Issue 51 (July - September 2005)

The worth and sanctity attributed to a time or a land are essentially related to the Will of God. This Divine Will brings along countless benefits and examples of wisdom for the creation. We mark certain points in history with significant events and commemorate their anniversary every year; likewis…

The blessed three months are Rajab, Sha’ban, and Ramadan (the seventh, eighth, and ninth months) in the Islamic hijri calendar1; these months are distinguished from the rest of the year with a special taste and atmosphere that each possesses. Every month comes along with a beauty and appeal to the…

One of the most amazing studies ever conducted on brain function occurred after an industrial accident. The subject of this study was a 25 year-old foreman, Phineas Gage, who had been working at a railroad construction site in Vermont. On September 13, 1848, Gage was tamping explosive powder into a…

We humans have a tendency to overlook the marvelous aspects of things we witness regularly. To the parents of a newborn baby, the healthy birth is a clear miracle. To the doctor, this may be just another day at work. We marvel at the tiniest possible signs of water on a distant planet such as Mars…

Although some people deny the existence of super talents, rather seeing success as a result of extreme concentration and hard work, most people agree that there are individuals who are born with certain talents in various areas, such as the arts, leadership, scholastic, and scientific excellence. W…

Each year thousands of people (men, women, and children) fall victim to the vicious and organized trafficking of humans (TH). Particularly after the collapse of Communism, this black market has prospered greatly in the countries surrounding the so-called “Iron Curtain” countries. For years, in addi…

The amount of activity that goes on in the human body makes it comparable to a city. There is even more activity in a human body than in the busiest of cities, only all on a smaller scale. Most people are not aware of the highly complicated and orderly processes that take place in their body; the c…

“Master and Disciple: Two Religio-Sociological Studies” is a paper written by Joachim Wach. At the beginning of the paper, Wach makes a comparison between the Teacher-Student and the Master-Disciple relationship, and then continues to narrow the field and to discuss the meaning of the life of a mas…

MOSCOW – Arbat Street has always been compared to Oxford Street in London, or 5th Avenue in Manhattan, or Istiklal Street in Istanbul. These streets are well known for their shopping malls, amusement centers, and their beggars. While walking along Arbat Street, I saw a wonderful rainbow. As the rai…

“My feeling is insofar religious as I am imbued with the consciousness of the insufficiency of the human mind to understand deeply the harmony of the Universe which we try to formulate as ‘laws of nature.’ It is this consciousness and humility I miss in the Freethinker mentality.” American P…

Throughout history, humanity has been in search of eternal life; explorations into the deep galaxy and bio-medical projects in modern science are in one way dedicated to finding a new direction for this perpetual search. Doctor Luqman, the legendary figure of Eastern literature, was gifted with uni…

The wonder of the age, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, had an exceptional life of worship. There are many accounts reported by his students about his sorrowful sighs and groans while saying his prayers in full concentration and awe of God Almighty. His experience with the Blessed Three Months (shuhuru thal…

“No one yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure” - Emma Goldman For centuries there has been much isolation (of various sorts) and years of conflict that have placed a…

And this world's life is naught but a play and an idle sport and certainly the abode of the hereafter is better. An‘am 6:32 Mr. B was an old medallion maker who took great pride in his art and craftsmanship. He had been making medals since his youth and he never missed any opportunity to boast…

Karmatism is a heretical esoteric sect founded by Hamdan ibn Karmat in the ninth century AD. Hamdan took advantage of the poverty of people and was influential, especially in Iraq and its periphery, voicing “collective property” and claiming shares from the rich. These people may have appeared reli…

Those who have followed Gulen’s world of ideas closely will see that what he wrote or preached 15-20 years ago and the ideas he puts forward today are in no way different nor do they conflict in essence; on the contrary, all of his works and speeches interpret one another and gradually lead toward…