Allah sent the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a Messenger to the whole universe.

Allah says in the Quran: "We sent thee not, but as a mercy for all creatures" [Quran 21:107] And so Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the Messenger of Allah to the bedouins in the desert just as he is the Messenger of Allah to the present-day scientist in his modern laboratory. He is the Messenger of Allah to all peoples of all times. Before Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), each Messenger was sent exclusively to his own people: "to every people a guide has been sent." [Quran 13:7] Prophet Muhammads (PBUH) message, however, is to all of mankind, and it is for this reason that Allah has given a supporting proof of the message of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), a proof which is different from the proofs given to the messengers before him. The proofs of the preceding messengers were only seen by their contemporaries and possibly by some generations immediately following them. Then Allah would send a new Messenger, supported with a new miracle, in order to revive the faith of his people. But because Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was destined to be last of the Prophets until the Day of Resurrection, Allah has given him an everlasting miracle as a supporting proof. If we ask a Jew or Christian to show us the miracles of Prophet Musa (Moses) or 'Eesa (Jesus), may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon them, they both would submit that it is not within human power to redemonstrate any of those miracles now. Moses cane cannot be created nor can Prophet Jesus be invoked to raise people from the dead. For us today, these miracles are nothing more than historical reports. But if a Muslim is asked about the greatest miracle of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), he can readily show his book, the Quran. For the Quran is a miracle that remains in our hands. It is an open book for all people to examine its contents. Allah said in the Quran: "What thing is most weighty in evidence? Say: Allah is witness between me and you; this Quran has been revealed to me by inspiration that I may warn you and all whom it reaches." [Quran 6:19] The miraculous nature of the Quran lies in the knowledge which it contains. Allah, the Exalted, said: "But Allah bears witness to that which He has sent down (the Quran) you (O Muhammad); He has sent it down with His Knowledge" [Quran 4:166]

Hence, our contemporary scientists and scholars, the professors in various universities who are leaders of human thought, have the opportunity to examine the knowledge which is found in the book of Allah. In this age, scientists have excelled in discovering the universe, though the Quran has already discussed the universe and human nature even long before. So, what was the result? We present Professor Emeritus Keith Moore, one of the worlds prominent scientists of anatomy and embryology. We asked Professor Moore to give us his scientific analysis of some specific Quranic verses and prophetic traditions [Ahadeeth] pertaining to his field of specialization. Professor Moore is the author of the book entitled The Developing Human. He is Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Toronto, Canada, where he was Associate Dean of Basic Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine and for 8 years was the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy. Dr. Moore had also previously served at the University of Winnipeg, Canada for eleven years. He has headed many international associations of anatomists and the Council of the Union of Biological Sciences. Professor Moore was also elected to the membership of the Royal Medical Association of Canada, the International Academy of Cytology, the Union of American Anatomists and the Union of North and South American Anatomists. and in 1984 he received the most distinguished award presented in the field of anatomy in Canada, the J.C.B. Grant Award from the Canadian Association of Anatomists. He has published many books on clinical anatomy and embryology, eight of them are used as reference works in medical schools and have been translated into six languages. When we asked Professor Moore to give us his analysis of the Quranic verses and prophetic statements, he was amazed. He wondered how the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), fourteen centuries ago, could describe the embryo and its development phase in such detail and accuracy, which scientists have come to know only in the last thirty years. Very quickly, however, Professor Moores amazement grew into admiration for this revelation and guidance. He introduced these views to intellectual and scientific circles. He even gave a lecture on the compatibility of modern embryology with the Quran and Sunnah where he stated: "It has been a great pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Quran about human development. It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from Allah, or God, because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me that Muhammad must have been a Messenger of Allah."

Consider what this well-known and respected scientist of embryology declared upon studying the Quranic verse related to his discipline, and his conclusion that Muhammad (PBUH), must have been a Messenger from Allah. Allah says in the Quran about the stages of the creation of man: "Man we did create from a quintessence (of clay); Then we placed as (a drop of) sperm (nutfah) in a place firmly fixed; Then we made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood (alaqah); Then of that clot we made a (fetus) lump (mudghah); then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another creature." [Quran 23:12-14]. The Arabic word alaqah has three meanings. The first meaning is leech. The second is a suspended thing. The third meaning is a blood clot. In comparing the fresh-water leech to the embryo at the alaqah stage, Professor Moore found a great similarity between the two. He concluded that the embryo during the alaqah stage acquires an appearance very similar to that of leech. Professor Moore placed a picture of the embryo side by side with the picture of a leech (See Fig. 1). He presented these pictures to scientists at several conferences.

Fig. 1 The second meaning of the word alaqah is a suspended thing, and this is what we can see in the attachment of the embryo during the alaqah stage to the uterus (womb) of the mother. The third meaning of the word alaqah is a blood clot. It is significant to note, as Professor Moore stated, that the embryo during the alaqahstage goes through well known internal events, such as the formation of blood in closed vessels, until the metabolic cycle is completed through placenta. During the alaqah stage, the blood is caught within closed vessels and that is why the embryo acquires the appearance of a blood clot, in addition to the leech-like appearance. Both descriptions are miraculously given by a single Quranic word alaqah. How could Muhammad (PBUH) have possibly known that by himself? Professor Moore also studied the embryo at the mudghah (chewed-like substance) stage. He took a piece of raw clay and chewed it in his mouth, then compared it with

a picture of the embryo at the mudghah stage. Professor Moore concluded that the embryo at themudghah stage acquires the exact appearance of a chewed-like substance (Fig. 2). Several Canadian periodicals published many of Professor Moores statements. In addition, he presented three television programs in which he highlighted the compatibility of modern science with what has been contained in the Quran for one thousand and four hundred years. Consequently, Professor Moore was asked the following question: Does this mean that you believe that the Quran is the Word of Allah? to which he replied: I find no difficulty in accepting this. Professor Moore was also asked: How can you believe in Muhammad while you believe in Jesus Christ? His reply was: "I believe they both come from the same school."

Fig. 2 Thus modern scientists all over the world today can come to know that the Quran has been revealed from Allahs knowledge. As Allah the Almighty has told us: "Allah bears witness that what He has sent unto thee He has sent with His (own) knowledge." [Quran 4:166] It also follows that modern-day scientists should have no difficulty in acknowledging that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), is a Messenger of Allah. The book, The Developing Human written by Professor Keith Moore has been translated into eight languages. This book is considered a scientific reference work, and was chosen by a special committee in the United States as the best book authored by one person. We met with the author of this book and

presented to him many Qur'aanic verses and Prophetic Ahadeeth which deal with his specialization in embryology. Professor Moore was convinced by our evidence, so we asked him the following question: You mentioned in your book that in the Middle ages there was no advancement in the science of embryology, and that only very little was known at that time. At the same time the Qur'aan was being revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and he was guiding people according to what Allah revealed to him. There is found in the Quran a very detailed description of the creation of man and of the different stages of human development. You are a world renowned scientist, so why do you not uphold justice and mention these truths in your book? He replied: "You have the evidence and not I. So why do you not present it to us?" We provided him with the facts and Professor Moore proved to be a great scholar. In the third edition of his book he did make some additions. This book has been translated, as we mentioned previously, into eight languages including Russian, Chinese, Japanese, German, Italian, Portuguese and Yugoslavian. This book enjoys worldwide distribution and is read by many of the worlds foremost scientists. Professor Moore states in his book about the Middle ages that: "Growth of science was slow during the medieval period, and few high points of embryological investigation undertaken during this age are known to us. It is cited in the Quran, the Holy Book of the Muslims, that human beings are produced from a mixture of secretions from the male and the female. Several references are made to the creation of a human being from a sperm drop, and it is also suggested that the resulting organism settles in the woman like a seed, six days after its beginning (The human blastocyst begins to implant about six days after fertilization. See Fig. 3)."

Fig. 3 "The Quran also states that the sperm drop develops - into a clot of congealed blood. (An implanted blastocyst or spontaneously aborted conceptus would resemble a blood clot.) Reference is also made to the leech-like appearance of the embryo. The embryo is not unlike a leech, or bloodsucker, in appearance. The embryo is also said to resemble a chewed piece of substance - like gum or wood. (Somites somewhat resemble the teeth marks in a chewed substance see Fig. 4)." Fig. 4

"The developing embryo was considered to be human at 40 to 42 days and no longer resemble an animal embryo at this stage. (See Fig. 5) (The human embryo begins to acquire human characteristics at this stage). The Quran also states that the embryo develops with - three veils of darkness. This probably refers to (1) the maternal anterior abdominal wall, (2) the uterine wall, and (3) the amniochorionic membrane. (see Fig. 6) Space does not permit discussion of several other interesting references to human prenatal development that appear in the Quran." Fig. 5 This is what Dr. Moore has written in his book, praise be to Allah, and which is now being distributed throughout the world. Scientific knowledge has made it incumbent upon Professor Moore to mention this in his book. He has concluded that the modern classification of embryonic development stages, which is adopted throughout the world, is not easy or comprehensive. It does not contribute to the understanding of the embryonic stages of development because those stages are on a numerical basis, that is, stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, etc. The divisions that have been revealed in the Quran do not depend on a numerical system. Rather they are based on the distinct and easily identifiable forms or shapes which the embryo passes through. The Quran identifies the stages of pre-natal development as follows: Nutfah, which means a drop or small amount of water; alaqahwhich means a leech-like structure; mudghah, which means a chewed-like structure; idhaam, which means bones or skeleton;kisaa ul idham bil-laham, which means the clothing of bones with flesh or muscle, and al-nash'a which means the formation of distinct fetus. Professor Moore has recognized that these Quranic divisions are actually based on the different phases of pre-natal development. He has noted that these divisions provide elegant scientific descriptions that are comprehensible and practical. In one of the conferences he attended, Professor Moore stated the following: "The embryo develops in the mothers womb or uterus protected by three veils, or layers, as shown in this next slide [exact slide not shown - Ed.]. (A) represents the anterior abdominal wall, (B) the uterine wall, and the (C) the amniochorionic membrane. (see Fig. 7) Because the staging of human embryo is complex, owing to the continuous process of change during development, it is proposed that a new system of classification could be developed using the terms

mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah. The proposed system is simple, comprehensive, and conforms with present embryological knowledge."

Fig. 6 "The intensive studies of the Quran and Ahadeeth in the last four years have revealed a system of classifying human embryos that is amazing since it was recorded in the seventh century A.D. Although Aristotle, the founder of the science of embryology, realized that chick embryos developed in stages from his studies of hens eggs in the fourth century B.C., he did not give any details about these stages. As far as it is known from the history of embryology, little was known about staging and classification of human embryos until the twentieth century. For this reason, the descriptions of the human embryo in the Quran cannot be based on scientific knowledge in the seventh century. The only reasonable conclusion is that these descriptions were revealed to Muhammad from Allah. He could not have known such details because he was an unlettered man with absolutely no scientific training." We told Dr. Moore, What you have said is true, but it is far less than the truth and evidence we have presented to you from the Quran and the Sunnah and which are related to the science of embryology. So why not do justice and completely bring to light all the Quranic verses and Ahadeeth which deal with your field of specialization?.

Professor Moore said that he has inserted the appropriate references at the appropriate places in a specialized scientific book. However, he would invite us to make some Islamic additions, citing all the relevant Quranic verses and the prophetic ahadeeth, and highlighting their various miraculous aspects, to be incorporated at appropriate places in the book. This was done, and consequently, Professor Moore wrote an introduction to these Islamic additions and the result was this one which you see here before you. On each page that includes facts about the science of embryology, we have cited the Quranic verses and Prophetic Ahadeeth which prove the inimitability of the Quran and Sunnah. What we are witnessing today is Islam moving to new grounds within fair and unbiased human minds.

People spend their entire lives in need of Allah. From the air they breathe to the food they eat, from being able to use their hands and feet to being able to speak, from finding shelter to laughter and happiness, they need Allahs creations and the things He bestows on them. However, some people fail to realize their weakness and need of Allah. They think that everything happens spontaneously, or that they acquire the things they possess through their own efforts and endeavors. This is both a grave error and also terrible ingratitude toward Allah. These people, who are ignorant even of how to thank someone who gives them a small gift, spend their whole lives blind to the countless blessings that Allah bestows on them. But the fact is that the blessings bestowed by Allah are more numerous than can ever be counted. Allah reveals this in a verse in the Quran: If you tried to number Allahs blessings, you could never count them. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nahl, 18) Being Numbered among Those Who Give Thanks to Allah Is a Characteristic of Believers Various blessings that people must give thanks to Allah for are revealed in the Quran, and they are reminded to give thanks time and time again. These blessings include the way human beings are created with a regular form, their being endowed with the senses of sight and hearing, Allah's teaching the True Religion to them, His revelation of verses, His purification and cleansing of believers, His forgiving their sins when they repent, His making worship easy, His granting victory over unbelievers, believers being rescued from the oppression of the unbelievers, His settling human beings on Earth and giving them the means by which to live, the creation of water to drink, the products of the soil, animals being placed at human beings service and disposal, the fruits of the sea, adornments, the ships on the seas and the creation of night an d day. As revealed in verse 18 of Surat al-Nahl, "If you tried to number Allahs blessings, you could never count them. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful, it is impossible to count even the different classes of Allahs blessings, let alone those blessings one by one.

Giving thanks for a blessing means expressing ones happiness and gratitude and appreciating the value of the blessing bestowed.

Giving thanks to Allah, on the other hand, is the expression of that gratitude in ones heart and words, knowing that all blessings belong to Him and that all things come from Him alone. The opposite of giving thanks, however, is expressed in the Quran by the term kufr, meaning ingratitude. This definition alone is enough to show what an important observance giving thanks is in the Sight of Allah and the terrible situation that ignoring that obligation puts a person in. Giving thanks to Allah is revealed as an important religious obligation in many verses of the Quran. The importance of giving thanks to Allah is mentioned in some 70 verses, and examples of people who do and do not give thanks are cited, and their respective ends are described. Giving thanks to Allah is a proof that indicates ones faith in Allah and the Oneness Of Allah. In one verse, gratitude to Allah is described as one of the preconditions for worshiping Him alone: You who believe! Eat of the good things We have provided for you and give thanks to Allah if you worship Him alone. (Surat al-Baqara, 172) In other verses of the Quran, giving thanks to Allah is mentioned alongside serving Allah, as the opposite of ascribing equals to Him: It has been revealed to you and those before you: If you associate others with Allah, your actions will come to nothing and you will be among the losers. No! Worship Allah and be among the thankful. (Surat az-Zumar, 65-66) Believers give thanks to Allah by reflecting on their weakness and need for all their blessings. Wealth and property are not the only blessings believers give thanks to Allah for. Believers, who know that Allah is the Lord and Ruler of all things, also give thanks for their health, beauty, knowledge, intelligence, love of faith, the way they regard idolatry as unpleasing, their being on the true path, their living with other immaculate believers, and for their understanding, comprehension and foresight. They immediately give thanks to Allah for an attractive view or when their work comes easy, when something they desire happens, when they hear a kind word, when they see love and respect and for many other innumerable blessings, and they reflect on His mercy and compassion, and on how He is the Rahman and Rahim (the All-Merciful and Most Merciful).

There are many references in the Quran as to how only those who give thanks can understand Allah's signs in the world and His verses in the Quran. Some of these read: Good land yields up its plants by its Lords permission, but that which is bad only yields up scantily. In this way We vary the Signs for people who are thankful. (Surat al-Araf, 58)

We sent Moses with Our Signs: Bring your people from the darkness to the light. and remind them of the Days of Allah. There are certainly Signs in that for everyone who is steadfast, thankful. (Surah Ibrahim 5)

Allah Increases His Blessings on Those Who Give Thanks to Him In the Quran, Allah reveals a secret in return for believers giving thanks for all their blessings. That secret is that He will multiply His blessings on the grateful. For example, Allah increases the health and strength of a Muslim who gives thanks for the health and strength he enjoys. Allah bestows greater knowledge or property on those who give thanks for their knowledge or property. This is because they are content with what Allah gives, rejoice at the blessings they enjoy and are sincere and close friends of Allah. Allah reveals this secret as follows in the Quran: And when your Lord announced: If you are grateful, I will certainly give you increase, but if you are ungrateful, My punishment is severe. (Surah Ibrahim, 7) Allah reveals that He will reward gratitude and increase the blessings of those who give thanks in many verses of the Quran. Some of these verses read: That is the good news which Allah gives to His servants who believe and do right actions. Say: I do not ask you for any wage for this except for you to love your near of kin. If anyone does a good action, We will increase the good of it for him. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Thankful. (Surat ash-Shura, 23)

The people of Lot denied the warnings.

We unleashed a sudden squall of stones against all of them, except the family of Lot, who We rescued before dawn. It was a blessing direct from Our Presence. That is how We recompense those who give thanks. (Surat al-Qamar, 33-35)

Being among those who give thanks is a sign of ones proximity to Allah and of ones friendship toward, and love of, Him. Grateful people always have the understanding and capacity with which to see the beauty and the blessings created by Allah in all things. But an unbeliever or ungrateful person always sees flaws and defects in even the finest settings, and is made unhappy and distressed by them. But the wisdom of Allahs creation is such that these people will always experience events they regard as unwelcome or unpleasant. But Allah always increases His blessings on those who look at things positively and sincerely. PRESENTER: As we have seen, Allahs increasing His blessings on those who give thanks is one of the secrets of the Quran. But what must not be forgotten here is that thanks must be given with a true sincerity. Thanks that are made without sincerely turning to Allah, without feeling the joy of His love and mercy, that are expressed simply for show, are of course completely dishonest. And Allah, Who knows what lies hidden in peoples hearts, witnesses that insincerity. Those who give thanks in such a state of mind are unaware that Allah knows what lies hidden in their hearts, and what their true intentions are. They may make expressions of thanks when things are easy, but when things are difficult they can easily become ungrateful. We must not forget that true believers give thanks to Allah under even the most difficult conditions. Someone who thinks superficially may see a reduction in the blessings enjoyed by believers. But since believers see the blessings in all events and climates, they know that this is also for the best. For example, Allah reveals that He tests people with a little fear, and hunger and a decrease in their possessions. Under such circumstances, believers rejoice and give thanks in the hope that Allah will reward them with paradise if they exhibit fortitude. They know that Allah will never load them with a burden heavier than they can bear, and exhibit fortitude and give thanks in trust and submission to Him. Being one of those who give thanks is therefore always a distinguishing feature of the believer, and Allah will enhance His blessings on the grateful in both this world and the hereafter.

Another verse reveals that Allah will always reward those who give thanks: Why should Allah punish you if you are thankful and believe? Allah is AllThankful, All-Knowing. (Surat an-Nisa, 147) Allahs signs and the wisdom in His proofs may only be fully understood thanks to the understanding and sensitivity possessed by those who give much thanks. But ungrateful and insensitive people cannot understand the wisdom in Allahs signs, and may not even be aware of their existence. Allah also advised the prophets to be grateful. For example, in the Quran He tells the Prophet Moses (pbuh): He [Allah] said, Moses, I have chosen you over all mankind for My Message and My Word. Take what I have given you and be among the thankful. (Surat alAraf, 144) Many verses of the Quran reveal how the Messengers were people who gave much thanks to Allah. Verse 15 of Surat al-Ahqaf shows the importance of giving thanks and asking to be grateful in the face of Allahs blessings in the prayer a believer makes when he reaches the age of 40: We have instructed man to be good to his parents. His mother bore him with difficulty and with difficulty gave birth to him; and his bearing and weaning take thirty months. Then when he achieves his full strength and reaches forty, he says, My Lord, keep me thankful for the blessing You bestowed on me and on my parents, and keep me acting rightly, pleasing You. And make my descendants pious. I have sought forgiveness of You and I am truly one of the Muslims. (Surat al-Ahqaf, 15)

Knowing How to Give Thanks to Allah

In the Quran Allah also reveals, in these words of satans, that one of his main aims is to prevent people giving thanks:

Then I will come at them, from in front of them and behind them, from their right and from their left. You will not find most of them thankful. (Surat al-Araf, 17) Satan wishes to prevent people from giving thanks because the importance of giving thanks is set out in a great many verses. Of course, one of his principal objectives will be to cause people to ignore such an important truth. In order to give thanks to Allah, one has to have the awareness with which to grasp its importance. Someone who gives thanks knows that the blessings he enjoys belongs to and is bestowed by Allah alone, as well as his own weakness before Allah. But the thanks of someone who foolishly ignores the greatness and might of Allah and who does not feel this manifest reality in his heart will be equally superficial. People directed by satan are in any case not inclined to give thanks. Most of these people only remember such a basic religious obligation as giving thanks for a very short after having been troubled by an affliction or unwelcome situation of some kind, after which they return to their lives of idolatry. In the Quran, Allah reveals the situation of people who pray when struck by affliction but then return to ascribing equals to Him when their troubles are eased as an example of this: Say: Who rescues you from the darkness of the land and sea? You call on Him humbly and secretly: If you rescue us from this, we will truly be among the thankful. Say: Allah rescues you from it, and from every plight. Then you associate others with Him. (Surat al-Anam, 63-64) Yet the fact is that giving thanks to Allah is one of a persons most fundamental obligations because everyones life is full of countless blessings to give thanks for. There is no limit to the giving of thanks in the Quran. People can use every available opportunity to give thanks. For example, someone who, like the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), knows that it is Allah Who permits him to eat and drink and must express his gratitude to Allah every time he eats or drinks something. But giving thanks must not remain limited to merely eating and drinking. There are countless blessings a person enjoys during the course of the day that he generally never thinks of, and whose value he only appreciates after they have been taken away. The blessings of seeing and hearing are examples of these and are revealed as opportunities to give frequent thanks in the Quran.

Allah has given human beings eyes and ears for them to give thanks to Him. And what we must do is to give constant thanks for them: Allah brought you out of your mothers wombs knowing nothing at all, and gave you hearing, sight and hearts so that perhaps you would show thanks. (Surat anNahl, 78)

In the same way, ships, used for travel and transportation purposes, the seas that make up three-quarters of the surface of the Earth, and even the winds must be instruments by which people give thanks to Allah. Allah reveals this thus: It is He Who made the sea subservient to you so that you can eat fresh flesh from it and bring out from it ornaments to wear. And you see the ships cleaving through it so that you can seek His bounty, and so that hopefully you will show thanks. (Surat an-Nahl, 14) Among His Signs is that He sends the winds bearing good news, to give you a taste of His mercy, and to make the ships run by His command, and to enable you to seek His bounty so that hopefully you will be thankful. (Surat ar-Rum, 46) It is Allah Who has made the sea subservient to you so that the ships sail on it at His command, enabling you to seek His bounty, so that hopefully you will be thankful. (Surat al-Jathiyah, 12) Believers giving thanks for their blessings is a sign that they appreciate these blessings. They thus repay that blessing and also, by Allahs leave, prepare the way for even greater ones. While revealing that He will increase His blessings on His grateful servants, Allah also reveals that the ungrateful, who do not give thanks, will be punished: And when your Lord announced: If you are grateful, I will certainly give you increase, but if you are ungrateful, My punishment is severe. (Surah Ibrahim, 7) The way that the Prophet Solomon (pbuh), on whom the rank of prophethood was bestowed, asked Allah to inspire him to give thanks to Him must serve as an example to all believers because satan will approach people from in front or from behind, from right or left, and strives to prevent them from giving thanks by means of such trickery as causing them to forget their blessings, inspiring a sense of apathy regarding their blessings, or making people underestimate them.

Being Among Those who Give Thanks to Allah People sometimes grieve when they lose a blessing they regarded as very great or important in their own eyes. That grief magnifies the heedlessness into which they fall, and may even lead to them rebelling against Allah (surely Allah is beyond that). On the contrary, believers know that Allah is the Creator of all things and He is the true Lord of all. People can only be stewards for a brief time of all the things belonging to Allah. It is known to Allah and by His will that we either enjoy a blessing for a short time, or else never attain it at all. What we have to do is know that there is wisdom behind everything we are given and to give thanks for all the countless blessings bestowed on us by our Lord. Blessings are not bestowed as blessings because of any superior characteristics one has, but as a test. They are given so we can be grateful, not so we can become arrogant. If people fail to realize this then possessions, one of these blessings, will never bring anyone happiness and salvation in this world or the hereafter. Possessions are given to be used for Allahs approval, not to be saved and accumulated out of tight-fistedness. The end awaiting those who behave in such a way is revealed as follows in the Quran: Those who are tight-fisted with the bounty Allah has given them should not suppose that that is better for them. No indeed, it is worse for them! What they were tight-fisted with will be hung around their necks on the Day of Rising. Allah is the inheritor of the heavens and the earth and Allah is aware of what you do. (Surah Al-Imran, 180) Believers make use of all the blessings of this world bestowed upon them, to the extent that this is legitimate, but they are never deceived by them into forgetting Allah, the hereafter and to live by the moral values of the Quran. No matter how much luxury, glory, money or power come their way, they never permit these things to cause them to sit back and relax, to become spoiled or proud or, in short, to turn their backs on the moral values of the Quran because they are aware that all these things are blessings from Allah and that Allah can take them all back if He so wishes. They never for a moment forget that the blessings of this world are transitory and limited, that they are tested through these blessings and that their genuine counterparts are those in paradise. For someone who lives by the moral values of the Quran, worldly blessings such as property, possessions or rank are merely means of drawing closer and giving thanks to Allah. Therefore, he never makes possession of worldly blessings that he

enjoys for a brief time his essential objective. For example, the benefit from a home, one of the longest-lived blessings in the life of this world, will only last for the extent of the average persons life span, an average of 60 to 70 years. When the life of this world comes to an end, one will leave behind the home one strove for, loved so much and attached so much value to. Death clearly represents a definitive separation between a person and the blessings of this world. A believer knows that the blessings bestowed on him in fact belong to Allah alone and that they come from Him alone. He does all he can to give thanks to our Lord, Who created these blessings, and to express his pleasure and happiness. He strives to be in a constant state of thanks, in both word and deed, in return for all his countless blessings, to remember Allahs blessings, to keep them in mind and to tell others of them. Some verses on the subject read:

And as for the blessing of your Lord, speak out! (Surat ad-Duha, 11) . Remember Allahs blessings, so that hopefully you will be successful. (Surat al-Araf, 69) PRESENTER: There is no doubt that there is a purpose in all the blessings Allah bestows on us. Blessings must turn the person who enjoys them toward Allah. Because everything he is given requires gratitude in return. He must make every sincere effort to give thanks to Allah, Who constantly bestows the finest and the greatest blessings. Giving thanks is both a great act of worship and also protects people against excess because every human being has a tendency to become cruel, oppressive and devoid of conscience when they acquire wealth or power. When some people become wealthy and acquire fine things they forget their weaknesses and start becoming arrogant. Giving thanks prevents that excess. A person who gives thanks to Allah knows that it is Allah Who gives him every blessing that comes his way. He has a responsibility to use that blessing as our Lord wishes, on the path of Allah. That is the real reason for the humility and maturity or prophets such as David and Solomon, who were given great rank, possessions and sovereignty. But Qarun, who took to excess because of the possessions given to him, met a painful end because of his failure to give proper thanks to our Lord.

As we have emphasized throughout this film, giving thanks to Allah is a valuable act of worship for believers. All the Messengers, and especially our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saas), are excellent role models on this subject for believers. What believers must do is to adopt the moral values of the prophets for themselves and be among those who constantly give thanks to Allah for his blessings, scrupulously avoiding all ingratitude.