The Fountain #125 Sep-Oct 2018

On Life, Knowledge, and Belief

Sep - Oct 2018

Roads become impossible to walk at times Disheartening the weak ones Those who master themselves Turn one road to thousands of roads Without a break, they overflow like rivers

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TABLE OF CONTENTS /////

ISSUE

SEP • OCT 2018

Nature

ARTS & CULTURE

The Honeybee Ibrahim B. Syed

53

History Momina Naveed

Religion

Ramadan and Yom Kippur: Why afflict ourselves by fasting?

Allen S. Maller

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The Boycott

Lead Article

The Dynamics of a Changing World

Education

Life and Education Based on Positive Thought Esra Akdogan

M. Fethullah Gülen

Perspectives

Avoid the Negaholics – Always Salma Abdel Fattah

A Moment for Reflection

A Journey Through Said Nursi’s Eighth Word M. Fethullah Simsek

SCIENCE

Memoir

Under the Shade of Tranquility: My Meeting with Fethullah Gülen Imam Mamadou Toure

BELIEF

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14 26 37 44 46

Emerald Hills of the Heart

Mukashafa (Disclosure) Q&A

Repairing the Stronghold of Faith

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Health

Alzheimer’s: Causes and How to Prevent It Atif Yorulmaz

Biology

Kidneys: What Are Our Responsibilities?

Osman Arslan

Biology

A Miraculous Molecule: Hemoglobin Omer Yildiz

Science Square

1. Robotic skins turn everyday objects into multifunctional robots 2. Battling dementia by removing “zombie” cells 3. Origami-inspired high-efficiency solar steam generator

EDITORIAL ///// GRATITUDE

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ho are we? How do we define ourselves? Where do we place ourselves within the context of current events and tribulations we face? While pointing to the changing dynamics of the times, this issue’s lead article calls on us to discover who we are and what we, as human beings, are meant to be so that we are not crushed between the teeth of time. We are lost, and we do not know where we should go. And living within systems of racism, and moral and economic egoism, Mr. Gülen writes that it is not easy to be optimistic. Yet, however difficult it may sound, Gülen believes that a new spirit of responsibility and a new code of ethics must be introduced. He draws our attention to many achievements, none of which should be underestimated, and urges us to not lose faith. Changing the world for the better requires us to leave our comfort zones and choose eternal joy over the temporary pleasures of the world.

Fasting is a way to forego temporary pleasures. Muslims observed Ramadan a few months ago, while Yom Kippur will have been celebrated around the time you receive this issue. Fasting marks both of these holy events, and Rabbi Maller wonders, why do Muslims and Jews afflict themselves? Why do Islam and Judaism restrict their adherents from the simple pleasure of food?

In his piece, Rabbi Maller explains the common practices of fasting in both traditions and how they contribute to the spiritual well-being of individuals and society.

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s epistles are a compelling source of inspiration, for those wondering about the mysteries of this life. The Eighth Word is among the most popular of his epistles, in which he portrays the drama of human life in this world. Dr. M. Fethullah Simsek digs deeper into the wisdom of this epistle’s story and explains how this wisdom is universally shared around the world through many ancient texts descending from Prophet Abraham, all the way down to Rumi, Tolstoy, and Nursi.

Nature is another major source of wisdom and inspiration. Despite its small stature, the honeybee is an exquisite example of splendors found in nature. Dr. Syed explains how this unique creature is praised in religious traditions and how its brain is skilled at studying, counting, understanding intangible designs, and conveying the location of flowers to other bees in the hive.

This year’s Essay Contest starts October 1 with the theme “Should We Be Grateful?” Go to www.fountainmagazine.com and share with us your thoughts on the feeling of gratitude.

www.fountainmagazine.com

LEAD ARTICLE M. Fethullah Gülen

Today’s generations will leave aside their material, and even spiritual, expectations by sacrificing their own whims and desires, choosing to live for others rather than themselves.

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rom day one, the human experience has been that of continual change and transformation. While these processes of change and transformation—which can also be referred to as metamorphosis and development—have had their nuances depending on specific existing conditions, they have always recurred uninterruptedly and in essentially similar fashion. They continue still today, if with certain differences in detail and effect, and can be expected to continue without interruption from this point forward.

Hence, the future will come with many promises, exigencies, and rules unique to its times and will exert pressure on us over certain issues and steer us into particular affairs. Before these many pressures reduce us to the bewilderment of unexpected events that are impossible to resist, before they cause us to stumble or fall in a daze, we must know who we are and be positioned as ourselves, so that we are not crushed between the teeth of time and the ruthless cogwheels of events; so that we can walk into the future with our hearts filled with belief, our eyes gleaming with hope, and without being hindered or distracted along the way. These are essential if we are not to be overcome by waves of greater change and transformation that would cause us to forget the adverse change of today, which we may be trying to resist for the sake of our future existence, and in order for us not to be blown hither and thither like debris. In actual fact, those waves—with all their horror and destruction—have already started to advance upon the world.

It is difficult to be optimistic regarding the future of a world built upon the foundations of moral egoism, economic individualism, social racism, and general selfaggrandizement; in such a world, power and the powerful are the aggressors, people are egotistical, and matter is venerated. Material goods like gold and oil are worshipped as deceptive golden calves. Those at the helm of this cursed system are each a Samiri [1], and the affluent in this order are each a Korah [2]. In truth, it is exceedingly difficult, perhaps even impossible, for those crushed beneath the cogwheel of this system to find a path towards the future.

What we, as humanity, have seen and understood with respect to our recent past and are now able to observe more clearly is that this 6

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Were not the developments the world experienced in given periods, such as the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and more recent technological advancements, always born of this fiery will and profound faithfulness? world, which has forgotten God and glorifies matter, might, lust, race, and selfishness, is spiraling towards annihilation. If the inheritors of the earth, our sole consolation for the future, do not pave the way for humanity to reinterpret itself anew by putting forth a new code of morality, a new understanding of economics, a new philosophy of labor, a new love of modesty, and a new spirit of responsibility based on reverence, awe, and love, we will experience new catastrophes, ones so bad they will overshadow the destruction of the world wars.

Some, with the impression that we would not have enough capacity to realize such a project, may consider any plan a wild fancy or hope, and every venture to be in vain. However, a consideration of those supportive things actually accomplished would reveal that they are not at all behind those that were planned in the first place; if we could look back more clearly on the recent past, with re-

spect to the last half century, it would quickly become apparent just how steep are the peaks we have climbed as a society. However, some pessimistic souls, perpetually giving in to despair and hesitation, and, unable to attain steadfastness and resolve in their thoughts, will never be able to see and accept this. They cannot free themselves from the stupor of the past few centuries.

Today, our society is experiencing a collective mobilization, so to speak, within almost all its segments. Greater numbers of people are drenched in sweat and working assiduously to reach the goals set as an ideal on the path of settling their accounts with the world. They turn to eternal pleasures in lieu of the temporary pleasures and comforts they regard to be trifling, as per their ideals. Leaving comfort, they seek struggle in the way of being able to continue surviving as a society, eschewing pleasure and walking constantly and unswervingly according to eternal values, cautiously, with much effort and suffering.

Many times throughout history we have struggled for survival, and have always sought to maintain balance among nations. During that struggle, eras have come to a close, while new ones have begun and have led the way in a great many world-wide transformations and advancements. We are thus aware of the implications of such values as exertion, endeavor, and circumspection, which are considered the mysterious keys of the change and transformation to come, and which we have continually observed in our vast spiritual heritage. We are of the belief that today's generations, as with those of the past, will leave aside their material, and even spiritual, expectations by sacrificing their own whims and desires, choosing to live for others rather than themselves.

After all, were not the developments the world experienced in given periods, such as the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and more recent technological advancements, always born of this fiery will and profound faithfulness? Only those indolent and slovenly souls enslaved to their carnality would shun the opportunity to act selflessly in the name of their sacred cause. What do hardship, difficulty, and death matter for those refined spirits whose hearts pursue lofty ideals, and who have embraced the meaning of their purpose?

Regarding our recent past, a fever of revival has begun to be experienced anew in our society. This is, moreover, a fever of revival which promises certain constructive changes for the world as a whole. It is not pursued out of some desire to establish dominance over the entire realm; rather, it is a promise to contribute to the larger world from our own cultural richness and understanding of civilization; it is an opening up to a world which is experiencing a process of renewal. Through such an engagement, the future will become, for our part, much more placid and familiar. On the contrary, a realm of which we are not a part, and to whose molding we do not contribute, will always make its strangeness felt to us and, like a cruel stepmother, will put forth the measure of its distance even when taking us into its embrace, perhaps even not failing to pinch us at the same instant it shows affection.

Notes 1. According to the narration in the Qur’an (20:95), Samiri tried to lead believers to idolatry by crafting a golden calf when Prophet Moses was away on Mount Sinai.

2. Mentioned as Qarun in the Qur’an, Korah was an immensely wealthy man who, instead of being grateful to God, gave credit all to his own knowledge, and eventually revolted against Prophet Moses.

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NATURE Ibrahim B. Syed

When a source of nectar and pollen is found by a searching bee, it communicates this information to other bees in the hive by doing an unusual figure-of-eight dance called the waggle dance.

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he three monotheistic religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam extensively mention bees and honey in their scriptures.

For instance, Chapter 16 of the Qur’an is titled “The Bee.” Other religions also allude to bees and honey. Primary Hindu Vedic scriptures, some as old as 1500 BC, have allusions to pollen and honey, which it calls, “the nectar of the Sun.” Srimad Mahabhagavatam, the Hindu scripture, reveres wise men in the following way: “Like a honeybee gathering honey from all types of flowers the wise men search everywhere for truth and sees only good in all religions.” One of the constituents of Panchamrita, a mixture of five foods used in Hindu worship, is honey (the others are milk, yogurt, ghee, and jaggery. And in the Buddhist festival of Madhu Purnima, honey plays an important role. [1] Why this religious focus on bees and honey? Well, it stems in large part from the medicinal and therapeutic qualities of honey. Many people, including scientists, are not aware of the perfect design and intelligence the honeybee is blessed with.

The honeybee’s brain The brain of the honeybee is about the size of a sesame kernel. It measures just one cubic millimeter in volume. Despite the small size, honeybee’s brain possesses more neurons than the brains of other insects of akin size. They recompense for their lesser brain size with bigger brain density: the honeybee’s brain is ten times more solid than the brains of mammals. They have an erudite sensory structure which gives them exceptional eyesight (including the capability to see ultra violet and polarized light) and profound senses of smell, taste, and touch. Their brains appear to have neuroplasticity which means that their brain is skilled in studying, familiarizing, and executing the same tasks, such as memory, in several places in the brain.

Though the honeybee’s brain holds less than a million neurons, compared to the 85 to 100 billion in our human brains, bees can do some astonishing things.

They can count and understand intangible designs.

Most superbly, bees have the capability to convey the location of flowers to other bees in the hive.

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The youthful bees are nurture bees, nursing the family. Afterwards, they make the honey combs, creating perfect hexagonal shapes. Finally, they become hunters, discovering honey and transporting it back to the hive.

When a source of nectar and pollen is found by a searching bee, it communicates this information to other bees in the hive by doing an unusual figure-of-eight dance called the waggle dance. The waggle dance was first decrypted by Austrian biologist Karl von Frisch, who was awarded a Nobel Prize for his discovery in 1973.

The dance itself is not extraordinary but it is a representative method of transmission of information. [2] Bees get knowledge about the food source both from hearing the dance, as well as seeing it. Throughout the dance, bees pulsate their bellies. These shakings send out beats that are collected by an organ on the antennae of other bees, called Johnston’s organ. Johnston’s organs are comparable to human ears. [2] It was not known until recently how the brain of the bee translates the data encrypted in the waggle dance.

Bees usually only execute the dance in their hives; it’s challenging to make them dance in the laboratory.

Thankfully, the pulsations that were produced as a result of the waggle dance were recorded by researchers, who replicated the noises in the lab. This technique permitted them to trace which neurons were excited in reaction to the waggle dance and monitor their path in the brain of the honeybee.

Researchers detected three dissimilar types of “interneurons.” These are joining neurons that transmit messages between diverse portions of the brain. They discovered the pathway of interneurons in the portion of the brain involved with handling sound. They found that the way the interneurons turn on and off is fundamental to encrypting data about distance contained in the waggle dance. [2] Other insects also use this mechanism of turning on and off. In neuroscience it is called “disinhibition.” For example, this is the mechanism that allows crickets to listen to the songs of other crickets and also how moths evaluate the distance from the source of a smell their antennae have collected. There is a shared neural origin in the way these diverse insects do things.

The bees perform six unique kinds of dances. They also learn and alter their conduct appropriately. When bees see a deceased bee at a flower, they alter the design of the dance they execute back at the hive, signifying they can do a risk/benefit evaluation.

Other dances These are some of the other dances honeybees perform: • The sickle dance is designed like a figure eight and reveals the nectar source is close, but not extremely close.

• The jostling dance is performed when a bee pushes other bees to get them to watch her wave backwards and forwards.

• The spasmodic dance is a dance in which a bee gives other bees a sip of liquid.

The easiest dance is the “round dance.” When the Sep / Oct 2018

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Though the honeybee’s brain holds less than a million neurons, compared to the 85 to 100 billion in our human brains, bees can do some astonishing things. bee dances around in a circle, it communicates to other bees that the food source is very close. They can go out and just smell around to find it. (They know what to smell. They can smell the scent on the rummager’s body or because she has given them a little sip.)

The intelligence of honeybees [3] Communication is crucial to developing multifaceted civilizations. Communication permits the honeybee to accomplish such amazing things, just as language is a crucial feature in human achievements. Intelligence is vital for both communication and language. Can we say the lowly honeybee, with a tiny brain, is intelligent? It’s a complicated attribute to describe. The American Psychological Association Task Force on Intelligence, describes it as the capability “to adapt efficiently to the environment and to learn from experience.” Bees are gifted enough to do this.

Together, bee and human communications suggest brain power or intelligence. There could be a mutual brain system between humans and honeybees. Bees have proven that you don’t need a big brain to be smart. Charles Darwin recognized this and wrote in 1871, “The brain of an ant is one of the most marvelous atoms of matter in the world, perhaps more so than the brain of man.” [2] We have learned how smart honeybees are from observing their conduct and by running experiments that prove their knowledge and recollection skills. They can recognize and recall colors and familiar sights. They are able to discriminate amongst diverse scenery, kinds of flowers, forms, and designs.

Bees can recall path particulars up to six miles, and over several days. They can visualize a map, ascertain the straight length connecting two points, and take a diverse path for their outbound and incoming voyages. They can traverse even in the dark of night.

Honeybees are able to perform numerous separate roles during their lifetime, each needing distinct talents. The youthful bees are nurture bees, nursing the family. Afterwards, they make the honey 12

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combs, creating perfect hexagonal shapes. Finally, they become hunters, discovering honey and transporting it back to the hive.

They can discern dangerous fungi from innocuous ones. They can also formulate medication (propolis) when destructive fungi are present.

Honeybees certainly have the capability to reason. They can acquire many new skills very rapidly.

They have a superior ability to understand and reminisce, at least compared to other insects.

They are capable of intangible thinking, judgment-making, and organizing. They have demonstrated a proficiency at counting and an awareness of time.

The hunter bees have to do several chores that need intelligence: they must discover flowers, decide if they are a good foundation of nectar, find their return journey to the hive, and then impart this knowledge to the other explorers.

They do not utilize devices present in nature, but they can learn how to use tools. It is proven by experiments that when one bee was taught to pull a string to get a sugary reward, another bee acquired the technique just by watching the first bee. What is more astonishing is they could teach this technique to other bees.

How do honeybees make decisions?

Scavenging requires no predominant judgment making. Every bee recognizes only her own liquid source. If the food source is meager, she will swiftly abandon it and will not perform a waggle dance to guide her hive friends to that food source. As an alternative, she will observe the waggle dance of another bee who has discovered an abundant source of nectar and focuses her hunting endeavors on that source. On the contrary, if her source is abundant, she will work on that source constantly and engage other bees to join her.

Every bee formulates her own distinct cost-benefit analysis and makes a decision that influences whether or not she will forsake a source or engage other bees to it. If she vacates her source, she will shadow another bee indiscriminately; she does not match nectar sources.

Due to these transactions the whole hive has improved their foraging skills as a result of the judgments of thousands of separate bees.

The worth of a nectar source is not centered only on the sweetness of the source. It seems that remoteness from the hive, climate environments, the hive’s needs, the quantity of the source, and other relevant features are all taken into account. [3] What if humans had a bee brain?

One can imagine how clever humans would be if our much bigger brains had the abilities of a bee’s brain. Comparing the weights of brains, a bee brain is about 20,000 times smaller than a human brain.

However, they are able to do more with less.

For instance, how do bees have an internal GPS? Scientists have speculated that bees have the ability to sense the earth’s magnetic fields or the divergence of the sun’s light. A latest theory is that bees may be talented enough to perceive quantum fields or quarks. Bees appear to have some inherent sense of the sun’s movement and position. [3] An international team of researchers has discovered that even a lowly honeybee can differentiate between and remember different human faces.

“The more we study these creatures, the more we find they have abilities like ours,” says insect-vision researcher Professor Mandyam Srinivasan of the Australian National University in Canberra. “From bees to wasps, spiders and even sheep, other animals have proven they can not only recognize our faces, but they navigate mazes, match objects and shapes and even associate smells with previous experiences. Sometimes I wonder what we are doing with two-kilogram brains,” ponders Srinivasan. [4] Human beings are not the only species that can contemplate intangible mathematical ideas like nonexistence. That the number zero is less than one is understood by some other animals. It has been known that dolphins, African gray parrots, and primates also understand the idea of “zero,” but researchers were astonished to find that honeybees also understand this idea, bearing in mind the insects' minute brains, according to a report from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. “If bees can perceive zero with a brain of less than a million neurons, it suggests there are simple, efficient ways to teach AI (Artificial Intelligence) new tricks,” Adrian Dyer, an investigator at RMIT University said in the report. [5] It has been shown that the honeybee is able to accomplish instantaneous calculations quicker than even the fastest computers. For navigation, honeybees must perform very complex calculations. Honeybees are able to execute about 10 trillion calculations in a second, which is 625 times

quicker than the 6 billion calculations per second of the fastest computer. A honeybee has a brain that is more advanced than the most cutting-edge supercomputer that has ever been produced. [6] Conclusion The honeybee is a lowly animal that is still recognized by many religious scriptures. The honey it produces has many medicinal and therapeutic values.

The intelligence of the honeybee, with its tiny brain, is astonishing. And yet, we should reflect that however remarkable the honeybee’s brain is, the human brain is millions of times more complex.

References 1. DrBeekeeper: Bees Throughout the Ages: Bees in Religion. Posted on 25/04/2013,http://drbeekeeper. com/2013/04/bees-throughout-the-ages-bees-inreligion/ 2. Hooper R. Bee research may redefine understanding of Intelligence. The Japan News, November 28, 2017. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/ news/2017/11/28/national/science-health/bee-research-may-redefine-understanding-intelligence/#.

Wyq3CiApCUk 3. Giordano C. How Smart Are Honeybees? July 17, 2017 https://owlcation.com/stem/How-Smart-areHoney-Bees 4. O’Hanlon L. "Honeybees recognize people." ABC Science, December 20, 2005 http://www.abc.net.au/ science/articles/2005/12/20/1532832.htm 5. Saplakoglu Y. Honeybees Know a Lot About Nothing. Live Science, June 8, 2018 https://www. livescience.com/62773-bees-understand-concept-ofzero.html 6. Sejnowski, T.J. and Churchland, P.S. The Computational Brain (MIT Press, 1992), p. 9 See also Sejnowski, T.J. and Churchland, P.S., 1992, Relating to the computing power of the brain of the honeybee.

Byte Magazine, October, 1992, p. 137 http://www. streetwitnessing.org/creation-evolution/intelligentdesign/complex-systems-of-design/ Further reading Zhang, S; Bock F; Si A; Tautz J; Srinivasan MV (April 5, 2005). "Visual working memory in decision making by honey bees". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

102 (14): 5250–5.

Frisch, K. von. 1956. Bees; their vision, chemical senses, and language. Ithaca, N.Y., Cornell University Press.

Munz, T. (November 2005). "The Bee Battles: Karl von Frisch, Adrian Wenner and the Honey Bee Dance Language Controversy". Journal of the History of Biology. 38 (3): 535–570.

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HISTORY Momina Naveed

When some of the earliest Muslims faced a devastating boycott, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) turned not to violence, but to faith and brotherhood.

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Though the means were meager, the Muslims still tried all that was possible to thrive. Especially, Khadija, the Prophet’s noble wife, supported the tribe through her contacts who were not part of the boycott.

he Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and early Muslims responded to the tyranny of the pagans with the utmost resolve and patience. They continued to practice their faith, and the Prophet continued his mission of prophethood. They used all the outward means they could to alleviate their difficulties. Yet, their ultimate reliance was on God, and they tapped into the power of faith.

The boycott took place between 616-619 AD. There were several events that led to boycott of the Banu Hashim and Banu Muttalib tribes, to which the Prophet Muhammad belonged. One was the acceptance of Islam

by Sayyidina Hamza RA and Umar RA. Their conversions were a source of great strength for the Muslims. When Umar, who would later become the third Caliph, embraced Islam, some Muslims would even go to the Ka‘ba to pray openly along with him.

Another reason was that some Muslims had migrated to Abyssinia, and this enraged the pagans, as they felt those Muslims had managed to escape and were now living in peace and security. The pagans even sent an envoy to the king of Abyssinia requesting that the Muslims be returned. His refusal was a big blow. They thus intensified their persecution of the Muslims still in Mecca. Furthermore, the number of Muslims was slowly rising and this greatly perturbed the polytheists. They tried various strategies in an attempt to deter the Prophet from openly preaching Islam in public. In their last attempt, they went to Abu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet and asked him to offer the Prophet anything in return if he agreed to cease preaching Islam. However, the Prophet rejected this offer. This further disappointed the pagans. Abu Talib and his tribe also vowed to continue their support of the Prophet.

In order to further increase the sanctity of the boycott pact, pagans hung it inside the Ka‘ba.

This also served the purpose of informing any visitors that came to Mecca about the boycott so that all form of external help could also be blocked.

The Prophet led his followers and helped them react to persecution with non-violence, patience, perseverance, and firmness to their religious duties. They turned to God for help, focused on the Hereafter, and had absolute trust in God. After all the failed efforts, the Quraysh decided that it was time for them to take a definitive step that would end the efforts of the Prophet and the Muslims once and for all. Murdering the Prophet was not an option, as the Quraysh well-understood that this would mean the Banu Hashim and Banu Muttalib seeking revenge, which would lead to tribal war and bloodshed. Abu Jahl thus proposed boycotting the clans that were protecting the Prophet in such a way that they would be absolutely helpless. The rationale of the pagans was straightforward: “since the Muslims have boycotted our religion and social customs, we will boycott them economically and socially.” Due to their support, the non-Muslims of the Banu Hashim and Banu Muttalib tribes were also boycotted. A boycott document was written, which stated that no business or trade of any sort would be done with these two tribes, nor would any food be allowed to reach them. Furthermore, no one would marry anyone from those tribes or have social interactions with them. A document was written with these details by Ikrima bin Amir and signed by around forty leaders of the Quraysh, which for that time was a significant number. In order to further increase the sanctity of the pact, they hung it inside the Ka‘ba. This also served the purpose of informing any visitors that came to Mecca about the boycott so that all form of external help could also be blocked.

Banu Muttalib and Banu Hashim along with their children and women were thus forced out of Mecca, to a nearby place called Shib-e Abu Talib. The prediction of Waraqah ibn Naufal came true: he had warned the Prophet that a time would come when his tribesmen would oppose him and compel him to leave. The intention of the pagans was to leave the Muslims to starve to death in the loneliness of the desert, at the mercy of the scorching heat with no expectation of external help from any quarter.

The physical conditions of the Shib-e Abu Talib seemed to be completely in favor of the pagans

achieving their aims. There was hardly any food; the people were forced to eat leaves to survive. The hungry cries of the children could be heard all the way to Mecca. When any traders would arrive at Mecca, Abu Jahl would offer to buy all the items for a much higher price in case they reached the Banu Hashim and Banu Muttalib. Sayyidina Saad ibn Waqas RA narrates that, for three days, he could not stand properly due to the intensity of his hunger. He then found a piece of leather which he cleaned, put in a fire, and ate, and he thanked God for this provision.

Others reported eating tree bark just for their survival. When the Prophet would be praying, he could hear the cries of the children and women, which would shatter his heart. Yet despite the horrendous torture, and all odds being against the Muslims, they did not only survive these years. They came out much stronger and with a clear message that nothing could deter the Prophet or the Muslims from their faith. This was due to how they reacted during these difficult times, which will now be explored.

Though the means were meager, the Muslims still tried all that was possible to thrive. Especially, Khadija, the Prophet’s noble wife, supported the tribe through her contacts who were not part of the boycott.

Muslims who were not part of the boycott were also persistent in trying to do as much as they could with limited resources. The best examples are Abu Bakr and Umar. Since they did not belong to the Banu Muttalib or Banu Hashim tribes, they were not a part of the boycott. However, they did not distance themselves from the situation, satisfied at being safe, nor did they let themselves be overcome by despair. They channeled their love and worry for the Prophet and the other Muslims by trying to provide all the support they could.

It is narrated that Abu Bakr RA, since he belonged to a noble and rich family, possessed much wealth before the boycott. During the three years of Sep / Oct 2018

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They also had the certainty that God would eventually relieve them of this situation. Though outwardly the Prophet seemed to be in a weaker situation, he would often say, 'Is it not wondrous how God turns away from me the injuries of the Quraysh?'

boycott however, he spent so much money in buying food for those in the boycott and getting it to them that by the end, he was a poor man. It is also reported that other Muslims, whenever they could, would load their camels with provisions and leave them on the boundaries of the Shib-e Abu Talib, so the boycotted Muslims could retrieve the resources. Thus, in face of the persecution of the pagans, the Muslims that were not a part of the boycott did not use violence nor leave Mecca, and neither did they leave the Prophet and his Companions.

Rather, they used wisdom and tried to provide all the relief they could. They displayed the practical example of the saying of the Prophet in which he said, “The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.”

However, much more significant than their outward reactions were the inward reactions of the Prophet and his companions in the face of these tortures. The Prophet led his followers and helped them react to persecution with non-violence, patience, perseverance, and firmness to their religious duties. They turned to God for help, focused on the Hereafter, and had absolute tawakkul (trust in God). Zakaria Basharia states, “The Makkan period was characterized by passive, peaceful resistance on part of the Muslims. They bore the abuse and persecution of the Quraysh with patience and forbearance. They never ventured to fight back.”

The Prophet and the Muslims thus reacted during the boycott by turning to God with heartfelt dua (supplication). Not only did the Prophet pray a lot while in confinement, he also went to the Ka‘ba whenever he could during the months when fighting was not allowed and the Muslims would be allowed more freedom in their movement. Regarding Khadija during the boycott, it is narrated, “She prayed to God and invoked His mercy 18

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upon the besieged. Prayer was her ‘strategy’ for handling adversity. It was, she found, a simple but effective strategy.” Outwardly, it may seem passive to not retaliate, and to turn in supplication. But in reality, the Muslims realized that greater than the strength of the pagans was that of God, and though they were physically unable to relieve their suffering, God has the ability to completely remove difficulties. Thus, they tapped into the greatest means of help: their faith in God. They also had the certainty that God would eventually relieve them of this situation. Though outwardly the Prophet seemed to be in a weaker situation, he would often say, “Is it not wondrous how God turns away from me the injuries of the Quraysh?” This reflects that he had complete trust that the pagans could not ever truly harm the Muslims. Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Kathir reported various verses of the Qur’an that were revealed around this time period, especially against those that were opposing the Prophet. These verses centered around the oppositions that the previous Prophets faced – and highlighted that the Prophets were ultimately saved.

Thus the more persecution the Prophet suffered, the more revelations he received from God. This can be metaphorically extended to his followers, too. In times of the greatest difficulties, believers receive the greatest spiritual elevation and nearness to God. This is exactly what was happening to the Muslims during the boycott. They were spiritually being strengthened; their belief and trust in God was increasing. They were being tested by almost everything in the world: their lives, their children, their wives, their wealth, and their social interactions. When they emerged from the boycott, they no longer feared losing anything of this world.

Their focus turned entirely to God and the Hereafter.

Lastly, despite the pagans’ atrocities, the Prophet’s reaction was to continue his work of inviting people to faith. Ibn Kathir stated, “The Messenger of God continued as before, calling upon his people by day and night, secretly and openly, calling out the commands of God Almighty, fearing no man.”

It was reported that whenever he could, the Prophet would go to the Ka‘ba and he would invite the visitors that had come for business or pilgrimage to Islam. This reflects that he viewed his work as the Prophet of Islam as the most important, and no outward situation would ever change that. This is a lesson for believers to not let their practice of religion be impaired by difficult situations.

As the three years passed, some of the relatives of the besieged finally took a stand against the boycott, and it finally came to an end. However, it did not end on the same note as it started. The news of the boycott had spread across Arabia, and Islam

became much more well-known and thus attracted more converts. The Qurayshis had tried to quash Islam, and after their failure, they knew such a step could not be taken again. After the boycott, they even suggested combining the practice of their pagan traditions with Islam, in hopes of creating peace .

It can be concluded that the Muslims reacted to the boycott by trying to use any worldly means that were within their reach. Despite the difficult circumstances, they continued to strive. Those that were not a part of the boycott also helped, to the best of their capacity, increasing the brotherhood between all Muslims. The Prophet and the Muslims reacted with non-violence and turned to God in dua and tawakkul. The Prophet also successfully continued his work of dawah despite the opposition.

References Al-Mubarkpuri, Safi-ur-Rahman. The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet. London: Darusselam, 2010.

Anon. “Social Boycott And Life In Sha'ib Abi Talib”.

Universal Sunnah Foundation. http://www.usf. edu.pk/wyw-12.html (accessed August 22, 2017).

Bashier, Zakaria. Sunshine at Madinah. UK: The Islamic Foundation, 1990.

Bhat, Parvaze Ahmad. “The Makkan Phase of Sīrah: A Study from the Standpoint of Pluralism”. Islam and Muslim Societies: A Social Science Journal.

6.2 (2013): 69-90.

Gilani, S N Sadi. “Fatimah Bint Muhammad (PBUH)”. Defence Journal. 15.12 (2012): 1-9.

Haylamaz, Resit. The Sultan of Hearts. New Jersey: Tughra Books, 2013.

Ibn Kathir. Al-Sira Al-Nabawwiya: The Life of the Prophet Muhammad. Translated by Trevor Le Gassick. Lebanon: Garnet Publishing Limited, 1998.

Ibn Ishaq, Muhammad & Guillaume, Alfred. The life of Muhammad: A translation of Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah. London: Oxford University Press, 1955.

Kandhelwi, Idris. Siratul Mustafa SWS. Karachi: Kutb Khana Mazhari.

Lings, Martin. Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. New York: Inner Traditions International, 1983.

Miyanwalawi, Muhammad. “Accusation of Abū Bakr and Umar not being present during the boycott”.

Mahajjah. (2015): 1-14.

Razwy, Ali Asghar. “The Economic and Social Boycott of the Banu Hashim”. Al-Islam.org. https:// www.al-islam.org/restatement-history-islamand-muslims-sayyid-ali-ashgar-razwy/economic-and-social-boycott-banu (accessed July 18, 2017).

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HEALTH Atif Yorulmaz

We do not know the exact cause of Alzheimer's.

Yet, we know quite a bit about how to prevent it.

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A Memory loss is a leading symptom that emerges at the onset of the disease. At first, past memories remain intact and little memory lapses occur. Then mental abilities gradually disappear.

s human life expectancy has grown longer, it has led to the emergence of disease that were once quite rare. One of these is Alzheimer’s. At the beginning, Alzheimer’s manifests as a decrease in overall everyday activity. It becomes more apparent as mental functions decrease and cognition weakens. In advanced stages, it leads to senility, a tragic condition induced by the deterioration of neurons.

Memory loss is a leading symptom that emerges at the onset of the disease.

At first, past memories remain intact and little memory lapses occur. Then mental abilities gradually disappear.

Speaking and hand gestures, which are primarily controlled by the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, start to fail, accompanied by problems with recognition.

Although the underlying pathological processes in the brain tissues are not completely identified, it is known that there are disconnections between the limbic system and the frontal and temporal lobes. The intensive deterioration of the side cortical regions (the temporoparietal cortex) becomes visible in the amyloid plaques and the coiling nerve fibers as neurons degenerate and advance toward death.

Causes of Alzheimer’s The exact cause of the disease is not known. It is in 2-4% of people over 65, and this rises to 20% of people over 85, indicating the relationship of the disease with advanced age. 1-5% of the cases are known to arise from genetic factors. A dominant mutation was identified in three different genes in a few cases diagnosed in the early stages of disease. A gene called ApoE was identified to be oversensitive in patients diagnosed with the more common type of Alzheimer’s at later ages.

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One of the hypothesized causes is prions, proteins 100 times smaller than viruses that became known thanks to mad cow disease. Neither a virus nor a bacterium, prions are pathogens formed by the mutation of normal proteins produced in neural cells. Prions can be contagious. It is believed that prions can pass from person to person during a blood transfusion or dental treatment through unsterilized tools.

Dementia might be a single disorder for the layperson, but in medicine it refers to several disorders with different underlying causes. Alzheimer’s de22

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mentia is one of the neurodegenerative diseases in which neurons are destroyed; it is classified separately from frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, dementia from Parkinson’s disease, vascular dementia, and dementia originating from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) or a metabolic disorder.

Demographic studies have identified several factors that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

The energy source of neurons can be disrupted because of a decrease in blood flow into the brain resulting from circulatory damage, especially in patients who have high blood pressure and are over-

weight. Therefore, recommendations for a healthy way of life hold true for this disease.

The disease, which gradually destroys the neurons and the brain, severs the connections between cells. A typical symptom of the loss of neurons in Alzheimer’s begins with the loss of the sense of smell.

The death of the cells spreads slowly to regions associated with memory and then to the entire brain surface. One-fifth of brain mass might be lost as a result.

The olfactory (smell) center and the bottom part of the brain are affected at an earlier stage. The Meynert basal nucleus in the central nervous system produces a substance (neurotransmitter) required for communication between neurons. The presence of this substance is important for retrieving memories from the archives – that is, for remembering. An apparent decrease in acetylcholine levels prevents processing of information, and because short-term memory is negatively affected, it may become very hard to remember events that have only recently happened.

As losses increase, the acetylcholine produced in the basal nucleus decreases. A remarkable finding about Alzheimer’s is the protein buildup in neurons and gaps in certain regions of the brain. Some doctors believe that this protein buildup causes the disease, while others argue that it is the body’s response to the disease. The result is the same: protein plaques act like poison that damage the metabolism of neurons, and the patient’s cognitive performance decreases because neurons cannot communicate with each other.

Increasing risk for relatives Kinship seems to be an important risk factor for almost a third of Alzheimer’s patients. The probability that an Alzheimer’s patient’s siblings and children will have the disease is four times higher than for other people. The genes that indicate genetic factors have been identified in some families. For example, the epsilon-4 allele is found in 40% of Alzheimer’s patients, while it is present only in 10% of the healthy population. Yet this finding does not necessarily mean that everyone who has this gene will get sick. As researchers put it, the highest risk factor for Alzheimer’s is age. The older a person gets, the greater the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Although the effect of gender is not exactly known, women have been found to be twice as likely to have the disease.

Among factors that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s are nicotine, alcohol, obesity, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, thyroid function disorders (hypoor hyperthyroid), frequent concussions, unhealthy diet, heart attack, and paralysis. It is also interesting that depression, anxiety, and increased nervousness may develop at the onset of the disease.

Alzheimer’s and loneliness In Alzheimer's as well as other types of dementia, dementia is found to be triggered by lack of mental activity, which is in part connected to loneliness and isolation from people. In fact, loneliness is considered to be a preliminary symptom of Alzheimer's.

A study performed with 79 older people (43 female and 36 male) who had symptoms of dementia found that the amount of amyloid plaque was seven times higher in the brains of the participants with a greater decline in mental abilities. In addition, these patients suffered from severe cases of loneliness.

Is poor sleep a risk factor?

Observations in sleep laboratories indicate that prolonged periods of poor sleep increase the risk of Alzheimer's. Even a single restless night without deep sleep can increase the beta-amyloid concentration, or Alzheimer's protein, in the brain fluid. In case of several subsequent nights of restless nights, an increase is observed in the levels of tau protein, a second protein associated with the illness. The findings obtained by a team of specialists led by David M. Holtzman from Washington University Department of Medicine show that sleep disorders that are untreated for a long time increase the risk of Alzheimer's.

The brain may not be cleaned sufficiently without deep sleep, hence the increase in the levels of protein particles. Yet it has been found that the amounts of beta-amyloid return to normal after a few days of sound sleep. The risk increases after a prolonged lack of deep sleep. It is thus believed that the risk of Alzheimer's increases in people with sleep apnea who wake up repeatedly during the night because of problems breathing.

Yet it is not clear whether the increase in the amounts of tau and beta-amyloid proteins is related with the onset of the disease and how the findings should be interpreted. The reason for the confusion is that the two proteins also change shape and cause buildups in healthy people, not just in patients. It is therefore not known whether risk of Alzheimer's can be lowered with a night of sound sleep.

We can say that warning signs can be found in sleep. Neuroscientists at the University of Toronto have discovered one of the early signs of sleep behavior. They have found that people who beat or kick themselves in their dreams are 80-90% more likely to develop a neurodegenerative disorder such as Parkinson's and dementia at a later age, and this condition, also known as REM sleep disorder, [1] could be early signs of a brain disorder that may emerge within fifteen years.

Another study by Boston University researchers has revealed a correlation between REM sleep and Sep / Oct 2018

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Observations in sleep laboratories indicate that prolonged periods of poor sleep increase the risk of Alzheimer's. Even a single restless night without deep sleep can increase the beta-amyloid concentration, or Alzheimer's protein, in the brain fluid.

Alzheimer’s. The researchers have found that a reduction in REM or dream-sleep phase increased the risk of disease. On the other hand, not every nightmare is a symptom of the disease. The predictive factor is the desire to move taking place during REM sleep. We spend about a quarter of our sleep in the REM phase.

The more efficient the sleep, the less the amyloid plaques How long we sleep at night might predict how well our memory will work when we get older. According to Dr. Yo-Elju, sleep disorders seem to contribute to the formation of amyloid plaques. A two-week study conducted at the Faculty of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis collected data from about 100 people aged 45-80. Researchers used sleep behavior surveys and machine measurements. A quarter of the participants had signs of amyloid plaques.

The participants spent eight hours a night in bed. They were disturbed by being woken at different intervals. It was seen in the end that those who were woken more often had greater amyloid plaques. Interestingly, those who slept more than 6.5 hours had the same condition. The correlation between poor sleep and amyloid plaques is striking, yet the findings in this study do not provide evidence for a cause-effect relationship. Therefore, longitudinal studies are needed to find out whether sleep disorders contribute to formation of plaques in the brain. To sum up, these studies indicate that quality of sleep matters more than length of sleep. It seems more important to have a shorter sleep with a complete REM phase than a ten-hour sleep without REM sleep.

An important advice It is important for families to take care of their elderlies in their old age. It is worth noting that the Qur’an refers to weakness of mental faculties in old age followed by an advice to give in charity and reminding of His favors including spouses, children, and good, healthy sustenance: God has created you, then He causes you to die.

And among you are those who are deferred to the age of senility so they do not know, of what they 24

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once knew, anything at all. Surely God is All-Knowing, All-Powerful. And God has favored some of you above others in provision. And yet (while it is We Who provide them), those who are more favored do not consent to share their provision with those (slaves) whom their right hands possess, so that they might be equal with them in this respect. How then do they deny God's grace and bounty (and associate partners with Him)? God has made for you, from your selves, mates (spouses), and has made for you from your mates children and grandchildren, and has provided you with good, wholesome things. Do they, then, believe in falsehood and deny the blessings of God? (16:70-72)

This allusion to family as a favor makes much sense thinking of the huge difference in the quality of life and health the elderlies have depending on the company of children and grandchildren and the lack thereof. As an example, I can cite my own father who lived to the age of 102 with his six children and fifteen grandchildren in the same apartment building. He never felt loneliness thanks to his many visitors, who conversed with him every day.

He never became senile.

Another interesting point to note is that this chapter of the Qur’an is Nahl, which means “honeybee.” Considering the fact that the main nutrition for our brain is glucose, consumption of honey and other food mentioned in the same chapter, like dates and grapes, may be considered useful to prevent mental diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Note REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is the period of sleep that starts 30-90 minutes after falling asleep in which one has dreams. This phase of deep sleep takes up about 20% of one’s overall sleep. It is the most refreshing period of sleep during which muscles are completely relaxed, eyelids move rapidly, and noradrenalin and serotonin are absent.

References Nancy J. Donovan ve ark. (2016): Association of Higher Cortical Amyloid Burden with Loneliness in Cognitively Normal Older Adults. JAMA Psychiatry, 2016; DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.2657.

REFLECTIONS

If the inheritors of the earth, our sole consolation for the future, do not pave the way for humanity to reinterpret itself anew by putting forth a new code of morality, a new understanding of economics, a new philosophy of labor, a new love of modesty, and a new spirit of responsibility based on reverence, awe, and love, we will experience new catastrophes, ones so bad they will overshadow the destruction of the world wars.

RELIGION Allen S. Maller

Muslims and Jews fast as part of their religious practices. In a modern world where most people live to consume, what can fasting teach us?

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alal al-Din al-Rumi taught, “Ritual prayer can be different in every religion, but belief never changes” (Fihi Mafih). In the light of this insight I would like to share why I think of myself, especially during Ramadan, as a Reform Rabbi and a Muslim Jew. Actually, I am a Muslim Jew, i.e. a faithful Jew submitting to the will of God, because I am a Reform Rabbi. As a Rabbi I am faithful to the covenant that God made with Abraham – the first Muslim Jew, and I submit to the commandments that God made with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai.

As a Reform Rabbi I believe that Jewish spiritual leaders should modify Jewish tradition as social and historical circumstances change and develop. I also believe we should not make religion difficult for people to practice. These are lessons that Prophet Muhammad taught 12 centuries before the rise of Reform Judaism in the early 19th century. As Bukhari reported in a Hadith (Volume 3, Book 31, Number 145), Narrated 'Abdullah: The Prophet fasted for days continuously; the people also did the same but it was difficult for them. So, the Prophet forbade them (to fast continuously for more than one day). They said, "But you fast without break”... The Prophet replied, "I am not like you, for I am provided with food and drink (by Allah).”

Reform Jews are the largest of the Jewish denominations in the US and Canada. In the UK, Reform Judaism is called Liberal Judaism. All Reform Jews would agree with this teaching of Prophet Muhammad.

I have been studying Islam for almost 55 years. I think it is vitally important for our generation to understand how much Islam and Judaism have in common. Fasting is one area where this commonality is very evident. Jews and Muslims are the two religious groups that most noticeably practice fasting. Muslims fast for the entire month of Ramadan, from first light until sundown, and Jews fast on days like Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) and the 9th of Av (a day of mourning, much like the Shi’a observance of Ashura on the 10th of Muharram). The rules about fasting are very similar in both Jewish and Muslim law.

Many people may wonder: why should someone restrict their culinary pleasures? Why should we afflict ourselves by fasting? Don't most people think that being happy is the most important thing?

Isn't eating one of the most accessible pleasures we have? Why do Islam and Judaism restrict their adherents from the simple pleasure of food each year?

The Qur'an says, "Oh you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint" Qur'an 2:183. Meanwhile, the Torah decrees for Jews a day of fasting (Leviticus 16:29, 23:27) when, for twentyfour hours, adult Jews (in good health) are supposed to afflict their souls by abstaining from eating, drinking, and marital relations. Also for religious/ spiritual reasons, both Jews and Muslims do not eat pork. Both religions teach us that what we do not eat may be even more important than what we do eat.

Benefits of fasting There are many ways fasting brings Jews and Muslims closer to God. First of all, fasting teaches compassion. It is easy to talk about the world's problem of hunger. We can feel sorry that millions of people go to bed hungry each day. But not until one can actually feel it in one's own body is the impact truly there.

Compassion based on empathy is much stronger and more consistent than compassion based on pity. This feeling must lead to action. Fasting is never an end in itself; that's why it has so many different outcomes.

But all the other outcomes are of no real moral value if compassion is not enlarged and extended through fasting. As the prophet Isaiah said, “The truth is that at the same time you fast, you pursue your own interests and oppress your workers. Your fasting makes you violent, and you quarrel and fight. The kind of fasting I want is this: remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor” (Isaiah 58:3-7).

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Secondly, fasting on Yom Kippur serves as a form of penance for Jews as it does for Muslims when they fast during Ramadan. Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet said: “Whoever observes fasts during the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, hoping to attain Allah's rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven” (Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol 1).

Though self-inflicted pain may alleviate some guilt, it is much better to reduce one's guilt by offsetting acts of righteousness to others. This is why contributing to charity is an important part of Yom Kippur and Ramadan. Indeed, Judaism teaches that fasting that doesn't increase compassion is ignored by God. The concept of fasting as penance also helps us understand that our hunger-pains can be beneficial.

Contemporary culture desires happiness above all else. Any pain or suffering is seen as unnecessary and indeed evil. Though we occasionally hear people echo values from the past – such as the notion that suffering can help one grow – many today seem to think that the primary goal in life is to always be happy and free of all discomfort.

The satisfaction one derives from the self-induced pain of fasting provides insight into a better way of reacting to the externally caused suffering we experience throughout life. Taking a pill is not always the best way to alleviate pain, especially if by doing so we allay the symptoms without reaching the root cause.

The third outcome of fasting is improved physical health. Of course, one 24-hour fast will not have any more effect than one day of exercise. Only prolonged and regular fasting promotes health. The annual fast on Yom Kippur can, however, awaken us to the importance of how much and how often we eat.

Since our society has problems with overabundance, fasting provides a good lesson in the virtue of denial. Health problems caused by overeating are among the most rapidly growing health problems in affluent Western countries. America’s consumer culture urges us to constantly over-indulge ourselves; now, even our children suffer from our bad behavioral models. About 17 percent of kids and teens in the US are obese, a figure that has more than tripled since the 1970s, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now a report in the New England Journal of Medicine lays out one of the consequences of all this excess weight: a corresponding increase in childhood diabetes.

After reviewing data on 10-to-19-year-olds in five states (California, Colorado, Ohio, South Carolina, and Washington), researchers determined that 12.5 out of every 100,000 of the youth studied had a bona fide case of diabetes in 2011 and 2012 compared with nine cases per 100,000 youth in 2002 and 2003. The study authors found the incidence of Type 2 diabetes in this age group had risen by an average of 4.8 percent per year during the nine-year study period.

Thus, going without all food and drink, even water, on Yom Kippur and Ramadan challenges us to think about the benefits of the very important religious teaching, that less is more.

A fourth benefit of fasting, is that it can help us in our struggle against dependencies. We live in a consumer society. We are constantly bombarded by advertising telling us that we must have this or that to be healthy, happy, popular, or wise.

By fasting, we assert that we need not be totally dependent on external things, even such essentials as food. If our most basic need for food and drink can be suspended for twenty-four hours, how much more of the nonessentials might we cut out?

Judaism and Islam do not advocate asceticism as an end in itself. In fact, it is against Muslim and Jewish law to deny ourselves normal physical pleasures.

But in our overheated consumer society it is necessary to periodically turn off the constant pressure to consume and to remind ourselves forcibly that “Man does not live by bread alone” (Deuteronomy 8:3).

Fifth, fasting is an exercise in willpower. Most people think they can't fast because it's too hard.

But actually the discomfort of hunger pangs is relatively minor. A headache, muscle pains from too much exercise, and most certainly a toothache … all are more severe than the pains hunger produces.

The reason it is so hard to fast is because it so easy to break your fast, since food is almost always in easy reach; all you have do is take a bite.

Thus, the key to fasting is the willpower to decide again and again not to eat or drink. Our society has increasingly become one of self-indulgence. We lack self-discipline. Fasting encourages discipline and urges us to use our will-power. When people exercise their willpower through fasting, they are affirming their self-control and celebrating mastery over themselves. We need to continually prove that we can do it, because we are aware of our frequent failures to be self-disciplined.

Sixth, fasting is good for the soul. It often serves as an aid for spiritual experiences. For most people, especially those who have not fasted regularly before, hunger pains are a distraction. People who are not by nature spiritual/emotional individuals will probably find that a one-day fast is insufficient to help induce an altered state of consciousness. Jews who have already fasted for Yom Kippur can simply extend the fast another twenty-four to thirty-six hours.

Muslims can select a night or two to fast in addition to their daily fast; preferably during the first two weeks of Ramadan, when the moon is waxing. Jews are prohibited to fast prior to Yom Kippur; eating a good meal prior to Yom Kippur Eve is a mitzvah (religious duty), because Judaism, like Islam, opposes excessive asceticism.

The seventh outcome of fasting is the performance of a mitzvah (religious duty), which is, after all, the one fundamental reason for fasting on Yom Kippur. We do not do mitzvoth (religious duties) in order to benefit ourselves, but because our duty as Jews requires that we do them. Fasting is a very personal mitzvah, with primarily personal consequences.

Fasting on Yom Kippur is a personal offering to God, from each and every Jew who fasts. For over 100 generations, Jews have fasted on this day. A personal act of fasting is part of the Jewish people's covenant with God. The principal reason to fast is to fulfill God's commandment.

The outcome of one’s fast can be any among a half-dozen forms of self-fulfillment. But simply knowing that I have done one of my duties as a faithful Jew is the most basic and primary outcome of all.

It is my hope that fasting is a first step toward the removal of the chains of self-oppression and narrow mindedness that enslave us, our neighbors, and our world! I hope the future holds years of shared fasting by Muslims and Jews, leading to a greater amount of understanding and respect through increased acceptance of religious pluralism.

Fethullah Gülen points out that the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and some non-Abrahamic faiths (Hinduism) accept that there is only One source for all religions. All faiths pursue the same goal. Gülen states: "As a Muslim, I accept all Prophets and Books sent to different peoples throughout history, and regard belief in them as an essential principle of being Muslim. A Muslim is a true follower of Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, and all other Prophets. Not believing in one Prophet or Book means that one is not a Muslim.

Thus we acknowledge the oneness and basic unity of religion, which is a symphony of God's blessings and mercy, and the universality of belief in religion." (Gülen. 2006. Essays-Perspectives-Opinions, p. 34) Gülen's description of universal religion as a symphony is an excellent illustration. One cannot have harmony if everyone plays the same notes; and one cannot have a symphony if everyone plays the same instruments.

Individual conductors and composers are different, but the source of musical creativity is One. According to a Hadith narrated by Abu Huraira, Prophet Muhammad said, “The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, yet their religion is one (because they all have the same father)” (Bukhari, Book #55, Hadith #652).

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HEALTH Osman Arslan

Kidneys, like all other organs, have important functions for our body. We have to be aware of these functions for a healthy life.

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The kidneys are the path to eliminating medicine and hormones from the body. Many antibiotics and hormones, or their metabolic end-products, are discharged through the kidneys.

very organ in the human body has vital functions. The kidneys play fundamental roles in maintaining human health.

One of the most important functions of the kidneys is producing urine. This function is performed by nephrons, the morphological unit in our kidneys. A nephron is simply made up of the glomerulus, where urine is filtered from blood, and tiny tubes where the filtered fluid passes through and is finally turned into urine (these tubes are proximal tubule, loops of henle, distal tubule, and collector channels).

There are approximately one million nephrons in the two kidneys of an adult. Each nephron is designed to produce urine by itself. Kidneys cannot renew nephrons. The number of nephrons, therefore, decreases gradually because of kidney damage, disease, or aging.

After the age of 40, the number of nephrons generally decreases ten percent every ten years, and as a result, an 80-year-old has 40% fewer nephrons than 40 years ago. This loss is not life-threatening because adaptive changes in the remaining nephrons enable them to dispose of water, electrolytes, and metabolic waste in proper amounts.

The functions of the kidneys can be stated as follows: 1. Discharging metabolic waste from the body, i.e cleaning our blood. The most significant of types of waste are urea, creatine, and uric acid. The kidneys are the path to eliminating medicine and hormones from the body. Many antibiotics and hormones, or their metabolic end-products, are discharged through the kidneys.

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2. Maintaining the body’s water-electrolyte balance. The kidneys are charged with balancing the amounts or concentrations of water and substances conducting electricity, such as dissolved sodium, calcium, chlorine, and potassium. If there is too much water or salt, it is discharged through urine. If the amount of water or salt has decreased, then the kidneys keep them in the body by preventing their discharge through urine and hence maintain the balance.

3. Establishing an acid-base balance. It is vital to balance the acid or base level of the blood and other bodily fluids. The pH of blood is maintained at 7.4. If is too low, there is an excess of acid. A great excess of acid (acidosis) can cause sudden death. If it too high – called alkalosis – it leads to many disorders.

4. Regulating the osmolarity of bodily fluids. The solid substances in blood (Na, K, glucose, amino acids, protein, etc.) must have a certain density. We can talk about the collective, rather than individual, density of the solid substances. One mole of solid particle in a liter of water (6,02 x 1023) produces an osmotic pressure of 1 osmole. All bodily fluids (intracellular fluids, extracellular fluids, and blood) have an osmolarity of 300 milliosmoles. The discharge of solid particles and water are performed by the kidneys according to this delicate balance.

5. Regulating blood pressure. The kidneys perform critical functions in balancing blood pressure by increasing the amount of urine when blood pressure increases or by decreasing the amount of urine when blood pressure decreases. The amount of urine is normal during normal blood pressure.

If blood pressure decreases by half, the amount of urine becomes zero. If blood pressure doubles, the amount of pressure increases eightfold.

The kidneys act like an endocrine gland in the secretion of several hormones. One of the most important of these hormones is erythropoietin, used in the production of blood cells in bone marrow.

6. Secreting hormones. The kidneys act like an endocrine gland in the secretion of several hormones.

One of the most important of these hormones is erythropoietin, used in the production of blood cells in bone marrow. The kidneys also play a significant role in the production of vitamin D, which has recently been considered to be a hormone rather than a vitamin. Renin is also secreted from the kidneys when blood pressure drops.

7. Glyconeogenesis: This function is primarily performed by the liver. Yet we know that this process is carried out by kidneys as well. Glyconeogenesis is the production of sugar (glucose) from the glycerol of non-sugar substances and all amino acids.

What should we pay attention to if we want to protect our kidneys?

1. Proteins. They are probably the most valuable nutrients. Meat, milk, and eggs are rich in proteins, but grains like wheat and legumes contain proteins, too. Amino acids obtained from proteins are used as building blocks of the body. In this regard, proteins are essential for nutrition. When they are taken in excess amounts, however, proteins are converted into other substances (sugar and fats) or spent for energy production. Meanwhile, ammonia and then urea are produced in the liver. The urea produced in the liver is discharged by the kidneys through urine. Excess urea is considered a burden for the kidneys, so it is a risk for our kidneys to consume too much protein (particularly red meat). If there is a case or probability of renal failure, protein intake should be reduced.

2. Salt. Kidneys can easily get rid of water, yet it takes some effort to discharge salt. Kidneys especially suffer when they are left without water. If kidneys cannot discharge enough salt, blood pressure rises. Therefore, if a person has a risk of heart or kidney failure or have high blood pressure, you should cut down on salt. It is crucial for anyone overweight to stop consuming salt. Foods without salt (such as minced meat and potatoes) decrease the appetite and stop a person from eating too much. Besides, meals without salt partly reduce the absorption of food in the intestines. A low-salt diet is good not only for the heart and blood pressure but also for kidneys. Yet people whose kidneys work perfectly, especially children and teenagers, run no risk when they consume salty food. It is also known that excess salt contributes to the formation of kidney stones.

3. Water. It is vital for kidneys. Water helps kidneys clean the blood. It is not possible without water to cleanse blood of salt, other waste materials, and

drugs. You should therefore be careful about drinking sufficient water. The daily requirement varies from person to person. Drinking 4-8 glasses, or 1.5–2 liters, of water will usually meet the body’s daily requirement. Drinks such as tea and coffee cannot be substituted for water because they increase water discharge.

The minimum amount of water required for cleaning an adult body in a desert environment is half a liter.

Though rare, it can also be a burden or problem for the kidneys if a person drinks too much water. Solid substances such as sodium, potassium, and calcium can be lost in excess as a result of overdrinking water, just like dirt is washed away by a flood.

4. Acidic foods and drinks. One of the most important functions of the kidneys is to get rid of the acids produced through metabolic activities in the body and to balance the pH of blood. It is harder to discharge acids than bases. Acidic foods and drinks should therefore be consumed moderately. Pickles, sour foods, sodas, and other fizzy drinks should not be eaten in excess. It should also be remembered that acidic foods and drinks can cause kidney stones.

5. Smoking. One of the primary harms of the nicotine in cigarette smoke is the fact that it causes blood vessels to contract. Smoking is the main reason for vessel stiffness. Nicotine causes kidney vessels to contract, hence a decrease in blood circulation in the kidneys. When blood circulation in the kidneys decreases, blood is no longer cleaned and blood pressure rises.

6. Alcohol. Alcoholic beverages raise acid levels in the blood and causes acidosis, which damages all the organs and primarily the liver. Alcohol has the same effect as smoking on kidney vessels and causes them to contract. Not only does excessive acid damage kidneys but it also facilitates kidney stones.

7. Drugs. Of the body’s organs, the kidneys are the most sensitive to drugs. Using antibiotics in high doses may lead to kidney damage and acute kidney failure. It is a common mistake in public to use antibiotics without consulting with a doctor. Using painkillers for every pain also causes chronic damage in our kidneys. It is normal for a person to have certain pains in daily life. They should consult with a doctor to identify the cause of the pain and should refrain from using painkillers unless absolutely necessary.

8. Vitamins. A lack of vitamin B6 is known to cause kidney stones. Thankfully, vitamins are among the innumerable blessings bestowed upon humanity.

Vitamin B6 is abundant in sunflowers, pistachios, chickpeas, fish, and starchy vegetables.

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Emerald Hills of the Heart

MUKASHAFA (DISCLOSURE) God discloses some of His secrets to His friends who unburden themselves to Him.

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ukashafa (derived from kashf, meaning discovering or unveiling) denotes that the Divine mysteries will be disclosed to those well-versed in the Divine truths when, by rising through a spiritual struggle, they are able to perceive and come to know the truths about the Divine Names and Attributes. Travelers to the Ultimate Truth who have attained this rank are regarded as having completed their journey in the Divine Names and Attributes, each according to their individual capacity, with the result that Divine mysteries begin to pour into the heart or spiritual intellect, which is the projection in humanity of the Divine Throne of Mercy. The veils before the pure spiritual realms are opened slightly to these people, and the truths that stand in front of and behind things are disclosed to them.

This is called disclosure in the sense of gaining familiarity with the things unseen behind the veils. Disclosure is used to define familiarity with abstract truths and meanings which are by nature invisible, while the terms “witnessing” or “observation” is used to deal with beings.

Disclosure (whose Arabic origin—mukashafa—is in the form that suggests mutuality) implies that intimate friends disclose secrets to one another. The best example of this is that of the Messenger, called also Ahmad and Mahmud due to his being honored with God’s praise to the greatest degree, who attained the rank at which God revealed to him secrets of His Speech to a great extent (53:10).

God discloses some of His secrets to His friends who unburden themselves to Him. His friends talk to Him from their hearts and the One Who knows all the things hidden in creation showers the gems of His knowledge into their hearts. They rise to the horizon of recognizing their Lord with His All-Beautiful Names and All-Pure Attributes in proportion to this disclosure in order to be immersed in the lights of this recognition. The Absolute Hidden One removes the veil slightly from before the seeing of their hearts so that they can perceive the truth of light and He raises them to the peak of excellence or perfect goodness.

Until reaching this horizon, every initiate can make a connection with the Realm of the Transcendental Manifestation of Divinity from behind veils. Whatever they see during their journey to that horizon, they see it as if from behind a smoky piece of glass and cannot clearly discern the manifestations of the Divine Names, Attributes and Essential Qualities.

Even if they feel that they have discerned some things, it is but a mere illusion.

The veils between the travelers and the Ultimate Truth differ according to their relations with the Ultimate Truth. Just as being closed to the truth of the Names and Attributes is a veil, the heart’s turning to some object other than God is another veil. The interpretation of existence according to mere human philosophy is yet another veil. To search for a source of light other than the light of Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, is another veil.

Moral deviations, such as jealousy, arrogance, conceit, ostentation and selfishness, and sins, which

are regarded as steps toward misguidance and unbelief, are also veils in proportion to how great obstacles they are to discerning the truth. The traps laid by these veils are those arranged by the carnal soul, Satan, the world which relate to our carnal desires and lusts, our weak spots, and our human shortcomings. Each of these traps is deadly. When a person becomes entangled in these, all of his or her endeavors to rise in rank on the way to God are in vain and it is inevitable that he or she will suffer separation on the way to meeting with God. Sep / Oct 2018

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His sight swerved not, nor did it go wrong.

The first step of disclosure for those who fulfill the requirements to travel on the way to God is a manifestation of knowledge of God, which the One eternally witnessed through His signs produces in their hearts. If they are steadfast on the way, they can advance as far as the final point, where they will be able to witness or observe Him in His signs. Nevertheless, such manifestations may not be constant and the way may sometimes be obscured, with the result that travelers may suffer setbacks. However, the desire to advance in their hearts never ceases; even if sometimes they feel dizzy and waver, they constantly endeavor to reach the goal with a desire that is insurmountable. It is heroism to follow the rules and requirements of the journey without falling into despair, and those who continue on the way heroically are favored with constant disclosure and advancement. They rise from the certainty that comes from knowledge to the certainty that comes from observation. If they are able to take two steps more forward, they are favored with the clearest disclosure supported by self-possession and wakefulness. If they are able to advance further, their journey ends in observation—seeing the All-Holy One, Who is called by the Most Sacred Names with the eye of the heart or insight. This will be explained later.

The clearest disclosure is when the Divine lights pervade the heart and all other faculties so as to enlighten and to be felt by all the emotions. In other words, an initiate feels the Source of these lights beyond what is demonstrated by His signs and proofs.

This was the beginning of the spiritual journey of the Prophet, master of the creatures, upon him be peace and blessings. Throughout his life, all of which he spent at the highest of all ranks and at the summit of all virtues, he continuously traveled from closure to observation and always felt and experienced the mysteries of belief deeply. Especially during his Ascension, he acquired certified familiarity with all the mysteries that belong to the realm beyond, including Paradise, Hell, the angels, and even the sounds of the Pens of Destiny. Then he returned to the world in order to keep the way open for others to travel along, each according to individual capacity. Furthermore, he secured this way with reflector-like lights that he installed along it. In the 36

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ranks in which he traveled and made observations, he progressed without his eyes swerving and without his mind becoming perplexed, as declared in the verse (53:17), His sight swerved not, nor did it go wrong. When it came to the point where he was too great for this world of formation and deformation to bear and when he entrusted the way and journey to those who would come after him, he proceeded to his Lord, saying: O God! (Now it is the time to go) to the Highest Friend! His faithful followers have made the same journey in spirit which he made in the universal dimensions and which he has bequeathed to them with its means and results so that each can realize in part his journey, according to their capacity.

Some have expressed their feelings, observations, and insights in the following words, “O Sariya!

(Withdraw) to the mountain, to the mountain!”[1]; some with words which reveal their special relationship with God: “If the veil before the Unseen were removed, my certainty (of belief in the pillars and truths of belief) would not increase;”[2] and some with the glad tidings, “Be hopeful! The highest voice which will be heard worldwide among the revolutions of the future will be that of Islam.”[3] O God! You are the First, there is nothing preceding You; You are the Last, there is nothing to succeed You. I seek refuge in You from the evil of all moving creatures whom You hold by the forelock, and I also seek refuge in You from committing sins and going into debt. And bestow blessings and peace on our master Muhammad and his Family and Companions, noble and honored.

Notes 1. During the wars with the Sassanids,‘Umar, the second Caliph, saw Sariya, the Muslim commander, surrounded by the enemy at the front while he was himself on the pulpit in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina thousands of miles away, and gave him the instruction, “(Withdraw) to the mountain, to the mountain!” at-Tabari, Tarikhu’lUmam wa’l-Muluk, 3:42. (Tr.) 2. This quote belongs to ‘Ali, the fourth Caliph.

‘Aliyu’l-Qari, al-Asraru’l-Marfu‘a, 193.

3. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Sunuhat-Tuluat-Isharat, 44.

EDUCATION Esra Akdogan

P

A high life satisfaction is important for individuals because it leads to positive mental health and healthy interpersonal relationships.

ositive thinking is a mental attitude, a process of generating thoughts that transform energy into reality. In this article, we will approach positive thinking, especially in education, from a psychological perspective. What is positive thinking? How does it occur? What factors are associated with it? How does the student reflect their education by positive thinking?

Positive thinking is a process of choosing positive emotions from stimuli in the environment and applying them to perceptions and beliefs. Life satisfaction is defined as “a global evaluation by the person of his or her life” (Pavot, Diener, Colvin&Sandvik, 1991, p. 150). It is generally the cognitive part of mental well-being. In this context, it is different from joy and happiness. A high life satisfaction is

important for individuals because it leads to positive mental health and healthy interpersonal relationships.

A positive attitude starts with something already secured and weighty and moves from that point forward. While a person keeps looking at things or events from the perspective of certain considerations, their character and temperament will gradually take shape in line with that way of thinking. People’s way of thinking shapes their behavior. While new opportunities are generated, success depends on the person’s perspective. Here’s an example of positive thinking: there were once only ten people in the audience at one of Mozart’s performances. He did not really bother himself with this disappointing number of attendance. After the performance he said to his wife: “It was a perfect concert, and Sep / Oct 2018

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The best action is to avoid suspicion about others. One must continue to think positively about every one, should not develop suspicion, and should not reach to quick judgments about them. everyone gave a standing ovation.”This reflected his inner purity and faithfulness. I think we need to think like Mozart. Such thinking brings inner peace, success, improved relationships, better health, happiness, and satisfaction.

Positive thinking about others, too, is most becoming for a righteous person. It is our duty to cherish good opinions, and we must always think positively. Consistent with this is taking a person and their actions in the best possible way. We should not be suspicious of a person and should accept the best possible motives for their behaviors. We must remember that it is better to be mistaken in a good opinion than being proven right in a negative opinion.

This is especially true in the field of education.

A student or teacher is supposed to avoid making judgments like they avoid poisonous snakes. In the case of false judgments, they should immediately talk and try to find solutions, with the hope of being pardoned. A fine balance exists between refraining from bias and not giving in to negative thinking after a temporary lapse, since a bias is a greater danger than distrust. Saying, “There is no more hope for me” and totally giving up, indulging in the swamp of regret, and finally being seized by pessimism leads to a loss of hope.

Even when one bumps into an embarrassing situation of a friend, he or she should turn their face to another direction, and not inquire the situation even further. One must continue to think positively about that person, should not develop suspicion, and should not reach to quick judgments about them.

In the same way that it is essential to hold a good opinion of others, it is also important to refrain from behavior that might raise suspicion. Some people fail to avoid acts and conditions that might possibly lead to ugly thoughts arising in the minds of other people. They might sometimes present behavior that can be open to criticism in terms of their personal lives, businesses, or social relations. Worst of 38

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all, an unmannerly act by a single individual might cause all members of a group to lose credibility.

Here are a few actions I have taken. Consider them “tips” to help you develop the power of positive thinking: o Always use only positive words while thinking and while talking. Use words such as, “it is not the end of the way; surely there is a new way”; “I can”; “it is possible”; and “why not?” o Watch movies that make you feel happy. o Focus on feelings of happiness, strength, and success. o Use words that evoke feelings and mental images of strength, happiness, and success. o Associate yourself with people who think positively. o Try to ignore negative thoughts. Replace them with constructive ones. o Have limits on the amount of time you listen to the news and read the papers.

Personalization is another technique optimistic people use that allows them to see their problems as something external and not internal. Through personalization, an optimistic individual is able to look at the broader picture of a negative situation by “detaching” from it; that is, by externalizing the negative causes of that situation, and internalizing that its negative impact on the person’s life is only transitory: that life will move on. For instance: if a classmate gets upset with you because of someone else’s comments or rumors, you should not attribute this entirely to yourself. You should instead try to amend the situation in the best way possible, without thinking that the fault for the rumors lays entirely on you. It is partly because of “word of mouth” communication among common peers.

Through persistence, optimistic people can see bad situations as something specific and not global.

In this way, someone who is going through a tough time will realize that this situation will not affect them permanently. For example, when a student

I may be a loser, not self-confident, and hopeless, but I am trying to build trust with my teacher and my family.

Therefore, even though I might slip and fall at any moment, they will support me. gets a bad grade in an activity, he/she should understand that this one experience should not affect his/ her overall academic performance. It is important to remember that one should never, ever give up. He/ she will be able to gain more wisdom and more conscience by choosing to learn from their mistakes.

We hold the belief that success is always achievable with hard work and dedication. While this is true for many occasions, things do not always turn out as we would like them to be. There are limits to what we can do. However, I do believe that success is more likely achieved with hard work and determination.

This is especially true for young people and students. A student should always maintain a good opinion about life, at every phase. They should constantly live with this hope. They should say, “I may be a loser, not self-confident, and hopeless, but I am trying to build trust with my teacher and my family.

Therefore, even though I might slip and fall at any moment, they will support me.” This trust is similar to the trust a believer has in God. Sometimes you have to lose your way to discover your ability. You will find your way with your positive thinking and hope.

Positive thinking is not as simple as it seems; going after it has a price. It may mean abandoning our habits or going through hardships, or it may lead us to disappointment, etc. However costly it may be, it is never as high as the price paid by people who did not live honestly. Because one day they will look back and hear their own heart say, “I wasted my life.” For that reason, never lose patience and never stop thinking positive thoughts.

References 1. http://www.livestrong.com/article/120699-negative-thinking-vs.-positivethinking/ 2. http://www.the-benefits-of-positive-thinking. com/negative-thinking-versuspositivethinking. html 3. Pavot W., Diener E., Colvin C. R., & Sandvik E. (1991). Further Validation of the Satisfaction with Life Scale: Evidence for the cross-method convergence of well-being. Social Indicators Research, 57, 149–161. http://dx.doi. org/10.1207/ s15327752jpa5701_17 4. http://www.fountainmagazine.com/Issue/detail/We-should-think-well-of-others Sep / Oct 2018

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BIOLOGY Omer Yildiz

Do you know what hemoglobin does?

You should, because it has been perfectly created to keep you alive!

H

emoglobin is one of the miraculous molecules in the human body. While its most important function is to carry oxygen in the blood, it also plays a role in maintaining the body’s acid-base balance. It also carries carbon monoxide in the blood, though to a much lesser amount than oxygen. Hemoglobin is not yet free to roam in the blood; it is carried in red blood cells, which act as hemoglobin sacs. Red blood cells have almost

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no other function but to carry hemoglobin. They lose all their organelles, including the nucleus, to be able to carry more hemoglobin – and hence, our oxygen.

Hemoglobin is produced in the bone marrow by combining the “hem” molecule with the “globin” molecule. The hem part is produced in the mitochondria of the red blood cell. Two succynil coenzyme “A”s and two glycine amino acids are combined to form pyrrole. Four pyrroles are then combined to form protoporphyrin, which is combined

with the iron atom to produce the hem. Four hems are combined with four globins, a kind of protein, to produce one hemoglobin molecule. Since each hem has one iron atom, every hemoglobin has four iron atoms.

And since an oxygen molecule binds with each iron atom, every hemoglobin can carry a total of four oxygen molecules – or eight oxygen atoms.

The makeup of hemoglobin along with its production steps is very complicated and it features a precise and intricate design.

The blood circulates between the lungs and tissues thanks to the continuous work of the heart. As hemoglobin moves through the lungs it binds with oxygen and as it flows through tissues it releases the oxygen.

Hemoglobin functions much like a truck that hauls oxygen. The blood circulates between the lungs and tissues thanks to the continuous work of the heart. As hemoglobin moves through the lungs it binds with oxygen and as it flows through tissues it releases the oxygen.

For this process to work, the bond between oxygen and hemoglobin can be neither too strong nor too weak. If it were too strong, oxygen would not be able to break free in the tissues, and the tissues would go without oxygen. If the bond were too weak, hemoglobin would not be able to bind with enough oxygen in the lungs, in which case the tissues would again not get oxygen.

There are basically two kinds of hemoglobin. The first type is found in fetuses, and it is called fetal hemoglobin (Hb-F). The other is found in adult humans and is called adult hemoglobin (Hb-A). Before being born, the fetus gets oxygen from the mother’s womb. To get more oxygen from the mother, fetal hemoglobin is designed to bind more strongly with Sep / Oct 2018

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If strong acids find their way into the bloodstream because of certain diseases, hemoglobin help prevent an increase in the amount of acid (and a decrease in pH) by binding with the acid or carbon dioxide.

oxygen. One is tempted to ask: Because fetal hemoglobin binds so strongly with oxygen, will the fetus’ tissues not be deprived of oxygen? Yet there is no need to worry. Because there is less oxygen in fetuses than in adult humans, this different hemoglobin easily breaks free from the oxygen in the low-oxygen environment. After the baby is born, the body produces Hb-A instead of Hb-F because it starts to breathe through its own lungs.

Hemoglobin is charged with carrying 97% of the oxygen carried in the blood. 3% of the oxygen is carried in dissolved form in plasma. Because an increase in dissolved oxygen leads to oxygen poisoning, it is not desirable at all. If one breathes from a tube containing 100% oxygen instead of atmospheric air containing 80% nitrogen, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the blood increases, causing oxygen poisoning.

Hemoglobin is designed to store some oxygen, too. At rest, there is 20 ml of oxygen in the hemoglobin of 100 ml of arterial blood. Only 5 milliliters of this oxygen will be given to cells. The remaining 15 milliliters remains in the hemoglobin. In other words, not all oxygen in the hemoglobin is transferred to the body’s tissues. This is a security measure against possible risks. In the event that blood 42

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does not come from the lungs, this stored oxygen is used so that life can continue, though for a short time. The same situation is experienced when we do not breathe for a long time.

Exercise During exercise or work that requires physical effort, the amount of oxygen demanded by the body increases twenty-fold. The heart works faster as does circulatory system. Hemoglobin is supposed to get 20 times more oxygen from the lungs so that it can take 20 times more oxygen to the cells. Body temperature increases, too. Hemoglobin is designed to respond to all these changes. During exercise, hemoglobin starts to give almost all the oxygen to the tissues. When it gets back to the lungs, it is like an empty truck and can load more oxygen.

The exercising person breathes more deeply and quickly; thus, the lungs work faster, the heart pumps blood with greater force and speed, and the design of the hemoglobin is just good enough to carry more oxygen to the tissues.

Inflammatory diseases Cellular metabolism speeds up when a person has an inflammatory disease. More oxygen is needed be-

cause the chemical reactions in cells gain speed. The body’s temperature increases; so, too, the amount of acids and carbon dioxide in the blood due to increase in metabolic rate. In addition, the amount of a very important molecule in the blood increases.

This molecule is called diphosphoglycerate. It is charged with protecting the cell during inflammatory diseases and preventing cell death. Diphosphoglycerate coaxes hemoglobin to send more oxygen to the body’s tissues. As we can see, the body has been perfectly created to ensure it receives enough oxygen, even during illnesses!

Transfer of carbon dioxide Hemoglobin is also assigned the task of carrying carbon dioxide. Carrying carbon dioxide in the blood is easier than carrying oxygen, as carbon dioxide is twenty times more water-soluble than oxygen. Doctors, therefore, do not have to make an extra effort to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in blood, and it is enough to give oxygen to patients with breathing problems. If carbon dioxide were not easy to dispose of, we would face an enormous problem, because there is no way of disposing of carbon dioxide and it is virtually impossible to develop one.

A vast amount of the carbon dioxide in the blood (70%) is carried in the form of bicarbonate. First, carbon dioxide combines with water, as a result of which carbonic acid, and then bicarbonate, are produced. After these reactions, carbon dioxide hides in bicarbonate (HCO3) and arrives at the lungs. Then bicarbonate combines with H+, by which carbonic acid (H2CO3) is made. Then water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2 ) are produced. The carbon dioxide that breaks up from the bicarbonate is discharged through the lungs into the atmosphere. 7% of the dissolved carbon dioxide in the blood is carried in plasma and 23% in hemoglobin. That is to say, as hemoglobin travels from the lungs to the cells, it carries oxygen, and as it returns from the cells it loads off some of the carbon dioxide.

Acid-base balance The pH value of human blood is 7.4, on average.

It is vital for cells that the pH of the blood remain stable. The regulation of the acid (H+) ion concentration in body fluids is called the acid-base balance.

Little changes in H+ ions cause enormous changes in cellular chemical reactions. The regulation of the balance of H+ ions is therefore crucial for the body’s internal balance.

Hemoglobin plays an important role in the acidbase balance of blood. If strong acids find their way into the bloodstream because of certain diseases, hemoglobin help prevent an increase in the amount of acid (and a decrease in pH) by binding with the

acid or carbon dioxide. A similar role is also true for times when the amount of base rises.

When we study hemoglobin and the chemical substances and reactions it is involved in, we can see that they are all arranged extremely precisely, and everything is in its proper place.

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A MOMENT FOR REFLECTION Salma Abdel Fattah

Negaholics are everywhere. Do not allow them to discourage you and ruin your life.

Negative thoughts and reflections implanted in our minds and souls are certainly something we need to avoid in order to live a successful, fulfilled life.

S

ome people are full of negative thoughts. They don’t dream or strive. These are negaholics, and if you’re trying to achieve great things you must not listen to them!

Attention! They are everywhere, sapping your energy, attacking your immune system; before you even notice, they change your life. Still wondering who these powerful folks are?

They are the negaholics.

We all have weak spots, but you must be careful about what you let into your inner soul. Since people are normally sociable and love mingling with other people, humans listen to many voices. Unfortunately, some of them say things like: you can't, you won't, I dare you, I warn you, you don't seem alright, what's wrong with you? And on and on…

Many people have the greatest ideas and the most wonderful dreams but often hear people saying, “you’re out of your mind”; that your dreams are way beyond your capabilities. Some people are strong enough to stand up for their dreams, for what they believe in, but others aren't. It doesn't mean they’re weak, just that they can be influenced by others, or that they place too much value on what others think.

Negative thoughts and reflections implanted in our minds and souls are certainly something we

need to avoid in order to live a successful, fulfilled life. Lucky are those who have someone to encourage them, to believe in them, to be always there to listen, support, and drive them forward; but those who are not so lucky must avoid negaholics.

The best you can do is to surround yourself with effective, positive thinkers who boost your power, enhance your stamina, and enlighten your vision.

You can never ask someone to give what they don’t have; one with no dream can never believe in someone else’s; one with no ambitions can never understand those of another. You must listen to those who dream, those who strive. Perhaps you cannot choose the people you meet, but you can always choose who influences you.

The little voices that bite your energy are the worst companion you can ever have. When you make big decisions, or even insignificant ones, you may hesitate, and that's when you value a third party’s opinion – and when a negative voice whispering in your ear is really unneeded.

Life is full of challenges, and dreams are not easy to catch; make sure you're getting the right inputs into the recipe of your day-to-day life. Make sure no words can bring you down, and no one can stop you from becoming the person you truly want to be!

Most important of all, make sure you are avoiding the negaholics!

PERSPECTIVES M. Fethullah Simsek

Storytelling is not only a talent, but an important means of imparting knowledge.

The story Nursi tells in his 8th Word is a good example of how stories have been inherited and shared across generations as a source of wisdom.

Storytelling was used by Buddha in his Jatakas, Rumi in the Masnawi, Bidpai in Kalilah and Dimnah. Old wise masters of the East used allegories and parables.

Ideology is the marriage of the truth with the apocryphal whereas wisdom is the distinction of the former from the others,” (1) says Cemil Meriç, a prominent Turkish intellectual figure, philosopher, and influencer of twentieth century Turkey. Wisdom is the property of West and East together; it's the private garden of all humanity, a shared ocean of advancement for the sons and daughters of Adam.

The profound knowledge leading to wisdom is a bowl which is uniting rather than segregating, a line drawn to encompass, not to dissect. A short glimpse across the flipped pages of history is enough to come across a handful of people who lived as lighthouses, illuminating the way to wisdom, despite using various languages and separate tools.

The tradition of storytelling Stories are as old as humanity. They are vessels across the ocean of wisdom. Storytelling was used

by Buddha in his Jatakas, Rumi in the Masnawi,

Bidpai in Kalilah and Dimnah. Many children of the West prefer to embrace novels. (2) On the other hand, old wise masters of the East used allegories and parables. They preferred to describe an elephant as a water spout (trunk) (3), a fan (ear) (4), a pillar (leg) (5), or a throne (back) (6). They knew understanding an elephant's entire being would be beyond the limits of comprehension for a majority of people. Whence Prophet Muhammad had been asked about the content of the scrolls sent down to Abraham, peace be upon both, he replied, “It was full of parables” (7).

Bidpai (from Sanskrit Vidya-pati, meaning chief scholar) was a wise man of India. He lived in the 3rd century BC [1], and he decided to correct the oppression and wrongdoings of a young Indian Emperor of his time, Dabshalim by teaching him wisdom he collected from the ancient times (8). Though the main sources of the stories are not known to us, they were still being told a millennium later. In 570 Sep / Oct 2018

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AD, the ruler of Persia, Khosroes Noushirawan, after having received the information of that book, sent Barzouyeh, court physician, on a mission to India to translate the book into Persian (more precisely into Pahlavi, i.e. Middle Persian). These stories were translated into Arabic two centuries later, and into Hebrew from Arabic – and possibly from its Sanskrit originals (9). And this lineage of translations gave fruit to more than two hundred versions of the book in about fifty different languages.

Said Nursi Said Nursi is another man of wisdom, one of recent history. Being born into life in an Eastern Anatolian village in 1877, until he passed in 1960, he lived through the collapse of an empire and the rebuilding of a country as a republic. He experienced the reigns of constitutional monarchy, oppression, military coups, and democracy. He dedicated his life to the survival of religious and ethical connections, in contrast to many of his contemporaries. During the last half of his life, he focused on extolling the virtues of education and belief to the extent that he did not bother at all about the developments of the World War II, which was basically destroying the world.

Nursi diagnosed society’s problems as falling under three categories: ignorance, poverty and dissension. His Risale-i Nur (the Collection of Epistles of Light) was a cure to these ills. He authored this collection of several thousand pages under the harsh conditions of captivity, exile, imprisonment, and surveillance.

Before writing his Risale, Said Nursi preached his wisdom to the villagers living around him, in the desolate places of Anatolia. He used the same method as Bidpai, i.e. via parables and allegories.

Skimming through his primary epistles in “the Short Words” is sufficient enough to catch a glimpse of the profound wisdom woven through his stories.

I want to focus on one of Said Nursi’s parables.

It is from the first treatise of the collection, Nur'un İlk Kapısı (the First Gate of the Light). The second lesson is reiterated in his masterpiece as Mesnevi-i Nuriye (the Seedbed of Light), and later in “Eighth Word” in a slightly different and more detailed form.

It is the story of a desert-dweller jumping into a well when threatened by a lion (10).

The story A person (actually Nursi talks about two brothers in order to compare positive and negative responses to the mystery of the universe) finds himself in a desolate wilderness. He suddenly hears a terrifying sound and sees that a great lion is about to attack him. While he is fleeing, he comes across a waterless well sixty yards deep, and in his fear jumps into 48

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it. After falling halfway down the well, his hands meet a tree growing out of the wall. He clings to it. He soon sees two animals gnawing through the tree's two roots. Then he looks up and sees the lion waiting, and when he looks down with frustration he sees a dragon, its mouth as big as the mouth of the well. Then he looks back at the tree and notices with surprise that even though it is a fig-tree, it is bearing the fruits of thousands of trees, including some looking fancy and delicious but ultimately intoxicating and poisonous.

The responses of the two brothers bifurcates in Nursi's narration. The good brother, whose good morals give him good thoughts, and good thoughts showing him the good side of everything, goes ahead with the realization of these strange happenings being connected to someone. He concludes that behind everything are the commands of a hidden ruler, who is watching him and testing him. His fear turns into wonder, and that wonder gives the fruit of love towards that hidden hand, leading him to cry out: “O ruler of this place! I have happened upon you and I take refuge with you. I am your servant and I want to please you. I am searching for you.”

After he makes this supplication, the walls of the well suddenly part, and a door opens onto a wonderful, pleasant, quiet garden. Indeed, the dragon's mouth transforms into the door, and both it and the lion take on the forms of two servants, inviting him to enter. The lion even becomes a docile horse for him to ride.

It's astonishing to realize how perfectly Nursi's story simplifies the very essential concerns of each concious individual, such as the purpose of this life, reaching the Creator beyond the veil of creation, the reality of death, the compliance of destiny with the responsibility of actions, etc.

Wisdom of the story Even while listening to the story for the first time, one can match most of the allegorical details mentioned in the story with real life counterparts. A short reference is provided as Table 1.

Allegory

Truth

Two people

Believer and non-believer

Desolate wilderness

Temporal world

Lion

Death

Waterless well

Lifetime of a person in this world

Sixty meters depth

Average lifespan of a person

Dragon

The grave

Two roots of tree branch

Good and evil

Black and white mice

Day and night

Fruits

Samples of God’s eternal blessings

Poisonous/Intoxicating Forbidden fruits pleasures

worldly

Walls of the well

Restriction in present time

Garden behind the walls

Paradise

Table 1. Correspondence between the metaphors used in the parable and the truths behind them.

Beyond these, it's astonishing to realize how perfectly the story simplifies the very essential concerns of each concious individual, such as the purpose of this life, reaching the Creator beyond the veil of creation, the reality of death, the compliance of destiny with the responsibility of actions, and so forth. The story also sets forth answers to the three basic questions asked by all humanity: “Where are you coming from?”

“What is your destination?”

“What is your task in this world?” (11, 12) Search for the source of wisdom The First Station The clever son of Russian Tsardom, Leo Tolstoy, welcomed me with his deep contemplations on life, death, and religion in the preface of his book, A Confession. Tolstoy was mentioning the “story of wisdom,” but from the perspective of bad-mannered brother: There is an Eastern fable, told long ago, of a traveler overtaken on a plain by an enraged beast. Es-

caping from the beast he gets into a dry well, but sees at the bottom of the well a dragon that has opened its jaws to swallow him. And the unfortunate man, not daring to climb out lest he should be destroyed by the enraged beast, and not daring to leap to the bottom of the well lest he should be eaten by the dragon, seizes a twig growing in a crack in the well and clings to it. His hands are growing weaker and he feels he will soon have to resign himself to the destruction that awaits him above or below, but still he clings on. Then he sees that two mice, a black one and a white one, go regularly round and round the stem of the twig to which he is clinging and gnaw at it. And soon the twig itself will snap and he will fall into the dragon's jaws. The traveler sees this and knows that he will inevitably perish; but while still hanging he looks around, sees some drops of honey on the leaves of the twig, reaches them with his tongue and licks them (13).

Before journeying towards the next station, the following is how Tolstoy transcribes the story into his case: So I too clung to the twig of life, knowing that the dragon of death was inevitably awaiting me, ready to tear me to pieces; and I could not understand why I had fallen into such torment. I tried to lick the honey which formerly consoled me, but the honey no longer gave me pleasure, and the white and black mice of day and night gnawed at the branch by which I hung. I saw the dragon clearly and the honey no longer tasted sweet. I only saw the inescapable dragon and the mice, and I could not tear my gaze from them. And this is not a fable but the real unanswerable truth intelligible to all.

While following Tolstoy within his profound yet gloomy commentary on the standing of human “self,” Nursi's voice has shaken my mind again, answering the stated, unanswerable truth, as follows: Death is not terrifying as it appears to be superficially... for believers, death is to be discharged from the burdensome duties of life. And for them it is a rest from worship, which is the instruction and training in the arena of trial of this world. It is also a means of their rejoining friends and relatives, ninety-nine out of a hundred of whom have already departed for the next world. And it is a means of entering their true homeland and eternal abodes of happiness. It is also an invitation to the gardens of Paradise from the dungeon of this world. And it is the time to receive their wage from the munificence of the Most Compassionate Sep / Oct 2018

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Creator in return for service rendered to Him... Yes, for the people of belief, death is the door to Divine mercy, while for the people of misguidance, it is the pit of everlasting darkness (14).

The Second Station While skimming through Arabic translation of the book

by Abdullah ibn Muqaffa from Barzouyeh's original Persian, I came across Barzouyeh's own version of the “story of wisdom.” His version, which was written thirteen centuries before, was just parallel to Tolstoy’s. It was an allegory of his own search for truth, with the details only slightly altered: ...I therefore compared the human race to a man who, flying from a furious elephant, goes down into a well.

He suspends himself from two branches which are at the brim of it whilst his feet rest upon something projecting out of its sides, which prove to be the heads of four serpents appearing out of their holes. At the bottom, he discovers a dragon... (15) After underlining small yet clear differences between Barzouyeh's version and Tolstoy’s – including the introduction of four serpents and a furious elephant – we can leave the second station.

The Third Station After being translated into Greek in the 11th century and into Latin in the 13th by a Christian, John of Capua, the book appeared in Europe in several languages close to the end of 15th century, right after the invention of printing. The rendering of John of Capua's Latin manuscript into Italian by Anton-Francesco Doni fostered the first English translation of the book by Sir Thomas North, in 1568. The title of North's translation was, Fables of Bidpai: The Morall Philosophie of Doni (16).

Swung back to 16th century from ibn Muqaffa's Arabic text, 750 AD, a surprise was waiting for me at the third station. While skimming through North's English translation, I came across the “story of wisdom” in the middle of the book – except this one was apparently not in the Arabic manuscript, save Barzouyeh's preface, as already mentioned above.

Jane Stevenson writes in her piece in the University of Toronto Quarterly on the manuscript's translation adventure, that Doni's Italian version – compiled of forty-one tales, thirty-four of which are from the Persian manuscript – as a rehashed version. These thirty-four stories are also shared between Bidpai's narrations and Barzouyeh's (17).

Most probably, the courtesy of our “story of wisdom” is given to Barzouyeh due to the preface text appearing in the Arabic version. Yet interestingly, “the story of wisdom” in North's English translation appears more similar to Tolstoy and Nursi's narrations, as it mentions 50

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The inner-consistency of the story and the perfection of allegories give the fragrance of a heavenly wisdom rather than a carnal production. neither a furious elephant nor four serpents. It most resembles Nursi's story, where the traveler comes into a large plain after passing through thick and large woods. Differently in North's version, there are four lions attacking rather than a single one.

The following quote from Thomas North's lesson is significant to exhibit how the core of the “death – lion allegory” is lost through the influence of his contemporary culture: “The foure Lions the foure elements, which feeke ftill to deuour man” (18). This also gives us a hint about the case of Barzouyeh's addition of four serpents. Barzouyeh was saying, “... the four serpents are the four humors in the human body which being disturbed in their mutual action become many deadly poisons...” Medieval medicine believed four faculties in the human body caused illnesses in their mutual discord. Noticeably, both of these allegories, missing in Nursi's text, have been proven wrong/mythical via modern knowledge of science and medicine.

Comparison of differences The only demanding explanation of the significant differences between Barzouyeh's story and the Medieval European translations would be thinking of a second Hebrew manuscript which parented John of Capua's Latin manuscript. Otherwise assuming the Latin version being translated from Joel's 12th century Hebrew narration of ibn Muqaffa text, would leave the source of the differences in the “story of wisdom” in dark. That second version of 8th century AD text, in Hebrew, was likely compiled under an Abbasid Caliph, as argued by some scholars, and should have been directly translated from Sanskrit originals.

Turkish newspaper columnist and author, Abdullah Aymaz, in a conversation with a Buddhist scholar, Venerable Bup-Hyun [2], throws light onto the issue: "I narrated him the story told by Said Nursi in the Eighth Word and later asked: ‘Does that story exist in your religious texts?’ He replied, ‘Yes it does, but instead of a lion we have an elephant and also the dragon has four heads. We too have black and white mice and in place of fruits we have a poisonous honey. You can also find it in Jatakas, told by Buddha." (19)

If we come to the last main difference between the four versions of the story, the existence of honey inside the well, we see that both Barzouyeh and North are talking about a beehive whereas Tolstoy is mentioning some drops of honey on the leaves of the twig. In contrast to these, Nursi does not mention honey in the story. Rather he talks about numerous types of fruits coming out of fig tree's branch, some of which are poisonous though they look sweet.

Nursi’s analogy leads to nourishing pearls of wisdom such as: 1. “Dissolute, forbidden pleasures of youth are like poisonous honey.” (20).

2. “As pleasure's disappearance causes pain, pain's disappearance causes pleasure” (21).

3. “Man's accountability requires opening the door to the reason and not removing the power of choice” (22).

4. “This world's adornments are meant to rouse our appetite. As they are temporary and give pain upon separation, they are here only to instruct in wisdom, to arouse gratitude, and to encourage us to seek the permanent originals of which they are copies” (23).

Approaching the source as the last station Although it is hard to historically detect the origin of the “story of wisdom,” and we're not able to trace it beyond Barzouyeh, it is evident from the previous discussion that the very source of the story is not himself.

A reasonable scenario would be accepting the story existing in the original compilation of Pañchatantra, in Sanskrit, and in the Jataka stories of Buddha.

Moreover, the inner-consistency of the story and the perfection of allegories give the fragrance of a heavenly wisdom rather than a carnal production.

Maybe that is why Nursi summarized the Eighth Word as, “… interpreting an important mystery of the verses on the essence of this world, the essence of the human, and in humanity the meaning of religion, via a beautiful and luminary parable which has its original in the Scriptures of Abraham...” (24).

The Story of Wisdom and the Qur’an It's worthwhile to mention several tips from the book called “al-Hakim,” which literally means “full of wisdom.”

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For Nursi, the story interprets 'an important mystery of the verses on the essence of this world, the essence of the human, and in humanity the meaning of religion, via a beautiful and luminary parable which has its original in the Scriptures of Abraham.'

The scriptures sent to Prophet Abraham are mentioned in the Qur'an at only one place, the ending verses of the Chapter of A'la (the High): “This is surely contained in the former Scrolls: The Scrolls of Abraham and Moses” (25).

Preceding verses have a comparison of two people coming up with opposite responses to the advice of the Messenger: the mindful one who stands in awe of the Lord, and the wicked one remaining aloof from God (26). Later on, the punishment due to the latter’s heedlessness is described: “He will neither die therein (to be saved from punishment) nor live” (27). This description is consistent to the case of the man holding the twig inside the well.

The Qur’an’s narrative compares the situation of two persons, which is in line with Nursi’s doublewinged narration. Said Nursi emphasizes that the twig which the man holds is a “fig tree.” The Qur'an says, at the beginning of the Chapter of Tin (the Fig): “By the fig and the olive, And Mount Sinai, And this secure City” (28). Some prominent scholars of Tafsir, interpreting these verses, believe that “the fig” refers to Damascus, thus to the mission of Abraham (29); the olives refer to Jerusalem, thus to Jesus; Mount Sinai refers to Egypt, thus to Moses; and “this secure City” to Mecca, thus to Prophet Muhammad (blessings be upon them all) (30).

[1] By his original name, Vishna Sarma is believed to have lived in the Kashmir area about 200 BC and compiled different fables and stories, some dating back to the 13th century BC, into a single book under the name of “Pañchatantra (Five Principles).”

[2] Professor at Dongbang Buddhist University, Director of the Korean Buddhist Order Association.

Notes 1. Şahiner, N. 2007. Cemil Meriç'le Nur Sohbetleri, Izmir: Isik Publications, p. 106 (in Turkish).

2. Ibid. pp. 93-95.

3. Jainism and Buddhism. Udana 68-69: Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant.

4. Hughes, Marilynn. 2005. The Voice of Prophets, Volume 2, Morrisville, NC, pp. 590-91.

5. Al-Ghazzali. 1933. Ihya’ `Ulum ad-Din, Volume 4, Cairo, p. 6. (in Arabic).

6. Jalalu'ddin Rumi. 1930. The Mathnawi. Edited 52

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with critical notes, translation, and commentary

by Reynold A. Nicholson, Volume 4, Book 3, London, vv. I259-68.

7. Suyuti. Durr al-Mansur, Volume 6, p. 341. Hakim.

Mustadrak, Volume 2, p. 425. (in Arabic).

8. Bidpai. 1885. Kalilah and Dimnah, or, The Fables of Bidpai. Translated by I.G.N. Keith Falconer, Cambridge University Press.

9. Bidpai. 1819. Kalila and Dimna. Translated by Rev. Wyndham Knatchbull, London: Oxford Press, pp. 32-46.

10. Nursi, Said. 2005. The Words, 8th Word, NJ: The Light, Inc. 11. Nursi. 2005, 10th Word, Introduction, Second Sign, 19th Word, Third Droplet.

12. Nursi. 2006. The Letters, 19th Letter, First Addendum, NJ: The Light, Inc. 13. Tolstoy, Leo. 2010. A Confession and Other Religious Writings, Translated by N.H. Dole, L. Maude, Digireads.com Publishing, pp. 13-14.

14. Nursi. 2006. 1st Letter, Second Question.

15. Bidpai. 1819. p. 81.

16. Doni, Anton Francesco. 2003. The Moral Philosophy of Doni: Known as The Fables of Bidpai.

Translated by Thomas North, edited by John Anthony Butler, Carmine Di Biase, Canada: Dovehouse Editions.

17. Stevenson, Jane. 2004. “The Moral Philosophy of Doni, popularly known as the Fables of Bidpai,” University of Toronto Quarterly, Volume 74, Number 1, Winter 2004/2005, pp. 404-405.

18. North, Thomas. 1568. The Morall Philosophie of Doni, London: Ballantyne Press, p. 63.

19. Aymaz, Abdullah. “Güneş doğana kadar yediyüz secde”, July, 18, 2005, Zaman Newspaper (in Turkish).

20. Nursi. 2005. Thirteenth Word, Second Station.

21. Nursi. 2005. Tenth Word, Fourth Truth.

22. Nursi. 2005. Thirty First Word, Addendum.

23. Nursi. 2005. Tenth Word.

24. Nursi, Fihrist Risalesi, Sekizinci Söz, İstanbul: Envar Publications (in Ottoman Turkish).

25. Qur'an, 87/18-19.

26. Qur'an, 87/10-11.

27. Qur'an, 87/13.

28. Qur'an, 95/1-3.

29. İslamoğlu, Mustafa. Tefsirul Kur'an Te'vil ul Furkan, Tîn Sûresi (in Turkish).

30. Imam Qurtubi, Tafsir Qurtubi, Chapter 95.

MEMOIR

Imam Mamadou Toure

I recently visited Mr. Gülen at Chestnut Camp Retreat Center in rural Pennsylvania. This place reminds one of a large garden, evoking peace, quiet, solitude, and serenity.

My first thought was, “this is a place where one can really be alone with God.”

Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania

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o concept is more central to Islam than the concept of peace. From our origins, to how we are to live in this world, to our return to Allah – every milestone in the life of man is associated, in the Qur’an, with peace.

Peace is rooted in humanity’s very beginnings. In the Qur’an, the place humanity’s soul-forms originate is referred to as Daarus-Salaam, the house of peace: “And Allah calls you to dwell in the house of peace” (Yunus, 25).

The place where the first human was born is the garden: “And we said ‘O Adam, dwell, you and your wife in the garden’” (Baqara, 35). And a garden, above all else, evokes the quality and fragrance of peace.

In fact, even the name of our faith, which Allah has chosen for us, is related to peace: “… and I have chosen for you Islam, as a religion (Ma’idah, 3). Literally, Islam means the way to peace. Not the way of peace, but the way to peace, denoting the idea of action and effort, through which humanity enters into the fullness of its being.

Additionally, the name Muslims, which we have received from the prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him), means “one who enters into peace”; one who enters into a covenant with peace: This is the way of your father Abraham. God named you Muslims previously… (Hajj, 78) Allah describes His guidance in the Qur’an as “pathways”; if humans follow them, they will be led to peace: “…by it (the Qur’an), Allah guides those who seek His pleasure, along the pathways of peace” (Ma’idah, 16).

This state of peace we enter into as Muslims is one we are asked to maintain, even under the direst of circumstances, such as being provoked to anger: “And the servants of the Merciful are those who walk on the earth with humility, and when provoked to anger by the ignorant, respond with peace” (Furqan, 63).

Allah gifted humans with the heavenly experience of the garden before sending them down to earth with the mission of re-creating the experience of the garden, transforming the forest of the earth into a garden where all of creation can commune with, and be in, peace.

Chestnut Camp Retreat Center, the 25-acre complex where Mr. Fethullah Gülen has lived since 1999, is nestled in the Poconos mountains of rural Pennsylvania.

It reminds one of a large garden, evoking peace, quiet, solitude, and serenity.

I recently visited Mr. Gülen at this camp. As we arrived at night, the “garden” was bathed in the serene light of the moon, beautiful and soft, inviting and welcoming. My first thought was, “this is a place where one can really be alone with God.” My second thought was, “this is the place the 19th century English poet John Clare was searching and longing for in his poem, “I Am”: I long for scenes where man has never trod; A place where woman never smil’d or wept; There to abide with my creator, God, And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept: Untroubling and untroubled where I lie; The grass below, above the vaulted sky.

My first day at the retreat was split between two delights dear to my heart, prayer and solitary meditation.

We rose for the 4 am group tahajjud prayer, which was both a surprise and a joy. Islam mourns the loss of this beautiful practice.

May this example spread, and may it remind Muslims that it was through this very practice that Allah promised our beloved Messenger the loftiest and most exalted of stations, Maqaman Mahmudaa, the station of praise and glory to intercede for humanity on the Day of Resurrection (Bukhari Vol. 6, 242): “And at night (O Prophet), rise up and offer the tahajjud prayer. It may be, that through it, Allah will raise you to the station of praise and glory” (Isra, 79).

It is the flame of this blessed practice, pregnant with unfathomable divine blessings for individuals as well as for the Ummah, that Mr. Gülen, affectionately called Hocaefendi (beloved teacher) by his students, has kept burning.

The first sentence of the first sermon of the Prophet Muhammad, delivered when he first arrived in Medina, was: “O people, spread peace among yourselves” (Sahih Muslim). And we are told in the Qur’an that as the righteous meet Allah, their greeting will be: peace (Ahzab, 44).

Allah gifted humans with the heavenly experience of the garden before sending them down to earth with the mission of re-creating the experience of the garden, transforming the forest of the earth into a garden where all of creation can commune with, and be in, peace. ***

The tahajjud prayer was followed by a time of private meditation, quiet reflection, and reading of the Qur’an until the time for the Fajr prayer which was offered in congregation. After this prayer and the heart-felt remembrance of Allah which followed it, we retreated to our rooms. I later left a note for a fellow traveler in which I wrote: “This place is an alarm clock for the soul.”

At Chestnut, it often felt like time stood still. The peace and serenity of the surroundings, the fragrance of the trees and the soil awakened to life by the early morning mist … all of this filled the awakened heart with tranquil awe and returned me back to my Lord. Standing outside and watching the birds claim the trees of their

One daily practice of Mr. Gülen’s community, which he insists on attending despite being in poor health, was the daily community gathering in the big meeting hall, where they silently pray for all the suffering Muslims around the world – and beyond that, for all of humanity that suffers. choosing, I remembered the words of George Bernard Shaw: “The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for Him there.”

This atmosphere of serenity and peace was even more palpable when, following the Maghrib prayer, I was received by Mr. Gülen.

He sat peacefully, like a man from another time.

As I walked towards him, he slowly rose to his feet to greet me. We shook hands, quietly. It was a meeting of hearts in the house of the holiness of silence. I was immediately struck by the strong feeling of the pervasive presence of God in the room.

Fazkuruni, Azkurkum – Remember Me (O human being) and I will remember you. (Baqara 152) Remember me in your thoughts, words and deeds, Allah says to humanity and, as a result, I will fill you and our space with the mystery of my presence.

After greeting Mr. Gülen, we both sat down; for a brief moment the whole room, and all the people in it, fell still and into a comfortable silence.

Stillness fills us with the presence of God. And the presence of God calms the soul and gives it quiet and peace.

Mr. Gülen welcomed me and, through a translator, spoke of being aware of and appreciating the letters I had written to defend him as well as the Hizmet schools in Senegal. I spoke to him of the significance of his words and actions as models and examples for the Islam of our time and place. He spoke softly and slowly, his words born between two silences. Aisha (RA), the wife of prophet Muhammad, said of him that he was the most silent of people (asmatan-nas) and that “he spoke so slowly and so deliberately that you could count his words, if you wanted to” (Sahih Muslim).

In all of Mr. Gülen’s classes which I attended that day and the one following, he never wavered from that state of peaceful bliss and serenity. I felt that I, and all those around him, were under the shade of his tranquility.

Through Allah’s grace and mighty striving, one

can get to a place where one is no longer just filled with peace. One becomes peace itself.

One daily practice of Mr. Gülen’s community, which he insists on attending despite being in poor health, and which moved and touched me very deeply, was the daily community gathering in the big meeting hall, where they silently pray for all the suffering Muslims around the world – and beyond that, for all of humanity that suffers. I travel extensively around the world and have never seen this practice so formalized.

I do not remember ever feeling the presence of God so strong, as when I sat in that gathering across from Mr. Gülen, silently praying. God is always with the suffering from among His creation.

During one of the classes, tea was brought to Mr. Gülen on a tray, along with small cakes. He put one sugar in the tea, stirred it with a spoon, and had it sent to me across the room. An act of pure grace and elegance, reminiscent of the beauty of manners of Allah’s beloved, peace be upon him. I closed my eyes and for the duration of the class prayed fervently and ceaselessly for Mr. Gülen. “Can the reward for beauty, be anything, except beauty in return?” (Surah Rahman, 60).

The day I was leaving, at the end of his class, he walked towards me and stopped, inquired about my time of departure, and prayed for a safe journey. He gave me many gifts, including a signed book; it told me that we also met, in the tavern of the human spirit.

As I left his presence and walked back to the house where I was staying, many thoughts flooded my mind. I remembered all of the negative things that have been said and written about him, and how starkly they contrasted with his peaceful presence and message. I saw and felt in him the harmlessness of a dove, a lover of peace and truth who has transcended the ages; a poet of God. He challenges his students to think at his level. He sees humanity’s highest potential and has dedicated his life to seeing the children of men reach that potential.

As our car drove slowly out of the Chestnut Retreat Center, I once again closed my eyes and said a silent prayer of peace and safety for him.

It was my way of saying good-bye to one of humanity’s greatest friends.

REFLECTIONS

Before many pressures of the future cause us to stumble or fall in a daze, we must know who we are and be positioned as ourselves, so that we are not crushed between the teeth of time and the ruthless cogwheels of events; so that we can walk into the future with our hearts filled with belief, our eyes gleaming with hope, and without being hindered or distracted along the way.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS REPAIRING THE STRONGHOLD OF FAITH QUESTION: Bediuzzaman says that the stronghold of faith has been damaged for years. What needs to be done to restore this stronghold?

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estoring is thousand times harder to achieve than destroying. To achieve a restoration, all inner and outer factors must be present. However, the absence of only one factor will result in destruction.

From the same perspective, you can also consider the construction or restoration of a building. Remember that such a genius as the architect, Sinan built his masterpiece Selimiye in six years. However, the work to repair damage caused by cannons and to restore it to its original form lasted for about 8 years. While the construction and restoration of the Selimiye Mosque was such a difficult and time-consuming task, a mere bomb or earthquake could cause serious damage to this magnificent work in just minutes or even seconds.

You can also think about the situation of repair and destruction in the human body. Sometimes, a poisonous substance in your food influences your body right to the neurons of your brain. It might confuse your sleeping and waking habits and you may need to receive treatment over a long period of time to be saved from its harmful effects and regain your health.

Likewise, if a society has lost its faith and its values have been torn down one by one, it takes a serious endeavor to restore and help that society back up onto its feet.

Reconstructing this monument, which has cracked, shattered and whose blessed pieces have been scattered here and there, and restoring it to a condition in compliance with its original identity depends on the strivings of idealistic souls who will

People fixed on restoration and setting things right must act with a spirit of devotedness for their whole lifetime so that they can fulfill the aim of their life’s journey.

Goodness and evil can never be equal. Repel evil with what is better (or best). Then see: the one between whom and you there was enmity has become a bosom friend. sacrifice their enjoyment of life and personal happiness. As the saying goes, “No pain, no gain,” an Arabic poem expresses it as, “Scope of the gains made, depends on the pains taken.” To elucidate further, making material and spiritual accomplishments, ascending to great heights and crowning victories with other victories depend on striving and effort as well as using these efforts for the right purpose and in the right direction.

It should not be forgotten that no movement that aims to restore and resurrect a society can be promising and lasting unless it permeates from the bottom up. There are so many endeavors launched with pompous shows that stop a mere few steps away, remain stuck and paralyzed on the way and then disappear from the stage like a broken dream. When addressing the issue of restoring a society, a certain degree of initiative and support from administrators and politicians could perhaps help to remove some obstacles and progress faster. However, what really needs to be done is initiating the issue from the bottom up and making it widespread at the grass roots level. For this reason, it is necessary to begin with the ABC of the matter, knowing that setting a society right depends on setting individuals right, and never forgetting that it is impossible to set a society right without setting right all of its components.

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lifetime so that they can fulfill the aim of their life’s journey. Great projects sometimes failed for they were based on personal or familial benefits. Let alone succeeding, they adulterated that great ideal, and many opportunities of victory ended up with great loss. With the approach of Bediüzzaman, if politics, administration, or any establishment or organization is working on the axis of personal interests, then there is monstrosity in the issue. In this case, people begin to besmirch one another. When the issue is adulterated with personal interests, the masses come to loggerheads with one another and no progress can be made by the society. Being saved from domination of others depends on working ceaselessly for a lifetime solely for the good of the people and for God’s good pleasure.

People who have devoted themselves to the ideal of making others live in the true sense must pursue great projects and plans. They must have plans and projects even for the generations to come some fifty or sixty years later. Given that God has endowed humans with abilities that go beyond the narrowness of physical dimensions, individuals must know how to use these very well and not debilitate their abilities and capacities by condemning themselves to a narrow cage. In addition, they must never be abstemious about the work and activities they carry out on the righteous path or be satisfied with what they have done, but should seek different ways of opening up to the four corners of the world at every phase.

Let it not be misunderstood, such a thought of opening up to the world has nothing to do with invading the world or establishing new empires on the ruins of others. On the contrary, the real intention that underlies this thought of opening up is establishing sound, firm and warm neighborly relations with the different nations of the world. This will enable us to learn what we can from them and also let others’ hearts discern the human values, lofty feelings and thoughts that we try to represent, which are far beyond humanism. We already know that in the shrinking and globalizing world of our time, if such an understanding of neighborhood at the world level is not formed, contact with the entire world is not maintained, and close relations are not developed, the world will turn into an uninhabitable hell. Those fixed on brutality, who formulate plans to kill people and take the place of the people they killed, and who wish to make people clash with one another in order to continue their own tyranny, will continue their hegemony. However, it should not be forgotten that this old world has no tolerance anymore for such animosity based on grudge and hatred, or for the weapons of extermination, which are natural consequences of this animosity. If these waves of hatred are not stopped with bridges of love, tolerance and dialogue, then facing horrible events and an apocalypse that affects the entirety of humanity will be inevitable. For the sake of restoration, we must rely on God and, if necessary, be ready to face obstacles at the expense of the pleasures of this life. We must never harbor any worldly expectations about the different means God Almighty bestows for the sake of serving Him. If people who have volunteered for the revival of the entire world actually acted in favor of their personal interests, this would be an attitude of gross ugliness that cannot be reconciled with true humanity. We can even say that busying oneself with thoughts of earning Paradise through our efforts is disrespectful to our ideal. Using all our efforts, it is necessary to evoke this feeling in today’s generations. For the ones to change the face of the world will be the precious and distinguished ones who represent this feeling and thought.

The mysterious key to hearts Being deeply concerned and feeling suffering for a cause is a very important dynamic to realize projects for the sake of setting things right and repair.

A person in such a state, with God’s permission and grace, will not be deprived in terms of obtaining the things sought for the sake of repair. In this regard, come, let’s all of us beg some suffering from God. Although religion is based on the principle of ease, the duty of the architects of thought in this re-

People who have devoted themselves to the ideal of making others live in the true sense must pursue great projects and plans. They must have plans and projects even for the generations to come some fifty or sixty years later. spect is a very heavy one. As the master poet, Necip Fazıl, put it, they are supposed to give an extraordinary performance by racking their brains to the degree of squeezing their brains out of their nose.

There are so many people who watch them expectantly, listen to their words, and who in a way act with mass psychology. Therefore, they need to care about making others live in the true sense rather than living for their own sake and should weave their lives around this very ideal. The standard must be kept very high in this regard, and the issue must be taken as an issue that concerns the entire humanity. In a globalizing world, if you don’t have a heart that represents your ideals in every place, you cannot be where you want to be and cannot realize the repair you desire.

While doing this, they must never give up their mildness and tenderness; they must reach into hearts using the language of love, for it is such a mysterious key that there is no rusty lock that will not be opened with it. If you use this language correctly, you can open all doors and reach into all obstinate hearts. As it is stated in a Turkish proverb, kindness even makes a snake come out of its hole.

Given that the gentle finger movements of a flute player, or the sound, makes even cobras dance, I think a genuinely spiritual attitude and behavior will melt away certain feelings of animosity. As the Qur’an points out about repelling evil with goodness,[1] even some people that you see as enemies will begin to open their bosoms to you and say: “We have been waiting for you.”

Note [1] “Goodness and evil can never be equal. Repel evil with what is better (or best). Then see: the one between whom and you there was enmity has become a bosom friend” (Fussilat 41:34).

Sep / Oct 2018

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Robotıc skıns turn everyday objects ınto multıfunctıonal robots

Boot et al. OmniSkins: Robotic skins that turn inanimate objects into multifunctional robots. Science Robotics, September 2018.

When you think of a robot, you likely think of a rigid and heavy electronic machine, one made for a specific purpose. Researchers recently developed a new technology that can make a flexible robot with countless uses possible. This technology can turn any everyday object into a robot. New “Robotic Skins” are made from sensors and actuators on an elastic sheet. Once the sheets are placed onto an object, such as a stuffed animal, the robotic skin can animate them from their surfaces. The sensors and actuators can then be programmed to perform different tasks based on the properties of the soft objects and how the skins are applied. Moreover, adding multiple sheets can increase or change functionality. To test the robotic skins in action, the researchers have produced several prototypes including foam cylinders that move like an inchworm, a shirt-like wearable device designed to correct poor posture, and a device with a gripper that can grasp and move objects. Robots are typically single-purpose devices, and the key finding here is that the robotic skins will allow users to turn pretty much any object into multi-functional robots. This technology will enable the wide application of multi-functional robots without the huge investment necessary to produce a robot from scratch. While the robotic skins may not be immediately ready for commercial use, they definitely hold promise in terms of what we can do with robotics in the future. .

Battlıng dementıa by removıng “zombıe” cells

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Bussian et al. Clearance of senescent glial cells prevents tau-dependent pathology and cognitive decline., Nature, September 2018.

Scientists have identified a new target in the fight against dementia and age-related cognitive disorders. This new “enemy” is zombie cells (also known as senescent cells).

Zombie cells typically stop dividing but they don’t die and accumulate with aging in the brain. Scientists have long known that zombie cells accumulate in regions of the brain linked to age-dependent diseases ranging from osteoarthritis and atherosclerosis, to Parkinson’s and dementia. Previous work had also shown that the elimination of senescent cells in aging mice extended their healthy lifespan. But the new study is the first to demonstrate a cause-and-effect link with a specific disease, Alzheimer’s, and showed that many pathological signs of Alzheimer’s disease, including protein aggregation, neuronal death, and memory loss, can be eliminated by removing these cells from the brain. Researchers studied genetically engineered mice that undergo brain degeneration unusually early in life because of aggregated clumps of fibers called tau tangles in the brain. The team found that when the “sick” mice were a year old, they had a dozen times as many zombie cells accumulated in the hippocampus, the brain’s memory center, as the healthy control mice. Most importantly, zombie cells seem to accumulate in brain cells prior to cognitive loss; preventing the accumulation of these cells, researchers were able to diminish tau protein aggregation, neuronal death, and memory loss. A closer look revealed that the zombie cells belonged to a class of cells in the brain and spinal cord, called glia, that provide crucial support and insulation to neurons. Thus far, dementia research has mostly focused on the diseased neurons rather than their neighboring cells. This study clearly points out that non-neuronal cells may be playing a critical role in neurodegenerative diseases. Wiping out zombie-like brain cells could provide a new way to prevent or treat Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. However, there might be lots of harmless brain cells that look like the dangerous senescent cells and a new drug should be specific enough to differentiate between the two.

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About 71% of the Earth's surface is water-covered, yet many regions still suffer from a serious lack of clean drinking water; humanity is approaching a global water crisis. A huge step towards universal access to clean drinking water has been taken, as researchers have recently developed a new solar steam generator that approaches 100% efficiency for the production of clean water. Solar steam generators produce clean water by converting energy from the sun into heat, which evaporates seawater, leaving salts and other impurities behind.

Then, the steam is collected and condensed into clean water. Existing solar steam generators typically contain a flat photothermal material, which produces heat from absorbed light. Although these devices are fairly efficient, they still lose energy by heat dissipation from the material into the air. Researchers wondered whether they could improve energy efficiency by designing a 3D photothermal material. They decided to deposit a light-absorbing nanocarbon composite onto a cellulose membrane that was patterned with the Miura fold of origami, the Japanese art of paper folding. Miura consists of interlocking parallelograms that form "mountains" and "valleys" within the 3D structure.

They found that their new 3D device had a 50% higher evaporation with an efficiency of almost 100% compared to a 2D flat generator. Their analyses further revealed that origami "valleys" capture the sunlight much better, ensuring less is lost to reflection. In addition, heat can flow from the valleys toward the cooler "mountains," evaporating water along the way instead of being lost to the air. This nearly cost free, facile fabricated and high efficiency design is expected to unlock a new generation of efficient water purification, especially for emergency water supplies.

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Hong et al. Nature-Inspired, 3D Origami Solar Steam Generator toward Near Full Utilization of Solar Energy.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, August 2018

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On Life, Knowledge, and Belief

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