Issue 48 (October - December 2004)

This world is a wonderful vessel for humankind, floating in this vast universe, the place that we exist and feel our existence. It is also a warm dwelling, surrounded by magnificent animate and inanimate ornaments, a library that contains millions and billions of books written in many different lan…

Neighborhood and neighborliness is an important social value that is often neglected in this century. Just as in Judaism and Christianity, the rights of neighbors are strongly emphasized in Islam. This article focuses on some of the important points concerning neighbor relationships according to Is…

When visiting Moscow University, Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac, the famous physicist and the founder of Quantum Mechanics, as well as being the fifteenth Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, was asked about his philosophy in physics and he wrote on a blackboard “physical laws shou…

When I first heard a politician say, “We can rule from beyond the grave,” I didn’t respond very positively. “What does that mean?” I exclaimed in confusion. However, as it dawned on me that he was actually referring to great men and their immortal ideas about transcending our limited ideas, I gra…

Nonprofit organizations (henceforward “nonprofits”) are those agencies that are nongovernmental entities incorporated under state laws as charitable not-for-profit organizations. They are formed to serve some type of public service mission and are exempt from paying taxes. Nonprofit organizations a…

There are two Arabic words that describe the nature of prayer. The word “salat” describes prayer through words and performance, such as bowing and prostrating. The word “dua” describes prayer through words, such as asking God to fulfill one’s needs. Nursi frames his view on prayer by making use of…

Suddenly he got up from where he was sitting and started to shout. He was furious just because he couldn’t kill the man who was firing at him. He sat down and tried again. He was hopping mad just to get rid of the man opposite him. He gave great damages to his rival. When the man opposite him was l…

Love of animals is a part of the love of the creation. This love is a consequence of the love a believer feels for the universe as a mirror of the Names and Attributes of its Creator. Love of animals is a love a human being feels for fellow inhabitants of the Earth and the wonderful creation of the…

Being the product of the cosmic tree, human beings are one of the most complicated biological systems, all-inclusively equipped with both material and spiritual attributes. When examined from diverse points of view, such a multidimensional system and infinitely precise processing order can be much…

Social insects such as termites, some bees and wasps in general, and ants in particular, have held a mysterious fascination for men since the beginning of earliest recorded time. No other organism of comparable size, unless it has been of outstanding economic benefit or harm to the human race, has…

Constructivism is a new approach in education that claims humans are better able to understand the information they have constructed by themselves. According to constructivist theories, learning is a social advancement that involves language, real world situations, and interaction and collaboration…

The sandstorm was over. It was a horrible night. The caravan was lost in the middle of nowhere. The camels were taking us to a place we knew nothing about. We were tired and hopeless. However, a miracle happened. After we passed a small hill, we saw a fabulous palace. There was nobody, no guards, o…

There are no formal rules in Islam concerned with the way one wears one’s hair, the style of clothing or anything else related to external appearance. What is important in Islam is that followers must present an Islamic identity, interpret its spirituality, and represent in a good manner the beauty…

Carlyle was Scottish and lived in England, but he had close relations with the “New World” and had readers in the United States. He had a lifelong friendship with the influential American philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson. At his time, there were not many philosophers who had witnessed the industria…

Humanity is the most honorable member of all creation, a fact underscored by the divine revelation Surely We created man of the best stature (Tin 95:04). Flesh and bones are not the only components of our formation; we are adorned with many inner qualities and virtues that make us stand out of all…