SIGNS FROM

THE QUR’AN

 SIGNS IN OUR UNIVERSE

The universe has a perfect order. The size and position of celestial bodies, the speed of the universe's expansion, the Earth's place within our galaxy, the Sun and the Moon, the presence of gravity, and many other factors were created flawlessly to allow for life on Earth.

This chapter includes verses from the Qur'an which have to do with the universe, revealing some examples of God's artistry of creation.

Just as God tells us in the Qur'an "We did not create heaven and Earth and everything between them to no purpose. That is the opinion of those who do not believe..." (Qur'an, 38:27), the universe was created for a purpose. And thus, human beings are responsible for behaving in a way which acknowledges this purpose, and worshipping our Lord Who created it all.

[He is] The Originator of the heavens and Earth. When He decides on something, He just says to it, “Be!” and it is. (Qur’an, 2:117)

Praise belongs to God Who created the heavens and the Earth and appointed darkness and light. Then those who do not believe make others equal to their Lord! (Qur’an, 6:1)

It is He Who created the heavens and the Earth with truth. The day He says “Be!” it is. His speech is Truth. The Kingdom will be His on the Day the Trumpet is blown, the Knower of the unseen and the visible. He is the All-Wise, the All-Aware. (Qur’an, 6:73)

Their Messengers said: “Is there any doubt about God, the Bringer into being of the heavens and the Earth? He summons you to forgive you for your wrong actions and to defer you until a specified time.” (Qur’an, 14:10)

God keeps a firm hold on the heavens and Earth, preventing them from vanishing away. And if they vanished no one could then keep hold of them. Certainly He is Most Forbearing, Ever-Forgiving. (Qur’an, 35:41)

O humanity! You are the poor in need of God whereas God is the Rich Beyond Need, the Praiseworthy. (Qur’an, 35:15)

God is my Lord and your Lord so worship Him. This is a straight path. (Qur’an, 43:64)

That is because God – He is the Truth, and what you call upon besides Him is falsehood... (Qur’an, 31:30)

The creation of the heavens and Earth is far greater than the creation of humanity. But most of humanity do not know it. (Qur’an, 40:57)

That is God, your Lord. There is no god but Him, the Creator of everything. So worship Him. He is responsible for everything. (Qur’an, 6:102)

If you ask them: “Who created the heavens and the Earth?” they will say: “God.” Say: “So what do you think? If God desires harm for me, can those you call upon besides God remove His harm? Or if He desires mercy for me, can they withhold His mercy?” Say: “God is enough for me. All those who truly trust put their trust in Him.” (Qur’an, 39:38)

SIGNS ON EARTH

One verse tells us that God "created everything and determined it most exactly" (Qur'an, 25:2). There are countless signs present on Earth of this perfect order. All living and non-living things and systems on Earth clearly display this order, proving with their perfect structure that they could not possibly have come into existence by accident or coincidence, but were created.

The distance between the Sun and the Earth, the ideal levels of gases in the atmosphere, the rays of sunshine which are perfect for allowing photosynthesis, the fixing effect of mountains on the Earth, the formation of night and day, the fact that water is so suitable for life, the presence of animals, fruits, vegetables, clouds, wind, the amazing features of our body cells, the structure of DNA… All of these are just a few examples of God's superior artistry, showing us His limitless power.

God revolves night and day. There is surely a lesson in that for people with inner sight. (Qur’an, 24:44)

It is He Who made the night a cloak for you and sleep a rest, and He made the day a time for rising. (Qur’an, 25:47)

And [I swear] by the night when it draws in and by the dawn when it exhales. (Qur’an, 81:17-18)

... He covers the day with the night, each pursuing the other urgently; and the Sun and Moon and stars are subservient to His command... (Qur’an, 7:54)

It is He Who created night and day and the Sun and Moon, each one swimming in a sphere. (Qur’an, 21:33)

It is He Who created everything on the Earth for you and then directed His attention up to heaven and arranged it into seven regular heavens. He has knowledge of all things. (Qur’an, 2:29)

Everything in the heavens and the Earth belongs to God. He knows what you are engaged upon. On the Day when they are returned to Him, He will inform them of what they did... (Qur’an, 24:64)

You will see the mountains you reckoned to be solid going past like clouds – the handiwork of God Who gives to everything its solidity. He is aware of what you do. (Qur’an, 27:88)

He Who created the heavens and the Earth and everything in between them in six days, and then established Himself firmly on the Throne; the All-Merciful – ask anyone who is informed about Him. (Qur’an, 25:59)

Everything in the heavens and Earth belongs to God. God is the Rich Beyond Need, the Praiseworthy. (Qur’an, 31:26)

He has made night and day subservient to you, and the Sun and Moon and stars, all subject to His command. There are certainly signs in that for people who use their intellect. (Qur’an, 16:12)

And also the things of varying colors He has created for you in the Earth. There is certainly a sign in that for people who pay heed. (Qur’an, 16:13)

Everyone in the heavens and Earth belongs to Him. All are submissive to Him. It is He Who originated creation and then regenerates it. That is very easy for Him. His is the most exalted designation in the heavens and the Earth. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Qur’an, 30:26-27)         

He Who created the heavens and the Earth and sends down water for you from the sky by which We make luxuriant gardens grow – you could never make their trees grow. Is there another deity besides God? No indeed, but they are people who equate others with Him! (Qur’an, 27:60)

God is He Who created the heavens and the Earth and everything between them in six days and then established Himself firmly upon the Throne. You have no protector or intercessor apart from Him. So will you not pay heed? (Qur’an, 32:4)

Don’t those who do not believe see that the heavens and the Earth were sewn together and then We unstitched them and that We made from water every living thing? So will they not believe? (Qur’an, 21:30)

[God is the] Lord of the heavens and the Earth and everything between them, the Almighty, the Endlessly Forgiving. (Qur’an, 38:66)

The keys of the heavens and Earth belong to Him. He expands the provision of anyone He wills or restricts it. He has knowledge of all things. (Qur’an, 42:12)

Whatever you have been given is only the enjoyment of the life of this world. What is with God is better and longer lasting for those who believe and trust in their Lord. (Qur’an, 42:36)

Blessed be Him to Whom belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the Earth and everything in between them. The knowledge of the Hour is with Him. You will be returned to Him. (Qur’an, 43:85)

If you were to ask them: “Who created the heavens and the Earth?” they would reply: “The Almighty, the All-Knowing created them.” It is He Who made the Earth a cradle for you and made pathways for you in it so that hopefully you would be guided. (Qur’an, 43:9-10)

We place in it gardens of dates and grapes, and cause springs to gush out in it, so they may eat its fruits – they did not do it themselves. So will they not be thankful? (Qur’an, 36:34-35)

It is God Who created the heavens with no support – you can see them – and cast firmly embedded mountains on the Earth so that it would not move under you... (Qur’an, 31:10)

And the Earth: how We stretched it out and cast firmly embedded mountains onto it and caused luxuriant plants of every kind to grow in it. (Qur’an, 50:7)

Glory be to Him Who created all the pairs: from what the earth produces and from themselves and from things unknown to them. (Qur’an, 36:36)

All praise belongs to God, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the Earth, Lord of all the worlds. All greatness belongs to Him in the heavens and Earth. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Qur’an, 45:36-37)

It is He Who created the heavens and the Earth in six days, then established Himself firmly on the Throne. He knows what goes into the Earth and what comes out of it, what comes down from heaven and what goes up into it. He is with you wherever you are... (Qur’an, 57:4)

We sent down heaven upon them in abundant rain and made rivers flow under them... (Qur’an, 6:6)

... [He will] grant you gardens and grant you waterways. (Qur’an, 71:12)

He sends down water from the sky and river-beds fill up and flow according to their size... (Qur’an, 13:17)

And [We] made the Earth burst forth with gushing springs... (Qur’an, 54:12)

Everything in the heavens and everything in the Earth belongs to God. All matters return to God. (Qur’an, 3:109)

It is He Who sends down abundant rain, after they have lost all hope, and unfolds His mercy... (Qur’an, 42:28)

Everything in the heavens and everything in the Earth belongs to Him. God is the Rich Beyond Need, the Praiseworthy. (Qur’an, 22:64)

The coloring of God – and what coloring could be better than God’s? It is Him we worship. (Qur’an, 2:138)

We placed firmly embedded mountains on the Earth, so it would not move under them, and We put broad valleys as roadways in it, so that perhaps they might be guided. (Qur’an, 21:31)

He Who made the Earth a stable dwelling place and appointed rivers flowing through its midst and placed firmly embedded mountains on it... (Qur’an, 27:61)

Blessed be He Who placed constellations in the sky and put a blazing lamp and shining Moon among them. (Qur’an, 25:61)

It is He Who made night and day succeed each other for those who want to pay heed or to give thanks. (Qur’an, 25:62)

In the creation of the heavens and Earth, and the alternation of the night and day, and the ships which sail the seas to people’s benefit, and the water which God sends down from the sky – by which He brings the Earth to life when it was dead and scatters about in it creatures of every kind – and the varying direction of the winds, and the clouds subservient between heaven and Earth, there are signs for people who use their intellect. (Qur’an, 2:164)

It is He Who sends down water in due measure from the sky by which We bring a dead land back to life... (Qur’an, 43:11)

It is He Who is God in heaven and God on Earth. He is the All-Wise, the All-Knowing. (Qur’an, 43:84)

It is He Who sends out the winds, bringing advance news of His mercy, so that when they have lifted up the heavy clouds, We dispatch them to a dead land and send down water to it, by means of which We bring forth all kinds of fruit. In the same way We will bring forth the dead, so that hopefully you will pay heed. (Qur’an, 7:57)

God created you and then will take you back again. And some of you revert to the lowest form of life so that after having knowledge, you know nothing at all. God is All-Knowing, All-Powerful. (Qur’an, 16:70)

He is God – the Creator, the Maker, the Giver of Form... (Qur’an, 59:24)

[It is] He Who has created all things in the best possible way. He commenced the creation of man from clay. (Qur’an, 32:7)

It is God Who created you from a weak beginning then after weakness gave you strength then after strength ordained weakness and gray hair... (Qur’an, 30:54)

But as for him who feared the Station of his Lord and forbade the lower self its appetites, the Garden will be his refuge. (Qur’an, 79:40-41)

But God will admit those who believe and do right actions into Gardens with rivers flowing under them... (Qur’an, 22:23)

But those who have fear of their Lord will have high-ceilinged halls, and more such halls built one above the other... (Qur’an, 39:20)

Blessed be He Who, if He wishes, will grant you better than that: Gardens with rivers flowing under them; and He will grant you palaces. (Qur’an, 25:10)

Reclining in it [the Garden] on couches, they will experience there neither burning sun nor bitter cold. (Qur’an, 76:13)

Seeing them, you see delight and a great kingdom. (Qur’an, 76:20)

... Gardens where they will enjoy everlasting delight. (Qur’an, 9:21)

... We will lodge them in lofty chambers in the Garden, with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever... (Qur’an, 29:58)

As for those who believed and did right actions, they will be made joyful in a verdant meadow. (Qur’an, 30:15)

Say: “Is that better, or the Garden of eternal life which has been promised to those who guard against evil? That is their recompense and destination.” (Qur’an, 25:15)

They will have in it whatever they want timelessly, for ever. It is a binding promise of your Lord. (Qur’an, 25:16)

Platters and cups of gold will be passed around among them and they will have there all that their hearts desire and their eyes find delight in... (Qur’an, 43:71)

The kingdom of the heavens and Earth belongs to God. God has power over all things. (Qur’an, 3:189)

What is in the heavens and in the Earth belongs to God. God suffices as a Guardian. (Qur’an, 4:132)

SIGNS IN LIVING THINGS

Creatures of the world are full of unparalleled examples of God's artistry of creation. From birds to reptiles, from whales to insects, whether large or small, animals have incredible traits which never cease to amaze humans. Some of these traits (such as the way a spider can spin a web stronger than steel of the same diameter, or a bee constructs a honeycomb and produces honey, or the navigational skills of birds) make even the most self-assured person seem helpless. In fact, when humans try to mimic these animal traits, they are usually not capable enough to do it.

Despite all this, some people still deny the wonders of creation in animals. They display a breakdown in logical thinking by not accepting the existence of God, the Creator of both themselves and the universe they inhabit. But their efforts are for naught. Our Creator said this in the Qur'an:

... the truth came and God's command prevailed even though they detested it. (Qur'an, 9:48)

And horses, mules and donkeys both to ride and for adornment... (Qur’an, 16:8)

And also animals for riding and for haulage and animals for slaughtering and for wool... (Qur’an, 6:142)

We have appointed the camels for you as one of the sacred rites of God... (Qur’an, 22:36)

Haven’t they looked at the camel – how it was created? (Qur’an, 88:17)

He has given you everything you have asked Him for. If you tried to number God’s blessings, you could never count them. Man is indeed wrongdoing, ungrateful. (Qur’an, 14:34)

And there is certainly a lesson for you in your livestock. We give you to drink from what is in their bellies and there are many ways in which you benefit from them, and some of them you eat. (Qur’an, 23:21)

There is instruction for you in cattle. From the contents of their bellies, from between the dung and blood, We give you pure milk to drink, easy for drinkers to swallow. (Qur’an, 16:66)

There is no creature on the Earth which is not dependent upon God for its provision. He knows where it lives and where it dies. They are all in a clear book. (Qur’an, 11:6)

Your Lord revealed to the bees: “Build dwellings in the mountains and the trees, and also in the structures which men erect. Then eat from every kind of fruit and travel the paths of your Lord, which have been made easy for you to follow.” From inside them comes a drink of varying colors, containing healing for humanity. There is certainly a sign in that for people who reflect. (Qur’an, 16:68-69)

And humanity and beasts and livestock are likewise of varying colors. Only those of His servants with knowledge have fear of God... (Qur’an, 35:28)

Don’t you see that everyone in the heavens and Earth glorifies God, as do the birds with their outspread wings? Each one knows its prayer and glorification... (Qur’an, 24:41)

It is He Who sends down water from the sky. From it you drink and from it come the shrubs among which you graze your herds. (Qur’an, 16:10)

Don’t they see how We drive water to barren land and bring forth crops by it which their livestock and they themselves both eat?... (Qur’an, 32:27)

Among His signs is the creation of the heavens and Earth and all the creatures He has spread about in them. And He has the power to gather them together whenever He wills. (Qur’an, 42:29)

Everything in the heavens and Earth belongs to Him, and the religion belongs to Him, firmly and for ever. So why do you fear anyone other than God? (Qur’an, 16:52)

It is He Who made the sea subservient to you so that you can eat fresh flesh from it and bring out from it ornaments to wear... (Qur’an, 16:14)

Anything you catch in the sea is lawful for you, and all food from it, for your enjoyment and that of travelers... (Qur’an, 5:96)     

You who believe! Do not make forbidden the good things God has made lawful for you, and do not overstep the limits... (Qur’an, 5:87)

Haven’t they seen how We created for them, by Our own handiwork, livestock which are under their control? We have made them tame for them and some they ride and some they eat. And they have other uses for them, and milk to drink. So will they not be thankful? (Qur’an, 36:71-73)

The metaphor of those who take protectors besides God is that of a spider which builds itself a house; but no house is flimsier than a spider’s house, if they only knew. (Qur’an, 29:41)

God is not ashamed to make an example of a mosquito or of an even smaller thing. As for those who believe, they know it is the truth from their Lord... (Qur’an, 2:26)

And luxuriant gardens and orchards and meadows, for you and your livestock to enjoy. (Qur’an, 80:30-32)

In the heavens and Earth there are certainly signs for the believers. And in your creation and all the creatures He has spread about there are signs for people with certainty. (Qur’an, 45:3-4)

God has given you wives from among yourselves, and given you children and grandchildren from your wives, and provided good things for you... (Qur’an, 16:72)

Have fear of Him Who has supplied you with what you know, supplied you with livestock and children and gardens and clear springs. (Qur’an, 26:132-134)

We have established you firmly on the Earth and granted you your livelihood in it. What little thanks you show! (Qur’an, 7:10)

And We put livelihoods in it both for you and for those you do not provide for. (Qur’an, 15:20)

Glory be to Him Who has the dominion of all things in His Hand. To Him you will be returned. (Qur’an, 36:83)

God knows the unseen of the heavens and Earth. God knows what the heart contains. (Qur’an, 35:38)

Have you thought about what you cultivate? Is it you who make it germinate or are We the Germinator? If We wished We could have made it broken stubble. You would then be left devoid of crops, distraught. (Qur’an, 56:63-65)

Don’t you see that God sends down water from the sky and then in the morning the Earth is covered in green? God is All-Subtle, All-Aware. (Qur’an, 22:63)

Know that God brings the Earth to life after it was dead. We have made the signs clear to you so that hopefully you will use your intellect. (Qur’an, 57:17)

Don’t you see that God sends down water from the sky and threads it through the Earth to emerge as springs and then by it brings forth crops of varying colors, which then wither and you see them turning yellow and then He makes them into broken stubble? There is a reminder in that for people of intelligence. (Qur’an, 39:21)

The keys of the unseen are in His possession. No one knows them but Him. He knows everything in the land and sea. No leaf falls without His knowing it. There is no seed in the darkness of the earth, and nothing moist or dry which is not in a clear book. (Qur’an, 6:59)

BLESSINGS ON EARTH

Oxygen, water, food, sunlight, day and night: your body needs these elements. And along with these, there are beauties which your soul finds pleasure in such as a beautiful view, a pleasant face to look at, or a welcoming home.

The world is full of such blessings, but some people are just not aware of them. They are so caught up in their own troubles that they don't see the wonders of the world. The reason for this negative spiritual state is their life remote from God's religion, and their state of disbelief. A troubled life is the inescapable result of a life not lived according to religious morals.

The approach which may be hoped to please God is that we see all the blessings of the Earth as His gifts to us, and that we live our lives in a state of thanks to Him. A person who lives according to this morality will take pleasure from the wonders and blessings from God, and will feel them every moment of his or her life.

... from the spathes of the date palm [We bring forth] date clusters hanging down, and gardens of grapes and olives and pomegranates, both similar and dissimilar. Look at their fruits as they bear fruit and ripen. There are signs in that for people who believe. (Qur’an, 6:99)

The metaphor of those who spend their wealth in the way of God is that of a grain which produces seven ears; in every ear there are a hundred grains. God gives such multiplied increase to whoever He wills. God is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing. (Qur’an, 2:261)

... they will have Gardens with rivers flowing under them. When they are given fruit there as provision, they will say: “This is what we were given before.” But they were only given a simulation of it... (Qur’an, 2:25)

In the Earth there are diverse regions side by side and gardens of grapes and cultivated fields, and palm-trees sharing one root and others with individual roots, all watered with the same water. And We make some things better to eat than others. There are signs in that for people who use their intellect. (Qur’an, 13:4)

Good land yields up its plants by its Lord’s permission, but that which is bad only yields up scantily. In this way We vary the signs for people who are thankful. (Qur’an, 7:58)

And a tree springing forth from Mount Sinai yielding oil and a seasoning to those who eat. (Qur’an, 23:20)

And by it He makes crops grow for you and olives and dates and grapes and fruit of every kind. There is certainly a sign in that for people who reflect. (Qur’an, 16:11)

[I swear] by the fig and the olive. (Qur’an, 95:1)

The herbs and the trees all bow down in prostration. (Qur’an, 55:6)

You who believe! Eat of the good things We have provided for you and give thanks to God if you worship Him alone. (Qur’an, 2:172)

We pour down plentiful water, then split the earth into furrows. Then We make grain grow in it, and grapes and herbs and olives and dates. (Qur’an, 80:25-29)

Don’t you see that God has subjected to you everything in the heavens and Earth and has showered His blessings upon you, both outwardly and inwardly?... (Qur’an, 31:20)

In them are fruits and date-palms and pomegranates. (Qur’an, 55:68)

We place in it gardens of dates and grapes... (Qur’an, 36:34)

And We sent down blessed water from the sky and made gardens grow by it and grain for harvesting. (Qur’an, 50:9)

There is nothing that does not have its stores with Us and We only send it down in a known measure. (Qur’an, 15:21)

By means of it We produce gardens of dates and grapes for you, in which there are many fruits for you and from which you eat. (Qur’an, 23:19)

... Eat of their fruits when they bear fruit and pay their due on the day of their harvest, and do not be profligate. He does not love the profligate. (Qur’an, 6:141)

Say: “My Lord expands the provision of anyone He wills or restricts it. But the majority of humanity do not know it.” (Qur’an, 34:36)

SIGNS IN TECHNOLOGY

The modern buildings we live in, the luxurious cars we drive, the computers, the televisions, and all the other technology along these lines: these are all blessings created by God's will.

Technology is the result of mankind putting together certain elements found on Earth for specific purposes. If we look at technological products around us, we see that they are all composed of metals like iron, copper, zinc, and aluminum, or petroleum by-products like plastic. If these elements, in particular metals, did not exist on Earth, and if people were not able to use these elements, it would not be possible to develop any of these technological devices.

All the technology that we are used to in our daily life, and which makes our lives so much easier, has been created by God's will. Technology is a blessing which people should think about and for which should thank our Lord.

It is He Who created all the species and gave you ships and livestock for you to ride. (Qur’an, 43:12)

Don’t you see that ships sail on the sea by God’s blessing so that He can show you something of His signs?... (Qur’an, 31:31)

... And you see the ships cleaving through it so that you can seek His bounty, and so that hopefully you will show thanks. (Qur’an, 16:14)

We made everything on the Earth adornment for it so that We could test them to see whose actions are the best. We will certainly make everything on it a barren wasteland. (Qur’an, 18:7-8)

We have honored the sons of Adam and conveyed them on land and sea... (Qur’an, 17:70)

Don’t you see that God has made everything on the Earth subservient to you and the ships running upon the sea by His command?... (Qur’an, 22:65)

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM

NATURAL DISASTER

Earthquakes, volcano eruptions, floods, tornadoes, storms, fires… These are all disasters which have different levels of ferocity and effect. Their shared quality however is that in a short time, they are able to wipe out a city, as well as many of the human beings and animals living in it, and create huge damage. Most of the time, it is impossible to prevent this damage from occurring.

Natural disasters are a reality which most people don't want to think about as long as they are not confronted with one. And actually, life on Earth is so well-balanced that natural disasters are not a common occurrence. There is a special protection in place for all creatures, including humans. However God does sometimes show people how unsafe their lives and homes can be. The signs contained in natural disasters, a few examples of which will be shown in this chapter, are reasons to consider the weakness of humans before God, and to pay heed.

On the Day the first blast shudders. (Qur’an, 79:6)

When the Earth is convulsed. (Qur’an, 56:4)

When they saw it as a storm cloud advancing on their valleys they said: “This is a storm cloud which will give us rain.” No, rather it is what you desired to hasten – a wind containing painful punishment. (Qur’an, 46:24)

[A wind] destroying everything at its Lord’s command! When morning came you could see nothing but their dwellings. That is how We repay the people of the evildoers. (Qur’an, 46:25)

We unleashed a howling wind against them on a day of unremitting horror. It plucked up men like uprooted stumps. (Qur’an, 54:19-20)

That is some of the news of the cities which We relate to you. Some of them are still standing, while others are now just stubble. (Qur’an, 11:100)

We did not wrong them; rather they wronged themselves. The gods they called upon besides God did not help them at all when God’s command came upon them. They did nothing but increase their ruin. (Qur’an, 11:101)

It is He Who shows you the lightning, striking fear and bringing hope; it is He Who heaps up the heavy clouds. The thunder glorifies His praise, as do the angels, out of fear [and respect] of Him. He discharges the thunderbolts, striking with them anyone He wills. Yet still they argue about God when He is inexorable in His power! (Qur’an, 13:12-13)

When harm occurs to you at sea, those you call on vanish – except for Him alone! But when He delivers you to dry land, you turn away. Man truly is ungrateful. (Qur’an, 17:67)

Do you feel secure against Him causing the shore to swallow you up or sending against you a sudden squall of stones? Then you will find no one to be your guardian. (Qur’an, 17:68)

Yet they play around in doubt. So be on the watch for a day when heaven brings forth a distinctive smoke, which enshrouds humanity. This is a painful punishment! (Qur’an, 44:9-11)

When the oceans surge into each other. (Qur’an, 81:6)

[I swear] By the overflowing ocean. (Qur’an, 52:6)

No indeed! He will be flung into the shatterer. And what will convey to you what the shatterer is? The kindled fire of God reaching right into the heart. (Qur’an, 104:4-7)

On the Day the sky is like molten brass and the mountains like tufts of colored wool. No good friend will ask about his friend even though they can see each other. (Qur’an, 70:8-11)

The Day when heaven is split apart in clouds, and the angels are sent down rank upon rank. The Kingdom that Day will belong in truth to the All-Merciful. It will be a hard Day for the unbelievers. (Qur’an, 25:25-26)

How many generations We have destroyed before them! Do you see a trace of any one of them or hear even a whisper of them? (Qur’an, 19:98)

 [Are you going to be left secure] amid gardens and clear springs, and cultivated fields and palms with supple spathes? Will you continue hewing houses from the mountains with exultant skill? (Qur’an, 26:147-149)

Pharaoh exalted himself arrogantly in the land and divided its people into camps... (Qur’an, 28:4)

Pharaoh called to his people, saying: “My people, doesn’t the kingdom of Egypt belong to me? Don’t all these rivers flow under my control? Don’t you then see?” (Qur’an, 43:51)

Aren’t they guided by the many generations We have destroyed before them, among whose dwelling places they walk about? There are signs in that for people of sound intellect. (Qur’an, 20:128)

Aren’t they guided by the many generations We destroyed before them, among whose ruined homes they walk around?... (Qur’an, 32:26)

Whereas for those who do not believe there will be the fire of Hell. They will not be killed off so that they die and its punishment will not be lightened for them. That is how We repay every thankless man. (Qur’an, 35:36)

Hell, where they will roast. What an evil resting-place! This! So let them taste it – boiling water and scalding pus and other such torments. (Qur’an, 38:56-58)

... Safeguard yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is people and stones. Harsh, terrible angels are in charge of it who do not disobey God in respect of any order He gives them and carry out what they are ordered to do. (Qur’an, 66:6)

... when they arrive there and its gates are opened, its custodians will say to them: “Didn’t messengers from yourselves come to you, reciting your Lord’s signs to you and warning you of the meeting on this Day of yours?” They will say: “Indeed they did, but the decree of punishment is justly carried out against the unbelievers.” (Qur’an, 39:71)

SACRED LOCATIONS NOTED IN THE QUR’AN

The locations which are noted in the Qur'an are those where the prophets lived through history (such as Mount Tur and the valley of Tuwa), or the cities where Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) lived and taught about religion to the people.

Sacred places are a reminder of the struggles between prophets and their followers against unbelievers. They also remind us of the extraordinary patience and decisiveness of these blessed people in God's way. For this reason, the sacred sites are a cause of increased excitement and enthusiasm among believers.

Believers feel a special spiritual bond with these lands and sites. They want to get to know these lands, which carry the valuable memories of the prophets. In the following pages, we will focus on some of these sacred sites.

God has made the Kaaba, the Sacred House, a special institution for humanity, and also the sacred months and the sacrificial animals and the ritual garlands. That is so you will know that God knows what is in the heavens and in the Earth and that God has knowledge of all things. (Qur’an, 5:97)

The Hajj (pilgrimage) is a duty commanded to all Muslims by God in the Qur'an. This most important task of the Hajj takes place with the circling of the Kaaba (the House).

Today, the Kaaba is found in the courtyard of the Masjid al-Haram (the Sacred Mosque). It was built according to God's command by Prophet Abraham and his son, Prophet Ishmael (peace be upon them).

And We located the position of the House for Abraham... (Qur'an, 22:26)

Just as it is explained in this verse, Prophet Abraham (pbuh) built the Kaaba in the place and in the way God commanded him to.

The Kaaba is a site where people can come together and worship God. God specified that the Kaaba would be a clean and safe site where the believers would worship.

The careful protection of the Kaaba is one of the most important duties of Muslims. Our Lord, Who commanded Prophet Abraham (pbuh) to keep the Kaaba clean and safe for believers, also made it clear in the Qur'an that only believers are to protect it. In a verse from the Qur'an, God reveals that the true protectors and guardians of the Kaaba are those who believe:

... Only people who guard against evil can be its guardians. But most of them do not know that. (Qur'an, 8:34)

Another important aspect of the Kaaba within the Islamic world is that it is the direction of prayer for Muslims. Muslims all over the world, in prayer five times a day, worship in the direction of the Kaaba.

Maqam Ibrahim (Station of Abraham)

On the east side of the Kaaba, about two meters high, one meter wide, there is a rectangular structure covered in glass on its top part and marble on the bottom. This structure protects a stone that Prophet Abraham (pbuh) stepped on while building the Kaaba. Islamic and historical sources accept this as the point mentioned in the Qur'an as "the Maqam of Abraham."

The stone, which is called "Hajar al-Aswad" is traditionally accepted as the starting point for the circling of the Kaaba. According to stories, this stone was put in its place by Prophet Abraham (pbuh). "Hajar al-Aswad" means "The Black Stone."

This stone, which is found on the east side of the Kaaba, is about one and a half meters high. It is yellowish black, and oval shaped. There are red spots on it. The sides are covered in silver. People making the Hajj begin their circulation of the Kaaba at the Hajar al-Aswad. While circling the Kaaba, pilgrims face this stone, lifting their hands in praise.

Safa and Marwa are two hills to the east of the Kaaba. Mount Safa is about 15 meters higher than the Haram area, while Mount Marwa is about 8 meters in height. There are about 420 meters in between the two hills. The area in between them is called "Masa," which is adjacent to the Masjid al-Haram. In pictures, you can see pilgrims performing Sa'y (walking between Safa and Marwa).

Arafat is a large and flat plain of twenty-four square kilometers which lies to the north of Mecca. It is outside of Haram. The name "Arafat" is the plural of "arafa," and comes from the root of the words "irfan" (insight) and "marifa" (knowledge). It also means mountain. This is how Arafat is mentioned in the Qur'an:

There is nothing wrong in seeking bounty from your Lord. When you pour down from Arafat, remember God at the Sacred Landmark. Remember Him because He has guided you, even though before this you were astray. Then press on from where the people press on and ask God's forgiveness. God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Qur'an, 2:198-199)

Mina is the name of the place between Mecca and Mash'ar al-Haram. During Hajj, pilgrims also visit Mina. Some of the important rituals of the Hajj take place here:

Remember God on the designated days. Those who hurry on [to leave Mina] in two days have done no wrong, and those who stay another day have done no wrong – those of them who guard against evil. So fear [and respect] God. And know that you will be gathered back to Him. (Qur'an, 2:203)

The first house established for humanity was that at Bakka, a place of blessing and a guidance for all beings. (Qur’an, 3:96)

And when Abraham built the foundations of the House with Ishmael: “Our Lord, accept this from us! You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.” (Qur’an, 2:127)

And We located the position of the House for Abraham: “Do not associate anything with Me and purify My House for those who circle it, and those who stand and bow and prostrate.” (Qur’an, 22:26)

Announce the pilgrimage to humanity. They will come to you on foot and on every sort of lean animal, coming by every distant road. (Qur’an, 22:27)

... A mosque founded on performing one’s duty from the first day has a greater right for you to stand in it. In it there are men who love to purify themselves. God loves those who purify themselves. (Qur’an, 9:108)

Interior view of the Masjid al-Nabawi

(Mosque of the Prophet) in Medina

Maqam Ibrahim (Station of Abraham)

On the east side of the Kaaba, about two meters high, one meter wide, there is a rectangular structure covered in glass on its top part and marble on the bottom. This structure protects a stone that Prophet Abraham (pbuh) stepped on while building the Kaaba. Islamic and historical sources accept this as the point mentioned in the Qur'an as "the Maqam of Abraham."

The stone, which is called "Hajar al-Aswad" is traditionally accepted as the starting point for the circling of the Kaaba. According to stories, this stone was put in its place by Prophet Abraham (pbuh). "Hajar al-Aswad" means "The Black Stone."

This stone, which is found on the east side of the Kaaba, is about one and a half meters high. It is yellowish black, and oval shaped. There are red spots on it. The sides are covered in silver. People making the Hajj begin their circulation of the Kaaba at the Hajar al-Aswad. While circling the Kaaba, pilgrims face this stone, lifting their hands in praise.

Safa and Marwa are two hills to the east of the Kaaba. Mount Safa is about 15 meters higher than the Haram area, while Mount Marwa is about 8 meters in height. There are about 420 meters in between the two hills. The area in between them is called "Masa," which is adjacent to the Masjid al-Haram. In pictures, you can see pilgrims performing Sa'y (walking between Safa and Marwa).

Arafat is a large and flat plain of twenty-four square kilometers which lies to the north of Mecca. It is outside of Haram. The name "Arafat" is the plural of "arafa," and comes from the root of the words "irfan" (insight) and "marifa" (knowledge). It also means mountain. This is how Arafat is mentioned in the Qur'an:

There is nothing wrong in seeking bounty from your Lord. When you pour down from Arafat, remember God at the Sacred Landmark. Remember Him because He has guided you, even though before this you were astray. Then press on from where the people press on and ask God's forgiveness. God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Qur'an, 2:198-199)

Mina is the name of the place between Mecca and Mash'ar al-Haram. During Hajj, pilgrims also visit Mina. Some of the important rituals of the Hajj take place here:

Remember God on the designated days. Those who hurry on [to leave Mina] in two days have done no wrong, and those who stay another day have done no wrong – those of them who guard against evil. So fear [and respect] God. And know that you will be gathered back to Him. (Qur'an, 2:203)

Safa and Marwa are among the landmarks of God, so anyone who goes on pilgrimage to the House or does the pious visit incurs no wrong in going back and forth between them... (Qur’an, 2:158)

Safa and Marwa are two hills to the east of the Kaaba. Mount Safa is about 15 meters higher than the Haram area, while Mount Marwa is about 8 meters in height. There are about 420 meters in between the two hills. The area in between them is called "Masa," which is adjacent to the Masjid al-Haram. In pictures, you can see pilgrims performing Sa'y (walking between Safa and Marwa).

The Masa, in between Safa and Marwa

The top of Mount Safa

Pictures of Arafat and Mount Rahmat during the Hajj.

Arafat is a large and flat plain of twenty-four square kilometers which lies to the north of Mecca. It is outside of Haram. The name "Arafat" is the plural of "arafa," and comes from the root of the words "irfan" (insight) and "marifa" (knowledge). It also means mountain. This is how Arafat is mentioned in the Qur'an:

There is nothing wrong in seeking bounty from your Lord. When you pour down from Arafat, remember God at the Sacred Landmark. Remember Him because He has guided you, even though before this you were astray. Then press on from where the people press on and ask God's forgiveness. God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Qur'an, 2:198-199)

Above: The top of Mina

Left: Masjid al-Khaif in Mina.

Mina is the name of the place between Mecca and Mash'ar al-Haram. During Hajj, pilgrims also visit Mina. Some of the important rituals of the Hajj take place here:

Remember God on the designated days. Those who hurry on [to leave Mina] in two days have done no wrong, and those who stay another day have done no wrong – those of them who guard against evil. So fear [and respect] God. And know that you will be gathered back to Him. (Qur'an, 2:203)

In these pictures, you can see the places of worship called the Sab'ah Masajid (Seven Masjids), built on the spot where the Battle of Khandaq (Battle of the Trench) took place. According to historical sources, the masjid on the right was used by our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace). Below is the Uhud cemetery.

The Masjid al-Nabawi

(Mosque of the Prophet)

It is not for the idolaters to maintain the mosques of God, bearing witness against themselves of their disbelief. They are the ones whose actions will come to nothing. They will be in the fire timelessly, for ever. (Qur’an, 9:17)

The mosques of God should only be maintained by those who believe in God and the Last Day and perform prayer and give the alms, and fear no one but God. They are the ones most likely to be guided. (Qur’an, 9:18)

A different view of the Masjid al-Haram

Day and night views of the Masjid al-Nabawi

Glory be to Him Who took His servant on a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque [Masjid al-Haram] to the Further Mosque [Masjid al-Aqsa], whose surroundings We have blessed, in order to show him some of Our signs. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. (Qur’an, 17:1)

Due to the fact that Masjid al-Aqsa was the first direction of prayer for Muslims, it carries an important distinction. It is accepted that Masjid al-Aqsa is the second mosque ever built, the first being the Kaaba.

In 638 AD, after Jerusalem was conquered during the period of the Caliph Omar, Masjid al-Aqsa was built at the site of Bayt al-Maqdis. The fact that Caliph Omar accepted this as a place of worship is also another reason it is important for Muslims. Masjid al-Aqsa was later constructed in its new structure during the rule of a later caliph, Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan.

Qubbat al-Sakhra (Dome of the Rock) is also known as the Mosque of Omar, but it was not built as a mosque. Inside the structure, there is a stone believed to have been stepped on by Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) during his ascension to heaven; the stone is considered sacred. The word "sakhra" means a "piece of rock," and so Qubbat al-Sakhra means a dome built on rock. To the east of the rock in the structure, there is a long cupboard which contains what is believed to be hairs from Prophet Muhammad's (may God bless him and grant him peace) sacred beard.

An 1890 view of Qubbat al-Sakhra and Masjid al-Aqsa

The Mosque of Omar

Say: “My Lord has commanded justice. Stand and face Him in every mosque and call on Him, making your religion sincerely His. As He originated you, so you will return.” (Qur’an, 7:29)

And [I swear by] Mount Sinai and this safe land. (Qur’an, 95:2-3)

A view of Mount Sinai

He picks out for His mercy whoever He wills. God’s favor is indeed immense. (Qur’an, 3:74)

THE DECEPTION OF EVOLUTION

Darwinism, in other words the theory of evolution, was put forward with the aim of denying the fact of creation, but is in truth nothing but failed, unscientific nonsense. This theory, which claims that life emerged by chance from inanimate matter, was invalidated by the scientific evidence of miraculous order in the universe and in living things. In this way, science confirmed the fact that God created the universe and the living things in it. The propaganda carried out today in order to keep the theory of evolution alive is based solely on the distortion of the scientific facts, biased interpretation, and lies and falsehoods disguised as science.

Yet this propaganda cannot conceal the truth. The fact that the theory of evolution is the greatest deception in the history of science has been expressed more and more in the scientific world over the last 20-30 years. Research carried out after the 1980s in particular has revealed that the claims of Darwinism are totally unfounded, something that has been stated by a large number of scientists. In the United States in particular, many scientists from such different fields as biology, biochemistry and paleontology recognize the invalidity of Darwinism and employ the fact of creation to account for the origin of life.

We have examined the collapse of the theory of evolution and the proofs of creation in great scientific detail in many of our works, and are still continuing to do so. Given the enormous importance of this subject, it will be of great benefit to summarize it here.

The Scientific Collapse of Darwinism

Although this doctrine goes back as far as ancient Greece, the theory of evolution was advanced extensively in the nineteenth century. The most important development that made it the top topic of the world of science was Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species, published in 1859. In this book, he denied that God created different living species on Earth separately, for he claimed that all living beings had a common ancestor and had diversified over time through small changes. Darwin's theory was not based on any concrete scientific finding; as he also accepted, it was just an "assumption." Moreover, as Darwin confessed in the long chapter of his book titled "Difficulties on Theory," the theory failed in the face of many critical questions.

Darwin invested all of his hopes in new scientific discoveries, which he expected to solve these difficulties. However, contrary to his expectations, scientific findings expanded the dimensions of these difficulties. The defeat of Darwinism in the face of science can be reviewed under three basic topics:

1) The theory cannot explain how life originated on Earth.

2) No scientific finding shows that the "evolutionary mechanisms" proposed by the theory have any evolutionary power at all.

3) The fossil record proves the exact opposite of what the theory suggests.

In this section, we will examine these three basic points in general outlines:

The First Insurmountable Step:

The Origin of Life

The theory of evolution posits that all living species evolved from a single living cell that emerged on the primitive Earth 3.8 billion years ago. How a single cell could generate millions of complex living species and, if such an evolution really occurred, why traces of it cannot be observed in the fossil record are some of the questions that the theory cannot answer. However, first and foremost, we need to ask: How did this "first cell" originate?

Since the theory of evolution denies creation and any kind of supernatural intervention, it maintains that the "first cell" originated coincidentally within the laws of nature, without any design, plan or arrangement. According to the theory, inanimate matter must have produced a living cell as a result of coincidences. Such a claim, however, is inconsistent with the most unassailable rules of biology.

"Life Comes From Life"

In his book, Darwin never referred to the origin of life. The primitive understanding of science in his time rested on the assumption that living beings had a very simple structure. Since medieval times, spontaneous generation, which asserts that non-living materials came together to form living organisms, had been widely accepted. It was commonly believed that insects came into being from food leftovers, and mice from wheat. Interesting experiments were conducted to prove this theory. Some wheat was placed on a dirty piece of cloth, and it was believed that mice would originate from it after a while.

Similarly, maggots developing in rotting meat was assumed to be evidence of spontaneous generation. However, it was later understood that worms did not appear on meat spontaneously, but were carried there by flies in the form of larvae, invisible to the naked eye.

Even when Darwin wrote The Origin of Species, the belief that bacteria could come into existence from non-living matter was widely accepted in the world of science.

However, five years after the publication of Darwin's book, Louis Pasteur announced his results after long studies and experiments, that disproved spontaneous generation, a cornerstone of Darwin's theory. In his triumphal lecture at the Sorbonne in 1864, Pasteur said: "Never will the doctrine of spontaneous generation recover from the mortal blow struck by this simple experiment."1

For a long time, advocates of the theory of evolution resisted these findings. However, as the development of science unraveled the complex structure of the cell of a living being, the idea that life could come into being coincidentally faced an even greater impasse.

Inconclusive Efforts of the Twentieth Century

The first evolutionist who took up the subject of the origin of life in the twentieth century was the renowned Russian biologist Alexander Oparin. With various theses he advanced in the 1930s, he tried to prove that a living cell could originate by coincidence. These studies, however, were doomed to failure, and Oparin had to make the following confession:

Unfortunately, however, the problem of the origin of the cell is perhaps the most obscure point in the whole study of the evolution of organisms.2

Evolutionist followers of Oparin tried to carry out experiments to solve this problem. The best known experiment was carried out by the American chemist Stanley Miller in 1953. Combining the gases he alleged to have existed in the primordial Earth's atmosphere in an experiment set-up, and adding energy to the mixture, Miller synthesized several organic molecules (amino acids) present in the structure of proteins.

Barely a few years had passed before it was revealed that this experiment, which was then presented as an important step in the name of evolution, was invalid, for the atmosphere used in the experiment was very different from the real Earth conditions.3

After a long silence, Miller confessed that the atmosphere medium he used was unrealistic.4

All the evolutionists' efforts throughout the twentieth century to explain the origin of life ended in failure. The geochemist Jeffrey Bada, from the San Diego Scripps Institute accepts this fact in an article published in Earth magazine in 1998:

Today as we leave the twentieth century, we still face the biggest unsolved problem that we had when we entered the twentieth century: How did life originate on Earth?5

The Complex Structure of Life

The primary reason why the theory of evolution ended up in such a great impasse regarding the origin of life is that even those living organisms deemed to be the simplest have incredibly complex structures. The cell of a living thing is more complex than all of our man-made technological products. Today, even in the most developed laboratories of the world, a living cell cannot be produced by bringing organic chemicals together.

The conditions required for the formation of a cell are too great in quantity to be explained away by coincidences. The probability of proteins, the building blocks of a cell, being synthesized coincidentally, is 1 in 10950 for an average protein made up of 500 amino acids. In mathematics, a probability smaller than 1 over 1050 is considered to be impossible in practical terms.

The DNA molecule, which is located in the nucleus of a cell and which stores genetic information, is an incredible databank. If the information coded in DNA were written down, it would make a giant library consisting of an estimated 900 volumes of encyclopedias consisting of 500 pages each.

A very interesting dilemma emerges at this point: DNA can replicate itself only with the help of some specialized proteins (enzymes). However, the synthesis of these enzymes can be realized only by the information coded in DNA. As they both depend on each other, they have to exist at the same time for replication. This brings the scenario that life originated by itself to a deadlock. Prof. Leslie Orgel, an evolutionist of repute from the University of San Diego, California, confesses this fact in the September 1994 issue of the Scientific American magazine:

It is extremely improbable that proteins and nucleic acids, both of which are structurally complex, arose spontaneously in the same place at the same time. Yet it also seems impossible to have one without the other. And so, at first glance, one might have to conclude that life could never, in fact, have originated by chemical means.6

No doubt, if it is impossible for life to have originated from natural causes, then it has to be accepted that life was "created" in a supernatural way. This fact explicitly invalidates the theory of evolution, whose main purpose is to deny creation.

Imaginary Mechanism of Evolution

The second important point that negates Darwin's theory is that both concepts put forward by the theory as "evolutionary mechanisms" were understood to have, in reality, no evolutionary power.

Darwin based his evolution allegation entirely on the mechanism of "natural selection." The importance he placed on this mechanism was evident in the name of his book: The Origin of Species, By Means of Natural Selection…

Natural selection holds that those living things that are stronger and more suited to the natural conditions of their habitats will survive in the struggle for life. For example, in a deer herd under the threat of attack by wild animals, those that can run faster will survive. Therefore, the deer herd will be comprised of faster and stronger individuals. However, unquestionably, this mechanism will not cause deer to evolve and transform themselves into another living species, for instance, horses.

Therefore, the mechanism of natural selection has no evolutionary power. Darwin was also aware of this fact and had to state this in his book The Origin of Species:

Natural selection can do nothing until favourable individual differences or variations occur.7

Lamarck's Impact

So, how could these "favorable variations" occur? Darwin tried to answer this question from the standpoint of the primitive understanding of science at that time. According to the French biologist Chevalier de Lamarck (1744-1829), who lived before Darwin, living creatures passed on the traits they acquired during their lifetime to the next generation. He asserted that these traits, which accumulated from one generation to another, caused new species to be formed. For instance, he claimed that giraffes evolved from antelopes; as they struggled to eat the leaves of high trees, their necks were extended from generation to generation.

Darwin also gave similar examples. In his book The Origin of Species, for instance, he said that some bears going into water to find food transformed themselves into whales over time.8

However, the laws of inheritance discovered by Gregor Mendel (1822-84) and verified by the science of genetics, which flourished in the twentieth century, utterly demolished the legend that acquired traits were passed on to subsequent generations. Thus, natural selection fell out of favor as an evolutionary mechanism.

Neo-Darwinism and Mutations

In order to find a solution, Darwinists advanced the "Modern Synthetic Theory," or as it is more commonly known, Neo-Darwinism, at the end of the 1930s. Neo-Darwinism added mutations, which are distortions formed in the genes of living beings due to such external factors as radiation or replication errors, as the "cause of favorable variations" in addition to natural mutation.

Today, the model that stands for evolution in the world is Neo-Darwinism. The theory maintains that millions of living beings formed as a result of a process whereby numerous complex organs of these organisms (e.g., ears, eyes, lungs, and wings) underwent "mutations," that is, genetic disorders. Yet, there is an outright scientific fact that totally undermines this theory: Mutations do not cause living beings to develop; on the contrary, they are always harmful.

The reason for this is very simple: DNA has a very complex structure, and random effects can only harm it. The American geneticist B. G. Ranganathan explains this as follows:

First, genuine mutations are very rare in nature. Secondly, most mutations are harmful since they are random, rather than orderly changes in the structure of genes; any random change in a highly ordered system will be for the worse, not for the better. For example, if an earthquake were to shake a highly ordered structure such as a building, there would be a random change in the framework of the building which, in all probability, would not be an improvement.9

Not surprisingly, no mutation example, which is useful, that is, which is observed to develop the genetic code, has been observed so far. All mutations have proved to be harmful. It was understood that mutation, which is presented as an "evolutionary mechanism," is actually a genetic occurrence that harms living things, and leaves them disabled. (The most common effect of mutation on human beings is cancer.) Of course, a destructive mechanism cannot be an "evolutionary mechanism." Natural selection, on the other hand, "can do nothing by itself," as Darwin also accepted. This fact shows us that there is no "evolutionary mechanism" in nature. Since no evolutionary mechanism exists, no such any imaginary process called "evolution" could have taken place.

The Fossil Record: No Sign of Intermediate Forms

The clearest evidence that the scenario suggested by the theory of evolution did not take place is the fossil record.

According to this theory, every living species has sprung from a predecessor. A previously existing species turned into something else over time and all species have come into being in this way. In other words, this transformation proceeds gradually over millions of years.

Had this been the case, numerous intermediary species should have existed and lived within this long transformation period.

For instance, some half-fish/half-reptiles should have lived in the past which had acquired some reptilian traits in addition to the fish traits they already had. Or there should have existed some reptile-birds, which acquired some bird traits in addition to the reptilian traits they already had. Since these would be in a transitional phase, they should be disabled, defective, crippled living beings. Evolutionists refer to these imaginary creatures, which they believe to have lived in the past, as "transitional forms."

If such animals ever really existed, there should be millions and even billions of them in number and variety. More importantly, the remains of these strange creatures should be present in the fossil record. In The Origin of Species, Darwin explained:

If my theory be true, numberless intermediate varieties, linking most closely all of the species of the same group together must assuredly have existed... Consequently, evidence of their former existence could be found only amongst fossil remains.10

Darwin's Hopes Shattered

However, although evolutionists have been making strenuous efforts to find fossils since the middle of the nineteenth century all over the world, no transitional forms have yet been uncovered. All of the fossils, contrary to the evolutionists' expectations, show that life appeared on Earth all of a sudden and fully-formed.

One famous British paleontologist, Derek V. Ager, admits this fact, even though he is an evolutionist:

The point emerges that if we examine the fossil record in detail, whether at the level of orders or of species, we find – over and over again – not gradual evolution, but the sudden explosion of one group at the expense of another.11

This means that in the fossil record, all living species suddenly emerge as fully formed, without any intermediate forms in between. This is just the opposite of Darwin's assumptions. Also, this is very strong evidence that all living things are created. The only explanation of a living species emerging suddenly and complete in every detail without any evolutionary ancestor is that it was created. This fact is admitted also by the widely known evolutionist biologist Douglas Futuyma:

Creation and evolution, between them, exhaust the possible explanations for the origin of living things. Organisms either appeared on the earth fully developed or they did not. If they did not, they must have developed from pre-existing species by some process of modification. If they did appear in a fully developed state, they must indeed have been created by some omnipotent intelligence.12

Fossils show that living beings emerged fully developed and in a perfect state on the Earth. That means that "the origin of species," contrary to Darwin's supposition, is not evolution, but creation.

The Tale of Human Evolution

The subject most often brought up by advocates of the theory of evolution is the subject of the origin of man. The Darwinist claim holds that modern man evolved from ape-like creatures. During this alleged evolutionary process, which is supposed to have started 4-5 million years ago, some "transitional forms" between modern man and his ancestors are supposed to have existed. According to this completely imaginary scenario, four basic "categories" are listed:

1. Australopithecus

2. Homo habilis

3. Homo erectus

4. Homo sapiens

Evolutionists call man's so-called first ape-like ancestors Australopithecus, which means "South African ape." These living beings are actually nothing but an old ape species that has become extinct. Extensive research done on various Australopithecus specimens by two world famous anatomists from England and the USA, namely, Lord Solly Zuckerman and Prof. Charles Oxnard, shows that these apes belonged to an ordinary ape species that became extinct and bore no resemblance to humans.13

Evolutionists classify the next stage of human evolution as "homo," that is "man." According to their claim, the living beings in the Homo series are more developed than Australopithecus. Evolutionists devise a fanciful evolution scheme by arranging different fossils of these creatures in a particular order. This scheme is imaginary because it has never been proved that there is an evolutionary relation between these different classes. Ernst Mayr, one of the twentieth century's most important evolutionists, contends in his book One Long Argument that "particularly historical [puzzles] such as the origin of life or of Homo sapiens, are extremely difficult and may even resist a final, satisfying explanation."14

By outlining the link chain as Australopithecus > Homo habilis > Homo erectus > Homo sapiens, evolutionists imply that each of these species is one another's ancestor. However, recent findings of paleoanthropologists have revealed that Australopithecus, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus lived at different parts of the world at the same time.15

Moreover, a certain segment of humans classified as Homo erectus have lived up until very modern times. Homo sapiens neandarthalensis and Homo sapiens sapiens (modern man) co-existed in the same region.16

This situation apparently indicates the invalidity of the claim that they are ancestors of one another. Stephen Jay Gould explained this deadlock of the theory of evolution, although he was himself one of the leading advocates of evolution in the twentieth century:

What has become of our ladder if there are three coexisting lineages of hominids (A. africanus, the robust australopithecines, and H. habilis), none clearly derived from another? Moreover, none of the three display any evolutionary trends during their tenure on earth.17

Put briefly, the scenario of human evolution, which is "upheld" with the help of various drawings of some "half ape, half human" creatures appearing in the media and course books, that is, frankly, by means of propaganda, is nothing but a tale with no scientific foundation.

Lord Solly Zuckerman, one of the most famous and respected scientists in the U.K., who carried out research on this subject for years and studied Australopithecus fossils for 15 years, finally concluded, despite being an evolutionist himself, that there is, in fact, no such family tree branching out from ape-like creatures to man.

Zuckerman also made an interesting "spectrum of science" ranging from those he considered scientific to those he considered unscientific. According to Zuckerman's spectrum, the most "scientific"—that is, depending on concrete data—fields of science are chemistry and physics. After them come the biological sciences and then the social sciences. At the far end of the spectrum, which is the part considered to be most "unscientific," are "extra-sensory perception"—concepts such as telepathy and sixth sense—and finally "human evolution." Zuckerman explains his reasoning:

We then move right off the register of objective truth into those fields of presumed biological science, like extrasensory perception or the interpretation of man's fossil history, where to the faithful [evolutionist] anything is possible – and where the ardent believer [in evolution] is sometimes able to believe several contradictory things at the same time.18

The tale of human evolution boils down to nothing but the prejudiced interpretations of some fossils unearthed by certain people, who blindly adhere to their theory.

Darwinian Formula!

Besides all the technical evidence we have dealt with so far, let us now for once, examine what kind of a superstition the evolutionists have with an example so simple as to be understood even by children:

The theory of evolution asserts that life is formed by chance. According to this claim, lifeless and unconscious atoms came together to form the cell and then they somehow formed other living things, including man. Let us think about that. When we bring together the elements that are the building-blocks of life such as carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium, only a heap is formed. No matter what treatments it undergoes, this atomic heap cannot form even a single living being. If you like, let us formulate an "experiment" on this subject and let us examine on the behalf of evolutionists what they really claim without pronouncing loudly under the name "Darwinian formula":

Let evolutionists put plenty of materials present in the composition of living things such as phosphorus, nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, iron, and magnesium into big barrels. Moreover, let them add in these barrels any material that does not exist under normal conditions, but they think as necessary. Let them add in this mixture as many amino acids and as many proteins—a single one of which has a formation probability of 10-950—as they like. Let them expose these mixtures to as much heat and moisture as they like. Let them stir these with whatever technologically developed device they like. Let them put the foremost scientists beside these barrels. Let these experts wait in turn beside these barrels for billions, and even trillions of years. Let them be free to use all kinds of conditions they believe to be necessary for a human's formation. No matter what they do, they cannot produce from these barrels a human, say a professor that examines his cell structure under the electron microscope. They cannot produce giraffes, lions, bees, canaries, horses, dolphins, roses, orchids, lilies, carnations, bananas, oranges, apples, dates, tomatoes, melons, watermelons, figs, olives, grapes, peaches, peafowls, pheasants, multicoloured butterflies, or millions of other living beings such as these. Indeed, they could not obtain even a single cell of any one of them.

Briefly, unconscious atoms cannot form the cell by coming together. They cannot take a new decision and divide this cell into two, then take other decisions and create the professors who first invent the electron microscope and then examine their own cell structure under that microscope. Matter is an unconscious, lifeless heap, and it comes to life with God's superior creation.

The theory of evolution, which claims the opposite, is a total fallacy completely contrary to reason. Thinking even a little bit on the claims of evolutionists discloses this reality, just as in the above example.

Technology in the Eye and the Ear

Another subject that remains unanswered by evolutionary theory is the excellent quality of perception in the eye and the ear.

Before passing on to the subject of the eye, let us briefly answer the question of how we see. Light rays coming from an object fall oppositely on the eye's retina. Here, these light rays are transmitted into electric signals by cells and reach a tiny spot at the back of the brain, the "center of vision." These electric signals are perceived in this center as an image after a series of processes. With this technical background, let us do some thinking.

The brain is insulated from light. That means that its inside is completely dark, and that no light reaches the place where it is located. Thus, the "center of vision" is never touched by light and may even be the darkest place you have ever known. However, you observe a luminous, bright world in this pitch darkness.

The image formed in the eye is so sharp and distinct that even the technology of the twentieth century has not been able to attain it. For instance, look at the book you are reading, your hands with which you are holding it, and then lift your head and look around you. Have you ever seen such a sharp and distinct image as this one at any other place? Even the most developed television screen produced by the greatest television producer in the world cannot provide such a sharp image for you. This is a three-dimensional, colored, and extremely sharp image. For more than 100 years, thousands of engineers have been trying to achieve this sharpness. Factories, huge premises were established, much research has been done, plans and designs have been made for this purpose. Again, look at a TV screen and the book you hold in your hands. You will see that there is a big difference in sharpness and distinction. Moreover, the TV screen shows you a two-dimensional image, whereas with your eyes, you watch a three-dimensional perspective with depth.

For many years, tens of thousands of engineers have tried to make a three-dimensional TV and achieve the vision quality of the eye. Yes, they have made a three-dimensional television system, but it is not possible to watch it without putting on special 3-D glasses; moreover, it is only an artificial three-dimension. The background is more blurred, the foreground appears like a paper setting. Never has it been possible to produce a sharp and distinct vision like that of the eye. In both the camera and the television, there is a loss of image quality.

Evolutionists claim that the mechanism producing this sharp and distinct image has been formed by chance. Now, if somebody told you that the television in your room was formed as a result of chance, that all of its atoms just happened to come together and make up this device that produces an image, what would you think? How can atoms do what thousands of people cannot?

If a device producing a more primitive image than the eye could not have been formed by chance, then it is very evident that the eye and the image seen by the eye could not have been formed by chance. The same situation applies to the ear. The outer ear picks up the available sounds by the auricle and directs them to the middle ear, the middle ear transmits the sound vibrations by intensifying them, and the inner ear sends these vibrations to the brain by translating them into electric signals. Just as with the eye, the act of hearing finalizes in the center of hearing in the brain.

The situation in the eye is also true for the ear. That is, the brain is insulated from sound just as it is from light. It does not let any sound in. Therefore, no matter how noisy is the outside, the inside of the brain is completely silent. Nevertheless, the sharpest sounds are perceived in the brain. In your completely silent brain, you listen to symphonies, and hear all of the noises in a crowded place. However, were the sound level in your brain measured by a precise device at that moment, complete silence would be found to be prevailing there.

As is the case with imagery, decades of effort have been spent in trying to generate and reproduce sound that is faithful to the original. The results of these efforts are sound recorders, high-fidelity systems, and systems for sensing sound. Despite all of this technology and the thousands of engineers and experts who have been working on this endeavor, no sound has yet been obtained that has the same sharpness and clarity as the sound perceived by the ear. Think of the highest-quality hi-fi systems produced by the largest company in the music industry. Even in these devices, when sound is recorded some of it is lost; or when you turn on a hi-fi you always hear a hissing sound before the music starts. However, the sounds that are the products of the human body's technology are extremely sharp and clear. A human ear never perceives a sound accompanied by a hissing sound or with atmospherics as does a hi-fi; rather, it perceives sound exactly as it is, sharp and clear. This is the way it has been since the creation of man.

So far, no man-made visual or recording apparatus has been as sensitive and successful in perceiving sensory data as are the eye and the ear. However, as far as seeing and hearing are concerned, a far greater truth lies beyond all this.

To Whom Does the Consciousness that Sees and Hears

within the Brain Belong?

Who watches an alluring world in the brain, listens to symphonies and the twittering of birds, and smells the rose?

The stimulations coming from a person's eyes, ears, and nose travel to the brain as electro-chemical nerve impulses. In biology, physiology, and biochemistry books, you can find many details about how this image forms in the brain. However, you will never come across the most important fact: Who perceives these electro-chemical nerve impulses as images, sounds, odors, and sensory events in the brain? There is a consciousness in the brain that perceives all this without feeling any need for an eye, an ear, and a nose. To whom does this consciousness belong? Of course it does not belong to the nerves, the fat layer, and neurons comprising the brain. This is why Darwinist-materialists, who believe that everything is comprised of matter, cannot answer these questions.

For this consciousness is the spirit created by God, which needs neither the eye to watch the images nor the ear to hear the sounds. Furthermore, it does not need the brain to think.

Everyone who reads this explicit and scientific fact should ponder on Almighty God, and fear and seek refuge in Him, for He squeezes the entire universe in a pitch-dark place of a few cubic centimeters in a three-dimensional, colored, shadowy, and luminous form.

A Materialist Faith

The information we have presented so far shows us that the theory of evolution is incompatible with scientific findings. The theory's claim regarding the origin of life is inconsistent with science, the evolutionary mechanisms it proposes have no evolutionary power, and fossils demonstrate that the required intermediate forms have never existed. So, it certainly follows that the theory of evolution should be pushed aside as an unscientific idea. This is how many ideas, such as the Earth-centered universe model, have been taken out of the agenda of science throughout history.

However, the theory of evolution is kept on the agenda of science. Some people even try to represent criticisms directed against it as an "attack on science." Why?

The reason is that this theory is an indispensable dogmatic belief for some circles. These circles are blindly devoted to materialist philosophy and adopt Darwinism because it is the only materialist explanation that can be put forward to explain the workings of nature.

Interestingly enough, they also confess this fact from time to time. A well-known geneticist and an outspoken evolutionist, Richard C. Lewontin from Harvard University, confesses that he is "first and foremost a materialist and then a scientist":

It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, so we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.19

These are explicit statements that Darwinism is a dogma kept alive just for the sake of adherence to materialism. This dogma maintains that there is no being save matter. Therefore, it argues that inanimate, unconscious matter created life. It insists that millions of different living species (e.g., birds, fish, giraffes, tigers, insects, trees, flowers, whales, and human beings) originated as a result of the interactions between matter such as pouring rain, lightning flashes, and so on, out of inanimate matter. This is a precept contrary both to reason and science. Yet Darwinists continue to defend it just so as "not to allow a Divine Foot in the door."

Anyone who does not look at the origin of living beings with a materialist prejudice will see this evident truth: All living beings are works of a Creator, Who is All-Powerful, All-Wise, and All-Knowing. This Creator is God, Who created the whole universe from non-existence, designed it in the most perfect form, and fashioned all living beings.

The Theory of Evolution: The Most Potent Spell in the World

Anyone free of prejudice and the influence of any particular ideology, who uses only his or her reason and logic, will clearly understand that belief in the theory of evolution, which brings to mind the superstitions of societies with no knowledge of science or civilization, is quite impossible.

As explained above, those who believe in the theory of evolution think that a few atoms and molecules thrown into a huge vat could produce thinking, reasoning professors and university students; such scientists as Einstein and Galileo; such artists as Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra and Luciano Pavarotti; as well as antelopes, lemon trees, and carnations. Moreover, as the scientists and professors who believe in this nonsense are educated people, it is quite justifiable to speak of this theory as "the most potent spell in history." Never before has any other belief or idea so taken away peoples' powers of reason, refused to allow them to think intelligently and logically, and hidden the truth from them as if they had been blindfolded. This is an even worse and unbelievable blindness than the totem worship in some parts of Africa, the people of Saba worshipping the Sun, the tribe of Prophet Abraham (pbuh) worshipping idols they had made with their own hands, or the people of Prophet Moses (pbuh) worshipping the Golden Calf.

In fact, God has pointed to this lack of reason in the Qur'an. In many verses, He reveals that some peoples' minds will be closed and that they will be powerless to see the truth. Some of these verses are as follows:

As for those who do not believe, it makes no difference to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe. God has sealed up their hearts and hearing and over their eyes is a blindfold. They will have a terrible punishment. (Qur'an, 2:6-7)

... They have hearts with which they do not understand. They have eyes with which they do not see. They have ears with which they do not hear. Such people are like cattle. No, they are even further astray! They are the unaware. (Qur'an, 7:179)

Even if We opened up to them a door into heaven, and they spent the day ascending through it, they would only say: "Our eyesight is befuddled! Or rather we have been put under a spell!" (Qur'an, 15:14-15)

Words cannot express just how astonishing it is that this spell should hold such a wide community in thrall, keep people from the truth, and not be broken for 150 years. It is understandable that one or a few people might believe in impossible scenarios and claims full of stupidity and illogicality. However, "magic" is the only possible explanation for people from all over the world believing that unconscious and lifeless atoms suddenly decided to come together and form a universe that functions with a flawless system of organization, discipline, reason, and consciousness; a planet named Earth with all of its features so perfectly suited to life; and living things full of countless complex systems.

In fact, the Qur'an relates the incident of Prophet Moses (pbuh) and Pharaoh to show that some people who support atheistic philosophies actually influence others by magic. When Pharaoh was told about the true religion, he told Prophet Moses (pbuh) to meet with his own magicians. When Moses (pbuh) did so, he told them to demonstrate their abilities first. The verses continue:

He said: "You throw." And when they threw, they cast a spell on the people's eyes and caused them to feel great fear of them. They produced an extremely powerful magic. (Qur'an, 7:116)

As we have seen, Pharaoh's magicians were able to deceive everyone, apart from Moses (pbuh) and those who believed in him. However, his evidence broke the spell, or "swallowed up what they had forged," as the verse puts it:

We revealed to Moses: "Throw down your staff." And it immediately swallowed up what they had forged. So the Truth took place and what they did was shown to be false. (Qur'an, 7:117-118)

As we can see, when people realized that a spell had been cast upon them and that what they saw was just an illusion, Pharaoh's magicians lost all credibility. In the present day too, unless those who, under the influence of a similar spell, believe in these ridiculous claims under their scientific disguise and spend their lives defending them, abandon their superstitious beliefs, they also will be humiliated when the full truth emerges and the spell is broken. In fact, world-renowned British writer and philosopher Malcolm Muggeridge, who was an atheist defending evolution for some 60 years, but who subsequently realized the truth, reveals the position in which the theory of evolution would find itself in the near future in these terms:

I myself am convinced that the theory of evolution, especially the extent to which it's been applied, will be one of the great jokes in the history books in the future. Posterity will marvel that so very flimsy and dubious an hypothesis could be accepted with the incredible credulity that it has.20

That future is not far off: On the contrary, people will soon see that "chance" is not a deity, and will look back on the theory of evolution as the worst deceit and the most terrible spell in the world. That spell is already rapidly beginning to be lifted from the shoulders of people all over the world. Many people who see its true face are wondering with amazement how they could ever have been taken in by it.

 One verse tells us that God “created everything and determined it most exactly” (Qur’an, 25:2).

There are countless signs present in the universe of this perfect order, some examples

of which are given in the Qur’an.

Water, food, sunlight, day and night, a beautiful view, mountains, a pleasant face to look at…

These are only a few of the signs on earth.

The animal traits, which we are usually not capable even to mimic,

are some other sings of God’s artistry of creation.

Some of the locations where prophets lived through history, and the cities where Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) lived are also noted in the Qur’an.

The signs contained in natural disasters are reasons to consider the weakness of humans before God, and to pay heed. Signs in technology, on the other hand, are blessings for which

people should thank God.

Subjects dealt with in this book are just a few examples of God’s creation,

all of which show us the infinite power of our Lord.