22 Now writing under the pen-name of HARUN YAHYA, Adnan Oktar was born in Ankara in 1956. Having complet- ed his primary and secondary education in Ankara, he studied fine arts at Istanbul's Mimar Sinan University and philosophy at Istanbul University. Since the 1980s, he has published many books on political, scientific, and faith-re- lated issues. Harun Yahya is well-known as the author of im- portant works disclosing the imposture of evolutionists, their invalid claims, and the dark liaisons between Darwinism and such bloody ideologies as fascism and communism. Harun Yahya's works, translated into 63 different lan- guages, constitute a collection for a total of more than 55,000 pages with 40,000 illustrations. His pen-name is a composite of the names Harun (Aaron) and Yahya (John), in memory of the two esteemed Prophets who fought against their peoples' lack of faith. The Prophet's seal on his books' covers is symbolic and is linked to their contents. It repre- sents the Qur'an (the Final Scripture) and Prophet Muhammad (saas), last of the prophets. Under the guidance of the Qur'an and the Sunnah (teachings of the Prophet [saas]), the author makes it his purpose to disprove each fundamental tenet of irreligious ideologies and to have the "last word," so as to completely silence the objections raised against religion. He uses the seal of the final Prophet (saas), who attained ultimate wisdom and moral per- fection, as a sign of his intention to offer the last word. All of Harun Yahya's works share one single goal: to convey the Qur'an's message, encourage readers to consider basic faith-related issues such as Allah's existence and unity and the Hereafter; and to expose irreligious sys- tems' feeble foundations and perverted ideologies. 44 Harun Yahya enjoys a wide readership in many countries, from India to America, England to Indonesia, Poland to Bosnia, Spain to Brazil, Malaysia to Italy, France to Bulgaria and Russia. Some of his books are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Urdu, Arabic, Albanian, Chinese, Swahili, Hausa, Dhivehi (spoken in Maldives), Russian, Serbo-Croat (Bosnian), Polish, Malay, Uygur Turkish, Indonesian, Bengali, Danish and Swedish. Greatly appreciated all around the world, these works have been instrumental in many people recovering faith in Allah and gaining deeper insights into their faith. His books' wisdom and sincerity, together with a distinct style that's easy to understand, di- rectly affect anyone who reads them. Those who seriously consider these books, can no longer advocate atheism or any other perverted ideology or materialistic philosophy, since these books are characterized by rapid effectiveness, definite results, and ir- refutability. Even if they continue to do so, it will be only a sentimental insistence, since these books refute such ideologies from their very foundations. All contemporary move- ments of denial are now ideologically defeated, thanks to the books written by Harun Yahya. This is no doubt a result of the Qur'an's wisdom and lucidity. The author modest- ly intends to serve as a means in humanity's search for Allah's right path. No material gain is sought in the publication of these works. Those who encourage others to read these books, to open their minds and hearts and guide them to become more devoted servants of Allah, render an invaluable service. Meanwhile, it would only be a waste of time and energy to propagate other books that create confusion in people's minds, lead them into ideological confusion, and that clearly have no strong and precise effects in removing the doubts in people's hearts, as also verified from previous experience. It is impossible for books devised to emphasize the author's literary power rather than the noble goal of saving people from loss of faith, to have such a great effect. Those who doubt this can readily see that the sole aim of Harun Yahya's books is to overcome disbelief and to disseminate the Qur'an's moral val- ues. The success and impact of this service are manifested in the readers' conviction. One point should be kept in mind: The main reason for the continuing cruelty, con- flict, and other ordeals endured by the vast majority of people is the ideological preva- lence of disbelief. This can be ended only with the ideological defeat of disbelief and by conveying the wonders of creation and Qur'anic morality so that people can live by it. Considering the state of the world today, leading into a downward spiral of violence, corruption and conflict, clearly this service must be provided speedily and effectively, or it may be too late. In this effort, the books of Harun Yahya assume a leading role. By the will of Allah, these books will be a means through which people in the twenty-first century will attain the peace, justice, and happiness promised in the Qur'an. 55 TO THE READER A special chapter is assigned to the collapse of the the- ory of evolution because this theory constitutes the basis of all anti-spiritual philosophies. Since Darwinism rejects the fact of cre- ation—and therefore, Allah's existence—over the last 150 years it has caused many people to abandon their faith or fall into doubt. It is therefore an imperative service, a very important duty to show everyone that this theory is a deception. Since some readers may find the opportunity to read only one of our books, we think it appro- priate to devote a chapter to summarize this subject. All the author's books explain faith-related issues in light of Qur'anic verses, and invite readers to learn Allah's words and to live by them. All the subjects concerning Allah's verses are explained so as to leave no doubt or room for questions in the reader's mind. The books' sincere, plain, and fluent style ensures that everyone of every age and from every so- cial group can easily understand them. Thanks to their effective, lucid narra- tive, they can be read at one sitting. Even those who rigorously reject spiritu- ality are influenced by the facts these books document and cannot refute the truthfulness of their contents. This and all the other books by the author can be read individually, or dis- cussed in a group. Readers eager to profit from the books will find discussion very useful, letting them relate their reflections and experiences to one another. In addition, it will be a great service to Islam to contribute to the publica- tion and reading of these books, written solely for the pleasure of Allah. The au- thor's books are all extremely convincing. For this reason, to communicate true religion to others, one of the most effective methods is encouraging them to read these books. We hope the reader will look through the reviews of his other books at the back of this book. His rich source material on faith-related issues is very useful, and a pleasure to read. In these books, unlike some other books, you will not find the author's personal views, explanations based on dubious sources, styles that are unob- servant of the respect and reverence due to sacred subjects, nor hopeless, pes- simistic arguments that create doubts in the mind and deviations in the heart. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...8 LOVE OF ALLAH ...16 FEAR, RESPECT, AND LOVE OF ALLAH MUST BE TOGETHER ...64 THOSE WHO LOVE ALLAH LOVE THE PROPHETS AND THE BELIEVERS ...74 OUR PROPHET (SAAS) RECOMMENDED MUTUAL LOVE ...90 TO LOVE FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH ...96 THE QUR'ANIC UNDERSTANDING OF LOVE ...134 CONCLUSION ...160 THE DECEPTION OF EVOLUTION ...164 8