I Wonder About Allah (Book Two) by Ozkan Oze

129mm Front/Back cover

Ozkan Oze

198mm height (3mm bleed)

r ou eve ?

Have y t Allah u o b a red wonde h will bring to ask how Alla ed nt a w er the ev Have you hy Allah created W e? lif to ck a humans? dead people b e the Earth and d a m e H hy de. w universe or are explored insi e, or m ny a m , and young These questions ” series will give m la Is t ou b A t er The “I Wond they have abou ns tio es qu IG B e s to th ndly readers answer Written in a frie . ks oo b tle lit nt ese books Islam in brillia day’s youths, th to r fo e yl st le b tioning and accessi panions for ques m co l ia nt se es re a young minds.

Other books in the I Wonder about islam series

* I Wonder About Allah (Book One) * I Wonder About the Prophet * I Wonder About the Qur'an * I Wonder About Heaven * I Wonder About Fate * I Wonder About Angels ISBN 978-0-86037-503-6 US$11.95

www.islamic-foundation.com

Cover Design © Fatima Jamadar Cover Image© Jasmin Merdan

Oze2 PRESS.indd 1

129mm Front/Back cover 8mm spine

03/10/2014 12:53

2 I

Book

Wonder About Allah Özkan Öze

Tr a n s l a t e d by S e l m a Ayd ü z Illustrations: Sevgi İçigen

Contents

Foreword................................................................................................................................... 7 Why did Allah create the universe?.......................................................................13 Did Allah need to create the universe?............................................................... 21 Why did Allah create humans?..............................................................................33 Why does Allah create some people ‘ugly’?.................................................. 49 Why does Allah make some people disabled or ill?................................... 63 How will Allah resurrect us after we die?........................................................77 Why do we need to know Allah’s names?......................................................93

Why did Allah create the universe?

It was not without purpose that We created the heavens and the earth and everything in between.

Surah Sad 38:27

YOU may be a great artist. On the paper that

your brush touches, flowers trees and all sorts of landscapes turn into a painting.

But we won’t be able to know of your artistic talent without seeing any of your work.

You will be the only one who knows of your own ability, your skill, and your talent!

If you want others to see it, you must make a painting and show it to other people. You migh open a gallery. You might invite people to the gallery.

People would then come and see your amazing work.

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I W o n d e r A b o ut A l la h ( B o o k Two)

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I W o n d e r A b o ut A l la h ( B o o k Two)

In this way, we would have all seen and understood what a great artist you are.

We would appreciate you, and gaze at your work with amazement.

We would investigate your skill, look at how you drew a tree, what colours you painted the flowers, how you could make the horses so noble and make rabbits so cute with a few lines.

If you want to be known and recognised, if you say others should see the beauty of your art and your precious work, then you must make artwork and exhibit them in galleries.

Otherwise, none of us would know how the papers your brush touches turn into a painting.

If you don’t show us your art, then your skill, your ability and your talent would remain unknown to us.

We would leave this world without knowing and loving your art.

So, in this way, if Allah hadn’t created the universe, we would never get to know Him. Because just like everything else in the 15

I W o n d e r A b o ut A l la h ( B o o k Two)

universe, we also would not have been created.

Only Allah would have known what kind of a Creator He is. Because there would have been nothing else, only Allah.

There was only Allah…

Before the universe was created there was only Allah. But Allah could still create anything.

But only He knew this.

Allah’s might was endless before He created more stars in the sky than sand particles on Earth.

But only He knew this.

Allah was the Giver of Life before He chose the Earth from countless planets in the sky to cover with an atmosphere and seas on its surface, then adorned it with streams and mountains, made plants, animals and humans.

But only He knew this.

Before He decorated the Earth’s fields, vineyards and gardens with a thousand different sorts of flowers…

Before He painted these flowers with a 16

I W o n d e r A b o ut A l la h ( B o o k Two)

number of different colours…

Before He gave roses a smell and daisies a golden heart…

Allah was the Creator of everything.

But only He knew this.

Not only did Allah have the power to create and give life, He was also very compassionate to every being He created.

He was the One who knew everything when there was nothing.

He heard all voices and conversations.

He saw all things in both darkness and light, both near and far.

He could resurrect the dead.

His generosity and kindness was limitless.

He could give faith to hearts.

But He was the only One who knew all this.

And our Lord wished to be known. He created the universe to show all this beauty.

See, this universe is like a huge gallery that shows Allah’s countless qualities and endless

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I W o n d e r A b o ut A l la h ( B o o k Two)

abilities.

In it we’ll see His workmanship’s grace and brilliance on every kind of canvas.

The blue sky is a canvas.

The starry night is a canvas.

Butterfly wings are a canvas.

Fruitful trees are a canvas.

And babies sucking from their mothers’ breasts are a whole other canvas; it shows us how our Lord’s infinite compassion shines on each baby.

As we open our eyes and look, we see His masterpieces all around us.

Some of us say MASHALLAH, as God has willed.

“Mashallah! Allah wished to create these butterflies so beautiful, so pleasant and so colourful” Some of us say SUBHANALLAH, glory be to God. “Subhanallah! Allah, who created this blue sky, decorated it with these white clouds and created this rainbow that brings happiness to 18

I W o n d e r A b o ut A l la h ( B o o k Two)

those who see it, is far from any defect and fault!”

Some of us say ALLAHU AKBAR, God is great.

“Allahu Akbar! The One who decorates the night’s face with billions of stars is great!

“The One who makes each star swim in the seas of the sky is great!

“The One who hangs one of those stars, the Sun, as a lamp for us and the Moon as a lantern for our nights is great!”

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About the author

Özkan Öze was born in Turkey in 1974.

While at high school, he started working at Zafer Magazine’s editorial office in Istanbul and discovered his love of literature and books. Since then he has gone on to become the editor of Zafer Publications Group and continually writes. He is married with two children. Özkan wrote the “I Wonder About Islam” series because he believes that questions are prayers. Asking one is like saying, “Teach me to understand.” They act as keys that lead us through doors to new worlds that are more interesting and beautiful than we thought possible.

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The “I Wonder About Islam” series The “I Wonder About Islam” series give young readers answers

to the BIG questions they have about Islam in brilliant little books.

Written in a friendly and accessible style for today’s youth, these are essential companions for questioning young minds.

Books in the “I Wonder About Islam” series: I Wonder About Allah (Book One) I Wonder About Allah (Book Two) I Wonder About the Prophet (Book Three) I Wonder About the Qur’an (Book Four) I Wonder About Heaven (Book Five) I Wonder About Fate (Book Six) I Wonder About Angels (Book Seven)

129mm Front/Back cover

Ozkan Oze

198mm height (3mm bleed)

r ou eve ?

Have y t Allah u o b a red wonde h will bring to ask how Alla ed nt a w er the ev Have you hy Allah created W e? lif to ck a humans? dead people b e the Earth and d a m e H hy de. w universe or are explored insi e, or m ny a m , and young These questions ” series will give m la Is t ou b A t er The “I Wond they have abou ns tio es qu IG B e s to th ndly readers answer Written in a frie . ks oo b tle lit nt ese books Islam in brillia day’s youths, th to r fo e yl st le b tioning and accessi panions for ques m co l ia nt se es re a young minds.

Other books in the I Wonder about islam series

* I Wonder About Allah (Book One) * I Wonder About the Prophet * I Wonder About the Qur'an * I Wonder About Heaven * I Wonder About Fate * I Wonder About Angels ISBN 978-0-86037-503-6 US$11.95

www.islamic-foundation.com

Cover Design © Fatima Jamadar Cover Image© Jasmin Merdan

Oze2 PRESS.indd 1

129mm Front/Back cover 8mm spine

03/10/2014 12:53