What is the purpose of creating mankind and the world?

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purpose

In order to find the answer to this question, a few things need to be cleared up:
1) Allah’s reason for creating the universe:
Paying attention to some points helps us in finding out what His motives are:
Because of Allah (swt) being of necessary existence and independent in it, He is of no limitation, and possesses all perfection.
2- One of the high virtues that His Excellency possesses is His never-ending grace and generosity. In the holy Quran, Allah (swt) says: “…and the bounty of your Lord is not confined.”[1]. Allah (swt) has no limitations on His behalf when it comes to granting and giving, thus if He ever doesn’t grant anything, that means that the person or object that was supposed to receive from Him wasn’t of the required capacity to receive what His Excellency wished to grant. So it is the one to receive who has limitations, not the one who wants to grant.
3- All goodness and virtues arise from existence (wujud), and all imperfections come from nonexistence (‘adam). For instance, knowledge is something that exists, while ignorance is the lack of knowledge. The same goes for strength and weakness.
4- Taken into consideration the third introduction, one can conclude that God’s grace and generosity manifests in Him creating, therefore being the All-Graceful necessitates creation.
In other words, if something ever deserves to be created yet God refuses to create it, it means that God has refused a good thing, because as was said before, all goodnesses and virtues somehow are related to creation. This means that God is being miserly while it is impossible for God to be miserly. Here we conclude that if anyone asks why Allah (swt) created, the answer is that God’s being the All-Graceful is the main cause.
5- God’s qualities and virtues aren’t things added to His essence (there is an argument about God’s qualities and virtues and if they are part of His essence or not; the Shia say that they are part of His essence, yet not causing multiplicity in it unlike some of the Sunnis [Mu’tazilah] who say that they are part of His essence but cause multiplicity, and unlike other Sunnis [‘Asha’irah] who say that they aren’t part of His essence at all but at the same time these virtues are eternal and pre-existent like Allah Himself), while in other objects, they aren’t part of their essence. For instance, the apple has an essence, and it also has some characteristics such as redness and sweetness. Redness and sweetness are all out of the apple’s essence because it can also be green and sour and still be an apple (have the essence of an apple).
The argument of God’s virtues being part of His essence or not is a deep theistic one which can be read about in the chapter on the oneness of God’s virtues and essence in theistic books.
What is important here is that being All-Graceful, is part of His essence (the more accurate way of putting it is to say that this and other qualities and virtues of God are all exactly His essence, not part of His essence, because it isn’t that God’s essence is made up of different parts in which one of them is His being All-Graceful), not outside of His essence. So if it is asked why God created, the answer is that because God is God. So the true reason for Him creating is Himself.
What is important is that although Allah (swt) doesn’t create in order to fulfill His own needs or to make up for His deficiencies because of His self-sufficience and has no deficiencies and is perfect, but His actions surely have a reason behind them because He is the All-wise and the wise one never does vain acts. The system of creation is a system that follows the high goals of Allah (swt) and no signs of disorder can be found in it.
According to Quranic verses, the creator of all things didn’t create them in vain nor for amusement, His creation is on the basis of the truth, and even the smallest particles in this world follow high goals and none of them have been created in vain.
Of course, one mustn’t forget that the final goal for creating the universe was for man to come into existence and in other words, Allah (swt) created the universe in order to create man because he is the highest of all creatures as his creator is the highest of all creators that the universe has never seen. It has been reported that Allah (swt) has said: “Oh son of Adam (pbuh), I have created everything for you, and have created you for myself.”[2]
2) God’s purpose for creation:
What was said till now was all about creation itself, but regarding the creation of man, one must say that the specific virtue that God wanted to achieve by creating man, is the goal of creating man.
The inevitable result of God being All-Graceful, is to create all possible virtues (meaning that His grace calls for Him to create all virtues that can be created). Before the creation of man, He had created other creatures called the angels who possessed all virtues that was possible for them from the beginning of their creation instead of acquiring them like man. Hence, they aren’t capable of achieving any new virtues and they don’t perfect any further. Allah quotes them saying: “For every one of us there is a determined place and position; And verily, we are all ranged in ranks to carry out Allah’s commands; And verily, we are those who perpetually celebrate Allah’s attributes”.[3]
Now that we have spoken of these two issues, it is time to start the main discussion. No matter what the purpose of creation is, its benefit is for man himself because Allah (swt) is of no need and self-sufficient and it is man who is in true need. Allah (swt) says in the Quran: “O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah, and Allah He is the All-sufficient, the All-laudable.”[4] Prophet Musa (pbuh) says to Bani-Israel: “Should you be faithless you and everyone on the earth all together [it doesn’t make a difference because] indeed Allah is all-sufficient, all-laudable”.[5]
In the famous sermon known as “the sermon of Hamam”, Imam Ali states regarding this matter: “Allah (swt) created mankind while being in no need of their obedience and servitude towards Him, and (also) being safe from their disobedience because the disobedience of sinners does Him no harm and the obedience of His servants has no benefit for Him (the only reason He has demanded His servants to obey Him and prohibited them from disobedience, is for their own prosperity).[6]
The purpose for creating man has been spoken of in different ways in the Quran. In reality, each of these explanations is pointing to one of the dimensions of the purpose of his creation. Some of those verses are as follows: “I did not create the jinn and the humans except that they may obey Me”[7], “He, who created death and life that He may test you (to see) which of you is better in their deeds”[8], “Had your Lord wished, He would have made mankind one community; but they continue to differ, except those on whom your Lord has mercy and that is why He created them (receiving mercy and reaching perfection as a result)”[9]. As you can see, all of these different assertions are in reality following one goal, and that is the development, perfection and guidance of man. As a result, we can conclude that the main and final goal for creating man is for him to reach perfection and eternal prosperity and the highest virtues and human values, and all of these goals can be accomplished through the obedience and servitude of Allah (swt).
Imam Sadiq (as) says that Imam Husein (as) came before his companions saying: “Allah (swt) has created His servants solely for them to know Him, when they know Him, they worship Him, and when they worship Him, they no longer have any need to worship other than Him.”[10]

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[1] Isra:20.

[2] یابن آدم خلقت الاشیاء لأجلک و خلقتک لأجلی al-Manhajul-Qawiyy, vol. 5, pg. 516, ‘Ilmul-Yaqin, vol. 1, pg. 381.
[3] Saffat:164 and 166.
[4] یا ایها الناس انتم الفقراء الی الله و الله هو الغنی الحمید (Fatir:15).
[5] و قال موسی ان تکفروا انتم و من فی الارض جمیعاً فإن الله لغنی حمید (Ibrahim:8).
[6] اما بعد ، فإن الله سبحانه و تعالی خلق الخلق حین خلقهم غنیاً عن طاعتهم ، آمناً من معصیتهم ، لأنه لاتضره معصیة من عصاه ، و لاتنفعه طاعة من أطاعه (Nahjul-Balaghah of Faydh, pg. 11, the sermon of Hammam.
[7] و ما خلقت الجن و الانس الا لیعبدون (Dhariyat:56).
[8] الذی خلق الموت و الحیاة لیبلوکم ایکم احسن عملاً (Mulk:2).
[9] و لایزالون مختلفین الا من رحم ربک ولذالک خلقهم (Hud:118-119).
[10] ان الله عزوجل ما خلق العباد الا لیعرفوه، فإذا عرفوه عبدوه، فإذا عبدوه استغنوا بعبادته عن عبادة من سواه (‘Ilalul-Shara’i’ of Saduq, according to what al-Mizan has quoted.

Why aren’t the imams able to protect their shrines from terrorist attacks?

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shrine

In addition to Wilayah Tashri’i (the authority to legislate Islamic laws), Allah (swt) has granted the Prophet (pbuh) and the imams (as) Wilayah Takwini (which means that they have the power and authority to make any changes they desire in our material world). Imam Baqir (as) has said: “The Great Name is made up of seventy-three letters, Asef ibn Barkhia possessed one of these letters, and this gave him the power to be able to summon the throne of Bil-Qeys (the ruler and queen of the land of Saba’; this story has been pointed to in the surah of Nahl:38-40) in an instant. We the imams possess seventy-two of these words.”[1]

This noble hadith shows the degree of the power and might of our imams. There is no difference between the life and death of these sacred beings (meaning that they are capable of doing the same things before and after their deaths and their martyrdoms in no way causes them to lose any of their powers). Despite this fact, the imams would live normal lives using their own knowledge and power instead of depending on their extraordinary knowledge and powers. It was only in exceptional conditions and situations and with the permission of Allah (swt) that they would do miracles. These specific cases were cases in which the guidance of the people depended on a miracle taking place.
Just like how Allah (swt), who is the most powerful of all and of never-ending might, doesn’t always make use of His power. Throughout history, there have been various attacks on the Ka’bah by tyrant groups, ending in its partial destruction, yet Allah (swt) has refused to prevent any of them from taking place. The only exception is the raid of Abrahah, in which had made a firm decision to completely destroy the Ka’bah. Allah (swt) miraculously abolished Abrahah so that all would know that Allah (swt) is the Almighty and that if He wishes, He can punish and abolish all of the disbelievers and sinners, yet it is His never-ending grace and kindness that prevents Him from doing so, so that those who are going astray as a result of not knowing the truth and their ignorance have a final chance, losing all excuses that they might claim on the Day of Judgement. This is also the basis of why the prophets and imams (as) go by the normal conditions of life–in order for guidance to be possible for all individuals. Also, there are some cases in which the imams have indeed protected themselves, their followers and shrines using their given powers, and these cases have been recorded in history, but for the same reasons mentioned above, these cases are special cases and aren’t very common.
Respecting the shrines of the imams is the way of prosperity and guidance, and disrespecting them is a way of going astray and loss. One of the traditions and courses of action of Allah (swt) throughout time has been to leave people to their own choice and decisions. Therefore, there is a great contradiction between the imams using their extraordinary powers and knowledge when facing their enemies (which in fact are Allah’s enemies as well) and destroying them in the shortest time possible, and the continuous and never-changing course of action that Allah (swt) has regarding His enemies. If they do so, the goal and purpose of creation which is for man to perfect through passing different tests will not be accomplished.
Unfortunately today, many Muslims are seen who attack other poor and defenseless Muslims. In reality, these individuals have been deceived by the sinister powers in the world, and are making these mistakes in the name of Islam! These groups’ actions remind us of the Khawarij of the battle of Nahrawan, who in the name of obtaining thawab and rewards from Allah (swt), struck Imam Ali (as) on one of the holy nights of the holy month of Ramadhan, martyring him in the masjid of Kufa. They also remind us of the army of Yazid who fought with Imam Husein (as) for Allah’s sake, because they falsely claimed that his Excellency had turned from his grandfather’s religion, just like how the Khawarij considered Imam Ali (as) a kafir. Nevertheless, these kind imams never made use of their powers to destroy their evil enemies.
At closing, this point must be made that although the imams didn’t make use of their powers in destroying their enemies, yet they taught their followers the natural way of confronting and destroying them. In other words, if they had made use of their extraordinary powers, they could no longer be role models for us because we don’t possess the same powers they do. As a result, we would no longer know what our responsibilities were if we were to be in situations similar to the one that Imam Husein (as) was in (while Imam Husein (as) showed us what to do in situations similar to his). This is why they hardly make use of their true abilities anywhere.

[1] Muhammad ibn Ya’qub Kuleini, Usulul-Kafi, vol. 1, pg. 230, hadith 1.

Give Israelis Nobel Peace Prize!’

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noble-peace-prize

The Nobel Peace Prize should be given to Israeli forces for their “unimaginable restraint” in their offensive against the blockaded Gaza Strip, says the Israeli envoy to the United States.

Israeli ambassador Ron Dermer made the appalling remarks at a pro-Israeli event in Washington on Tuesday.

The Israeli forces “should be given the Nobel Peace Prize… a Nobel Peace Prize for fighting with unimaginable restraint,” Dermer said, claiming the Israeli soldiers do not “target a single Palestinian civilian.”

“Our soldiers are dying so that innocent Palestinians can live,” he said, censuring Human Rights Watch for its criticism of the Israeli aggression.

At a different event in Tal Aviv, UN chief Ban Ki-moon extended his condolences to the Israeli regime for its losses during the offensive against the besieged sliver, which has so far left more than 630 dead, mostly civilians.

According to Palestinian medical workers, more than 160 Gazan children have been among the dead.

Earlier in the day, Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), put child fatalities from the 15-day offensive at 121, adding that more than 900 Palestinian children were also injured.

NT/AS/MHB

Vietnam calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza Strip

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Vietnam has urged concerned parties to the conflict in the Gaza Strip to immediately cease fire and refrain from violence against civilians and resume peace negotiations.

Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations made the appeal at a July 22 open meeting of the UN Security Council on the Middle East situation, including a discussion on the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Ambassador Dr. Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations was also invited to attend and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon participated in the event via a telephone conservation from the West Bank.

The Palestinian representative called on the UN Security Council to pass a resolution demanding a truce between Israel and the Islamic militants of Hamas forces. Mansour stressed that the Security Council should take actions to stop the killing of innocent people and bring Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

vietnam breaking news

Norwegian Doctor to Obama: Do You Have a Heart?

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Norwegian Doctor

Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian doctor who volunteers at the overburdened Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip, has written a letter addressing US president Barack Obama.

Dearest friends,

The last night was extreme. The “ground invasion” of Gaza resulted in scores and carloads with maimed, torn apart, bleeding, shivering, dying – all sorts of injured Palestinians, all ages, all civilians, all innocent.

The heroes in the ambulances and in all of Gaza’s hospitals are working 12-24 hour shifts, grey from fatigue and inhuman workloads (without payment all in Shifa for the last 4 months), they care, triage, try to understand the incomprehensible chaos of bodies, sizes, limbs, walking, not walking, breathing, not breathing, bleeding, not bleeding humans. HUMANS!

Now, once more treated like animals by “the most moral army in the world” (sic!).

My respect for the wounded is endless, in their contained determination in the midst of pain, agony and shock; my admiration for the staff and volunteers is endless, my closeness to the Palestinian “sumud” gives me strength, although in glimpses I just want to scream, hold someone tight, cry, smell the skin and hair of the warm child, covered in blood, protect ourselves in an endless embrace – but we cannot afford that, nor can they.

Ashy grey faces – Oh NO! Not one more load of tens of maimed and bleeding, we still have lakes of blood on the floor in the ER, piles of dripping, blood-soaked bandages to clear out – oh – the cleaners, everywhere, swiftly shovelling the blood and discarded tissues, hair, clothes,cannulas – the leftovers from death – all taken away … to be prepared again, to be repeated all over. More then 100 cases came to Shifa in the last 24 hrs. Enough for a large well trained hospital with everything, but here – almost nothing: no electricity, water, disposables, drugs, OR-tables, instruments, monitors – all rusted and as if taken from museums of yesterday’s hospitals. But they do not complain, these heroes. They get on with it, like warriors, head on, enormously resolute.

And as I write these words to you, alone, on a bed, my tears flow, the warm but useless tears of pain and grief, of anger and fear. This is not happening!

An then, just now, the orchestra of the Israeli war-machine starts its gruesome symphony again, just now: salvos of artillery from the navy boats just down on the shores, the roaring F16, the sickening drones (Arabic ‘Zennanis’, the hummers), and the cluttering Apaches. So much made in and paid by the US.

Mr. Obama – do you have a heart?

I invite you – spend one night – just one night – with us in Shifa. Disguised as a cleaner, maybe.

I am convinced, 100%, it would change history.

Nobody with a heart AND power could ever walk away from a night in Shifa without being determined to end the slaughter of the Palestinian people.

But the heartless and merciless have done their calculations and planned another “dahyia” onslaught on Gaza.

The rivers of blood will keep running the coming night. I can hear they have tuned their instruments of death.

Please. Do what you can. This, THIS cannot continue.

Mads Gilbert MD PhD

Professor and Clinical Head

Clinic of Emergency Medicine

University Hospital of North Norway

What is the role of illegal relations in decreasing the marriage?

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illegal relation

Today, social life is not in a normal and proper form in most parts of the world, one example of which is decrease in marriage and preference of abnormal life of “singleness” by the youth.

As we have already explained, in addition to decrease in matrimony and expansion of singleness in the human generation, it is deemed a great disaster for human society in view of creation of a sort of life system without feeling responsibility, cut off from social relations, indifference to social events which are definite results of a single life.

If we add the moral aberrations in which many singles are engaged, the significance of this social problem will become more evident.

Now, let us study the main causes of this dangerous social event:

Undoubtedly, this abnormal situation is not the effect of one or two causes. However, some main causes attract more attention, one of which is the issue of “proliferation of illegal relations”.

On one side, due to the facility of these relations for many youths, “a woman” has been changed to a mean, cheap and even “free of charge”! being who is easily accessible.

In this way, she has lost the value, significance and prestige previously rendered to her in the society, and she is not a precious and dreamy being attracting the youth to her anymore.

Women’s increasing nudity in the modern world has contributed to her raunchiness. Although it may be a transient cause for attraction of the capricious men at the beginning, but it finally results in the raunchiness and cheapness, while this is in contrary to what these women expect!

On this account, in the current societies there is no trace of those pure, sincere and passionate loves which existed in the past, because man always finds fervent love to what is not easily accessible, and it is nonsense to love a mean, cheap and free of charge being, what to say about fervent and fiery love!

On the other hand, many licentious men may ask why they should undertake so many “terms” and “responsibilities” of marriage to gain access to a woman, while many of them are accessible without acceptance of any term or responsibility?!

Hence, since they are not familiar with the ominous consequences of sexual and moral licentiousness and see woman merely as a means of satiation of sexual desire, basically they consider acceptance of marriage and so many terms and responsibilities, a silly decision! and spend all or a major part of their life being single.

Taking into account these facts, the effect of “possibility and facility of illegal relations” on decrease in marriage is exactly clarified. In western societies, where this freedom and laxity is more, matrimony has decreased further. They marry when they are aged, and even these marriages are so weak and short-lived that it often dissolves for small and sometimes ridiculous reasons!

 

Can the extended duration of education be considered as a great barrier to the marriage?

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education

Although, we know that not all of those who escape the critical issue of marriage have the excuse of being engaged in education, but there are many who remain single even for several years after their graduation.

However, it is undeniable that the extended duration of education is a “big and important barrier” to marriage of many of the youth.

The educational period for most majors is more or less 18 years. So, when a youth graduates, he or she is about 25 years and is still “a youth seeking a job” (if we can apply the term “youth” in its real sense, because he/she has passed the major part of his/her youth, and just a margin remains!).

It seems that in the future world, which is the world of expertise, this age may prolong and may even increase to 35 years!

Now, the question is whether “marriage” should certainly depend on “graduation” even if it is prolonged and extended more? Or this dependency, which is believed by some to be indispensable, shall be eliminated, and the youth shall be relieved from this very troublesome requisite?

On the other hand, how could a young student (who is a “consumption system” spending money and not a “productive system” having income) think of marriage with such heavy and excessive expenses? How can we deny the relationship of marriage to graduation?

We believe that if we think openly and avoid wrong imitations, solving this problem is not too difficult, and there is a clear plan for it, that is:

What is the problem if youths select their partners through consultation with parents and considerate friends during their education period (when they are at ages appropriate for marriage)? Then, a sort of legal engagement (conclusion of marriage contract as well as religious and legal formalities, exclusive of wedding ceremonies), not requiring luxuries and expensive costs could be arranged between them, so that the boy and girl know that they belong to each other and will be partners to each other in the future life.

Later, after preparation of facilities, they may accomplish the remaining marriage and wedding ceremonies in a simple and reputable form. The first advantage of this plan is that the youth may find a spiritual tranquillity and hope, and are saved from the dreadful monster of a vague future bothering many single youths.

On the other hand, it insures them against many moral aberrations and relieves them from wasting too much time in finding a suitable spouse when facilities for starting a joint life are provided.

It is possible for most youths to act according to this plan. If the parents are observant, the youth think properly and this plan is followed, a considerable part of their problems in this respect will be solved.

In summary, the legal engagement (conclusion of marriage contract) and nomination of a boy and girl to each other, enables the youth to satisfy a considerable part of their sexual needs in this way. The engagement period involves many advantages of marriage, and compensates a major part of sexual deprivation of the youth.

Thereby, the youth are secured from indecency and sexual perversions, without imposition of extra expenses on the girl’s or boy’s family, and free from the issue of pregnancy or any other problem for continuation of their education.

The other alternative is official marriage up to the last stage, that is, wedding ceremonies, but preventing conception through numerous available ways (most of which are lawful). The major problem of marriage for young spouses is conception, which is very troublesome for the youth when they are educating. However, all these plans are only practicable if marriage ceremony is celebrated in a simple form, without extra formalities, but not the present rituals and expensive marriage ceremonies for which there is not any logical justification.

This is the solution if parents and youth are really seeking prosperity. Waiting for graduation, then finding a suitable, honourable and profitable job, and provision of house, car and other equipment, and affording the high costs of luxurious marriage ceremonies results in the youth being tainted with thousands of perversions, as well as marriage at the age of 35 to 40, when one is nearer to the retirement period! This sort of marriage is exactly abnormal, lacking spirit and nobility, and it is not in harmony with the systems of man’s existence and the times determined by natural instincts for marriage.

Decrease in matrimony, A great social tragedy
Decrease in matrimony, reluctance of the youth to marry and preferring the abnormal life of singleness, and more accurately what could not be called life at all, is a great tragedy for humanity, which has involved man of our age along with other negative impacts of automation life.

Decrease in matrimony is not tragic just for resulting in extinction or low generation, and we cannot reason that it is not a problem at present and perhaps within the next years, and on the contrary, increase in population is now a cause of concern (of course in the non-industrial countries, but not the industrial ones where population is extremely controlled)!

Its major disadvantage is that unmarried individuals lag behind others in view of feeling social responsibility. They do not belong to any society, and resemble those suspending and wandering in the immense space among the spheres in weightlessness!

They may forget their homeland for a little purpose, and immediately fly to another part, or even commit suicide when facing problems.

According to statistics, suicide occurs much more among the single than married people.

Brain drain is seen much more among singles that have not made any marriage contract with the society of their home country.

Most criminals are either single or live alone. In fact, matrimony prevents man from thinking that he belongs to himself and making improper decision about himself and his future, because he feels responsibility against the small society called “family”.

“Lack of feeling responsibility” and “lack of social relation” have other evil consequences, the most important of which is non-utilization and non-mobilization of all powers and forces for improvement and development in life. Not too much power is required for earning livelihood of one for whom there is no problem how to spend his life,!

This is the reason why the life of single individuals is mixed with depression, laziness, indifference towards obtaining and preserving life facilities, and activation of their genius.

Many weak-kneed and infirm who are unable to earn their own livelihood and live as burdens for the society when they are single, change to decisive, serious, firm, agile and observant persons after marriage. All these are miracles of feeling responsibility!

Emphasis made in “Islamic resources” indicating that “Wife is accompanied with sustenance” may refer to the same concept.

In this respect, we can compare the single to the “wandering nomads” who have never tried to improve the lands where they live temporarily and easily immigrate to another place.

From the moral point of view, the single will never be “Perfect Men”, because many moral aspects, such as loyalty, forgiveness, manliness, affection, kindness, dedication and gratitude are realized in the family and joint life of the spouses and children. Those who have not experienced this situation are less familiar with these concepts.

It is true that undertaking the responsibility of joint life after marriage is accompanied with many problems and obligations for man, but is it possible for one to find perfection without facing problems and discharging responsibilities?!

The issue of responding to the natural needs of body and spirit, and the unfavourable mental and corporeal reactions caused by saying no to this need, is definite and certain.

Taking into account these undeniable realities, we have not exaggerated if we call tendency to “singleness” and continuous decrease in marriage a social tragedy.

On the other hand, the question is how we shall deal with the stalemates and strenuous problems that youths may have for fulfilment of this “natural and social obligation”? Is it still possible to fulfil this great and sacred obligation on time even in the present conditions of machine life, undue expectations, disagreement between parents and youth, educational conditions, unemployment and distrust of youths on each other?

These points shall be carefully examined, and the final resolution of this social dilemma is impossible without solving them.

The point that shall be necessarily taken into consideration here is that the current messy situation of marriage and its concerned problems are in fact what we and our society have created and imposed on ourselves.

It has not rained from the sky or sprouted from the earth. We have established it as a result of competition, ignorance, improper pre-judgments, wrong calculations and involvement in a series of harmful habits, customs and blindly imitations.

Therefore, if we decide, we can change this situation, and establish a new plan based on realities and noble concepts of life, not based on imaginations, conjecture and wrong imitations.

There is no stalemate, no miracle is required, and correction of the current situation is not impossible.

 

What are the barriers to spouse selection?

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barriers to marrige

Every youth faces these barriers
Statistics indicate that marriage (particularly in recent years) has considerably decreased, and in contrary, marriage age (especially in big cities and places nearer to civilization) has increased so that youth marry at ages when “enthusiasm” and “vivacity” has nearly faded, and the prime time of marriage has ended.

Of course, this is caused by various factors, the most important of which are:

1- Extended period of education

2- Possibility of illegal relations

3- Unavailability of needs of life (as desired) and heavy expenditures for marriage

4- Distrust between young boys and girls.

Here, we will study in details the first two parts which enjoy more significance:

Some social planners have proposed the plan of “Compulsory marriage” without making any effort and endeavour to study about the causes of this danger and the way to encounter it. That is, for instance to impose a kind of special tax on “singleness” to force the youth to accept family life; or to deny single youths employment in different institutions; or to consider other severe punishments for these youths!

Some youths ask us: What is your idea about this plan? Do you think it is an effective and proper solution?

We believe that if “compulsory marriage” implies application of some ways, like denying to single youths employment in different institutions, it may be slightly and temporarily effective in the current situation, but it would never be a final solution for the “dangerous event of decrease in matrimony”. Rather, it may even create undesirable reactions.

Basically, “marriage” and “compulsion” are two contrary terms that are never compatible with each other. Compulsory marriage is like “compulsory friendship and affection”!

Is it possible to inspire affection and amity between two individuals compulsorily and forced by law?!

Marriage, in its proper concept, is a kind of spiritual and corporeal relationship for a peaceful common life in prosperity and sincerity. On this account, it shall be established in a free and optional condition, void of any imposition. Therefore, any marriage contract concluded without full satisfaction of both parties is repudiated by Islam.

Marriage is not like “military service” to dispatch one to the garrison and force one to learn military techniques under particular control.

It is strange that “planners” try to reform the present condition, which is the result of a series of social abnormalities without paying least attention to the causes of its occurrence.

We believe that even if such plans are practical, they are only considered as a sedative medicine, while “the main causes” of this event and “the causes of its causes” shall be found and eradicated.

Then, the present abnormal, illogical and undesirable situation of marriage would be automatically corrected.

Therefore, we have better to study each of the above four factors as the main causes of decrease in marriage independently.

 

Study highlights association between sleep, brain cells

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sleep

A team of researchers have unraveled that a good night’s sleep plays a significant role in improving memory and learning abilities of the brain.

Scientists from China and the United States indicated that sleep could promote new connections between neurons.

To do the required tests, researchers at New York University School of Medicine and Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School trained mice in a new skill of walking on top of a rotating rod.

Using special laser-scanning microscopes, they then observed the living brain to see what happened inside the brain cells of animals divided into two groups including sleeping and sleep deprived animals.

While the sleeping mice showed more learning ability, the observation of their brains unveiled more new connections formed between neurons.

The study also showed that the sleep-deprived group experienced difficulty in trained walking skill on the rod.

The findings have shown how sleep helps neurons form minuscule connections between brain cells, known as dendritic spines, that may facilitate long-term memory.

“We thought sleep helped, but it could have been other causes, and we show it really helps to make connections and that in sleep the brain is not quiet, it is replaying what happened during the day and it seems quite important for making the connections,” said Prof Wen-Biao Gan, from New York University.

Earlier studies unveiled that sleep acts like “waste removal system’ in clearing away some toxic proteins in brain.

The studies suggest that sleep activates brain’s own network of plumbing pipes during which waste material is carried out of the brain.

“This cleaning system (glymphatic system) has a big role in the fixing of memories in the brain and learning, while brain’s failing to clean toxins play significant role in its abnormalities.”

Periodic fasting combats diabetes risk factors

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367360_Fasting-benefit-prediabetic

Researchers have identified that periodic fasting could reduce cholesterol levels in people with the amount of glucose higher than normal.

Scientists at the Intermountain Heart Institute in Murray, United States, found a biological process in the body that is able to convert bad cholesterol in fat cells to energy.

The identified process help combating diabetes risk factors in prediabetic people, reported at the 2014 American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions in San Francisco on June 14.

Researchers monitored the participants who were prediabetics, including men and women between the ages of 30 and 69 with a least three metabolic risk factors.

Prediabetes means the amount of glucose in the blood is higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes.

The study shows that after 10 to 12 hours of time fasting, the body starts seeking to get energy from other sources to sustain itself.

In seeking process the body pulls LDL (bad) cholesterol from the fat cells and uses it as energy.

While the fat cells are major contributor to insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes, fasting through eliminating and breaking down fat cells can minimize insulin resistance.

“Fasting has the potential to become an important diabetes intervention,” says the study leader Benjamin Horne, PhD, director of cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute.

“Prior studies also showed decades of routine fasting were associated with a lower risk of diabetes and coronary artery disease. The issue led us to think that fasting is most impactful for reducing the risk of diabetes and related metabolic problems,” Dr. Horne explained.