sent to you. I call all of you to worship Allah, who is one. I ask you to do good deeds and to avoid bad deeds."

Prophethood was a big claim. Therefore, the people doubted it. They asked him to show evidence and a miracle.

Hz. Isa addressed them as follows:

"All right. I will make a bird out of mud and blow into it. With the permission of Allah, this bird will come to life and fly. I will also make blind people see. I will cure the skin disease of the incurable people with dappled and mottled skin. I will revive the dead people. I will also tell you what you eat, drink and keep in your houses. Do you promise that you will believe in me after I do them?"

All of the Jews said,

"Yes, we will believe in you then."

Hz. Isa picked a piece of mud. He shaped it like a bird. Then, he prayed and blew onto it. Suddenly, the bird came to life and started to fly by flapping its wings.39

The Jews were surprised. They whispered among themselves by looking at one another:

"This is great magic."

Instead of believing, the Jews started to look for excuses though they saw the miracle. One of them said,

"O Isa! Show us how you cure blind people."

They found a blind person and brought him to Hz. Isa. When Hz. Isa touched the eyes of the blind person with his hands, his eyes started to see. He shouted joyfully:

"I can see! I can see!" Hz. Isa also cured the people with incurable skin diseases with the permission of Allah.

The Jews did not believe despite these miracles that cured people. They wanted bigger miracles. They said,

"We will not believe in you unless you revive a dead person." Thereupon, Hz. Isa revived 4 dead people in front of the Jews with the permission of Allah. The first one was a friend of Isa’s. He had died 3 days ago. They went to his grave. Hz. Isa prayed Allah to revive him. In front of the people, the grave opened and the dead man stood up by shaking off the dust on him.

The Jews were astounded but they did not find this miracle sufficient. They demanded some other miracles. Thereupon, Hz. Isa revived the son of an old woman. He got out of the coffin and stood up while being taken to the grave thanks to the prayer of Hz. Isa.

The Jews had not been satisfied yet. Hz. Isa revived another person who had died a few days ago as the third person. These people, who were revived by Hz. Isa lived for a while after being revived.

The Jews objected to Hz. Isa by saying, “Maybe, they had not died yet. How do we know you revived them?" Therefore, they asked him to revive a person that had died a long time ago, for instance, Hz. Nuh’s son Sam. Hz. Isa revived Hz. Nuh’s son Sam with the permission of Allah. Sam witnessed that Hz. Isa was a prophet and died again. Even after seeing this clear and great miracle, Children of Israel denied him again. They said,

"They are all magic. This man is a magician."40

After these miracles, Hz. Isa told each Jew what they ate, drank and kept in their houses.41 This miracle alone was enough for a conscientious person as proof of the prophethood of Hz. Isa. However, Children of Israel insisted on their denial.

THE GOSPEL

Allah Almighty sent down a holy book called the Gospel to Hz. Isa afterwards. This book confirmed the Torah brought by Hz. Musa and clarified some issues about which Jews fell into dispute. It removed some decrees that had been forbidden by the Torah, making some things easy for people.42

Confirming the Torah means believing that it is one of the holy books and that it is true. Therefore, to remove some decrees is not contrary to confirming it.

In fact, all prophets unanimously agree on the principles of belief. The issues that they differ are related to some details. The changes in some details are similar to the changes in clothes based on seasons and drugs based on illnesses. There are no contrasts in principles.

The Gospel sent down to Hz. Isa is defined through the following five attributes in the Quran:

a) It is guidance for people. For, there are verses mentioning the true principles of belief in the Gospel, which is guidance for people.

b) It is light for people. Since it contains the legal decrees that lead to the happiness of people, it deserves the name light.

c) It confirms the Torah. The Gospel approves that the Torah, which was sent before it, is a heavenly book and that it was necessary to act in accordance with it when it was valid.

d) The Gospel is guidance for people in terms of another aspect. For, the Gospel is guidance for people since it contains the legal decrees; in addition, it is also guidance for people since it gives the glad tidings that Hz. Muhammad is going to be sent as a prophet and it mentions his attributes. As a matter of fact, many Christians believed in the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) due to the attributes mentioned in the Gospel.

e) The Gospel is preaching and advice for those who fear Allah because it contains a lot of preaching and advice.43

After Hz. Isa, the Gospel underwent many distortions.

After the revelation of the Gospel, Hz. Isa read the people the preaching and advice in the Gospel and tried to guide them. He said to them,

"O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, who is my Lord, and your Lord… This is the only true way leading to salvation.

Whoever joins other gods with Allah―Allah will forbid him the Garden and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help.”44

THE APOSTLES

According to narrations, only 12 people accepted the call of Hz. Isa and believed in him.45 These holy people are called the apostles (hawaris: hawariyyun) in the Quran.46

Hawari means white and pure; it also means sincere friend and helper.

The Prophet (pbuh) stated the following about Hz. Zubayr bin Awwam, one of the ten people who were promised Paradise: “Every prophet has a hawari. My hawari is Hz. Zubayr.”47

Hz. Zubayr is the Prophet's paternal aunt's son. He is the first person to draw his sword in the way of Allah and he resisted in the Battle of Uhud. He received the glad tiding and compliments due to his service, which pleased the Prophet, in the Battle of Khandaq.

Aliyyu’1-Qari interprets the word hawari as sincere helper in the explanation of the book called Mishqat.

This first meaning is preferred for Hz. Isa’s friends called hawaris. The second meaning is accepted for some companions of the Prophet (pbuh) when they are called hawaris.48

Some scholars explain the reason why they are called hawaris as follows: they clean the spirits of people from ignorance and doubts by teaching them the religious decrees.

Hawaris were noble and rich people of high ranks before they believed in Hz. Isa. After they believed in him, they started to earn their livings through their hands. Some of them washed clothes; some of them fished and others hunted.49

Hawaris were loyal and persistent people in terms of their belief. They resisted all kinds of oppression and pressure inflicted upon them by the community. They never gave up. Hz. Isa sometimes sent them to the places around to guide the people.

THE TABLE THAT CAME DOWN FROM THE SKY

When Hawaris believed in Hz. Isa, they asked him,

"O Isa, the son of Mary! Can our Lord send down to us a table set from heaven?" 50 This request of Hawaris' included a demand for a miracle. However, miracles were shown to prove the trueness of prophethood. Therefore, these demands always came from unbelievers. A believer did not need and should not have needed a miracle. Therefore, Hz. Isa said, "Fear Allah if you have faith. Do not ask something like that."51

Hawaris told Hz Isa that he did not have to worry:

"We definitely have faith. However, we wish to eat from a table our Lord will send in order to satisfy our hearts. We also want to see the trueness of your words with our own eyes so that we ourselves may be witnesses to the miracle."52

When Hz. Isa found out that they wanted it with a sincere intention, he became glad. He decided to pray Allah for it.

According to a narration, Hz. Isa made ghusl before starting to pray; he put on a woolen garment and wept by lowering his head. He performed a prayer of two rak'ahs. Then, he started to pray as follows: 53

"O Allah, our Lord! Send us from heaven a table set that there may be for us― for the first and the last of us a solemn festival and a sign from you; and provide for our sustenance, for you are the best Sustainer."54

There is something remarkable here. When the apostles mentioned the reason why they wanted the table they used the word eating first; they mentioned their religious and spiritual purposes after that. However, Hz. Isa mentioned the religious purposes first and expressed worldly purposes like eating and being fed after that. Thus, he showed that the otherworldly issues need to be preferred to the worldly issues. Besides, he used the word sustenance instead of eating and fulfilled his duty of thanking and praising the Sustainer.

When this fine understanding and spiritual alertness is taken into consideration, the difference of spiritual perfection, that is, the different between prophethood and sainthood becomes clear.

Allah Almighty accepted Hz. Isa’s prayer but He also warned him: "I will send it down unto you: but if any of you after that resists faith, I will punish him with a penalty such as I have not inflicted on anyone among all the peoples."55

According to a narration, the table was sent down on a Sunday. It was full of various bounties and sustenance. The apostles ate from them as much as they wanted. Then, Christians accepted that day as a holiday. Thus, the prayer of Hz. Isa was accepted.56

The table sent down from the sky increased the power of the apostles' belief. Their belief was elevated to the level of investigative belief from imitative belief. Once, Hz. Isa asked them the following question:

"Who will be my helpers to the work of Allah?"

With their hearts full of belief, the apostles said all together,

"We are Allah's helpers; we believe in Allah and bear witness that we are believers."57

After answering Hz. Isa like that, the apostles turned to their Lord and prayed Him as follows:

"Our Lord! We believe in what you have revealed, and we follow the Messenger; then write us down among those who bear witness.”58

Indeed, the apostles kept their promise they gave to Allah and Hz. Isa; they served the true religion until they died. They put up with all kinds of troubles, pressure and torture in the way of Allah; they showed patience. They did not give up their belief in the least.

HZ. ISA GIVES GLAD TIDINGS ABOUT THE LAST PROPHET

All prophets informed their ummahs about the prophet of the end of time. The prophets made their ummahs promise that they would believe in him if they met him.59

The Prophet that mentioned Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) the most was Hz. Isa.

Hz. Isa always told his followers that a prophet that would be the leader of the world would come. He said that he would leave and be a sign for his advent.

This issue is stated as follows in the Quran:

— And remember Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah (sent) to you confirming the Law (which came) before me, and giving glad Tidings of an Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad."60

As it is seen, Hz. Isa mentioned our Prophet by using his name Ahmad. The Prophet stated the following indicating this issue:

"My name is mentioned as Muhammad in the Quran, Ahmad in the Gospel and Ahyad in the Torah.”61

In many places in the Gospel, the attributes and ethics of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), the place where would emerge, the place to which he would migrate, how his religion would spread to the world are mentioned in detail. After the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), Christians changed and distorted most of these signs. For instance, Sheikh Rahmatullah Hindi, an Islamic scholar, proves most of these distortions in his book called Izharu’1-Haqq. Despite those distortions, Husayn al-Jisri found about 110 signs in the Gospel about our Prophet. If this is the amount found after distortion, you can imagine how much it was before its distortion.62

The reason why Hz. Isa mentions Hz, Muhammad so much is as follows:

1. Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) saved Hz. Isa from the lies, denials and slanders of Jews.

2. Our Prophet has a lighter and easier shari'ah compared to the hard and heavy shari'ah of Jews. Besides, it completed and perfected the shari'ah of Hz. Isa. For, the shari'ah of Hz. Isa generally consisted of advice. It did not have many decrees about the worldly life.

Therefore, Hz. Isa always said, “The leader of the world is coming", when he mentioned our Prophet (pbuh) and gave glad tidings to his apostles.63 The Prophet stated the following in a hadith:

"I am the closest to Isa, son of Maryam, in the world and the hereafter. In fact, all prophets are like half brothers. Their mothers are different. That is, they have the same religion: the religion of oneness.”64

HZ. ISA IS RAISED TO THE SKY

The Jews saw that Hz. Isa never stopped telling people about his cause despite their oppression and pressure. This increased their fury and agitated their jealousy. Eventually, they decided to conspire against him. One of them was going to pretend to have believed and join the apostles. He was going to find out the place and time of their meeting; then, the Jews were going to attack them. They believed that Hz. Isa's cause would end if they killed him.

They fulfilled the plan at once. They got a person called Taitanos to join the apostles. They made their plan cleverly. However, they were not aware of the divine plan waiting for them. Their plan was going to be reversed.

While the Jews were preparing for the assassination, Allah Almighty informed Hz. Isa about the situation through revelation.

The divine revelation ordained the state of Hz. Isa and his religion after that as follows:

"O Isa! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear you of the falsehoods of those who blaspheme.65 I will prevent them from killing you. I will make those who follow you superior to those who reject faith (Jews) to the Day of Resurrection; then, you will all return unto Me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein you dispute.”66

The verse above completely reject the claim of Jews that they killed Hz. Isa. the word "mutawaffika" is used in the verse. Allah Almighty used this word to address Hz. Isa. Scholars disagreed about the meaning of this word. Tafsir scholars interpreted it as follows:

a) Tawaffi means death. However, this death took place after Hz. Isa was raised to the sky. He was raised to the sky while he was alive. He will complete his lifespan and die before Doomsday strikes. This completion of lifespan will take place in the form of his coming down to the world and acting in accordance with the rules of Islam for a while, bringing peace to the world and dying after that. This is a narration reported by Qatada. This is the most common and famous view.67 For, there are various hadiths stating that Hz. Isa was raised to the sky with both his spirit and his body. For instance, the following is stated in a hadith: “Isa did not die. He will return to you before the Day of Judgment.”68 In this sense, there is a glad tiding by Allah Almighty that He would prevent him from being killed by his enemies and that He would protect him from their evil deeds.69

b) Tawaffi means death. However, this death took place before he was raised to the sky. He remained as a dead person for about seven hours and then he was revived. After that, he was raised to the sky. This narration is weak.70

c) It means to make someone sleep. In that case, mutawaffika means “I will put you to sleep. I will raise you to the sky while you are asleep.”71

d) It means to remove him from the world.72

e) It means I will clear you of natural lust and human traces, which prevent you from entering the realm of angels.

In the verses in which Hz. Isa’s being raised to the sky is mentioned, this deed is attributed Allah Almighty. That is, it is stated that Allah Almighty raised him to the sky with His power. Christians do not attribute it to Allah Almighty. They believe that Hz. Isa went up to the sky through his own power.73

In this verse (Aal-i Imran, 55), it is indicated that those who follow Hz. Isa will always be superior to Jews in all centuries and that Jews will always live in contempt.

It is clearly stated in another verse that shame and destitution were pitched over Jews and that they will always live in contempt and abasement.74

What is meant by those who follow Hz. Isa is the real and sincere believers of Christianity up to the time of the advent of Islam and the ummah of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) after that. For, the ummah of Islam believes in Hz. Isa and confirms his prophethood. Besides, they follow Hz. Muhammad, whom Hz. Isa mentioned many times and in whom Hz. Isa encouraged his apostles to believe. Therefore, after the advent of Islam, his real followers are the ummah of Islam. In this sense, it is understood that Jews will be defeated by the ummah of Islam in all centuries. (*).

JEWS CRUCIFY TAITANOS

According to narration, about 4 thousand Jews came together and surrounded the house where Hz. Isa was living. They were waiting for the sign of Taitanos, whom they had sent into the house. However, Allah Almighty removed Hz. Isa from the earth and raised him to the sky.

When Taitanos could not see Hz. Isa in the house, he was astonished. He went to the door to tell people about the situation. Meanwhile something unexpected happened. Allah made his face resemble the face of Hz. Isa. When the Jews saw him, they thought he was Hz. Isa. They caught him. They were very angry. They shouted,

"Hang him! Hang the magician Isa!" They started to drag the man whom they thought to be Hz Isa. They did not listen to him when he said, "I am not Isa." They insulted and swore at him continuously.

They crucified him on a cross made of wood in the biggest square of the city. They started to stone him. Blood was coming from his head, face and feet. They left him like that and he died.

Then, they left, thinking that they killed Hz. Isa. They thought it was over.

When the excitement was over and they looked at him calmly, they were astonished. The face of the man they crucified resembled the face of Hz. Isa but his body did not resemble him at all. Where was Taitanos, their friend?

Thereupon, they started to argue. Some of them said the person they killed was not Isa while others claimed that he was Isa.

The Quran points to this issue of resembling and states that the claim of Jews that they killed Isa, son of Mary, is not true; it also states that they themselves fell into dispute about it.75

Christians believe that Hz. Isa was really crucified and died. They even say that he begged Jews in order to save his life.76

Fakhruddin Razi criticizes this belief of Christians' as follows in his couplets:

"I am surprised by the state of Hz. Isa in the eyes of Christians. They attribute him to Allah as his father. However, they also accept the claim of Jews that he was crucified and killed. We need to ask them what his father was doing then if it really happened. If He was pleased with what Jews did, Christians need to thank Jews. If they killed Allah's son despite the wish of Allah, it means Jews are superior and Christians need to worship them.”77

HZ. ISA IS ALIVE

Hz. Isa was not crucified or killed. Allah Almighty removed him from the hands of the ferocious unbelievers and raised him to the sky. He is alive like Hz. Idris (Enoch), who was raised to the sky before him. Both prophets live in the same level of life.

Badiuzzaman Said Nursi explains the form and level of life of Hz. Idris and Hz. Isa as follows:

"Both prophets were removed from the requirements of humanity. That is, they do not need eating and drinking; they do not need air, water, etc.

They entered an angelic life and acquired a luminous fineness. They are present in the heavens with their earthly bodies, which have the subtlety of bodies from the World of Similitudes and the luminosity of star-like bodies. They are in the sky like that.78

HZ. ISA WILL RETURN TO THE EARTH AT THE END OF TIME

According to the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Hz. Isa, who was raised to the sky with his spirit and body, will come down to the earth from the sky, kill Dajjal (Antichrist) and strengthen Islam by acting in accordance with the rules of Islam. Accordingly, the religion of Christianity will return to its real and pure form at the end of time and Christianity will unite with the truths of Islam by divesting itself of wrong beliefs. Consequently, Christians and Muslims will support each other against the movements of unbelief and deviation that deny Allah and defeat them. Badiuzzaman said Nursi expresses this truth as follows:

"At the end of time, Isa (Upon whom be peace) will come and will act in accordance with the Shari’a of Muhammed (PBUH),” indicates that at the end of time the religion of Christianity will be purified and divest itself of superstition in the face of the current of unbelief and atheism born of Naturalist philosophy, and will be transformed into Islam. At this point, just as the collective personality of Christianity will kill the fearsome collective personality of irreligion with the sword of heavenly Revelation, so too, representing the collective personality of Christianity, Isa (Upon whom be peace) will kill the Dajjal, who represents the collective personality of irreligion, that is, he will kill atheistic thought."79

In another place, he expresses it as follows:

“Christianity will either erupt, or being purified will lay down its arms before Islam. It was split apart several times and Protestantism emerged. Then Protestantism was rent and approached the true affirmation of divine unity. It is preparing to be rent again. It will either erupt and be extinguished, or it will see before it the truths of Islam, which encompass the basis of true Christianity, and it will lay down its arms.

The Prophet Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) alluded to this great mystery when he said: “Jesus will come having descended from the skies; he will be of my community and will act in accordance with my Shari‘a.”80

“When Isa (Upon whom be peace) comes, it is not necessary that everyone should know him to be the true Jesus. His elect and those close to him will recognize him through the light of belief. It will not be self-evident so that everyone will recognize him.”81

STORIES AND NICE SAYINGS ABOUT HZ. ISA

Once Satan became visible to Hz. Isa and said to him,

"O Isa! Say, 'La ilaha illallah (There is no god but Allah)'” Hz. Isa said to him,

"This is the true word. I will utter him but not upon your request." Then, he said, “La ilaha illallah”.

Aliyyu’l-Hawas said, "Satan wanted Hz. Isa to follow him by doing so. However, as a prophet, Hz. Isa did not follow him and rejected him. He uttered La ilaha illallah truly.

* * *

Hz. Isa said, "A person who shows patience to an unjust and evil word gets ten rewards.”

* * *

According to a narration, Hz. Isa met a man. His eyes were blinded; he was hit by the disease of speckled skin; he also had leprosy and he could not stand up due to paralysis. When Hz. Isa approached him, he heard the man say, "Praise be to Allah who protected me from the diseases that most people caught." He asked the man, "What are the diseases that Allah protected you from?" The man said, "Allah protected me from the ignorance of not recognizing him; He honored me with divine knowledge."

Hz. Isa said to him, "You have told the truth. Give me your hand." The man stretched his hand to him. Then, he got rid of all of his illnesses; he became a person with one of the most beautiful faces. Hz. Isa did not leave this man until he was raised to the sky. He worshipped Allah together with that man.

* * *

Hz. Isa said,

"Increase the thing that fire and soil cannot eat." The people asked, "What is it?" He said, "To do favors (good deeds)."

* * *

They asked Hz. Isa,

"What is the biggest mischief?" He said,

It is the deviation of a scholar. For, when he deviates and goes astray, the world is shaken. The ignorant people make use of it. They show it as an example and try to justify their disobedience."

* * *

Hz. Isa said, “Do not give gems to pigs. Knowledge is more valuable than gems. A person who is not fit for knowledge is worse and meaner than a pig."

* * *

Hz. Isa stated the following in a sermon:

"O Children of Israel! Do not utter wisdom near ignorant people because you will have wronged wisdom. Do not avoid uttering wisdom near wise people because you will have wronged wise people if you avoid. Do not reward oppressors; virtues will become valueless if you do so.”

* * *

They asked Hz. Isa, “Why are old people more ambitious than young people?” Hz. Isa answered,

"For, they have experienced what young people have not experienced.”

* * *

They asked Hz. Isa,

"Who did you receive your good manners from?" He said,

"I did not receive them from anybody. However, I saw the ignorance of the ignorant people and I kept away from it."

* * *

When the apostles saw Hz. Isa coming out of a man who was known as an evil and shameless man, they asked him,

"O Ruhullah! What were you doing there?"

Hz. Isa said,

"A doctor goes to the place where patients are."

* * *

According to a narration, somebody from Children of Israel was a highwayman for 40 years. Once, he met Hz. Isa and one of his apostles. The man thought, “This is Hz. Isa and the man with him is one of his apostles. I will join them and started to walk behind them. When he approached the apostle, he asked himself, "Can a man like me approach an apostle?" Thus, he criticized himself. On the other hand, the apostle thought, “How can this highwayman walk next to me?" Then, he approached Hz. Isa. Thus, one of them acted modestly and the other arrogantly. Thereupon, Allah Almighty sent the following revelation to Hz. Isa:

"Tell both of them that I have erased what they did in the past. They should start doing deeds from scratch. I eliminated the previous worshipping of the apostle because he liked himself. I forgave the sins of the highwayman because he despised himself.”

Hz. Isa told both of them about the situation and accepted the highwayman as one of his apostles.

* * *

Once, Hz. Isa asked Children of Israel,

"Where does a seed spring up?" They said,

"It springs up in the soil." Hz. Isa said,

"I am telling you the truth. Like a seed, wisdom also springs up in the hearts that are modest and under the feet of people."

* * *

It is narrated that Hz. Isa sat facing an old ironsmith and prayed,

"O Allah! Stop this man's desire from the world." The man suddenly put the hammer down and sat in the corner of the workshop. He left the things to be done as they were. When Hz. Isa saw it, he prayed again,

"O Lord! Increase this man's desire." The man stood up, took his hammer and started to work again." Thereupon, Hz. Isa approached the old man and asked him why he stopped and then started to work again." The old man said,

"I thought, 'I am getting old. How long more do I intend to work? I must stop working.' Then, I stopped working. "Then, I thought, 'I need food as long as I live. I cannot stop like that.' Then, I started to work again."

Desire revives man; despair kills him.

* * *

Malik bin Dinar narrates:

Hz. Isa was passing by the dead body of a dog with his apostles. The apostles said,

"It smells terrible." Hz. Isa said,

"It has very bright teeth." Hz. Isa spoke like that in order to prevent his apostles from backbiting by seeking mistakes and to teach them that everything had a good aspect; therefore, it is better to find the good aspect and speak about it than to seek mistakes.

* * *

Once, Hz. Isa went to a place where the Jews had gathered. They started to say bad things about him. He spoke to them mildly and softly. They said to him,

"They are saying bad things about you but you still say good things." He said to them,

"Everybody sells what he has."

* * *

According to a narration, Hz. Isa saw a man and asked him,

"What do you do?" The man said,

"I am busy with worshipping." Hz. Isa asked,

"Who supports your living?" The man said,

"My brother does." Hz Isa said,

"The real worshipper is your brother."

* * *

Hz Isa asked his apostles, “If you saw the wind open the private parts of your brother, what would you do?" The apostles said, “We would cover them." He said, “No, you would open them more." They said, "How could we do such a thing?" Hz. Isa said, “When you hear something about your brother or see his mistake, you add something more and say it to others. It is like opening the private parts of a sleeping man more.”

FOOTNOTES

1 M. Asım Köksal, ibid p. 303

2 Maryam, 16-17; M.Vehbi, ibid, VIII, 3200

3 Maryam 17; The reason why Hz. Jibril came in the form of a man is that Hz. Maryam could not see him in his original form.

4 Maryam, 18

5 Maryam, 19

(*) The reason why Hz. Maryam believed that he was Jibril is the security and knowledge given to her by Allah Almighty.

6 Maryam, 19

7 Aal-i Imran, 45- 46

8 Maryam, 20; Aal-i Imran, 47

9 Maryam, 21; Aal-i Imran, 47

10 Maryam, 22

11 Maryam, 23

12 M. Vehbi, ibid, VIII, 3206see also Baydawi.

13 Maryam, 24. M. Vehbi, ibid, VIII, 3206-3207 The word sarriyen mentioned in the verse may mean Sayyid, which indicates Hz. Isa. According to another interpretation, it means a small stream. According to some narrations, when Hz. Isa was born, a small spring occurred on the ground where he stepped on. Allah Almighty met the water need of Hz. Maryam like that, giving her consolation. We took both meanings into consideration.

14 Maryam, 25-26; M. Vehbi, ibid, VIII, 3207

15 Aal-i Imran, 59, The order "Kun" (Be) in various places of the Quran is the expression of His speedy creation and the effect of His power. What is meant by Allah’s order “be” is His power's effect on what he wishes without any barriers and causes. Allah does not address everything as "be" and it is not necessary. (H. Jisri, ibid, 644)

16 H.Jisri, ibid, 644

17 Footnote: While these wonderful states of an extraordinary human being who is the leader of about one fourth of the humanity and who is transferred from being a human to being an angel in a way and who makes the skies his abode by leaving the earth necessitates a wonderful form of the law of reproduction, it does not fit and it is not necessary to include the law of reproduction in an unknown, unnatural, and low way in it. The clear verses of the Quran do not accept interpretation. How can the law of the gender of angels, which is outside the law of reproduction and which is not harmed at all and the strong laws like the clear verses of the Quran be distorted in order to repair the law of reproduction that is harmed in one hundred aspects?

18 See Badiuzzaman said Nursi, Lem’alar (Flashes), (Ottoman version) 39-41

19 Haluk Nurbaki, Kur’an-ı Kerim’den ayetler ve İlmi gerçekler

20 Yusuf (Joseph) was Hz. Maryam’s cousin. According to the narration of the Bible, he was the fiancé of Hz. Maryam. Jews claim that Hz Isa was not born without a father and that his father was Hz. Maryam’s fiancé Yusuf.

21 See Badiuzzaman said Nursi Mektubat (Letters), 109: Fikri Yavuz Hz. Peygamberin Dilinden Dört Halifesi, 255 (563/41)

22 It is stated in the verse that her nation addressed Hz. Maryam as “Harun’s sister”. There is controversy about who this Harun is. Some interpreters claim that he may be Hz. Musa’s brother Harun. In that case, it is understood that Hz. Maryam comes from the progeny of Hz. Harun. (A person from the tribe of Tamim is addressed as "O sister of Tamim"; similarly, Hz. Maryam is addressed as "O sister of Harun" since she comes from the progeny of Harun.) However, according to the preferred view, this Harun is a real brother of Hz. Maryam. The rank mentioned in the verse strengthens the possibility of a real brother. Some interpreters say it is possible that there was a man called Harun in her nation whom Hz. Maryam accepted as a model due to his piety and worshipping. (Peygamberimizin Kur’an Tefsiri, 179).

23 Maryam, 27-28; M. Vehbi, ibid, VIII. 3209-3210.

24 Maryam, 29; M.Vehbi, ibid, VIII, 3210

25 Maryam, 30-33

26 See Hazin, III, 241

27 ibid, III, 241

28 See Luqman, 13-14.

29 See al-Ajluni, Kashfu’1-Khafa’, 11. 365, 3076. hadith.

30 Hazin, III, 241.

31 A. C. Paşa, ibid, I, 39.

32 The incident that caused the martyrdom of Hz. Yahya is narrated as follows in history resources: Herod Antipas, a Jewish king, wanted to marry his brother, Philips’ wife Herodias and asked Hz. Yahya to fulfill the act of marriage. However, Hz. Yahya did not accept this marriage, which was regarded as haram according to Jewish shari'ah. Thereupon, the king got angry and sent him to prison. Herodias asked the king to kill Hz. Yahya. However, the king did not accept it because he was afraid of the reaction of the people. Thereupon, Herodias, who desired to be the queen, used her own daughter Salome to seduce the King Herod. The King fell in love with Salome; when he understood that there was nothing else to do but to marry Herodias in order to have Salome, he agreed to kill Hz. Yahya. He had Hz. Yahya’s head and arms cut off; thus, he martyred Hz. Yahya. (For detailed information, see Yıllarboyu Tarih, December 1981). One of the arms of Hz. Yahya is in Topkapı Palace Museum.

33 M. Vehbi, ibid, II, 567

34 al-Mu’minun, 50; M. Vehbi ibid, IX, 3636

35 A.C.Paşa ibid, I, 41

36 ibid, I, 41

37 al-Hadid, 26

38 al-Hadid, 27; The word "taqwiya" menetioned in the verse is derived from the word head, whose original form means nape. It means to send someone after someone else, to send someone after someone else's trace. (See M. H. Yazır, ibid, VI, 4765)

39 According to the majority of the narrations, the bird that Hz Isa shaped and then blew in order to revive was a bat. He showed this miracle upon the request of Jews. According to a narration, this bird flew a distance that everybody could see and fell down dead when it flew away from the people's visual range. (M. Vehbi, II, 605-606)

40 M. Vehbi, ibid, II, 606

41 Aal-i Imran, 49

42 See az-Zukhruf 65; Aal-i Imran, 50

43 al-Maida, 47; M. Vehbi, III, 1236

44 al-Maida, 72; Aal-i Imran, 51; az-Zukhruf, 63-64; Maryam, 36

45 A.C.Paşa ibid, I, 24; H. Jisri, ibid, 637

46 Aal-i Imran, 52; as-Saff, 14

47 Buhari, K. al-Jihad, Bab: 40; Muslim, K. as-Sahabae, Bab: 6

48 H. Jisri, ibid, 638.

49 ibid

50 al-Maida, 112.

51 al-Maida, 112; M. H. Yazır, ibid, II, 1846

52 al-Maida, 113; M.H.Yazır, II,1846

53 M. Vehbi, ibid, IV, 1358

54 al-Maida, 114; M. H. Yazır, ibid, II, 1846

55 al-Maida, 115; ibid, II 1847

56 ibid, II, 1848

57 Aal-i Imran, 52.

58 Aal-i Imran, 53.

59 See M.H.Yazır, ibid, II, 1140; M. Vehbi, ibid, II, 652

60 as-Saff, 6

61 Mektubat (Letters), 175.

62 Mektubat(Letters), 149

63 Mektubat(Letters), 176-177

64 Tajrid Trnsl.

65 The meaning of the word "tathir" (cleaning) here is to remove Hz. Isa from the unbelievers. This word is used to honor Hz. Isa’s dignity. This word indicates that those who insist on unbelief are dirty in terms of ethics and creed.

66 Aal-i Imran, 55

67 M.H.Yazır, ibid, II, 1113

68 ibid, II, 1112

69 H. Jisri, ibid, 641

70 M. H. Yazır, ibid, II, 1115; M. Vehbi, ibid, II, 614

71 ibid, II, 1115; M. Vehbi, ibid, II, 614

72 M. Vehbi, ibid, II, 614

73 H. Jisri, ibid, 650.

74 For the interpretation of this verse, see Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, Sözler (Words), 422-423.

(*) Badiuzzaman said Nursi explains as follows that today's Jewish state does not contradict with the verse: The Jewish nation has always been excessive in its love of life and this world, and has therefore deserved the blows of abasement and misery it has received every century. However, in the Palestine question it is not love of life and this world, but a significant sort of national and religious feeling because Palestine is where the prophets of the Children of Israel are buried, and the prophets belonged to their nation. In consequence they have received no swift blows. A small group could never otherwise have held out in the midst of the vast Arab lands; it would quickly have been humiliated.” (Şualar (Rays), 460-461).

75 An-Nisa, 157

76 H.Jisri, ibid, 650

77 ibid, 650-651

78 Mektubat (Letters), 6

79 Mektubat, Birinci Mektup (Letters, First Letter)

80 Bukhari, Anbiya, 49; Muslim, Iman, 242-247; Tirmidhi, Fitan, 62; Musnad, 4:226.

81 Mektubat, On Beşinci Mektup (Letters, Fifteenth Letter)

8-) Prophet Luqman (Peace be upon him)

We bestowed (in the past) wisdom on Luqman: "Show (thy) gratitude to Allah." Any who is (so) grateful does so to the profit of his own soul: but if any is ungrateful verily Allah is free of all wants, worthy of all praise. (Luqman, 12)

IS HE A PROPHET OR NOT?

Hz. Luqman lived during the period of Hz. Dawud. He is from the people of Madyan and Ayka. First, he was a slave of Children of Israel; then, he was freed. It is stated that he was a tailor and that he was good at carpentry.¹

Hz. Luqman is the son of Hz. Ayyub's sister. He issued fatwas beforehand but when he met Hz. Dawud, he stopped it.²

It is controversial whether Hz. Luqman was a prophet or not. According to some scholars, he received revelation. According to some other scholars, he was a righteous slave who was given wisdom. He was a slave who thought a lot, who had foresight and who kept silent a lot. He loved Allah and Allah loved him. Allah granted him wisdom. This issue is stated as follows in the Quran:

‘We bestowed (in the past) wisdom on Luqman.”³The word "hikmah (wisdom)" mentioned in the verse is interpreted as knowledge, foresight and right thought.

It is stated in Risala al-Hamidiyyah that he was not a prophet but a great person who was given wisdom and who was taught by various prophets.⁴

Scholars unanimously agree that Hz. Luqman, who was known as a doctor by people, had great knowledge about medicine.⁵

It is also narrated that he lived in the city of Ramla near Bayt al-Maqdis and that he preached and gave advice to the people who visited him. When he was asked how he obtained such knowledge and wisdom though he was a slave, he gave the following answer:

“To be honest, to use the entrusted things properly and to abandon what is unnecessary.”⁶

When he was asked how he attained that high rank, he said,

“I close my eyes when I see haram things. I control my tongue. I prevent my passion. I protect my chastity. I lengthen my prayer. I keep my promises. I entertain my guests. I protect my neighbors. I abandon doing unnecessary things.”⁷

When he was a slave, his master said to him, “Slaughter a sheep and bring the best two organs of the sheep.” Hz. Luqman slaughtered a sheep and took its tongue and heart to his master. Afterwards, his master asked him to slaughter a ship and to bring him its worst two organs. He took the sheep's tongue and heart to his master again. When his master asked him the wisdom behind it, he said,

“There is nothing better than these two organs when they are good and there is nothing better than these two organs when they are bad.”⁸

HIS ADVICE TO HIS SON

It is stated in the Quran that Hz. Luqman gave very concise advice to his son. According to a narration, he had only one son and he associated partners with Allah. He talked to his son and gave him advice as follows:

"O my son! Join not in worship others with Allah: for false worship is indeed the highest wrong-doing and it is violation of the right, honor and dignity of all creatures." Yes, to associate partners with Allah is a terrible insult to the universe and a great transgression against it. By denying the sacred duties of beings and the purposes of their creation, it insults their honor.⁹

Hz. Luqman taught his son this truth and continued as follows:

“O my son! If there be (but) the weight of a mustard-seed and it were (hidden) in a rock, or (anywhere) in the heavens or on earth, Allah will bring it forth: for Allah understands the finer mysteries, (and) is well-acquainted (with them). O my son! Establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong: and bear with patient constancy whatever betide thee; for this is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs.

And swell not thy cheek (for pride) at men nor walk in insolence through the earth; for Allah loveth not any arrogant boaster. And be moderate in thy pace, and lower thy voice; for the harshest of sounds without doubt is the braying of the ass."¹⁰

There are issues to be considered for all fathers in his advice.

Once, he advised his son as follows:

“O my son! Do not delay your repentance because death comes all of a sudden. Do not pretend to be pious so that people will offer you something if you are a sinner. Fear Allah.

O my son! I do not remember being regretful because of keeping silent. For, speech is silver, silence is gold.

Attend the preachers of scholars; listen to the words of wise people. For, Allah revives dead hearts with the light of wisdom just like he revives the earth through rain.”¹¹

What needs to be remembered all the time is Allah's greatness and death. What needs to be forgotten is the favors you did and the bad deeds others did to you. If man remembers his favors, he will put the relevant person under obligation. If man does not forget the bad deeds done to him, his hatred will be triggered and his feeling of revenge will be agitated.”¹²

Once, they asked Hz. Luqman: “Who is the poorest man?”

He answered as follows: “The poorest man is the one who does not feel sorry about the sins he has committed. Such a person needs to come to his senses and feel sorry his sins. It is a sign of weakness of belief to commit a sin and not to feel sorry about it. Such a person proceeds toward unbelief very fast.”

Once, somebody looked at Hz. Luqman’s black face and thick cracked lips and despised him. Hz. Luqman said to him,

“Do not despise me due to my black face and thick cracked lips because I did not paint or crack them. What I can do is not to utter bad words through those lips and not to embarrass that black face through sins and crimes. What is the importance of my black face and thick lips if my heart is white and my words are like pearl?”

Luqman (pbuh) died in the city of Ramla near Bayt al-Maqdis Aleyhisselam.¹³

FOOTNOTES

1 M. Asım Köksal, ibid p. 229.

2 M. Hamdi Yazır, ibid 5:3842.

3 Luqman, 12.

4 Husayn al-Jisri, Translation of Risala al-Hamidiyyah, p.528.

5 Tajrid Trnsl, 9:162.

6 M. Asım Köksal, ibid p. 231.

7 ibid p.231

8 ibid p. 233-234.

9 Şualar (Rays), p. 10-11.

10 Luqman, 13-19.

11 Ö. Nasuhi Bilmen, ibid p. 528.

12 Husayn al-Jisri, ibid p. 528

13 M. Asım Köksal, ibid p. 235.

9-) Prophet Dhul-Qarnayn (Peace be upon him)

They ask thee concerning Dhu al Qarnayn. Say 'I will rehearse to you something of his story. Verily We established his power on earth, and We gave him the ways and the means to all ends. (al-Kahf, 83-84)

The Ruler of the Earth

It is doubtful whether Hz. Dhul-Qarnayn was a prophet or a saint. However, his story is narrated in the Quran.

Dhul-Qarnayn lived during the time of Hz. Ibrahim and took lessons from Hz. Khidr. He was the king of Yemen. The reason why he is referred to as Alexander in tafsir books is that one of his names was Alexander. He has no relation with Alexander the Great, who lived in three hundred BC. It is also stated in tafsir books that the Dhul-Qarnayn Wall is the Great Wall of China. According to the statement of the Quran, Dhul-Qarnayn conquered all of Africa and reached the shores of the Atlantic Ocean; he watched the sun set over the sea.¹

Dhul-Qarnayn is a nickname. The word lexically means "the owner of two qarns". Its main meanings are horn and century. It also means the forelock of a man, the earlock of a woman, the side of the sun disk and the leader of a nation.

Therefore, it is not known which one of the meanings above is referred to with the name Dhul-Qarnayn. Some tafsir scholars say he was given the nickname because he had two locks of hair on his head²and according to others, because he had two horns decorated with jewels on his head³. It is unanimously agreed that this person was given the name Dhul-Qarnayn because he ruled the east and west of the earth.⁴

The strongest evidence showing that Dhul-Qarnayn was from Yemen is the fact that names starting with Dhi and Dhu are common in Yemen. There were kings of Yemen called “Dhi-Nuwas, Dhun-Nun, Dhul-Manar, Dhul-Yazan”.

Was he a prophet or not?

Although the name Dhul-Qarnayn is mentioned in the Quran, it is disputable whether he was a prophet or not.

In a narration from Hz. Ali, it is stated that Dhul-Qarnayn is neither a king nor a prophet but a righteous person.⁵

Hamdi Yazır and Mehmet Vehbi hold the view that Dhul-Qarnayn is a prophet acting upon the form of address 'O Dhul-Qarnayn!' in the following verse: “O Dhul-Qarnayn! (Thou hast authority) either to punish them, or to treat them with, kindness.”⁶ Hamdi Yazır says, “This statement shows it clearly that Dhul-Qarnayn is a prophet.⁷M. Vehbi says, “God Almighty states in the verse that He addressed Dhul-Qarnayn. This address of God Almighty's is through revelation. Since revelation is related to prophets, this verse indicates that Dhul-Qarnayn is a prophet.”

Badiuzzaman Said Nursi indicates that he is a saint king rather than a prophet by saying, “Dhul-Qarnayn is one of the kings of Yemen; he lived in the same age as Hz. Ibrahim and took lessons from Hz. Khidr.”⁸

Dhul-Qarnayn in the Quran

When the Prophet (pbuh) conveyed the message of Islam to the people of Makkah, he sometimes narrated them the stories of the previous prophets and kings. A polytheist called Nadr b. Harith, who was interested in history, wanted to prevent the effect of what the Prophet (pbuh) narrated and said to them, “I will tell you better stories than his."

Once, this ferocious polytheist went to Madinah with Utba bin Muayt and asked the Jews in Madinah who knew about the previous prophets three difficult questions and learned the answers from them. Then, they returned to Makkah.

His aim was to ask the Prophet (pbuh) these questions and to put him in a difficult position in the presence of the people.

When they returned to Makkah, they asked the Prophet (pbuh) these three questions:

1. Who are the People of the Cave (Ashab al-Kahf)? What is their story?

2.What is the story of Dhul-Qarnayn, who travelled in the east and west of the world?

3. What is the real nature of the spirit?

According to a narration, the chapter of al-Kahf was revealed and the answers to these questions were given. The translation of the verses of the Quran that mention Dhul-Qarnayn is as follows:

"They ask thee concerning Dhu al Qarnayn. Say 'I will rehearse to you something of his story.' Verily We established his power on earth, and We gave him the ways and the means to all ends. One (such) way he followed; Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: near it he found a People: We said: 'O Dhu al Qarnayn! (thou hast authority) either to punish them, or to treat them with, kindness.' He said: 'Whoever doth wrong, him shall we punish; then shall he be sent back to his Lord; and He will punish him with a punishment unheard-of (before). But whoever believes, and works righteousness he shall have a goodly reward, and easy will be his task as we order it by our command.' Then followed he (another) way. Until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering protection against the sun. (He left them) as they were: We completely understood what was before him. Then followed he (another) way, Until, when he reached (a tract) between two mountains, he found, beneath them a people who scarcely understood a word. They said: 'O Dhu al Qarnayn! The Gog and Magog (people) do great mischief on earth: shall we then render thee tribute in order that thou mightest erect a barrier between us and them?' He said: '(The power) in which my Lord has established me is better (than tribute): help me therefore with strength (and labour): I will erect a strong barrier between you and them: Bring me blocks of iron.' At length when he had filled up the space between the two steep mountain― sides, he said 'Blow (with your bellows).' Then when he had made it (red) as fire he said: 'Bring me, that I may pour over it molten lead.' Thus were they made powerless to scale it or to dig through it. He said: 'This is a mercy from my Lord: but when the promise of my Lord comes to pass, He will make it into dust; and the promise of My Lord is true.'"⁹

FOOTNOTES

¹Kur’an-ı Kerim ve Açıklamalı Meali, 302-303.

²Ömer Nasuhi Bilmen, Kur’an-ı Kerim Türkçe Meal-i Alisi ve Tefsiri, p. 4:1994.

³ M. Vehbi, Hülasatü’l Beyan, 8: 3165.

⁴M. Hamdi Yazır, ibid. 4:3275.

⁵ Tajrid Translation, 9:99.

⁶ al-Kahf, 86.

⁷M. Hamdi Yazır, ibid. 4:3284.

⁸Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, Lem’alar, p. 104.

⁹ al-Kahf, 83-98.

10-) Prophet Idris [Enoch] (Peace be upon him)

Also mention in the Book the case of Idris: he was a man of truth (and sincerity), (and) a prophet: And We raised him to a lofty station... (Maryam, 56, 57)

Idris is one of the grandchildren of Shet. His fifth grandfather is Shet.

The name of Idris (pbuh) in the Torah is Henuh or Uhnuh. He was sent as a prophet after the death of Hz. Shet.

Allah Almighty gave Hz. Idris a book of thirty pages and he read these truths and told his tribe about them; he invited them to guidance. However, most of the people did not obey him; very few of them believed in him.

The name of Idris is mentioned in four places in the Quran. Two of them mention his prophethood, honesty and the lofty degree he was elevated to [1]; the other two verses mention his patience, the mercy and favor he received. [2]

THE PIONEER OF TAILORS

According to a narration,the first person two write with the pen in the world is Hz. Idris. [3]

It is also narrated that he was given the science of deducing decrees from stars (astrology) as a miracle. [4]

It is also stated that people used to wear fur and leather before Idris and that people started to wear clothes sewn by needles during the time of Hz. Idris. [5] Therefore, tailors regard Idris as their pioneer. [6]

PROPHETS ARE LEADERS IN MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

In fact, prophets were not sent as guides in the spiritual field only. Their duty is also to guide people regarding material issues. Therefore, those who have certain occupations regard a prophet as their pioneer and master. Sailors and carpenters regard Nuh (Noah), ironmongers Dawud (David), watchmakers Yusuf (Joseph) as their pioneer and master.

Prophets were not given miracles only to prove their prophethood. These miracles also show humanity the ultimate points of material development. The generations that came later worked on those miracles and managed to do things similar to those miracles. For instance:

The miracle of softening iron in his palm given to Dawud (pbuh) taught humanity to melt iron and to mold it. Thus, the foundations of today's technology were laid.

That air was put under the command of the Prophet Sulayman (Solomon) as a miracle led to the invention of vehicles like planes and rockets flying in the air.

The miracle of the Prophet Musa (Moses) about extracting water from the place he hits his stick encouraged man to drill oil and open artesian wells.

The miracle of the Prophet Isa (Jesus) resurrecting the dead and healing patients without drugs shone light on medicine today. It became possible to lengthen life through methods like organ transplantation, artificial heart, artificial kidney, etc. Death has been given the color of life.

The miracle of the Prophet Sulayman having the throne of Balqis brought to his presence at once is something that shows the way to scientists. Teleportation (transferring things from one place to another in a second), which is seen only in films now, is indicated and encouraged by this miracle.

Hz IDRIS IS ELEVATED TO THE SKY

It is not known whether the Prophet Idris died in the world or not.

The scholars who interpreted the following verse said Idris (pbuh) was elevated to the sky: “And We raised him to a lofty station” [7]

Another prophet elevated to the sky like Idris (pbuh) is Hz. Isa (Jesus) (pbuh). Both of them are in the sky and they are still alive.

However, they are not leading a form of life that we can understand. In order to understand the issue, it is necessary to know how many levels (forms) life there are. According to Badiuzzaman, life is not limited to the form in the world life.

There are five levels of life:

First: It is our life, which is very restricted. We cannot live without eating, drinking and breathing.

Second: It is the lives of Khidr and Ilyas. Those who are in that level do not have to eat and drink like us. They can eat and drink when they want to; they can abandon eating when they want to. They are not dependent upon human needs. They can be in more than one place at the same time.

Third: It is the lives of Idris, whom we are talking about now, and Jesus. These two prophets were removed from the requirements of humanity and entered an angelic life. They are present in the sky with their earthly bodies.

The following which is said by some tafsir scholars support this meaning; "There are four prophets who are alive. Two of them are on earth and the other two are on the sky. The ones who are on earth are Hazrat Khidr and Hazrat Ilyas and the ones who are on the sky are Hazrat Idris (Enoch) and Hazret Isa (Jesus). [8]"

Fourth: It is the life of martyrs.

Fifth: It is the luminous life in the grave. [9]

FOOTNOTES

¹ Maryam, 56-57

² al-Anbiya, 85-86

³ Abdul-Wahhab Najjar, Qasasu’l-Anbiya, p. 24.

⁴ H.B. Çantay, ibid., II, 558, 55, footnote.

⁵Allah Almighty clothed animals with natural garments made of hair, fur, etc but He created man naked and made him obliged to wear some artificial clothes and cover himself. The wisdom behind wearing clothes for man is not protection from cold or heat or seeming nice or covering only the private parts. For, if they had been the only reason for covering the body, his body could have been covered with hair, fur, etc and he would have been clothed naturally. Maybe the most important wisdom behind artificial clothing is that it is like a uniform indicating his authority over the other beings and his commandership.

If it had not been the wisdom and the reasons we mentioned above were the wisdom, natural clothing for man would have met the same needs more cheaply and easily and it would be more appropriate for Allah's names of al-Adl (the Just) and al-Hakam (the Judge).

In the Gathering Place, this important wisdom behind artificial clothing will not be present and it will not be necessary to state that man is the commander of other beings; People will be naked there. However, after they are sent to Paradise and Hell, everybody will be clothed in a suitable garment appropriate for the place they will live in. (see Mektûbat, 359-360)

⁶Sözler, 237.

⁷ Maryam, 57.

⁸ Mehmet Vehbi, Hülasatü’l-Beyan Fi Tefsiril-Kur’an, VIII, 3234.

⁹ For details, see Mektubat, 5-6

11-) Prophet Zakariyya [Zacharias] & Yahya [John] (Peace be upon them)

And (remember) Zakariyya, when he cried to his Lord: "O my Lord! Leave me not without offspring, though Thou art the best of inheritors.
So We listened to him: and We granted him Yahya:
And (remember) her (Maryam) who guarded her chastity: We breathed into her of Our Spirit, and We made her and her son a Sign for all peoples. (al-Anbiya, 89, 90, 91)

Hz. ZAKARIYYA (ZECHARIAS)

Hz. Zakariyya comes from the progeny of Hz. Sulayman (Solomon). He was the religious leader in Masjid al-Aqsa in Quds (Jerusalem). Afterwards, Allah Almighty chose him as a prophet for Children of Israel.

Hz. Zakariyya did not bring a new shari'ah. He practiced the shari'ah of Hz. Musa (Moses). We understand from a narration of Muslim that Hz. Zakariyya was good at carpentry.1

Hz. Zakariyya was married to a woman called Isha. Isha did not have any children. Hz. Zakariyya and Isha got very old. They did not have any hope that they would have a child.

THE PRAYER OF THE MOTHER

Hz. Isa’s mother is Hz. Maryam (Mary). She is the daughter of Imran from Children of Masan. Her mother's name is Hanna, who was the sister of Isha, who was Hz. Zakariyya's wife. In that case, Isha is Maryam's aunt.

Children of Masan, the tribe of Hz. Maryam’s father, were one of the notable and influential families of Children of Israel in terms of nobility and religious affairs.

Imran’s wife Hanna did not have any children just like her sister Isha. She was also getting old. Her greatest wish was to have a child.

Once she was sitting under a tree and watching a bird's nest among the branches of the tree. She was moved by the efforts of the mother bird to feed her fledglings. Her feelings of motherhood were in action. She started to beg her Lord with her clean heart and sincere intentions to give her a child.2

Allah Almighty accepted this sincere request and prayer.

When Hanna found out that she was pregnant, she became very happy. She thought of dedicating this child to the service of Masjid al-Aqsa in Quds in return for the grace of Allah. She opened her hands and prayed as follows:

"O Lord! I do dedicate into Thee what is in my womb for Thy special service so accept this of me! for Thou hearest and knowest all things."3

It was not certain whether the child to be born was going to be a boy or a girl. At that time, only boys were dedicated to religious services. These boys, who were dedicated to religious services, remained there and learned religious subjects until they became old enough to work; if they wished, they continued to stay there after that too.4

What was going to happen if she had a girl? How was she going to fulfill her vow? However, she trusted in the sincerity of her intention and never doubted that she would have a boy.

Her husband, Imran, did not have the same idea as hers. When he heard her vow, he got angry. He said,

"How did you dedicate the child to religious service before knowing its gender? How are you going to fulfill your vow if you give birth to a girl?"5

However, Imran’s life was not long enough to see the child. He died a short while before the birth of the child.

HZ. MARYAM

Finally, Hanna gave birth to the child. Unfortunately, what she had expected did not take place. She gave birth to a girl. She thought her prayer was not accepted and got very sad. She spoke to herself:

"O my Lord! I had a sincere intention and a definite vow. I was expecting a male child but I am delivered of a female child! A female child is not like a male child. What am I going to do now?"6

Hanna had a strong belief. She got rid of her sorrow soon. There may have been some good aspects of having a female child.7 She decided to do her best to make her daughter lead a chaste life and prepare her for religious service. With this thought in mind, she started to pray Allah Almighty as follows:

"O Lord! I have named her Maryam (Mary) and I commend her and her offspring to Your protection from the Evil One, the Rejected.8 Though it is a female child, I will keep my promise and give it to the service of Masjid al-Aqsa."

Maryam meant "worshipper, the one who offers service" in the language of Children of Israel. By giving her this name, Hanna hoped that she would lead a life in accordance with her name.

It is decreed from this incident that it is a nice act to give a child a nice name hoping that he/she would lead a nice life as the name suggests.9

THOSE WHO WERE BORN FREE OF THE EVIL OF SATAN

It is stated in verse 36 of the chapter of Aal-i Imran that Hanna prayed Allah Almighty to protect her daughter, Maryam, and her offspring from the evil of Satan. Allah Almighty accepted her prayer and protected Maryam and her child from all of the delusions and evils of Satan throughout their lives. Their protection from the evil and contact of Satan started from the beginning of their birth.

The Messenger of Allah stated the following in a hadith:

"There is none born among the off-spring of Adam, but Satan touches it. A child therefore, cries loudly at the time of birth because of the touch of Satan, except Maryam and her child.”10

After narrating this hadith, Abu Hurayra said,

"If you wish, you can read verse 36 of the chapter of Aal-i Imran.” Thus, he stated that this hadith interpreted the relevant verse.11

That Satan touches every child that is born may pave the way for him to cause delusions in the child and to deceive the child. Naturally, it is always possible for man to use his partial free will for good things and to resist those delusions and evils. The hadith states Hz. Maryam and Hz. Isa are exempted from this state. Qadi Iyad holds the view that this state is not peculiar to Hz. Maryam and Hz. Isa and that all of the prophets are protected from the touch of Satan at birth.12

IN THE SERVICE OF THE HOLY MOSQUE

Hanna took his daughter and headed toward Bayt al-Maqdis. She told the religious person there about her vow. She begged the religious authorities there to accept Maryam for religious service. Those religious authorities came from the progeny of the Prophet Harun (Aaron). They were occupied with learning and worshipping there.13 Their leader was the Prophet Zakariyya. The religious authorities accepted Maryam to serve the mosque since the Prophet Zakariyya was the husband of Maryam’s aunt and the family of Imran was a noble family. Now it was time to decide who would teach and educate her. The Prophet Zakariyya wanted to undertake her education since he was a relative of hers. However, the other religious scholars also wanted to educate her. Therefore, they rejected Hz. Zakariyya's offer. Everybody wanted to undertake her education. Finally, one of them made the following offer:

"Nobody deserves to take the child more than the others. We are all servants of this mosque. We had better pray Allah and throw our pens with which we write the Torah into the river. The person whose pen floats will take the child."

They accepted the offer. They put some signs on their pens to recognize them and threw them into the water. All of the pens except one sank. The one that did not sink belonged to the Prophet Zakariyya. They gave the girl to him without any objections.14

THE SUSTENANCE NEXT TO MARYAM

Hz. Maryam started to grow up under the protection of Hz. Zakariyya. She became a young girl with chastity and high ethics.

Hz. Zakariyya made a small room for her in one corner of Masjid al-Aqsa. Hz. Maryam worshipped in that small room day and night. Only Hz. Zakariyya entered this room and gave her food. However, when the Prophet Zakariyya entered her room on some days, he saw various fruits and food there. He asked Hz. Maryam.

"O Maryam! You never leave your room and nobody except me enters this room. Where do these fruits and food come from?"

Hz. Maryam smiled and answered,

"They are Allah’s treats to me.15

That Hz. Maryam was sent sustenance by Allah in a miraculous way showed her karamah. When an extraordinary state like that is observed in a prophet, it is called a miracle. When it is observed in a righteous person or a saint, it is called a karamah.16

THE PRAYER OF THE PROPHET ZAKARIYYA

The extraordinary things the Prophet Zakariyya saw about Maryam showed that she was a beloved person in the eye of Allah. Hz. Zakariyya did not have any children. It would be very nice if he had a good child like Maryam and continued the religious service after his death. In fact, Hz. Zakariyya was very old. However, Allah Almighty could give him a child as He sent sustenance to Maryam from the unseen world through His grace.17

With this hope, he started to beg his Lord.18 First, he mentioned his old age with the hope of intercession:

"O Lord! My bones became weak. They cannot carry mu body. My hair got gray. O Lord! My previous prayers were all accepted. You always accepted my prayers."19

Then, the Prophet Zakariyya expressed his wish as follows:

"O Lord! Leave me not without offspring. Protect my name from being forgotten. Give me a good heir that will continue my name and religious duties.

O Lord! Now I fear what my relatives and colleagues will do after me: but my wife is barren. Give me an heir from Your grace and generosity. Give me such an heir that) will truly represent me, and represent the posterity of Jacob (Yaqub)...”20

— Lessons to be taken from the prayer of Hz. Zakariyya

a) He made his prayer secretly:

According to the statement of Abu’s-Suud, Hz. Zakariyya followed the criteria of good manners in his prayer. For, in terms of Allah Almighty, secret or open prayers are of no difference but he preferred the secret one because it was sincere, unpretentious and away from the mocking of people.21

b) He clutched onto a good means by presenting his old age as a means of intercession:

As it is seen, Hz. Zakariyya mentioned the following three issues before presenting his main purpose to Allah Almighty:

1) He stated that his bones were weak: He meant that he was very old and his death approached. Thus, he expressed his old age in an effective way.

2) He stated that the hair on his head turned gray, which is a sign of old age, and that there was no black hair left on his head.

3) He stated that his previous prayers had not been rejected.

All of his prayers had been accepted by Allah Almighty up to that time. Now, he was in desperate need and he was very weak. Such a prayer was worth accepting more than his previous prayers.22

Hz. Zakariyya clutched onto a very strong means for his prayer to be accepted. For, belief in old age is something that is liked by Allah very much. The period that attracts Allah's mercy the most is old age with belief. Hz. Zakariyya discovered this secret; so, he used his weakness and old age as a means of intercession for his prayer and acceptance.

The Messenger of Allah stated the following in a hadith: “Were it not for the helpless old people, misfortunes would pour onto you." It indicates to what extent old age attracts divine mercy.23

HZ. ZAKARIYYA IS GIVEN THE GOOD NEWS OF HZ. YAHYA (JOHN)

Allah Almighty accepted Hz. Zakariyya’s sincere prayer, which he used his old age as a means of intercession. He sent Jibril to him to give him the good news.

At that time, Hz. Zakariyya was engaged in worshipping. Jibril told him that Allah Almighty would grant him a boy called Yahya and that this name had not been given to anyone before.24 The name Yahya to be given to the child that was going to be born was given by Allah Almighty, which is Allah's grace peculiar to Yahya.

Hz. Zakariyya was surprised by this good news because it was impossible in terms of the apparent situation. He was very old and his wife was too old to give birth to a child. How was this glad tiding given by Allah Almighty going to take place? Therefore, he said to Jibril, “How can I have a child? My wife can no longer give birth to a child. I am very old and rawboned.”25

The reason why Hz. Zakariyya was surprised was not because of doubting divine power. If it had been so, he would not have asked such a thing from Allah Almighty. He definitely knew that Allah Almighty could do anything. Therefore, he asked Him to grant him a child. Prophets never asked anything that they believed would not take place or that was impossible to happen. It would be a mistake for them.

The reason why Hz. Zakariyya spoke like that though he was sure about divine power was to understand how this good news was going to take place. For, the apparent situation was against him. How was that child going to be born? Was Allah Almighty going to make them young again? Or was he going to show another way? Some scholars say Hz. Zakariyya asked this question in order to hear this divine promise and good news again. It is natural that when a person hears some good news or something he loves, he wants to hear it again and again.

Hz. Jibril told Hz. Zakariyya that Allah Almighty could do anything He wished, that He was free to do anything He preferred and that it was easy for Him to give him a child26; he advised Hz. Zakariyya to wait patiently.

* * *

Upon this answer of Jibril's, Hz. Zakariyya felt convinced. He had to thank and glorify Allah Almighty due to this great grace. It was impossible for him to know when his wife would become pregnant. Therefore, he asked Allah Almighty to show him a sign that would make him understand when she was pregnant.

Allah Almighty told him that he would not be able to speak to any man for three days but with signals.27

Indeed, when Yahya was conceived, Hz. Zakariyya could not speak. He was able to communicate with people only through signs.

In the morning of the day when Hz. Zakariyya was unable to speak, he left his room and went to the area where his nation had gathered and conveyed the following message to his nation through signs: “Glorify your Lord and free Him from all kinds of deficiencies this morning, this afternoon and on the days to come. Continue worshipping as usual.”

Hz Zakariyya left his worshipping room every morning, opened the doors of Bayt al-Maqdis for the congregation that came to the mosque to pray and worship, performed prayers together with the congregation and preached. When he could not preach due to the pregnancy of his wife as a sign of her pregnancy, he addressed people through signs.

Hz. Zakariyya glorified Allah Almighty, prayed and worshipped Him during those three days; thus, he praised and thanked Him.

The wisdom behind his being unable to speak was to make him pray and worship peacefully and sincerely. For, being together with people would prevent him from worshipping fully. The only way to thank Allah Almighty for the child He granted was to worship like that.

THE BIRTH OF THE PROPHET YAHYA

When the Prophet Yahya was born, Zakariyya's family became very happy. Hz. Yahya was born 6 months, or according to another narration, 3 years before the birth of Hz. Isa.28

Hz. Yahya was a very righteous and virtuous child. Allah Almighty gave him knowledge and wisdom when he was very young and ordered him to be loyal to the Torah.29

Hz. Yahya obeyed this order and read the Torah all the time; while his peers were playing games on the street, he went to the desert and worshipped Allah alone.

When he became a young man, Allah Almighty gave him the duty of prophethood. He decreed based on the shari'ah of Hz. Musa; he preached to Children of Israel and gave them advice all the time.30

When Hz. Isa was also given the duty of prophethood, Hz. Yahya became subject to him and started to decree based on the Gospel.

The following virtues of Hz. Yahya are mentioned in the Quran:

a) He was given mercy and compassion by Allah and he was helped to keep away from sins and to be pure.31

b) He was always kind and generous to his parents; he never disobeyed them; nor was he rebellious.32

c) He was given peace the day he was born, the day that he died, and the day that he will be raised up to life again.33 The times when man fears the most are when he is born, when he dies and when he is resurrected. Allah Almighty told Hz. Yahya that he would be safe on those days and that he would not fear.34

d) Hz. Yahya was described as “Sayyid” by the Quran because he was one of the greatest people of his time in terms of asceticism, piety, worshipping, knowledge, lenience and religious affairs.35

e) He is stated to be chaste (hasur) since he did not approach women and did not tend to the sexual desires of his soul though he had power and strength.

Hasur is a word used for those who prevent their souls from committing sins. Therefore, the verse states that Hz. Yahya was extremely chaste.36 According to the statement of Baydawi, when his peers asked him to play with them, he answered them as follows: “Was I created to play games?” It is narrated that he did not spend his time by playing games and doing useless things.37

Yes, children play games and it is their right to play games. However, Allah Almighty protects some of His slaves due to their purity in their nature from doing useless things as His grace. Therefore, it is not strange for Hz. Yahya to speak like that when he was a child.

f) It is stated that he would accept and confirm Hz. Isa.38

THE FAMILY OF HZ. ZAKARIYYA

The family of Zakariyya was a happy and honorable family that received praise from the Quran. This family is described by the following nice characteristics:

1) Hz. Zakariyya’s prayer was accepted and he was granted a righteous child called Yahya.39

2) Hz. Zakariyya’s wife was improved.40 This improvement was in the form of giving the ability of conception to the old woman who had lost the possibility of giving birth to a child, making her obedient to her husband regarding religious issues and making her ethics good.

In fact, it is very joyful for a man to have a wife and children that will help him in religious issues and that do not have contrary ideas, giving him troubles.

If a religious man who conveys the message of Allah to people does not have peace in his house, his success will be affected badly. If his family helps him regarding his cause, his enthusiasm and determination will increase. As a matter of fact, in the first years of the prophethood, the greatest help for the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was his wife Khadijah. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) never forgot about her sacrifice and always mentioned her with goodness. Therefore, Allah Almighty mentioned the improvement of Hz. Zakariyya’s wife among the bounties given to him.

3) The family of Hz. Zakariyya did good deeds and charity very fast; they always hoped to get rewards from Allah and prayed Him by fearing His wrath.41

• Speed in good deeds and charity: Man is a guest in this world. He has to attain endless bliss and eternal life in his short life. He can do it by spending his time doing good deeds, worshipping and doing the things that will please Allah. Therefore, every believer needs to do good deeds a lot and to act fast in order to prepare for the hereafter.

Allah Almighty mentioned this property of the family of Zakariyya's and encouraged believers to compete with one another in order to do good deeds. Allah also states that this characteristic is a means of acceptance for prayers.

• The balance between hope and fear: Believers need to be between hope and fear while praying and worshipping all the time in order to get rid of hopelessness and heedlessness. Thus, they will follow the right path with the hope of attaining the vast mercy of Allah and they will proceed with enthusiasm and determination in the way of goodness and charity. They will get rid of the delusions of the soul like boasting and conceitedness and of transgressing bounds thanks to fear.

If a person lives in hope all the time, hope will lead him to feel safe that he will not be punished by Allah, to like what he does and to feel that what he does is enough and to heedlessness. If a person lives in fear all the time, fear will make him lose hope of mercy and discourage him from doing good deeds and charity. It causes man to deviate from the right path by making him say, “No matter what will happen from now on."

In fact, this was the case about Satan. When he was deprived of divine mercy, he lost hope of Allah and started to make people deviate from the right path instead of repenting, thinking that he would not be forgiven.

Allah Almighty states in some verses that only unbelievers despair of divine mercy.42

Then, a believer needs to be between fear and hope in his prayers and worshipping.

Due to this wisdom, the Quran encouraged people first and warned them after that; it praised the good deeds first and condemned bad deeds after that.43

4) They surrendered to Allah and were always in awe.44

VIRTUES OF HZ. MARYAM

Hz. Maryam, the mother of the Prophet Isa, is one of the best women in the world. The Prophet (pbuh) stated the following in a hadith: “The best woman of her time is Maryam. The best woman of my ummah is Khadijah.”45

Maryam is mentioned 11 times by name in the Quran. She is described as "the woman who protected her chastity" twice without her name being mentioned.46

Hz. Maryam could not become a prophet since she was a woman but she had the honor of talking to Jibril. This shows her great value in the eye of Allah. Jibril addressed Hz. Maryam as follows: and declared her rank to the world as follows:

"O Maryam! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee;―chosen thee above the women of all nations. O Maryam! Worship thy Lord devoutly; prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down.”47

We can list the aspects of Hz. Maryam that enabled her to be chosen among people and that are mentioned in the verses above as follows:

a) She was accepted to serve Bayt al-Maqdis: No women had been accepted there for service before her.

b) She was given sustenance by Allah in an extraordinary way.

c) She became the mother of Hz. Isa, a righteous prophet, through divine power, without having a husband.

d) She met and spoke to Hz. Jibril.

e) She received special treats and grants from Allah.

f) She was proved to be away from the slander of Jews when Hz. Isa spoke in his cradle.

g) She and her son were set as examples for humanity.48

In return for those grants and bounties, Hz. Maryam was ordered to do three things:

a) To go on worshipping and praying sincerely.

b) To prostrate. What is meant by to prostrate is to perform prayers. The following is stated in a hadith: "A person is closest to Allah when he is in prostration."49

c) To bow down together with those who bow down. What is meant by this expression is to perform prayers in congregation. The order to prostrate commands her to worship individually.50

FOOTNOTES

1 Muslim trnsl., VII, 264; at-Taj, III, 301

2 M. Vehbi, ibid, II, 587: Ö.N. Bilmen, ibid, I, 356

3 Aal-i Imran, 35.

4 H. Jisri, Risala al-Hamidiyya, 625

5 M. Vehbi, ibid, II, 585

6 Aal-i Imran, 36.

7 As it is seen, Hanna asked from Allah Almighty a son that she could dedicate to service in the way of Allah but Allah Almighty gave her a daughter. It cannot be said that Hanna’s prayer was not accepted; on the contrary, Allah Almighty accepted her prayer by giving her better than what she wanted. Hanna wanted a son but Allah Almighty gave her a daughter that became the mother of a prophet and that was one of the best women in the world. Allah Almighty hears all of the prayers but He sometimes accepts a prayer by giving something better. He sometimes accepts a prayer for the hereafter and does not give it in the world.

8 Aal-i Imran, 36; M. Vehbi, ibid, II. 586.

9 M. Vehbi, ibid, II, 587

10 Buhari, Q. Tafsir, B. Surah Aal-i Imran; Baydawvi, II, 16

11 Muslim trnsl., VII, 245-246

12 Muslim trnsl., VII, 246. Some scholars interpret the touching of Satan as follows: “Satan wants to make a child deviate so much that he affects the child. However, Isa, son of Maryam, is excluded due to that prayer.” They interpret the touching of Satan as his wish of making a child deviate. (H. Jisri, R. Hamidiyya, 626)

13 H. Jisri, ibid, 627

14 See Aal-i Imran, 44; H. Jisri, ibid, 627

15 Aal-i Imran, 37.

16 Verse 37 of the chapter of Aal-i Imran stating that Maryam was given sustenance by Allah is clear evidence that karamah occurs from saints. For, Hz. Maryam was not a prophet but she received something extraordinary from Allah. Miracles can be shown only by prophets; the extraordinary things that occur related to other people by the permission of Allah are called karamah. According to Ahl as-Sunnah creed, karamah by a saint is possible and true.

However, the sect of Mu’tazila, one of the deviant sects, denies karamah from saints. Therefore, they deny this karamah of Hz. Maryam’s. They say it may be a miracle of Hz. Zakariyya or an irhas (an extraordinary act or state of a prophet before he becomes a prophet).

According to the statement of Razi, if it had been a miracle of Hz. Zakariyya, he would have been aware of his miracle shown by him. Hz. Isa’s irhas does not prevent it from becoming a karamah of Hz. Maryam. (H. Jisri, ibid, 628)

17 Aal-i Imran, 38; M. Vehbi, ibid, II, 638.

18 Maryam, 3.

19 Maryam, 4.

20 Maryam, 5-6; al-Anbiya, 89

21 For the other reasons why Hz. Zakariyya made his prayer secretly, see M. Vehbi, ibid, VIII, 3187

22 M.Vehbi, ibid, VIII, 3188.

23 Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, Lem’alar (Flashes), 222.

24 Maryam, 7; Aal-i Imran, 39.

25 Aal-i Imran, 40; Maryam, 8.

26 Maryam, 3; Aal-i Imran, 40

27 Maryam, 10; Aal-i Imran, 41

28 H. Jisri, ibid, 628

29 Maryam, 12

30 Maryam, 12

31 Maryam, 13

32 Maryam, 14

33 Maryam, 15

34 For detailed information, see M. Vehbi, ibid, VIII, 3198-3199

35 Aal-i Imran, 38; M.Vehbi, ibid, II, 592

36 Aal-i Imran 39;

37 Baydawi, II, 17

38 Aal-i Imran, 39

39 al-Anbiya, 90

40 al-Anbiya 90

41 al-Anbiya, 90

42 El-Ankebut, 23; Yusuf, 87

43 Bk: İşaratül-İcaz, 65

44 al-Anbiya, 90

45 Tajrid trnsl., IX, 167

46 at-Tahrim, 12; al-Anbiya 91

47 Aal-i Imran, 42-43

48 M. Vehbi, ibid, II, 596-597

49 See Ajluni, Kashf’ul-Khafa

50 Maryam, 16-17; M.Vehbi, ibid, VIII, 3200

12-) Prophet Dawud [David] (Peace be upon him)

(O Muhammad!) Have patience at what they say, and remember Our Servant Dawud, the man of strength: for he ever turned (to Allah). (Sa’d, 17).

HZ. ISHMOIL (SAMUEL)

In the history of Children of Israel, the period of judges started after the death of Yusha (Joshua). The last judge of this period was Hz. Ishmoil.

During the period of Hz. Ishmoil, Children of Israel transgressed bounds and deviated. Allah Almighty sent them Jalut (Goliath), a cruel enemy as a punishment.

Jalut was a cruel and merciless king of Amaliqas with a well-built and big body. He defeated Children of Israel with a sudden attack and invaded most of the Palestinian land.1 He enslaved some of Children of Israel and imposed heavy taxes on some of them. The others had to live in a very narrow area.

Jalut also grabbed the Tabut (the Ark of the Covenant), which was the symbol of independence for Children of Israel. (*)

TALUT

Children of Israel, who lost their land, property and, the most important of all, their freedom, wanted these troubles to end as soon as possible.

They thought and talked to one another about the issue. They sought ways of getting rid of the oppression of Jalut and obtaining their independence. The only solution they found was to find a wise, brave and authoritarian commander that could overcome Jalut and to fight against Jalut under the command of him.2

They applied to the Prophet Ishmoil immediately:

"Pray your Lord and ask him to send us a commander. We will gather around him. We will fight in the way of Allah all together."3

The Prophet Ishmoil knew that Children of Israel were an ungrateful and unreliable nation; so, he thought they would not be very insistent in the end. He told them about his doubt and anxiety:

"What will happen to you if you do not fight when war is rendered fard for you?"

Children of Israel answered as follows:

"Why should we avoid fighting? You see that we have lost everything. We were expelled from our homeland; we lost our families and children. Is there anything else to do other than fighting the enemy for salvation? "4

Thus, Children of Israel promised that they would fight under the command of a king that would be sent to them.

Hz. Ishmoil, prayed Allah due to the insistence of his nation. He asked Allah to appoint a king to rule them. Allah Almighty told him that He appointed Talut (Saul) among them as the king.

When the Prophet Ishmoil informed his nation about Allah’s decision, some objections arose at once. Especially, the rich and the noble people said,

"Talut is a poor and needy man. How can a poor man who is not noble rule us? We deserve to be a ruler. One of us should be the king."5

What they did was ingratitude and fickleness. They wanted a king but they opposed to the king when he was appointed. The excuse they put forward for their objection was illogical. Being a good commander and a king had nothing to do with richness and nobility.

Hz. Ishmoil answered their objections as follows:

"Allah chose him for you. He gave Talut great power in terms of knowledge, authority and courage. Know it very well that Allah gives kingdom to whomever He wishes. What you need to do is to obey him.6

Thus, he aimed to make Children of Israel think justly and conscientiously by uttering those sentences. To object Talut meant to object Allah since Allah appointed him. Besides, Talut had enough knowledge, policy, power and authority for war and administration. These were the necessary qualities for being a commander and a ruler, not nobility and richness.

It is narrated that the real name of Talut was Ibn Qays and that he was given the nickname Talut, which is derived from "tul" (tall, long) in Arabic because he was superior to others in terms of tallness.7

Children of Israel did not want to accept the kingdom of Talut. They said,

"How do we know that Allah chose him? You must show us a miracle to prove it." Hz. Ishmoil said,

"Wait for a while. This miracle will take place. The Ark of the Covenant, which contains our holy things, will be returned to you.8

THE HOLY CHEST: THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

Jalut, who grabbed the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of independence and source of peace for Children of Israel, put it in a dirty place with the intention of insulting.

After making Talut the king, Allah Almighty sent a big misfortune to the people of Jalut. Those who urinated in front of the Ark of the Covenant caught a fatal disease and died. Amaliqas lost a lot of people because of it. Then, the people realized that the cause of the deaths was the Ark of the Covenant. They put the Ark of the Covenant on two oxen and released them. The oxen went directly to the house of Talus as an irony of fate. Talut took the Ark of the Covenant and showed it to his nation. Then he put it in its previous place.

Upon this incident, Children of Israel had to accept the kingdom of Talut.9

ALLAH TESTS TALUT'S ARMY THROUGH A RIVER

Talut ordered Children of Israel to prepare for the war. They started to make preparations immediately. A big army was formed soon. Hz. Dawud, his father and children were also in the army. At that time, Dawud was a little child. He joined the army to give water to soldiers, to cook food and to look after the wounded soldiers during the war.

Just before the army moved, Talut addressed them as follows:

"O Children of Israel! Allah will test you at a river; those who drink of its water abundantly are not of me. Those who do not drink are of me. Allah will definitely reward them. Drinking a mere sip out of the hand is excused."10

Allah was going to test Talut's army through a river. Their obedience to their commander was going to be tested. An army that was not going to obey its commander would be of no good.

Talut was able to cross the river with a few soldiers that obeyed him. (*) Most of the army remained on the other side of the river and could not cross the river because they drank a lot from the water of the river.11 Those who could not cross the river addressed those who crossed the river as follows:

"Today we do not have enough strength to fight Jalut and his soldiers. Give up fighting them.”12

With those words, they wanted to discourage the believers who crossed the river and to make them give up fighting . For they would not have any shares if they won the war. They envied those who crossed the river and did not want a victory in which they did not contribute.

The obedient soldiers who crossed the river answered them as follows:

"A small group often overcame a big one by Allah's will. Allah is with those who steadfastly persevere.”13

HZ. DAWUD ENCOUNTERS JALUT

After a while, Talut’s small but sincere and determined army encountered Jalut’s army. The enemy army was really crowded and well armed.

When they saw the situation, the soldiers in Talut's army started to pray Allah by opening their hands:

"O Lord! Give us patience. Increase our resistance and courage. Help us against this group of deniers.”14

* * *

According to the war tradition of that time, it was necessary for one person from each army to fight each other before the war started. Jalut himself proceeded from the enemy army. He had an imposing and terrifying appearance. He had his armors and weapons on. He addressed Talut's army confidently:

"O Talut! why should we kill our soldiers in vain? Send one of your soldiers to fight me. If I beat him, you will be regarded to have lost the war. If I lose, you will be regarded to have won."

Talut turned toward his soldiers and asked,

"Who wants to fight Jalut?"

Nobody wanted to fight. Everybody was afraid of the terrible strength and big body of Jalut. Nobody dared to fight him.

Meanwhile, something unexpected happened. When little Dawud saw that the soldiers were afraid and cringed, he came forward among the ranks of the soldiers.15 He shouted,

"O Jalut! I will fight you!" Jalut looked at the small child facing him and laughed. He said,

"O little child! Go back! I do not want to kill you. Tell the older ones to encounter me." Thus, he made fun of Talut's army. The little Dawud insisted:

"No, I will fight you. If you have courage, attack me."

THE SLINGSHOT STONE THAT KILLED JALUT

Jalut got angry and said,

"I will crush you like a fly." He attacked little Dawud furiously. Little Dawud was a good slingshot user. He picked a big stone and placed it on his slingshot. He took aim and threw it toward Jalut, who was coming toward him furiously. The stone Dawud threw with his slingshot hit Jalut on the forehead, making him fall down unconsciously. Little Dawud did not miss this opportunity. He ran toward him, climbed on him and killed him with his sword.16 After that, he cut off Jalut's head and put it on the tip of his sword. Then, he raised it.

When Amaliqas saw that their king Jalut’s head was cut off, they panicked. They started to flee from the battlefield by crushing one another.

After that, Children of Israel managed to purge the enemy that panicked from the holy land of Palestine. They became independent again.

Hz. Dawud came from the descendants of Yahuda, son of Hz. Yaqub.17 His father's name was Isa.18 He herded sheep and used his slingshot very well. He was chivalrous and courageous.19

Hz. DAWUD BECOMES THE KING AND A PROPHET

Hz. Dawud, who killed Jalut, became a national hero at once. He attained the love of Children of Israel. Talut took him to his palace. When Dawud grew up, Talut married his daughter off to him.20

When Talut died, Hz Dawud became the king of Children of Israel as Talut bequeathed. He started to rule Children of Israel.

All of the twelve clans of Children of Israel accepted the kingdom o f Hz. Dawud.

After a while, Allah Almighty gave Hz. Dawud the duty of prophethood too.21

Thus, Hz. Dawud became the first prophet who was also a king.

When Hz. Dawud became the king, he formed a big army. He purged the enemy from Palestine completely. He made Quds (Jerusalem) the capital city. He also conquered several cities and regions like Amman, Aleppo, Nusaybin and Armenia.22

THE PSALMS

Allah Almighty gave Hz. Dawud a holy book called the Psalms so that he would guide his nation.23

The Psalms is one of the four great books. It consists of 150 chapters; it does not have commands and prohibitions or parts related to decrees. It generally contains advice, glorifications, dhikrs and hymns.24

The Psalms was sent to the Prophet Dawud in Hebrew in Ramadan.

The Prophet Dawud ruled his nation in accordance with the shari'ah of Hz. Musa like the other prophets of Children of Israel.

A PROPHET THAT MADE HIS LIVING BY MANUAL LABOR

Hz. Dawud was a righteous prophet who had taqwa and sought Allah's consent in everything he did. He liked worshipping a lot. He fasted every other day. He woke up in the middle of the night to beg and pray Allah.25

This enviable and nice lifestyle of Hz. Dawud was praised in the Quran and advised as exemplary for the ummah of Muhammad (pbuh) as follows:

"…And remember Our Servant David, the man of strength: for he ever turned (to Allah).”26

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states the following regarding the issue:

“The most beloved fasting is the fasting of Hz. Dawud; he fasted every other day. The most beloved prayer (salah) for Allah is the prayer of Hz. Dawud. He slept in the middle of the night, woke up in one third of the night and slept again in one sixth of the night.”27

Dawud sometimes walked around in disguise among people and asked the people he met,

"Are you pleased with the administration of Dawud?" Thus, he learned the ideas of the people about his administration and acted accordingly.

Once, he changed his clothes and started to walk in disguise. He met a person with a luminous face. He asked him the same question:

"What kind of a person is Dawud? Are you pleased with him?" He received an unexpected answer from the man:

"Dawud is a good man but he has a fault. He receives the money for his and his family's sustenance from the Treasury. I wish he earned his living himself."

This statement caused confusion in his brain and made him feel embarrassed and he bowed.

When he looked up in order to ask him what he should do, he saw that the person had disappeared. It was obviously a divine warning. Allah Almighty sent him an angel to remind him that 'the best earning for man was what was earned through his own efforts'.

He started to pray Allah Almighty to show him a way of earning his living. Thereupon, Allah Almighty put iron under his command as a miracle. He taught Dawud how to soften and forge iron like dough using his hands.28 Hz. Dawud started to soften iron with his hands and made armors, swords and various weapons. Then, he sold them to earn his living. He did not receive any money from the Treasury after that.

It means the best way of earning one's living is doing something with your hands. Therefore, the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"Hz. Dawud earned his living by his hands and efforts.”29

THE MIRACLES GIVEN TO THE PROPHET DAWUD

Allah gave the Prophet Dawud several miracles and equipped him with various merits. Some of them are as follows:

l. Beautiful voice:

Allah Almighty gave the Prophet Dawud such a beautiful and moving voice that when he started to glorify Allah by reciting the Psalms, all beings including mountains, stones and birds started to glorify together with him.30

This issue is indicated as follows in verse 10 of the chapter of Saba:

“O Mountains! Sing back the Praises of Allah with him! And birds you also.” Thus, we granted him bounties.

Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır states the following while interpreting this verse:

"Hz Dawud was given such a nice voice and such a wonderful style that the mountains and birds joined him when he glorified Allah in the morning and in the evening.

It means nice voice and beautiful style was a special characteristic of Hz. Dawud and a miracle of his, which enthused mountains and stones and which gathered birds. Therefore, both Dawud's voice and mizmars (songs with a melodious voice) are famous.

There were some people who thought this fine art, reciting something with a melody, was dispraised in Islam. However, it is necessary to know that what is dispraised is the music that excites carnal and sensual desires. Reading the Quran with a nice voice and intonation is something ordered by the shari'ah. There are a lot of hadiths regarding the issue in sound books.

Since sound is vibration of air, the effect and excitement caused by music on man directly is an organic and neural effect like a kiss. It is not spiritual. Taghanni (reciting in a melodious voice) can have a spiritual property only when it serves to convey the meaning of a word to the spirit. Sinners always seek material excitement through sensual issues; so, they kill the meaning and seek bodily effects through melodies that excite carnal feelings. This kills spiritual consciousness. Maybe it is a pleasure for a sinner to be an unconscious drunk by leaving consciousness behind. However, this is not the pleasure that the religion and the shari'ah want to give; they want to make man lead a holy and conscious life with a nice meaning.

The owner of the shari'ah (Allah) wants the voice to be beautified with taghanni while the Quran is being recited. However, one should not read by distorting the verse, forgetting the meaning, and following the beauty of the voice only through the voices and melodies of sinner; it is necessary to read the Quran without distorting the tajwid and fluency of the words and by conveying the meaning with the subtleties of its rhetoric to make people lead a conscious life; it is defined as "luhun al-arab" in the science of the hadiths of the Prophet and "tajwid" in the science of reading the Quran.

Thus, when we read the Quran with taghanni, we experience the miracle of Hz. Dawud. As a matter of fact, the Prophet praised a person who read the Quran in a nice way by saying, “He was given a mizmar (sweet melodious voice) of Hz. Dawud’s mizmars (mazamir).”31

This miracle of Hz. Dawud’s, which fascinated mountains and stopped flying birds, was not abstract melodies consisting of a simple sound game but holy glorification presented to Allah by the spirit.”32

In the book called İşaratül-i’caz (Signs of Miraculousness), when the phrase "wa ala sam’ihim" (and on their hearing) in verse of the chapter of al-Baqara is interpreted, the decree of shari'ah about music and melodious sounds is determined as follows:

"Some sounds were rendered halal and others haram by the shari'ah. Yes, the sounds and voices that induce lofty sorrows and divine love are halal. The sounds and voices that excite orphan-like sorrows and carnal feelings are haram. The parts that were not determined by the shari'ah are decided based on the effect they have on the spirit and conscience.”33

2. Softening iron in his hand and forging it as he wished:

Allah Almighty taught the Prophet Dawud the art of softening iron like doughand forging it as he wished.

Thanks to this, the Prophet Dawud made armors and weapons; he sold them to earn his living.

Iron was started to be melted before the time of the Prophet Dawud but the deed of forging iron and making fine things like armors started with the Prophet Dawud. Therefore, it is possible to regard him as the founder of ironmongers.

The Prophet Dawud softened iron in his hand without melting it as a miracle. Other people melted iron and forged it in a way that is similar to Hz. Dawud's miracle.

Allah Almighty praised the art of making armors in the Quran and encouraged people to learn the art of making instruments of defense. For, this art serves to protect man, who is the most honorable creature in the eye of Allah, from death. Therefore, a person who makes armor is regarded to be better than a person who makes attacking weapons like swords. Those who invent a new weapon may be regarded as useful for humanity but those who find a way of protection from that weapon are more useful.34

One of the chapters of the Quran is called al-Hadid. Hadid means iron. The following is stated in verse 25 of this chapter:

“...And We sent down Iron, in which is (material for) mighty war, as well as many benefits for mankind...”

The reason why iron is mentioned so much in the Quran is to draw attention to it and to encourage man to work on iron. Thus, the Quran draws attention to iron, which forms the basis of industry and national defense today, and to arts related to iron 14 centuries ago.35

The following is stated in Sözler (Words) regarding the issue:

“These indicate that the softening of iron is one of the greatest of Divine bounties, through which is shown the virtue of one of the greatest Prophets. Indeed, softening iron, that is, making it soft like dough, and smelting copper, and finding minerals and extracting them is the origin and source, and basis and foundation of all man's material industries. And so, this verse indicates: "A great bounty bestowed on a great Prophet and Divine Vicegerent on Earth in the form of a great miracle was the softening of iron. And making it soft like dough and fine like a thread and smelting copper are the means to most of the general industries." Since wisdom was given to the tongue of one who was both Prophet and Vicegerent, that is to one who was both a spiritual and material leader, and craft and industry were given to his hand, just as it is explicitly urging towards the wisdom on his tongue, so too there is a sign that it is also encouraging towards the craft in his hand. Through the allusive tongue of this verse, in meaning Almighty Allah is saying:

"O Sons of Adam! I gave such wisdom to the tongue and heart of one of My servants who obeyed my commands and obligations that he passed judgment on everything with perfect clarity and displayed the truth. And I gave him such art that he could turn iron into every shape in his hand like wax. It obtained important power for his vicegerency and kingship. Since it was possible, it was given. It is both important, and you are in much need of it in your social life. If you too obey my commands in creation, that wisdom and craft will be given you too. In the course of time you will reach it and draw close to it."

Thus, man's greatest progress in regard to industry, and his achieving greatest power in regard to strength, is through the softening of iron and smelting of copper.” (Sözler, 238-239)

3. His administration is strengthened by Allah:

It was understood by the following incidence that Hz. Dawud received Allah's help in his administration:

Once, a man applied to Hz. Dawud and accused his neighbor of stealing his ox. The neighbor refused this accusation. The plaintiff had no witnesses or evidence.

Hz Dawud was ordered to kill the defendant in his dream. This order was repeated three times. Hz. Dawud informed the defendant about the order. The man said nobody could be killed without a witness, evidence and trial. Hz. Dawud said that the order was definite. When the defendant saw that he had no hope of salvation, he made the following confession:

O Prophet of Allah! I did not steal this man's ox. I am innocent in this case. However, I had killed his father beforehand. Nobody knew that I was the murderer. Allah ordered you to kill me because of this secret murder, not because of the stolen ox.

Upon this confession, the man who was accused of theft was sentenced because of murder. With his execution, justice was done.

The incident was heard by all Children of Israel soon. The people thought that Hz. Dawud knew about all crimes whether they were committed secretly or openly.

The strongest state of that time was the state of Hz. Dawud. It is stated that Hz. Dawud had a lot of guards and that they protected his throne.36

4. Hz. Dawud divided his time into four:

a — He allocated one day for his worship, prayer and dhikr. He did not do anything else on that day unless there was something urgent.

b — He allocated one day for dealing with the legal issues of his nation. Defendants and plaintiffs came to him on that day and he decreed about them. Everybody returned home happily as their cases were settled.

c — He allocated one day for preaching and advising people.

d — He allocated one day for doing his personal work.

DEATH OF THE PROPHET DAWUD

Hz. Dawud was both a king and a prophet for 40 years. Allah Almighty granted him many bounties during this period. The biggest bounty was his son Sulayman (Solomon). When the Prophet Dawud died, Sulayman was 12 years old.37

It was stated by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) that Hz. Dawud died at the age of 100.38

STORIES ABOUT THE PROPHET DAWUD

REMARKS OF WISDOM

According to a narration, Allah said to Hz. Dawud,

"Make my slaves love Me." Hz. Dawud asked,

"How shall I do it?" Allah said,

"By reminding them the bounties I granted to them. For, they like only those who do them favors."39 As a matter of fact, the following is stated in a proverb:

“Man is the slave of a grant.”

Allah said to Hz. Dawud, “I will find a way to any person who relies on me and does not seek the help of others even if everything is against him.”40

* * *

Allah said to Hz. Dawud:

"O Dawud! The time that my slave needs me the most is when he turns his face away from me. This is the time when I pity him the most. The time when I elevate him the most is the time when he turns toward me.”41

* * *

Allah said to Hz. Dawud:

"If a person who says he loves me sleeps all night, he is regarded to have lied. A person wants to see his beloved one when nobody is around.”42

* * *

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"The like of the bounties given to Hz. Dawud are given to a person who are given the following three things:

1) Justice when one is furious and calm.

2) Thriftiness when one is in welfare and in hardship.

3) Fearing Allah when he is alone and when he is with others.”43

* * *

Zayd bin Arkam narrates the following:

One of Dawud's children died and he felt very sorry. Thereupon, Allah asked him,

"How valuable was this child to you?" He said,

"As much gold as the earth's surface can hold that I can spend in the way of Allah." Allah said to him,

"You will be given the same amount of reward in the hereafter due to the misfortune that hit you in the world." 44

* * *

Luqman often visited Hz. Dawud. He saw Hz. Dawud making armor out of iron. Luqman had not seen something like that before; he wondered what it was. He wanted to ask but his understanding of wisdom prevented him. He could not ask Dawud about it. When Hz. Dawud finished making it and put it on, he said,

"This is a nice armor for wars." Thereupon, Luqman said,

"Silence is wisdom but the number of the people who know to keep silent is very few. Thanks to silence, a person finds out about the thing he wonders without asking any questions."

According to a narration, he visited Hz. Dawud for a year in order to find out what he was making.45

* * *

Once, Hz. Dawud said to Allah Almighty,

"O Lord! There is no hour in which a person from Children of Dawud does not worship you. They either perform prayers, fast or mention your name." Thus, he boasted about his family. Allah warned him as follows:

"O Dawud! Why was this given to them? It is only my grace. If it were not for my help, they would not be able to do any of them on their own.”46

* * *

Allah revealed the following to Hz. Dawud:

"O Dawud! Tell Children of Israel that I do not look at their prayer and fasting. I look at whether they abandon something they doubt for my sake or not. I help those who do so and I praise them in the presence of my angels."47

* * *

Hz. Dawud said,

"O Lord! What should I do in order to attain the love of people without preventing my commitment to you?”

Allah said,

"Get on with people according to their abilities. As for us, do not abandon doing good things." The following is stated in another narration: "Get on with the men of the world based on worldly ethics; get on with the men of the hereafter based on otherworldly ethics."48

* * *

Ghazali says,

"Music affects the heart. A person who is not affected by music is ill and his mood is bad. The apathy and coarseness of this man is worse than birds, camels and all animals. For, all of them are affected by melodies. As a matter of fact, birds stood over Dawud's head in line in order to listen to his beautiful voice."49

* * *

When Hz. Dawud started to preach, he would cry and make the listeners cry; he would feel so sad and make his listeners so sad that sometimes some listeners would die. He cried both by words and sounds. It is acceptable because it leads people to good deeds. Anything that leads to good deeds is acceptable. Therefore, it is not forbidden for a preacher to recite poems that soften the heart with a beautiful voice. It is permissible for a preacher to cry and try to make the listeners cry.50

* * *

Allah addressed Dawud as follows in the Psalms:

"O Dawud! If a plaintiff and a defendant appear before you, do not incline toward either of them. Do not think, 'I hope this one or that one will win.'

O Dawud! I sent my prophet to people like camel shepherds herding camels. For, they know how to act with justice and how to control people. Their duty is to fix what is broken and to lead the weak ones to water and meadows."51

* * *

Allah revealed the following to Hz. Dawud:

"O Dawud! Show patience when you face a trouble so that Allah’s help will reach you."52

* * *

Hz. Dawud advised his son as follows:

"O my son! Do not underestimate your enemy even if there is one enemy. Do not overestimate your friends even if you have one thousand of them."53

* * *

It is reported that Hz. Dawud addressed his son as follows:

"Three things indicate that a person has taqwa:

1. To rely on Allah for things that he has not obtained yet.

2. To be content with what he has.

3. To show patience and tolerance when he loses something.54

* * *

The following is one of the prayers of Hz. Dawud:

"O Allah! I want four things from you and I take refuge in you from four things:

What I want:A tongue that mentions you, a heart that thanks you, a body that shows patience and a spouse that helps me.

From what I take refuge in you:A shameless child that acts as if he is my master, a disobedient wife that makes me old ahead of time, a property that is a load of sin for me and a bad neighbor that conceals my good deeds and reveals my bad deeds."55

* * *

According to what Daylami reports from Ibn Umar, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “It does not fit anyone to say I am a more obedient servant than Dawud.”

FOOTNOTES

1 Ahmet Cevdet Paşa, Kısas-ı Enbiya, I/33

(*) The object expressed as Tabut (the Ark of the Covenant) in the Quran is a big chest containing some things that are regarded as holy by Children of Israel. It was handed over from person to person from the time of Hz. Musa and symbolized the independence and freedom of Children of Israel.

2 ibid, I/33; M. Vehbi, I/44; Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, I/828

3 al-Baqara, 246

4 al-Baqara, 246

5 al-Baqara, 247

6 al-Baqara, 247

7 M. H. Yazır, ibid, I/830

8 al-Baqara, 248

9 Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, I/831; Bilmen, I/257; Mehmed Vehbi, I/447-448.

10 al-Baqara, 249.

(*) Al-Bara says, "Hz. Prophet said that the number of the Companions that took part in the Battle of Badr was the same as the number of the people that crossed the river with Talut, that is, over 310. (Bukhari, Maghazi, V, 5)

11 Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, I/835

12 al-Baqara, 249.

13 al-Baqara, 249

14 al-Baqara, 249... Thousands of historical incidents witness that so many communities with very few people overcame communities with so many people lacking unity and solidarity thanks to a real and sincere unity and solidarity. One of those historical incidents is the war between the armies of Talut and Jalut. (For the explanation of the secret of sincerity and solidarity, see Lem’alar (Flashes), 150-151)

15 al-Baqara, 250

16 al-Baqara, 251

17 A.C. Paşa, Kısas-ı Enbiya, I/34

18 Tajrid trnsl., IX/156

19 M. Vehbi, Hülasatü’l-Beyan, I/454

20 M. Vehbi, ibid, I/454

21 al-An’am, 84; an-Nisa,163; al-Isra, 55.

22 A.C. Paşa, ibid, I/34

23 see: al-Isra, 55; an-Nisa, 163; al-Anbiya, 105

24 A.C. Paşa, ibid, I/34; M. Vehbi, ibid, VIII/3009, III/1114; Tajrid, IX/156

25 M. Vehbi, ibid, XII/4777

26 Sa’d, 17

27 Tajrid, IX/157; at-Taj, II/98... According to what is understood from this hadith, Hz. Dawud divided the night into six: He slept in three parts, that is, half, of it. Then, he woke up and worshipped in the 4th and 5th parts, that is one third of the night. He slept again in the sixth part of it, that is, just before the dawn. The reason why Hz Dawud allocated the fourth and fifth parts of the night to worshipping is that this time period is when prayers are accepted. (see Tajrid trnsl., IV/54)

28 al-Anbiya, 80

29 M. Vehbi, ibid, XI/4491; Tajrid trnsl., IX/155-156; see also: Ahmed Nuri Çebi, Dersler, 49-51

30 Sa’d, 21-24; Baydawi, II/184; Tajrid trnsl., IX/156, ff; see also: Sözler (Words), 241.

31 see Tajrid, IX/243-244... Mizmar is a musical wind instrument like clarion and clarinet. In the hadith, it is used in the sense of nice voice melody and harmony. It is used in this sense due to the connection between musical instruments and musical harmony.

32 Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, ibid, V/3948-3949

33 Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, İşaratü’l-İcaz (Signs of Miraculousness), 71.

34 M. H. Yazır, ibid, V, 3949-50

35 see Sözler (Words), 266.

36 M. Vehbi, ibid, XII, 4779-80

37 A.C. Paşa, ibid, I/34.

38 Ibn Sa’d, I/29; al-Bidaya, I/89.

39 Ihya, IV, 307; Mawardi, 243

40 Ihya, IV, 450

41 Ihya, IV, 586

42 Ihya, IV, 598

43 Ihya, IV, 644-645

44 Ihya, IV, 872

45 Ihya, III, 259

46 Ihya, III, 797

47 Ihya, II, 297

48 Ihya, II, 400

49 Ihya, II, 689

50 Ihya, II, 692

51 Ihya, II, 850

52 Tanbihu’l-Mughtarrin, 236

53 ibid, 309

54 Tanbihu’l-Mughtarrin, 495

55 ibid, 472

13-) Prophet Hud (Peace be upon him)

And the `Ad― they were destroyed by a furious wind, exceedingly violent; He made it rage against them seven nights and eight days in succession: So that thou couldst see the (whole) people lying prostrate in its (path), as if they had been roots of hollow palm- trees tumbled down! Then seest thou any of them left surviving? (al-Haaqqa, 6-8)

THE NATION OF AD

After the deluge, a new life started on earth. Human beings increased as in the past. The families that moved to various places of the Arabian Peninsula and established new cities, buildings, vineyards and orchards in the places they moved to.

A person called Ad, who was a descendant of Noah's sun Shem, moved to a place called Ahqaf near Hadramut in Yemen and settled there with his family. [1] The family of Ad expanded and formed a big community in time. They were called the nation of Ad.

The place where the nation of Ad settled was a valley surrounded by sand hills. It was a place abundant in water and rain; its soil was fertile.

The nation of Ad worked very hard and made the valley like a garden of Paradise. They built probably the most beautiful city in the world there.

There were magnificent buildings and palaces built on marble columns. There were parks, pools, gardens and wide streets all around the city. This pretty city was called Iram. [2]

The people of Ad were tall, well-built and strong people. When their wealth is also considered along with their physical strength, it could be said that there was no nation superior to them on earth.

The strength and wealth the nation of Ad had was a great bounty for them. Although it was necessary to thank and praise Allah for those bounties, they felt conceited. They liked themselves and despised others. Wealth turned their heads.

It is inevitable for strength and wealth to be a means of oppression in the hands of people who move away from spiritual and ethical values. Acting upon their strength and wealth, the nation of Ad started to force and oppress the people and the cities around them.

Their greatest pleasure was to make fun of travelers and passers-by. They would put wrong signs on the roads and laughed at the people who followed the wrong path. They sometimes beat, tortured and robbed those poor people.

Along with oppression, the people of Ad went too far in immorality. They built various other centers of entertainment and debauchery near the roads. They became indulged in games, entertainment, pleasures and debauchery fully. [3]

In the course of time, the belief of oneness was replaced by the belief of polytheism in the nation of Ad, which moved away from spiritual and ethical values with the oppression and debauchery they committed. [4] They forgot the fact that the nation of Nuh had been destroyed due to worshipping idols.

THE PROPHET HUD

When the number of the people of the nation of Ad increased, Allah sent them Hud as a prophet. [5]

The duty of Hud (pbuh) was very heavy.

He called his nation to believe in the oneness of Allah first and to worship Him. He addressed them as follows:

"O my tribe! Worship only Allah. Do not worship others. You have no deity except Allah.” [6]

The nation of Ad reacted to this call of Hz. Hud's:

"Did you bring us here for this? You probably went crazy. Therefore, you dared to put forward wrong and unreal claims."

Hz. Hud replied his nation as follows:

"O my nation! I did not go mad. I am sane. Allah has chosen me as a prophet among you so that I will show you the right way. My duty is to convey the message of my Lord to you and to advise and preach to you so that you will attain happiness both in the world and the hereafter." [7]

* * *

The nation of Ad did not accept to obey Hz. Hud. They accused him of telling lies, insanity and betraying their fathers. Hz. Hud answered all of these accusations. He reminded them that he was the most trustworthy person among them. In fact, Hz. Hud was known for his righteousness, honesty, bravery and intelligence by his tribe. Everybody knew and accepted it.

The Prophet continued conveying his message to his nation fearlessly and persistently.

The nation of Ad, which accepted no value except power and interest, could not understand his efforts. According to them, there was a material interest behind his efforts. Once they told Hud this idea of theirs.

The Prophet Hud rejected this accusation by saying,

“No reward do I ask of you: it is al) in your interest: my reward is only due from Allah. He will reward me. What I ask you to do is for your goodness and happiness.”He continued as follows:

“O my nation! You build strong castles that are of no use but give you pride. You decorate them extravagantly with ponds and flowers as if you will live there eternally. You play useless games in the towers you build near roads and make fun of the people, and especially my visitors, who pass by. O my nation! You also oppress and torture the poor people who are without help. [8] How can such a cruel nation be on the true path and how do they not need guidance?”

With those statements, Hud tried to make them act justly and to show them their mistakes. He explained them how to get rid of these terrible deeds as follows:

"O my nation! Obey the orders and prohibitions of Allah, who bestowed on you freely numerous camels, cattle, sheep, vineyards and orchards. Do you not think that these bounties necessitate thanking and praising Him?

"O my nation! If you do not believe in Allah, do not worship Him and do not thank Him for the bounties you have, I fear that a big wrath will hit you.” [9]

The nation of Ad reached a high level of welfare thanks to the power, productive animals, fertile land, green valleys and numerous children granted to them by Allah. However, this situation increased their ambition, greed, unbelief and tyranny instead of leading them to gratitude and worshipping. In the course of time, they deserved wrath and destruction more.

Being aware of this dangerous course of his nation, Hz. Hud worked very hard to fulfill the duty of prophethood given to him by Allah and tried to save them from the wrath that was about to hit them by warning them. When his nation saw that Hz. Hud did not give up uttering the same words, they said to him,

"O Hud! Your threat is of no significance for us. You have been talking in vain by criticizing our idols, palaces, towers and making fun of the passersby by threatening us with destructive wrath.

For, what we have been doing is no different from what our ancestors did. If they necessitated wrath, why are they sleeping peacefully in their graves now? Nothing happened to them. O Hud! Wrath will not hit us. We will not believe in you and your Lord. We will go on living as we wish.” [10]

THE DROUGHT AND FAMINE THAT HIT THE NATION OF AD

With those words, the nation of Ad declared their rebellion against God Almighty openly and stated openly that they would go on like that.

Thereupon, God Almighty stopped sending rain to their land. The vineyards and orchards started to dry and fade; the animals started to die; the strong nation started to weaken. Therefore, the number of births plummeted. [11] There was a continuous, muggy and dry wind; it dried the lips of the people. They opened their mouths with difficulty and had difficulty in breathing. It became impossible for them to see beyond the end of their noses due to dust and smoke.

According to a narration, the nation of Ad led a terrible life like that for three years. [12] Acting upon this terrible situation, Hz. Hud asked them to repent and ask for forgiveness from Allah by showing them their weakness. [13] However, this call of Hud's increased their fury instead of softening them. They even started to think that Hz. Hud caused them to fall into this situation and to believe that it was necessary to kill him in order to attain salvation.

DEATH TRAP

Taking action with the intention of killing Hud by accusing him of causing this trouble, which actually took place due to their oppression and rebellion against Allah,[14], this network of murder planned to ask Hud some questions and to demand some things that he would not be able to do from him. They planned to provoke people against him if he failed to do them by saying, "Do you see? He is a liar." Thus, the people of Ad, who were upset due to famine and troubles, would kill Hz. Hud. They started to apply this plan and asked Hz. Hud:

“O Hud! You have not brought us any evidence proving what you say is true; therefore, we do not believe in you or give up worshipping the idols of our ancestors.” [15]

Hz. Hud showed them various miracles upon their request. He told them not to worship idols. However, their intention was to harm him by applying their plan, not to believe in him by abandoning their idols. [16] When Hz. Hud showed them miracles upon their request, their plan failed and twisted in the wind. In order to get over this situation, they said,

“O Hud! We do not say anything to you. We know you since you were brought up among us. We do not accuse you of anything. However, since you have dared to make such unbelievable claims, our idols have probably seized you with imbecility because you despised them and prevented us from worshipping them.” [17] Thus, they claimed that Hud was mad. Thereupon, Hz. Hud stood up suddenly and replied them as follows:

"I call Allah, who is the creator of this universe, who destroyed cruel and brutal nations like you and who left some traces of them to teach people a lesson, to witness, and you to bear witness by considering my words and deeds that the idols you have been worshipping cannot be useful or harmful to anybody. If they have any power to affect others, do not hesitate to do your best in order to eliminate me. Do not give me any time to think.” [18]

This courageous and brave challenge of Hz. Hud’s astounded them and made them freeze. They did not expect such a fearless answer from them. Making use of this confusion of his nation, Hz. Hud continued speaking:

"I put my trust in Allah, my Lord, after fulfilling my duty. This challenge of mine is based on my belief in Allah and my affiliation with Him. You cannot do anything to me."

Indeed, a person who has attained the real belief can challenge the universe.

After this speech, Hz. Hud stated again that his aim was nothing but to call them to the truth and that it was not his duty to ask and to do anything except it. He also stated that the nation of Ad would harm only themselves if they did not believe, that they would not harm Allah and that Allah would protect him from all of the evils of his nation. [19]

THE EXPECTED WRATH

Hz. Hud put forward various evidences in order to persuade his nation to believe; he also gave them glad tidings and sometimes warned them. In short, he did his best to convey his message. Once, during the famine and drought, he called them to the truth again and asked them to abandon their idols; he warned them that terrifying wrath was approaching. The nation of Ad reacted to the words of Hz. Nuh:

“Have you come in order to turn us aside from our gods? Bring upon us the wrath with which you have been threatening us if you are telling the truth.” [20]

Hz. Hud was out of patience now and abandoned hope that his nation would improve. He started to address them for the last time:

“The Knowledge of wrath to come is only with Allah. I have told you about it many times. However, you still want me to bring the wrath. My duty is to convey you the things that I am ordered. I see that ye are a people in ignorance and you do not see the truth. [21] Wait for the wrath you have been asking for. I will definitely wait for it with you. [22] Let us see whether your wrong gods will protect you from the wrath that will hit you.”

While Hz. Hud was addressing his nation like that, it was reveled to him when the wrath would hit them. He was given the glad tiding that all of the polytheists would be destroyed and all of the believers would be saved. Acting upon the revelation he received, on one of the cold days of winter called "cold spell" [23], Hz. Hud took his followers to a distant place after dawn. They started to wait for the wrath.

THE WIND OF WRATH CALLED SARSAR

The nation of Ad first saw a big black cloud in the horizon. It was approaching them. They were suffering from drought; it had not rain for a long time. As soon as they saw the cloud, they stood up and screamed with joy.

"There is the cloud. Our idols showed mercy on us. They accepted our prayers. It is going to rain soon. Our vineyards and orchards are going to get rain. Hurray!”

The nation of Ad became very joyful. Some of them went to their fields, started to plough and sow seeds. Some of them found Hz. Hud and started to make fun of him:

"What happened to your threat of wrath? Our idols have accepted our prayers and sent us those black clouds. It is going to rain soon; our troubles will end.”

Some of them started to pray, laugh and have fun in front of the idols.

Hz. Hud turned pale when he saw the joy of his nation. He was thinking about what would happen to them soon. He warned them for the last time, while they were happily shouting, "It is going to rain soon":

"You are wrong. What you see is not a rain cloud. It is the wind of wrath, which you do not think will come. It is going to destroy you soon. Repent and believe in me before it is too late.” [24]

The blackness seeming in the form of a cloud approached the nation of Ad while they were enjoying crazily.

Suddenly, a hurricane broke out. What they thought to be a cloud was a wind blowing with an unprecedented speed and coldness. [25] This wind, called Sarsar in the Quran, was making a terrible sound when it was blowing.

It was stubbing trees; giant columns and big ramparts were collapsing.

The people of Ad, who boasted by saying, “Who can be stronger than us?, were flying like a straw.

Some of them hugged big trees and rocks in order to prevent themselves from flying. Some of them took refuge in their palaces, in which they took pride because of their strength. However, they could not protect themselves from flying into the air with the rocks and trees they hugged. The strong wind rooted out the doors and windows of the houses; everything in the house, whether living or non-living, was flown away by the wind like dust.

The wind entered into the bodies of the people of Ad through their mouths and nostrils; their intestines and internal organs were emptied; their bodies were dragged away without their arms and heads like logs. [26]

Some of them were buried under tons of sand. Then, the wind moved the sand away and they were flown away into the air by the wind. [27]

Those who survived were trying to escape by screaming. However, it was in vain.

This terrible storm lasted for 7 nights and 8 days. The people and the animals died. The beautiful city of Iram was razed to the ground like its inhabitants.

Hz. Hud and the believers who followed him survived this terrible storm unharmed.

This wind of wrath, which razed the nation of Hud to the ground, is called "sarsar" in the Quran. [28] The days of the wrath that lasted for a week is called "ayyam an-nahisat" (inauspicious days). [29]

After the destruction of the polytheists with their houses and land, Hz. Hud left the city of Iram with about 4000 believers. He settled in a place near Makkah. He lived there until he died. According to another narration, he settled in a place near the Sea of Oman.

It is said that the person whose face resembles Hz. Adam the most is Hz. Hud. [30] The nation of Ad, to whom Hz. Hud was sent as a prophet and who were destroyed by "sarsar" is also called Ad al-Ula (the First Ad). The nation of Thamud, which is also called the Second Ad, was formed by the believers who survived the wrath sent to Ad.

SOME NOTES ON THE FREEZING WIND THAT DESTROYED THE NATION OF AD

It is clearly stated in the Quran that various nations that insisted on unbelief and rebellion were destroyed by divine wrath. Believers are ordered to see their destroyed land.

It is stated that many nations were eliminated by "a single sayha". It is understood from the lexical meaning of the word sayha that it is a sound of severe explosion.

The principle of severe vibration of matter in magnetic fields, which has been dealt with by science recently, is very interesting in terms of sayha.

If matter enters into a severe magnetic field, it makes a natural vibration first. If the magnetic field becomes very severe, this magnetic nuclear vibration assumes a property that could drive man crazy and kill him. This resonance, which can be compared to very severe sound vibrations, assumes a completely fatal property.

Man who believes in science is enchanted by the Quran when he thinks that the sayha on the Day of Judgment is a vibration that causes death as a result of such terrifying changes.

As it is stated in verse 6 of the chapter of al-Haaqqa, the nation of Ad was eliminated by a freezing wind. In the Middle East, a freezing wind is not possible when the normal climatic conditions are taken into consideration. What was the cold wind that froze the nation of Ad?

The answer to this question lies in the scientific facts related to magnetic changes. Heat is a movement of quantum under normal conditions. The basic principle in chemical events, electric heating and under the heat effect of the sun rays is the movement of quantum. In the past, heat energy was regarded as a separate energy. In recent years, heat energy is included among electromagnetic forces of the four types of forces (gravitation, electromagnetic effect and interactions).

If suitable magnetic effects are ensured in a region, quant movements are slowed down or speeded up. The nation of Ad was sent a wind cooled by such a magnetic effect. In the past, some primitive intellectuals tried to criticize the Quran claiming that the Quran does not mention coldness. However, the issue of coldness is mentioned like that in the Quran; besides, the word "zamharir", which is of Amharic origin, is used in the sense of very cold in the Quran.

The concepts related to the Doomsday and divine wrath mentioned in the verses give incredible messages in terms of modern physics.

With the wisdoms related to the nation of Ad and Thamud, great concepts and messages are given to the people living today, especially to the scientists. The magnificence in the descriptions of the Quran will dazzle eyes unless those who look at it are blind.” [31]

FOOTNOTES

¹ A. C. Paşa, Kısas-ı Enbiyâ, l, 19. Ahqaf is the plural of hiqf meaning sand hill (dune).

² al-Fajr, 7.

³ See Tajrid trnsl., IX, 93; M. Vehbi, ibid, X, 3930, XII, 5040,

⁴ Historians say that the nation of Ad worshipped three idols called Suda, Sida, Hiba (Tabari, Tarikh, Vol. I).

⁵ Hud, 50.

⁶ Hud, 50; al-A’raf, 65; al-Ahqaf, 21.

⁷ Hud, 66-68.

⁸ ash-Shuara, 128-130.

⁹ ash-Shuara, 130-135.

¹⁰ ash-Shuara, 136-138.

¹¹ Ö, N. Bilmen, Kur’ân-ı Kerim’in Türkçe Meâl-i Âlisi ve Tefsiri, 1482.

¹² M. Vehbi, ibid, IV/1668.

¹³ Hud, 52.

¹⁴ M. Vehbi, ibid, VI/2362-63.

¹⁵ Hud, 53.

¹⁶ M. Vehbi, ibid, IV/2361.

¹⁷ Hud, 54.

¹⁸ Hud, 54.

¹⁹ Hud, 56-57.

²⁰ al-Ahqaf, 22; see: al-A’raf, 70.

²¹al-Ahqaf, 23.

²²al-A’raf, 71.

²³M. Vehbi, ibid, XV, 6105.

²⁴al-Ahqaf, 24.

²⁵M. Vehbi, XV, 6105.

²⁶al-Haaqqa, 7.

²⁷M. Vehbi, XIII, 5350; adh-Dhariyat, 42.

²⁸al-Haaqqa, 6.

²⁹Fussilat, 16.

³⁰Tajrid trnsl, IX, 90.

³¹Dr. Haluk Nurbaki, Kur’an-ı Kerim’den Ayetler ve İlmi Gerçekler, IV, 30-32.

14-) Prophet Lut [Lot] (Peace be upon him)

"Lut said: 'I do detest your doings.
O my Lord! deliver me and my family from such things as they do!'
So We delivered him and his family― all. Except an old woman who lingered behind. Then the rest We destroyed utterly. We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): and evil was the shower on those who were admonished (but heeded not). Verily in this is a Sign.” (ash-Shuara, 168-174)

THE PROPHET LUT

Hz. Lut (pbuh) is the son of Harran, who is Hz. Ibrahim’s brother. He is one of the first people who believed in Hz. Ibrahim.1

Hz. Ibrahim was thrown into fire because he tried to dissuade his nation from worshipping stars and idols. However, when Allah Almighty ordered the fire, "O fire! Be coolness and peace", the fire did not burn Hz. Ibrahim and became cool. After remaining in the fire for a week, Hz. Ibrahim came out safe and sound. As soon as he came out of the fire, he started to convey the message of Allah again. He reminded his nation about the bad ending of worshipping idols in the hereafter. He told his nation that they would go to Hell if they did not give up worshipping idols. Only Hz. Lut among his nation accepted this message and call of Hz Ibrahim's. The others insisted on polytheism and did not believe in him though they heard his warnings and saw that the fire did not burn him.

Thereupon, Hz. Ibrahim migrated from Babylon with his wife Sara and his nephew Hz. Lut. They went to Harran. Hz. Ibrahim stayed there. Hz. Lut went to Sodom and Gomorra.2 Then, he was sent as a prophet to the people living there.

THE MOST ABERRANT NATION IN THE WORLD

The people of Sodom and Gomorra were very immoral and immodest. They committed something deviant that no nation had committed up to that time. The men preferred men instead of women for sexual intercourse. They went too far and committed it openly; they even boasted about it. They would sit by the road, throw stones at the passersby and mock them. If a stone hit somebody, they would harass him.

In fact, this attitude was contrary to human nature. For, the feeling of lust was given to man for the continuation of human race; it was a small price for marriage between men and women. If this price (lust) had not been given, people would not have undertaken the responsibility of marriage; they would not have got married. This would have cause the human race to become extinct.

However, using lust out of this purpose and trying to satisfy it through aberrant and illegitimate ways reduce man to a degree lower than animals. For, even animals do not commit homosexuality. However, the nation of Lut got into the habit of committing such a disgusting thing. Allah Almighty sent them Lut as a prophet due to this practice.

• Sodomi (Homosexuality)

Men and women were created so that they would be partners. The spiritual and physical structure of these two genders was created in such a way that they always need each other. For, the continuation of human race depends on this partnership. Therefore, they naturally tend to each other.

Allah Almighty rendered marriage between a man and a woman legitimate due to this natural tendency. The reason why this attraction between men and women was created and marriage was made legitimate is the continuation of the human race.

This natural tendency between men and women and the feeling of lust make these two genders approach each other. It enables them to set up a family and bring up children. Thus, this feeling in the nature of human beings is satisfied legitimately and the continuation of the human race, which is the real purpose, is ensured.

As we have mentioned before, Allah Almighty did not limit the feelings of human beings when He created them. The feeling of lust is one of them. The most important property of man distinguishing him from animals is this limitlessness in his feelings.

Allah Almighty limited these feelings, which He did not limit in creation, through the religions and prophets He sent; and He determined the legitimate boundaries through them. Besides, the mystery of testing lies here. These feelings, which are free and limitless in creation, will be arranged and limited in accordance with the laws sent by Allah. Otherwise, if Allah Almighty had limited the feelings of man like animals, passing or failing the test by one's own preference would not have been in question. It would not have been in compliance with the divine will.

Allah Almighty legitimated the use of the feeling of lust, which He did not limit in creation, through marriage between men and women beginning from the time of the Prophet Adam. Man needs to satisfy his lust through marriage. He must not resort to illegitimate ways.

The nation of Lut became the first nation that deviated from this legitimate way in the most disgusting way.

The Prophet (pbuh) states the following in a hadith: “May Allah damn those who commit the thing that the nation of Lut did!” According to the majority of the Islamic scholars, homosexual intercourse is a sin like fornication. The punishment for fornication is also valid for homosexual intercourse.

HZ. LUT DECLARES HIS PROPHETHOOD

Hz. Lut, who was sent as a prophet to the people of Sodom and Gomorra, started to call them to the truth and the right path.

First, he told them that he was a prophet and asked them to obey him:

"O my nation! I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust. So fear Allah and obey me. Protect your souls from sins."3

After declaring his prophethood like that, Lut started to give advice to his nation in order to dissuade them from the bad deed they were committing:

"O my nation! You commit lewdness such as no people in creation ever committed before you. How can you do it without being ashamed and disgusted? How dare you do it? How do your mind and feelings condescend to satisfying your lust with men instead of women? Is this not a big sin? You are an ignorant nation that go astray and oppress both your own souls and others.”4

With those words, Hz. Lut tried to warn his people related to three aspects:

l — He asked them to give up the deed of homosexual intercourse, which they committed openly and without being ashamed.5 For, even a person who commits a lot of sins tries to commit sins and bad deeds secretly. He feels ashamed when others see it. Only those who are indulged in debauchery do not feel ashamed when they commit sins openly.

2 — He reminded his nation that they committed this deed though they knew it was ugly because there was no nation that committed this deed before them. Besides, reason, logic, humanity, religiousness, nature and biologic structure of man refuse this deed.6

3 — He told them to take lessons from what happened to the previous nations because those who rebelled against the prophets in the previous nations had been destroyed. They knew this fact.

However, the nation of Lut did not want to accept the truth and right path by any means. Thereupon, Lut started to intimidate his nation reminding them that they would be exposed to divine punishment:

"O my nation! If you continue acting like that, you will be destroyed. I am showing you what is good for you in this world and the hereafter. Do not think that I am doing this duty of conveying the message of Allah in return for any material interest. I do not ask any reward from you for it; my reward is only from Allah."7

It is a common principle of prophets to avoid receiving material things from people. When a person emerges with the claim of changing the society, the first question that comes to mind is whether he is doing it for a material interest or not. All prophets avoided this state, which harms trust, and stated that they did not want any reward or material interest from their nation and that their reward was from Allah.

It is clear that today, when those who try to convey the message of the religion of Islam to people are often accused of using the religion for their material interest, it is necessary for them to act in accordance with that principle of prophets.

THE DECISION TO DEPORT HZ. LUT

The nation of Lut gathered together in order to find a solution to the warnings of Hz. Lut. They talked about it and made the following decision:

"Let us deport Lut and those who believe in him from this city. They do not like what we do and claim to be clean and chaste people. They cannot keep up with us. Then, we must not let them live with us in this city. They must leave. We cannot get on with them from now on.”8

They informed Hz. Lut about their decision as follows:

"O Lut! If you keep condemning what we are doing, we will deport you from our land.”9

To deport the people whom they did not like was a habit of this nation. They decided to do the same thing to Hz. Lut due to his severe warnings.

That is, deportation of the people that are not liked by a nation or that are regarded as harmful is a custom that has been applied since the First Age.

HZ. LUT’S PRAYER

After telling Hz. Lut that they were going to deport him from their land, they added:

"O Lut! Bring us the wrath of Allah if you tell the truth. We do not believe in you. Bring us the wrath you have been threatening us.”10

These words of the nation of Lut showed that they were not going to believe in Hz. Lut by any means. Hz. Lut also realized that it was impossible to improve them.

He addressed his nation for the last time as follows:

"O my nation! I do detest your doings and condemn what you do. I never approve of what you do.”11

After that, he asked Allah Almighty's help for him and the believers from the evil of his nation.

"O Lord! Save me and my people from their evil deeds.”12

No prophet asked curse for his nation before losing hope of improving them.

THE GUESTS OF THE PROPHET LUT: THE ANGELS OF WRATH

Allah Almighty accepted the prayer of Hz. Lut. He appointed three angels for the destruction of his nation. He sent them to Lut disguised as three handsome young men. These angels were going to visit Hz. Ibrahim and give him the glad tiding of the son called Ishaq before going to the nation of Lut.

* * *

The angels of wrath arrived at noon. Hz. Lut was working in the field at that time. When he saw that, three people were coming toward him, he asked them:

"I do not know you. Why did you come here?” They said they wanted to be his guests.

When Lut saw that his guests were three handsome young men 13, he felt anxious. He feared that his nation would rape them. How could he prevent them if they wanted to do something like that? He said to himself, “This is a distressful day.”14

He has not yet been able to understand that his guests were angels. It was something very hard for a prophet like him to reject the guests who came to him. Therefore, he could not reject them.

Hz. Lut could not see any similarities between these young men and the people in his nation. It was definite that they were strangers. Therefore, he addressed them as follows in order to hint that his nation was aberrant:

"O guests! Do you know about the situation of the people of this city?" They said,

"What are they like?" Hz. Lut said,

"There are no people worse than the people of this city in the world."

Upon this word of Hz. Lut, Jibril said to his friends,

"Witness it."

Allah Almighty laid it as a condition for the destruction of the nation of Lut for Lut to witness four times against them. This was the first witnessing. Jibril indicated it to the other angels. When Lut witnessed against his nation three more times, the wrath became inevitable for his nation.

THE BETRAYAL OF HZ. LUT’S WIFE

Hz. Lut took the guests to his house secretly without showing them to anyone. Hz. Lut’s wife, Wahila, informed the nation of Lut about the guests.

Wahila never believed in Hz. Lut. She said she believed but she concealed her unbelief. She informed the people of Lut about the guests and paved the way for them to harass the guests.

As it is seen, husband-wife relationship and high qualities like being the wife of a prophet do not have any significance in the struggle between belief and unbelief. Even the bond of marriage, which is the strongest bond, is ineffective. That is, everybody is tested individually in this world. As a matter of fact, Noah's wife Waila also betrayed Noah (Nuh); she lived as an unbeliever though she was in the house of a prophet and died as an unbeliever.

In fact, both of them were in a great bounty with which they could have attained happiness in the world and the hereafter. They were both wives of two beloved prophets of Allah. However, they missed this bounty due to their betrayal.15

HZ. LUT’S NATION COME TO HIS HOUSE

When Hz. Lut’s wife informed the nation of the Lut about the guests, the news spread quickly. They told one another about the guests. They became very excited. They rushed to Lut’s house.16 They surrounded the house and asked Hz. Lut to come out. They asked him to deliver his guests to them.

Hz. Lut got into trouble when he heard what they wanted. He tried to persuade them by giving them advice:

“They are my guests. Do not disgrace me. If you betray them, you will betray me. Fear Allah and give up this thought. Protect yourselves from committing sins. I know your infamy but do not let my guests know your infamy.”17

Hz. Lut gave advice to his nation by begging them and tried to dissuade them. However, it was in vain.

They did not seem to be listening to anyone. They retorted harshly:

“O Lut! We told you not to intervene in our business. How can you prevent us from doing it? Did we not forbid you from entertaining guests? You may be chaste and honorable; you might not do what we do but do not interfere in our business. Our sins belong to us. It is none of your business.”18

The nation of Lut had forced him beforehand not to interfere in their business and not to entertain guests. They threatened him by saying, “We will deport you from this city if you do so.” They reminded him of this decision when Lut wanted to prevent them from harassing his guests.

When Hz. Lut realized that he could not prevent them like this, he tried to prevent them resorting to another method: He said to them,

“O my nation! Your women are my daughters. I am like your father due to my prophethood. Make use of them by marrying them. It is permissible to make use of them and it is clean. It is religiously and ethically haram and forbidden for a man to have a sexual intercourse with another man. Fear Allah and do not disgrace me in the presence of my guests. Is there not a sane person among you who will understand what I say?”19

However, the nation of Lut did not heed what he said. They said,

“O Lut! Have you not known us for such a long time? We do not need our women. You know what we want.”20

Hz. Lut was in a weak state and was very worried. He could only utter the following words:

“I wish I had the power to resist you now or I could take refuge in a strong castle; I wish I were not in such terrible state.”21

Hz. Lut was not a native of Sodom and Gomorra. He settled there afterwards. Therefore, there was nobody to help him. There were some people who believed in him from the people of Sodom and Gomorra but they were very few; and they were weak and poor people. He was right to complain about his loneliness and weakness. As a matter of fact, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “After Lut, Allah did not send a prophet who was not from a powerful nation.”(*)

When the angels saw that Hz. Lut was so worried, they decided to tell him about themselves. They said,

“O Lut! We are definitely the messengers of your Lord. Do not be anxious. They cannot do anything to us. Your nation insists on their sins and aberration. It is impossible to improve them. It is useless no matter how much advice you give them. They cannot oppress you anymore. Let them come in.”22

Upon these words of the angels, Hz. Lut opened the door wide. They rushed into the house. Hz. Cibril flapped his wings facing them; they all went blind.23 They did not know what to do and where to go. They started to yell and scream. They said there was a magician with Hz. Lut. They did not think of believing in him even in that situation. Hz. Lut led them out of his house.

After they were sent out, the angels said to Hz. Lut:

“Leave this town with those who believe in you. Walk for a while at night. Do not let any believers walk behind you. Let them walk in front of you. Do not let them look behind. Leave this place at once before the wrath of Allah arrives. Do not take your wife. She will be destroyed with your cruel nation. They will be destroyed in the morning.”24

Hz. Lut said,

“There is a lot of time till morning. I want them to be destroyed sooner.” Jibril said,

“Is morning not near? It is near.”

It is natural for people to want something that they really want to happen as soon as possible. Hz. Lut was oppressed by his nation a lot and he hated the bad deeds they committed. Therefore, he wanted them to be destroyed at once and to get rid of them.

As it is seen, Hz. Jibril ordered Lut to do four things:

1 — To go at night: Because it was necessary for them to leave the town without being noticed by his nation. If they had left during the day, they could have oppressed him.

2 —He had to walk behind those who believed in him: If he had walked in front of them, they could have wondered about what was happening behind and could have looked. Besides, those who walked at the back could have feared that they would be affected by the wrath. Hz. Lut was ordered to walk behind in order to save those who believed in him from anxiety. The duty of Hz. Lut was to protect those who believed in him. Protection could be carried out better by watching them from behind.

3 —They were ordered not to look behind: Those who left the city with Lut had relatives, property, valuable goods and even their children in that city. They lived there throughout their lives and had several bonds with the city. If they had looked behind, they could have had a feeling like pitying the oppressors that were destroyed, which is against the consent of Allah.

To pity the ones who deserve destruction and wrath means to object to divine wisdom. To show mercy and compassion to those who deserve wrath is regarded as showing consent to their situation. It necessitates the same punishment.

Thus, Allah Almighty cut off all of their relations with this order.

4 — To move in the direction that Allah ordered and to move away from the scope of wrath.

After Hz. Lut received these orders, he started to prepare to leave the city with the believers. He could not persuade his wife to come with him. She wanted to stay. Finally, they set off.

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NATION OF LUT

When Hz. Lut left the city with the believers, the wrath came early at dawn. Jibril brought about an earthquake with his wing and demolished the city.(*) Baked stones rained on people. The stones that fell from the sky came like rain drops continuously; meanwhile, they heard sounds coming from nowhere:

"You denied the wrath and threats told you by Lut. Taste that wrath now. Know that Lut was telling the truth!"

The destruction went on until the sun rose. During dawn, the lustful nation of Lut was destroyed; meanwhile, Hz. Lut and those who believed in him were saved and attained salvation.25

According to the statement of the verses, the nation of Lut was destroyed due to their oppression and sins. It does not matter whether the oppression affects their own souls or other people. Justice attracts bounties; similarly, oppression attracts misfortune and wrath.

There was also a big threat for the Qurayshi polytheists in those verses.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked Jibril about the oppressors mentioned in the verse and Jibril said,

"The oppressors of your ummah are also included." In another verse, the following is stated: “There is a lesson for believers in this event.”26

It is reported that Hz. Lut and those who believed in him went to Egypt, Damascus or Jordan after leaving their city. The place they went to had righteous people.

The cities where the nation of Lut lived are called “Mu’tafikat”27 in the Quran. It is reported that about four hundred people lived there.

The place that this wrath hit is called al-Bahr al-Mayyit (the Dead Sea) or the Sea of Lot (Lut) today.

WHAT DO SCIENTISTS SAY ABOUT THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NATION OF LUT?

The following explanations are given in the magazine called Bilim ve Teknik regarding the issue:

This event occurred 4000 years ago; that is, at the beginning of 2000 BC and according to estimates in the years of 1900 BC. The German author Werner Keller explains and mentions about the destruction of these two cities in detail in his book titled, “The Bible is right after all” based on archeological and geological research and investigations. This highly famous book of Keller has been translated into twenty-two languages and sold millions of copies!

According to the explanations of Keller, as being narrated by the Torah (and other divine books) and the detailed researches and diggings of American archeologists and geologists, the destructed locations of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are the surroundings of the valley of Siddim and the bottom part of the Lut Sea. It has also been understood by diggings that once there were extensive settlements in these locations.

The researchers were disappointed by failing to find the locations of Sodom and Gomorrah after digging with high hopes; and the possibility of finding the locations of these cities is out of question from now on; for, these cities are buried in the bowels of earth as it is explained below.

Keller explains this great destruction, which caused the horrific event, and the geological condition of the place before this destruction as follows:28:

A tongue like the place in the eastern part of the Lut Sea forms a peninsula and protrudes into the inner parts of the sea. Arabs named this part as al-Lisan that is “the tongue”. Here, there is a sharp but an invisible bend in the base of water that almost divides the lake into two parts. Though the base which is at the right part of the peninsula is 400 meters deep, the left part of it is amazingly shallow. With the measurements that have been made in the recent years, it has been understood that the depth of this place is hardly 15-20 meters. When a person travels at this lower part of the Lut Sea by a boat at a time when the sun rays reflect on water in the proper direction, he will come across with an amazing scene. Forest trees start to appear under the water a few miles over the shore. These are the trees that are preserved by the excessive salt of the lake.

The trunks of trees and their remains that are seen in green color must be very old. In the past, when the leaves of these trees became green and bloomed, it was possible that the prophet Lut (PBUH) used to graze his herd! In the past, this strange tongue of the Sea of Lut was the valley of Siddim.

The reason of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra is understood by the observations of geologists. American geologists firstly explained why the river bed of Jordan is so stiff. In fact, the Jordan River flows on a distance of 190 km river bed with a slope of 190 meters. This situation and the Lut Sea’s being lower than the sea level at 400 meters is caused by a great geological event that occurred in this region.

The Jordan River valley and the Sea of Lut is made up only a part of a crack or rift that passes by on this region of our planet earth. The condition and length of this crack on earth’s crust has recently been discovered. This crack starts from the slopes of Taurus Mountains to the south part of the south shores of the Lut Sea and stretches over the Arabian desert to the Aqaba Gulf and from there it passes by the Red Sea and ends in Africa. It is understood that in places where this long destruction goes on, there were strong volcanic activities. There are black basalts and lavas in places such as Galilee Mountains and at high parts of Jordan plateaus and Gulf of Aqaba.

It is possible that once there was a great collapse and a terrific earthquake that occurred along with explosions, thunderbolts, fires and natural gases and this resulted in the collapse of Siddim Valley as well as the cities such as Sodom and Gomorrah into the bowels of earth. The cracking and the collapsing of the earth’s crust caused the sleeping volcanoes to move freely. There are also extinct craters in the upper valley of Jordan; and in these places, there are large lava masses along with basalt masses on lime masses.

An interesting point is that though there is no mention about an earthquake in the Torah, Ahmed Cevdet Pasa, mentioned about an earthquake in his book titled Kısas-ı Enbiya29;that is, the History of Prophets. Ahmed Cevdet Pasa states the following: “Lut, the son of Harran, who is the brother of Hazrat Abraham, passed with him from Babel to Damascus and he was sent to Sodom region. The inhabitants of this place were unbelievers and sinners. Their actions were lawless and they used to commit prostitution that had not been seen before in any nation. Hz. Lut invited them to the true path but they did not listen. He advised a Lut but they did not accept. Allah Almighty pelted them with stones and destroyed their villages with an earthquake. He destructed them all. Only Lut and his family members survived by leaving that place at night.” (Ahmed Cevdet Pasa, Kısas-ı Enbiya, I. Cilt, Milli Eğitim Basımevi, Istanbul.)

The cities and the surroundings of Sodom and Gomorra became the victim of such a divine destruction; and after a huge disaster that occurred 4000 years ago, the cities of Sodom and Gomorra sank into the bowels of earth.30

RAIN OF DEATH

Dr. Haluk Nurbaki gives the following different explanation about the rain that destroyed the nation of Lut:

“At the beginning of August1945, there were two islands near each other: two green and clean islands. The big cities of these islands had the names Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the early morning, they were going to be selected victims of a big war. They had an act of extermination that was written in their fate and that would be discussed forever by human beings.

However, nobody knew about the most interesting aspect of what happened in these two cities.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were already very hot, became like hell when the atomic bombs were dropped. The people who did not die during the first explosion rushed out to the streets in order to breathe better. They enjoyed the rain sent by the black clouds that suddenly appeared in the sky. However, the real death came from the rain that dropped from these clouds which were charged with radioactive krypton. Most of the 200.000 people that died in these cities were killed by those raindrops.

We do not say that the people of those cities were hit by divine wrath. However, the mystery of the one of the verses of the Quran became manifest.

It is stated by all tafsir scholars that the nation of Lut was destroyed by rain but that it was not flood. Only believers believed in such a rain of death but deniers sneered at it until the incident in Hiroshima.

The radioactive rains that were not estimated at all even by those who made the atomic bomb silenced those who sneered at the Quranic verses.

When Allah wants to eliminate a nation, He sends them a wrath as the owner of endless power in a way that cannot be known by us and science. We do not want to say that the nation of Lut was destroyed by the rain from radioactive clouds. However, it is clear that all of the Quranic verses have scientific indications. The rain from radioactive krypton cloud is a rain of death and it is a good example for the destruction of the nation of Lut by rain.”31

FOOTNOTES

¹ al-Ankabut, 26.

² Abdul-Wahhab an-Najjar, Qisasu’l-Anbiya, 112.

³ ash-Shuara, 161-163.

⁴ al-A’raf, 80-81; an-Naml, 54-55

⁵ an-Naml, 54

⁶ al-A’raf, 80

⁷ ash-Shuara, 164

⁸ an-Naml, 56; al-A’raf, 82... As it is seen, the nation of Lut could not accept it when Hz. Lut and those who believed in him refrained from committing bad deeds and when they led a chaste and clean life. His warnings about the issue harmed their pride. They wanted Hz. Lut to leave so that they would commit their illegitimate deeds easily; they did not want their pleasures to be disturbed.

As a matter of fact, in all ages, those who committed illegitimate deeds accused those who warned them not to commit those deeds of backwardness, reactionism, etc. They did their best to eliminate those who opposed their life of debauchery life.

⁹ ash-Shuara, 167.

¹⁰ al-Ankabut, 29.

¹¹ ash-Shuara, 168.

¹² ash-Shuara, 169.

¹³ Baydawi, I, 570.

¹⁴ Hud, 77.

¹⁵ at-Tahrim, 10... The verb betray (khana) is used in the verse about the wives of Hz. Nuh and Hz. Lut. Betrayal is synonymous with hypocrisy (nifaq) in Arabic. However, the word betrayal is used because they broke their promise and vow. The word nifaq is generally used about religion. Thus, they are connected with each other. So, betrayal means to break the promise secretly and oppose the truth. Its antonym is amanah (trust). Accordingly, the verb khana (betrayed) cannot be interpreted as they committed adultery. No wives of prophets committed adultery. The smallest disobedience to a prophet is regarded as unbelief. They cannot be compared to betrayal and disobedience to others. Thus, the wives of Hz. Nuh and Hz. Lut became unbelievers due to their disobedience to their husbands. In the end, they were punished due to their unbelief by being destroyed with their nations.

¹⁶ al-Hijr, 67; Hud, 78.

¹⁷ al-Hijr, 68-69.

¹⁸ al-Hijr, 70... One of the weapons used by the aberrant people against those who try to spread the religious truths is this. They say, “You can perform prayers and fasting but do not interfere in others. Let every tub stand on its own bottom. Everybody is responsible for himself.”

In fact, the same weapons, slogans and excuses have been used throughout history. The aberrant people of that age addressed Hz. Lut like that just like the people of this age. Their words and hearts are similar.

¹⁹ al-Hijr, 71; Hud, 78.

²⁰ Hud, 79.

²¹ Hud, 80.

^(*) Mawardi, Adabu’d-Dunya wa’d-Din, 193.

²² Hud, 81.

²³ al-Qamar, 37.

²⁴ Al-Hijr, 64-65; Hud, 81.

^(*)According to M. M. Ernest, a Soviet ethnologist, the nation of Lut was destroyed as a result of a nuclear explosion. (Bilim ve Teknik, issue 152; see also issue 147, 8.)

²⁵ al-Araf, 83; ash-Shuara, 170; an-Naml, 57; as-Saffat, 134.

²⁶ M.Vehbi, ibid, VII/2766.

²⁷ at-Tawba, 70; al-Haqqaa, 9.

²⁹ Ahmed Cevdet Paşa, Kısas-ı Enbiya, I. Cilt, Milli Eğitim Basımevi, İstanbul.

³⁰ Bilim ve Teknik, Sodom ve Gomorra, Prof. Dr. Arif Akman, 152.

³¹ Dr. Haluk Nurbaki, Kur’an-ı Kerim’den Ayetler ve İlmi Gerçekler, IV, 28.

15-) Prophet Salih (Peace be upon him)

But they did hamstring her. So he said: "Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days: (then will be your ruin):(behold) there is a promise not to be belied!"When Our Decree issued, We saved Saleh and those who believed with him by (special) Grace from Ourselves― and from the Ignominy of that Day. For thy Lord― He is the Strong One, and Able to enforce His Will. (Hud, 65, 66)

THE NATION OF THAMUD

After the destruction of the nation of Ad, the people who were subject to Hud (pbuh) moved to various regions of Arabia to look for new places to settle. One of those people was Thamud, who was a descendant of Shem, son of Nuh. Thamud settled in the place called "Hijr" in the region known as Wadiul-Qura, in the northwest of the Arabian Peninsula between Madinah and Damascus. [1] The grandchildren of Thamud reproduced and formed a tribe first; then they formed a nation.

God Almighty gave them a lot of bounties just like the nation of Ad. Instead of thanking God when their wealth increased, they started to go astray and cause mischief among people.

The nation of Thamud consisted of nine tribes. The chiefs of the tribes agreed and formed a unity. [2]

They also recruited some other people and started to cause tumults among tribes. [3]

The nation of Thamud started to move away from the true religion; the custom of worshipping idols made of wood and stone emerged. [4] They started to worship idols called Wadd, Jadd, Hadd, Shams, Manat and Lat. This nation, which denied Allah and the hereafter, acted irresponsibly as if they would live in the world eternally. They were spoilt by the comfort. In summer, they were indulged in pleasure and entertainment in the magnificent mansions that they built in open plains; in winter, they lived in the homes that they carved out of hard rock in the mountains. [5]

This nation was called the nation of Thamud due to their grandparent Thamud. It is also narrated that it was called Thamud due to the word "thamad", which meant little water. [6]

The nation of Thamud is also called the Second Ad because it was the continuation of the nation of Ad, to which, Hz. Hud belonged, and because they replaced Ad. [7] Their most distinctive property was that they built houses by carving mountains; therefore, they were called "Companions of the Rocky Tract" in the Quran. [8]

As the nation of Thamud continued worshipping idols, Ubayd, a respectable person among the notables of the nation of Thamud, had a child; he named the child Salih (Saleh). As he grew up, he attracted the love of his nation. He did not worship idols even once. The idolatrous nation saw a great virtue and maturity in him; they thought, "This boy has great abilities; we will benefit from him a lot in the future." They knew that he did not worship idols but they tolerated him. They did not disturb him and did not let anyone disturb him.

As Salih grew older, his acts and attitudes got more serious and mature. He was a person true to his name. (Salih means righteous.) All of his deeds and attitudes were righteous. He got on well with everyone, helped the poor and protected the weak. He would visit ill people as soon as he was informed. [9]

When Hz. Salih, who was a descendant of Thamud, reached the age of maturity, his nation had completely gone astray and caused mischief everywhere. [10]

The prediction of the nation of Thamud about Hz. Salih was not wrong. They were going to benefit from him a lot. However, this benefitting was not going to be a material one as they expected. They were probably going to be able to attain eternal bliss thanks to him.

After a while, the nation of Thamud found Salih opposing them. He was chosen as a prophet by Allah. He was assigned the duty of putting the life of his nation, who had gone astray, in order, to make them worship Allah instead of idols, to replace the wrong beliefs with the true religion, to make them believe in Allah, who is one, and not to give any importance to any obstacles he encounters.

Hz. SALIH’S STRUGGLE WITH HIS NATION

Hz. Salih declared his prophethood to his nation upon the order he received from God Almighty. He tried to dissuade them from worshipping idols. He addressed them as follows:

"O my people! What is this state of yours? Worship Allah. You have no other God but Him. Why do you worship those pieces of stone and wood then?" [11]

Hz. Salih did not put forward his cause of oneness (belief in the oneness of Allah) only as a claim; he also presented rational and logical evidences. First, he told them the subtleties of the creation of man in a way that everybody can understand; he stated that this creation necessitated knowledge, will, power and universal consciousness; thus, he showed them that the idols they worshipped did not have those attributes, proving that they cannot be real deities. [12]

It is natural for a person to hesitate what to do and how to act after he understands his mistake and if he is not shown a way out. It is necessary for a good guide to take this point into consideration. Prophets never ignored this issue. Therefore, after refuting the possibility of the idols to be deities through rational and logical evidences, Hz. Salih asked his nation to repent to the Creator of the universe and to take refuge in Him by confessing their mistakes. He completed his guidance by telling them they would be desirable people by doing so.

* * *

While some people accepted Hz. Salih’s call to the true religion, the majority of his nation started to speak as follows: in surprise and astonishment:

“O Salih! In the past, you were a source of hope and a respectable person for us. We expected many things from you. Contrary to expectations, you left the religion of your ancestors. You call us to do the same thing. You cause unrest among us by doing so. It does not fit you. Give up these things and let us live in peace as it was in the past.” [13]

The nation of Thamud was astonished when Hz. Salih turned out to be opposite of what they had expected. They could not understand the secret of his emergence with such a claim by any means. He did not seem to give up his cause easily. However, it was necessary to try all methods. They planned to use force if it was necessary. It would be the last method because Salih belonged to a notable family. His relatives might support him if they used force even if they did not believe in his cause.

ACUSATIONS

The nation of Thamud, who did not understand and did not want to understand the real reason why Hz. Salih emerged with the belief of oneness, tried to put forward some reasons why he did so.

Some of them said, “Salih’s aim is to cheat us and to grab our property.”

Others said, “No. Salih does not need our property. He has more property than us. He probably wants to our leader.”

Yet another group said, “He does not want to be our leader; he probably went out of his mind and speaks nonsense.”

Those who did not want to accept the truth always accused those who conveyed them the true message. These accusations came to Hz. Salih’s ears and he felt sorry because he was misunderstood. He wanted to do something but his nation thought he wanted to do some other things. Despite what they said, he did not lose his hope thanks to the revelations, support and consolations by God Almighty; he never stopped conveying the message of Allah. [14]

* * *

As the nation of Thamud got richer and richer, their oppression and mischief increased. Hz. Salih’s advice and preaching depressed them a lot. However, they could not oppose him directly. They opposed him behind his back. While Hz. Salih worked very hard to guide his nation, they did their best to spoil his positive deeds.

Their negative attitudes did not intimidate Hz. Salih. He explained his cause to the people on every occasion and tried to fulfill his duty of conveying the message. He addressed them as follows:

"O nation of Thamud! Do you think you will dwell in the world forever with these vineyards and orchards, green crops and golden ears of grain, beautiful dates and waterfalls? Can you see anyone who lived like you and stayed in the world eternally? Do you not ever think who built these houses and who are living in them now? Who were the first owners of these vineyards and orchards and who are using them now? Maybe they also thought they would live forever bu unfortunately all of them passed away.

You will also die like them. Others will replace you. In the hereafter, you will be accounted for what you did in the world. obey and follow me since you still have time.

Know it very well that those who cheat you today and make you disobey Allah will not be able to save you and themselves from the torture there. For, they are weak people like you.” [15]

THE NATION OF THAMUD ASKING FOR A MIRACLE

God Almighty cut off all of the water of the nation of Thamud except one well in order to warn the nation of Thamud, who were at the top of wealth and disobedience, who did not obeu the prophet sent to them and who took pleasure in torturing the believers. The water of this well was abundant and sufficient for the needs of the nation of Thamud but it was very difficult to carry it to the vineyards and orchards. The nation of Thamud did not like this situation and they felt uneasy. Meanwhile, the followers of Hz. Salih increased day by day.

The notables of the polytheists, who could not bear it, thought of a plan to discredit Hz. Salih.

It was a day of festival. The people gathered in the square in the center of the city. [16] Hz. Salih took advantage of this situation and started to ask the people to believe in Allah. It was impossible for the notables of the polytheists to find a more favorable opportunity than this one to discredit Hz. Salih. They started to put the plan they devised into practice and said to Hz. Salih,

"O Salih! We know you very well. You were brought up among us. The Salih we know and we expect useful things from will not try to dissuade us from worshipping our idols buy uttering complicated words. You were probably bewitched. Therefore, you do not know what you say. How can a mortal being like us become a prophet? If you are telling the truth, extract a ten months pregnant female camel with red hair from the steep rock on that mountain. Only then shall we believe you.” [17]

Hz. Salih did not panic at all when he heard this request from the polytheists, who wanted to embarrass him by refuting him in front of the people who gathered there. For, his Lord always helped him when he was in trouble. Therefore, he accepted their request.

Hz. Salih asked them what they would do if he did what they requested. They all said they would believe in him. [18]

Hz. Salih was informed through revelation that the camel that was going to be sent was going to drink all of the water of the well alone and that the milk in the breast of the camel would never run out. Therefore, Hz. Salih was worried that his nation would kill the camel. He told his nation about his worry. They promised that they would not kill the camel.

In fact, they did not think Hz. Salih would be able to extract such a camel.

THE CAMEL MIRACLE

After Hz. Salih obtained a promise from his nation, he asked his Lord not embarrass him by performing a prayer and begging him. Then, a rock cracked extraordinarily and a ten months pregnant female camel with red hair came out with the permission of Allah. She gave birth to a camel as big as her immediately. She went to the only well of the nation of Thamud and drank the water in it. The people came and milked her. They filled all of their buckets but her milk did not run out.

The notables of the polytheists were shocked when they saw what happened; they went crazy. They did not attribute this miracle to Allah. They said, "Salih was an extraordinary magician". Thus, they accused him of magic. However, some polytheists believed in Hz.Salih when they saw this miracle, and the belief of those who had believed in him earlier increased and became stronger.

The polytheists who had gathered there for the festival became humiliated; they felt very depressed and did not know what to do. It turned out to be a festival day for the believers.

Hz. Salih warned his nation again not to harm the camel. [19]

Here is a she-camel: she has a right of watering, and ye have a right of watering, (severally) on a day appointed They arranged the use of the water well. The camel was going to drink the water one day and the people were going to drink and use it the next day. [20]

* * *

The pride of the polytheists were harmed terribly due to the Hz. Salih’s camel miracle. They avoided meeting the believers because they did not keep their promise that they would believe in Allah. Their houses, wives and children disturbed them; they started to think about how to take revenge. Some of the nation of Thamud gathered around Hz. Salih and believed in him. The others supported the polytheistic administrators. Thus, the nation of Thamud was divided into two as those who believed in the true religion and those who did not. [21]

The extraordinary camel walked around and grazed; she did not come to the town on the days when it was the people's turn to use the water well. When it was her turn, she would drink the whole water [22] and wait next to the well. The believers would come and milk her. the milk they milked was enough for the whole tribe.

They drank her milk and made various dairy products from it. [23]

When the believers saw the camel, their belief increased; they loved and caressed the camel a lot. When the unbelievers saw her, their hatred and grudge increased; and they became furious.

The other animals did not like the camel and her young camel; they would go away when they saw the camels. [24] The nation of Thamud knew that they would not be able to obtain even one single drop of water when it was the camel's turn; so they stored enough water for the next day. They could not put up with this situation and wanted to kill the camel several times but they were warned by Hz. Salih. Besides most of them avoided attempting something like that because they feared that something bad would happen to them if the camel died. Thus, the came grazed easily.

THE CAMEL IS KILLED

The leader of the polytheists always tried to persuade the people that it was necessary to kill the camel. They said,

“What will happen to us? This camel made us restless. Do we have to spend our lives in trouble and pain? Wecannot accept it. We have to deal with this issue at once.”

They repeated the same statements and eventually managed to persuade the people.

According to them, the camel appeared and turned out to be a trouble for them in front of all of the people of Thamud, hence they were going to get rid of the camel in front of everybody. However, nobody among the nation of Thamud dared to kill the camel. Eventually, a group of vaganbonds consisting of eight people under the command of Qidar (Qaddar) [25] undertook the task of killing the camel. They decided to do it without hesitation when its time was due. Thus, they were going to settle the issue of the camel.

* * *

When Hz. Salih was calling people to believe in Allah on a crowded day, the notables of the polytheists started to mock him as they always did.

They showed each other the camel that was drinking water and said, "Dou believe that we will be destroyed if we kill this camel? Let us kill her. They beckoned the man that they had appointed to kill the camel and Qidar, their leader, jumped on the camel and slaughtered her in front of everybody. [26] Then, they cut and dissected the meat. After that, they turned to Salih and said,

“O Salih! We have killed the camel. If you are a prophet as you claim, bring us the wrath that you have been warning us about.” [27]

Hz. Salih answered them as follows:

"O my people! What have you done? Why did you slaughter the camel that was a means of testing for you? You increased your sins, which were as big as mountains. However, the door of repentance is still open. Why do you ask for the wrath before you repent?” [28]

Hz. Salih used all occasions to get them to believe in Allah and did his best.

The polytheists answered the compassionate and merciful advice of Hz. Salih’s as follows:

"You brought us ill omen. We have been suffering ever since you came up with this religion. We have not been able to get rid of misfortunes. You are the cause of all of these things. None of these misfortunes hit us before you.” [29]

Hz. Salih definitely understood that his nation would not accept the true religion. He addressed them as follows for the last time:

"O my people! Your ill omen is known by Allah. Allah sent you several misfortunes. You were tested by Him in good and bad things, loftiness and humiliation, ease and trouble. However, you could not understand it. [30] You do not thank Allah for the bounties he has bestowed upon you. You cannot show patience when you you are hit by misfortunes. Therefore, you are tested by troubles and misfortunes. You had only one door left: the door of repentance. However, you yourselves closed it.

O my people! It is all over. Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days. [31] On the first day, your faces will turn pale, on the second day red and on the third day black. On the fourth day, you will be destroyed by divine wrath.” [32]

* * *

The nation of Thamud thought they would get rid of all agonies and troubles when they killed the camel. However, now they have into agony of waiting in fear for four days.

As they had planned before, the notables of the nation of Thamud said after the slaughtering of the camel, it was Hz. Salih’s and his family's turn to be killed; after that, they were going to kill all of the other believers. They came together and vowed that they would kill Hz. Salih and all members of his family. [33] However, the tribe of Hz. Salih may have not accepted it and asked for blood money. It was known that they were not in good terms with Salih. If Hz. Salih and his family were killed while they were in the city, they would be held responsible for the massacre. Therefore, they said they were going to leave the town and travel somewhere. In accordance with their plan, they were going to leave the town but hide somewhere near the city and spend the night there. They were going to kill Hz. Salih and his family by attacking at night and run away; they were going to live in a distnat place until things cooled down. [34]

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NATION OF THAMUD

According to a narration, the nation of Thamud slaughtered the camel on Wednesday. As an indication of the wrath to come, their faces turned yellow on the first day. They were depressed more by waiting for the wrath than the wrath itself. Every hour that passed was a disaster for them; they felt as if they were approaching to execution step by step. On the second day, their faces turned red. On the third day, their faces turned as black as pitch. Some of them fainted, went crazy and died.

* * *

The massacre of Hz. Salih and the believers planned by the nine people was going to take place on the night of the day when the faces were to turn black. These nine people left the city during the day and hid outside the city. They surrounded Hz. Salih’s house after midnight. However, when they enetered the house, they were surprised because there was nobody at home.

While they were making their plan, God Almighty informed Hz. Salih about it through Jibril and ordered him to leave the town with the believers. Thereupon, Hz. Salih left the town immediately with about four thousand believers. When a cloud of dust rose from the city of Hijr after midnight, Hz. Salih understood that the nation of Thamud had been destroyed and informed the believers about it.

A horrible loud sound (sayha) came from the sky [35] and destroyed the nation of Thamud. [36] The city was turned upside down.

After the destruction, Hz. Salih went to the city of Hijr that lay in ruins with the believers and saw that horrible scene [37]; he addressed them as follows:

"O my people! I did indeed convey to you the message for which I was sent by my Lord without asking any money from you. I gave you good counsel lest you should be destroyed but you did not listen to me. Then, you were destroyed like that.” [38]

After that, Hz. Salih went to the town of Ramla near Damascus, or according to another narration to Hadramut, and settled there with about four thousand believers. [39]

According to what is stated in the chapter of al-Anbiya, no prophet continued living in the town of the nation that was destroyed after the disaster.

According to Ibn Qutayba, after the destruction of the nation of Thamud, Hz. Salih lived about twenty years with the believers; he died at the age of a hundred and fifty-eight. [40]

HADITHS ABOUT THE NATION OF THAMUD

1. The following is stated in a hadith reported from Abu Hurayra:

When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) arrived at the valley of the nation of Thamud, he said,

“Do not enter the houses of those who wronged their own souls lest the wrath that hit them should hit you. However, if you enter them by crying, it is not harmful.” Then, he wrapped his cardigan around his head and moved away from that place quickly. .

2. According to what is reported from Abdullah Ibn Umar, when the Messenger of Allah stopped at the land of Thamud during the Expedition of Tabuk, he ordered his Companions not to drink water from the well there and not to take any water from it. The Companions said,

“O Messenger of Allah! We took water from the well and kneaded dough; we also filled our containers with water. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

“Throw the dough away and pour the water.” [41]

3. Jabir b. Abdullah narrates: While passing by the place called Hijr, Hz. Prophet said, “Do not ask for a miracle. The nation of Salih asked for a miracle. The female camel sent as a miracle used to go in through this passage and come out from that one. They slaughtered the camel by disobeying the order of their Lord. The camel drank the water of the well and they drank it the next day. When they slaughtered the camel ungratefully, a terrible sayha hit them. It destroyed all of them except one man. The Companions asked, "O Messenger of Allah Who was that man?" He said, “A man called Abu Righal. When he came out of Haram, the wrath hit him, too.” [42]

4. While the Prophet was delivering a sermon, he mentioned the female camel sent to the nation of Thamud and the man who slaughtered her. Then he read the verse 'When, the most wicked man among them went forth (to hamstring the she-camel).' (91.12) Then, he said, "A tough man whose equal was rare and who enjoyed the protection of his people, like Abu Zam'a (the uncle of Zubayr Ibn Awwam) went forth to hamstring it.” [43]

FOOTNOTES

¹ Ö. N. Bilmen, Kur’ân-ı Kerîm’in Türkçe Meâl-i Âlisi ve Tefsiri, H/ 1048; Tajrid Sarih Translation, IX/135,

² an-Naml, 48.

³ ash-Shuara, 151-152; Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, Hak Dini Kur’an Dili.

⁴ Ö. N. Bilmen, ibid, 11/1048.

⁵ al-A’raf, 74: al-Hijr, 82; M. Vehbi, ibid, IV/1672.

⁶ Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, ibid, IV/2796.

⁷ M. Vehbi, ibid, XIV/5657.

⁸ al-Hijr, 80.

⁹ Ö. N. Bilmen, ibid, III/1490, V/3685; M. Vehbi, Hülâsatü’l-Beyan, X/4023,

¹⁰ Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, ibid, IV/2797.

¹¹ Hud, 61.

¹² Hud, 81.

¹³ Hud, 62.

¹⁴ see ash-Shuara, 141-146.

¹⁵ ash-Shuara, 146.

¹⁶ M. Vehbi, ibid, IV/1670.

¹⁷ ash-Shuara, 152-154; Ö. N. Bilmen, ibid, 11/1049.

¹⁸ M. Vehbi, ibid, IV/1671.

¹⁹ Hud, 64; al-A’raf, 73.

²⁰ ash-Shuara, 155.

²¹ an-Naml, 45.

²² Tajrid Translation, IX/139.

²³ M. Vehbi, ibid, IV/1676; VI/2378.

²⁴ ibid,VI/2376.

²⁵ H. B. Çantay, ibid, III/983 - Not: 51; Tajrid Translation, IX/139.

²⁶ al-Qamar, 29; M. Vehbi, ibid, IV/1676. Although one person slaughtered the camel, Allah attributed it to all of the unbelievers and the protagonists in another verse. Thus, they became accomplices since they gave consent to it and accepted it. It is understood that the whole nation has a share of the responsibility of the deeds whether good or bad done openly in the community. If they keep silent and do not oppose though they have the power to oppose, Allah will punisj the whole nation due to keeping silent. The following warning exists in the Quran: “And fear tumult or oppression which affecteth not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong.” (al-Anfal, 25)

²⁷ al-A’raf, 77.

²⁸ an-Neml, 46.

²⁹ an-Neml, 47.

³⁰ an-Neml, 47.

³¹ Hud, 65.

³² M. Vehbi, ibid, IV/1676.

³³ an-Naml, 48-50; M. Vehbi, ibid, X/4023.

³⁴ M. Vehbi, ibid, X/4023-4024.

³⁵ Hud, 68; al-Qamaer, 31.

³⁶ Hud, 67.

³⁷ M. Vehbi, ibid, IV/1676.

³⁸ al-A’raf. 79.

³⁹ Tajrid Translation, IX/138.

⁴⁰ Tajrid Translation, IX/139; Ö. N. Bilmen, ibid, II/1049.

⁴¹ Tajrid Translation, IX, 135.

⁴² Ibn Kathsir, III, 190

⁴³ Bukhari, Q. Tafsir, VI, 83-84.

16-) Prophet Ishaq [Isaac] (Peace be upon him)

When he had turned away from them and from those whom they worshipped besides Allah, We bestowed on him Isaac and Jacob, and each one of them We made a prophet. (Maryam, 49)

THE PROPHET ISHAQ

Hz. Lut (Lot) was Hz. Ibrahim’s brother's son. He migrated from Babylon with Hz. Ibrahim. Then, he was given the duty of prophethood. He was sent to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah near Damascus.

The people of these cities were immoral people.

Hz. Lut worked very hard to improve them but he could not improve them. The immorality, disobedience and aberration of the people of Sodom increased day by day. They did not obey Hz. Lut at all.

Eventually, Allah willed to punish them. He appointed three angels to punish them. They were Jibril, Mikail and Israfil.

These three angels were going to be disguised as handsome young men and visit Hz. Ibrahim first. They were going to give him the glad tiding that he would have a son called Ishaq from his wife, Sara. After that visit, they were going to destroy the nation of Lut.

Hz. Ibrahim liked entertaining people. He always had some visitors in his house. When he did not have any visitors, he would go out and look for some people to entertain in his house.

He did not have any guests for days. Finally, the angels arrived. They greeted Hz. Ibrahim and approached him. Hz. Ibrahim could not recognize them. Therefore, he answered their greeting as, “May Allah’s peace be upon you! O the people whom I do not know!”1

The guests were the people whose faces Hz. Ibrahim was not acquainted with. Their clothes were also different from those of the people living in that region. Therefore, he stated that he had not known them; thus, he kindly requested them to introduce themselves.

Hz. Ibrahim showed them nice places to sit. He treated them kindly and gently; he did his best to please them. He started to lay the table for them.

There was veal kebab at home. Hz. Ibrahim brought the kebab on a tray, fat dripping from the meat.2 He put the tray in front of them and said, “Help yourselves.” However, the guests did not approach the tray. Hz. Ibrahim invited them to eat again, thinking that they were feeling shy. When he saw that they avoided eating, he started to suspect them: "Why did they not eat? Did they have any bad intentions?"

The angels felt that Hz. Ibrahim started to get anxious. They said to him jokingly,

"We do not eat without paying any money." We pay for what we eat. Hz. Ibrahim said,

"The price of this meal is to say, “Bismillah” (In the name of Allah) at the beginning and to say, “Alhamdulillah” (Praise be to Allah) at the end of it.

When Jibril heard this answer, he turned to Mikail and said smilingly,

"This person really deserves to be a friend of Allah.”3

When Hz. Ibrahim heard this answer, he felt relieved; he understood that his guests were not ordinary people. The angels made the following explanation so as not to make him more anxious:

"O Ibrahim! Do not fear us. We are angels disguised as human beings. We came here to give you a glad tiding. You are going to have a son who has knowledge and perfection. You are going to name him Ishaq (Isaac).4

It became clear why the guests did not eat anything; they were angels.

The glad tiding given by the angels surprised Hz. Ibrahim and Sara. She screamed unwillingly: "Am I going to have a baby?" Then, she turned to the angels and said, “I got very old. My husband is also old like me but you say we are going to have a child.”5 The angels made the following explanation in order to soothe the excitement of Sara and to satisfy Ibrahim's curiosity:

"O Sara! O Ibrahim! Do not be surprised so much. Do not lose hope because you are old. We do not give you this news on our own. We inform you about what our Lord told us. Do not doubt that this news can be wrong. Allah's mercy and abundance will be with you today as it was in the past.”6

Hz. Ibrahim answered their explanation as follows:

"Who can lose hope of Lord's mercy except those who deny Him and are in aberration? We always hope Allah’s mercy. We are surprised because it is something that has not been heard up to this time."

After the shock caused by the news given by the angels, Hz. Ibrahim asked them the following question:

"O Messengers of Allah! Is the reason why you came here to this glad tiding only? Or did Allah give you another duty?

Thereupon, the angels told him the real purpose of their visit.

"We came here in order to destroy a nation that went astray, exited the true religion, did immoral things and acted contrarily to the nature of man."7

Hz. Ibrahim asked them the name of this nation. The angels said that the nation to be destroyed was the nation of Lut.

When Hz. Ibrahim heard it, he panicked. He said,

"Lut lives among them. He is a sincere slave of Allah. Are you going to destroy him, too?”

The angels answered:

"We know the people in that city. Lut and those who believe in him will definitely be saved. However, Lut's wife will not be saved because she opposed Lut and supported his nation against him. Therefore, she will be destroyed too."8

Hz. Ibrahim was glad that Lut and the believers who followed him would be saved but he was thinking about the people that would be destroyed. He wished the nation of Lut would be given some more time. He wished their punishment would be delayed. He hoped they would understand their mistakes and would be improved. Hz. Ibrahim told the angels about his thoughts. He asked them to give the nation of Lut another chance.

Hz. Ibrahim was a lenient, mild and gentle person naturally.9 He did not get angry easily. He would endure all kinds of bad treatment against him patiently; he heartily wanted to improve people. He believed that even a very bad person had some nice qualities. He waited for that person to improve hoping that his nice aspect would overcome his bad aspects. Therefore, he did not want the angels to destroy the nation of Lut at once. In fact, man wants other people to have the good characteristics that he has. He sincerely wants others to have the same mentality. It is his inborn quality.

However, Hz. Ibrahim did not know the state of the nation of Lut very well. He was unaware that it was impossible to improve them and that they deserved punishment. Besides, Allah Almighty sent Hz. Ibrahim a revelation and warned him:

"O Ibrahim! Seek not this. The decree of thy Lord hath gone forth: for them there cometh a penalty that cannot be turned back."10

The angels fulfilled their duty and left Hz. Ibrahim to go to the nation of Lut.

* * *

Hz. Ibrahim had a son from Sara as the angels had stated. They named him Ishaq.

Upon the birth of Hz. Ishaq, Hz. Ibrahim prayed Allah as follows:

"Praise be to Allah, who hath granted unto me in old age Ismail and Isaac: for truly my Lord is He, the Hearer of Prayer.

O my Lord! Make me one who establishes regular Prayer, and also (raise such) among my offspring O our Lord! and accept my Prayer.

O our Lord! cover (us) with Thy Forgiveness― me, my parents, and (all) Believers, on the Day that the Reckoning will be established."(*)

* * *

After the death of Hz. Ibrahim, Allah Almighty gave Hz. Ishaq the duty of prophethood and sent him to the people of Damascus and Palestine. Ishaq looked like his father. It was difficult for many people to differentiate between them.

Hz. Ishaq had two sons called Ays (Is) and Yaqub (Jacob). Kings came from Ays’ progeny and prophets from Yaqub’s progeny.

Hz. Ishaq died when he was about160. When he died, he was buried next to his father. May Allah enable us to receive their intercession!

FOOTNOTES

¹ Hud, 69

² Hud, 69.

³ M.Vehbi, ibid.

⁴ Hud, 70-71.

⁵ Hud, 72.

⁶ Hud. 73.

⁷ Hud, 70.

⁸ al-Hijr, 60

⁹ Hud, 75.

¹⁰ Hud, 76.

(*) It is understood from this prayer Hz. Ibrahim’s that Allah Almighty ask prophets to beg Him and to pray Him as servants although they are protected from committing sins. Besides, they need to beg and pray Allah in return for the attribute of ismah (not committing sins) granted to them by Him as a grace and for the continuation of this state.

17-) Prophet Alyasa [Elisha] (Peace be upon him)

“And Ismail and Elisha and Jonah and Lut: and to all We gave favor above the nations” (al-Anam: 86)
“And commemorate Ismail, Elisha, and Dhul-Kifl: each of them was of the company of the Good” (Sad: 48)

THE PROPHETHOOD OF HZ. ALYASA (ELISHA)

Hz. Alyasa is mentioned in two places in the Quran. The relevant verses are as follows:

“And Ismail and Elisha and Jonah and Lut: and to all We gave favor above the nations.”¹

“And commemorate Ismail, Elisha, and Dhul-Kifl: each of them was of the company of the Good”²

Hz. Alyasa, who was one of the members of those caravan of good people, became the successor of Hz. Ilyas to guide Children of Israel.³

Alyasa was born eight centuries before Hz. Isa (Christ).⁴ Hz. Alyasa was together with Hz. Ilyas for a while.⁵

According to what is written in Tajrid translation, Hz. Ilyas, who left the city he was living in due to the oppression of the king of Baalbek, travelled from village to village to teach the Torah secretly. According to a narration from Ibn Abbas, during his travels, Hz. Ilyas went to a village and stayed in the house of an old woman from Children of Israel. The woman's son, Alyasa was ill.

Alyasa, who got well thanks to the prayer of Hz. Ilyas, believed in Hz. Ilyas and learned the Torah from him. After the death of Hz. Ilyas, Hz. Alyasa was sent as a prophet to Children of Israel.⁶ He gave them advice and preached. He did his best to improve Children of Israel.

The efforts of Hz. Alyasa did not turn out to be successful. Children of Israel did not heed his advice and preaching. They transgressed the bounds gradually and started to fight one another for property, throne and administration. Allah Almighty sent Assyrians to attack this disobedient nation.⁷

FOOTNOTES

1 al-Anam: 86

2 Sa’d, 48

3 Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, ibid, V/4103

4 Ö.N. Bilmen, ibid, II/917

5 Ö.N. Bilmen, ibid, II/917

6 Tajrid trnsl., IX/89; A.C. Paşa ibid, I/36

7 A.C.Paşa, ibid, I,36; Bilmen, ibid, II, 917

18-) Prophet Yusha [Joshua] (Peace be upon him)

Allah revealed the following to Hz. Yusha:
"O Yusha! I will destroy forty thousand good people and sixty thousand evil people from your nation."
Hz. Yusha asked:
"O Lord! You will destroy sixty thousand evil people due to their evil deeds; you want to punish them because of the sins they committed. Why do you want to punish the other forty thousand good people?’
He received the following answer:
"Those forty thousand good people joined the sixty thousand evil people by keeping silent; they deserve the same punishment because they kept silent when the others committed sins."

THE PROPHET YUSHA

As we have mentioned earlier, Hz. Yusha was the person with whom Hz. Musa went to see Hz. Khidr and whom he appointed as his successor after his death. Hz. Yusha was the son of Hz. Musa’s sister.

After the death of Hz. Musa, the Prophet Yusha became the leader of Children of Israel.

During the 40-year period in the desert, a new generation replaced the generation of Children of Israel that refused to fight when they were asked to fight. This generation was not oppressed by the oppression and cruelty of the Pharaoh like their fathers and they were brought up by the ideal of the holy land; therefore, they were a dynamic generation ready for war.¹

Indeed, it is impossible to make a degenerated generation without an ideal do anything. In that case, the best way of improving them is to aim the young children and to bring them up in a way that is desired. This necessitates a long time. As a matter of fact, the young generation of Children of Israel became ready only after 40 years.

Thus, Hz. Yusha started with such an energetic generation. Three days after the death of Hz. Musa, he led Children of Israel out of the desert to the bank of the River Sharia. His old friend Caleb was with him.

After crossing the River Sharia with a miracle of Hz. Yusha, Children of Israel besieged the city of Ariha and conquered it after clashes. Thus, Children of Israel moved from desert life to city life.

With the conquest of Ariah, Children of Israel entered the holy land; after that, they started to fight the local tribes in order to conquer the whole holy land. Eventually, they invaded the whole holy land by conquering Palestine, Jordan and Damascus.²

It is narrated that Hz. Yusha ruled Children of Israel for about twenty-eight years. Hz. Yusha died when he was about 100 years old. He was buried in Palestine but the location of his grave is not known.

It is also stated that Hz. Yusha's grave is on Yusha Hill, in the township of Beykoz, Istanbul. There is no definite evidence that he was buried there but it is possible that he came and lived there for a while. (*)

THE PERIOD OF JUDGES IN CHILDREN OF ISRAEL

After Hz. Yusha, the Period of Judges started in Children of Israel. During this period, many judges ruled. There were also some prophets among them.

During the Period of Judges, Children of Israel committed several wrong deeds; therefore, they were hit by several misfortunes. They were sometimes enslaved by their enemies and regained their independence after a while;³ thus, they led a life full of struggle and hardships. As it was the case in the past, when they had a trouble, they applied to their prophet; when they were saved from the trouble, they opposed their prophet and acted contrarily to their shari'ah. They even killed their prophets from time to time.⁴

FOOTNOTES

1 Çantay, I/162, not:39; Bilmen, II/754; Kısas-ı Enbiya, I/32.

2 Kısas-ı Enbiya, I/33.

(*) It is said that Yahya Efendi, the foster brother of Sulayman the Magnificent, discovered the place of Hz. Yusha and repaired it. (Hayat Tarih, June 1978, 88)

3 Kısas-ı Enbiya, I/33

4 See: at-Tabari, VI, 285-286. Abu Ubayda b. Jarrah narrates that Children of Israel killed their prophets as follows: "I asked the Prophet,

'O Messenger of Allah! Who will be punished the most severely on the Day of Judgment?' He said, “Those who killed a prophet and those who ordered bad deeds and prohibited good deeds.' Then, he read the following verses:

'As to those who deny the Signs of Allah, and in defiance of right, slay the Prophets, and slay those who teach just dealing with mankind, announce to them a grievous penalty. They are those whose works will bear no fruit in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help.'

After that, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, 'O Abu Ubayda! One day in the morning, Children of Israel killed 43 prophets in an hour. One hundred and twelve chivalrous people among them ordered those who killed them to do good deeds and prohibited them from doing bad deeds. Thereupon, they were also killed on the same day in the evening. They are the people mentioned by Allah in the verse.'"

19-) Prophet Khidr (Peace be upon him)

"So they found one of Our servants on whom We had bestowed Mercy from Ourselves and whom We had taught knowledge from Our own presence.
Moses said to him: 'May I follow thee, on the footing that thou teach me something of the (Higher) Truth which thou hast been taught?'
(The other) said: 'Verily thou wilt not be able to have patience with me!
And how canst thou have patience about things about which thy understanding is not complete?'" (al-Kahf, 18/65- 68)

IS HE A PROPHET OR A SAINT?

Hz. Musa had to stay in the Tih Desert with his people for forty years. During that period, he kept Yusha b. Nun, who believed in him and who was a loyal follower of him, near him and appointed him as his successor when he died. After the death of Hz. Musa, the old people of Children of Israel died and a new generation grew up. Meanwhile, Yusha b. Nun conquered Damascus with the young people that gathered around him.

It is stated that Hz. Yusha is a prophet that ruled Children of Israel based on the decrees of the Torah. He ruled Children of Israel for 22 years and according to a narration, he died at the age of 127 and was buried in Mount Ephraim. ¹When Hz. Musa went to see Hz. Khidr, Yusha was with him.

Khidr was a righteous person who worshipped Allah all the time beginning from his youth. It is stated that he got tired of his father's offer, "let me marry you off" and started to travel from one town to another. Once Hz. Musa asked Allah Almighty, “O Lord! Which slave of you is the most beloved to you?” Allah Almighty said, “The one who always mentions my name and never forgets me.”

Hz. Musa asked, “Who is your wisest slave?”

Allah Almighty said, “The one who decrees based on the truth and who does not do what his soul wants.”

Hz. Musa asked, “Is there a slave of You who is more knowledgeable than me on earth?”

Allah Almighty said, “Yes, there is.”

Hz. Musa said, “Where can I find him? I would like You to make me meet him.”

Allah Almighty said, “Near the rock where two sees join and where you will lose the fish.”²

After that, Hz. Musa set off with Yusha b. Nun in order to find this person, who was more knowledgeable than him. They took some salty fish with them in order to eat during the journey. Khidr is an Arabic word meaning green. According to a narration, the reason why this name was given to him was stated as follows by the Prophet (pbuh): “Whenever Khidr sat on a dry place without any grass, that place suddenly became green with grass.”³

Its stated that Khidr's real name was Alyasa and his lineage went back to Sam, the son of Noah (Nuh). According to a narration, Hz. Khidr and Ilyas are brothers. According to the majority of the religious scholars, Hz. Khidr is a prophet. Many aspects mentioned in the story of Khidr in the chapter of al-Kahf are evidence for his prophethood. It is also stated that he is a saint.⁴

HZ. MUSA AND HZ. KHIDR MEET

Hz. Musa said to Yusha b. Nun, “I will walk to the place where two seas join. If I cannot find him there, I will proceed until I find him."⁵

After a long and tiring journey, Hz. Musa and Hz. Yusha reached the place where two seas joined. In order to rest for a while, Hz. Musa put his head on a stone as if it was a pillow, lay down and slept. Hz. Yusha started to make wudu. Some water splashed onto the salty fish in the basket. As soon as water touched it, the fish revived and jumped into the sea.⁶

Hz. Yusha was astonished when he saw it and intended to tell Hz. Musa about it when he woke up but then he forgot about it. When Hz. Musa woke up, they went on walking. They walked until the morning of the next day. They felt hungry. Hz. Musa said to Yusha, “Bring us our food; we are very hungry."

Yusha suddenly shivered and remembered that the fish was lost in the sea. He said,

“Did you see? I forgot about the fish when we were on the rock. None but Satan made me forget to tell you about it. The fish revived and took its course through the sea in a marvelous way.”

Hz. Musa said, "That was what we were seeking after." So, they went back on their footsteps, following the path they had come. They met Hz. Khidr, one of the exceptional slaves of Allah.⁷

Hz. Musa said to Khidr, “May I follow you, on the footing that you teach me something of the truth which you have been taught?”

This effort of learning knowledge shown by Hz. Musa, who was one of the biggest prophets and who had the honor of speaking to Allah Almighty without any intermediaries, shows that he is also unique in sincerity and humbleness. Hz. Khidr pointed out that it was difficult to follow him by saying, “You will not be able to have patience with me. How can you have patience about things about which your understanding is not complete?

Hz. Musa said, “You will find me, inshaallah a patient person. I promise that I will not oppose you about anything.”

Thereupon, Hz. Khidr stated the condition of being a friend of his and travelling with him as follows: “If you want to follow me, ask me no questions about anything until I myself speak to you concerning it. ”⁸

HZ. MUSA'S JOURNEY WITH HZ. KHIDR

Hz. Musa accepted the condition put forward by Hz. Khidr and proceeded. Hz. Yusha left them alone and returned to Children of Israel. Hz. Musa and Hz. Khidr proceeded along the coast.

SCUTTLING THE BOAT

They embarked a boat on the coast. After the boat sailed for a while, Hz. Khidr started to scuttle it with something sharp. He broke one of the planks touching the sea. The boat almost sank. When Hz. Musa saw it, he could not help opposing. He asked, “What are you doing? Are you scuttling the boat in order to make it sink? You have really done a strange thing. ”

Hz. Khidr reminded him the agreement they have made: “Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me?”

Hz. Musa apologized to him saying that he had forgotten about the agreement: "Do not rebuke me for forgetting, nor grieve me by raising difficulties in my case.”⁹

THE CHILD THAT WAS KILLED

When they reached the other side of the sea, they got off the boat and started to walk. They saw some children playing on the street. Hz. Khidr grabbed one of those children and killed him. Hz. Musa opposed to this unbelievable deed and said, “How can you kill an innocent person who has not killed anyone? You really did a foul thing.”

Hz. Khidr reminded him that he violated the agreement again:

“Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me?”

Hz. Musa apologized again: “If I ever ask you about anything after this, do not keep me in your company. Then you will be right to leave me.”¹⁰

STRENGTHENING THE WALL THAT WAS ABOUT TO FALL DOWN

Then they proceeded. They reached a town whose inhabitants refused them hospitality. Hz. Musa and Hz. Khidr asked for food but they did not give them any food. Hz. Musa and Hz. Khidr found there a wall on the point of falling down. Hz. Khidr set it up straight. Hz.Musa objected again,

"If you had wished, surely you could have exacted some recompense for it and we would have bought something to eat with it." This time, Hz. Khidr spoke firmly:

"This is the parting between me and you. Now I will tell you the interpretation of those things over which you were unable to hold patience."

THE WISDOM BEHIND WHAT HZ. KHIDR DID

“Now listen to me. The wisdom behind them is as follows: As for the boat that I scuttled, it belonged to certain poor men who made their living through that boat. I wished to render it unserviceable because there was after them a certain king who seized on every sound boat by force. I made it unserviceable in order to save the boat from that cruel king.

As for the child I killed, his parents were believers. However, this child was of unbelieving nature. I feared that this child would lead his parents to unbelief and denial. Therefore, I killed him. So, we desired that their Lord would give them in exchange a son better in purity and closer in affection."

It is stated in narrations that these parents had a daughter afterwards and that their daughter married a prophet and became the mother of another prophet.¹¹

Hz. Khidr went on explaining: “As for the wall that was about to fall down, it belonged to two orphans in the town. There was a buried treasure beneath it. Their father had been a righteous man. Your Lord desired that they should attain their age of full strength and get out their treasure."

Thereupon, Hz. Khidr made the following explanation:

“They are all a mercy from your Lord. I did not do them of my own accord. Such is the interpretation of those things over which you were unable to hold patience.”¹²

IS HZ. KHIDR ALIVE?

It is accepted among people that Hz. Khidr is alive and helps those who are in real trouble. Most of the religious scholars accept that he is alive. They even said that he was seen in some places. The following people are said to have seen Hz. Khidr: Umar Ibn Abdulaziz, Ibrahim bin Adham, Bishr al-Hafi, Maruf al-Karhi, Junayd al-Baghdadi, Ibrahim Hawwab.

It is mentioned in the translation of Qamus that a sign of Hz. Khidr is that his index finger and middle finger are attached.¹³

Badiuzzaman Said Nursi is among those who accept that Hz. Khidr is alive. However, he states that he is not in a level of life that are restricted with many limitations like us and that he lives in a level of life whose conditions are different from that of ours. He clarifies the issue in a brief answer he gives to a question as follows:

"Is Hazrat Khidr alive? If he is alive, why do some important religious scholars not accept this?"

"The Answer: He is alive, but there are five degrees of life. He is at the second degree. It is because of this that some religious scholars have been doubtful about it."

"The First Level of Life is that of our life, which is very restricted."

The Second Level of Life is that of the lives of Khidr and Ilyas, which is free to an extent. That is to say, they can be present in numerous places at the same time. They are not permanently restricted by the requirements of humanity like us. They can eat and drink like us when they want to, but are not compelled to like us. The saints are those who uncover and witness the realities of creation, and the reports of their adventures with Khidr are unanimous and elucidate and prove this level of life. There is even one degree of sainthood which is called ‘the degree of Khidr.’ A saint who reaches this degree receives instruction from Khidr and meets with him. But sometimes the one at that degree is mistakenly thought to be Khidr himself.”¹⁴

That Hz. Khidr and Ilyas are alive, that they are seen by some saints and that they talk to them are not contrary to the meanings of verse 34 of the chapter of al-Anbiya and verse 144 of the chapter of Aal-i Imran. For, they passed from the first level of life and were transferred to the second level of life like martyrs not knowing that they are dead and being in a different level of life.

FOOTNOTES

1 Köksal, ibid. p. 121-122.

2 Hamdi Yazır, 4:3256.

3 Tajrid Translation, 9.144.

4 ibid. 9:145.

5 al-Kahf, 60.

6 al-Kahf, 61.

7 al-Kahf, 62-65.

8 al-Kahf, 66-70.

9 al-Kahf, 71-73.

10 al-Kahf, 74-76.

11 al-Kahf, 79-81. Kur’an-ı Kerim ve Açıklamalı Meali, p.301.

12 al-Kahf, 82.

13 Tajrid Translation, 9:145.

14 Mektubat (Letters), 5-6. Those who want to know the other levels of life can refer to this book.

20-) Prophet Shuayb [Jethro] (Peace be upon him)

To the Madyan people (We sent) Shuayb, one of their own brethren: he said: "O my people! Worship Allah: ye have no other god but Him. And give not short measure or weight: I see you in prosperity, but I fear for you the Penalty of a Day that will compass (you) all round.” (Hud, 84)

MADYAN AND AYKA

Hz. Shuayb (Jethro) was sent as a prophet to the region of Madyan and Ayka.¹

Madyan was the name of one of the sons of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham). Hz. Ibrahim’s sons settled in various regions; Madyan settled in a place called Maan between Hejaz and Palestine on the coast of the Red Sea. It was suitable for living. The people coming from his progeny were called the People of Madyan and the place they settled in was called Madyan.²

Shuayb was the son of Makil, one of the notables of this tribe. Makil's father was Yashjur and his father was Madyan.³, Hz. Shuayb’s grandmother was the daughter of the Prophet Lut (Lot).

Ayka means a swamp where soft trees grow. It is a place on the coats of Madyan covered with oak trees. The people living there were called the People of Ayka.⁴

THE PROPHETHOOD OF HZ. SHUAYB

In early ages, there were big social, economic and political differences among nations; and each nation had its own properties and values; therefore, different prophets were sent to each nation. There were times when more than one prophet was sent to different nations in the same age. Hz. Shuayb is the first exception to this rule. He was sent as a prophet to two different nations. One of them was Madyan, his own nation and the other was the nation of Ayka, their neighbor.⁵ The lifestyles of these nations were similar to each other.

Madyan was on the route of caravans; therefore, the majority of the people were merchants. However, the people of Madyan would deceive people in trade. When they sold something, they weighed it less than due and when they bought something, they weighed it more than due.⁶

In addition, they ambushed and robbed caravans; they grabbed people's possessions. They also tortured people.⁷

The people of Madyan, who lost the feeling of conscience and justice, and who regarded oppression as their motto, did not believe in Allah. They worshipped the idols that they had made by their hands.

Finally, Allah sent them Hz. Shuayb as a prophet so that they would find the right path and avoid fraud and oppression.

The Prophet Shuayb spoke well and smoothly. Therefore, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) called him "the orator of the prophets".⁸

Hz. Shuayb called the people of Madyan to the true religion smoothly and softly. He gathered them and addressed them as follows:

"O my nation! Obey Allah; there is no god but Him. Do not violate people's rights by giving short measure or weight. Otherwise, you will lose your wealth. I fear for you the Penalty of a Day that will compass you all round. Listen to my words carefully and obey me."⁹

The people of Madyan looked at one another in surprise when they heard what Shuayb said. Oppression and undeserved gain was their lifestyle. Hz. Shuayb wanted them to change their lifestyle. One of them asked,

"O Shuayb! Do you want us to leave off the worship which our fathers practiced and to leave off doing what we like with our property? Does your prayer order you this? You were a wise person in the past.”¹⁰

Hz, Shuayb answered their mockery cold-bloodedly:

"O my people! I am telling you what my Lord reveals to me. I do not want to argue with you and cause trouble. Allah forbids you from fraud in trade and waylaying. I am only a messenger of Allah. I am conveying His orders to you as much as I can. My success in my task can only come from Allah: in Him I trust and unto Him I look. I do not ask any material things from you in return for my duty".¹¹

After this explanation, Hz. Shuayb wanted to warn his nation and to make them avoid committing bad deeds. He said,

"O my people! Let not my dissent from you cause you to sin, lest you suffer a fate similar to that of the people of Noah or of Hud or of Salih. Ask forgiveness of you Lord and turn unto Him in repentance: for my Lord is indeed full of mercy and loving-kindness.¹²

These warnings did not have any effects on the people of Madyan. Their hearts were hard and their consciences were blind. They said,

"O Shuayb! We do not understand what you say! In fact, you are a weak person among us. Were it not for your family, we would certainly have killed you."¹³

Hz. Shuayb did not heed their threat. He said,

"I trust in Allah only; I expect success and help from Him. Your kinship will not be of any benefit or harm to me. Do not forget that Allah knows what you do and what you will do. Nothing can be concealed from him. If He wishes, He will eliminate you at once."¹⁴

The people of Madyan got very angry. They said,

"Go and tell your Allah to send us the wrath that you claim to destroy us. Do not disturb us with the words that we do not understand.

Hz. SHUAYB WITH THE PEOPLE OF AYKA

When Hz. Shuayb saw that the people of Madyan did not seem to change their negative attitudes, he went to the region of Ayka, which was near Madyan. Madyan and Ayka were similar places in terms of geography and the lifestyle of people. The people of Ayka also would deceive people in trade. When they sold something, they weighed it less than due and when they bought something, they weighed it more than due. They also ambushed and grabbed people's goods.

Hz. Shuayb told the people of Ayka the same things that he told the people of Madyan:

"I am a reliable messenger sent to you by Allah. No reward do I ask of you for it; my reward is only from the Lord of the Worlds.

Do not deceive people in trade; do not wrong people. Do not ambush and do not grab people's goods.

Fear Allah, who created you and your ancestors. Avoid opposing my orders."¹⁵

Just like the people of Madyan, the people of Ayka, who liked oppression and fraud, looked at Hz. Shuayb in surprise when they heard what he said. They said,

"O Shuayb! Who fascinated you? You are a liar. How can you be a prophet? If you are telling the truth, send a piece from the sky and destroy us."¹⁶

Hz. Shuayb felt sad when the people of Ayka denied him like the people of Madyan. However, some people among them did not oppose him; they lowered their heads and listened to him by thinking. Then, they went to Shuayb. They said they believed in his prophethood because they never heard him telling lies and doing wrong. They said that they would give up worshipping idols and that they would worship Allah.

They were modest, poor and clean people.

Hz. Shuayb took those people, who believed in him, to Madyan with him. He asked Allah to do whatever He wished to the deniers.¹⁷

HARD DAYS

Hz. Shuayb tried to show the right path to his nation with might and main. He told them to stop oppression and fraud and called them to the right path. He warned them that a big wrath would hit them.

His efforts increased the hatred of the deniers. They started to waylay and rob the people who visited Hz. Shuayb. They thought they would prevent the number of the believers from increasing and the believers from strengthening.

To end this big oppression, Hz. Shuayb warned his nation as follows:

"O my people! You do not believe in me but why do disturb those who believe in me? Stop this terrible oppression. Think of the wrath inflicted upon the nations of Salih, Hud and Nuh before you. Come to your senses. See the truth. The deniers were severely disturbed by the warnings of Hz. Shuayb. They said,

"No! O Shuayb! Either you will abandon your religion and return to our religion or we will expel you and those who believe in you from this city. We will also confiscate all of your property.

After these words, they increased the torture they inflicted on the believers. They said to the believers, “We are strong and rich. Abandon Shuayb.” Despite all of their tortures, the believers said,

"No. We will never return to unbelief after Allah guided us."

Days passed with hardships. The believers were frustrated by the tortures they were inflicted upon. They looked at Hz. Shuayb with appealing eyes to save them from the terrible situation.

It became obvious that the majority of the people of Madyan and Ayka were insistent and stubborn; they were not going to believe. The warnings and advice given to them increased their oppression, cruelty and mischief instead of improving them.

Thereupon, Hz. Shuayb asked Allah to give His decree between him and this denying nation by rewarding the believers and punishing the unbelievers.

THE PEOPLE OF MADYAN ARE DESTROYED BY AN EARTHQUAKE

Upon the curse by Hz. Shuayb, a wrath was bound to hit the denying people of Madyan and Ayka.

The people of Madyan heard a very loud sound one night. Then, a severe earthquake hit them.¹⁸ The ground was shaking very hard; the buildings were collapsing, killing the people under them.

The earthquake hit so suddenly and severely that no denier managed to escape; all of them were buried under the collapsing buildings. When the earthquake ended, Madyan became a heap of stones and soil.¹⁹

The earth took action and destroyed the people of Madyan due to their denial.

When the time of wrath came and the people of Madyan started to be destroyed, ²⁰ Hz. Shuayb moved his face away from them and said, “O my nation! By Allah, I conveyed the decrees of my Lord to you. I wanted your goodness. How can I feel sorry for the unbelievers now?”²¹

According to what is stated in Tafsir al-Hazin, the following is reported from Ibn Abbas: Two nations were destroyed by sayha (sound): The first one is the nation of Salih; the second one is the nation of Shuayb. However, the sound came from above to nation of Salih and from underground to the nation of Shuayb.

THE CLOUD THAT SENT DOWN FIRE AND DESTROYED THE PEOPLE OF AYKA

The destruction of the people of Ayka was different. When it was time for the wrath, the temperature started to increase. The heat became extremely scorching. The people did not know what to do.²² They could not breathe easily. The sweat coming out of their bodies almost drowned them. They could not find any water to quench their thirst. All of the water they found was very hot.²³ They sat under the trees and entered caves to feel cool but they were not cool enough.²⁴

This situation lasted for 7 days and 7 nights.

The people ran from one shade to the other in order to survive. They kneeled down before the idols and begged them by screaming. They expected help from their idols even in that situation. They could not understand that the wrath hit them due to worshipping idols.

On the eighth day, there was a change. A dark cloud appeared and stood before the sun; thus, the weather got a bit cool. The deniers shouted joyfully:

"We were saved. The idols accepted our prayers."

They gathered under the black cloud in order to cool. However, this joy did not last long. Suddenly long and scorching lighting strikes started to come down, turning every place and everybody they hit to black. All of the deniers were killed by this fire coming from the sky. They were destroyed.²⁵ While the element of soil destroyed the people of Madyan, the people of Ayka were destroyed by the air due to their denial.

Neither the people of Madyan nor the people of Ayka survived this wrath. Only Hz. Shuayb and those who believed in him were saved.

HZ. SHUAYB AND HZ. MUSA

Hz, Shuayb lived for a long time after the destruction of Madyan and Ayka. He had thousands of sheep. He became rich. Allah Almighty did not give any sons to Hz. Shuayb. He had two modest and chaste daughters. When Hz. Shuayb got too old to herd his sheep, his daughters started to herd them.

Meanwhile, Hz. Musa (Moses) was born in Egypt and became a young man. When he caused the death of an Egyptian person by mistake, he escaped to Madyan fearing that the Pharaoh would kill him.

When Hz. Musa saw the daughters of Hz. Shuayb waiting in line to give water to their sheep, he pitied them and helped them.

When Hz. Shuayb heard about it, he sent one of his daughters to call Hz. Musa. He entertained Musa in his house. Then, he made an offer to Musa. If Musa herded his sheep for eight or ten years, he would allow Musa to marry one of his daughters and to stay in his house. Hz. Musa accepted this offer gladly. He stayed in Hz. Shuayb’s house for ten years and helped him. He herded his sheep, milked them and gave them water.

At the end of tenth year, he returned to Egypt with his wife by getting permission from Hz. Shuayb.

Hz. Shuayb went to Makkah afterwards with the believers who followed him.²⁶ He spent the last days of his life in the holy land. When he died, he was reported to have been buried between Maqam Ibrahim (the Station of Ibrahim) and the corner of the Kaaba.²⁷

FOOTNOTES

¹ al-Araf, 85; ash-Shuara, 176-177.

² Tajrid Trnsl., IX/153; Bilmen, II/1053.

³ Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, IV/2805.

⁴Tajrid Trnsl., IX/154; Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, V/3640.

⁵ M. Vehbi, ibid.

⁶ Tajrid Trnsl., IX, 153.

⁷ M. Vehbi, ibid, IV,1685.

⁸ M. Hamdi Yazır, ibid, IV, 2805-2809.

⁹ Bk: Hud, 84; el-A’raf, 85-86.

¹⁰Hud, 87.

¹¹ Hud, 88.

¹² Hud, 89-90.

¹³ Hud, 91.

¹⁴ Hud, 92.

¹⁵ ash-Shuara, 179-182.

¹⁶ ash-Shuara, 186-187.

¹⁷ ash-Shuara, 188.

¹⁸ Hud, 94; al-A’raf, 91.

¹⁹ al-A’raf, 92; Hud, 95; al-Ankebut, 37.

²⁰ M.Vehbi, ibid, V., 1704.

²¹al-A’raf 93.

²² M. H. Yazır, ibid, V, 3640.

²³ M. Vehbi, X, 3949.

²⁴ Çantay, II, 670.

²⁵ash-Shuara, 189; Tajrid Trnsl., IX, 155.

²⁶ A.C. Paşa, Kısas-ı Enbiya, I, 27.

²⁷ Bilmen, II, 1059.

21-) Prophet Shet (Peace be upon him)

Five years after Cain (Qabil) killed Abel (Habil), Hz. Adam had a baby. However, this boy was not a twin like the previous children. This child, who was born without a twin sister, was granted to Adam for Abel; he was ordered to call him Shet. In the Islamic sources, Shet is mentioned as Shis. The name Shet is Hebrew. Its equivalent in Arabic is Hibatullah (Allah's grant).

Before his death, Hz. Adam he wanted Shet to replace him and to lead people.

A while after the death of Hz. Adam, Hz. Shet was also given the duty of prophethood. It is narrated that he was given a book of fifty pages.

Hz. Shet lived in Makkah. He died after living nine hundred and twelve years. He was buried next to Hz. Adam, his father.

Hz. ADAM’S FIVE IMPORTANT PIECES OF ADVICE TO Hz. SHET

Books of ethics report that Hz. Adam gave five important pieces of advice to his son, Shet, hence the whole humankind. The advice full of lessons is as follows::

— O Shet! Tell your children:

1 — They should not regard the world as if they would never leave it. They should think that they will leave the world one day.

2 — Tell people not to accept the word of anybody without thinking. They should think and search whether it is true or not.

For, I accepted my wife's word without thinking and ate the fruit of the forbidden tree; then, I felt remorseful.

3 — Your children should think about the consequences of their deeds. If I had thought about the consequences when I ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, I would not have suffered.

4 — If they feel worried or unwilling about something they will start, they should think about it again and search it.

If I had revised my decision considering my worry and unwillingness when I was about to eat fruit of the forbidden tree, I would not have felt remorseful in the end.

5 — They should ask those who know about the things that they do not know very well. They should act in accordance with the result of their consultation with the people whom they know to be honest.

If I had asked the angels about the consequences of my deed and decided accordingly, I would not have had to suffer the consequences. [1]

Footnotes

¹Ahmed Şahin, Esas Nokta.

22-) Prophet Dhulkifl [Ezekiel] (Peace be upon him)

“And commemorate Ismail, Elisha, and Dhul-Kifl: each of them was of the company of the Good” (Sad: 48)

DHULKIFL (pbuh)

When Hz. Alyasa (Elisha) died, he appointed Hz. Dhulkifl as his successor.¹

Hz. Dhulkifl is mentioned in two places in the Quran.² He was given the name Dhulkifl because he received great grace and abundance from Allah. "Kifl" means share. For, he was determined to fast during the day, worship at night and decree by justice among people without getting furious.

Some scholars say that Hz. Dhulkifl was Alyasa's cousin while others say Dhulkifl was the nickname given to Hz. Ilyas, Yusha or Zakariyya. It is controversial whether Hz. Dhulkifl is a prophet or not. According to some scholars, Hz. Dhulkifl is not a prophet but a saint.³

FOOTNOTES

1 Ö.N. Bilmen, ibid, II/917

2 al-Anbiya, 85; Sa’d, 48.

3 H.B. Çantay, ibid, II/817, note; 52; II/593, note:76

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