Preface
The twenty-first century is a century in which human beings have all kinds of technical facilities. Human beings can travel internationally as comfortable as they are at home. The material development level caused the neglect of their spiritual aspect.
Today's human beings sought peace and happiness in material things. They had the conviction that they would be happier as they satisfied their material desires and requests. Most of the human beings pursued their bodily desires and requests and did not pay any attention to the cries of their spirits. Today's human beings and communities that advanced materially were ill spiritually. Human beings were deprived of the knowledge to know Allah, which is the nourishment of the spirit and the heart, of the honor to know the Creator, who granted them everything. The spiritual illnesses caused by this deprivation devastated both individuals and communities. This illness has a long history.
Beginning from the nineteenth century, technology started to prevail the lives of human beings. Materialistic philosophy overshadowed faith and human beings started to question everything. Everything was sought in the matter. The brains of the people who sought everything in the matter are in their eyes. Eyes are blind spiritually.
The values of the religion based on faith incurred the attack of materialistic philosophy. The issues that materialistic philosophy did not accept were regarded as non-scientific hence non-religious. Religion and values regarded as holy by religion were attacked in the name of knowledge and atheism. Thus, atheism was presented as the religion of knowledge.
Today's human beings that were brought up with this spirit were dragged into a full psychological crisis and faith crisis. A war was declared against all kinds of holy values and even against human life. Instead of love, compassion and affection, enmity, hatred and hostility prevailed among people. All kinds of immorality contrary to the human spirit and social values were in demand.
What will save humanity from this spiritual pit and crisis is the spiritual values that religions offer. Members of religions should seek ways to cure these spiritual wounds of human beings with the compassion of a doctor. They have the remedy that will save human beings from the crisis they fell into. The solution depends on the presentation of these values in accordance with the mind, thought and philosophy of today's people.
Islam, which is sufficient for the improvement of the world in every aspect, has undertaken this duty itself because it has a very comprehensive book. This book contains the decisions and value judgments of all the other heavenly religions. It accepts all of the prophets sent by Allah as its own prophets. Therefore, it is always in heart and soul unity with them.
The Quran, which persuades the mind and the heart and is based on proof, teaches reasoning and logical thinking emphasized by people of this century. It wants the truths that it presents to be seen through this point of view. It refers them to the mind. The Quran encourages thinking by verses like the following: Why aren't you thinking?, Why aren't you reasoning?, There are proofs here for those who reason.
For instance, the Quran attracts the attention of its followers, against the idea of nature-worshipping, to the fact that brainless, unconscious, blind and deaf nature cannot create anything. It states that nature is only a work of art, not an artist. It also states that the attributes like knowledge, will and consciousness seen on the work of art cannot be explained by causes. It tells us that causes do not have the ability to create and that there must be an artist that creates causes.
When the claim I will create you again is stated in the Quran, which is based on the truth and justice, such a proof is presented that no proof surpassing it can be thought of.
The Creator shows that in each spring He creates millions or billions of individuals out of three hundred thousand species of creatures. He proves His cause without any resistance as if He says, My might is sufficient to create everything again. Here are three hundred thousand examples. I repeat it every spring. I will create as many as all of the things that you have seen again, that is, I will create you again, too.
For instance, in the Quran the following challenge is present: If you are in doubt that the Quran is the word of Allah; it has been challenging human beings for fourteen centuries and has invited human beings to write a similar chapter.
In short, the Quran addresses the mind and reason of human beings and invites them to think reasonably. The cure for the spiritual wounds of today's human beings, who are spiritually wounded by materialistic philosophy, is in the Quran. Acting upon this thought, expert people wrote four books using their knowledge and education experience accumulated throughout years. These books are Fundamentals of Belief, Worshipping in Islam, Prophethood and Islamic Ethic.
These books were written at the level of university students and in accordance with the curriculum.
We would like to thank the people who contributed to the preparation of these books, which we regard as a good cure for the spiritual crisis today's human beings have fallen into.
We would like to offer sincere thanks especially to İhsan Kasım Salihi, who encouraged us to write such books, to Muhammed Rıza Dalkılıç, Olgay Şerbetcioğlu, Nurlan Karan and Saly Tayaban to the people who contributed to the works of the committee, to Fevzi Allahverdi, who provided us with a comfortable working environment, to Yunus Emre Barun, Osman Kan and Şerif Sağlar, who helped in editing and proofreading.
Today's human beings sought peace and happiness in material things. They had the conviction that they would be happier as they satisfied their material desires and requests. Most of the human beings pursued their bodily desires and requests and did not pay any attention to the cries of their spirits. Today's human beings and communities that advanced materially were ill spiritually. Human beings were deprived of the knowledge to know Allah, which is the nourishment of the spirit and the heart, of the honor to know the Creator, who granted them everything. The spiritual illnesses caused by this deprivation devastated both individuals and communities. This illness has a long history.
Beginning from the nineteenth century, technology started to prevail the lives of human beings. Materialistic philosophy overshadowed faith and human beings started to question everything. Everything was sought in the matter. The brains of the people who sought everything in the matter are in their eyes. Eyes are blind spiritually.
The values of the religion based on faith incurred the attack of materialistic philosophy. The issues that materialistic philosophy did not accept were regarded as non-scientific hence non-religious. Religion and values regarded as holy by religion were attacked in the name of knowledge and atheism. Thus, atheism was presented as the religion of knowledge.
Today's human beings that were brought up with this spirit were dragged into a full psychological crisis and faith crisis. A war was declared against all kinds of holy values and even against human life. Instead of love, compassion and affection, enmity, hatred and hostility prevailed among people. All kinds of immorality contrary to the human spirit and social values were in demand.
What will save humanity from this spiritual pit and crisis is the spiritual values that religions offer. Members of religions should seek ways to cure these spiritual wounds of human beings with the compassion of a doctor. They have the remedy that will save human beings from the crisis they fell into. The solution depends on the presentation of these values in accordance with the mind, thought and philosophy of today's people.
Islam, which is sufficient for the improvement of the world in every aspect, has undertaken this duty itself because it has a very comprehensive book. This book contains the decisions and value judgments of all the other heavenly religions. It accepts all of the prophets sent by Allah as its own prophets. Therefore, it is always in heart and soul unity with them.
The Quran, which persuades the mind and the heart and is based on proof, teaches reasoning and logical thinking emphasized by people of this century. It wants the truths that it presents to be seen through this point of view. It refers them to the mind. The Quran encourages thinking by verses like the following: Why aren't you thinking?, Why aren't you reasoning?, There are proofs here for those who reason.
For instance, the Quran attracts the attention of its followers, against the idea of nature-worshipping, to the fact that brainless, unconscious, blind and deaf nature cannot create anything. It states that nature is only a work of art, not an artist. It also states that the attributes like knowledge, will and consciousness seen on the work of art cannot be explained by causes. It tells us that causes do not have the ability to create and that there must be an artist that creates causes.
When the claim I will create you again is stated in the Quran, which is based on the truth and justice, such a proof is presented that no proof surpassing it can be thought of.
The Creator shows that in each spring He creates millions or billions of individuals out of three hundred thousand species of creatures. He proves His cause without any resistance as if He says, My might is sufficient to create everything again. Here are three hundred thousand examples. I repeat it every spring. I will create as many as all of the things that you have seen again, that is, I will create you again, too.
For instance, in the Quran the following challenge is present: If you are in doubt that the Quran is the word of Allah; it has been challenging human beings for fourteen centuries and has invited human beings to write a similar chapter.
In short, the Quran addresses the mind and reason of human beings and invites them to think reasonably. The cure for the spiritual wounds of today's human beings, who are spiritually wounded by materialistic philosophy, is in the Quran. Acting upon this thought, expert people wrote four books using their knowledge and education experience accumulated throughout years. These books are Fundamentals of Belief, Worshipping in Islam, Prophethood and Islamic Ethic.
These books were written at the level of university students and in accordance with the curriculum.
We would like to thank the people who contributed to the preparation of these books, which we regard as a good cure for the spiritual crisis today's human beings have fallen into.
We would like to offer sincere thanks especially to İhsan Kasım Salihi, who encouraged us to write such books, to Muhammed Rıza Dalkılıç, Olgay Şerbetcioğlu, Nurlan Karan and Saly Tayaban to the people who contributed to the works of the committee, to Fevzi Allahverdi, who provided us with a comfortable working environment, to Yunus Emre Barun, Osman Kan and Şerif Sağlar, who helped in editing and proofreading.
We ask Allah to forgive our mistakes and request our readers to help correct our mistakes.
2008 /Ankara
Preparation Committee
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