(Hatem al-ta’ay), one of the generous Arabs in pre-Islam time , had a Christian son whose name was (Oday). (Oday) .

He had a beautiful story. Let's listen to him tell the story himself .

He said “No Arab hated the prophet, may Allah send His peace and blessings on him, more than I did when I first heard about him. I was an honourable devoted Christian and a leader among my natives. I told a servant of mine who was the shepherd of my camels: “prepare some humbled, fat camels for me, so that ,if Muhammad’s army invades this country,  i would take them on escape .” One morning he came to me and said: “what you were to do if Muhammad’s horses came, do itnow as I have seen flags and when I asked about them , I was informed that these are Muhammad’s army.”

I said: “get me my camels.” I took my wife and son on it and intended to join my fellow Christians in Damascus, but I left one of Hatem’s daughters ( his sister ) behind in the city. When I reached Damascus, I stayed there. The horses of the prophet, may Allah send His peace and blessings on him, reached Hatem’s daughter and she was introduced to the prophet, may Allah send His peace and blessings on him, among the captives of (tay’a).

The prophet was informed of my escape to Damascus . when  he passed by my sister , she said: “O messenger of Allah, the father is dead and bother  is absent and I am an old woman and  incapable of any service. Bestow your favor upon me, may Allah bestow His upon you.” He asked: “who is your brother?” she said: “Oday, the son of Hatem.” He said: “this who escaped from Allah and His messenger??” she repeated this petition for three days. She said: he eventually vouchsafed .” She asked to be carried; he ordered that for her and gave her clothing and money.

She came to me and said: “you   did something that your father would not do; anyway go to him whether you are desirous or afraid, as “so many people” came to him and took much from him Oday said: “so, I went to him while he was sitting in the mosque.” People said: “this is Oday the son of Hatem.” I went there with his companion helpless without any warrant to help me , the prophet  took me by hand , the prophet was quoted saying " I implore God to guide O'day ": “I hope that Allah will put his hand in mine.” He stood and came to me then I met a woman carrying a child .  They said to him: we need something from you. He went with them till he fulfilled their need then took me by my hand to his house. There, a pillow was given  to  him. He sat down on it and I sat in front of him. He thanked Allah and praised Him then said: “what makes you escape? Is it " that there is no god but Allah? Do you know any other god?” I said: No. He talked for a while then said: “is it saying that Allah is the greatest (Allahu Akbar)? Do you know anything greater than Allah?” I said: No" . he said: “then, the Jews have earned anger and the Christians are astray.” I said: “then, I am an orthodox Muslim.” So, I saw a smile of happiness on his face.

And now imagine, man, that you are sitting in Oday’s place in front of the prophet, may Allah send His peace and blessings on him, and he asked you the same question : why do you escape from Allah….what will be your situation? Do you escape saying that there is no god but Allah…..then, do you know another god?

Does saying that Allah is the greatest makes you escape…then, do you know anything that is greater than Allah?

Do you escape from saying that all praise is to Allah, the Lord of all that exists, or saying glorified is my God the most high and glorified is my God the most great….then, do you know anyone who is absolutely praised except Allah and do you know anyone greater or higher?

Does saying that Allah is the one, the self-sufficient whom all creatures need, and that  He did not beget nor was He begotten and there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him, make you escape? Do you know a father, a mother, a son or a wife for Allah? And do you know anyone who people may resort to in order to fulfill their needs except Allah? Is it believing that nothing is like Allah, that

He is the Irresistible (Supreme) above His slaves and He is able to do all things that make you escape? Then do you know anyone who is equal or similar to Allah? Do you know anyone whose power exceeds that of Allah? And can human beings hurt Allah the Almighty, while He is encompassing and dominating them?

Does believing that Allah saved the Christ from the Jews’ plot and raised him to heaven, after you used to believe that He let him dieon the cross, humble and insulted, annoy you?

Or, do you escape from believing that the Christ healed the blind and the lepers and brought forth the dead all by Allah’s permission and not his own power….did the Christ have anything to do for himself when he was just an embryo in his mother’s uterus? Do you escape believing that the Christ came with the bible, that Allah revealed to him instead of believing in various bibles written by anonymous people who did not see the Christ, while none of these bibles is attributed to the Christ??

Does believing that the Christ is Allah’s word and a spirit created by Him and that he is one of the messengers of strong will and his mother is a believer in Allah’s words and books that Allah has chosen over all the women of mankind and jinn, make you escape? Then, were the Christ and his mother different from this? Does saying that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah make you escape ?..So, who was Muhammad if he was not the messenger of Allah??

Does knowing that Allah forgave Adam’s sin when he regretted it and turned in repentance and that Allah forgives all sins, make you escape? Then, do you know anyone who forgives sins except Allah? Is it asking Allah for forgiveness after you used to ask the pastor for it on the chair of recognition that make you escape? Does belonging to a religion that makes no mediators between you and Allah and does not allow the dominance of anyone on your spiritual life so that he forgives you if he wants or deprives you from entering Heaven if he wants -as the church does- make you escape? Do you think that Allah created you by Himself to make the determination of your fate and the forgiveness of your sins in the hands of anyone else but Him? Does believing that children are born free (acquitted) from any sin, instead of thinking that they are born disgraced in the sin of their father, Adam (peace be upon him), make you escape? Do you escape from a religion that honored woman and gave her the right to worship, to receive education, to ask questions and use her own money and the right to choose her husband and to decide to get divorced if she did not bear him and became afraid of disobeying Allah’s orders concerning him. A religion that ordered the husband to treat his wife well and considered the best one among people, the best in treating his wife and promised this who have a daughter to enter the Heaven if he honored her and treated her well? Do you escape this religion to another religion that considers woman the source of every sin and asserts that she was created for man’s sake? Do you escape to a religion that deprived her from divorce and from speaking in the church, as Paul stated in his message to Corinthians? A religion that considers everything that she touches during menses impure, as stated in the chapter of Leviticus?

Does following the religion of Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Al-Assbat (the offspring of Jacob’s sons), Moses and Jesus make you escape? Does saying that Noah, David, Lot and Jacob were infallible prophets that Allah chose over all His creatures and that they reached the highest ethical level make you escape? Does saying that they are not as they are said to be in the Old Testament where we read that Noah took off his clothes and drank wine, David had sex with the wife of one of his leaders then he sent this leader to war so that he might die and give him the chance to marry her , Lot had sex with his two daughters and they became pregnant and Jacob fought with God and beat him, make you escape?

Don’t you like to belong to a religion that sanctifies chastity , purity and loyalty and orders its adherents  to be honest even with children and to treat everyone well even animals?

Do you hate to espouse a religion that makes shyness one of its virtues and cleanness one of its rituals?

Doesn’t it make you happy that you belong to a religion that meets the needs of the body as well as the needs of the soul?

Don’t you want to belong to a religion that makes every person responsible in front of Allah and makes all human beings equal? To a religion, that gives the prophet and his family more orders than it gives to others?

Doesn’t it make you happy to direct your heart to Heaven in your prayer after you used to look at a picture hanged on the wall of your house?

Don’t you like to make your prayer direction to the Ka’bah (Al-bait Al-haram) in Mecca, which Arabs and westerners agree that Abraham, peace be upon him, built, and to sanctify Jerusalem where the Christ arose and called for Allah?

Don’t you like to say in your prayer (You (Alone) we  worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help Guide us to the Straight Way* The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger nor of those who went astray ) then read Surat Mariam (the mother of the Christ) or Surat Al’Imran ( the grandfather of the Christ) or Surat Al-Ma’idah which Allah sent down to the Christ?

Don’t you like to kneel and prostrate to Allah who has created you?

Don’t you long to read in a book that deals with all aspects of life and addresses both your heart and mind?

Don’t you long for a book that answers all your questions? Don’t you like to have all your sins forgiven, as Islam erases all the past sins?

Don’t you like to gain Muhammad and the Christ instead of losing them both in addition to yourself?

Don’t you see what Christianity did to the European people in the middle ages? Until they cast it off and hated everything related to religion because of the dominance of the church. It was only then that they started their industrial revolution!!

Don’t you see that many of the churchmen have reached the highest degree of ethical decadence so that they may rape and devour people’s money in falsehood?

Don’t you know the deteriorating social problems that the church faces because of the application of the false laws, which are attributed to Christianity out of ignorance and dishonesty?

Don’t you feel the intellectual and doctrinal weakness that the church suffers from, to the extent that it cannot acquire more followers except through offering money to those living in the poorest regions of the world?

Haven’t you heard that pastors use magic inside the church? Haven’t you got bored of the pagan ceremonies, which the Christian religion is full of, and which are somehow similar to those of the pagan religions found before the Christ, peace be upon him?

Haven’t you got bored of the mystification and complicity of the Christian doctrine?

Haven’t you got desperate of the multitude confusing questions that you do not find a decisive answer to, until now?

Haven’t you heard about the scientific and historical mistakes that were discovered in the so-called Holy Bible?

Haven’t you read the ethical shames that fill it? Don’t you long for a doctrine that addresses your heart and soul and does not contradict with your instinct and mind?

Why do you escape from the right way and hide the light of truth from your heart? Though, you see everyday the evidences of the oneness of Allah and the honesty of Muhammad’s message, may Allah send His peace and blessings on him.

Why don’t you give yourself a chance to read the Qura’n and think if this can be the words of any human being?

Why don’t you give yourself a chance to search for the truth freely, away from the stress of your family and the observation of the society?

Don’t you see how the stories of the newly guided people have become widespread, as they have searched seriously for Allah until He guided them? (As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths and verily, Allah is with the good doers)…do you know any reasonable person who chose to espouse Islam then he apostatized?

Why don’t you read the biography of Muhammad, May Allah send His peace and blessings on him, with contemplation in order to see if Muhammad could be a liar?

Don’t you see how the divine care has accompanied Islam, guarded and strengthened it since Muhammad, may Allah send His peace and blessings on him, appeared and up till now, although Islam has always been exposed to numerous attempts to perish or distort it?

Don’t’ you feel jealous that even children search for the truth, while you are sitting in your place?

Isn’t it enough that non-Muslims themselves are witnesses in the favour of Islam?

Don’t you see how Islam has spread all over the world in spite of the few available capabilities? This is just a result of its strong proofs and its compatibility with mind and instinct.

Haven’t you been informed of the pastors and missionaries who convert to Islam?

Haven’t you read and heard about their stories that they recount by themselves and publish on the internet?

Can’t you browse the internet for a few minutes to see how many facts have been hidden from you for many years?

Why do you escape from Allah and not to Him?( So flee to Allah. Verily, I am a plain Warner to you from Him.)

If you were on the false way, will anybody bear your sin on the day of resurrection?

They do not bear your mistakes in this life though their judgment is easy, so, will they bear them in the hereafter when man will flee from his brother, his mother and his father?

Will you wait until everybody flees from you on the day of resurrection?

Then, you become alone and Allah asks you: “how did you answer the messenger?”

Why do you escape from Allah?

Do you fear the future?

Don’t you know that the future is in Allah’s hand? If you seek the truth, with all your effort, until you reach it, do you think that Allah will turn you down?

Will He guard you when you are on the false way and leave you when you follow the right one He created you for? Haven’t you heard about many people who espoused Islam all over the world and are leading now a safe and stable life?

Do you escape from Allah or from yourself?

The reasonable person is the one who knows the way to his true happiness and seeks it. Allah has granted you a mind in order to think and know Him and granted you an instinct to long for Him and a heart that rests in the right, as right gives the heart the rest and peace it does not find in anything else. You, alone, are responsible in front of Allah. This is a matter of your eternal life and your happiness in life and in the hereafter.

Don’t you ever sacrifice them for the sake of any passing enjoyment, because of fearing an imaginative punishment or following guess and illusions as guess is no substitute for the truth…….

Her cheeks were worn and sunken and her skin hugged her bones. That didn't stop her though, you could never catch her not reciting Qur'an. Always vigil in her personal prayer room Dad had set up for her. Bowing, prostrating, raising her hands in prayer. That was the way she was from dawn to sunset and back again, boredom was for others.

As for me I craved nothing more than fashion magazines and novels. I treated myself all the time to videos until those trips to the rental place became my trademark. As they say, when something becomes habit people tend to distinguish you by it. I was negligent in my responsibilities and laziness characterized my Salah.

One night, I turned the video off after a marathon three hours of watching. The adhan softly rose in that quiet night. I slipped peacefully into my blanket.

Her voice carried from her prayer room. "Yes? Would you like anything Noorah?" I said.

With a sharp needle she popped my plans. "Don't sleep before you pray Fajr!"

Agh...there's still an hour before Fajr, that was only the first Adhaan!

With those loving pinches of hers, she called me closer. She was always like that, even before the fierce sickness shook her spirit and shut her in bed. "Hanan can you come sit beside me."

I could never refuse any of her requests, you could touch the purity and sincerity. "Yes, Noorah?"

"Please sit here."

"OK, I"m sitting. What's on your mind?"

With the sweetest mono voice she began reciting:

"Every soul shall taste death and you will merely be repaid your earnings on Resurrection Day"

She stopped thoughtfully. Then she asked, "Do you believe in death?"

"Of course I do."

"Do you believe that you shall be responsible for whatever you do, regardless of how small or large?"

"I do, but Allah is Forgiving and Merciful and I have got a long life waiting for me."

"Stop it Hanan ... aren't you afraid of death and it's abruptness? Look at Hind. She was younger than you but she died in a car accident. So did so and so, and so and so. Death is age-blind and your age could never be a measure of when you shall die."

The darkness of the room filled my skin with fear. "I'm scared of the dark and now you made me scared of death, how am I supposed to go to sleep now. Noorah, I thought you promised you'd go with us on vacation during the summer break."

Impact. Her voice broke and her heart quivered. "I might be going on a long trip this year Hanan, but somewhere else. Just maybe. All of our lives are in Allah's Hands and we all belong to Him."

My eyes welled and the tears slipped down both cheeks.

I pondered my sisters grizzly sickness, how the doctors had informed my father privately that there was not much hope that Noorah was going to outlive the disease. She wasn't told though. Who hinted to her? Or was it that she could sense the truth.

"What are you thinking about Hanan?" Her voice was sharp. "Do you think I am just saying this because I am sick? Uh - uh. In fact, I may live longer than people who are not sick. And you Hanan, how long are you going to live? Twenty years, maybe? Forty? Then what?" Through the dark she reached for my hand and squeezed gently. "There's no difference between us; we're all going to leave this world to live in Paradise or agonize in Hell. Listen to the words of Allah:

"Anyone who is pushed away from the Fire and shown into Jannah will have triumphed."

I left my sister's room dazed, her words ringing in my ears: May Allah guide you Hanan - don't forget your prayer.

Eight O'clock in the morning. Pounding on my door. I don't usually wake up at this time. Crying. Confusion. O Allah, what happened?

Noorahs condition became critical after Fajr, they took her immediately to the hospital ... Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.

There wasn't going to be any trips this summer. It was written that I would spend the summer at home.

After an eternity...

It was one O'clock in the afternoon. Mother phoned the hospital. "Yes. You can come and see her now." Dad's voice had changed, mother could sense something had gone deathly wrong. We left immediately.

Where was that avenue I used to travel and thought was so short? Why was it so long now, so very long. Where was the cherished crowd and traffic that would give me a chance to gaze left and right. Everyone, just move out of our way. Mother was shaking her head in her hands crying as she made dua'a for her Noorah.

We arrived at the hospitals main entrance.

One man was moaning, another was involved in an accident and a third's eyes were iced, you couldn't tell if he was alive or dead.

We skipped stairs to Noorahs floor. She was in intensive care.

The nurse approached us. "Let me take you to her." As we walked down the aisles the nurse went on expressing how sweet a girl Noorah was. She reassured Mother somewhat that Noorah's condition had gotten better than what it was in the morning.

"Sorry. No more than one visitor at a time." This was the intensive care unit. Through the small window in the door and past the flurry of white robes I caught my sisters eyes. Mother was standing beside her. After two minutes, mother came out unable to control her crying.

"You may enter and say Salam to her on condition that you do not speak too long," they told me. "Two minutes should be enough."

"How are you Noorah? You were fine last night sister, what happened?"

We held hands, she squeezed harmlessly. "Even now, Alhamdulillah, I'm doing fine."

"Alhamdulillah...but...your hands are so cold."

I sat on her bedside and rested my fingers on her knee. She jerked it away. "Sorry ... did I hurt you?"

"No, it is just that I remembered Allah's words

One leg will be wrapped to the other leg (in the death shroud)

{waltafatul saaqu bil saaq}

"Hanan pray for me. I may be meeting the first day of the hearafter very soon. It is a long journey and I haven't prepared enough good deeds in my suitcase."

A tear escaped my eye and ran down my cheek at her words. I cried and she joined me. The room blurred away and left us two sisters - to cry together. Rivulets of tears splashed down on my sister's palm which I held with both hands. Dad was now becoming more worried about me. I've never cried like that before.

At home and upstairs in my room, I watched the sun pass away with a sorrowful day. Silence mingled in our corridors. A cousin came in my room, another. The visitors were many and all the voices from downstairs stirred together. Only one thing was clear at that point ... Noorah had died!

I stopped distinguishing who came and who went. I couldn't remember what they said. O Allah, where was I? What was going on? I couldn't even cry anymore.

Later that week they told me what had happened. Dad had taken my hand to say goodbye to my sister for the last time, I had kissed Noorah's head.

I remember only one thing though, seeing her spread on that bed, the bed that she was going to die on. I remembered the verse she recited:

"One leg will be wrapped to the other leg (in the death shroud)" and I knew too well the truth of the next verse: "The drive on that day we be to your Lord (Allah)!"

I tiptoed into her prayer room that night. Staring at the quiet dressers and silenced mirrors, I treasured who it was that had shared my mother's stomach with me. Noorah was my twin sister.

I remembered who I had swapped sorrows with. Who had comforted my rainy days. I remembered who had prayed for my guidance and who had spent so many tears for so many long nights telling me about death and accountability. May Allah save us all.

Tonight is Noorah's first night that she shall spend in her tomb. O Allah, have mercy on her and illumine her grave. This was her Qur'an, her prayer mat and this was the spring rose-colored dress that she told me she would hide until she got married, the dress she wanted to keep just for her husband.

I remembered my sister and cried over all the days that I had lost. I prayed to Allah to have mercy on me, accept me and forgive me. I prayed to Allah to keep her firm in her grave as she always liked to mention in her supplications.

At that moment, I stopped. I asked myself: what if it was I who had died? Where would I be moving on to? Fear pressed me and the tears began all over again.

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar...

The first adhan rose softly from the Masjid, how beautiful it sounded this time. I felt calm and relaxed as I repeated the Muadhdhins call. I wrapped the shawl around my shoulders and stood to pray Fajr. I prayed as if it was my last prayer, a farewell prayer, just like Noorah had done yesterday. It had been her last Fajr.

Now and insha' Allah for the rest of my life, if I awake in the mornings I do not count on being alive by evening, and in the evening I do not count on being alive by morning.

We are all going on Noorah's journey. What have we prepared for it?

Allaahumma zay-yinnaa bi zeenat-il-eemaani waj'alnaa hudaatan muhtadeen.

Oh Allah! Dress us with the beauty of Faith, and make us guides who are upon (correct) guidance. Ameen.

The sea which is fire

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. (We swear by the Altor mountain (1) And  decree inscribed (2) In scroll which is unfolded (3) And Al-Baitul Ma'moor (Celestial structure resembling and directly above the Holy Ka'ba in heaven) (4) And heavens elevated (5) And seas sitting on bed of fire (6))  The Mount To grasp the splendor in this verse we must examine the Arabic Adjective used for the sea in the Quranic text which is cSLfQ"  ", pronounced "masjoor". The word is used for something which lies on, and is subsequently heated by, combustion or heat of some other substance underneath.  For centuries, Arabs and Muslims were mystified and could not comprehend how fire and water could co-exist.  Then came modern age geology and the discovery of faults in Earth's crust; an intricate interconnected network of seemingly separate faults stretching for hundreds of kilometers and going 65-150 kilometers deep into earth. It being one major fault is plainly stated in another verse where God Almighty swears by the Earth and the Fault in its structure. Scientists have come to liken this fault to an intricate design welded around the sphere of a tennis ball.  The cracks allow molten lave to gush through so that there is constant collision between cool sea water. Too much heat for the water to quell and too much water, even for temperatures of over 1000 centigrade, to be turned into steam, this is a phenomenon astounding scientists till today.  In one experiment, Russian Geologist Anatol Sbagovich, Russian Geologist and Biologist Yuri Bagdanov and US scientist Rona Clint ventured 1750 kilometers off the coast of Miami and then boarded a sophisticated submarine and descended two miles below surface. The submarine rested on the end of a rock shelf and the submarine's acrylic window was the only barrier between them and scorching hot water springing from cracks at the seabed at temperatures around 231 centigrade.  The team noticed cool surface water rushing down to about a mile deep before it heats up and springs up again taking along debris and some molten matter. Science proved that this is a phenomenon to be found in all seas and oceans, though it is more frequent in certain places. It was also found that volcanoes are more numerous and more active under water and that volcanoes stretch the entire seabed. With insufficient oxygen at such great depths, the lava gushing through is black-hot with no direct combustion. This serves as a tray, if you will, which heats up by the heat of lava underneath and heats up sea water, the exact image rendered in the Quranic diction and Arabic adjective cSLfQ"".  Great is His glory!

The Formation of Rain

How rain forms remained a great mystery for a long time. Only after weather radar was invented was it possible to discover the stages by which rain is formed. According to this, the formation of rain takes place in three stages. First, the "raw material" of rain rises up into the air with the wind. Later, clouds are formed, and finally raindrops appear. The Qur'an's account of the formation of rain refers exactly to this process. In one verse, this formation is described in this way: (It is God Who sends the winds which stir up clouds which He spreads about the sky however He wills. He forms them into dark clumps and you see the rain come pouring out from the middle of them. When He makes it fall on those of His slaves He wills, they rejoice.) (The Qur'an, 30:48) Now, let us examine these three stages outlined in the verse more technically.   FIRST STAGE: " It is God Who sends the winds..." Countless air bubbles formed by the foaming of the oceans continuously burst and cause water particles to be ejected towards the sky. These particles, which are rich in salt, are then carried away by winds and rise upward in the atmosphere. These particles, which are called aerosols, function as water traps, and form cloud drops by collecting around the water vapour themselves, which rises from the seas as tiny droplets. SECOND STAGE: ".... which stir up clouds which He spreads about the sky however He wills. He forms them into dark clumps..." The clouds are formed from water vapour that condenses around the salt crystals or dust particles in the air. Because the water droplets in these clouds are very small (with a diameter between 0.01 and 0.02 mm), the clouds are suspended in the air, and spread across the sky. Thus, the sky is covered in clouds. THIRD STAGE: "…and you see the rain come pouring our from the middle of them" The water particles that surround salt crystals and dust particles thicken and form raindrops, so, drops that become heavier than the air leave the clouds and start to fall to the ground as rain. As we have seen, every stage in the formation of rain is related in the verses of the Qur'an. Furthermore, these stages are explained in exactly the right sequence. Just as with many other natural phenomena on the Earth, God gives the most correct explanation of this phenomenon as well, and made it known to people in the Qur'an centuries before it was discovered. In another verse, the following information is given about the formation of rain: (Have you not seen how God drives along the clouds, then joins them together, then makes them into a stack, and then you see the rain come out of it? And He sends down from the sky mountain masses (of clouds) with cold hail in them, striking with it anyone He wills and averting it from anyone He wills. The brightness of His lightning almost blinds the sight.) (The Qur'an, 24:43) Scientists studying cloud types came across surprising results regarding the formation of rain clouds. Rain clouds are formed and shaped according to definite systems and stages. The formation stages of cumulonimbus, one kind of rain cloud, are these: 1.STAGE, Being driven along: Clouds are carried along, that is, they are driven along, by the wind. 2.STAGE, Joining:Then, small clouds (cumulus clouds) driven along by the wind join together, forming a larger cloud.(1)  3.STAGE, Stacking:When the small clouds join together, updrafts within the larger cloud increase. The updrafts near the centre of the cloud are stronger than those near the edges. These updrafts cause the cloud body to grow vertically, so the cloud is stacked up. This vertical growth causes the cloud body to stretch into cooler regions of the atmosphere, where drops of water and hail formulate and begin to grow larger and larger. When these drops of water and hail become too heavy for the updrafts to support them, they begin to fall from the cloud as rain, hail, etc.(2) We must remember that meteorologists have only recently come to know these details of cloud formation, structure and function, by using advanced equipment like planes, satellites, computers etc. It is evident that God has given us a piece of information that could not have been known 1,400 years ago. (A) Isolated small pieces of clouds (cumulus clouds) (B) When the small clouds join together, updrafts within the larger cloud increase, and so the cloud is stacked up. These updrafts cause the cloud body to grow vertically, so the cloud is stacked up. This vertical growth causes the cloud body to stretch into cooler regions of the atmosphere, where drops of water and hail formulate and begin to grow larger and larger. When these drops of water and hail become too heavy for the updrafts to support them, they begin to fall from the cloud as rain, hail, etc. This scientific fact was announced in verse 43 of Sura Nur fourteen centuries ago by God in this way: "...then (He) makes them into a stack, and then you see the rain come out of it"

The Holy Quran is God's word , it has many different attributes in addition to the miracles of Prophet Mohummed , these attributes is the fact that a number of scientific truths that we have only been able to uncover by the technology of the 20th century were stated in the Qur'an 1,400 years ago. . These miracles help the believers to believe more and more and it is in the same time a word to the unbelievers in different times , As this age is , truly , the age of science , so the scientific miracles in the Holy Quran come to surface just to challange the nbelievers and at the same time to give the strong evidence that it is God's word .Unbelievers who read these miracles are supposed to believe that Quran is God's word . prophet Mohummed was unlettered man , who lived in the desert most of his life where there were no possible means to communicate with the places of civilization , thought such technological discoveries were not known in any place in the time of prophet Mohummed . There are many miracles and proofs latent in the Holy Quran ; they are numerous . When Quran refers to the scientific fact that were proved recently it attracts the attention to God's supreme greatness in creation , when man poders about these verses and associate them with the discovered facts , he will realy feel afraid and inferior to God ,God says in the Holy Quran in this concern what means " The erudite among His bondsmen fear Allah alone. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Forgiving." More over Quran calls man to ponder and speculate about His miracles of creation "53. We shall show them Our portents on the horizons and within themselves until it will be manifest unto them that it is the Truth. Doth not thy Lord suffice, since He is Witness over all things?[41:53

in fact God supported His last Prophet Muhammad with many miracles and much evidence which proved that he is a true Prophet sent by God.  Also, God supported His last revealed book, the Holy Quran, with many miracles that prove that this Quran is the literal word of God, revealed by Him, and that it was not authored by any human being. This chapter discusses some of this evidence.

this proves without doubt that the Quran must be the literal word of God, revealed by Him to the Prophet Muhammad  , and that the Quran was not authored by Muhammad   or by any other human being.  This also proves that Muhammad  is truly a prophet sent by God.  It is beyond reason that anyone fourteen hundred years ago would have known these facts discovered or proven only recently with advanced equipment and sophisticated scientific methods. 

        The Quran on the deep seas and oceans and internal waves

God has said in the Quran in this concern what means :  Or (the unbelievers’ state) is like the darkness in a deep sea.  It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds.  Darknesses, one above another.  If a man stretches out his hand, he cannot see it....(Quran, 24:40)

We can understand from the following sentences in the previous verse, “...in a deep sea."that the seep sea is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds....”. It is clear that the second set of waves are the surface waves that we see, because the verse mentions that above the second waves there are clouds.  But what about the first waves?  Scientists have recently discovered that there are internal waves which “occur on density interfaces between layers of different densities.”

What does verse mean ?

(1)There are successive layers of darkness till we reach the dark  sea.

(2)the word ( Zolmat in Arabic rendered "darkness in English ) used in plural in the verse  ,  here is another miracle as the Quran uses the word in plural, which means that there are successive stages of darkness or a number of layers of darkness before we reach the dark sea and these layers are caused by the clouds , then the layer of darkness caused by the surface sea and the water below and then the layers of darkness caused by the internal waves .

(3) This part of the verse "If a man stretches out his hand, he cannot see it.... " refers to the age of submarines as no can go so deep  by himself or without being aided by technology .

Does this verse match the newly-discovered facts regarding the internal waves ?

Now to this miracles in detail

How can the darkness occur in the deep sea ?

To answer this question ,we will talk about three stages of darkness "

The first stage – clouds the first barriers

introduction

people know the clarity of the water of the seas ( granulation of colour into seas and oceans )by the use Secchi disc. Even though the Secchi disc   measurement of water clarity is an approximate evaluation of the transparency of water, it is used primarily for its simplicity. A more accurate measurement of underwater irradiance can be made by the use of photometer, but that amount of accuracy is not needed for the Self Help Program instituted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resource in 1974.

The clouds are the first barriers to absorb the sun rays

The rays emitted from the sun is composed of electromagnetic waves starting with the radio waves to the X-rays , the overwhelming seen light is the spectrum along with the infrared , the ultra violet rays and some elementary accelerated particles such as the electrons . Most of the ultra violet rays are blocked by the Ozone layer . When the rest of the sun rays reach the below strata of the gas atmosphere of the earth , the clouds reflect and disperse about 30% .The clouds , the condensation nucleus , the particles of the hanging dust and water vapour absorb about 19% of the light . So during the process of light reflection , absorption and dispersion , the clouds block or screen about 49% of the sun rays causing a relative darkness under the clouds.

  A Passenger on a plane flying over the clouds will see the light of the sun so bright but if the plane flies under the clouds , that is , between the clouds and the surface of the sea , the passenger will realize that the light of the sun begins to fade away and becomes less bright ; this means that the area between the clouds and the surface of the sea is a little dark because the rays of the sun can not penetrate the clouds , which are a strong barrier that prevent the light to pass freely,thus resulting in a layer of darkness under the clouds.

Surface waves on the sea and the oceans cause the second drakes

When the rest of the sun rays reaches the surface of the sea , about 35% of the infrared rays is consumed in evaporating some of the water forming the clouds and in photosynthesis process of naval plants .As to the rest of the white light that actually reach the surface of the sea , it doesn't penetrate the surface wave completely as the surface wave reflects about 5% out of it making the bright colour of the surface of the sea .

The journey of the rest of the light during the first 200 meteres            

The darkness in deep seas and oceans is found around a depth of 200 meters below.  At this depth, there is almost no light .  Below a depth of 1000 meters there is no light at all. Human beings are not able to dive more than forty meters without the aid of submarines or special equipment.  Human beings cannot survive unaided in the deep dark part of the oceans, such as at a depth of 200 meters .

 Between 3 and 30 percent of the sunlight is reflected at the sea surface.  Then almost all of the seven colors of the light spectrum are absorbed one after another in the first 200 meters , except the blue light. (Oceans, Elder and Pernetta, p. 27.)

How does this darkness occur ?

Light that will penetrate water will undergo several   processes that will make it vanquish gradually ; among these are Light   refraction , photolysis , absorption by the different water particles and minerals dissolved in water and the hanging materials in water and the living creatures along with its organic wastes

Under the surface waves

       In this picture we see a ray of light going through the depth of the ocean.

The upper layer has absorbed the red color in the first 10 meters . If a diver would dive to a depth of 30 meters and gets wounded there, he would not be able to see his blood, because the red color does not reach this depth. In the same way, as we see in this picture, orange rays are absorbed next. Then at the depth of 50 meters yellow rays are absorbed. At the depth of 100 meters green rays are absorbed. At depths beyond 200 meters , blue rays are absorbed, and so on.

Dark seas submarine

Despite the striking speed of light (300,000 km per second  in space and about 225,000 km per second in water ) , it can only  travel as far as 1000 meters ; only after 200 meters downwards darkness begins ; only (0.01%)  out of the sun rays goes . Only this very little amount of light continues its journey till it disappears completely at the depth of one km below the sea surface and that is   because of the infraction of light , dispersion and absorption .

The average depth of oceans is estimated as 3795 meteres and the deepest doesn't  nearly outdistance eleven km (11.034 M) . Between this two points the depths of oceans and seas  range  between four and five km and the average depth in the very deep oceans and seas range between eight and ten kilometers – this means that the depths of these seas and oceans are in complete fearful darkness

The internal waves

These two parts of the ocean differ with respect to their properties and haracteristics, and the surface is further separated from the deep part by waves. These internal waves were only discovered in the year 1900. Scientists have recently discovered that there are internal waves which "occur on dense interfaces between layers of different densities. The internal waves cover the deep waters of seas and oceans because the deep waters have a higher density than the waters above them.

Internal waves act like surface waves. They can also break just like surface waves. Internal waves cannot be seen by the human eye, but they can be detected by studying temperature or salinity changes at a given location. The length of these waves vary between tens and hundreds of kilometers  and its height reaches 200 meters and its speed is a bout 100.5 CM per second and It spans over period from four minutes and twenty-five kilometers

 Life in the deep seas and oceans & Bioluminescence

Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light  by a living organism as the result of a chemical reaction during which chemical energy is converted to light energy. The name originates from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence may be generated by symbiotic organisms carried within a larger organism. It is generated by an enzyme-catalyzed  chemoluminescence reaction, wherein the pigment luciferin is oxidised by theenzyme luciferase. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is involved in most instances. The chemical reaction can occur either within or outside of the cell. In bacteria, the ex-pression of  genes related to bioluminescence is controlled by an operon called the lux operon.

Deep in the ocean, where sunlight can no longer penetrate, lies an incredible world of darkness. And against all odds, this just happens to be the location of one of nature's most impressive artificial light shows. The creatures here have evolved their own ways of dealing with the darkness. Through a process known as bioluminescence, God has granted them the ability to use chemicals within their bodies to produce light. If you have ever seen a firefly then you have witnessed the same process in action. Bioluminescence is mainly a marine phenomenon. It is not found in freshwater. On land, it is seen only in a few species of fungi and insects. It is the oceans where this unique ability achieves its highest form. Hundreds of species of fish and invertebrates flash their colors in a light show that can sometimes rival the streets of Las Vegas

                                       deep sea creatures

The viperfish lives in the bathyal zone. The bathyal zone extends down about 4,000 meters. Food is scarce in this region. The viperfish is able to survive in this area because he is a fierce hunter. He floats on his back and the tip of his spine glows. This glowing attracts fish. The fish come near and he stabs them with his long lower fangs. The viperfish also has curved teeth which prevents his prey from escaping.

http://www.cityhillmiddleschool.com/viper.htm

The world's record holder for deepest fish goes to the brotulid* family, about which scientists know almost nothing. These fish are benthopelagic, living at depths of 7000 meters or more. The world's deepest fish (Abyssobrotula galatheae) was found in the Puerto Rican Trench at a depth of 8,372 meters (that's over five miles down!).Their eyes appear to be virtually nonexistent.

                                            other craetures

 Not only are they large and very hardy, but these pigmented copepods produce some of the brightest bioluminescent displays. They eject puffs of light when they do an escape flip.

Professor Rao says: "It is difficult to imagine that this type of knowledge was existing at the time around 1400 years back. Maybe some of the things they have simple ideas about such, but to describe those things in great detail is very difficult. So, this is definitely not a simple human knowledge. A normal human being cannot explain this phenomenon in that much detail. So I thought the information must have come from a supernatural source."

Yes, the source of such knowledge must be from a level beyond that of man. It cannot be from nature, as Professor Rao said, but this is far beyond nature, and far beyond human capability. What Professor Rao was trying to say is that this is something which cannot be attributed to a natural being, for it is truly the speech of the one who knows nature, the universe and its secrets, as the Qur'an tells us:

Say: The (Qur'an) was sent down by Him who knows the secrets (that is) in the heavens and the earth... (Qur'an 25:6).

It is from Allah. In this way, the testimonies of the scientists are concentrated one after the other in order to prove that this guidance and light contains in it the indisputable evidence of its truth, for the Qur'an is the source of guidance until the Last Hour.

Oceanographers, in the wake of the scientific progress in this age, have discovered the barrier between two seas. They have found that a barrier separates two neighboring seas. The barrier moves between them, and it is called by scientists “a front” compared to the front between two armies. By virtue of this barrier each sea retains its own characteristics which Allah (SWT) has assigned to it and which are suitable for the organisms living in that environment.

Because of this barrier, the two neighboring seas mingle so slowly that the amount of water that passes from one sea to the other acquires the characteristics of the other sea while crossing the barrier which overturns the waters crossing from one sea to the other, keeping each sea with its own characteristics.

The gradual progress of human knowledge about the fact of the differences between seawater masses and the existence of barriers between them :

Oceanographers discovered that there were certain differences between water samples taken from various seas in 1284 AH/1873 AD, by the British Marine Scientific Expedition of the Challenger Voyage. It was discovered that masses of sea water vary in their composition, in respect of salinity, water temperature, density and types of marine organisms. The data were obtained from 362 oceanographic stations. The report of the expedition filled 29,500 pages in 50 volumes and took 23 years to complete. One of the great achievements of scientific exploration, the expedition also showed how little man knew about the sea.

After 1933 AD another American expedition set out in the Mexican Gulf and installed hundreds of sea stations to study the characteristics of seas. It found out that a large number of stations in a certain area gave similar information about the characteristics of the water in that area, whether in respect of salinity, density, temperature, marine organisms or solubility of oxygen in water, while another group of stations in another area gave a different set of data about that area. So, oceanographers concluded that there were two distinctive seas with different characteristics, and not just limited samples as the Expedition of Challenger showed.

Man installed hundreds of marine stations to study the characteristics of various seas. Scientists have found out that the differences in these characteristics distinguished one sea from another. But why do these seas not mix and become homogeneous in spite of the effect of tide and ebb that moves sea water twice a day, and causes seas to move forward and backward turbulently, besides other factors that cause sea water to be in continuous movement and turbulence, such as surface and internal waves and sea currents?

The answer appeared for the first time in scientific books in 1361 AH/1942 AD. Extensive studies of marine characteristics revealed that there are water barriers separating neighboring seas and maintaining the distinctive properties of each sea with respect to density, salinity, marine life, temperature and solubility of oxygen in water.

After 1962 AD there was known the role of sea barriers in modifying the properties of the water masses that pass from one sea to another, to prevent one sea from overwhelming the other. So salty seas retain their own properties and boundaries by virtue of these barriers.

A field study comparing the waters of Oman Gulf and those of the Arabian Gulf has shown the difference between them regarding their chemical properties, the prevalent vegetation and the barrier separating them.

About a hundred years of research and study has been required to discover the fact of the existence of barriers between sea water masses and their role in making each sea retain its own properties. Hundred of researchers took part and numerous precise scientific instruments and equipment were used to achieve that.

Fourteen centuries ago the Holy Qur’an revealed this fact.

Allah (SWT) says: (He has let free (MARAJA) the two sees meeting together. Between them is a barrier that they do not transgress. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (Jinn and men) deny? Out of them both come out pearls and carol.” (LV: 19-22) Allah (SWT) also says: “And He made a barrier between the two seas.) (XXVII: 61)

Linguistic meanings and the commentators’ sayings:

Maraja (let free):

Ibn Faris said: “’maraja’: The consonants m, r and j form a root indicating a movement of going and coming and turbulence.”

Al-Bahrayn (the two seas):

Al-Asfahani said: “Some say that the word “bahr” (sea) is usually used to mean salt water rather than fresh water.”

Ibn Manzursaid: “’Bahr’ is more frequently used to describe salt water than fresh water.”

If the word “bahr” is used without qualification it means salt water; otherwise, it means the thing qualified.” The Holy Qur’an uses “nahr” (river) to indicate abundant running fresh water, while it uses “bahr” (sea) to indicate salt water. Allah (SWT) says: (And He has made the ships to be of service to you that they may sail through the sea by His Command; and He has made rivers (also) to be of service to you.)(XIV: 32)

In the hadith, “bahr” (sea) is also used to mean salt water. Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) was asked by a man who said: “O Allah’s Messenger! We travel by sea and carry with us a little fresh water. If we should use it for wudu (ablution) we would get thirsty. May we use seawater for wudu? Allah’ Messenger (Peace be upon him) said: “Its water is pure and its dead (animals) are lawful (to eat).” 

Al-Barzakh: It is the barrier. Most commentatorssuggest that it is invisible.

Al-baghi: Ibn Manzur said: “’Al-Baghi’ means transgression, exceeding the limits.”

Al-Jawhari and Al-Asfahani said the same.

Al-Marjan: Ibn Al-Jawzi said: “Al-Qadi Abu Ya’li says that Al-Marjan is a kind of bar-like pearls. Al-Zajjajsaid: “Al-Marjan is white, very white.” Ibn Mas’ud said: “Al-Marjan is red beads.” Abu Hayyan said that to some people Al-Marjan is red stone. Al-Qurtubi said: “It is said that Al-Marjan is the big pearls. The same is also said by ‘Ali and Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah bestow His Mercy on them both). The small pieces of Marjan are the small pearls. It is also reported on their authority the opposite: the big pieces are called pearls and the smaller are called Marjan. Al-Dahhak and Qatadah said the same.”

Al-Alusi said: “If we take into consideration the connotation of brilliance and glitter which the Arabic word “pearls” carries, and the connotation of movement and mixing that the word “Marjan” carries, we can say that “pearls” is used for big pieces and “Marjan” for small ones.”

Anyhow, Marjan is a kind of ornament that is found in various colors: white and red. It may be in big or small pieces. It is bar-like stone. In the Verse it is something other than pearls, for the conjunction “and” implies talking bout two different things. Marjan (carol), however, is found in salt seas only.

The Verse shows us the minute secrets which oceanography has revealed only recently. They describe the meeting between salt seas. Following is the evidence to that:

First: The Verse uses the word “bahrayn” (two seas) without any qualification. This means that salt seas are intended here.

Second: The Verses in Surat Al-Rahman show that the two seas yield pearls and “Marjan”(carol). It has become evident that Marjan is found in salt seas only. This indicates that the Verse is referring to two salt seas. Allah (SWT) says: “Out of them both come out pearls and carol,” i.e. out of each of them.

Who knew in the past that salt seas differ in many respects in spite of their apparent similarity to the observer? (They all taste salt, look blue, have waves, contain fish, etc.) How can they differ although they meet each other? We know that when two amounts of water are mixed in a container they get homogenous. How can seas remain differentiated even in the presence of the factors of mixing, such as the ebb and flow of the sea, currents and storms?

The Verse mentions the meeting of two salt seas that differ from one another. If the two seas were similar to one another, they would be one sea. However, differentiating between them in the Qur’anic utterance implies the difference between them although they are both salt.

(He has let free (Maraja) the two seas meeting together) means that the two seas are mixed; they are in the state of backward and forward movements, of mixing and turbulence at the site of the meeting, as is understood from the literal meaning of “Maraja”. This is the fact that science has discovered, that is to say, the barrier is described as being zigzag or wavy and shifting in position during the various seasons because of the tide and winds.

This Verse by itself implies the presence of so much mixing and merging between these seas as would deprive them of their distinctive properties. But Allah (SWT), the All-Knower, shows in the following Verse that “between them is a barrier which they do not transgress”, i.e. In spite of this state of merging and turbulence that characterizes the seas there is a barrier between them preventing them from transgressing or exceeding their limits.

This is what man has discovered as a result of the advances achieved in his sciences and instruments. It has been found that a third water mass separates the two seas and it has such properties as are different from those of each of the two seas separated by it.

Yet, in spite of the presence of the barrier, the waters of the two adjacent seas mix very slowly without one sea encroaching upon the other through carrying over its own properties to it, for the barrier zone is a region for changing the water crossing from one sea to the other so that it gradually acquires the properties of the sea that is going to enter and loses the properties of the sea it has come form. Thus neither of the two seas transgresses by carrying its own properties to the other, although they mix during the process of meeting. How truthful is Allah’s Saying: (He has let free (maraja) the two seas meeting together. Between them is a barrier which they do not transgress.)

Most commentators suggest that the barrier that separates the two seas referred to here is an invisible barrier created by Allah. Some commentators find it difficult to reconcile the idea of the seas being merging and the presence of a barrier at the same time, for the presence of a barrier entails the prevention of merging. So the mention of merging (maraja) entails the absence of a barrier. This apparent contradiction has been resolved by discovering the secrets of the seas.

The Miraculous Aspects of the Previous Verses: 

We can conclude the following from the discussion above:

The Holy Qur’an, which was revealed more than 14 centuries ago, includes very precise pieces of information and knowledge about marine phenomena that have been discovered only recently by means of very sophisticated equipment. An instance in this respect is the existence of water barriers between seas. Allah (SWT) says: (He has let free (maraja) the two seas meeting together. Between them is a barrier which they do not transgress.)

The historical development of Oceanography shows that no precise information had been available on seas before Challenger Expedition (in 1873 AD), let alone at the time when the Holy Qur’an was being revealed 14 centuries ago to an illiterate Prophet that lived in a desert environment and never traveled by sea.

Oceanography has witnessed no advances except in the last two centuries, particularly in the latter half of the twentieth century. Prior to that a sea was considered as something fearful and mysterious. Myths and superstitions were fabricated about it. Sea voyagers were only interested in their own safety and how to find the correct routes during their long journeys. Man discovered that salt seas are different only in the thirties of the twentieth century, after thousands of marine stations had been established by researchers to analyze samples of sea water to measure the differences between the degrees of temperature, salinity, density and oxygen dissolubility in the sea water recorded at all those stations, and then realize that salt seas are different.

Man did not know anything about the barrier that separates between salt seas till the establishment of the aforesaid stations, and after spending a long time tracing these wavy moving barriers that change their geographical locations with the change of seasons.

Man did not know that the water masses of the two seas are separated by a water barrier and are mixed at the same time till he started studying with his ships and equipment the water movement in the meeting region of the seas and analyzing the water masses in those regions.

Man did not apply this rule to all seas that meet together except after vast scientific surveying, investigation and verification of this phenomenon, which occurs between each pair of adjacent seas in the world.

Now then, did Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) own stations and equipment for analyzing water and the ability to trace the movement of various water masses? Did he carry out a comprehensive surveying process, although he never sailed the sea and lived at a time when superstitions were prevalent, particularly in the field of seas? Were, at the time of Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) such researches, instruments and studies as are available for the oceanographers of today who have discovered all these secrets by means of research and study?

This knowledge, which the Qur’an came with, included a precise description of the subtlest secrets at a time when humanity could never have known them, which indicates that its source is Divine, as Allah (SWT) says: (Say: “the (Qur’an) was sent down by Him Who knows the secret (that is) in the heavens and the earth: Verily He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) (XXV: 6)

It also indicates that the one to whom the Book was sent down was a Messenger inspired. Allah (SWT) but says the Truth in the Verse: (Soon will We show Our Signs in the Universe and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest to them that this the Truth. Is it not sufficient that your Lord does witness all things?)