Category: Editor’s Picks

The Pen 31st issue

The Pen

Editor’s letter: Key to bliss in this life and in the next Yunus Emre Pehlivan The fruit that sweetens as it matures: Patience Zafer ODABAŞ An amazing art on body: Aging Dr. Abuzer ÖZKAN Things brought by time & the Risale-i Nur Dr. Muhammed Bostan Truths that refute evolution Assoc. Prof. Umut Muhammed Said Çavuş Honesty and man Rıdvan GENÇ Magician executioner Mustafa Topöz Want to make your less more? Atty. Hakkı Aygün | Head of Hayrat Aid Electromagnetic waves around us and their influence on health Dr Serdar ÖZDEMİR…

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Key to bliss in this life and in the next

Yunus Emre Pehlivan

Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullah. People are all on the road of life which starts from the world of spirits, passes through the grave, and extends on to the hereafter. We are travellers on the same road and going in one direction and have one destination only. There is no different road, direction, or destination. While on this journey, some affiliate themselves with the Creator (i.e. believing in Allah), some don’t do that. Believing in the Creator is the first step you have to take to have a good welcome when…

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The Whispers of All that is.

Omer Siddique

Allah (swt) mentions in the Quran, in Surah Dhariat, “I did not create the Jinns and the Human beings except for the purpose that they should worship Me.” (51:56) Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) has explained this verse, he has given the tafsir of it, that here, “that they should worship Me” means “that they should know or recognise Me”. That is, Allah created the Jinn and Man to know Allah, to recognise Him. A similar idea is given in the tradition that Allah says, “I…

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Frugality is gratitude

The Pen

Allah, our Compassionate Creator, wishes for gratitude in return for the blessings that He has given to us. And “frugality” carries the meaning of gratitude for the Divine mercy contained in His blessings. Wastefulness, however, is irreconcilable with gratitude. A lot of wisdom exist in being frugal. Frugality is a means of abundance (barakah). Frugality is like a diet, a cause of bodily health. Wastefulness, on the other hand, has a detrimental effect on health. The sense of taste in the mouth is like a doorkeeper, and the stomach is…

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The fourth pillar of Islam: fasting

The Pen

The fourth pillar of Islam is fasting in the month of Ramadan, the month in which the Qur’an was revealed, in solidarity with the poor, and as a spiritual exercise cultivating qualities of discipline, self-denial and non-indulgence. This is the month in which Muslims abstain from food, drink and sexual activity between dawn and dusk, and busy themselves with the practice of the Divine Remembrance (dhikr), and reading and reflecting upon the Qur’an. Yet it is also a month of material blessings and joy, and after dark, a festival month…

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Three types of patience

The Pen

THE FIRST: Patience to abstain from sins. It is to patiently continue refraining from sins and rebellion (against Allah). That is, it is the patience shown by abstaining from the things Allah prohibits. A person being patient by not eating something prohibited, turning his face away from the opposite sex and not gazing, and his striving not to commit sins like gambling, drinking alcohol and practicing usury are the examples for this type of patience. It is called taqwa (piety). The best example of this is the patience of Yusuf…

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Hunger teaches us many lessons

Yunus Emre Pehlivan

Blessed month Ramadan al Sharif has come again. For the last few years it is in summer. This means long hours of hunger and thirst in many countries. Muslims fast more than 17 hours in many regions. The hunger we experience during Ramadan is a means of many benefits. There is great wisdom behind the hunger of this valuable worship. Here are some of them: – Hunger teaches us that we are mortal! Many of us mistakenly suppose that the time will not come for us. We forget that we will…

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