PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC OF TÜRKİYE
THE PRESIDENCY OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS

Edition No: 2129
Youth Books : 576

QUESTIONS ON MY MIND
PROF. DR. CAĞFER KARADAŞ

Chief Editor

Cafer Tayyar DOYMAZ

Editorial Coordinator

Fatih KARAZEYBEK

Translated by
Fazilet BAYIROĞLU

Proofreading
Ayşe Zuhal SARI

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Mücella TEKİN
Emre YILDIZ

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3rd Edition, Ankara 2023

High Board of Religious Affairs Decision No: 09.02.2022/02

ISBN: 978-625-435-192-1

2023-06-Y-0003-2129

Certificate No: 12930

© Presidency of Religious Affairs

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FOREWORD OR A FEW WORDS ON “QUESTION”

Let's start with describing what question is.
What is question?

An ancient thinker said, “Asking questions is an art.” If asking questions is an art, then the question itself is naturally a work of art as the product of an art. In that case, the questioner is an artist. Just as the artist works meticulously to bring a work to life, the questioner must follow the same degree of sophistication and make an effort as well.

So, does this apply to all questions?

Not exactly. Many crude and absurd questions have been produced throughout the history. Why is it so or why is it happening this way? Obviously, it is because of humans. There are people, who are artists, or people with an artistic spirit, but there are also people leading lives that have nothing to do with art. But life is based on requests and desires, asking questions and answering them, meeting the requests and satisfying the desires. As everyone is asking questions and not everyone is an artist, it is not so irrational or unexpected that all sorts of questions are circulating.

Why do people ask questions?

Obviously, we have this side of the story too. Asking a question is, in fact, making a demand. This demand is sometimes for meeting essential needs, sometimes for the peace of mind or entertainment. This state creates the rank of importance and value in the act of asking questions. Making a request through a question regardless of the purpose is often seen as a courtesy. This is because asking questions means attaching value to the other person. Of course, answering means paying attention to the person we are talking to. However, the requests can also be made in the imperative mode. In this case, it may sound a bit authoritarian. Normally, there is no command in a question. By asking questions, we mean our intention is to communicate with the other party on an equal and modest level.

Not every question is like this, is it?

As I said, it is quite natural to have differences in everything related to humans. As one thinker said: “Human is an unpredictable being.” So, it is not easy to guess the motive and purpose of the person asking the question. Although it is sometimes possible to understand the motive and purpose of the question from the tone of person's voice, the choice of words, the posture, or the gaze and gestures, the reverse is possible too.

So there are many kinds of questions...

Exactly. In addition to the questions that express a need and that are full of courtesy and compliment, there are also insulting, scolding, reacting, or even aggressive questions.

Can we call all these as art?

Of course not. As we can't call everything people produce as a work of art. The question with an artistic value should be well thought, beautifully constructed and carefully produced from the words used to the content it carries, from choosing the correct place and time to the selection of the people to be asked. It means to speak conveniently; to use a language suitable to the circumstances. So, the words should be determined according to the environment. This rule applies to the question itself as well. In addition, the multiplicity of the problem can be exhausting or it can even create new obligations. It must be the reason why the Prophet of Mercy (saw) did not like people to ask too many and unnecessary questions. (Bukhari, I'tisam, 3) On the other hand, too many questions can also cause suspicion and distrust in the person against the person asking the question.

Such feelings occur partly because of the content of the question, right?

Right. The content of the question does not immediately reveal itself like the meaning of a word, the spirit of a human, or the future of a time. Because its unknowns are much more than what is known. Apart from the questions that have answers, there are others without an answer, and some even are impossible to answer. Actually, there are also questions that we can call absurd as mentioned above. We should add the questions that are intentionally asked to raise doubts. In this case, identifying which category the questions fall into is revealed while answering. Therefore, it is mainly the answers that determine the type of the question.

Can you tell us a bit about this book, what kind of a work is it?

Well, we attempted to provide answers to the commonly-asked questions, especially those about religion and belief. There are all sorts of questions we mentioned above. But of course I will not explain it here. As you read the answers, you will see it yourself. Here, we will try to answer the questions that have answers, tell the reasons for the ones who do not have answers, and show the absurdity of some of them. Another goal is to pave the way for new and meaningful questions in mind. For trying to produce new questions means to understand the issue and focus on solutions. We want to focus on the solution, and most importantly we want to show you that the solution is actually inside us all. Almost everyone has the capacity to produce the solution. What's important here is to have a clear mind and sharp intellect, to keep your brain sharp and to be on the straight path.

We talked about its contents, but what about the name of the book?

Well, surely there is no book without a title. The book has a title, and a story behind it. Over a year ago, Lamia LEVENT ABUL, the diligent, meticulous and devoted editor of the Diyanet Monthly Magazine, called me and said that they were planning to introduce a column called Questions on My Mind. She stated that it would include answers to the questions about religion and belief that occupy people's minds, especially of young people. They asked me if I could write the column. I happily agreed. I even got a little excited. And it got me thinking, “What if I can't handle it?” With the help of our Almighty Lord, we are in the second year of the columns, and I think, it has been going really well. I hope the reader feels the same way, too. Some of our teacher friends said that they are pleased with the results. That means the columns have a good reception. This book is the book format of the columns. Naturally, it is called “Questions on My Mind.”

Could you elaborate on the name The Questions on My Mind?

It is actually quite common and everyone knows it. It is like a catchy or memorable piece of a melody, a poem, or a beautiful word that continuously occupies our minds that we keep humming from morning to night. The questions that preoccupy our mind are like this. They need to be answered somehow or one needs to know that they are meaningless and not worth keeping the mind busy. We have addressed such questions in this book. We did not assess any question, we answered each one of them. We left the assessment to the reader. The reader's mind will naturally assess the question after reading it. We know that our readers are wiser than us. On the other hand, let's admit it, not all such questions can be answered in a book, given the size of it. Just a limited number of questions for now. That's why we called it Questions on My Mind. We recited Basmalah, and started this journey to write the book. May Allah the Almighty reward it with goodness!

I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to our General Director of Religious Publications Mr Fatih KURT, our Head of Periodical Publications Department Ms Elif ARSLAN, Editor of Diyanet Monthly Magazine Ms Lamia LEVENT ABUL, who all had a great role in the creation of the articles, and to the Head of Printed Publications Department Mr Bünyamin KAHRAMAN, who made great efforts in transforming the writings into a book. May Allah the Almighty reward their efforts both in this world and in the Hereafter.

Effort belongs to us; and may Allah the Almighty make us successful and grant us good results!

Ramadan 4, 1441 / April 27, 2020
Cağfer KARADAŞ
Fethiye/Bursa

IS THERE A CONFLICT BETWEEN RELIGION AND SCIENCE?

Sir, there is a question on my mind that's been bothering me recently: They are talking about religion and science conflict. Do religion and science really conflict? What kind of difference is there between religion and science? Is it possible to think that they are independent and separated from each other? Does the presence of one confines the other into a restricted-space? Is it possible to replace one with the other?

-Modern times have emerged as a period when everything is clearly separated and trying to prevail over one another. In fact the Almighty Allah made everything connected to each other, which means He created everything in a way to meet the needs of another. He (swt) Himself is the ultimate authority and all needs are conveyed to Him. There is no other being in the universe that doesn't need anything. At the end, everything needs the Almighty Allah but He doesn't need anything. That said, modern times have witnessed the efforts to associate God with some kind of position or to expand the space of human by restricting God's space. God, the ultimate authority who meets all the needs, has been almost ignored, and the idea that everything belongs to human and human can meet all needs has settled. This was exactly going off the rails. How could a person, who needs everything including air and water, meet the needs of everything? In fact, the truth behind this was the human ambition to dominate everything. Environmental massacre, the extinction of species, the condemnation of the vast majority of humanity to hunger and poverty mean the triggering of a new migration of tribes that sum up the state of the affairs. First, the military measure came to mind in order to stop this migration: gun and blood… This was the conclusion the human, who ignored Allah and got above himself, arrived: shedding blood and disturbing the natural balances… Alas!

Sir! We have started with the religion-science conflict and look where we are now!

- Oh, I was just getting there. There has been a couple of things or inventions that drove human away from Allah. The human invented the machine and was tempted to become God suddenly. This progressed so quickly that the humans eventually thought the universe was a great machine, and positioned themselves at the center of this machine. Humans were so fascinated by the knowledge they produced, the power of the machine swept them off their feet and suddenly saw themselves as independent of God. And they eventually said, "God is dead." They had to replace the God that they killed in their minds. So, they replaced God with themselves. Just like Pharaoh and Haman. Pharaoh claimed to be god because of his power, and Haman had his knowledge… We all know how they ended up. We see where modern people are now as we experience it…

Oh sir! This is becoming awkward. I said the science and religion conflict.

-Alright, we are gonna talk about it now. Modern humans tried to make a religion out of the science they produced themselves. First they assigned a position to God. They called it deism. Then they sent God to retirement. The retired God could die too. So they pronounced Him dead... Just like a joke. But modern humans could not fulfill a wish. As the famous Turkish poet Necip Fazıl said, they wanted to create a human. But it was something they could never succeed. They thought the idea of God would suddenly disappear from people's minds since they had the knowledge and science now. But no. Large masses continued to believe in God. People started to control others with science at first, but then suspicion arose as they started to disturb the environmental balances on earth. Finally, their mental magic began to deteriorate. The religion and science conflict they tried to stir up turned up against them. But we have to admit it, they achieved one thing: to produce a selfish, wasteful and aimless youth. Of course some saw that science and religion do not conflict, but on the contrary, they support each other, but no one listened… Yet, they are still trying to fuel this conflict. Who knows, maybe apocalypse will happen this way. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, deists and atheists believed that the apocalypse would not happen. Now they are all environmentalists! They say let's protect the world, that's the only one we have... Where have you been...? What were you thinking...?

Oh sir! So do you mean there is no conflict between science and religion?

- That's exactly what I am saying. There is no conflict between religion and science. The conflict is between those who attempt to produce religion out of science and those who see religion as science. How nice it would be if each went right on their path, right? If it was instilled in people that the understanding that the science served the worldly welfare of human, and the religion served the social order, morality and spiritual aspect of human; and the understanding that building life on this world is also building the Afterlife… How beautiful the world would be!

Sir! Is it really possible to have such a world?

- Let's just wish, intend, and be determined! Why not? All the prophets and Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon them, were sent and assigned to establish such a beautiful order… Let's not forget that the world is founded on two realities: conflict and solidarity. The order is to find a balance between these two. This is exactly the task of the prophets. Actually, the beloved Prophet taught us a lesson related to this through an example about grafting dates.

How, sir?

- After migration to Medina, the Prophet saw people of Medina grafting palm-dates trees. He said: “I do not find it to be of any use.” Then they abandoned this practice. However, that year the yield dwindled. When they informed the Prophet, he said, “Keep it in mind that I am a human being. When I say to you anything on behalf of Allah, then do accept it. Do not go after my personal opinion. You have better knowledge (of a technical skill) in the affairs of the world.” (Muslim, Fadha’il, 38)

How should we interpret this?

- What we need to understand is that human beings have limited power and abilities. The Almighty Allah did not let the Prophet say this in vain: “Say, ‘I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your god is one God’…” (Kahf, 18/110) It is not possible for someone to grasp everything, to reach everywhere and to intervene in every incidence. This is beyond human power. Only the Almighty Allah can do this. The Prophet was sent only to show people the right path and to warn them about the wrong ones. So, people should talk about what they know. Religion and science are two separate structures but they support each other. Each exists for the good of humanity. However, the balance of conflict and solidarity between them should be carefully observed. The beloved Prophet, peace be upon him, pointed out exactly this balance through grafting of dates. A balance based on wisdom and justice. Preserving this balance could be done by observing this wisdom and justice. Almighty Allah has given people this opportunity generously. As long as they don't forget the giver…

IS ISLAM THE RELIGION OF REASON?

I was wondering, is Islam the religion of reason? If Islam is the religion of reason, why such intelligent people wouldn't believe in it? Is there a problem with Islam or with their intelligence?

-Let's start answering with the reason first. Do we have a clear answer to what exactly reason is? For example, what is reason, is it the power of intellect or the capacity of mind? Let's elaborate a little on this. Is it grasping something immediately, or absorbing and retaining the information over time?

I am actually confused!

- Well, the issue itself is complicated anyway. The reason is often equated with intelligence nowadays, and highly intelligent people are considered to be very smart. Intelligence, however, is defined as the power of a person to find solutions to problems in one's own field. Solving the problem is only possible by deep comprehension and retaining it permanently. Here the mind comes into play, it is where what we have learned is stored.

So does the mind do all this on its own? Doesn’t it get support from anywhere?

- We can answer this by thinking about the development of a child. The child is a smart creature from the moment of birth as long as s/he doesn't have any mental illness or retardation. The first learning experience of the child is through eyes and ears. That is, children start learning by imitating the things they see and hear. The things that are said do not make sense to the child, and the child does not have the ability to reason. With the development of the mental ability over time, the child can remember the things that hurt them a lot. S/he may have no idea why that things hurt. This is because the power of comparison is not yet developed in the child. The children only reach the stage of using their minds with the development of the power of comparing and differentiating. Up until this time, a great deal of material accumulates in children's minds through what they see and hear, although this is through imitation. This is how the children make the comparison and differentiation. If it is insufficient, they tend to get information from those around them. Exactly at this point external sources come in.

So, it is not possible for the mind to function alone.

-Of course! Because the mind works with comparing and differentiating methods. Our ancestors called it qiyas (reasoning) and tamyiz (differentiating). In order to carry out these two operations, there must be some material accumulated in the mind. This is the very reason that brings out the human need to learn. People collect materials through learning in their minds and then they reach new information by comparing and differentiating them. They plan the future in the light of this information.

So, it's impossible to survive without reason!

-Definitely not. That is why Allah created humans with reason and He addressed those with reason. However, the reason that is isolated from all information is impossible to function. So, the reason is a mechanism that works based on the information it is equipped with. If the person does not expand and diversify the knowledge gathered in one's mind, then the person will be trapped in a vicious circle with monotonous thinking.

When we look at the issue from the perspective of Islam, how should we understand this?

- After the Prophet Adam was created, he was taught names. That means the information was loaded into his mind, and it also means he was given the ability to name his environment so that he can recognize it. Because the Prophet Adam was the first human, getting information by seeing and hearing wasn't possible for him. For people who come after him, there were others around to get the information. Then, everyone is given intelligence that is the capacity of processing information. It is not possible to talk about identical minds here. If the minds were identical, it would be impossible to create a difference between people regarding profession and motivation, nor to create a division of labor in the society.

Let's get back to our first question. It's like we're getting away from the subject, sir.

-Actually, we are not. On the contrary, we are getting closer to the subject. As we said, people need information from outside. That's why they need education. A person cannot survive without getting any information support. This is the case even for animals. Indeed, it is required to receive the information from outside, besides,required to get it form its source and from the right address. Just as people cannot learn how to farm in a workshop, they cannot learn how to repair in a field. We directly receive the information of the objects we see and hear, but for the things we cannot see, we need to receive information indirectly through the reported learning, such as the knowledge of history and distant geographies. History cannot be learned by reasoning. So, it means that the knowledge of the things we do not see can be achieved only by receiving information. This kind of knowledge is learning through receiving the information.

What about religion?

- A person learns the Creator and his/her duties towards Him (swt) through the religion. As it is not possible to see the Creator, the knowledge about Him is obtained through the way we receive information about the things we don't see. That is learning. We can only obtain this information through the Prophet whom Allah assigned and sent us. The assignment of the Prophet as a human is intended to appeal to both the mind and the senses. This is because the Prophet is not only a teacher but also a role model and an example. Actually, so is the teacher.

Yes, the teacher as well. How about going back to the topic, it sounds as if we had disabled the mind?

- The mind can never be disabled. Disabling the mind means a person becomes dysfunctional and enters a vegetative state. That's why no prophet ever intervened in people's minds by coercion. If they had done, the will of humans would have been disabled. Indeed, the work of the mind is comparison and discrimination. At the end of this comparison and discrimination, it makes a choice. Based on this preference, people draw a path and method for themselves. When you eliminate these processes and compel them to a certain direction and method, neither the mind nor the will becomes important. Since Almighty Allah knows the system He has established very well and the people He has created, He has established the duty of prophets in a way that will not harm the system and limit the human mind. As we said before, people need information from outside and this is exactly what the prophets did. They brought some information about the area that they did not know. They guided people about how to use this information and how to determine a path in the future. In this case, people turn to their minds and make a benefits and harms inventory in their own way. If a person makes this benefits-harms inventory while ignoring the information prophets brought, they will be imprisoning themselves in a narrow and barren area by reasoning only with the information in their minds. Indeed, a smart person makes decisions by improving and diversifying one's knowledge. If a person reaches a conclusion by using the knowledge the prophet brought, then the person will be on the right path. For example, the Pharaoh ignored the information Prophet Moses brought, so he made an incomplete assessment and could only accept the truth while drowning. The magicians, on the other hand, reached an accurate result by comparing the knowledge of magic they have with the knowledge the Prophet Moses brought.

Should we, then, see all information tools as a whole?

Exactly. When the means of knowledge are separated from each other, people are left with an incomplete knowledge. So, it is not possible to arrive at a conclusion and achieve a result with the mind alone. Islam appeals to the mind, prioritizing the understanding of the mind. In this respect, the reason clearly has an undeniable place and importance in Islam. When we say that Islam is a religion of reason, if we mean a religion produced by the mind, that is not true, but if we say that it is a religion that the mind can grasp and approve of, then it is true. People who condemn the mind to a one-sided view and limited knowledge definitely disable the mind. The expressions in the Qur'an such as “Most of them do not reason.” are also for such people.

DOES THE RELIGION RESTRICT?

There is a question that has been bothering me: Why does the religion impose certain restrictions on people? Why can't people live the way they want?

- Sure, let them do it! Even if we tell them not to, they do it anyway. There is no compulsion for anyone. Actually, everyone is doing what they want, they don't care. However, it is necessary to ask: To what extent? How much? Until when? If they can answer these questions logically, let them live as they wish!

You made it quite complicated sir! I almost regret asking. I simply asked why does the religion restrict?

- Whom does the religion restrict?

First of all, people.

- In order to answer this simple question, shouldn't we first get to know what a human being is and the possibility of living an unrestricted life?

Of course we should.

- If what we want is endless freedom and we want this for humans, then we have to include everyone. On the other hand, we should ask this not only from religion, but from everyone and every thought. Not a specific group but everyone must be included, such as young-old, rich-poor, good-bad, hardworking-lazy, smart-unintelligent, urban-peasant, worker-boss, and student-teacher. Let's think about it: What happens when there are no boundaries? Let me tell you what's going to happen: A big mess and conflict. Each of them will seriously harm the other when there are no restrictions. However, the world rests on the balance established between the opposites. In this balance, everyone's place and limit are established. As long as people know their responsibilities and accept their rights, there will be no confusion and conflict. If the rights, laws, duties and responsibilities become unclear, then the conflict and clashes begin. Indeed, isn't it the reason for strikes, boycotts and lockouts?

Aren’t they right?

- No, maybe they are entirely right. Everyone should get their rights and fight for their rights. But they need to know their boundaries and must be aware of their responsibilities at the same time. A disease has emerged in modern times: the claim to be “right” without taking any responsibility and fulfilling the duties. We have become very fond of assertion and being assertive. Especially if there is an undue and gratuitous gain, we just claim it right there. Responsibility? Forget it! Duty? No one wants to shoulder the burden. Today’s people want to earn without working, to have rights without taking responsibility, and to expect rewards without duty. Simply, they want to have their cake and eat it too. Is it a beautiful life? There are some who try, we see them around. Those who doze off at terminals, airports or under a derelict roof, sleep on the streets… Do they have a good life?

Sir, I just said restrictions, you left me in the middle of the street!

-We need to think about this: Why do I have a thinking mind and power to choose? What good will they do if there will be no boundaries? What will I think and prefer when there are no boundaries? In fact, there is no need for any of these when there are no boundaries. Then, is it possible to say that the mind and will that make us privileged as human beings are unnecessary? Would it be better if we were no different from other living things?

Sir, we started with the restriction of religion. It seems like we have wandered off a bit.

- In fact, in modern times we have moved away from humans. We have also moved people away from their nature. Humans had all the features and elements to be human. That was the nature of human. Modern time has imposed the idea that as long as we have a feeling of pleasure and speed, the rest doesn't matter on us. It divided and dismembered people, condemned them to the boundaries of pleasure and speed. On the other hand, is religion the only thing that sets boundaries with people? For instance, what happens if you don't set boundaires with your child? If you do not establish boundaries for young people, where would they end up? Why do parents hold the hands of their children tightly on the road or in the market? Or why the hearts of mothers and fathers flutter until the teenagers return home without any problems? Religion, perhaps, protects both the existence and integrity of human through the reasonable boundaries it sets.

I was talking about no boundaries, but you forced me to restrictions...

- If you remove the boundaries, what will happen is obvious: confusion and conflict. The boundaries are themselves the rules. There is no life and society without rules. Let's lift the limits and rules on the roads and see what happens in traffic? Life without rules becomes short, society without rules becomes chaotic. That said, the boundaries must be reasonable in a way not to destroy the space for people. That's, in fact, what some of the rules are for. While some rules impose limits, some rules impose limits on boundaries. This is because unlimited restrictions may suffocate and destroy people and society.

So we need to interpret the restriction as a rule.

- That's exactly what I am saying. So, the religion does not bring any rules that completely restrict people, as it is said, on the contrary, it brings some rules that protect human nature. In fact, modern times have offered us an opportunity where religious rules are abolished and almost removed from life, especially in the public sphere. So what happened to human nature? It was badly injured. People, unfortunately, caused the extinction of many living things, the pollution of the environment and the deterioration of the balances. So much so that now they are self-destructing. Today, people have difficulty maintaining their own generation. So, is this what we have been looking for, with no boundaries? Isn't it more beautiful to have a natural and balanced life? Which person is happier? Is it the one who sets reasonable limits for themselves, knows the rights of others and their own duties, seeks to live a balanced life, is far from evil, is close to good, extending a hand for help, and thanking the reaching hand? Or is it the opposite? It is up to you!

You left us with a difficult choice, sir.

- Well… That's life! If you live it…

“Indeed, We guided him to the way. Be he grateful or be he ungrateful.…” (Insan, 76/3).

HOW DO WE TELL PEOPLE ABOUT ALLAH?

Sir, I wonder, if you were to describe the Almighty Allah in a sentence or two, how would you describe it?

The Almighty Allah (swt)? In a sentence or two? It is a very difficult question, my dear. How do I answer it? Well... Let me answer it with a verse from the book of the Almighty Allah and a hadith from the words of the Messenger of Mercy. Our Almighty Lord says: “And your god is one God. There is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.” (Baqarah, 2/163). The Prophet (saw) also stated the following to explain this verse: “First of all, there was nothing but Allah.” (Bukhari, Bad’ al-Khalq, 1)

Then how did all the created things come into being?

- How would it happen, my dear! Of course, Allah created them all. Allah created the whole universe. He created the angels, jinn and satan, which are invisible beings. He created the visible beings, the plants, animals, humans, stones and lands. He created the water we drink and the air we breathe. He (swt) created the sun to shine and heat us, and the moonlight to be a light to the night. He created the ornaments of the sky, the stars.

Why did Allah create all these, sir? Is there any wisdom behind these creations?

-It is a fact, my dear, that Allah cannot be comprehended within a prescribed or foreseeable framework. That's why it is not right to look for a reason in His creation. However, He (swt) certainly created everything within wisdom. It is not possible for us to say anything about it. Because we can't understand the whole universe or the essence of Allah. How much do we know about ourselves? We know only as much as He informs us. Because, “And with Him are the keys of the unseen. None knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain is there within the darknesses of the earth. No moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record. And it is He who takes your souls by night and knows what you have committed by day. Then He revives you therein that a specified term may be fulfilled. Then to Him will be your return. Then He will inform you about what you used to do. And He is the subjugator over His servants. He sends over you guardian-angels until, when death comes to one of you. When death comes to one of you, Our messengers [i.e., angels of death] take him. And they do not fail [in their duties]. Then they are returned to Allah, their true Lord. Unquestionably, Unquestionably, His is the judgement. Then they [i.e., His servants] are returned to Allah, their true Lord. Unquestionably, His is the judgement, and He is the swiftest of accountants..” (An’am, 6/59-62)

You just brought things down to death, sir! What do you expect to happen then, when we die?

- Well, death is the greatest truth. Who could escape death? No one and nothing. You know Allah has created another world for us outside this world. We are all destined to go there. Depending on what we do here, our Almighty Lord is going to give us a new life there.

Why is that so, sir?

- Because the Almighty Allah has created two groups of beings, human beings and jinn, as both intelligent and willful beings. He (swt) informed them by sending prophets and books that he would put these two groups to test in the life of this world. As part of the test, He freed them in terms of will. He wanted these intelligent beings with free wills to appreciate the blessings given by Him, and not take them for granted. He (swt) also clearly stated how they should thank Him, with the messengers He commissioned and sent. He didn't force anyone. Those who do good in this world do it with their own will, and those who do evil do with their own will. Only those who do good receive Allah's mercy, and those who do evil are subject to His justice. He does not oppress any of His servants and wants the good of each of His servants. He explained it through His books and messengers in the simplest way so that anyone can understand it.

Well, sir, not everyone can understand the book Allah has sent. Sometimes we have trouble understanding even the translation of it.

- Well, my dear! There is no open education in Allah's system. Allah sent His books with a teacher. Peace be upon the first teacher of the book, the Prophet Muhammad. That Messenger of Mercy raised many Companions with his speeches and practices, and told them to teach people the book of Allah the Almighty. They also brought up scholars from the next generations. This education has continued up until now. Today, the Islamic scholars continue to explain the book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet of Mercy to people in many ways. Of course, to those who listen sincerely! Those who don't listen, didn't also listen before. Back then, there were many unfortunate people who saw that Messenger of Mercy but did not drink a sip of water from the spring of mercy.

Well explained sir, but I have a question on my mind: What is the wisdom behind our Almighty Lord's sending so many instructions to His servants?

- Because Allah is the only God and the sole Ruler. He sent these instructions, which He sent through His prophets, as the sole owner of both worlds, that is, of the whole universe. To put it briefly, He created the universe, established the system, and communicated His instructions to the intelligent beings who also have free will. Because there are choices for the intelligent beings with free will. Allah the Almighty knows best, who created them, which of these choices will be beneficial. The Almighty Allah gave information to His servants about their choices thanks to His mercy: “And, [moreover], this is My path, which is straight. So follow it and do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His way. This has He instructed you that you may become righteous.” (An'am, 6/153)

What is this path, sir? How will we know this?

- My dear, our Almighty Lord has explained how to know this perfectly in Surah al-Fatiha: He named the road as the straight path (sirat al-mustaqim). The straight path, no curves! He also told us how to recognize it. He said, the Path of those whom I have blessed. Who are these blessed ones? Prophets, martyrs, truthful people and moral and reliable scholars who practiced their knowledge… Follow the path they took, he said. He said to stay away from those who rebelled and were subjected to His wrath, and deviated from the path of truth and followed the wrong directions. So, staying away from wrong paths is taqwa (piety), following the right path is iman (belief), ikhlas (sincerity) and ihsan my dear.

So, does that mean there is no other chance for us, there is only one way?

- In this universe, humans and jinn have no chance of getting another god, my dear! Because there is no other god. Therefore, it is in favor of people to submit to the one God, Allah. Indeed, when they are punished instead of being rewarded in the Hereafter, that is what justice requires. Actually, Allah states in the Surah al-Fatiha that He is the Sovereign of the Day of Recompense and orders people to turn only to Him for both asking for help and worshiping. This is the only way for them, and if they go astray, it is inevitable that they will be subject to His wrath. In fact, Allah the Almighty highlights His Creator and Lord attributes in the first verses He sent. (Alaq, 96/1) It is not unreasonable that Allah, who is the Creator of the whole universe and everything in it, is at the same time directing and administering them, evaluating people according to their actions and attitudes, and making decisions about them. This is because “He is the subjugator over His servants.” (An'am, 6/61)

Sir, I feel under a lot of pressure. You just mentioned freedom above.

- My dear, Allah is sovereign, but He is never a dictator and doesn't pressure His servants or force them. As He promised, everyone is free in this world. Allah the Almighty treats His servants within the framework of wisdom and justice. It is a requirement of His greatness that He treats the humans and jinn He created as free-willed creatures based on justice and wisdom. This is because free-willed beings question whether a treatment against them is justified or not, but they also want to be satisfied with a fair treatment. The answer to their questions is hidden in Allah's justice and wisdom. That's why, Allah willed that "those who perished [through disbelief] would perish upon evidence and those who lived [in faith] would live upon evidence." (Anfal, 8/42) Indeed, Allah does not do injustice. This is because Allah has declared to His servants that He will not do injustice and oppression even in the smallest amount. (see. Nisa, 4/40)

We don't see much justice happening in this world, sir.

Right. Our observations and experiences show that the response mentioned is not fully realized in this world. Indeed, many perpetrators get away with injustice and oppression they have committed, and the victims leave the world without getting their rights. Therefore, there must be a place where absolute justice and wisdom will be realized. This place is the Hereafter. Allah the Almighty did not create humans to leave them alone. In addition to the physical and spiritual opportunities He gave them, He equipped the world, which He made a place for living, with various blessings. It is a great blessing that rain falls down from the sky, then, many kinds of plants and vegetation grow from the ground with this rain, so that people can benefit from the meat, milk and skin of the animals that feed on them. He (swt) also revealed what the reward for this blessing was through the prophets He sent, and showed us the ways to reach an eternal and effortless blessing. The place where this eternal and effortless blessing resides is the abode of Paradise. However, if a person acts against the Divine advice and suggestion, and deviates from the right path, they will be deprived of that eternal blessing, they will also suffer eternal wrath and torment as a requirement of divine justice. ( (see Naba’, 78/1-40)

DOES ALLAH HAVE A CREATOR TOO?

Sir, some people have a question on their mind: Does Allah, the creator of everything, also have a creator?

-People have contradictory pursuits and expectations. They are both in search of eternity and in search of desire for everything to end somewhere. Expectation and boredom usually follow each other. They go on a vacation, have a lot of fun, and want the fun to continue. However, in time, a feeling of boredom begins to form, they want to finish it and return as soon as possible, as if they did not come voluntarily to have fun. In addition to the sense of continuity in human beings, there is also a desire for change, which is the opposite of it. The balance of these two provides inner peace. If the balance is disrupted in favor of one of these, people feel uneasy and they want to get out of that state, time and space as soon as possible.

Sir, we were talking about Allah the Almighty, and you skipped to the holiday.

- Exactly. When you say we, you refer to the human beings. The person who is asking and is asked. It is not possible to understand the Almighty Allah without understanding human. In other words, a person needs to get to know oneself first in order to know Allah, the Creator. As they say, if you know yourself, you know your Lord...

So how do we get to know the human?

- I was just trying to tell you that. Why does a person who thinks even the things that give pleasure must have an end, want the beings to be in an endless sequence? However, everything we see, hear and even know in the universe has an end. That means the universe and everything in it is mortal. They start at one point and end at another point. Where it begins is when it was created. So the universe itself is finite and has a starting point when it was created.

Where do you get the idea that the universe is finite?

-As I said, the universe that we perceive with our senses and understand with our minds and everything in it has an end. You mentioned creation in the question you asked. The creation of everything means that everything starts from somewhere. So, everything present in the universe definitely has a beginning. Scientific research also points to this. It is now accepted by scientists that the phenomena in the universe have a beginning when going backwards, and an end towards the future. We even have scientific predictions about the lifespan of the Sun, which warms and shines us. Obviously, an end is inevitable for everything that exists around us. Indeed, even our own observations tell us that the beings in the universe have a beginning and an end. Those who die, those who were born; those that perish in the winter and turn to green in the spring, those that dry up and turn to seeds, those that grow out of the heart of the earth, those that are burned to ashes and those that rise from their ashes… We witness them all around us.

Well, sir, how do we go from here to the Creator?

- Again, we know that everything happens for a reason, directly or indirectly. There is undeniably a reason for the creation of universe in which such transformations and changes take place. Assuming the Creator, the reason that brought the universe into existence with these changes and transformations, is within the universe requires Him to be subject to the same law of transformation and change. But the change and transformation of the Creator in this way means another creator is needed. This would mean a bottomless pit as they say. Bringing it to this point means making it difficult on the one side and making it uncertain on the other. Ancient scholars called the thinking of a succession of creators in this way, circular argument (tasalsul), that is an invalid reasoning and fallacious argument. Circulatory argument is an endless chain that extends to infinity. It is not possible to perceive it with the mind, but on the contrary, it means to put the mind into difficulty, to tire people and to condemn them to uncertainty. Indeed, it is an invalid provision to think about the succession of creators in terms of reason and logic.

So, to think that the God within the universe makes him both a part of the universe and subject to the laws of corruption in the universe?

- Yes, my brother, that is exactly what I meant. So, God must be outside the universe, and also not subject to the law of creation and decay. This leads us to the conclusion that God is a different and separate being from the universe and its contents. Since God is not subject to the law of creation and decay, he doesn't need a beginning or an end. Since there is no beginning and end, that means there is no another creator. So, asking questions like who created Allah is not meaningful. The idea of creation of the Creator of everything is invalid from a logical point of view as well.

At this point, there is a question on my mind, sir: Couldn't the universe itself be infinite?

-The impossibility of this is proven by both historical experience and today’s scientific findings. As we've mentioned before, scientific studies have predicted lifespan even for the planets within the universe, including the Sun. Observations and science prove that the beings in the universe have an end, so, it is a logical conclusion that the universe, which is the sum of these beings, is finite. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the universe was claimed to be an indestructible machine that would work forever. What happened next? The facts and the science made this invalid. Thus, the claim that the universe is infinite, where all living things are extinct, the waters of the vast seas have been polluted, the ozone layer in the atmosphere has been depleted while there is no place found to live in its space yet, has been refuted by itself. Although scientific studies have been extremely advanced so far, they can't prevent the extinction of species and the deterioration of ecological balances in the world. On the other hand, the big bang theory, which is also embraced by atheists today, shows that the universe had a beginning. During our conversation with an atheist, I asked the following question: “How did the universe come into being if there was no God, as you claim?" The answer was: “The big bang…” I then asked the question: “What was there before the big bang?” "That's none of my business," he replied. Because he didn't know and he couldn't possibly know. He was looking for a beginning. He found the big bang. Clearly, the atheists also think there is a beginning. They cannot talk about a continuous chain of beings. So, what does it mean? The universe has a beginning. If there is a beginning, inevitably there is an initiator. Because something does not happen by itself. The initiator must be outside the universe and completely different from it. In this case, it is impossible to say that Allah was created.

Well, sir, why doesn't Allah prevent the extinction of a creature He created?

- We said from the very beginning: it is a necessity that the being that Allah will create is different from Himself. Therefore, if Allah, the Creator, is preeternal and eternal, there must be a beginning and an end to the existence He created. Naturally, if a being has a beginning, it must have an end.

How, then, will the eternity of heaven and hell be explained?

- Of course, by the will and power of Allah. It is not possible to talk about the absolute eternity of any being other than Allah the Almighty. Because they all have a beginning. Therefore, the heaven, hell and what is in them are all eternal because Allah makes them eternal. That is, Allah will make them eternal by constantly creating them. So, there is an eternity for heaven and hell depending on the will and power of Allah. If Allah wills, He will end them.

So what's the wisdom behind this?

- In the eternity of heaven and hell, there is the realization of the Almighty Allah's mercy and justice. The Almighty Allah will give great rewards to His servants who have passed the world trial by obeying Him (swt); He will punish His rebellious, cruel and ungrateful servants as part of His justice. Allah, the creator of everything, has made such a promise to His servants and He will never break His promise.…

HOW WOULD THE ALMIGHTY ALLAH THINK?

Recently, we started to hear questions, such as: “I wonder how Allah thinks? Is it possible for a being to think without a soul and a brain? Does Allah have a soul and a brain?” Honestly, these questions are on mind. How would you answer these?

- An interesting question! It is also a worrying question for indicating the direction today's people have evolved. Another worrying point is that people try to make judgments about Allah by comparing Him to themselves. Seeking a God like themselves.

Why go for such a comparison?

- One of the interesting aspects of the humans is their desire to see the invisible beings as themselves. This is not only for Allah, they also think about the angels, jinns and satan as themselves, and even make a mistake of making pictures of them. Because that's how they imagine it. Indeed, some people have dreams about the angels, jinns and satan as these human-like beings, and they imagine them accordingly in the daytime. Looking at the descriptions of those who claim to have seen jinn, what they see is a crooked human-like creature with three eyes or slightly large ears. Actually, the aliens in science-fiction movies seem to be fictionalized just like these jinns are imagined. As people are the same all over the world, their thinking and dreaming characteristics are similar to each other except for partial differences. Societies and individuals seem to have come very close to each other with the cultural transfers happening through interactions over time.

Is this understanding just beginning or did it exist before?

-Actually, it existed earlier too. In fact, the ancient polytheist societies thought of their gods in the human form. They made their paintings and sculptures just like humans. When you look at the statues representing god in pagan societies, they all look like human beings in some way.

Didn't anyone oppose these and say that these are nonsense?

- Of course, they did. All the prophets struggled with such false beliefs. Especially the struggle of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) is noteworthy. The Almighty Allah states his struggle for oneness in many chapters of the Qur'an. He broke all the idols his people sculpted, and then when they asked who did it, he said, “This statue, the biggest of them all has done it! Ask them about it!” They were silent for a while, knowing that Ibrahim had made a valid point. But when Prophet Ibrahim asked, “Then how can you worship things that can neither speak or see?” , they couldn't answer it. But despite this, they could not get out of the vicious circle of wrong and absurd belief they had.

Well, wasn't there any explanation or criticism of this absurd belief from great philosophers in the history?

- Very little, unfortunately. We have a very interesting and valuable explanation from Xenophanes, one of the Greek philosophers we know in history. His explanation answers the questions of even today’s people: “Mortals fancy gods are born. They wear clothes, and have voice and form like themselves. Abyssinians make their gods black and snub-nosed; Thracians give theirs blue eyes and red hair. Yet if horses and lions had hands, and could paint with their hands, and fashion images, as men do, they would make the pictures and images of their gods in their own likeness. However, the gods are not like horses, nor are they in human form, as in the Greek statues.”

Is today's man falling into the same error?

- In a way, yes. Today's people think that there must be completely human phenomena and features for Allah or even should have things, such as the soul, mind, brain and spinal cord system, vocal cord as in the question. When they cannot find a satisfactory answer to their expectation and thought, they start doubting Allah. They also think that the science back up their claims.

But why? Why does one fall into such a whirlpool of delusions?

- There are two reasons causing this fallacy: First, people produce an idea by putting themselves in the center, and second, they cannot fully grasp the differences and similarities between science and religion. When people put themselves in the center and develop a thought accordingly, this push them to a dead end not only in their thoughts about God, but also in their thoughts about plants and animals, as Xenophanes also mentioned. For instance, the scenes in fable-type fairy tales or advice books are written as if the animals that were speaking were real or it could come true. Based on this, they tried to force some animals, such as parrots, to talk like humans with extreme exercises. Even more interestingly, those who have animals in their homes have started to resort to coercion by dressing them like a human and guiding them to behave one. In fact, this is against the nature of animals and it is a kind of cruelty. It is more or less predictable how a person, who behaves in such an anthropomorphic manner with regard to animals, will form an opinion about Allah.

You said two reasons?

- The second reason is not to be able to grasp science and religion difference. Religion is the name of a system that regulates human life both in terms of this world and the unseen Afterlife. So, religion brings an invisible area called the ghaib (unseen). There is no way to detect and prove this invisible field by experimenting and observing, which are the methods of science. Science comes to a conclusion and makes an explanation only with clear and visible findings acquired as a result of experimentation and observation. However, there are so many aspects of human beings that are outside of experimentation and observation and are impossible to answer for science. How can science provide an objective explanation for the existence and degree of completely human issues and personal matters, such as love, respect, sincerity, and ostentation? Can science possibly determine whether a relationship between two people is sincere? So, the subject of beliefs is likewise, outside of experimentation and observation, and can only be expressed and explained by means of proof in its own field.

Well, what is your suggestion?

- Today’s people need to know this: Allah has no resemblance to human beings in any way. It is a serious mistake to think that Allah the Almighty would have human brain, nervous system, mind and vocal cords. These are the organs that humans need for thinking, living and speaking. Allah does not need such organs and equipment. Thinking like this means anthropomorphism, in which the idea of the likeness of god to man is formulated. No divine religion accepts likening Allah to human. Actually, the religion of Islam does not find it appropriate to compare invisible beings such as angels, jinn and devils with human beings. However, as mentioned in the Qur'an, some angels came to the prophets in human form and met with them. Such events happened as miracles. The prophets already stated that their human-like shapes are not their real shapes. Finally, we must add this: It is useful to be extremely cautious when talking about subjects that we have no knowledge of. We receive information about the invisible realm and beings through the Qur'an or the words of the Great Prophet. Other than this, we have nothing else to say. We cannot claim to know everything and think that every question will have a clear and unambiguous answer. So far, we haven't seen anyone who knows everything and aswers all the questions. If we knew the answer to every question, we wouldn't have any problems. However, we are always faced with problems because we are living in certain limiting realities as time and space. We can neither transcend time nor escape from space. But for Allah, neither time nor space is a problem. This is the fundamental difference between Allah and humans. Once we understand this difference, the meaninglessness of establishing similarity becomes evident.

DOES ALLAH PERMIT SINS AND THEN PUNISH?

The question that haunts me is, “If Allah loves us, so why does He allow us to commit sin and then punish us? ”

- There are three verdicts here. First, Allah loves us, second, He allows us to commit sin, and third, He punishes us. We can conclude from the divine revelation that Allah loves His servants. The prophets declared in the divine knowledge they brought that Allah is merciful and compassionate towards His servants. But does Allah allow people to commit sin and punish even though He allows them to do so? There is no divine knowledge about it, in fact, it is the opposite. What I mean is that Allah does not tolerate any of His servants committing sins and does not want them to be punished unjustly.

But we say that Allah has His wrath along with His mercy.

- It is true, besides the mercy of Allah, there is also His wrath. His wrath is for those who commits sin against His approval. Allah has told His servants not to commit sin, and ingrained in them that sinning is an evil behavior. Indeed, when we look at the world, we see many common moral rules although the religions, cultures and regions are different. No society appreciates murder, adultery and theft. These are regarded as evil and sinful acts in every religion, every region and every culture. Although there are some differences, there are some punishments to deter these sins. Almighty Allah wants goodness and beauty for His servants. He (swt) expects His servants to realize the goodness and beauty with their own wills. He sets some punishments for those who do not comply. Almighty Allah does not set traps for anyone. As He tells us what beauty and ugliness are, He also informs us about the rewards and punishments.

Can we clarify this a little more?

-Let's explain this with a comparison. The state wants its every citizen to be comfortable and have good opportunities. For this, for example, it builds wide roads, and allows people to buy fast cars. If a young man, who was driving fast, on a highway died as a result of an accident, could the victim's family accuse the state of killing their son? The government built highways, allowed the fast cars into the country, and then, let our son own them! Why? This question is not unreasonable from the perspective of grieving parents. According to them, if the state had not allowed them to have all those things, they would not have experienced this disaster and pain. However, while the state allows all these, it sets rules so that its citizens are not harmed and suffered. It determines how the car should be used and how fast it should be. Then, it is not reasonable for a person who does not comply with these rules to blame the state when harmed.

How is this similar to Allah's punishment of the sinner?

- When Allah created His servants, He gave them two important characteristics, intelligence and free will. When people use these two, that is, use these means properly, Allah will not have a sanction against them, on the contrary, there will be many rewards. Indeed, Allah not only gives these two means, but also sends prophets as warners due to His mercy and compassion so that His servants do not fall into wrong or sin. In addition, He constantly warns the human mind and will with some signs He puts in nature. Just like the state warns drivers on the road with road signs and their officers. If a servant ignores all these warnings and acts out of spite, it is inevitable that they will be subject to some punishments. The state's punishment for the wrongdoer is not just for the sake of punishment, but it is for preventing the wrongdoer and others from doing the same mistake again. Otherwise, the good driver and the bad driver can't be distinguished. Not punishing the wrongdoing leads to greater disasters and suffering. So the punishment imposed by the state is for ensuring justice among the citizens. Almighty Allah will also ordain punishment in the next world for the sins for establishing justice. So that the thief, dishonest and cruel do not get away with what they do in this world. The rights of the oppressed will be restored.

But wouldn't it be better if Allah prevented them?

-This proposal is similar to saying that the cars and roads should be banned so that there are no accidents and suffering. We would not like it if the state banned the cars and roads. If the Almighty Allah ignored our minds and restricted our will, it would be the same. In fact, this offer means to say that Allah should take our minds and wills away from us. It is a serious contradiction to ask to be both smart and willful and then demand restrictions. You cannot have both. Allah has given us two beautiful blessings that are reason and will, prepared the conditions, set the rules, informed and warned us. It makes no sense to say "we must have all kinds of freedom but no sanctions." It means yes to the mercy but no to the justice. If this demand is fulfilled, there will be many crimes, but there will be no punishment. Well, what if some of the crimes are committed against us and we get hurt; will we think the same way? Then, aren't we going to scream and say, “Where is the justice?" This is how human beings are. Extremely compassionate towards thieves as long as they are not robbed. They don't care if someone else is robbed and they say, "It is just stuff." But when themselves are exposed to this, they even demand the execution of the thief. This is exactly what selfishness looks like in our time. Those who do not want hell are those who have not suffered and are living in pleasure. They are also afraid of death and the Judgment Day. And this is because they enjoy a rather charmed and glamorous life. The persecuted, and the afflicted seek justice. They want the perpetrators who cause the suffering to be punished severely.

So it's all relative. Everyone looks at the issues and evaluates them from their own perspective.

Exactly. The young, happy and hopeful person never wants to experience death, never even thinks about it. Those who are old and suffering can never forget about death. We are happy when a child is born, but we are sad and even rebellious when we face death. However, it is the same Allah who gives the child and takes the life. Nothing changes in the treatment of Allah the Exalted. He changes neither His creation, nor His laws or His promises.

So what changes?

- Humans change. The Almighty Allah will never impose a penal sanction on people as long as they don't change themselves, deteriorate their nature and violate the rules. On the contrary, He gives them rewards more than they expect. He bestows them His paradise and honors them by accepting them to His presence. However, a servant, who loses one's humanity by sinking into evil, loses one's essence, constantly breaks the rules, and does not show any remorse, is of course subject to Allah's justice. They must be. Otherwise, justice won't be served for the victims. Allah ordains a punishment according to the crime of the perpetrator, but never punishes them above their crime.

“And your Lord would not have destroyed the cities unjustly while their people were reformers. And if your Lord had willed, He could have made mankind one community; but they will not cease to differ, Except whom your Lord has given mercy, and for that He created them. But the word of your Lord is to be fulfilled that, "I will surely fill Hell with jinn and men all together." (Hud, 11/117-119)

“... Allah would not change a favor which He had bestowed upon a people until they change what is within themselves.” (Anfal, 8/53).

“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Ra’d, 13/11).

“Those who believed and were fearing Allah. For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words [decrees] of Allah. That is what is the great attainment. ” (Yunus, 10/63-64) .

WHO HAS ESTABLISHED THE ORDER OF THE UNIVERSE AND WHO MANAGES IT?

The order and functioning of the universe is stuck on my mind. How does the universe work? What kind of an order does it have? Who has established its order and who manages it?

- First of all, let's answer this question from the Qur'an sent by the Creator:

“Have We not made the earth a resting place? And the mountains as stakes? And We created you in pairs. And made your sleep [a means for] rest, And made the night as clothing, And made the day for livelihood. And constructed above you seven strong [heavens]. And made [therein] a burning lamp. And sent down, from the rain clouds, pouring water that We may bring forth thereby grain and vegetation. And gardens of entwined growth. (Naba, 78/6-16)

If we can elaborate this a little, what do these verses mean?

- The order of the universe and the functioning of this order are explained in these verses. The plains of the earth described like a mattress and the mountains like stakes. People of various colors, races and tribes, the succession of night and day, making the darkness of the night for resting and the light of the day for livelihood are described as well. Rains and, accordingly, the fact that the earth is equipped with core grain, leafy and fruity plants to provide food for living things are all explained one by one. The Almighty Allah states that He has prepared all these opportunities for the person whom He addresses as “you”.

What is the connection between these events?

- Every phenomenon and event that take place in the universe has a close connection with each other. Attention is drawn to this issue, and the connection aspects of the heavens and the earth and the beings between the two, the need for them, and the impossibility of the existence of one without the other are mentioned in the verses above. Indeed, the network of order and relationship in the universe is formed in such a way that one cannot remain independent of the other. In order to bring all these facts closer to the human mind, the “tent (i.e. stake)” example was preferred.

How so?

- The sky is like a tent, the earth is a mattress spread inside the tent, the sun is a lamp hung on the highest point of the tent. Then, the vital importance of the rain for living things, the fact that the night is arranged for rest and the day is for livelihood is added to this. The fact that the earth cannot function without the sky, the sun and rain are a source of connection between the sky and the earth, and that in the absence of one of these elements, the others cannot fulfill their essential functions is also highlighted.

Why would not one exist without the other?

- The experience proves it. There is no life on planets with sunlight but no atmosphere and water. Where there is no sun, there is no life. Indeed, if one of these elements is removed from the established structure, it would lead to the deterioration of the harmony in the universe.

So what is the source of this order and mechanism?

-This contact and harmony is either by the preferences and potentials of the elements listed here, or by an external will and authority. The elements we mentioned do not have such a potential as evident from the experience so far. The most intelligent and experienced beings in the universe are the human beings, and they obviously don't have the potential to create and manage such a structure. It is impossible for people to ensure the continuity of the elements existing in the universe with human intervention, and it is clear that they cause a deterioration of the connection and harmony established between the elements. Most of the recent environmental disasters are the result of thoughtless and outrageous human intervention to the nature. International agreements and conventions made for this aim so far are unable to prevent this destruction. So, people appear as destructive and disruptive actors rather than being a constructive factor in the universe. Because the universe and its functioning are beyond the mental and biological power of people. The fact that some of the steps people took thinking that it would be for their own benefit led to the environmental disasters mentioned above, and this is the picture of people's inability to fully comprehend the universe and their weakness in the face of this great structure.

What is human's position in the universe?

- When we think about this, we come face to face with the passive reality of the humans, who seem to be an effective actor with their minds and wills in the universe, caught in the flow in the corridor of time and space. It is even possible to say that human is a prisoner who appears to be dominating. That's why some thinkers have claimed that human is a passive being dragged under the orders of some laws imposed from outside. However, it is undeniable that people are active and effective beings to a certain extent in the universe, with the mind and will power given to them, as pointed out above. If we try to look at the issue objectively, that is, if both the order of the universe and the role of human in this order are well observed and calculated, we can clearly see that both God and human have an effect on human's voluntary actions. In addition to all these, we can't ignore the fact that the environment has an impact on human actions because Allah has created everything in the universe in an interrelated and interconnected way. Just as the sky is dependent on the earth and the earth is dependent on the sky, humans are also dependent on other beings. However, the universe, with its enormous structure, is beyond human knowledge and experience. Under these circumstances, it seems difficult for humans to play the sole regulatory and developer role in the universe and to assume such a responsibility.

So, what's the conclusion?

- At this point, this complex and yet so harmonious structure points to an external entity with power and will, and it draws the attention of people, who are intelligent and strong-willed beings, to this aspect. This being, possessing power and will, is beyond the whole of this structure. It is divine, unique and independent of all conditions and prerequisites, especially in time and space, and beyond any limits and limitations. At the same time, He possesses the qualities of knowledge, power and will, and does whatever He wants. So, only a being with these qualities can establish, maintain and run the universe. When we consider all these features, attention is turned to Allah, who is the focal point of divine religions. Almighty Allah often states in the Qur'an that He is the owner and creator of the earth, the sky and all that is in it, and, warns as, “And do not incline toward those who do wrong, lest you be touched by the Fire, and you would not have other than Allah any protectors; then you would not be helped.” (Hud, 11/113) The being denoted by “wrong doers” in the verse is people and jinn who do not recognize Allah and the order He established, and therefore disrupt or attempt to disrupt the established order and harmony in the universe. However, these are beings who have been subjected to the conditions of the earth and sky by being given the opportunity of intelligence and will as a requirement of the divine test. According to the verse, “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Dhariyat, 51/56) they should recognize Allah and abide by the order He established but: “And if your Lord had willed, He could have made mankind one community; but they will not cease to differ. Except whom your Lord has given mercy, and for that He created them. But the word of your Lord is to be fulfilled that, ‘I will surely fill Hell with jinn and men all together.’” (Hud, 11/119)

IS THE WORLD FLAT?

Some disbelievers say they have a hundred reasons for not believing in the Qur'an, based on the translations of it. One of them is that "the Qur'an says the earth is flat". First of all, is there such an expression in the Qur'an? If so, how can we explain it?

- If the Qur'an is read like a geography, biology, astronomy or history book, asking such questions becomes possible. We cannot explain this to some religious people, how can we explain it to non-religious people? In its own words, the Qur'an is a guide; a guide to honest living and a guide to the truth.

Could you explain it a little more?

- People are in a race in this life whether they are believers or not. This race is about either to reach something or to run away from something and to get away. In other words, reaching the right and avoiding the wrong. Eventually people reach something. What they reach sometimes leads to disappointment. Sometimes the thing they avoid causes regret. It appears that it is very difficult to establish what is right and beneficial in this world. It is even almost impossible on one’s own. So people need outside support. This support is a must until they grow up to a certain age. But they need this support as adults as well. Knowing this, Almighty Allah sent a prophet among them to support and a book to guide people. Unfortunately people don't understand this, they try to turn the divine book into a biology or geography material.

As for the earth being flat?

- We are coming to that as well. The origin of this question a misunderstanding of the Qur'an, isn't it? The Qur'an gives some examples for people to find the truth and right. One of them is the physical structure and function of the world. The Qur'an does not deal with the issue like an astronomer or a geography expert when talking about the physical structure of the world. It starts from what the physical structure means to a normal person and how it is seen. The Qur'an wants people to focus on how to evaluate the world in their life adventure. If the sense of roundness of the world is always in the human mind, then the life quality deteriorates. Think about it, if we always have the sense that we are on the upper part of the world when we see the sun and down at night, our life would be turned upside down. However, we have the perception that we are on top of the world both day and night. Since it is round, there is no perception that we are standing up or down, straight or upside down. Because the Almighty Allah has created us in such a way that we can see and perceive the world flat. But in reality the world is round like an orange. There is always a difference between perception and fact. For example, the real cold and the cold felt are different. That's why meteorologists calculate them both separately. A thinking person sees these and can easily understand that all these are blessings or signs of the existence of Allah. But people who do not know and cannot think, try to read the Qur'an like an astronomy book. Especially if they are prejudiced, they find misleading mistakes and go into denial.

So, why was the flat earth idea so influential for a while?

- People did not have enough observation opportunities back then. They would think based on perception, not facts. From where they were standing, they saw the world as flat and assumed it was flat. The expression “And it is He who spread the earth.” in the 3rd verse of Surah al-Ra'd in the Qur'an precisely aims at human perception. Otherwise, it does not mean that the world is flat or round. If this was the case, none of the Islamic scholars would have said that the world was round.

So, there are Islamic scholars who say the world is round.

- Of course there are many scholars who say so. For example, the famous Islamic scholar Al-Baqillani , who went to Byzantium as an ambassador in 371/982, had a series of discussions with the reigning Byzantine king and priests in Istanbul. When they asked “Why did we not see your Prophet's miracle of splitting the moon in two from Istanbul?”, “You know the world is round. Seeing this event depends on the angle of the view. Therefore, it is not possible for you to see a celestial event that can be seen in Mecca from this angle.” he said. Isn't it the same for solar and lunar eclipses today? Since the world is round, only those who are in the right angle of view can see these events. Andalusian scholar Ibn Hazm, who also lived a thousand years ago, explained that the world is round, based on the 5th verse of Surah al-Zumar. He replied to the objection that "If the world is round, won't the people underneath it be upside down?” as follows: "Where the head of a person is, that side is above.” He revealed the relativity very well at that time. Moreover, the great Qur'an commentator Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, who died in 606/1210, made it clear 800 years ago that this verse, which is shown by opponents of faith as evidence, does not contradict the fact that the world is spherical.

This means that the claim made about the Qur'an is an empty ascription due to ignorance. Well, weren't there other people in other nations saying that the earth was flat?

- Of course there were. There were some people who said that the earth was flat and the sky was round, and there were also those who said that the sky was a glass ceiling, and the moon and sun were hanging there. Because that's what it looks like when you look at it. There were even those who thought that the sun rises from 365 different places throughout the year. Maqdisi, who lived 1200 years ago, collected the thoughts of people from all religions and cultures about the world in his history book. Anyone interested can take a look at it. There is also this information in the book The Universe and Man in the Thought of Kalam written by this author. There are even philosophers who claimed that the world was flat. But after a certain century, the majority began to say that it was spherical. Until recently, the claim that the earth was the center and that the sun revolved around the earth was accepted. This was called the Ptolemaic theory. With Copernicus (d. 1543), this theory changed and the heliocentric theory was accepted. But in Europe, Galileo (d. 1642) was tried by the church in the inquisition for advocating the heliocentric theory.

Why are the Muslims the target of these accusations?

-There are mainly two reasons for this: First, the Muslims did not know their history well and therefore lost their self-confidence. And second, the people against Islam carried out perception operations based on this psychology. In this case, we have a duty: Learning and recognizing our own historical background without blaming anyone. Then creating a new thought with a balanced self-confidence. But if we turn this into a dry eulogy of history, we might fall into another trap. The main thing is to establish a new future will based on the experience we have gained from historical facts.

HOW SHOULD WE INTERPRET “CHANGE” AND “CONTINUITY”?

The change and continuity in the realm of existence have always occupied the minds of humans. How does the continuity occur despite the change or change in continuity? Honestly, it's always on my mind, could you explain it?

- To understand change and continuity, we must first understand their ground, i.e. the universe. The universe: everything created except Allah? Time, space, facts and events form the universe. Time and space represent continuity while facts and events represent change. We perceive time-space and facts-events as if they are two separate elements that are independent and opposed to each other. However, time and space are a mental imagination rather than a concrete reality. That's why we can possibly divide time and space into various categories in the mind or ignore these categories. Indeed, many thinkers regard time and space as relative. They think they are shaped and evaluated by the subject. From another point, it is the sum of time and space, facts and events. We could say that even time and space themselves are subject to change. So, the one that maintains continuity and the one that changes appear to move parallel to each other. This reveals a balanced continuity and change in the universe.

How is this viewed in Islamic thought?

- This has been discussed in Islamic thought for many years, and a lot of thought has been given to its nature. In the end, each group accepted the reality of continuity and change, but named it differently. The Islamic theologians (Kalam scholars) expressed change and continuity with the term tajaddud al-amthal, that is, renewal of the similar. They were of the opinion that renewal represented change, and similarity represented continuity. Ibn Hazm, one of the hadith scholars, and Ibn Arabi, one of the Sufis, called change in the universe as al-khalq al-jadid, that is, a continuous new creation. It means that Allah the Almighty provides continuity in the existing world with new creation at every moment. One of the philosophers, Ibn Rushd, named it as al-huduth al-da’im, that is, continuous new occurrences.

As for the people, what changes and remains the same in a person over the years?

- Let me tell you: Humans change, humanity doesn't change. In Islamic thought, human is defined as the body, which is pointed as 'I', which can be grasped by the five senses and supported by the soul. In fact, when people say, "I ate, drank water, got sick, went out, went in", they refer to their body which is together with the soul and can be grasped by the senses. However, as the human body constantly changes, it is imperative to find an unchanging aspect for it. Otherwise, the changes in the body over time lead a person to becoming another being. This unchanging and constant part of the human being is called humanity. It has also been accepted that this humanity will not change, so it will be permanent. So, the person who says 'I' is actually pointing to the humanity that is represented by one's body. Because the body has a certain shape and volume, and it changes over time as it is renewed by moment. But humanity never changes according to time and place, and maintains the same perception in everyone's mind throughout their lives. That's why a person's unchanging humanity is taken as basis when making judgments about a person, not their changing bodies. But at the same time, treating according to the changing body is inevitable. For example, people start working life at a certain age, and also retire at a certain age. Marriages, the implementation of religious orders, the duties imposed by the society and the state, and the rights granted are all determined depending on the changing age of the person, that is, the physical change.

How about belief, is there a continuity and change in it?

Belief is to realize that there is a Creator and Ruler of the universe in the first place. Secondly, it means to know that we are His servants as part of the universe. That's why they say “if you know yourself, you know your Lord”. So, belief is to be aware of one's own existence and based on this, to know the Creator. Therefore, there can be no talk of a change and transformation in belief. This is because there can be no change in the positions of God, the universe and human beings with regard to each other. Allah is the Creator, and the universe and people in it are the created ones. That's why there is no change in human's humanity either. Whatever the first man, Prophet Adam, meant, the people of today are the same. Because of this fact, fourteen centuries ago, Almighty Allah asked the Prophet of Mercy to say: “Say, ‘I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your god is one God.’" (Kahf,18/110) So, there is clearly no change in the principles of belief from the time of Prophet Adam to the present. However, there may be some differences in wording and expression in understanding and explaining belief depending on time and place.

Could you elaborate on this a bit?

-The divine knowledge is the main source of Islamic belief. This source determines the basic principles that form the main frame of the belief. However, there may be differences when explaining these principles. This difference is inevitable when both the explaining person and the recipient are humans. “Speak to people only according to their level of knowledge”, the hadith says. Therefore, it is necessary to change and adjust the way we address people depending on the recipient. Indeed, when Muslims came to the lands of Iraq, they met people from many nationalities, beliefs and thoughts. These people were different from the people of Hijaz region and they had to be addressed accordingly. They were composed of the Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian and various philosophical groups. So it was necessary to develop a new style of explanation and expression for these people. The new explanation brought the emergence of a new science: the science of Kalam. The science of Kalam was the science of explanation and defending. While people were informed about Islam with its aspect of explanation, the criticism and objections were addressed as part of defending. Thus, a literature expressing and explaining the Islamic belief has emerged. Especially the Sunni group, which is the main group, stood firm in preserving the six fundamentals of belief, which were clarified and finalized as belief in Allah, His angels, His prophets, the Hereafter, belief in the Day of Judgment and belief in the Qadha and Qadr including khair (good) and sharr (evil). However, there were differences between when it came to explaining and defending them. These divisions brought the emergence of madhhabs (schools of thought within the circle of Islam). The madhhabs essentially represented essentially the same principles although they differed in expression. Actually, there was no change in the basic principles of belief, but there was a change in their expression and explanation for the people who were receiving them.

So, how did Islam respond to the change in society?

-As the needs change, a change is inevitable for the individual and social life. This change was responded to with a dynamic understanding of fiqh. Religion is a system with a social dimension, not just an individual experience. In the social dimension, people are faced with two things: conflict and solidarity. This conflict and solidarity result from the change in the flow of time and space. People are always in search of order as a requirement of their nature. The establishment and preservation of this order is only possible when conflict and solidarity are balanced. To do this, fixed, sustainable and agreed rules are needed. Allah the Almighty revealed some rules through prophets for this need. The final rules came with the Qur'an and the practice of the Prophet of Mercy came to life. This is called the evidence of the Book and Sunnah in fiqh books. The purpose of these rules is to provide a balance of change and continuity. Actually, if the balance of the change or continuity deteriorates, this leads to the emergence of an unfair and unjust environment. The mechanism that will provide this balance in practice is the science of fiqh, which represents the practical dimension of religion or its equivalent in daily life. Therefore, the science of fiqh has to be dynamic as the life itself is in constant change.

However, doesn't fiqh need an axis while ensuring continuity?

- Of course it does. This axis is the framework and method determined by the Prophet (saw). This is why the Qur'an describes the Prophet as a good example. This is the wisdom behind sending prophets as human beings. The second example in practice is the first three generations praised by the Prophet. Because the Prophet of Mercy practiced Islam together with his Companions. Although the Companions literally meant his friends, they were his students in terms of knowledge. These students became the teachers of those who came after them. Thus, Islam was passed down to the following generations, remaining intact and undistorted. The effort, contribution and voluntary activities of the first three generations were of high importance in this transmission. The constants and variables of religion were meticulously determined by these three generations.

Who were these first three generations?

- The Companions, who were the students of the Prophet; the Tabi'un, who were the students of the Companions; and the Taba’ al-Tabi’un, who were the students of the Tabi'un. The experience of these three generations in understanding the religious evidence and applying the judgments derived from these evidences was very important. The religious rules gained a permanent feature with their practice. A large corpus of fiqh was formed as they wrote down these experiences. This corpus is very important and a touchstone for us. What we need to do today is not to apply this corpus as it is, but to give it an expression and explanation style according to the needs of the time. And when new problems emerge, we need to seek solutions in line with the principles of the Book and Sunnah and in the light of the experiences of the first three generations. This is what the sincere, knowledgeable and well-mannered fiqh scholars are trying to do today..

IS HUMAN AN UNKNOWN BEING?

I've been thinking, sir, we keep saying "human”. What is human? Is the human being a complex unknown, as some say, or is it a simple being enslaved by its bodily desires?

For some reason, we like to walk around on the edges, right? Look at the people who lost their lives by climbing on the rocks to take a selfie, people who fell to the ground from the edge of the cliff, or those who fell into the volcano and burned as they were saying "just let me take a look at it."

I have asked you about the humans, but you have brought us to the edge of the cliff.

- To wander around the edges is to wander on the edge of a cliff. For what? Excitement! Seriously? Your life means nothing to you? Things are more beautiful when they are within normal. Cliffs and edges are dangerous.

Can we talk about humans…

- We are talking about them! But you mean “let's get to my question." The problem with your question is the edges. The idea that human is entirely complex or too simple. Both are at the edges. The claim that human is fully known or can be known is exaggerated but the claim that the human is completely unknown is also an exaggerated statement. Of course there are known and unknown sides of the humans. This is because of the limits of human beings. Our knowledge is limited, beyond these limits cannot be known. These are also our limits of knowledge and knowing. However, as our knowledge, manners and experience increase, these limits may extend proportionally. It is difficult to predict in advance how far this could go. Despite all the hard work and research, the progress we have made so far is clear. Let alone the psychological aspects, the biological aspects of humans are not fully discovered yet. There are still many problems with diagnosing many diseases. This is not due to lack of knowledge and skills of the doctors, but because of the complex and unknown aspects of humans.

Then, are those who consider the human an unknown right?

- No, they are not! Considering the advancement in medicine and psychology, we have made a lot of progress in understanding people. Disregarding it would be denying the efforts. What I mean is that although we have come a long way learning about humans, there are points that are still unknown to us.

How does Islam define humans at this point? Since the Almighty Allah knows every aspect of humans as He created all of us, why hasn't He fully introduced human to us in the Qur'an?

- Of course, Allah, who created humans, knows them down to the smallest detail. There is no limit to Allah's knowledge or anything that limits it. However, our position is quite the opposite. In other words, there are many limits and constraints for us starting with time and space. Therefore, it is impossible for us to go beyond the boundaries surrounding our senses, emotions and minds and to know all dimensions of facts and events. These limits also apply to knowing ourselves. This is what we understand based on our own experience. The point the scientific studies have arrived is clear. On the other hand, even if the nature and truth of a phenomenon or event is fully shown to us, how much of it can we comprehend it in this limited state? Because the limits we mentioned prevent people from grasping the whole truth. Allah the Exalted sent the Qur'an to us so that we can understand it. Despite all the explanations that have been made for 1400 years, have we fully understood it? There is no doubt that Allah has revealed the truth to us. However, we certainly have some gaps in understanding it. These gaps are caused by the boundaries that surround us, especially in time and space. So, a person who claims to know everything needs to recognize this side of themselves first. Otherwise, we would be trying in vain. As they say: “If you know yourself, you know your Lord.”

So, there are some aspects of people that we don't know as much as those we know.

- Allah created people and equipped them with the ability to learn step by step on the ground of time and space. This is the reason why our manners and experiences increase over time and our limits of knowing expand. The words “Every day is a new day, and every morning we are born again” actually express this truth. So, a person acquires information according to the flow of time and the conditions of space. Gaining information about ourselves is not excluded from these conditions.

So, if we want to get to know human in general terms, what can we say?

In the Qur'an, human beings are explained in detail in terms of the substance of creation and process. We have been given two basic messages here: The first is the creation of humans as a part of the universe, and the second is that they are subject to the conditions of the same universe. These conditions include both the biological and psychological aspects. No aspect is outside of creation and they are all subject to the conditions of the universe. Allah is the one who created the universe and set the conditions. However, humans possess some contradictory qualities just as everything in the universe does. Because of these contradictions, conflict and solidarity have both existed in the universe and within the human being. Some of these contradictions lead to solidarity, others to conflict. An order can be achieved by establishing the balance between conflict and solidarity. This requires certain rules and laws. Actually, the order and balance in nature is ensured by the laws of nature, that is the natural order created by Allah. The same laws also apply to the human body. The health of the human body depends on the balance of the organs and the adequate fulfillment of the needs. Likewise, the balance of the biological and psychological aspects of the human being, although they seem to be opposites, can only be achieved by keeping the two equal and balanced. Neglecting them leads to the deterioration of the balance of the body.

How has this been understood in the history of Islamic thought?

- Islamic scholars have considered the human being in the unity of body and soul. They placed the human beings in a special and higher category. In Islamic thought, human is defined as the body, which is pointed as 'I' , which can be grasped by the five senses and supported by the soul. According to this, human being is an entity in soul-body unity. They are human beings as long as this integrity is protected; but when it is corrupted, they are not. That's why human beings are thought in soul-body integrity both in this world and in the Hereafter. Indeed, the Qur'an states that the resurrection will take place by returning the souls to the bodies. It means that the life in the Hereafter will begin and continue in soul-body unity.

However, there are those who think differently.

- Of course there are. In particular, philosophers and esoterics talk about the supremacy of the body with the claim that the soul comes from the heavenly realm or the command realm, even though they think of the human being in soul-body unity in this world. This is an imbalance in favor of the soul. They think that the life in the next world will be a spiritual life. In fact, some esoterics claim that the soul can act independently of the body in this world, and that it can come and go after death. Even today, there are those who think like this and hold séances. However, in the Qur'an, death is defined as an "barzakh", that is, a definite barrier. That's why it is not possible for the soul of the deceased to come and go and act independently of the body.

What is the situation in the grave life?

Life in the grave is a private life with its own specific conditions. Scholars consider this as a transitional period between this world and the Hereafter. The Qur'an calls this the barzakh life. It is an intermediate period between the world and the Hereafter that prevents going to both. With the resurrection after the Judgment Day, this life will end and a new life will begin. That is the Afterlife.

Sir, we were trying to talk about the world, but we ended up in the grave.

- Well… death is an absolute truth. What can we say?! Let's sum up like this: If people observe the soul-body balance, take into account their time, place, opportunities and conditions and obey the instructions of their Creator, they will live a happy and peaceful life and attain eternal happiness in the other world as well.

HOW WAS THE FIRST HUMAN'S CREATION?

This is what's on my mind: Why is the creation of the first human different from the creation of us? Couldn't they both be the same?

- First of all, we need to learn about the creation of the first human being from its original source. This creation is explained with clear expressions in many verses: “And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.’” "(Baqarah, 2/30). “And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, ‘I will create a human being out of clay from an altered black mud. And when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration.’" (Hijr, 15/28-29). “Who perfected everything which He created and began the creation of man from clay. Then He made his posterity out of the extract of a liquid disdained. Then He proportioned him and breathed into him from His [created] soul. And made for you hearing and vision and hearts [i.e., intellect]; little are you grateful.”(Sajdah, 32/7-9)

Can you explain the meaning of the verses in a way we can understand?

- Allah created the first human, Prophet Adam (as), by first shaping his body from dry clay, and then creating a soul for his body, and giving him a life as mentioned in the verses. Therefore, human's body was created first, and then the soul. This is the first creation. Prophet Adam and Eve (Hawwa) were first created in this way. However, there are different opinions about the creation of Eve. Let's not get into that for now. It seems that the first humans, Prophet Adam and Eve, did not have a mother and father. A similar event is the fatherless birth of Prophet Isa (Jesus). Prophet Isa was born without a father, from his mother, Maryam (Mary). Again, a spirit was blown as mentioned in the verses. In this regard, the Almighty Allah has said: “Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like thatof Adam. He created him from dust; then He said to him, "Be," and he was. He created him from dust; then He said to him, "Be," and he was.” (Al-i ‘Imran, 3/59).

It's okay so far, but the creation of other humans has always taken place through parents. How will you explain this?

- Right. The creation of all human beings, except for the above-mentioned Prophet Adam, Eve, and Prophet Jesus, has taken place through a mother and a father. However, this biological creation was similar to the previous creation. In other words, the creation of the next human beings, similarly, takes place through the shaping of the body in the mother's womb, and then the soul is blown into it by an angel. Here, the process begins with the sperm from the male fertilizing the female's egg in the mother's womb. Then the fetal organs are formed. In a period of about nine months, all the creation is completed. Subsequently, the baby comes to the world through birth.

Why was the earth chosen in the first creation?

-The choice of soil in the first creation, the use of the phrase "mud" and the inclusion of water in this process highlight the power of the Almighty Allah. Indeed, Allah sets the creation of Prophet Adam (pbuh) as an example for those who object to the creation of the Prophet Jesus (as) and find this contrary to reason, logic and habitual biological reproduction. He (swt) wants people to make a comparison between these two events. This is because both events happened miraculously. The purpose of narrating this event is not to express the physiological, biological or psychological aspects of Prophet Adam, or to give information about the first creation material, but how human was created out of a simple soil or despised sperm coming from urinary tract. However, this doesn't mean that the content of the information of the main message given in the Qur'an is unimportant and invalid. The information provided is accurate, important and valid. The creation expressed as “Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing” in the second verse of Surah al-Insan is not the creation of the first human being, Prophet Adam (pbuh), as some claim; but the creation of later people in the mother's womb. Allah the Almighty states in the first verse of Surah al-Nisa as follows,“O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women.”, which means the Almighty Allah created the first man and his wife, and other people were created from these spouses through fertilization, that is, in the form of normal biological reproduction.

Well, sir, it is very difficult to explain this to people today!

-Of course, it is not easy for today's people, who see coming to the world as being born from their parents throughout their lives, to understand and comprehend the first creation that took place in the form of creation from soil. However, we can see similar things in our daily lives. For example, it is possible for a painter to reproduce the same painting a hundred times with a photocopier after making the first painting using many painting materials. Although the copies look like the first picture, the way they are produced is extremely different from each other. While the first one has the painter and painting materials, the second only needs a photocopy machine. Even if human beings can produce such a different kind of production, it is not contrary to reason for Almighty Allah to create humans first by creating them from soil and then using two figures as mother and father. Similarly, taking the first shot of a movie on the set and then making copies of the shots and duplicating them is a second example of this. From the first sample shot using many people and things on the movie set, hundreds of copies are made and reproduced in a completely different environment with the help of some machines. This means the first method of production and subsequent productions may be different. Similar incidents occur in almost all production activities.

But, sir, people are a little different, aren't they?

- Of course they are. Therefore, humans are not regarded as an object, and human is not produced by a machine or an inanimate figure. The creation of human takes place through a man and a woman, which are from the same kind of being. So, when Allah created the first human from clay, He created the next humans using the biological structures of the first humans He created. This is a manifestation of Allah's power. His power is still enough to create a human out of soil today. But Allah has set a law for creation and the natural life continues within the framework of that law. People reproduce from people; animals reproduce from animals, and plants reproduce from plants. This is the law.

What makes the human being different from other beings?

- Almighty Allah has given human beings the ability to produce in a similar way, just as He first created human from soil and then produced them through the parents. One of them is being able to copy the first things they made. He has even given the ability to invent the technique of it. However, these inventions should not be exaggerated. People must avoid from seeing themselves as a rival to Allah or detach from Him with the intoxication brought by their inventions. This would be a power intoxication for people. Additionally, the inventions should not be used in a way that harms other people and the flow of the natural life. What makes us human is the thinking, and the ability to invent and produce as a result of this thinking; but using this ability in a way to respect our Lord, being beneficial to other people and not harming the flow of the natural life are equally important qualities. In the light of these examples, it is possible to understand the difference and wisdom between the first creation made from soil and the later creations through parents.

WHAT DO HUMANS GAIN BY THE CURIOSITY TO SEE?

Sir, recently a curiosity to see has become very popular. People want to see everything, taste everything and hear everything. Let's say this is normal! Because if a person has eyes, ears and the sense of taste, they will naturally have a desire to see, hear and taste. However, what bothers me is that when these desires come true, they act as if they never had such a desire. Suddenly, they turn around and walk away from what they wanted to see, hear or taste. What does it mean?

- Human beings have been following their curiosities and driven by them all along. People are mostly curious about seeing things. This is exactly where they are deceived and they deceive others. This is still going on. The senses of taste, touch and smell are no less than this. Did Almighty Allah tell us about the first humans, Prophet Adam and Eve, in vain? Didn't the Satan deceive them with the curiosities by these very senses? He pointed to the forbidden tree and whispered to them. "Your Lord did not forbid you this tree except that you become angels or become of the immortal." (A’raf, 7/20) With this tempting delusion, a curiosity took the Prophet Adam and Eve. Their curiosity turned into a passion for seeing and tasting. What happened then? They saw it, tasted it, and lost… Only then they realized that they were wrong and deceived, but the damage had already been done. They were driven by the desire to see what the Satan was showing, that is what Allah called “to you a clear enemy” (A’raf, 7/22). But indeed, Allah the Almighty gave them a unique paradise. Actually, they were given everything. But they were not satisfied with that. They were deceived by the delusion of the Satan and they lost… The taste of it remained on their lips for a moment and disappeared… Neither what they tasted was permanent nor what they saw… These show that the temporariness of the pleasures obtained with the senses is the most striking indicator that tells us the temporariness of the world. When we look around, we see how many passionate people lose their desires after fulfilling them or how disappointed they are. So, no need to look further to see the world is a temporary place. It's enough to take a look at ourselves.

What happened to Prophet Adam and Eve then?

- Allah the Almighty is merciful. As He taught them all the names, He also showed them how to get out of the state of being deceived. They did not insist on rebellion like the Satan did. They held onto the rope of salvation from Allah and were saved. Those who know themselves, know their Lord and reach salvation. They also knew themselves, turned to their Lord and begged with sincere feelings: “ Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us we will surely be among the losers." (A’raf, 7/23) Allah (swt) accepted their apologies and forgave them immediately. Because Allah's mercy is abundant and His forgiveness is swift. The Satan, who did not repent lost while the Prophet Adam and Eve who understood and corrected their mistakes won. Because, as theMessenger of Mercy said, “He who knows his mistake and sincerely apologizes to Allah will be forgiven immediately and will be purified as if he had never sinned." (Ibn Majah, Zuhd, 30) The reason the Satan lost was because he looked at fire and earth, which are the materials of creation, instead of thinking about Allah’s command, and made an irrelevant comparison. You see, his superficial and individualistic outlook deceived him. If he combined what he saw with what he heard and weighed it on the scales of his mind, he would see the truth. This is the end of the one who sets out with a single sense data and falls into the selfishness of individuality.

So, sir, our Almighty Lord is explains all this to us to set an example for people who follow their senses and are captive to their emotions. So we have a lot to learn from the stories in the Qur'an. What do we see, what cannot we see, or what should we see and how?

- As you say, there is a way, method and manners of seeing. Those who do not know their way will be confused, those who do not use the method will stray away from the target, and those who ignore decency will hit the wall of morality... Allah has given humans five senses and assigned a separate task to each of them. So each sense has its scope and limits that can be used. Going out of the limits and not seeing the boundaries leads one to astray. What can be understood with the sense of taste cannot be understood with the eyes. For example: you cannot understand the taste of food by looking at it. Seeing has a method too. You need to first look at what you will see, and when you look at it, you need to focus on it. You can't see something if you look at it carelessly, even if it's right under your nose. As they say, you must “keep your eye on the ball.” On the other hand, it is necessary to look at the things that can be seen. Attempting to see the things that we are told we cannot see or that should not be seen means crossing both the area and the borders. If we have been told that Almighty Allah will not be seen in this world, aspiring to the idea of seeing Him is nothing but chasing an empty dream. Pharaoh told his vizier Haman, “Then ignite for me, O Haman, [a fire] upon the clay and make for me a tower that I may look at the God of Moses.” (Qasas, 28/38). Poor Pharaoh thought Allah is in the sky. However, Prophet Moses did not bring him any information that he could see God. He could not see the truth in the miracles he brought. Because he didn't look carefully and didn't use his mind doing so. The proof of Allah's existence came to him, but he tried to look for it in the skies... He left the truth and followed the dream. In the middle of the sea, he understood the truth, but it was too late.

Well, sir, you said there are things that should not be looked at. If Allah has given us eyes, why shouldn't we look and see. What's wrong with this?

-This is exactly the point of manners of looking. It is not right to look at everything that can be seen, to open everything closed or to lift every curtain. Trying to see everything means to have the lust for looking. The manner of looking is to curb that lust. It is inevitable for a car to crash or go off the road when the brake is not used. Likewise, the walls of decency and morality can collapse when the eyes’ lust is not braked. Sometimes this reaches to the point of violating other people's rights and privacy. People have privacy; they have private places and spaces. Attempting to see these is surrendering to the lust of the eyes. This means psychological obsession and perversion. This is also called eye treachery. The one who betrays will be betrayed. Wearing clothes is a way of protecting ourselves from treacherous eyes. Why do we hang curtains in houses? When the eye sees something forbidden, it increases the lust. This increased lust turns into an obsession. Obsession brings perversion… I don't even want to think about it further. Although the degree is different, there is a lust in every glance. The important thing is to limit it with the mental brake. Whatever triggers this lust should also be avoided. This is the decency of being seen by others. There is a decency to be seen just as there is a decency to seeing. What happens if we say "I don't care, what could possibly happen?" It can lead to unimaginable and unforeseen results.

But sir, the Prophet Moses also wanted to see Allah.

- Right. He asked and Almighty Allah showed him that it would not happen. It is actually a great lesson for us. But the Jews did not learn from this lesson. They kept saying, “O Moses, we will never believe you until we see Allah outright. ” (Baqarah, 2/55) They thought they could put Prophet Moses in a difficult position. So what happened? A big disappointment. Sentenced to wander in the desert for forty years. Is it because of such behavior that the most strict atheists emerge from them? The atheist, who says,“I don't believe in what I don’t see” is like a leaf that is caught in the lightness of the devil's superficial gaze and that is blown away in front of every wind. Most of our knowledge comes from hearing, not seeing. It is the information we receive with our ears that guides and facilitates life. Think about it, if people start from zero knowledge and only try to gain knowledge from what they see, regardless of how long it takes, how much knowledge they can gain in a lifetime. So it is necessary to make use of every sense as required. We need to take our decisions without reducing them to a single sense and without ignoring the mind… So many blessings given by Allah are enough if we can make use of it. Indeed, it is more than enough…

CAN JINN BE SEEN?

Sir, some people say that they have seen the jinn and that they have some relations and communication with them. I have been thinking about it and it is bothering me. Is it possible to see the jinn and establish a relationship and communication in the way they describe?

- We need to divide people into two on this issue. The first is ordinary people who say that they see the jinn who do something to them and their belongings, and the second is people who say that they interact with the jinn and are called psychics.

I mean both, sir. I'm afraid of being involved in the first case, and I'm curious about the second.

-Both situations seem to be just a matter of personal experience. It is not possible for us to know what these people saw and what kind of relationship and communication they had. Coming to a definite conclusion about the truth of what has been told us is difficult. Actually, these are purely personal experiences, just like dreams. As it is impossible to see someone's dream and determine its reality, it is also difficult to determine the reality of what these people see and tell.

So, isn't it possible to say anything about it?

- Of course it is. We cannot identify this with our five senses and perception, which we call “ghaib”. Therefore, we cannot say anything from personal experience. Accurate information about such things that are unknown is limited to only what Allah has revealed to us and what the Prophet has informed us. We call this “knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah”. We can only speak in this setting. Anything we say beyond these is nothing but speculation. We first need to accept this: Jinns do exist… No one can doubt that. We have been informed about their existence by the Almighty Allah in the Qur'an and the compassionate Prophet in his Sunnah. However, we have also been informed that they will not be visible under normal conditions and to ordinary people... People just baffle me. Allah (swt) states that they are invisible, but such people insist on seeing them. What will happen when they see it?

But sir! Prophet Solomon saw the jinn and even employed them for certain tasks, which is mentioned in the Qur'an...

-My dear, the moon split into two with a sign of the Prophet of Mercy. It wasn't something he did. This was how Almighty Allah created such a miracle to confirm and support His Blessed Prophet. Now, can a person come out and say, “I'll split the moon in two with a sign”?

This is a miracle specific to the Prophet, sir, who can say such a thing?

-Well, if this does not happen, how will others see the jinn, which is the miracle of Prophet Solomon, and make them work like he did? Moreover, the issue whether our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, saw the jinn has been disputed since the Companions. As a matter of fact, Abdullah b. Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle’s son and a scholar Companion, said, “The Prophet neither saw the jinn nor met them face to face.” However, Abdullah b. Mas'ud narrates that the Messenger of Allah left him in a place by drawing a circle around him and gave strict orders not to go out of this circle, and then he met the jinn, but himself did not see them. Even if we take this second information as a basis, we see that the Prophet did not allow anyone from the Companions to see the jinn except himself. It is not possible that he did this by himself. It had to be Allah's command to do so. Because he is a prophet. Seeing the jinn is a miracle of his like the miracle of Prophet Sulayman (Solomon). Are those who claim to have seen jinn today are higher than the Companions? Additionally, Allah stated in the Qur'an that, “Indeed, he (Satan) sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them.” (A’raf, 7/27) The great Imam Maturidi interpreted this verse, as "We cannot see them, but they see us."

Well, sir, there is Surah al-Jinn. How do we explain it?

-Well, my dear, as it is mentioned in the chapters of Ahqaf and Jinn, our Prophet rested in a place called Batn al Nakhla or Hajun on his return from Taif where he performed the fajr prayer. At that time, a group of jinn directed by Almighty Allah came and listened to the Qur'an he was reciting. They communicated the knowledge they received to their tribes. The Prophet neither saw the jinn nor met with them during this time according to what we know. Indeed, the verses were revealed after this event. The Holy Prophet became aware of this event with the revelation of the verses.

Sir, why can't we see an already existing entity?

- Is it just the jinn we can't see?

No sir, there are many beings that we cannot see. First of all, we cannot see Almighty Allah.

- While Allah willed us to see some beings, He did not will us to see others. He did not hold us responsible for seeing them. Is there a verse or hadith that suggests you need to see jinn?

Then why were the jinn created?

- Allah (swt) states in the Qur'an: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me..” (Dhariyat, 51/56) This is the wisdom stated to us. Apart from that, it certainly has many other benefits. Because our Lord does not create anything without wisdom. But this is all we know. Allah the Almighty also states: “And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge.” (Isra, 17/36) So, we will not gain anything by chasing things like this that we cannot grasp with our senses and minds. Even if we do, we cannot learn anything.

Well, sir, there is a reality called “karamat”. Can't they be seen through karamat?

- Our predecessors said that karamat is true. We believe that. However, we are not in a position to fully grasp what is a karamat and what is not. Because karamats are also personal experiences. That's why our predecessors said that one cannot act according to, inspirations, dreams and miracles, and no judgment is built on them.

When people say they see a jinn, they describe them with their feet upside down, their eyebrows under their eyes, their nose up, their ears pointing backwards, one eye on their forehead, the other on the back of their head, and hair all over them… Actually, people are describing something similar to themselves. Only the places and positions of the organs are changed. Did the jinn that Prophet Solomon employed match these descriptions?

- It is rather difficult to say anything about it. We have no knowledge of the shapes of the jinn under the order of Prophet Solomon. The reliable sources suggest that there is no information about the shapes of jinn. It is necessary to pay attention to the warning of the Great Imam Maturidi: “One should be very careful when reading the stories in the Qur'an. It should be accepted as it is mentioned in the Qur'an. Making some additions or deletions to what is stated may lead a person to say something that is not true.” As a result, the jinn exist. Allah knows the rest...

HOW SHOULD WE UNDERSTAND DREAMS?

Sir, there is a question on my mind, what is dream?

- One of the fundamental realities of humankind since its existence is that they daydream while awake and dream while asleep. This is the most common and unchanging feature of being human regardless of gender, race, religion, thought, status and profession. There seems to be no person who does not dream or is not affected by dreams. Everyone dreams and subsequently their dreams affect them positively or negatively. Because the person dreaming is the protagonist of the dream themselves. The person is the protagonist of the scenario that unfolds in the dream. Sometimes running away, sometimes chasing, screaming while falling, experiencing the heart flutter of breaking away from the ground while rising, and the cold face of death when crashing to the ground, it is the real boy or the real girl who experiences the joy of meeting and the sadness of separation at the same time and in the same place in human dreams.

This is exactly what I want to understand.

- Understanding the dream is not so easy. Its mystery has not been solved yet. Many people have come and gone, numerous books have been written, dreams are told, spoken and interpreted on every corner, in every chat room, in every cafe setting, but no one has fully understood the secret of this riddle. Those who say that they have solved the mystery have been refuted by those who say they have solved another mystery of the dream, and all that has been said has been thrown into the archive bag of history. Prophets also had dreams, it was expressed in divine books and people talked about it in places of worship, but this fact remained a mystery. Our Almighty Lord did not fully reveal the secret of it, He uncovered one side of it but He left the other side covered.

Why all this?

- The answer is obvious. Because this world is the world of trials. When the secrets were completely revealed, the secret of the trial, which is the biggest secret, would be exposed and the life of this would become meaningless. When we look at it, we clearly see that the life is a race. The mysterious places and times in the race arouse curiosity, increase excitement and drag people away. The absence of the race means the end of the movement and the person becomes stuck in wherever they are. The dreams indicate that a person constantly runs, chases, descends and ascends and does not stay idle even when sleeping although it is imaginary. So, just like the times we are awake, the times spent sleeping are equally important and real.

So, what is our position in a dream?

- Actually, the dream is directly related to the will of the person. Ever since Allah the Almighty sent humans to the earth for trial, He has tested them only within the boundaries of their wills. However, He did not impose any restrictions on this will. Restricting would mean forcing and pressuring. And Allah does not put pressure on any of his servants in the place of trial. This is due to Allah's wisdom and justice. That's why, neither Almighty Allah Himself intervened in the will of human, nor did He allow anyone else to interfere. There was only advice and suggestion. This advice and suggestion could be from Allah or it could be satanic. The suggestion of the prophets and angels is divine, that is from Allah, however, the delusion of Iblis is satanic. Still, these matters do not suppress the will of human. We can't talk about freedom if there is pressure. The suggestions and recommendations made to people are like the coach or the audience calling out to the players from the side of the field or from the stands. The players are free in all the actions in the game. Suggestions from outside can be impressive, for better or for worse. However, the players decide what will affect them and how much. Even the tactics given by the coach from the side of the field are reflected on the field depending on the will of the player. The player is free to reject the tactics given. The player who acts according to every suggestion coming from the stands can't be successful. Life is the same. Many suggestions come from the sides, from nearby, from far away, from inside or outside. Choosing, receiving and applying these suggestions is up to one's will. However, while Almighty Allah did not restrict the will of humans, He limited their power. That's why Allah held people responsible for their will, that is, their intentions, not their strength. The hadith of the Great Prophet "Actions are (judged) by intentions.” (Bukhari, Bad’ al-Wahy, 1) supports this. For example, the Pharaoh claimed to be a deity, which was beyond his power. He realized he was incapable of being a god when he was drowning. Just like this, the will that hits the power limits crashes and disappears. As you can see, the will that cannot exceed the power remains a dream. When the imaginations happen while sleeping, they are called dreams. The truthful ones are divine, and the unreal ones are satanic.

Then what is the value of the dream?

-Actually, the value of dreams in sleep is similar to that of dreams while awake. Sometimes we dream that we are hugging a person we love or that we are holding an object in our hands, we get excited, our joy is reflected on our faces and from time to time we even talk to ourselves. While we are happily watching the images appearing on the dream screen like this, when we hit the wall of reality, all our joy and excitement bubbles suddenly burst. There is nothing we can do about it, we want it, we dream about it, but we can't afford it. Our dreams just slip away. As the poet says: "Suppose it was a dream, wake up and it's over, / Suppose it was a bubble, no need to harbor...”

So, there is no reality in it?

- Of course there is. It should have. Just as the dream realized while awake is a reality, the dream we have while we are asleep is also a reality and a part of the divine test. There may be some divine, merciful or satanic influences on our dreams while sleeping just as those we imagine while awake. For this reason, divine dreams are dreamt with angelic inspirations, and satanic dreams with the delusion of the Satan. Of course, it is inevitable that these effects will be reflected in our actions or words. If a person tries to do something based on one's dreams or imaginations, it means that the trial begins from the moment of this attempt. Otherwise, no one can be held responsible for a dream or an imagination that has not been reflected on words or actions.

Did prophets have dreams, too?

- Yes, they did, the dreams of some prophets are mentioned in the Qur'an. It is mentioned in reliable sources that the Prophet Muhammad also dreamed and received revelation through dreams. Clearly, the dream is not a monotonous event and has many varieties. So, we need to evaluate dreams separately and give meaning to them based on their types. Attributing the same value and the same meaning to every dream is like thinking realistic and unrealistic dreams are the same. Indeed, there are daydreams that are close to reality as well as the unrealistic ones. The ones that are close to the reality are the plans and programs for the future. The dreams can also be close to reality. However, it is not easy to know which type and how much they are close to the truth. But this doesn't mean it is easy by looking at the dreams and interpretations of the prophets in the Qur'an. They were prophets, that is, people who receive revelation from Allah and speak with revelation. Their dreams were interpreted with the support of revelation. This is not possible for other people. So, we need to be very careful and meticulous while describing and interpreting the dreams. I have explained these in detail in my article published in the Diyanet Scientific Journal. ( “Rüyanın Mahiyeti Bilgi ve Hüküm Değeri (The Nature of the Dream, Its Knowledge and Judgment Value)” Diyanet Scientific Journal, 2017, vol. LIII, issue: 1, pp. 43-62)

However, it is also possible to exploit such a mysterious issue.

As we have just said, the dream has a mysterious aspect and almost everyone is curious about it. That's why, dreams can sometimes turn into a tool of abuse in the hands of evil-minded people. This is because dreams are personal, subjective and open to all kinds of interpretations. So, it is difficult to test and control them. Some malicious, manipulative or ignorant people who know this, turn dreams into a weapon. This aspect of the dream should not be overlooked. Some of the problems experienced show the extent to which this abuse can be taken. We have recently seen together how people are deceived through dreams, which resulted in a coup attempt in Türkiye.

IS IT AN ADVANTAGE TO BE BORN INTO A MUSLIM FAMILY?

Do we believe in Allah because we were born into Muslim families? What's wrong with those born into non-Muslim families? Allah gave both them and us minds. But can we use our mind fully?

- Three tough questions. Looks like you are planning to stumble me today. You think, let me leave him speechless so I can enjoy it. Well… Allah is generous. As the poet says: “Rely on Allah, obey the wisdom, work hard ! / This is the only path I know to be right!” With Allah's help, we will find a way out.

Oh please sir, I didn't mean that.

- Almost all of the Islamic scholars unanimously say that people are able to realize and know through their minds the existence and oneness of Allah and the necessity of being grateful for the blessings He has given. But they are separated on the point of responsibility. Some equate responsibility with knowing, while others don't. So knowledge and responsibility are two different things.

How about elaborating a little on responsibility?

- Responsibility is duty. Duty is the price of a blessing. So the responsibility is to know the price and fulfill it. To know is to accept and believe, and to fulfill is to live. To live with the consciousness of servitude to Allah. Those who think that knowledge will lead to responsibility set out from here. Others believe that a regulation in the form of orders and prohibitions for liability is necessary. They say, if there is no regulation, there is no responsibility.

Sir, if can we get back to the question.

- What we said so far was the introduction. How can we get to the answer without it? The first view suggests that if a person is born into a family of believers or non-believers, the person is responsible for knowing Allah in any case. We do have a mind and we must use it. Especially for knowing our Creator. The second view, however, suggests that a regulation is essential for responsibility. This regulation is called Islam. If Islam has reached a person, they are obliged to be a Muslim regardless of the family they were born into.

Well, those born into Muslim families have a head start then.

- Not exactly. That's the appearance. The advantaged and disadvantaged will be revealed in their last breath. What is important is to breathe one’s last as a believer. There is no favoritism in the other world. Even for the child of a prophet... For example, there was no favoritism for the son of Prophet Noah. He was the son of a prophet, but he died as a disbeliever. So, our Prophet's following statement is extremely accurate and valid, "No child is born except on al-Fitra (Islam) and then his parents make him Jewish, Christian or Magian.” (Bukhari, Jana'iz 93) Family is important and it is very difficult to go beyond the knowledge and experience gained there. But not impossible. A person can always see the truth using the mind and questioning the information given. As a matter of fact, many of the first believers in the Prophet were young people from polytheistic families. Despite all the compulsions and threats, they believed in Islam and did not give up their faith. From this perspective, being born into a non-believer family is not a disadvantage.

Well, when we look at it, the number of Muslims is small. How about the state of the large mass of non-believers, what will happen to them?

-Right. It seems rather difficult. If a society or an individual doesn't receive the message of Islam, there is no responsibility according to the view that suggests that it is necessary for people to receive the message of Islam, the last order of Allah. In fact, according to Imam Ghazzali, if people didn't hear about Islam in its correct and true form, then, there would be no responsibility for them either. It is only when they become aware of the reality of Islam, then the responsibility arises.

But what about the big masses?

-Let's look at this from another perspective. The number of wealthy people in the world have always been few. The low number of the rich does not prevent others from being rich, nor does it prevent the rich from becoming poor one day.

This example did not work, I guess?

- Let me put it this way: It can be misleading to make an assessment by looking at the number and the image. It all depends on one's will, determination and work. Over time, we see sometimes the rich become poor and the poor become rich. The religion is like this too, isn't it? A person who believed earlier maybe a disbeliever today. The opposite is possible too. But let's not forget that this world is a trial and a testing ground. People can get rich sometimes by inheritance, sometimes by chance, or sometimes by profiteering. But whether it is permanent depends on the person. For example, most of the lottery winners who get rich suddenly, become poorer over time than they did before. People who get rich by inheritance can consume it in a couple of years. Everything in the world is similar to each other. Being a Muslim is also a part of the life in the world. Just as people born into money can protect their wealth with their will and hard work, the Muslims with a Muslim background can protect their faith only with the will and determination. If these are absent, both can be lost. "Better a dollar earned than ten inherited." As they say, easy come, easy go.

But examples of this are very few.

- No, they are not! Look at the winners and those who go bankrupt. The low number of Muslims is partly due to the fact that Muslims are not as religious as they should be. The Malay Islands, where approximately four hundred million people live today, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines were influenced by Muslim traders and embraced Islam. This means that today's Muslims do not lead lives as they are supposed to do, therefore, they can't set an example and influence others. We really need to think about this. As unfair systems prevent the transition between the rich and the poor, the poor quality religious devotion hinders the increase of piety. What is more unfortunate isthat as a person who owns a car considered rich in a very poor society, a person who performs prayer is considered religious in this environment where religious devotion is very low. However, Islam is a combination of belief, worship and morality as a whole. Lack of one of these negatively affects the whole piety.

It seems that we could not achieve the quality in the world, just as we could not achieve the quality in observing religion.

- You are right! Absolutely right. Almighty Allah gives bounties to those who work. One achieves what one is working for in this world. Today, people, who are not believers, work for the world and earn. Allah rewards them for their labor. But this labor and work have no validity in the other world. The Kuwaiti dinar was once the most valuable currency in the world. It lost its value when Saddam occupied the country for there was no power behind it to protect the value of money. So, the value of some gains is relative. What is highly valuable in this world may not have any value in the Hereafter. Our main principle is: "Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire." (Baqarah, 2/201). It means we must follow what is valuable in both worlds. One-sided thinking and living may have a value in this world, but not in the Hereafter. As Muslims, we must strive to achieve the highest quality in both worlds. Then we can see more people converting Islam in waves. Just like the spread of Islam that took place as a result of being influenced by the attitude displayed in the conquest of Mecca and the religion and morality of Muslim traders.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE BELIEF OR RELIGION WITHOUT WORSHIP?

Sir, I have been thinking, is it possible to have belief without worship?

- Belief is a word we use a lot in our daily lives. We often use this word to mean to trust, to rely on, to agree wholeheartedly, and to be sincere. In this sense, it plays a decisive role in our personal relationships. For example, we believe that the person we meet is true and honest unless proven otherwise. We trust the people we are with. If there is nothing to suggest otherwise, we think the people we talk to are sincere. The feeling of trust is essential in mutual relations between individuals. When the relationship is like this, it creates an atmosphere of comfort and peace both personally and socially. Actually, if there is no belief, then uneasiness, discomfort and restlessness will appear.

So what is belief in the religious sense?

Belief is not different from the daily use regarding the religion. The 'trust' and 'sincerity' come to the fore in this reagard, too. In the Islamic context, belief (itiqad) means people to trust in Allah, the Creator, and to be sincere to Him. Then, there are two dimensions of belief regarding the religion: Trust and sincerity. Trusting in Allah means to see Him as the only source of security. Indeed, we promise Allah in Surah al-Fatihah saying “It is You we worship and You we ask for help.” Keeping promises is one of the most basic conditions of sincerity. So, sincerity is respecting the universe order set by Allah, and obeying the orders and prohibitions of the religion that He sent through the Prophet. Allah the Almighty, who created the universe and rules it, wants to see whether the values He has set and the blessings he has given are appreciated by His servants. Although He (swt) doesn't need it, He assigns a number of duties such as worship on people, apart from the rules He has established on the universe. These assignments are meant to measure the servant's awareness of servitude and to test their sincerity towards their Lord. So, Allah not only wants us to believe, but also to worship. This means there is no belief without worship. Actually, Almighty Allah Himself declares that this will not happen: “Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance. ” (Ta-Ha, 20/14) Allah created this world for test and trial. The most important issue in this trial is the sincerity. Almighty Allah will show the result of this sincerity in the next world. Those who pass the test and fail will be revealed there. So, whoever sincerely believes and does good deeds by believing that religion only belongs to Allah, will have successfully passed the test. This is a promise Allah made to people, and He never breaks His promise. This also shows how the Almighty Allah values people. In religious terms, it is Allah's mercy and grace to people. If Allah wanted all people to fail the exam, He would not have sent any prophets nor would he have given any information. The following verse addressing the Prophet Muhammad Mustafa shows Allah's mercy and grace towards people as “And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” (Anbiya, 21/107)

If so, how can worship without belief be explained?

- Although they actually believe and verbally express their beliefs, some people do not reflect their beliefs in their lives. Many reasons may cause this, such as neglect, disregard, ignoring… People's laziness and indifference are among the reasons. If a person does not have enough belief in one's heart, that person chooses procrastination. Postponing the requirement of the belief is what we call neglect. When this state settles in people, it turns into indifference. Some want to get rid of this indifference, but they can't control their will and get rid of it. A person like this can't be called a disbeliever. Since the word iman (faith), and the concept of deed (amal), expressing the practical side of religion, are mentioned separately in the Qur'an, the two have been considered independently of each other. However, when Islam is evaluated as a whole, the inseparability of belief, which is the theoretical aspect of religion, and deed, which is the practical aspect, can be clearly seen. Because deed is the indicator of belief, and belief is the foundation of and basis for worship. The belief that is not reflected in practice, although not a disbelief, is an obvious indifference. Furthermore it is an inconsistency. Because consistency means living the life as one believes.

Since there can be no faith without worship, there can never be a religion without worship, right?

- Some people have a desire to lead lives as if they do not believe, even though they do. As long as there is no denial, such people are Muslims. However, this attitude is evaluated as laziness and indifference towards belief. On the other hand, some esoteric groups interpret religious principles such as prayer, fasting, zakat and pilgrimage as they wish, and almost remove the essence of worships for their own benefit and interests. They have taken the worships away from their original meaning with some non-religious interpretations, such as regarding performing ritual prayer (salah) just as praying (du’a), fasting as abstaining the evil, zakat as paying taxes to the leader, and the pilgrimage as visiting their leaders. Such attitude can be seen in contemporary people as well. They say the worship restricts life, interrupts work during the day and entertainment at night. They claim that worship is supposedly a danger and threat to freedoms. So the worships, the practice of religion, must be minimized or if possible it must be removed from life completely. Therefore, with the reform movements, Christianity was restructured based on the requirements of modern life, and hollowed out of almost all its basic principles. Not content with that, some people even think having a world in which God does not interfere, under the name of deism. They intend to make God retire.

There has been such preferences lately.

- Yes, unfortunately, such preferences have been frequently expressed by some circles in our country in recent years. They tried to reform Islam first but it didn't work out. Nowadays, some want to start a deism fashion. Actually, this is the desire to have a religion without worship. It is a strange belief in which God is not involved and human is absolutely free.

Judging by their comments, it seems the modernists are trying to imitate esoteric groups?

- Right. Actually, some people think worship hinders the flow of work, fasting reduces the efficiency, and zakat is an unjust earning without any effort. In particular, they interpret the worships as they wish and offer some suggestions. They say praying is a way of spending free time. This is because, allegedly, people used to have a lot of free time before, so they could spare time to pray and fast. Since today's people are busy with work, they do not have time for worship. The changing times have brought the change of religion. Modern life means innovation. The old habits must be left behind and abandoned, bla bla bla... What a nonsense is this? O Allah, help me!

What should we do sir? What is your suggestion?

First of all, my dear, religion does not accept division and fragmentation. Divine or false, there is no religion in the history of the world that does not have the aspect of worship. Every religion has its own rituals in one way or another. That's why the idea of “natural religion”, which was developed in the west and put forward as a religion suitable for human nature (!), did not spread. The positivist religion called the "religion of humanity" did not have a chance to survive either. Obviously, the ”deist” belief that proposes the belief in God that does not interfere with the universe and human beings, cannot go beyond being a short-lived craze. This is simply reflected in historical experiences. One thing is for sure: Religion is kept alive only by worships. As they say, “out of sight, out of mind.”

IS FASTING A KIND OF DIET?

Sir, I have been thinking, is fasting a kind of diet? After all, we are hungry and thirsty while fasting. It's a bit difficult, especially in the summer. Isn't there another way around this?

- If you call fasting "a kind of diet" from the very beginning, of course, you will be looking for another way out. Indeed, there are many kinds of diets. A diet for everyone. If we accept fasting as a diet, everyone would claim to have a new kind. Especially when Ramadan comes, the fasting market gets moving. There are two groups who want to accept fasting as a diet: The first group is a little distant from religious life, but they want to fast. That's why they want to disguise it as a diet. So that there will be no peer pressure. The second group is in a hurry to make fasting likable too. Well, what can we say? In modern times the diets are popular. Let's call the fasting a diet then. Both are psychological issues specific to modern times.

What's wrong with dieting, sir? After all, it is an effort to be healthy.

I just said a few things, you think I am an anti-diet person?

No sir! I didn't mean it.

- Look, if the issue is about health and if it is possible through dieting, I have nothing to say. I am not against it. But it is not right to reduce fasting to dieting or to describe diets as fasting. It is one of the basic principles of Islam and we can't change it. Diet has two meanings: First, it is the restriction of eating for the purpose of maintaining or restoring health. The second is the worship that Christians and Jews perform by avoiding foods, such as meat and fat on certain days. So, what about the fasting referred to as ”sawm” that is mentioned in our religious resources? It is one of the five pillars of Islam. Abstinence from eating, drinking and intimate marital relations between imsak and iftar for a month in Ramadan. So the main purpose of fasting is to worship while the aim of the non-religious fast is health. Therefore, it is not correct to call fasting "diet" in two respects. First, the main purpose of fasting is the worship, not the health. Actually, those who are not healthy do not fast, instead, they give charity, called fidyah, to the poor. Second, there is an analogy to the worship of Christians and Jews under the name of diet. Actually our fast and their diet are different, meaning their natures are different.

I see. So there is a difference in purpose and nature between the two.

Exactly. We should net let some practices and principles of our religion get caught in the current of modern times and corrupt it. It is good to take care of one's health in the form of diet while fasting. If possible, one can quit bad habits, such as smoking, while fasting. These are the side benefits of fasting, not the essential ones. We need to take care of our health and get rid of bad habits in other times as well. Because Islam is not limited to Ramadan. A Muslim must be aware of servitude every day of the year and every hour of the day.

But sir, some young people and others like such approaches.

- Unfortunately, such approaches are emerging in other areas of life as well. If you reduce the fast to abstinence, there will be people who suggest more effective diets than fasting, and others who will make the time and nature of fasting controversial. Today, the market has many practices inspired by Indian beliefs under the name of personal development. Some are called meditation, some are given other names. These are suggested by people who have no thoughts or concerns about their worship lives. If you look at what they've already done and suggested, you can see there's no room for worship. More importantly, this segment of society is either indifferent to it or against religion and what is religious.

However, they also claim to provide psychological support to people.

- Modern human is tired of physical things. Looking for novelty. When there is not enough awareness and the right direction, they cling to everything they find. Inactivity is called meditation while losing weight is health. People, who do not know their options, are convinced easily. In fact, neither weakness is good and beautiful, nor inactivity. All they say is sitting and listening to yourself or concentrating on your mind. Here's how persuasion works: They first prepare people psychologically to see it as good. They accept everything that is said in this state of readiness. Just like mediums do. With a lot of fancy talk, they manipulate people’s mind in the the way they want. A kind of small scale hypnosis. In fact, religion offers an order to people's life, it does not force it, does not prepare it in advance, and does not resort to psychological deception. It appeals to the minds and wills.

But today people find the order brought by religion to be limiting.

- Is it possible to have a life without limits? Not at all. Limited to one of the genders, limited to time and space, limited to strengths and difficulties. Let's get them removed, is it possible? Not at all. So, we have to live by observing these limits. Having a life without limits is a dream and a delusion. The delusion disappears when we stop daydreaming and the dream ends when we wake up. What are we left with then? If they are good, it's a temporary joy, if they are bad, it's a permanent worry... Because joys quickly go away but worries stay.

So, what does Islam suggest?

- Islam offers people a natural and balanced life. Neither thin nor fat. A healthy life. Do whatever is necessary to be healthy. Inactivity must be through the sleep. To rest, rejuvenate and gain strength. Its time is the night, the place is the ground, the position is to lie down. So people sleep to be healthy and gather strength to work. The body, the mind, and the soul all sleep. They all need to be healthy. To exercise the mind and immobilize the body is neither natural nor human. Even dreaming occurs in the REM phase of waking up, not in deep sleep. You see, there is no inactivity in the worships of Islam and it is not desired. Prayer is a movement, fasting is a movement, pilgrimage is a movement… It is clear that prayer is a movement. We fast during the day in motion. If inactivity was aimed, we would be fasting at night while sleeping. Hajj, on the other hand, is full of movements involving circumambulation (tawaf), sa'y and traveling to the places of miqat and Arafat. That is why the waqfa (standing) in Arafat is short. Complete inactivity is not recommended there, too. The tongue will be in action with the Qur'an or dhikr, and the body with prayer. For this reason, waqfa is timed and circumambulation is continuous. A little resting, but moving constantly. Zakat is the circulation of money and wealth. The money that will not be accumulated or wasted in one place. It will constantly circulate among people. It will go from the person who doesn't need it to the needy.

Oh sir! You have finally connected it to moving.

- Exactly my dear. You know what they say? “Motion brings bounties.” That's why there are no holidays in Islam that involves resting and doing nothing. It is against human nature. People need to do different activities even on holidays. No one can stay doing nothing. Almighty Allah wants everyone to return to their work as soon as the Friday prayer ends. The inactivity, in the name of meditation and dieting, just to appear thin, is neither necessary nor good. Islam wants people to be healthy and active. Because movement leads to health, and health leads to a good life. Last word: May Allah keep everyone in true guidance, health and well-being.

DOES THE FAITH SHAKE DURING HARD TIMES?

This is what's on my mind: During difficult times, that is, when there is a calamity, we see very different behavior patterns in people. While some of them face the difficulties with patience and fortitude, some exhibit rebellious and aggressive attitudes. How should we interpret these behavioral differences in humans? Does the faith shake during hard times?

When major disasters occurred, people experienced social, psychological and even religious breakdowns in the history. Although there are some in-between categories, people are generally divided into two groups in such periods: There is a group who accepts the calamity and disaster, and seek solutions; and a second group who exhibits rebellion over disaster. The first group does not create a problem in the society. The second group is the main problem. This group believes that the calamity is caused by others and thinks that it will not happen to themselves. So, when it happens they see it unfair, and they rebel. The current Covid-19 pandemic and incidents are like an arena where such attitudes and behaviors are exhibited. While conscious and responsible people try to find a solution or be a part of the solution for the pandemic, others do not take any responsibility and choose to underestimate the solution and make it dysfunctional. This leads to further growth of the calamity.

Has such incidents been experienced in the past, and if so, how did people respond?

- Such calamities took place in every period throughout the history. People tried to fight pandemics with their experience, knowledge and existing treatment methods. In some ancient religions and cultures, because of the belief that this kind of disease was the Devil, and the patients were believed to be cursed people with the Devil inside them, they were subjected to violent and appalling behaviors. Even today, we see how old people are left to die in some countries because of the inadequacy of healthcare system. These images are painful examples of how the value given to human beings has diminished in such times.

What kind of image do we have when considered in the context of Islam?

- The Prophet, the Companions and later Islamic scholars saw such events not as a divine punishment or curse, but as a completely natural event and a test within the order of nature as created by Allah, and they sought to find solutions in this direction. They sought ways to overcome the calamity without blaming anyone. The best recommended solution is quarantine and isolation, which is still valid today. Our Prophet (saw) advised as follows: ”If you hear of an outbreak of plague in a land, do not enter it; but if the plague breaks out in a place while you are in it, do not leave that place. ” (Bukhari, Tibb, 30) “A sick person should not be taken to one who is healthy.” (Muslim, Salam, 104) The second caliph, Umar, showed the implementation of this advice in person by not entering a city with a contagious disease.

If we get back to our topic, how the belief of people suffer during such periods?

- Imam Maturidi said when people face such events, they exhibit four types of behavior. a. Faithful in times of distress, disbelieving and ungrateful in times of comfort, b. On the contrary, faithful in times of comfort, disbelief and ungratefulness in times of distress, c. Denier in both cases, d. Believing, worshiping and maintaining one's integrity in both cases.

How should we interpret it?

- It seems that some people tend to be faithful in hard times, some, on the contrary, turn to disbelief. The other two groups never compromise their beliefs. The believer is firm in their belief, and the unbeliever is firm in their denial. The first two groups can shift to either side. It seems that these two groups are not constant in their beliefs and they don't care about not having any consistency. In fact, it is debatable whether they even have beliefs. For instance, Maturidi defines those who seem to believe in times of comfort and deny it in times of distress as hypocrites, or people with a hypocritical character. Because they are not concerned about belief and they have no such value. Where, how and in whatever way they feel comfortable, they just tend to that direction. Their main purpose is not belief and value, but to be comfortable and prosperous at all times. That's why they don't wait, they grab the first opportunity they encounter. They don't care about anybody else but themselves.

Why do some people turn to faith in hard times?

-Actually, it is the desperation that turns them to faith. It is expressed in the Qur'an as follows: “And when adversity touches man, he calls upon his Lord, turning to Him [alone]; then when He bestows on him a favor from Himself, he forgets Him whom he called upon before, and he attributes to Allah equals to mislead [people] from His way.” (Zumar, 39/8) “And when adversity touches you at sea, lost are [all] those you invoke except for Him. But when He delivers you to the land, you turn away [from Him]. And ever is man ungrateful..” (‘Isra, 17/67) Today, we sometimes see how the unbelievers who face death focus on prayer and supplication. But when the troubles pass, they immediately return to their former state, as stated in the verse. We see similar behaviors not only in deniers, but also in people who are devoid of worship and obedience. They beg and invoke and even go and visit the tombs to pray when they are in need and distress. But when their needs are taken care of and their troubles are over, they go back to their old state. The belief of these two groups are like soap bubbles. Their beliefs are not permanent or consistent.

How about the other two groups?

- The other two groups are stable and consistent in their beliefs. Their faith cannot be shaken by sudden disasters and calamities. However, when it comes to long-term crises, their beliefs may break from time to time. Pandemics that emerged in Europe, the unbearable pressure of the church, and the great wars that caused the death of millions of people led to serious breaks in faith. These are the main reasons for the development of anti-faith movements in the West. In the Islamic world, the colonial rule that went on for centuries and subsequent Westernist understandings have seriously damaged the beliefs of religious people. The wounds caused by these events still have not been healed in the Islamic world.

What kind of results came out of this?

- As a consequence, three trends emerged in the Islamic world: a. Those who prefer Western values over local and national values, b. Those who ignore current developments and needs, and preserve traditional values as they are, c. Those who try to keep up with the current developments by also preserving traditional values. Today, these three tendencies are clashing under various names in the Islamic world. Interestingly, however, all three of them are intertwined. Sometimes it is impossible to see where people stand, who is sincere and who is opportunistic. People are exposed to strange changes with the effect of short or long-term developments. The following verse in the Qur'an sums it up as: “Say, ‘Each works according to his manner, but but, Your Lord is most knowing of who is best guided in way.’” (‘Isra, 17/84) This means that people's real temperament and sincerity emerge in times of distress and difficulty as well as in times of comfort and prosperity. People who are grateful and patient win and those who act otherwise lose.

IS IT CORRECT TO ASSOCIATE DISASTERS WITH SIN?

Sir! There have been a lot of earthquakes recently. Everyone seems to associates such disasters with different things. Some associate them with sin and rebellion, some with Allah, and some with the depths of the earth. Well, everyone has an opinion! But no one takes it personally?

- Well, as they say, a bad carpenter blames his tools. Everyone says this is from Allah or Satan. No one takes any responsibility. This is where we lose. Claiming rights while you are neglecting your own duties and even reminding others of their duties... I want to say this is specific to contemporary people but there used to be people like this in the past as well. So this is the disease of the humankind throughout the history.

Sir, what about disasters?

- We will get to it, patience please! I just want to say a few things and you block me! The expression "calamity" is used for disasters such as floods and earthquakes. They are the greatest disasters, troubles and calamities that people cannot overcome or prevent.

The human side of them is a matter of curiosity.

- Previous generations thought about it too. Islamic scholars have basically divided evil into two: the first is natural and the second is will-based. First one is found in nature and human has no influence or contribution to its existence. Therefore, people are not responsible for their existence. However, people are responsible for being aware of them and acting accordingly. For example, the snake is a venomous animal. Humans have nothing to do with the snake being poisonous. That said, coming into contact with the venomous snake is different. The responsibility starts here. If a person approaches the venomous snake recklessly and gets hurt, the person is responsible, not the snake. This kind of evil, which occurs as a result of reckless and irresponsible behaviors, is called will-based evil by Islamic thinkers.

If we apply this to earthquakes...

- Earthquake is a natural motion of the ground. It is out of the question for humans to create or stop this motion. Therefore, we are not responsible for this movement. The responsibility lies in the approach to this movement. First of all, people need to know this and take the necessary precautions. Taking precautions includes staying away from earthquake fault lines, settling on solid ground or making solid buildings. People who don't fulfill their responsibilities cannot pass the blame on earthquakes or other things. You can't ask people, “Why did you create an earthquake? ” Because people do not have the ability to do it. Earthquakes are a part of the law and order that Allah has placed on the earth. Islamic scholars have called such events adatullah, however, the scholars today call them natural phenomenon. Whatever you call it, this and similar disasters are the events beyond human and do not require responsibility. Precaution is what people will be held responsible for. The same is true for the snake venom mentioned above. Humans are not responsible for the snake's venom, but they are responsible for their reckless behaviors.

But, if a person takes all the necessary precautions but a calamity still occurs...

- Then, the person is free from responsibility. However, getting rid of responsibility does not mean getting rid of calamity. Indeed, another issue comes into play: the test. Humans are tested with such events. Not only people who are exposed to the calamity but also people around them are tested. Life is like a race, running and chasing... That's why we always try to get somewhere and always run away from something. Sometimes we can't catch up, sometimes we can't escape. We lose when we can't catch up, we are exposed to something when we can't escape. It is not in our hands to change the course of this life. This is how the world was established and goes on. Sometimes it is disappointing to not be able to catch something or run away from something while some other times it is a relief and joy. Just like the crash of a plane you couldn't catch, or a disease you caught that prevented you from catching the plane that crashed. Indeed, the Supreme Creator states, "But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not." (Baqarah, 2/216) . As it is mentioned in the verse, we can't exactly know what is good and what is bad. We can see it for sure only in the end.

Why is it so?

- Because we have some natural obstacles. Time and space are the primary ones. We have no way of knowing the future and the place where we are not present. Our calculations and plans do not go beyond estimation. What is certain is the things that have already happened. So, everything in the future is a possibility. We evaluate these possibilities and choose the right and most appropriate one. We are not responsible for the rest. We have no choice but to wait and accept the certainty. Everything that happens brings us new responsibilities and forces us to make new decisions. Life is a race like this.

What does it have to do with disaster?

-As I said, we are not responsible for the disaster, we are responsible for the precautions. That's why those who say “Not earthquakes kill but the buildings do.” are right. But after the disaster, new responsibilities emerge. How can we survive or recover from the disaster with the least damage? This responsibility is not only for those who experience disasters, but also for those who do not.

Why would the latter be responsible?

-Their responsibility is to help and support disaster survivors. As people who experience disasters are tested with the disaster, those who do not are tested with their attitudes towards them. They can't say "I don't care" and free themselves from the responsibility. Even if not in this world, Allah the Almighty will hold us accountable for our this. It is not clear when, where and what will happen to a person in life race. We can't say what happened to others won't happen to ourselves one day. Nobody is guaranteed for the future. That's how Allah established the system. It is our responsibility to act accordingly. In this race, we are sometimes running and sometimes chasing, sometimes falling, sometimes lifting up the falling one… In any case, we are all in a test.

Sir, let's sum it up…

- Allah created the universe and established a system. We are in a planet called “World”. This planet also has a functioning system established by Allah. Four seasons, months, days, hours; cold, hot, wet, dry, floods, earthquakes, fires... We are not responsible for the existence of these. We are responsible for our attitudes and behaviors towards them. Therefore, it is not right to associate natural disasters with the sins. The sin here is not taking precautions, not making appropriate decisions, neglect, being indifferent to the victims, not helping others, or even turning this into an opportunity or being greedy. The great scholar Imam Maturidi says: Communities that were destroyed in the past were destroyed not only because they committed blasphemy, but also because they caused corruption on earth and had obstinacy against Allah's laws. Because sin, blasphemy and idolatry will be accounted for in the Hereafter, not in this world.” So we suffer great losses in disasters because we have obstinacy against the laws that Allah has set on nature. Aren’t most of the environmental problems we experience today caused by the destructive attitudes and the stubborn and indifferent behavior towards natural events?

-You are right! Absolutely right.

-If everyone takes precautions, no one gets hurt. I hope everyone voluntarily and wholeheartedly rushes to help in unity and solidarity when there is a disaster…

WHY DO ALL TROUBLES POUR ON ME?

I have been thinking, am I the worst person in the world or the target of all troubles?

- Thinking is good. But thinking about only one aspect of something is not so good. This kind of thinking makes a person direction-blind. When looking at one direction, the person misses the others. This may lead to an obsessive mood. Obsession brings stress. Then the stressed person turns into someone who is always bored and can't cope with anything. They become obsessed with themselves and care for no one else. It leads to getting into the whirlpool of selfishness. The one who gets into this whirlpool eventually starts to think that everything bad happens to themselves only. The situation turns into an insoluble spiral of problems. There is of course some justification when a person thinks like this. Because a person knows oneself best. What happens to the person hurts oneself the most. If a way out is not found, the spiral of trouble grows exponentially. If we look around, it is easy to see that many people are struggling and are in even worse conditions than us. However, direction blindness and obsessions make others invisible to us. In the end, the troubles turn into a rebellion, and the person complains about everything and everyone around.

Well, what else can a person do, if he is hurting, faced with an insoluble problem, or is in a bad marriage, a bad family environment, or in a trouble?

- When you think like that, it seems really hard to do anything else. If we get into the same whirlpool, we can have a similar thought, too. So the real problem is the whirlpool. The solution is to get out of it. People who are constantly going around in circles cannot get rid of the problems, on the contrary, it turns into a cycle that enlarges the problems. It is like a snowball rolling down and getting bigger and bigger. However, it is difficult to get out of the whirlpool by one's own effort. Outside support is definitely needed. Here, the relatives and society have important responsibilities.

Is it possible to find this support on one’s own?

- Those who seek shall find. It requires strong will and determination. Additionally, one needs to know well whom to consult to. A one-sided or blind search can plunge one into a worse vortex. The person must be careful about the hand that is extended to help. One should not feel desperate and say “a drowning man will clutch at a straw.” Most of the drowning incidents at sea are due to desperation and panic. A hopeful, multifaceted and determined search can save a person from the vicious circle they are in. What the person needs to do is to observe the conditions and use their opportunities. This effort will give them a sense of confidence. Trust in yourself, trust in the environment and trust in Allah, the Creator. With this confidence, the hope of holding on to life and surviving grows and takes root.

But as the Qur'an states, “It is You we worship and You we ask for help.” You are talking about one’s self and his/her social circle.

Right. But if you pay attention to the order, you will see what I mean. Allah the Almighty commands us to worship Him (swt) What does it mean to worship? It means to recognize Him as the One God, to know that He created everything, including ourselves and our environment. He (swt) is the one Who prepares the conditions and gives us possibilities. If we abide by the conditions He has prepared and take advantage of the opportunities, we will find a way to overcome the trouble inshaallah. So, while seeking for a solution, we need to consider Allah and the system He has established in the universe, that is, the current conditions and possibilities. It also means that requests made without considering them will not be answered. If we look around, we can see how well the people, who observe the conditions and try to use their opportunities, live their lives. Allah rewards those, who work in the world, for their labor. He gives the beauty in the Hereafter to those who fulfill the duty of gratitude and patience, that is, those who do not show ungratefulness and rebellion. What we are supposed to do is patience in adversity and gratitude in comfort...

Could you elaborate on this a bit more?

The Almighty Allah has created the universe and many beings of different species and kinds. He has given certain characteristics to every being. He created humans and equipped them with certain possibilities. Besides, He (swt) prepared certain conditions. Allah the Almighty wants the people He created to live regarding these conditions and possibilities. Ignoring the conditions around and not using the opportunities, people may get into trouble, and it is difficult to get out of it. However, when people show a strong will and determination to get out of troubles, Allah will support them. Experiences reveal this. For instance, if a person doesn't pay attention to the conditions in winter or summer, it is inevitable that the person will get sick. Paying attention to the conditions and taking precautions lead to a comfortable and healthy life.

But Allah is Omnipotent. If He Wills, He can help His servants without these.

- Once again, our selfishness is obvious. We don't want to do anything but we want Allah to give us everything. People thinking like this devalue themselves, like lifeless stones. A stone standing in one place cannot move unless someone pushes or pulls it. If someone hits it, throws dirt on it or wants to smash it, it can't stop it. We must be different from a stone. A human being is a thinking being who can demonstrate will and determination for realizing their thoughts. What suits them is to use these features. If they don't, the granter of those features demands recompense. Allah didn't create human like a stone. Thinking like this means that one does not want to recognize the system established by Allah. Not recognizing His system means not recognizing Him (swt). However, there is no authority other than the Almighty Allah whom we can ask for help. So, following the rules He set for the universe and social life is in our best interest. We have no other choice. Actually, don't people make the same mistake about doctors? We must have heard something like this:

- I saw the doctor, but he did not heal me.

- Well, did you follow the doctor's advice?

-Why, a doctor is supposed to cure me immediately!

You mean that just as following the doctor's recommendations and using the medicines are necessary for healing, it is also necessary to comply with the conditions created by Allah and to use the opportunities He has given in order to get out of troubles.

- That's exactly what I mean. If people pay attention to the conditions created by Almighty Allah and use the opportunities He has given them, they will feel comfort in this world and will be rewarded in the Hereafter. It is like claiming that you love someone verbally, but not in practice. That means loving someone without any effort. Just as there are manifestations of love, there are manifestations of belief in Allah, too. It would be naive to expect a prayer to be fulfilled while ignoring the system and opportunities that Allah has established. This is like expecting a salary at the end of the month without working. As we cannot earn without working, there is no gain without following the religious and worldly system set by Allah.

When we do all this, what will Allah's contribution be?

- Everything we have and everything we are in belong to Allah. First of all, we have to thank Allah for all these. Just as we thank people for helping us kindly and with the most beautiful words, we should also thank Allah, who has given us so many blessings, in the most appropriate way. This gratitude must be in the way He (swt) has determined and wanted. With the prayers we make after these, Allah first gives us psychological support by giving us strong will and determination. Actually, this is the most important contribution for the success of a work and the solution of a problem. Many people who have cancer, which is a chronic disease, are able to overcome their disease with a strong will and determination. But if people do not use their wills, they cannot quit even a simple bad habit like smoking.

QUESTIONS TO ATHEISTS, DEISTS AND PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN SCIENCE LIKE RELIGION

Atheists, deists and circles that see science as religion try to confuse religious people and the youth with the questions they constantly ask. Some of the questions are simple but aimed at luring ignorant people, such as “if there is only one religion, why are there more than one sects? ”, some are absurd such as "God created the universe, so who created God? ", some try to question Allah although they don't believe in Him and set a position for Him or try to redesign religion's beliefs and practices as they think, some of them are questions that concern the whole humanity, therefore they should answer themselves as well, and some others are the reflection of an abnormal psychology that sees everything that is natural and traditional as a problem... They are based on two main arguments: the first is the problem of evil, and the second is that the universe is already functioning, so it does not need a god. Since they always ask us questions and want answers,this time let us ask a few questions to them...

1.  If all the humanity denied Allah, would the evils you justify disappear? If not, then aren't you asking a meaningless and absurd question that leads to nowhere? Do you have an applicable and conclusive suggestion for the elimination of all evils?

2.  At least, believers have faith that the evils of the world will be punished in the Afterlife and the victims will be rewarded. Since you deny the Afterlife as well as God, what kind of punishment do you propose for those who do evil in this world, and what kind of compensation for the victims? Many of the oppressors die without being held accountable in this world where justice isn't always served. With this thought, are you aware that you produce a psychology of helplessness against the oppressors?

3.  You claim that the universe came into existence spontaneously with the big bang. Can you explain what happened before the big bang?

4.  What caused the big bang? How did the matter of the universe that was the subject of the big bang occur? If it came into being by itself, how did a self-existing matter get to the point of explosion? Isn't there a reason for this explosion as well in the universe, where every phenomenon and event has a cause and effect?

5.  Scientific theories must be based on experimentation and observation. Are there ant real observations and experiments that prove the reality of the big bang theory? Is it possible to make such a real experiment and observation at universal scale? Or is it a retrospective assumption based on small-scale representative experiments?

6.  How come did the matter of the universe, which became chaos as a result of the big bang, turn into a grand order? Or do you believe that there is a transforming immanent power within the universe matter?

7.  How did so many beings in the universe come into existence in a planned manner? If galaxies, solar systems, planets, moons of planets, and meteorites were all the result of an explosion, wouldn't all these elements be straying in the universe like meteorites? What is the reason that turns some of these universe elements into suns, some planets, and some stray meteorites? Did all this happen for no reason?

8.  If the universe exists and functions on its own, why can't it fix its own problems? Why can't it stop the extinction of species, and prevent or repair events like ozone depletion?

9.  Despite all the scientific research and developments, any life outside of Earth has not been discovered in the universe yet. How can you explain the existence of life only on a tiny world in the big universe?

10.  How did such diversity emerge in the world? You claim that according to the positivist and progressive understanding of history approach, which is treated almost like an indomitable faith subject, there is a progress from the primitive to the advanced. Why did this progress cause the extinction of some beings and leave others? Was this selection random or was it part of a plan?

11.  Why did the universe that produced the giant dinosaurs let them disappear? Is the universe a big monster eating its own child? Will it one day come and make humans extinct too? Will it one day consume everything it produces and turn it back into chaos and its first raw material? Do you have any scientific data on whether this will happen or not?

12.  With the ships and weapons developed by science, whales, the biggest creatures of the seas, are facing the danger of extinction. Why does the universe allow these precious beings to be destroyed? Why doesn't it speed up the reproduction of these extinct beings?

13.  Nature is rapidly losing its species. This extinction occurs with the weapons produced by science. What a cruel universe! It tolerates the extinction of the species it produces. And all these things happen with the science produced by the human beings. Why did the universe produce a ruthless creature like human, who is the biggest cause of the extinction of all these species? Doesn't the universe have a punishment for the monster humans? Will these injustices in the world never be paid for? Will everyone get away with what they do?

14.  Why has nature produced wild animals that feed on gazelles, which are extremely cute and do not harm their environment other than eating grass? Why has nature produced a more savage creature like human, who kills, consumes and destroys all these? What will be the result when everything in the world consumes one another in this way? When and how will the hornless sheep demand an account from the horned one?

15.  Would there be a better world if the universe had produced animals as intelligent beings instead of humans? Would they also wipe out the human species?

16.  Will the humans destruct the space as they have done in the world since they are looking for a new living place in there? It is stated that the space has turned into a satellite dump? Could this dump expand and damage the natural state of the space? Why didn't the universe produce a mechanism that would prevent the destructive human from going into space?

17.  A century ago, the atheists claimed that the universe was a perfect machine that would never break down or stop. Using this claim, they were saying that the religious beliefs of the apocalypse were in vain. Why do they have to worry about producing green policies and slogans these days?

18.  If only some of the nuclear power plants produced by science exploded, all living things on earth could be destroyed! You who believe only in science! Do you have a solution for this catastrophic abyss produced by the science you believe in?

19.  The atomic bomb produced by science destroyed all living things in two cities in Japan. The atomic bomb the science produced made no distinction between children in swaddles, mothers about to breastfeed, the elderly with their backs bent, animals unaware of anything, and plants asn the green cover of the world. Let's say that all this has already happened, can you remove the nuclear effects that still continue there and offer a better world to all those people who are struggling with diseases?

20.  The bloodiest and most destructive war in the world was World War II. There were no religious states among the parties of that war, and there were no religious people at the head of the states. The leaders of the warring states were profane, atheist and positivist people with a weak sense of religion, such as Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini. It is estimated that around 60 million people died in this war, the least given figure. This brutality is an all-time record. There is a human loss that is higher than the total loss in all wars throughout the history of the world. It is impossible to estimate the amount of animals destroyed during the war and the extent of nature destroyed. Who is going to be held accountable for all these? Are those, who brutally inflicted violence, never going to be brought to justice? Are they going to be escaped from the responsibility by just dying?

21.  Many of the descendants of the Jews that Hitler had strangled in the gas chambers said "Who would believe in God after the Holocaust? " and became atheists. Because they thought they were “the beloved and chosen children of God.” The Holocaust radically shook their faith. They thought that God had turned his back on his children and watched them as they were poisoned in the gas chambers. They also turned their backs on God in their minds. Was this a kind of escape? Was it the fear of confronting themselves and their history? Was it an attempt to ignore the Hitler-like atrocities inflicted on Palestinians today, or to get rid of this brutal burden? According to this, is atheism a shelter from such realities and avoidance of responsibility?

22.  Except a few kingdoms trying to exert their power through religion, and Israel, which has made racism an ideology, there is hardly any state in the world today that is governed entirely by religious rules. Are people today happier than the past?

23.  The leaders of the Zionist ideology are known to be far from religion and even they are known to be atheists. Are atheism and deism the ladder or pillar of racism and fascism?

24.  Why does that magnificent science continue to contribute to the bloodbath of today's world with the technologies it produces?

25.  In today's world dominated by profane rulers, why is the money spent on tackling deadly diseases so much less than the money spent on technologies developing weapons?

26.  Why are drugs for deadly diseases so expensive? Do science and scientists exploit people's helplessness? Why are treatments so expensive in medical schools and research hospitals, which are science centers? Or is science just a means of maintaining the comfort of certain social strata, namely the elite?

27.  Are religious people or non-religious people establishing and managing human trafficking and organ mafia organizations? Why can't the Hippocratic oath and science stop the doctors who undertake the workforce of the organ mafia?

28.  As in communist and socialist states, why have governments established by atheists always been oppressive, imposing and victimizing? When the Iron Curtain fell, immorality, corruption, misery, backwardness and serious inequality in income distribution were seen in countries ruled by communist ideology. Why this atheist ideology did not lead people to prosperity and happiness after coming to power with the slogan of equality?

29.  Why do atheists, who draw attention to the human under the name of humanism, ignore the crises of humanity? While Africa, Asia and South America were colonized and impoverished, why couldn't these atheists come up with a formula that would develop and prosper these regions? Why did the atheist communist governments established in the aforementioned regions not contribute beyond increasing the victimization of those regions?

30.  What are the wages of workers in atheist communist China? Why do big western technology companies produce all their products there? Are atheism and communism the means of presenting poor people as cheap workers at the service of exploitative capitalism?

31.  Why is the qiblah of the atheists of undeveloped and developing countries, capitalist Europe and America? I wonder if atheists could not find what they were looking for in communism, which oppresses, despises and leads humanity to misery, and then took the helm to colonial capitalism?

32.  Finally people woke up and started looking for their exploited goods and stolen values. Europe is the destination for people in Asia and Africa while the destination for the people of South America is the USA and Canada. What is the reason for this Migration Period? Could the reason be the exploitation of people by turning the science into a tool? Could it be that the atheist communist governments established in these countries were disappointing people?

33.  Why are suicide rates so high in Europe and America, where science has developed so much and the profane and positivist understanding is strong? Why is the rate of seeing the psychiatrists increasing in these countries? Why can science and professional life not relax people, on the contrary, stress them?

34.  The thesis that misery is in the east and prosperity is in the west has been proposed for years. They even claimed that the religions hindered development and prosperity. How can the crisis and human tragedies experienced by developed countries be explained? We live in times when it is clear how the oil-rich countries extort money in mafia-like ways to maintain artificial prosperity. So, wealth and prosperity are about a bit of exploitation, blackmail and coercion. When will you atheists face these facts?

35.  When will the atheists and deists give up false statements and lying about religion? Recently a person claiming to be a deist said "religions cannot achieve prosperity in this world because they believe that prosperity is in the Hereafter." When will atheists and deists, who constantly talk about the immorality of others, see their own immorality?

36.  The way the states, societies and people function is completely dependent on the internet. Does science have an alternative solution to fill the void or fix the psychological destruction that the collapse or large-scale disruption of the internet will bring?

37.  The manuscripts written on marbles and stones thousands of years ago have survived to the present day. I wonder if the information on the chips produced by science can be transmitted to the next thousand years properly? Why is the science producing less durable products? Why are we being pressured to constantly change the technology we buy? Does science make our lives easier or more comfortable, or are we forced to run in a labyrinth constantly?

38.  Is science being used as a tool for our exploitation? Why does a machine we buy start to malfunction after the warranty period is over? Why are we constantly under the psychological pressure of buying new machines or vehicles?

39.  Science also produces the destructive opposite of everything it produces. It produces a program, sells it, then creates a virus and invalidates the program it sells. Then antivirus programs are produced. We are constantly being forced to buy them. Has the science you believe in and whose data you trust, become human's best and most sophisticated means of exploitation?

40.  How much progress has been achieved in the field of human rights in the world since the publication of the Declaration of Human Rights, in which the religions have been ignored? Has the happiness of women, men, children and the elderly increased more since then?

41.  We have been told for years that, according to the scientific data, the population planning is a good thing, and some positivist and secular countries have implemented it with strict and repressive policies. They even allowed people to kill babies in the womb by legitimizing and promoting abortion. So called civilized countries that are positivist and secular-minded are giving incentives to increase their populations now. How can this apparent contradiction be explained?

42.  Population planning was put into practice thinking that the food produced in the world would not be enough. Science has created a production explosion in the world by degrading the purity of the products. There was a lot of products now, but not pure anymore. Why didn't those who committed the murder of unborn babies for years, thinking that the product would run out, could not see this abundance of production? Was the abundance of production beneficial or detrimental to the humanity? Is it possible to say that people are healthier and happier in a world where purity is disappearing more and more every day? Is the emergence of incurable and deadly diseases day by day a result of excessive intervention in the purity? What kind of an end awaits this trend?

43.  The solution produced by the secular world to incurable diseases is euthanasia, that is, to instill in old people a desire to die voluntarily. First, the mother's womb has been intervened through population planning / it is still being done, and tiny babies are killed in the womb. Now, euthanasia is sought as a solution to get rid of the burden of the elderly or old age. I wonder if the secular world has no idea about how to keep people alive? The healthy should live, and the sick people who have an incurable disease should ask to die, right? Is this desire to die a result of the social pressure of the secular mentality?

44.  Advocates of women's rights have successfully pushed childbearing and motherhood into the background. They also encouraged the feeling of men to resemble women. A type of man who no longer wants children and cannot take the responsibility of being a father has been produced. Has this development contributed to the humanity, or brought destruction?

45.  An exploitation market has been established in which women and their beauty are exhibited, and the market is turning this display into money. With the abundance of communication channels the science has produced, this market has become extremely widespread and strong. Alongside the women displaying their beauty, men began to appear. An environment where men become women and women become men has been made attractive. After other species, humans have also found a way to exterminate their own kind. Will the human beings, who have been put into this tunnel, be able to save their own kind from extinction?

46.  Could feminism, the product of the secular mentality, make women happier? Is a woman happier at home who prepares food for her children and husband, or a woman who plays poker with men in cafes? Is a woman happier in the capitalist market, who has forgotten to have children, to be a mother, and who has lost her femininity, or a woman who lives in a warm home environment with her children and husband? Who is happier, the child of a woman, who says “I can have children and a career both” , or the child who finds a mother's warmth at home to take shelter at any moment?

47.  Atheism and deism, the names which humanity began to hear frequently with the bloody French revolution, played a leading role in the establishment of a secular, positivist, socialist and capitalist world. These understandings have left behind a world where millions died and millions were victims. We still live in a world where guns operate and deaths are rampant. They created victim regions such as Africa and South America where people are trying to flee by crossing the seas at the cost of losing their lives. Now they can't come up with a solution other than stocks, cannons and barbed wire to prevent their entrance. Are the atheists satisfied so far?

48.  Do the deists, who cast God out of the life, have proof that God will not interfere with the universe? Do they base their claims on the knowledge they receive from the God they believe in, or do they present it to us as a foresight? If it is the first, then they accept that the knowledge is received from God. If it is the latter, the science and belief cannot be built with foresight. If they claim these things based on science, then they have to put forward evidence based on observation or experiment. If they cannot do this, what they say is nothing more than a mere conjecture and guess. If we are to believe, isn't it more logical and wiser to believe in the Prophet who said that he received information from God and brought a solid document?

49.  Your belief that the universe works without God's intervention is similar to a driver’s claim that says, "Well, as you see the car is on the road and never breaks down, so I don't need a manufacturer or a mechanic." You have no concrete data that the universe does not need God. Many corruptions occur in the universe and nature which cannot be repaired. It is assumed that the Sun will die after a certain time and there seems to be no measure to prevent this right now. So, the universe is heading towards an end called the apocalypse. Do you have a plan or measure that doesn't involve God to end this ?

50.  Deists, who throw God out of life! Do you have any idea what kind of an end and result God is planning when the resources in the world are depleted, all the lands are covered with water due to climate change, or the Sun's energy is exhausted as the data by the scientists suggest?

51.  When artificial intelligence studies progress and robots equivalent to human intelligence are produced, these robots no longer need the humans that produced them and start to ignore them, will the world be left to robots that ignore their creator? According to our belief, after the good people and those who do good are completely gone from the world, the apocalypse will arrive to destroy cruel and evil people who have no positive features other than intelligence. Wait, you will see it or you will die before you see it… We will meet on the other side, the Hereafter… Do you have any alternatives?