Animals That Lay Eggs and Animals

That Give Birth

Vol. 3 Issue 27 Thu. July 3, 2008
One day a person came to Imam Ali (P). He was planning to ask Imam
Ali (P) such a question, which would take Imam Ali (P) a long time to The Truth
answer and because of that his Maghrib (Dusk) Prayers would be delayed.
He asked, “Imam Ali you say you
know everything in the world, then tell
Prophet Muhammed (M)
me which animals lay eggs and which and Anecdote About 3 Friends
animals give birth to their young ones.”
Imam Ali (P) looked back at him smiled and Once the Messenger of God,
Muhammed (M) was sitting amidst his
said, “The animals that have their ‘EARS’
companions in the mosque, when all
outside their body give birth to their of a sudden the prophet said “Today
young ones and the animals that have I shall narrate a story to you all
their ‘EARS’ inside their body lay eggs.” which will reveal three riddles for
all of you to solve”. This hushed the
crowd and they all listened to what
Thursday, July 3, 2008. Vol. 3 Issue 27

Love for the Sake of God Prophet Muhammed (M) had to say.
Prophet Muhammed (M) continued
Imam Ali (P), the first successor, Imam, and by saying that once a man got to
infallible leaders after prophet Muhammed CONT’D ON PAGE 2
(M), would always spend time with his
children. Once he was sitting in his house
with his two young children, Abbas, his son, Is Mo ney Ever yt hi ng?
and Zainab, his daughter. Some people say ‘money is everything’. It will be advisable
Imam Ali (P) said to Abbas, “Say Waahed for such people to consider the following facts:
(one)”. Imam Ali (P) then asked him to “Money will buy a bed but not sleep, Books but not
“say Ithnain (Two)”. Abbas replied, “I feel brains, Food but not appetite, Finery but not beauty,
ashamed to utter ‘two’ from the same Medicine but not health; Luxuries but not culture,
tongue which just said ‘one’”. Amusements but not happiness, Passport to every where
Imam Ali (P) hugged his son, pleased at such but not Heaven.”
a charming expression. The reply from Abbas
indicated how deeply devoted he was in his belief in Tawheed, that is, Oneness
of God. A true believer never likes to even imagine any association with God.
Zainab then asked, “Dear, father, do you love me?” Imam Ali (P) said, “Yes,
The Formation of Rain By: Harun Yahya
of course, my children are like a part of my heart”. On hearing this, she said,
“You also love God. How can two loves be in one heart of a true believer, How rain was formed remained a great mystery for quite some time. Only after
the love of God and that of children?” the weather radar was invented was it possible to discover the stages by which
Imam Ali (P) smiled and replied, “Love God and for the sake of His love, you rain is formed.
love His creatures and fellow beings too. I love you for the sake of God.” According to this discovery, the formation of rain takes place in three stages.
Footnotes: First, the “raw material” of rain rises up into the air with the wind. Later, clouds
(M) May Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him and his Progeny / Refers to Prophet are formed, and finally raindrops appear.
Muhammed
(P) Peace be upon Him / Refers to Angels, Prophets, Imams, and Infallible Ladies. CONT’D ON PAGE 4

8 The Truth
 Prophet Muhammed (M) and
IF YOU WANT TO Anecdote About 3 Friends
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From PAGE 1
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know that the days in his life was numbered and very soon
(PDF FORMAT) he would be confronted with death. With this knowledge
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE he feared his loneliness in the grave and went searching
TO THE TRUTH’S for true friends who would help and accompany him.
He knocked on the door of his first friend and asked whether
MAILING LIST @ he would help. To this the friend said, “of course, what are
HTTP://GROUPS.GOOGLE. we here for.” But then the man went on to say that he had
COM/GROUP/THET- very few days to live after which he required help. As soon
RUTH110 as he uttered this statement, the friend said “I am sorry
but when death does us apart, there is nothing we can
do for you but buy you a place in the graveyard and
some cloth (Kafan) to cover your dead body.” Grieved
IF YOU WANT ANY but looking forward to his next friend, the man moved on.
On the second door, when he came face to face with his friend,
MATERIAL TO BE and after narrating the entire story of his death and asked for
PUBLISHED PLEASE help, the same answer was his fate again. The second friend
Thursday, July 3, 2008. Vol. 3 Issue 27
SEND US AN E-MAIL. said “I have been there with you all your life and can help
you here. But there’s nothing I can do for you after you die
except take your corpse to the graveyard and bury you.”
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE Lost in agony and despair, he headed for the third friend, very
HAVE THE RIGHT sure that he would receive the same answer but there was a
tinge of hope left. When he confronted the third friend, and
TO ACCEPT, told him that he required help, the friend eagerly volunteered
EDIT OR REFUSE to help. But the man continued to say that I need help after
ANY CONTENT. I die. To which the third friend replied, “Do not worry, my
dear friend! I shall accompany you to the grave, be there
with you in the grave, even when the angels arrive for
EDITOR IN CHIEF: questioning, then assist you on the Sirat (a bridge which
HASSAN TABATABAI is above hell fire that leads to heaven) and then lead you
EDITORS: to heaven. “To this the man heaved a sigh of relief and then
passed away in peace.
AHMAD AL NAJJAR Prophet Muhammed (M) then turned and asked his companions
HASSAN MAYERS if anybody could identify the three friends and the man. When
DESIGNED BY: the prevailing silence didn’t dissolve, Prophet Muhammed
(M) continued to say, “The man in the anecdote is any
NAGI GIRGUIS other human being.” The first friend is “money/wealth”,
things that help us only in life and not after we die.
PLEASE SEND US The second family/friend were the “children/
sons and daughters”, we strive for them all our
YOUR FEEDBACKS, life and all they give us is a shoulder to the grave.
COMMENTS, And the third and most important friend is “deeds.” which
AND SUGGESTIONS accompany us all the way through.
Moral: Do not strive for materialistic values that will give
TO THE FOLLOWING you nothing and help you in no way in your eternal life. But
E-MAIL: work and pray and ask forgiveness from God for only the good
thetruth110@gmail.com deeds assist mankind where every other thing loses value in
the life hereafter!
2 The Truth
The Proportion of Rain
By: Harun Yahya
Another item of information provided in the Holy
Qur’an about rain is that it is sent down to Earth
in “due measure.” This is mentioned in Surat az-
Zukhruf as follows:
It is He Who sends down water in due measure
from the sky by which We bring a dead land
back to life. That is how you too will be raised
[from the dead]. (Holy Qur’an, 43:11)
This measured quantity in rain has again been
discovered by modern research. It is estimated
that in one second, approximately 16 million
tons of water evaporates from the Earth. This Every year, the amount of water
figure amounts to 513 trillion tons of water in that evaporates and that falls
one year. This number is equal to the amount of back to the Earth in the form of
rain that falls on the Earth in a year. Therefore,
rain is «constant»: 513 trillion
water continuously circulates in a balanced cycle,
tons. This constant amount is
Thursday, July 3, 2008. Vol. 3 Issue 27
according to a “measure.” Life on Earth depends
declared in the Qur>an by the
on this water cycle. Even if all the available
technology in the world were to be employed for expression «sending down water
this purpose, this cycle could not be reproduced in due measure from the sky.»
artificially. The constancy of this quantity is
Even a minor deviation in this equilibrium would very important for the continuity
soon give rise to a major ecological imbalance that
of the ecological balance, and
would bring about the end of life on Earth. Yet,
it never happens, and rain continues to fall every
therefore, life.
year in exactly the same measure, just as revealed
in the Holy Qur’an.
The proportion of rain does not merely apply to
its quantity, but also to the speed of the falling
raindrops. The speed of raindrops, regardless of
their size, does not exceed a certain limit.
Philipp Lenard, a German physicist who received
the Nobel Prize in physics in 1905, found that the
fall speed increased with drop diameter until a size
of 4.5 mm (0.18 inch). For larger drops, however,
the fall speed did not increase beyond 8 meters per second (26 ft/sec).[1] He attributed this
to the changes in drop shape caused by the air flow as the drop size increased. The change
in shape thus increased the air resistance of the drop and slowed its fall rate.
As can be seen, the Holy Qur’an may also be drawing our attention to the subtle adjustment
in rain which could not have been known 1,400 years ago.
Footnote:
[1] Keith C. Heidorn, Ph.D., “Philipp Lenard: Brushing the Teardrops from Rain,”
www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/history/lenard.htm.
The Truth 7
 Imam Al-Baqir (P): A Perfect
Example of Behavior and Moral Aspects
God would never appoint a person as an Imam
(infallible leader) and make him His decisive
proof upon people unless the person has earned
the position and has reached perfection in his
virtues, sayings, and deeds. Such a person would
say nothing but truth, and do nothing but good...
Like his ancestors Imam MuhammedAl-Baqir (P),
the fifth Imam, successor, infallible leader after
prophet Muhammed (M), is a perfect example
in terms of behavior and other moral aspects. In
his behavior towards people, he was so chaste and humble that he would forgive and forget
people’s wrongdoings as much as possible. This manner of the Imam would deeply penetrate
within people’s hearts. The following narration clearly indicates this magnificent virtue.
A man who intended to make fun of Imam Al-Baqir (P), changed the word Baqir (Splitter
of knowledge) to Baqar (the Cow), and addressed Imam Baqir (P) insultingly. Without
showing any signs of sadness or anger, Imam Baqir (P) simply replied: “No, I am not
Thursday, July 3, 2008. Vol. 3 Issue 27
Baqar, I am Baqir.”
The man continued: “You are son of the woman who was a cook.”
Imam Al-Baqir (P): “That was her career. This is not shameful.”
The man: “Your mother was impudent and rude.”
Imam Al-Baqir (P): “If such matters you accuse my mother are true, I ask God to forgive
her sins; and if they are false, I ask God to forgive you for your accusations and lies.”
The patience of Imam Al-Baqir (P) was enough for the man to be revolutionized and
attracted towards Islam. He later became a Muslim.
Give Away The Nicer Things
– Simplicity in Islam -
One day our first Imam, infallible leader, Imam Ali
(P) went to the market with his servant, Qambar.
There he bought two shirts, one which was really nice
and expensive and the other which was not as nice.
When Imam Ali (P) returned home he gave the better
shirt to Qambar and kept the other one for himself.
Qambar told Imam Ali (P) that it would look better
if he wore the nicer shirt as he was the leader
of the Muslims (Commander of the Faithful)
while Qambar himself was only a servant.
Imam Ali (P) answered that Qambar should wear the nicer shirt because he was younger
and so it would suit him better; but more importantly Imam Ali (P) told him that he
was a guide for the Muslims and so had to set a good example for them by leading a
simple life.
6 The Truth
Between Free Will and God’s Control
One day a man came to Imam Baqir (P), the fifth Imam, successor, and infallible
leader after prophet Muhammed (M), and asked him a very interesting question.
Man: “Please tell me if how much power has God given to us human beings? Is
it that God has given us absolute power, no power at all or limited power?”
Imam Baqir (P): “Please stand up.” The man stands up. “Now keep your one
foot in the air.” He does that.
Imam Baqir (P): “Now keep your other foot in air.”
Man: “I cannot do that. I will fall down.”
Imam Baqir (P): “God has given you this much power. You are not given the
complete power and you are not made powerless either.”
The Justice of the Great Leader
Once Imam Ali (P), the first infallible successor,
Imam, and leader after prophet Muhammed
Thursday, July 3, 2008. Vol. 3 Issue 27
(M), saw his coat of mail in the possession of a
Christian. He took him in the court of a judge
named Shurayh so that he might give a decision
regarding its ownership. When both of them
appeared before the judge Imam Ali said: “This
coat of mail is mine. I have neither sold nor
gifted it to anyone”. The judge asked the other
person: “What have you to say about the claim
made by the Commander of the Faithful(‘Ali)
? The Christian said: “This coat of mail is mine. In spite of this, however, I
do not consider the Commander of the Faithful to be a liar.” then the judge
Shurayh turned to Imam Ali and said: “Can you produce any witness who
should depose that this coat of mail is yours?” Imam Ali smiled and said:
“Shurayh is right. I cannot produce any such witness”.
The judge gave a judgment in favour of the Christian who took the coat of
mail and departed. The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali, kept looking
at him from behind. After having gone a few steps, however, he returned and
said:
“I testify that such an order resembles the order of the prophets, because
one who is the Commander of the Faithful has appeared along with
a person like me in the court of the judge who is also his subordinate
and the judge has given a judgment against him”. Then he added: “O
Commander of the Faithful! I swear by God that this coat of mail is yours
and my claim was false”. The Christian later on became a follower of the
great leader.
The Truth 3
>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
From PAGE 1
The Qur’an’s account of the formation
of rain refers exactly to this process. In
one verse, this formation is described in
this way:
It is Allah Who sends the winds which
stir up clouds which He spreads about
the sky however He wills. He forms
them into dark clumps and you see
the rain come pouring out from the
middle of them. When He makes it fall
on those of His servants He wills, they
rejoice. (Holy Qur’an, 30:48)
Thursday, July 3, 2008. Vol. 3 Issue 27
Now, let us examine these three stages
outlined in the verse in more detail.
FIRST STAGE: “It is Allah Who sends
the winds...”
Countless air bubbles formed by the
foaming of the oceans continuously
burst and cause water particles to be
ejected towards the sky. These particles,
which are rich in salt, are then carried
away by winds and rise upward in the
atmosphere. These particles, which are
called aerosols, function as water traps,
>>>>
and form cloud drops by collecting
around the water vapour themselves,
which rises from the seas as tiny
droplets.
SECOND STAGE: “.... which stir up
clouds which He spreads about the sky
however He wills. He forms them into
dark clumps...”
The clouds are formed from water
vapour that condenses around the salt
crystals or dust particles in the air.
Because the water droplets in these
clouds are very small (with a diameter
between 0.01 and 0.02 mm), the clouds
are suspended in the air, and spread
4
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Formation of Rain
across the sky. Thus, the sky is covered
in clouds.
The above illustration shows the water droplets
being released into the air. This is the first stage in
the formation of rain. After that, the water droplets
in the newly formed clouds will be suspended in
the air and then condense to form rain. All of these
stages are related in the Holy Qur’an.
THIRD STAGE: “…and you see the
rain come pouring out from the
middle of them”
The water particles that surround salt
crystals and dust particles thicken and
form raindrops, so, drops that become
heavier than the air leave the clouds and
start to fall to the ground as rain.
As already discussed, every stage in
the formation of rain is related in the
verses of the Qur’an. Furthermore,
these stages are explained in exactly the
right sequence. Just as with many other
natural phenomena on the Earth, Allah
gave the most correct explanation of
this phenomenon, and made it known
in the Qur’an centuries before it was
discovered.
In another verse, the following
information is given about the formation
of rain:
Have you not seen how Allah drives
along the clouds, then joins them
together, then makes them into a
stack, and then you see the rain come
out of it? And He sends down from
the sky mountain masses [of clouds]
The Truth
with cold hail in them, striking with it
anyone He wills and averting it from
anyone He wills. The brightness of His
lightning almost blinds the sight. (Holy
Qur’an, 24:43)
Scientists studying cloud types came
across surprising results with regards to
the formation of rain clouds. Rain clouds
are formed and shaped according to
definite systems and stages. The stages
of formation of one kind of rain cloud,
cumulonimbus, are these:
1. STAGE, Being driven along: Clouds
are carried along, that is, they are driven
along, by the wind.
(A) Isolated small pieces of clouds (cumulonimbus
clouds)
(B) When the small clouds join together, updrafts
within the larger cloud increase. As a result, the cloud
is stacked up.
2. STAGE, Joining: Then, small clouds
(cumulonimbus clouds) driven along by
the wind join together, forming a larger
cloud.[1]
3. STAGE, Stacking: When the small
clouds join together, updrafts within the
larger cloud increase. The updrafts near
the centre of the cloud are stronger than
those near the edges. These updrafts
cause the cloud body to grow vertically,
so the cloud is stacked up. This vertical
growth causes the cloud body to stretch
into cooler regions of the atmosphere,
The Truth
>>>>
where drops of water and hail formulate
and begin to grow larger and larger.
When these drops of water and hail
become too heavy for the updrafts to
support them, they begin to fall from the
cloud as rain, hail, etc.[2]
We must remember that meteorologists
have only recently come to know these
details about cloud formation, structure
and function, by using advanced
equipment like planes, satellites,
computers etc. It is evident that Allah has
Thursday, July 3, 2008. Vol. 3 Issue 27
provided us information that could not
have been known 1,400 years ago.
These updrafts cause the cloud body to grow
>>>>
vertically and the cloud is stacked up. This vertical
growth causes the cloud body to stretch into cooler
regions of the atmosphere, where drops of water and
hail formulate and begin to grow larger and larger.
When these drops of water and hail become too heavy
for the updrafts to support them, they begin to fall
from the cloud as rain, hail, etc. This scientific fact
was announced in Sura Nur 43 fourteen centuries ago
by Allah in this way: “... then [He] makes them into
a stack, and then you see the rain come out of it…”
Footnotes:
[1] Richard A. Anthes, et al., The Atmosphere,
3rd ed. (Columbus: Charles E. Merrill Publishing
Company: 1981), 268-269; Albert Millers, Jack
C. Thompson, Elements of Meteorology, 2nd
ed. (Columbus: Charles E. Merrill Publishing
Company: 1975), 141.
[2] Anthes, et al., The Atmosphere, 269; Millers,
and Thompson, Elements of Meteorology, 141-142.
5