Issue 159 (May - Jun 2024)

As we head into the summer in the northern hemisphere, we think of how we can avoid the annual war we fight every year: the war with the flies. The southerners are over with it as they start enjoying the calm that comes with fall. Having seeded the lawn and planted the seasonal flowers, we hope to…

At the beginning of the second chapter of the Qur’an, God Almighty declares that He is the actual owner of things and we are temporary keepers: “Out of what We have provided for them they spend...” Namely, what we donate is actually nothing but blessings He has granted us. By pointing out that “He”…

The perfect, universal man is a polished mirror for the Ultimate Truth and, in his relation to other beings, is like a star which stands still in its place or rotates around itself, and around which satellites turn. While rotating around himself, he flies around his axis in utmost devotion to Him a…

From remarkably accurate phone predictions to self-navigating robot vacuums, artificial intelligence (AI) subtly weaves itself into the fabric of our daily lives. Yet, amidst the buzz and intrigue, a crucial paradox emerges: Is AI a torch illuminating the path of progress, or a looming shadow threa…

In the hustle and bustle of our fast-paced world, it is all too easy to get caught up in the chaos and lose sight of what truly matters in life: our relationships with others. More often than not, we find ourselves making snap judgments and treating people based on superficial traits rather than on…

Countless studies, books, and articles have explored the taste, swallowing, and speech capabilities of the human tongue, often regarded as merely a small piece of flesh. One significant distinction between humans and animals lies in our ability to utilize the tongue for language, a capacity not sha…

Among the plethora of events and miracles in the life of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, there is one that was particularly unique. Around a year before the Muslim community’s migration to Medina, the Prophet was taken by a heavenly steed from Mecca to Jerusalem, and from there lifted to the s…

Within the narratives of saints, the act of “walking on water” stands out as a recurrent wonder. While this situation is contrary to the laws of physics and is of course met with surprise by the listeners, it is a perfectly normal way of life for a group of insects, known as the long-legged water s…

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, the great sage of the twentieth century, divides his life into three distinct phases: Old Said, New Said, and Third Said. In his 40s, Old Said undergoes a profound spiritual transformation while actively seeking solutions to the challenges faced by believers in society, thus…

I have given myself approximately two hours, 12 minutes, and 14 seconds to write this essay. The amount of time it takes me to get to work and back on the train. Now, I have eight seconds less. I never timed how long it took to write a sentence. I am a slightly above average typist, but the speed…

"O humankind! A parable is struck, so pay heed to it: Those whom, apart from God, you deify and invoke will never be able to create even a fly, even if all of them were to come together to do so..." (all-Hajj 22:73). When we look at the living world with a contemplative eye and love of knowled…

The large windows in the kitchen of my new home let in the perfect amount of sun for plant-rearing. So, after some meandering in the garden section of a big-chain hardware store, I bought a yucca and placed it next to one of the kitchen's bay windows. After a few days I added a lily on the windowsi…

“And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them harshly, they say “Peace!’” (Qur’an 25:63) There is a significant subtlety in referring to the believers as “the servants of the Most Merciful” instead of “the servants of G…

Evening May Be the Best Time of Day to Exercise New research suggests that exercising in the evening might offer additional health benefits, particularly for individuals living with obesity. Scientists analyzed data from 30,000 volunteers aged 40 and above without pre-existing cardiovascular disea…