DARWINISM'S CONTRADICTION WITH RELIGION

In our day, some circles hold the view that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution does not contradict with religion, and that those who renounce the theory of evolution unnecessarily promote it. This view, however, includes many misconceptions. It is the result of a failure to grasp the main tenet of Darwinism and the extremely dangerous outlook it mandates. That is why, for those who have faith in the existence of God, the mere Creator of all living-beings, yet carry the conviction that "God created living beings through evolution", it would be quite useful to primarily review the fundamental tenets of the theory. In this essay, in an endeavor to warn believers who have this misconception, some essential scientific and logical explanations regarding why the theory of evolution is not compatible with Islam and the fact of Creation it introduces to mankind, are provided.

The basic tenet of Darwinism holds that living beings came into being spontaneously, as a result of coincidences. This view is completely contrary to the faith of Creation.

The most important misconception of those who think that the theory of evolution does not contradict with creation is their assumption that the basic assertion of the theory of evolution is that living beings came into existence through evolving from one another. Accordingly, they comment: "There is no reason why God did not create all living beings by making them evolve from one another; so what is the rationale to raise objection to it?" However, there is a very important point here which is ignored: the essential difference between the advocates of evolution and creation is not based on the question of whether "living beings appeared individually or through evolving from each other. The main question is "whether living beings came into existence by chance and as result of natural events, or they were consciously created?"

The theory of evolution, as known, claims that lifeless chemical compounds came together by chance and as a result of randomly occurring natural phenomena, they formed first the building blocks of life and ultimately life. Consequently, in its core, this claim accepts time, lifeless matter and chance to be creative powers. Even the layman, who is somewhat acquainted with the literature of evolution, is aware that this is the basis of the claims of evolutionists. Not surprisingly, despite being an evolutionist scientist, Pierre Paul Grassé, acknowledges the implausibility of the theory and summarizes what the concept of "coincidence" means for evolutionists:

"…Chance becomes a sort of providence, which, under the cover of atheism, is not named but which is secretly worshipped." (Pierre Paul Grassé, Evolution of Living Organisms, New York, Academic Press, 1977, p.107)

That life is an arbitrary by-product of the compound formed by time, matter and coincidence, on the other hand, is a nonsense claim unacceptable by those who have faith in the existence of God as the sole Creator of all living beings. Believers should assume the responsibility to save societies from such perverted and unreal beliefs and warn them.

The claim of "coincidence" put forward by the theory of evolution is denied by science

Another significant fact that deserves a special consideration about this subject is that scientific discoveries also definitely refute the evolutionist claims that "life emerged as a result of pure coincidences and natural phenomena." This is because there are extraordinarily complex examples of design in life. Even the cell of a living being is a great wonder of design that totally annuls the concept of "coincidence".

This superior design and plan in life are certainly indications of God's unique and matchless creation, of His eternal knowledge and might.

The efforts of evolutionists to explain the origins of life with chance are rejected by science in the 20^th century and today, in the 21^st century, they met a total defeat. (See Harun Yahya, Blunders of Evolutionists, Vural Publishing) Indeed, the reason why they deny Creation although they see this fact is their blind adherence to irreligiousness.

God did not create living beings through an evolutionary process

Since the existence of creation, in other words, a conscious design, is obvious, the only question that remains is "through what kind of a process the living beings were created." The misconception of some faithful people emerges right at this point: The wrong reasoning that "Living being could have been created by evolving from one another" is actually related to how the process of creation occurred.

Indeed, had God willed, He could have created living beings through an evolutionary process from nothingness, as the abovementioned individuals propose. And had science proved that living beings evolved from each other, we could say, "God created life through evolution." For instance, if there were any evidence available that reptiles evolved to form birds, then we would say, "God transformed reptiles into birds with His command 'Be'!". Ultimately, both these living beings individually possess bodies overflowing with examples of perfect design, which cannot be explained away by chance. Transformation of these designs into one another -had such a thing really happened- would surely be another evidence for creation.

However, the situation is not so. Scientific evidence (especially the fossil record and comparative anatomy) point to the contrary; there is not single evidence on earth that an evolutionary process took place on the earth. The fossil record clearly indicate that different living species did not appear on earth through evolving from one another by fine gradations, but that on the contrary, distinct living species appeared on earth suddenly fully formed and without any preceding ancestors similar to them. Neither birds sprung from reptiles, nor fish transformed into land-dwelling animals. Each living phylum is created individually with its traits particular to its kind. Even the most renowned evolutionists had to accept this fact and confess that this provides an evidence for Creation. For instance, evolutionist paleontologist Mark Czarnecki confesses as follows:

"A major problem in proving the theory (evolution theory) has been the fossil record; the imprints of vanished species preserved in the Earth's geological formations. This record has never revealed traces of Darwin's hypothetical intermediate variants - instead species appear and disappear abruptly, and this anomaly has fueled the creationist argument that each species was created by God. (Mark Czarnecki, "The

Revival of the Creationist Crusade", MacLean's, 19 January 1981, p. 56)

Especially during the last fifty years, developments in various scientific fields such as paleontology, microbiology, genetics and comparative anatomy, and new discoveries show that the theory of evolution is untrue and living beings appeared on earth all of a sudden in their distinct and perfect forms. Therefore, there is no reason to suggest that God employed the process of evolution in Creation. God created every species individually and at one moment, with His command of "Be!" This is a certain and explicit fact.

Conclusion

It is of vital importance for people of faith to be alert and cautious against the ideological systems committed to struggle against God and religion. For 150 years, Darwinism provided a so-called scientific ground for all anti-religionist ideologies that caused misery for mankind, such as fascism, communism, and imperialism and legitimized the merciless practices of those who adopted these philosophies. Hence, it would not be right to ignore the inner truth and the real purpose of such a theory. For each Muslim of conscience, it is a major responsibility to disprove every anti-religious ideology rejecting the existence of God with a thought struggle, to demolish falsehood with truth and warn people.

DARWINISM IS THE RELIGION OF THE ANTICHRIST – 2

A child perceives and evaluates that which goes on around him in a way different from adults. Children are constantly asking questions, and for the reason of things that happen around them, such as where they came from, how are they able to speak, how other things in nature came to exist, and many other such things. There is actually only one true answer to a child for all these questions. Yet, people tend to offer two types of answers. The first, and correct answer is that it was God that created everything, and that people are responsible to God, who created them from nothing and enables them to grow, eat, drink and breathe, and who protects them. God holds the entire universe under His control, is omnipresent, and sees and hears everything. Some people, however, do not give their children the right answer to these questions. They may say that God created everything, but they do not go on to say that He is Lord and Ruler of all, and that everything happens by His will. Another group mislead their children in an even worse manner. They offer the mistaken claim that the entire universe is the result of unconscious and blind chance. That is because they were instructed by their own parents or their teachers with the same answers. That deception has over time become part of their basic outlook. The kind of ideas with which these people educate their children is in accordance with the religion of the antichrist, as it is the one they believe in. That is how a great many people are raised, even from an early age, in the belief that everything is the result of chance, never considering the existence of God and the art of His creation. In the second stage people are taught the lie that life is a struggle founded on violence. Someone who thinks that life is the result of chance and coincidence, even if he is not fully conscious in the early stages of his believing in it, comes to believe that matter is the only absolute existence. Here he has completed the first stage of his indoctrination. As a consequence, in those cultures where people raised under such propaganda are in the majority, another important suggestion that roots itself in a child's mind is that he can "only survive so long as he is strong and selfish." That idea is first instilled by the family, and then becomes stronger and more broadly based when the child starts school. The indoctrination the child receives from his family and his surroundings is reinforced by entirely unscientific theories, which are nevertheless portrayed as sanctioned by science, along the lines of "the ancestors of man were animals, for which reason the relationships between animals also apply to those between people." In this way, the child begins to learn the lie that there is a constant state of conflict between individuals and in society, that the weak must be eliminated, and that he needs to behave in that manner in order to survive. According to this principle, force, violence and deception can be employed, if necessary, in order to survive. Such indoctrination is not restricted to the educational system. The child continues to receive intensive Social Darwinist indoctrination in the lyrics of the songs he listens to, the films he watches, in advertisements, videos, and even the computer games he plays, in short, in every sphere of his life. However, the morality of the Qur'an offers a life at total variance with this model. In the Qur'an, God calls people to peace and security. Societies where the morality of the Qur'an prevails are characterized by love, compassion, tolerance, honesty, self-sacrifice and humanitarianism. The proper morality that God commands people to abide by is revealed in these terms: They give food, despite their love for it, to the poor and orphans and captives: "We feed you only out of desire for the Face of God. We do not want any repayment from you or any thanks. Truly we fear from our Lord a glowering, calamitous Day." So God has safeguarded them from the evil of that Day and has made them meet with radiance and pure joy. (Surat al-Insan: 8-11) In the third stage, people are taught they are not responsible to anyone else. A child who is given a materialist and Darwinist answer to every question he asks will inevitably come to share those views. Even if he is still unable to openly explain them, he will begin to regard himself and all those around him as merely a highly evolved species of animal. Yet, there remains another important phase in his education. That is the teaching of the falsehood that he is responsible to nobody but himself. According to this superstition, if matter has always existed and will always continue to do so, if life is solely the product of chance, and furthermore, if death is total extinction, then the only thing that matters is material gain. In a world made up only of matter, spiritual values can have no place. That being the case, the only thing people ought to think about is satisfying their own desires and passions, by whatever means necessary. According to the following verse in the Qur'an, "Did you suppose that We created you for amusement and that you would not return to Us?" (Surat al-Muminun: 115), God clearly reveals the distorted outlook of these ignorant people. People, who genuinely believe that they can live unfettered lives, and that they will in the end merely cease to exist, are committing a serious mistake. We are responsible to our Lord, who created us from nothing. It is God who created man to accord with a particular destiny, who knows each person's past, present and future, who at death will call him to account for his past deeds, and reward or punish him accordingly. Unlike animals, God has created man with a soul, a mind, freewill and conscience. In other words, even if someone feels a certain temptation during a specific situation, he has been created with the necessary qualities to prevent him committing evil. Someone who is unaware of or who ignores this truth will obviously pose a danger to the society of which he is a part. For instance, someone who is angered by something that has happened can behave quite ruthlessly, and harm the person responsible without thinking. It makes no difference if that person were defenseless. All that matters is venting his anger. Yet, someone who knows that he possesses a soul given him by God, who exercises his reason and his conscience, is capable of controlling his anger. He always remains in self-control and conscientious. Such a person would not dare to do the slightest thing that could earn him punishment from God. If he does happen to commit a sin, he repents and puts things right. The true religion is the religion of God, yet, as a result of the indoctrination that people are subjected to, many people are turned away from it. Someone who has gone through the various phases of the Social Darwinist education is presented with very few alternatives. His view of life and mankind is shaped in the light of materialist-Darwinist thought. He will then struggle for only himself and to defend his own interests, will usually see violence, oppression and deception as the only means of doing so, and will be driven from transgression to transgression, lost in the nightmare of atheism. What is more, there will be nothing to prevent him from doing so. The most important reason for this is that the terrifying truth taught by the religion of the antichrist is portrayed as if it were a mere fact of life.

DARWINISM IS THE RELIGION OF THE ANTICHRIST – 1

The hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), mention that, during the end times, a devilish power will emerge, one of whose most important attributes will be that he disrupts the peace and order of mankind. Many people, though, attach little importance to that power, known as the antichrist (Dajjal). From the hadiths, one would ordinarily think of the antichrist as an individual. However, as well as an individual, it can also be an ideology that tends towards violence and savagery, possesses devilish characteristics, and inflicts suffering on mankind.

The antichrist is the ideological infrastructure which causes that chaos and instability, that encourages people to immorality and evil, condemns whole communities to denial and rebellion, and is the ultimate root of terrorism and violence. The antichrist spreads immorality by portraying good as evil, and evil as good. One of the hadiths on the subject reads:

When Al-Dajjal appears, he will have fire and water along with him. What the people will consider as cold water, will be fire that will burn (things). So, if anyone of you comes across this, he should fall in the thing which will appear to him as fire, for in reality, it will be fresh cold water. (Sahih Al-Bukhari.)

As we’ve been foretold by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), this period will be one when people fail to live by the morality condoned by religion, when the existence of God is openly denied, when immorality, chaos, war and conflict are everywhere, and when terrorism, murder and violence become a part of normal, everyday life. Although there have been times all throughout history that have witnessed anarchy and chaos, the state of chaos and confusion that will be created by the Antichrist will be on an unprecedented scale.

The characteristics described by many of the hadiths discussing the Antichrist become much clearer when it is considered as ideology. All ideas and systems of thought, therefore, that encourage people to deny the existence of God, turn them away from religious morality and encourage strife and chaos between them actually represent the antichrist.

Today, materialism, and the various ideologies and movements that it gives birth to, are the primary components contributing to corruption in the world. All such movements, in effect, received their so-called scientific justification from the same source, and share the same fundamental foundation: Darwinism. Ever since Darwinism was first put forward, it has been the principle justification for materialist and anti-religious ideologies and movements, and even itself been elevated to the status of a religion by those who support such ideologies.
Darwinism is a teaching that attributes an independent power to nature, claims that life was not created, but emerged as a result of chance, and tries to distance mankind from belief in God. Blind chance is the central premise employed in Darwinism for maintaining that life came about out of inanimate matter and developed by means of evolutionary process. In this deceptive ideology, all living species began from one single cell that came about by chance, in other words from one common ancestor, and then evolved from one another over time by means of minute changes, again by pure coincidence. The theory lacks any scientific or rational basis, is nothing but a fantasy, and was widely accepted in Darwin's day on account of the primitive level of science and the sociological conditions at the time.

When those who believe in this superstition are asked how life might have first come about, they reply; "Living things came about by chance." In actual fact, however, chance is an uncontrolled, unreasoning and aimless force. God, however, creates everything according to a plan, in an ordered, intelligent and specific manner. When someone enters a room he knows that when he sees a chair, table, clock and a television, that they were made by someone and placed in that room according to a specific order. He would certainly never consider that they had come into being by themselves, or had placed themselves of their own doing. If anyone were to believe that such a thing were possible, his sanity would have to be questioned.

In the same way, someone who believes in such a senseless notion as Darwinism is in effect claiming that all the myriad species in the world, and everyone in the world had come about of their own accord as the result of chance. That means that "chance" is that person's god. Yet on careful inspection, that so-called god is one with no power of reason at all, and thus the most unintelligent god imaginable. That "god" is unaware of even its own existence as well of that of what it has brought into being.

In one hadith regarding the Antichrist, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, "Ad-Dajjal is blind." Some Islamic scholars have interpreted that hadith to mean "The eye of the Antichrist's heart is blind." That interpretation helps us to better understand the facts we just mentioned. In the same way, the eye of the heart of someone who makes a god out of blind chance is also blind, as is the eye of his reason. Such people immediately object when it is suggested that; "God created the whole universe with superior intelligence, order and design." Yet when it is suggested that; "Everything is the result of blind chance," they find that completely logical. Instead of an intelligent and conscious creator, they prefer the totally unreasonable idea that blind chance, lacking all intelligence and creative ability, created everything out of anarchy and chaos. Therefore, Darwinism is the most illogical and superstitious religion in the history of the world. Another surprising fact is the way in which a number of highly educated people adopt it as their religion, even though it is clearly false. This shows to what extent the ideas of the Antichrist entrance people like a magic spell.

So, just what is it that leads certain people to believe such an irrational and illogical claim, and to even fiercely defend it?

This actually is an intensive propaganda campaign aimed at spreading the ideological system of the Antichrist in the time before the last days. In order to render this campaign as effective as possible, people are bombarded with indoctrination throughout their lives, and thus over time are coerced into adopting that twisted religion. This indoctrination, which people are exposed to even from childhood, consists of various phases, during each one of which people take a further step in the direction of the dark world of the Antichrist. The most effective way of protecting oneself from that bombardment is to listen to only the voice of one's conscience. Because, by the grace of God, our conscience is a guide that ensures our adherence to the true path.

DARWINISM IS NOT SCIENCE. IT IS A SHAMANISTIC RELIGION THAT HAS ADOPTED NATURE AS A DEITY!

• Darwinism is an ancient shamanistic religion built on superstitions of all kinds. The origins of shamanism go back some 50,000 years.

• Shamanism is a belief system based on the worship of forces such as rain, snow, lightning, storms, wind, and the Sun. Darwinism is also a religion of nature-worship; it describes nature as an entity with “mythical and mysterious powers.” It anticipates the belief that stone, earth, the Sun, lightning and wind combined to give rise to life.

• Shamans claim to be the physicians, sages, leaders and administrators of their tribes and societies. Darwinists describe themselves in the same way. Shamans maintain that they understand the secrets of nature and can foretell the future. Similarly, Darwinists maintain that they know the secrets of matter, the atom and the Earth, and seek to describe imaginary changes that human beings and nature will be subject to in the future.

• Astronomy, biology, paleontology, physics, geology, chemistry, geophysics, embryology are all sciences. Darwinism, however, is not a science, but a primitive shamanistic religion.

Darwinists’ present-day beliefs are just as odd and irrational as those of people who once worshipped crocodiles. Darwinists regard chance and inanimate, unconscious atoms as a creative force, and are as devoted to that belief as if to a religion.

- Since the theory of evolution was first put forward, advances in a great many branches of science, have demolished the theory’s claims, one by one. Nonetheless, Darwinism still has its adherents. Typically, when a scientific theory is disproved, it is shelved, and all debate and discussion comes to an end. But not so with Darwinism. No matter how powerful and indisputable the evidence against their theory may be, evolutionists ignore it and continue to defend their beliefs in a fervent manner.

- Worshipping fire, the stars or the Sun, believing that the Pyramids were built by aliens, or venerating certain animals as sacred is not scientific. In the same way, neither is Darwinism--because just like other superstitious beliefs, Darwinism is also a religion of idols and false deities.

Members of the shamanistic religion of Darwinism spread fictitious reports about the future and try to bring new converts under their spell.

- Darwinism’s foremost idol is the “idol of chance.” Whatever Darwinist text you read, you will see claims about the power and limitless abilities of “natural selection,” the lifeblood and essence of Darwinism.

- Evolutionists claim that everything performed by the “idol of chance” is actually based on pragmatic calculations. In their view, this idol is able to consider everything and calculate in advance every step it will take.

- Evolutionists believe in one very strange force. They ascribe divine status to matter. They have belief that matter once assembled itself into a living cell and that one organism can give rise to another, entirely different one. Science has refuted these ideas. But for Darwinists, they are irrefutable facts that everyone must believe.

- Darwinism is an ancient shamanistic religion, built on insane and irrational superstitions and falsehoods. This idolatrous religion has been invented to confront Islam.

- According to the shamanistic religion of Darwinism, earth, water, rock and stone can feel, smell, hear and perceive colors.

Pagan societies have existed on Earth since the very earliest times. People at all times and all societies have fashioned different idols for themselves. In the same way that Darwinists adopt chance and inanimate matter as creative entities, similar imaginings were once adopted as idols by societies with warped beliefs. Above: Images depicting the Sumerian water idols.

- The essence of the religion of Darwinists is their nonsensical belief in chance that violates both science and reason. In fact, any rational mind is quite able to conceive that no complex entity can come into being spontaneously, by chance, but absolutely must be the product of a conscious plan. However, just like pagans who worship the idols they have crafted with their own hands, Darwinists believe in false deities.

- The nonsensical belief that Darwinists have adopted bears a very close resemblance to the beliefs of ancient pagan cultures. In the much same way that pagans believe that inanimate idols created all things, so evolutionists and materialists believe that inanimate matter created all living things. (God is surely beyond these.) They claim that even their own human bodies are the sum total of various coincidences.

- It is unacceptable for students to be taught Darwinist shamanistic religion under the name of science. What they need are courses in biology that have been purged of this shamanistic religion.

- The Turkish public laughs at the ruses resorted to by local evolutionists, because they cannot prove evolution by way of slander and aggression. Any evidence they have, they should put forward, whereupon everyone can easily distinguish between truth and error. For months now, the exhibitions of fossils taking place all over the country have helped the Turkish public realize that living things never underwent evolution.

- It is expected that evolutionists exhibit fossils if they have any. At the very least, they should display a few of them in the central headquarters or gardens of Turkish daily newspapers such as Cumhuriyet, Vatan and Hurriyet, or in such heavily frequented public spaces such as Istanbul’s Taksim Square or Ulus in Ankara. If they cannot do that, then they should cease their defense of evolution. They have no intermediate-form fossils to show, because such things never existed.

- Each fossil that evolutionists have put forward as a proof of evolution has turned out to be a fake or else misinterpreted. “Piltdown Man,” for example, turned out to be a hoax. The tooth of Nebraska “Man” turned out to be from a fossil boar. The coelacanth has been caught alive—and unchanged—since 1938. All the skull and bone fragments that allegedly show the human evolution tale have been proven to be either those of present-day human beings or else of species of ape that have become extinct.

Evolutionists conjure up creatures that never actually existed and hire skilled artists to produce “reconstructed” models and illustrations—which they use to try and convince people that evolution is a scientific fact. This false evidence is displayed in newspapers, magazines and museums. But these depictions reflect nothing beyond their makers’ imaginations. No such entities exist in the fossil record. Yet evolutionists themselves finally fall under the spell of this false evidence they have created with their own hands and start to believe in the religion of Darwinism.

SCIENTIFIC FACTS REFUTE THE CLAIMS OF THE “SHAMANISTIC RELIGION OF DARWINISM”

According to the Shamanistic Religion of Darwinism: the first living organism formed spontaneously.

According to modern science, life cannot come into being by chance. Not one single protein or even a single cell, let alone a whole organism, can emerge by chance. The likelihood of any protein emerging by chance is only 1 in 10⁹⁵⁰. In practical terms, this equates to zero probability.

According to the Shamanistic Religion of Darwinism: living species descended from earlier, more primitive ones.

According to modern science, species cannot descend from one another. Every life form has its own unique characteristics. It is impossible for them to develop through another species’ gradual changes.

According to the Shamanistic Religion of Darwinism: fossils confirm the theory of evolution.

According to modern science, fossils are evidence of creation, not evolution. Some 100 million fossils have so far been discovered, and all of them represent complete, fully formed organisms. Not a single fossil indicates that it was undergoing any transitional “evolution.”

According to the Shamanistic Religion of Darwinism: species diversified through mutations.

According to modern science, mutations damage organisms, and do not improve them. They cannot cause a species to diversify: they either kill or cripple the mutated individual.

According to the Shamanistic Religion of Darwinism: humans are descended from ape-like creatures.

According to modern science, apes and humans are totally separate species. There is no family relationship between them. Despite their physical similarities, they have enormous differences that cannot be explained by claims of evolution.

According to the Shamanistic Religion of Darwinism: natural selection present in nature is proof of evolution.

According to modern science, natural selection cannot cause one living thing to evolve or give rise to new life forms.

TWO NEW DECEPTIONS FROM EVOLUTIONISTS: TIKTAALIK ROSEAE AND GOGONASUS

The fossil discovered in Canada a few months ago and given the name of Tiktaalik roseae was portrayed as major evidence for evolution. In fact, however, this creature is obviously a “mosaic” combining a great many features. Nonetheless, evolutionists depict this creature as an intermediate species and claim, using fictitious illustrations, that it represents proof of a transition from water to land. The platypus found in modern-day Australia is also a mosaic creature that shares mammalian, reptilian and bird characteristics at one and the same time. Yet nothing about it can be depicted as proof of evolution.

In recent days, evolutionists have brought up yet another fossil found in Australia, repeating their tales that have persisted for so many years of a “completed missing link.” This new fossil, known as Gogonasus and evidently an extinct species of fish, has nothing whatsoever to do with evolution. Evolutionists seek to use it as an evidence for their myth of the transition from water to dry land, particularly on account of its fin bones, but the fossil in question is an obvious species of fish totally unconnected with life on land. The coelacanth, still alive today, also has bones in its fins, but these have been established to be perfectly ordinary structures that the fish uses solely for the purpose of swimming.

In order to substantiate their claims, evolutionists must discover “intermediate forms,” with deficient, half-formed organs that are not fully functional. Yet every one of the organs possessed by these fossil creatures is complete, flawless. There are no semi-developed organs, nor any fossil series that can be presented as evidence for an evolutionary transition from other living species.

Evolutionists must finally accept the facts and stop trying to deceive the public with their fabrications.

MATERIALIST SELF-INTEREST CABALS ARE UP TO NEW CONSPIRACIES

In recent months, both the Turkish and the world media have been issuing panicked reports about the global defeat of Darwinism. The routing of Darwinism has had a deep impact on European Freemasonry and certain other secret forces, and these have resorted to a plan produced out of terror of the threat of the elimination of atheism and materialism. British and French lodges have issued directives. Sabbatean families are also becoming involved, out of a thirst for vengeance. In order that the matter should be definitively resolved, various writers are being hired out, and a plot is being prepared against all patriotic individuals. The principal target is the Science Research Foundation.

In the future, however, just as in the past, it will be impossible for these endeavors to bear any fruit. Millions are aware of just what is going on.

A new Sun has risen, and its light has illuminated all parts. The next thing for evolutionists to do is submit in the face of the facts.

ISLAM CONFLICTS WITH PAGAN RELIGIONS, NOT WITH SCIENCE

Islam commands people to research and investigate all branches of science and knowledge:

. . . Reflect on the creation of the heavens and the Earth . . . (Surah Al Imran, 191)

Have they not looked at the sky above them: how We structured it . . . (Surah Qaf, 6)

. . . You will not find any flaw in the creation of the All-Merciful. Look again . . . (Surat al-Mulk, 3)

Man has only to look at what he was created from. (Surat at-Tariq, 5)

Have they not looked at the camel—how it was created, and at the sky—how it was raised up, and at the mountains—how they were embedded, and at the Earth—how it was smoothed out? (Surat al-Ghashiyya, 17-20)

In the heavens and Earth there are certainly signs for the believers. And in your creation and all the creatures He has spread about there are signs for people with certainty. (Surat al-Jathiyya, 3-4)

It is therefore impossible to claim any divergence between science and Islam.

However, Islam does oppose all false religions. It is opposed to the worship of fire, of the devil, animals or idols—in short, to all forms of pagan belief. Shamanism is a religion that also worships chance and nature (animals, plants, stones, earth and matter). As a shamanistic creed, Darwinism is therefore in conflict with Islam.

Under the pen name of Harun Yahya, Adnan Oktar has written some 250 works. His books contain a total of 46,000 pages and 31,500 illustrations. Of these books, 7,000 pages and 6,000 illustrations deal with the collapse of the Theory of Evolution. His titles include:

l THE NATURE OF THE DARWINIST IMPASSE... l THE RESPONSES EXPECTED BY DARWINISTS... l DARWIN'S MISGUIDED SUCCESSORS... l DARWIN'S ENMITY TOWARDS THE TURKS... l FACTS THAT DARWINISTS DON'T WANT TO RECOGNIZE... l CHARLES DARWIN WAS IGNORANT OF THE FOLLOWING FACTS... l THE EVOLUTION IMPASSE, BOOKS I AND II... l ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS DARWINISM... l THE TRANSITIONAL-FORM DILEMMA... l THE DISASTERS DARWINISM BROUGHT TO HUMANITY... l THE CELL IN 40 TOPICS... l BIRDS AND THE ORIGINS OF FLIGHT... l THE EVOLUTIONISTS' CONFESSION... l THE COLLAPSE OF THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION IN 50 TOPICS... l THE PERFECT DESIGN IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT BY CHANCE... l THE SOCIAL WEAPON OF DARWINISM... l THE “EVOLUTION OF SPECIES” ERROR… l TELL ME ABOUT THE CREATION... l FASCISM: THE BLOODY IDEOLOGY OF DARWINISM... l EVOLUTIONISTS' ERRORS... l FOLLOWING A DEBATE… l WONDERS OF ALLAH'S CREATION...

CO-ORDINATION IN HUMAN BODY

In the human body, all the systems simultaneously work in a co-ordinated way and in full harmony for a definite purpose, namely, to keep the body alive. Even the smallest movements we do everyday, such as breathing or smiling, are outcomes of perfect co-ordination in the human body.

Inside us is an incredibly complicated and comprehensively co-ordinated network that operates without stopping at all. The purpose is the continuance of living. This co-ordination is particularly visible in the locomotive system of the body, because, for even the smallest movement, skeletal system, muscles and nervous system must work in perfect collaboration.

In order to perform a co-ordinated act, first, the organs involved in this act and their inter-relations should be known. This information comes from the eyes, the balance mechanism in the internal ear, muscles, joints and skin. Every second, billions of pieces of information are processed, evaluated and new decisions are taken accordingly. Man is not even aware of the processes accomplished in his body at dizzying speed. He just moves, laughs, cries, runs, eats and thinks. He spends no effort in performing these acts. Even for a faint smile, seventeen muscles have to work together at the same time. In order to be able to walk, fifty-four different muscles in the feet, legs, hips and back must work in co-operation.

The perfection of the co-ordination of the body will be better understood with the following example. In order just to lift the hand, the shoulder has to be bent, the front and rear arm muscles - called "triceps" and "biceps" - should be contracted and relaxed, and the muscles between elbow and wrist have to twist the wrist. In every part of the act, millions of receptors in the muscles pass on information immediately to the central nervous system about the position of the muscles. In return, the central nervous system tells the muscles what to do in the next step. Of course one is not aware of any of these processes, but just wishes to lift one's hand, and does it right away.

What happens in case of a problem in this co-ordination? Different expressions might appear on our faces when we want to smile, or we might not manage to talk or walk when we want to. However, we can smile, talk, walk anytime we want and no problems occur, because everything mentioned here is accomplished as a result of the fact of Creation which logically requires "infinite intelligence and power".

For this reason, man should always remember that he owes his being and life to his Creator, God. There is nothing for man to be arrogant or boastful about. His health, beauty or strength is not his own work, and it is not given to him eternally. He certainly will become old and lose his health and beauty. In the Qur'an, this is stated as:

Anything you have been given is only the enjoyment of the life of this world and its finery. What is with God is better and longer lasting. So will you not use your intellect?" (Surat al-Qasas: 60)

COMMON MATERIAL, DESIGN AND DESIGNER

The recent completion of the human gene map within the scope of the Human Genome Project is an important scientific improvement. However, some results of this project are being distorted in some evolutionist publications. It is claimed that the genes of chimpanzees are 98 % similar to human genes, and this is presented as an evidence for the claim that apes are close to humans, and therefore, logical ancestors of humans as claimed by Darwin's theory of evolution. The argument is misleading.

The claim of 98% similarity is deceptive. To claim that the genetic make-ups of man and chimpanzee bear 98 % similarity to each other, the genome of the chimpanzee also has to be mapped just as that of man and the two have to be compared. No such result for the chimpanzee has been done yet.

This claimed similarity is an exaggerated generalisation grounded on the similarity in the amino acid sequences of some 30-40 basic proteins present in man and chimpanzee. A sequence analysis has been made with a method named "DNA hybridization" on the DNA sequences that are correlated with these proteins and only those limited number of proteins have been compared. However there are about hundred thousand genes, and therefore 100,000 proteins coded by these genes in humans. The claim that all the genes of man and ape are 98 % similar is based on the similarity in 40 out of 100.000 proteins!

Moreover, the above mentioned basic proteins are common vital molecules present in various other living beings. The structures of the same kinds of proteins present not only in chimpanzees, but also in completely different living beings, are very similar to that in humans.

For example, the genetic analyses published in New Scientist have revealed a 75 % similarity between the DNAs of nematode worms and man. (New Scientist, 15 May 1999, p.27) This definitely does not mean that there is only a 25% difference between man and these worms!

On the other hand, the analyses done on some proteins show man as close to some very different living beings. In a survey carried out by the researchers at Cambridge University, some proteins of land dwelling animals were compared. Amazingly, in nearly all samples, man and chicken were paired as the closest relatives. The next closest relative was the crocodile. (New Scientist v.103, 16 August 1984, p.19)

Another example used by evolutionists on "the genetic similarity between man and ape", is the presence of 48 chromosomes in chimpanzees and gorillas and 46 chromosomes in man. Evolutionists regard the closeness of the number of chromosomes as indication of an evolutionary relationship. However, if this logic were true, then man should have an even closer relative than the chimpanzee: the potato!. The number of chromosomes in a potatoe is exactly equal to the number of chromosomes in a human: 46

These examples show that genetic similarity does not constitute evidence for the theory of evolution. This is because the genetic similarities are not in line with the alleged evolution schemes, and on the contrary, they yield completely opposite results.

Not surprisingly, when the issue is evaluated as a whole, it is seen that the subject of "bio-chemical similarities" does not constitute an evidence for evolution, but on the contrary leaves the theory in the lurch. Dr. Christian Schwabe, a biochemistry researcher from the Medical Faculty of South Carolina University, is an evolutionist scientist who has spent years to find evidence for evolution in the molecular domain. He particularly did researches on insulin and relaxin-type proteins and tried to establish evolutionary relationships between living beings.

However, he had to confess for many times that he could not find any evidence for evolution at any point in his studies. He said;

"Molecular evolution is about to be accepted as a method superior to palaeontology for the discovery of evolutionary relationships. As a molecular evolutionist I should be elated. Instead it seems disconcerting that many exceptions exist to the orderly progression of species as determined by molecular homologies; so many in fact that I think the exception, the quirks, may carry the more important message" (Christian Schwabe, "On the Validity of Molecular Evolution", Trends in Biochemical Sciences. V.11, July 1986)

Based on the recent findings obtained in the field of molecular biology, the renowned biochemist Prof Michael Denton made the following comments;

"Each class at molecular level is unique, isolated and unlinked by intermediates. Thus, molecules, like fossils, have failed to provide the elusive intermediates so long sought by evolutionary biology… At a molecular level, no organism is "ancestral" or "primitive" or "advanced" compared with its relatives… There is little doubt that if this molecular evidence had been available a century ago… the idea of organic evolution might never have been accepted." (Michael Denton, Evolution; A Theory in Crisis, London; Burnett Books 1985 pp.290-291)

It is surely natural for the human body to bear some molecular similarities to other living beings because they all are made up of the same molecules; they all use the same water and atmosphere; and they all consume foods consisting of the same molecules. Certainly, their metabolisms and therefore genetic make-ups would resemble one another. This, however, is not evidence that they evolved from a common ancestor.

This "common material" is not the result of an evolution but of "common design", that is, their being created upon the same plan.

It is possible to explain this subject with an example. All building constructions are done with similar materials (brick, iron, cement, etc.). This, however, does not mean that these buildings "evolved" from each other. They are constructed separately by using common materials. The same is true of living beings as well.

Darwinists are distorting the results of the Human Genome Project. Life did not originate as a result of unconscious coincidences as evolution claims, but as the result of the creation of God, the Almighty, the Owner of infinite knowledge and wisdom.

BLOCKBUSTER ABOUT JESUS RAISES PASSIONS

The famous actor-director Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ has finally gone on general release after months of debate. Watched with enormous interest in the USA, the film caused some cinemas to assume the air of churches. Millions of Christians have queued to watch this important work about Jesus (peace be upon him), the corner stone of their beliefs.

One of the aspects most concentrated on by film critics is the way that this film is not pure "entertainment," unlike classic Hollywood movies. On the contrary, there are suffering and even torture in a great many scenes. Christians believe that Jesus was killed by the Romans by being crucified, and Mel Gibson shows what a dreadful form of torture crucifixion and the cruelty that went before it were.

The Jewish Reaction

The greatest reaction to Mel Gibson's film came from Jews, and is indeed still doing so. Why is that? The answer to that question lies in the history of Christianity as described in the Bible.

According to the Bible, Jesus is the savior whom the Jews had been awaiting for centuries, in other words the Messiah. When he began to preach his message, however, he both called on the Jewish people to believe in God and also criticized the hypocrisy of various men of religion who enjoyed great prestige among the Jews. For that reason, although a large part of the Jewish people came to love Jesus, the men of religion in question had enormous hostility towards him and decided to set a trap to kill him. Eventually they decided to complain to the Romans, who ruled Palestine at the time. Appearing before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, they told him Jesus claimed to be a king whereas their king was Caesar, and was causing political unrest. Pilate questioned Jesus, and seeing that he had committed no crime wanted to set him free. The Jewish religious leaders insisted, however. They demanded he be crucified, and Pilate accepted that demand.

Again according to the Bible, it was the Jews who were actually responsible for the decision to execute Jesus.

This led to some Christians harboring an enmity for the Jews throughout history. One of the reasons for the emergence of "anti-Semitism," or hatred of Jews, is that Christians regarded the Jews as "Christ-killers."

The reaction of Jewish leaders to Mel Gibson's film in recent months has been that the film has revitalized this concept, which has persisted for the last 2,000 years. In many scenes in the film the hatred and anger of some Jewish religious figures towards Jesus are depicted. This is an important point of conflict which divides Christianity and Judaism, which have a great deal in common, and even sets them in opposition to one another.

The Truth Revealed in the Qur'an

However, there is a most important truth behind the current debate over Jesus between Jews and Christians.

This truth is revealed in the Qur'an. According to the verses of Almighty God, Jesus was not actually put to death by being crucified. The Jews set such a trap for him, but God foiled that trap with a miracle and rescued Jesus, with someone else being crucified in his place. This truth is described in Surat an-Nisa':

And [on account of] their saying: "We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Messenger of God." They did not kill him and they did not crucify him, but it was made to seem so to them. Those who argue about him are in doubt about it. They have no real knowledge of it, just conjecture. But they certainly did not kill him. (Qur'an, 4:157)

The expression, "they did not kill him and they did not crucify him" reveals that Jesus was not killed and crucified. The next statement also contains very important information: the person crucified was not Jesus, but somebody else, although those who performed the crucifixion believed that he was Jesus. That was because this person resembled Jesus, or was made to look like him. (Only God knows for certain.)

This information in the Qur'an has been the subject of debate between Christians and Muslims for hundreds of years. Christians say that Jesus was crucified before hundreds of witnesses, that the gospels and other Christian authors are agreed on this, and that this is a certain and attested truth believed in by millions over hundreds of years.

The fact is, however, that some Christians have also accepted the fact that Jesus was not crucified.

Christians Who Have Not Believed in the Crucifixion

Christians have provided different answers to the question of who it was who was crucified. These possessed a belief regarded as "heretical"

according to Catholic doctrine. That movement is known as "Docetism."

The most important information about Docetism comes from the document Adversus Haereses (Against Herecies) written by the priest Irenaeus (115-202) at the end of the second century CE. Irenaeus refers to one Basilides, one of the representatives of this movement.

According to Irenaeus, Basilides, a historian from Alexandria, insisted in his writings between 130 and 150 CE that Jesus had not been crucified. He maintained that somebody else, one Simon of Cyrene, had been crucified and that God had miraculously altered Simon's appearance to resemble that of Jesus, and that the Jews and Romans thus thought they were crucifying Jesus himself. Basilides even wrote that Jesus watched as Simon of Cyrene was being crucified, and that he then moved away and was raised alive into the presence of God. (William Smith, D., A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Volume 1, p. 768)

Where might this information have reached Basilides from? According to the writings of a 3rd century Christian theologian, Clement of Alexandria (150-215), Basilides claimed to have received secret information. According to his account, an individual called Glaucius, who had acted as interpreter for Simon Peter, one of Jesus' disciples, learned this secret from Peter, and Basilides heard it from him. Basilides wrote a new "Bible," in which the gospels were corrected in the light of the information he had received from Glaucius.

Basilides was not the only Docetist to support this claim. In addition to him, various individuals or sects regarded as "heretics" by the Church also supported the view that Jesus was not crucified, but was replaced by someone bearing a resemblance to him. In Was Christ Really Crucified? The Christian writer Faris al-Qayrawani writes:

In the year A.D. 185 a sect of the descendant of the priests of Thebes who embraced Christianity claimed that "God forbids that Christ should be crucified. He was safely lifted up to heaven." Also in the year A.D. 370 a hermetic Gnostic sect that denied the crucifixion of Jesus taught that He "was not crucified but it seemed so to the spectators who crucified Him." Again, in the year A.D. 520 Severus, bishop of Syria, fled to Alexandria where he encountered a group of philosophers teaching that Jesus Christ was not crucified but that it only appeared so to the people who nailed Him on the cross. About A.D. 610 Bishop John, son of the governor of Cyprus, began to proclaim that Christ was not crucified but that it only seemed so to the spectators who crucified Him. (Faris al-Qayrawani, Was Christ Really Crucified?, Villach: Light of Life, 1994, p. 23)

As of the 4^th century, however, when the absolute dominion of the Catholic Church was established, Docetists gradually disappeared just like the other movements regarded as "heretical." The teaching that Jesus was crucified confirmed its place as a fundamental dogma of the Christian world by being imposed by the Church.

Mankind only learned the truth about this subject by means of the revelation of the Qur'an to the Prophet Mohammed. In the Qur'an God has revealed this about Jesus:

"… They did not kill him and they did not crucify him, but it was made to seem so to them..." (Qur'an, 4:157)

THE LIFE OF JESUS ACCORDING TO THE QUR'AN

According to the historical records of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Jesus lived approximately 2,000 years ago. He was a chosen messenger of God and is held in honor both in the world and the Hereafter. The Gospel of Mathew states that he was born either during the reign of Herod l or in a period of the regime change (4 BCE). According to the Gospel of Luke, he was born during the reign of Emperor Augustus (27 BCE-14 CE) when a census was being conducted in Judea (6 CE). Such information cannot be verified. However, experts analyzing various sources believe that Jesus was born around 7-6 BCE.

The true religion brought by Jesus, God's chosen Messenger who was rewarded with Paradise and special gifts, exists today. However, it does so in name only, for it has been tampered with and falsified. Likewise, the revelation given to Jesus by God exists only in name and certainly not in its original, for the Christian scriptures have been tampered with and altered. As we cannot acquire any true knowledge about Jesus from this source, we turn to the only source that can provide true information: the Qur'an, which God promised to protect until the Last Day. The Qur'an reveals much about Jesus' birth, life, examples of his encounters with other people, the situation of those living around him, and many other subjects. It also provides many examples of his efforts to invite the Jewish people to faith. The Qur'an relates the following words of Jesus:

"I come confirming the Torah I find already there, and to make lawful for you some of what was previously forbidden to you. I have brought you a Sign from your Lord. So fear God and obey me. God is my Lord and your Lord so worship Him. That is a straight path." (Qur'an, 3:50-51)

Only a few Jews answered his call and became his followers. The Qur'an reveals the existence of these devout believers as follows:

When Jesus sensed unbelief on their part, he asked: "Who will be my helpers for [the cause of] God?" The disciples said: "We are God's helpers. We believe in God. Bear witness that we are Muslims. Our Lord, we believe in what You have sent down and have followed the Messenger, so write us down among the witnesses." (Qur'an, 3:52-53)

According to the New Testament, Jesus traveled to all corners of Palestine with his 12 disciples to call people to faith. On this journey, God allowed him to perform many miracles. He healed the sick and disabled, cured people suffering from leprosy, brought sight to those who had been blind from birth, and raised the dead. The Qur'an reveals these miracles in the verses below:

"I have brought you a Sign from your Lord. I will create the shape of a bird out of clay for you and then breathe into it, and it will be a bird by God's permission. I will heal the blind and the leper and bring the dead to life, by God's permission. I will tell you what you eat and what you store up in your homes. There is a Sign for you in that if you believe." (Qur'an, 3:49)

Remember when God said: "Jesus, son of Mary, remember My blessing to you and to your mother when I reinforced you with the Purest Spirit so that you could speak to people in the cradle and when you were fully grown; and when I taught you the Book and Wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel; and when you created a bird-shape out of clay by My permission, and then breathed into it and it became a bird by My permission; and healed the blind and the leper by My permission; when you brought forth the dead by My permission; and when I held back the Children of Israel from you, when you brought them the Clear Signs and those who did not believe said: 'This is nothing but downright magic.'" (Qur'an, 5:110)

Jesus performed great miracles, and many people were impressed by them. However, he always stated that these miracles happened only by the will of God and, according to the Bible, he always told the people he healed: "Your faith has saved you." In response, the people praised the Lord when they saw his miracles:

Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and laid them at his feet. And he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. (Matthew 15:29-31)

Despite the increasing obstacles and, in particular among the people who suffered from oppression and cruelty, the number of believers began to rise. At the time, Jesus and his disciples had wandered through all of the towns and cities in the land. Meanwhile, the priests and scribes (teachers of the law) began to scheme and plot against Jesus, who had been telling them of the wrongs inherent in the traditions that they had promoted for years, reminding them of the deviations in the order they had established and calling them to believe only in God and to live only for him. (Luke 22:1-2, John 11:47-53)

Like all other Prophets, Jesus called his people to believe in God, to submit wholeheartedly to Him, to live for His good pleasure, to refrain from sin and evil, and to do good. He reminded them of life's impermanence and of death's proximity, and told them that they would have to answer for all of their deeds in the Hereafter. He called them to worship God alone and to fear and mind only Him. The Bible also contains much advice and educational material (mashal) in this respect. According to the New Testament, Jesus advised those who were "short on faith," brought them the good news of God's imminent dominion, and asked them to seek God's forgiveness. This dominion is the rule which the Jews expected to be established when the Messiah arrived, a rule that would bring them renewed faith and deliverance.

Jesus remained true to the Mosaic law (the commandments of the Torah) and reprimanded the Jews for straying from them or their hypocritical practice. According to the New Testament, he told them: "If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me" (John 5:46). Jesus called people to return to the Torah. The Gospel of Matthew records his order to abide by the Mosaic law ("the holy law"):

I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. (Matthew 5:17)

Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so shall be called least in the kingdom of Heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:19)

The Qur'an says the following about Jesus:

[Jesus said,] "I come confirming the Torah I find already there, and to make lawful for you some of what was previously forbidden to you. I have brought you a Sign from your Lord. So fear God and obey me." (Qur'an, 3:50)

THE CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS OF THE CRUCIFIXION IN THE GOSPELS

Present-day Christians believe in the Holy Book known as the New Testament. Many sections of this book call people to believe in and worship God in a most sincere manner and recommend excellent moral principles. In that respect, much of the New Testament is compatible with the Qur'an. Therefore Muslims and Christians have a great many beliefs in common and believe in the same moral values. This is an important truth which represents the groundwork for the establishment of dialogue and cooperation between the two faiths.

However, God also reveals in the Qur'an that two fundamental teachings in the New Testament are erroneous.

The first of these is the belief that Jesus was crucified and was a kind of "sacrifice" for all mankind.

The second is the claim that Jesus is the "son of God." (God is surely beyond that. Far exalted is He above having a son.)

One interesting point is that the statements in the gospels regarding these two beliefs are actually contradictory.

The Four Gospels

The New Testament contains four separate "gospels" which describe the life and ministry of Jesus. The first three of these, the gospels according to Matthew, Mark and Luke are to a large extent parallel to one another. They are thus described as the "synoptic" gospels in the Christian tradition. (The word "synoptic" means "taking the same point of view, and describes the perspectives of the first three gospels.)

Despite being the second gospel in the Old Testament, the earliest is the gospel according to Saint Mark. It is accepted that Matthew and Luke used the gospel according to Saint Mark as a source when writing their own gospels, making a few additions to it.

The fourth gospel is that of John, and this is very different to the line taken by the synoptic gospels. Some events described by John do not appear in the synoptic gospels, or are described in a contrary sense. Moreover, one event described by John is described totally differently from the way it appears in the synoptic gospels.

The Contradictory Descriptions of the Crucifixion

As we have already stated, it is revealed in the Qur'an that the person who was crucified was not Jesus but, by a miracle of God, someone resembling him was crucified and Jesus escaped the trap.

The gospels of the New Testament insist that it was Jesus who was crucified. However, their accounts of the crucifixion conflict with one another to an extent far greater than in any other subject.

There are enormous discrepancies on this subject, both among the synoptic gospels and that of John. The account which begins with the Last Supper of Jesus and the disciples and continues with his arrest and trial is the subject of considerable contradiction among the gospels. Let us now examine the major points of these contradictions:

o The synoptic gospels maintain that there was a "ceremony of bread and wine" at the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples. Yet John never mentions this. Instead, he makes an entirely different claim that the disciples washed his feet as an expression of love and respect.

o There is a similar discrepancy with regard to Jesus' arrest by the Romans. According to the claim in the synoptic gospels, Judas Iscariot gave Jesus up by indicating him to the Romans. According to John, Jesus gave himself up. The replies given to Judas by Jesus are also described contradictorily: According to Matthew, he said to Judas, "Friend, do what you came for," whereas according to John there was no dialogue between the two.

o There is also disagreement with regard to what the disciples did after Jesus' arrest. According to Matthew, the disciples all fled, with only Peter watching Jesus from afar. Mark describes the odd detail of how only "a young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment" watched Jesus, and how he was caught but freed himself from the garment and escaped. Like Matthew, Luke writes that only Peter watched Jesus. John, on the other hand, writes that Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus.

o The answers to the question of who judged Jesus are also different. The synoptic gospels describe how he was tried by the Jewish Supreme Court (the Sanhedrin). According to John, Jesus was tried not by the Sanhedrin, but by Caiaphas, the high priest that time, and his father-in-law Annas.

o Jesus' trial by the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, is also described very differently. According to the synoptic gospels, Jesus made no reply to the accusations made against him by Pilate, merely saying "Yes, it is as you say," when asked if he was the king of the Jews. John, on the other hand, says that Jesus made a long reply to Pilate, in a detailed statement saying, "My kingdom is not of this world… But now my kingdom is from another place."

o Who carried the cross is also unclear. The synoptic gospels write that a man named Simon of Cyrene carried it, whereas John maintains that Jesus carried it himself.

o The robbers who were crucified alongside Jesus are also described differently, as are Jesus' last words.

o The gospels also describe the timing of the crucifixion differently. According to the synoptic gospels, it was on the second day of Passover.

According to John, it was one day before the Passover.

It is clear that these discrepancies reveal an interesting picture.

That is because these events, which comprise the last day in the life of Jesus, from the Last Supper to the crucifixion, took place, according to the Christian tradition, before hundreds of witnesses. With the exception of the Last Supper, attended only by the disciples, they must all have taken place before large crowds. According to the gospels, the arrest of Jesus took place before hundreds of Romans and Jews. Again according to the gospels, the crucifixion happened in Jerusalem, before the eyes of the populace.

So why is it that there are such discrepancies between the accounts of these events that happened in front of so many eye-witnesses?

The answer is clear: The reason for these discrepancies in the accounts of the crucifixion is that the story is based on an error. It was not Jesus who was crucified. God saved this blessed prophet from the trap laid for him.

Jesus Did Not Die, but Is in the Presence of God

The Qur'an reveals that the unbelievers devised a plot to take Jesus' life. However, they have failed, for the Qur'an relates:

They [unbelievers] planned and God planned. But God is the best of planners. (Qur'an, 3:54)

As the verses reveal, they plotted and moved to kill Jesus. However, their plot failed and they ended up killing a look-alike. During this event, God raised Jesus up to His presence:

And [on account of] their saying, "We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Messenger of God." They did not kill him and they did not crucify him, but it was made to seem so to them. Those who argue about him are in doubt about it. They have no real knowledge of it, just conjecture. But they certainly did not kill him. (Qur'an, 4:157)

The subsequent verse says the following about Jesus' ascension:

God raised him up to Himself. God is Almighty, All-Wise. (Qur'an, 4:158)

The reality revealed in the verse is clear. Those who attempted to kill Jesus did not succeed. The expression "but it was made to seem so to them" reveals this fact. God showed them a look-alike and raised Jesus up to His presence. Our Lord also reveals that those who made that claim had no knowledge of the truth.

Jesus was not killed.

The truth, clearly indicated in the Qur'an and the hadiths (sayings) of our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace), is that Jesus is still alive and will return to Earth in the End Times.

JESUS WILL RETURN TO EARTH

The subject of Jesus' return to earth has been of great interest in the world in recent weeks. In order to learn the truth of this matter, one of course needs to study the signs in the Qur'an.

There is important evidence in the Qur'an regarding the second coming of Jesus. This may be set out as follows:

1. "... I will place the people who follow you above those who are unbelievers until the Day of Resurrection..."

The first verse indicating Jesus' return is given below:

When God said: "Jesus, I will take you back and raise you up to Me, and purify you of those who are unbelievers. And I will place the people who follow you above those who are unbelievers until the Day of Resurrection. Then you will all return to Me, and I will judge between you regarding the things about which you differed. (Qur'an, 3:55)

God mentions that a group of Jesus' true followers will dominate the unbelievers until the Day of Resurrection. Jesus did not have many followers during his tenure on Earth and, with his ascension, the religion that he had brought degenerated rapidly. Over the next two centuries, those who believed in Jesus were oppressed because they had no political power. Therefore, we cannot say that the early Christians dominated the unbelievers in the sense indicated by the verse given above.

At present, Christianity is so far removed from its original state that it no longer resembles the religion taught by Jesus. In this case, "And I will place the people who follow you above those who are unbelievers until the Day of Resurrection" carries a clear message: There has to be a group of Jesus' followers who will exist until the Last Day. Such a group will emerge in his second coming, and those who follow him at that time will dominate the unbelievers until the Last Day.

2. "There is not one of the People of the Book who will not believe in him before he dies..."

In the Qur'an, we read that:

There is not one of the People of the Book who will not believe in him before he dies; and on the Day of Resurrection he [Jesus] will be a witness against them. (Qur'an, 4:159)

The phrase "there is not one of the People of the Book who will not believe in him before he dies" is very interesting. Some scholars believe that the "him/it" in this verse refers to the Qur'an instead of Jesus, and so understand it to mean that the People of the Book will believe in the Qur'an before they die. However, it is beyond dispute that the same word in the preceding two verses refers to Jesus.

Another point we need to make here has to do with the interpretation of "before he dies." Some believe that this stands for the People of the Book "having faith in Jesus before their own death." According to this view, everyone from the People of the Book will definitely believe in Jesus before he or she dies. But so far, millions of the People of the Book have lived and died without ever believing in Jesus. Therefore, the verse does not speak of the death of this group, but rather of the death of Jesus. In the end, the reality revealed by the Qur'an is this: "Before Jesus dies, all People of the Book will believe in him."

This can only be possible with the return to Earth of Jesus and all the People of the Book having faith in him during this second life. That is in fact the promise in the hadiths. (Only God knows for certain.)

3. "He is a Sign of the Hour..."

In the Qur'an, we are informed of Jesus' return to Earth. This verse states that Jesus is a sign of the Hour:

He [Jesus] is a Sign of the Hour. Have no doubt about it. But follow me. This is a straight path. (Qur'an, 43:61)

The great scholars of Islam interpret this pronoun as referring to Jesus, an opinion that they base on other Qur'anic verses and hadiths. In his commentary, Elmalili Muhammad Hamdi Yazir writes that:

No doubt he [Jesus] is a sign of the Hour, one that declares that the Hour will come, that the dead will be resurrected and stand up, because the miracle of Jesus' second coming and his miracle of resurrecting the dead, together with his revelation that the dead will rise, prove that the Day of Judgment is real. According to the hadiths, his arrival is a sign of the Last Day. (Elmalili Muhammad Hamdi Yazir, Kuran-i Kerim Tefsiri (Qur'an Tafsir); www.kuranikerim.com/telmalili/zuhruf.htm)

Jesus lived six centuries before the Qur'an's revelation. Therefore we cannot consider his first life as a sign of the Day of Judgment. The verse says that Jesus will return toward the end of time or, in other words, during the last period of time before the Day of Judgment. In that context, his return is a sign of the Hour's imminent arrival. (God knows best.)

4. "He will teach him the Book and Wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel."

The verses 45-48 of Sura 3 reveal that God will teach Jesus the "Book," the Torah, and the Gospel. Obviously, this book in question is very important. The same expression is also used in the verse given below:

Remember when God said: "Jesus, son of Mary, remember My blessing to you and to your mother when I reinforced you with the Purest Spirit so that you could speak to people in the cradle and when you were fully grown; and when I taught you the Book and Wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel." (Qur'an, 5:110)

When we examine how "Book" is used here, we see that it refers to the Qur'an in both cases. The verses reveal that after the Torah, Psalms and the Gospel, the Qur'an is the final divine book. Another verse uses "Book" to denote the Qur'an, after mentioning the Torah and the Gospel. (Qur'an, 3:2-3)

In this case, the Qur'an is the third book that Jesus will be taught. But this will be possible only when he returns to Earth, for he lived 600 years before the Qur'an's revelation. The hadiths also reveal that Jesus will rule with the Qur'an, not the Gospel, on his second coming. This corresponds with the meaning of the verse. (Allah knows best.)

5. "The likeness of Jesus in God's sight is the same as Adam."

The verse "The likeness of Jesus in God's sight is the same as Adam." (Qur'an, 3:59) could also indicate Jesus' return. Muslim scholars who have written Qur'anic commentaries point out that this verse indicates the fact that both Prophets did not have a father, for God created both of them with the command "Be!" However, the verse could also have another meaning: Just as Adam was sent down to Earth from God's presence, Jesus could be sent down to Earth from God's presence during the End Times. (Only God knows for certain.)

6. "...The day I was born, the day I die, and the day I am raised up again alive..."

Surah Maryam also mentions Jesus' death in the following verse:

[Jesus said,] "Peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I am raised up again alive." (Qur'an, 19:33)

When this verse is considered in conjunction with Surah Al `Imran verse 55, an important reality emerges: While Surah Al `Imran states that Jesus was raised up to God's presence and does not mention that he died or was killed, Surah Maryam speaks of the day on which he will die. This second death can only be possible after he returns and lives on Earth for a period of time. (Only God knows for certain.)

7. "... you could speak to people in the cradle and when you were fully grown …"

Another piece of evidence for Jesus's return is the word kahlaan, used Surat al-Ma'ida 5:110 and Surah Al `Imran 3:46. These verses say:

Remember when God said: "Jesus, son of Mary, remember My blessing to you and to your mother when I reinforced you with the Purest Spirit so that you could speak to people in the cradle and when you were fully grown (kahlaan)…" (Qur'an, 5:110)

He will speak to people in the cradle, and also when fully grown (kahlaan), and will be one of the righteous. (Qur'an, 3:46)

Kahlaan, which is used only in these two verses, only in reference to Jesus, and to express Jesus' adulthood means "someone between the age of 30 and 50, someone who is no longer young, someone who has reached the perfect age." Islamic scholars agree that it denotes the age of 35 or above. They base their views on a hadith reported by Ibn 'Abbas that Jesus was raised up to God's presence in his early 30s, and that he will live for 40 years when he comes again. Therefore, they suggest that this verse is evidence for Jesus' return, since his old age will occur following his second coming. (Muhammed Khalil Herras, Fasl al-Maqal fi raf`i `Isa hayyan wa nuzulihi wa qatlihi ad-Dajjal (Cairo: Maktabat as-Sunnah, 1990), 20.)

In short, the miracle of the second coming of Jesus, revealed in a great many hadiths, is also mentioned in the Qur'an.

Jesus did not die, and will return to Earth again.

THE CHRISTIAN ERROR OF THE TRINITY

The Qur'an specifically points to the positive beliefs and moral characteristics of Christians. God has revealed that for Muslims, Christians are "the people most affectionate to those who believe" and "not arrogant." (Qur'an, 5:82) According to Islam, Christians are not deniers, but are a People of the Book, together with the Jews. In other words, they are faithful people who believe in God's earlier revelations.

However, the Qur'an does point to one major error by Christians. That is the error of the Trinity, the ascribing of divinity to Jesus. God warns Christians in this regard in the Qur'an:

People of the Book! Do not go to excess in your religion. Say nothing but the truth about God. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only the Messenger of God and His Word, which He cast into Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers. Do not say: "Three." It is better that you stop. God is only One God. He is too Glorious to have a son! Everything in the heavens and in Earth belongs to Him. God suffices as a Guardian. (Qur'an, 4:171)

Indeed, when we look at the historical facts, it can be seen that the Trinity is a myth which entered into Christianity at a later date.

Monotheism: The Essence of Christianity

Christianity was originally born among the Jews living in Palestine. All of those around and who believed in Jesus were Jews and lived according to the laws of Moses. The most fundamental feature of Judaism was monotheism, the belief in one God.

However, Christianity began to grow rather different after the ascension of Jesus into the presence of God and with its spread from the Jewish world into the pagan one. Monotheistic belief, the essence of the law of Moses, underwent a great change and Christians began regarding Jesus as divine.

The belief in the "Trinity" emerged at the end of this process. This concept describes, for Christians, a three-way belief in God as "Father, Son and Holy Ghost." The Trinity is one of the fundamental conditions of faith for traditional Christians. The belief in the Trinity regards our Almighty Lord from a superstitious perspective and is a mistaken concept which ascribes divinity to Jesus, sent by God to mankind as a prophet.

Despite harboring a great many inconsistencies and being totally incompatible with monotheism, it occupies a central role in the Christians' corrupted system of beliefs. Someone who does not believe in the Trinity, and therefore that Jesus is the son of God, is not regarded as a real Christian by the supporters of traditional Christianity.

The Pressure on Those Who Denied the Trinity

One interesting point is that the various individuals and movements which have opposed belief in the Trinity and maintained that Jesus was only a prophet of God were subjected to great pressure during the course of Christian history. These monotheists fiercely opposed those who said that Jesus was the son of God, and openly stated that this was "ascribing partners" to God. For that reason, they were for hundreds of years described as "heretics" and even "enemies of Christianity," and those who supported them met with the same reception. Yet those who believe in the oneness of God have always been in a minority compared to the proponents of the Trinity in the Christian world.

Even those neutrals who have researched the subject have established that real Christianity is the monotheistic Christianity that was suppressed throughout history. A large part of the independent Bible researchers, which began in the 18th century in particular, concluded that the Trinity, confession of sins and other Christian dogmas had no place in true Christianity. In their studies of the Old and New Testaments and other Christian sources, experts have revealed that traditional Christianity has very different features to that of the time of Jesus, and was shaped centuries after that time.

Christians Who Have Denied the Trinity

It is under the influence of these sources that some Christian sects today reject the Trinity. The Unitarian Church, for example, which maintains churches all over the world, is one major Christian community which rejects belief in the Trinity. Although they may hold various different views, the members of that congregation deny that Jesus is the son of God and say that Christianity demands belief in a single God.

Many of them emphasize the mistaken nature of the claim that Jesus was crucified to redeem the sins of the world.

One can find opponents of the Trinity among Christians of various different persuasions and churches. The opponents of the Trinity are growing in numbers, particularly in America, every day, and there is a rapid rise in the numbers of people who are openly expressing the truth in the Christian world. Among these, the "Worldwide Church of God" is particularly noteworthy. Herbert W. Armstrong, the founder of the church, maintains that the Trinity is a pagan doctrine which entered Christianity from pagan cultures.

The most noteworthy point on this subject is that there is no trace of the belief in the Trinity, portrayed as the foundation of Christianity, anywhere in the Bible. It appears neither in the Old Testament, the holy book of the Jews, nor in the New Testament, the Christian sacred text. Belief in the Trinity depends on the interpretation of a number of statements in the Bible, and the word itself was first used by Theophilus of Antioch at the end of the 2nd century. This belief became fully incorporated into Christian belief long after that. For that reason, Bible researchers and those opposed to the Trinity concentrate on the questions of "Should not belief in the Trinity, described as the basis of the Christian religion, be openly stated in the Bible?" and "If this belief were really true, should not Jesus have openly spoken of it?" The answer they provide is clear: No belief which does not appear openly in the Bible and was thus unknown to the first Christians can form the basis of Christianity. This is nothing more than a myth which formed after Jesus and under the influence of Greek culture. It has nothing to do with the essence of Christianity.

This truth can be seen from a careful reading of the Bible.

The Basis of the Bible Is Also "Belief in One God"

It is revealed in the Qur'an that Jesus issued the following message to the Jews:

..."O Tribe of Israel! Worship God, my Lord and your Lord…" (Qur'an, 5:72)

The expressions of Jesus calling to oneness of God are present even in the gospels of the New Testament, which were exposed to distortion and falsification. For instance, Jesus answered a teacher of law who asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" as "The most important one is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' (Mark 12:28-30)

The following passage, again from the gospel according to Mark, shows that Jesus prevented not just the ascription of divinity to him but even praise of him:

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good-except God alone." (Mark 10:17-18)

In fact, this passage alone is sufficient to show that belief in the Trinity is a violation of the New
Testament. Rejecting praise and stressing that only God is worthy of praise Jesus openly stated that he too was a servant of God.

In fact, Jesus is a prophet of God, sent to tell people of the oneness of God following the corruption of the revelation brought by Moses and that there is no other god but him. He called upon the Jews, who had corrupted the true religion brought by Moses, to abandon their bigoted traditions and superstitions and to submit solely to God. This message of Jesus to the Children of Israel is revealed thus in the Qur'an:

And when Jesus came with the Clear Signs, he said, "I have come to you with Wisdom and to clarify for you some of the things about which you have differed. Therefore fear God and obey me. God is my Lord and your Lord so worship Him. This is a straight path." (Qur'an, 43:63-64)

"I come confirming the Torah I find already there, and to make lawful for you some of what was previously forbidden to you. I have brought you a Sign from your Lord. So fear God and obey me. God is my Lord and your Lord so worship Him. That is a straight path." (Qur'an, 3:50-51)

It is the duty of Muslims, Christians, Jews and everyone in the world to abide by this divine call.