Ozkan Oze - I Wonder About Allah: Book One

I Wonder About Allah (Book One)Published by THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION Distributed by KUBE PUBLISHING LTD Tel +44 (01530) 249230, Fax +44 (01530) 249656 E-mail: Website: www.kubepublishing.com First published in Turkey by Uurbcei Publications, a Zafer Publication Group imprint, in 2008. Text 2013 Ozkan Oze Translation by Selma Ayduz Illustrations 2013 Zafer Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the copyright owner Author zkan ze Translator Selma Aydz Series Editor Dr Salim Aydz Illustrator Sevgi igen Book design Zafer Publishing & Nasir Cadir Cover Design Fatima Jamadar Printed by Imak Ofset, Turkey A Cataloguing-in-Publication Data record for this book is available
from the British Library ISBN 978-0-86037-592-0 eISBN 978-0-86037-543-2 zkan ze Translated by Selma Aydz
Illustrations: Sevgi igen Contents THE STORY OF the I Wonder series started one day with my son asking me, Why cant I see Allah, dad? He asked this question at such an unexpected time that I didnt know what answer to give him. I actually knew the answer. But when he asked so suddenly, I just said, Umm, well He opened his eyes wide and started staring at me as if to say Come on, give me the answer! I beat around the bush for a while. You know, I was humming and hawing.

In the end, I said, Your eyes are so small, yet Allah is so big! This is the answer to the question. Because of this, you cant see Allah! Oh, really? he said. He turned his Spiderman toy around in his hands. Then, as if he hadnt said anything, he went to his room. He was only five years old Perhaps, for a child his age, this answer was enough. At the time, I had handled the situation.

However, as he got older, he would ask heaps of new questions about Allah. In that case, I had to start preparing straight away. So, that is how I started the I Wonder series. The best thing about this book is that not only my kids, but kids from around the world can read my answers. The I Wonder series first and second books consist of answers I have given to questions about Allah. In the third book, you will find answers to questions about our dear Prophet, peace be upon him.

The fourth book is about our holy book, The Quran. As for the fifth book, the topic is death and life after death. In particular, you will find answers to questions you have about heaven. In the sixth book, I brought together answers to questions about belief in fate. The last book of the series is about angels. Have I answered all the questions about all these topics? Of course not! I only tried to answer the most frequently asked and the most important ones.

But the questions I gave answers to will enlighten you in terms of the questions I didnt manage to answer as well. My aim from the start wasnt to answer all questions; it was so that when a question comes to mind, you have the correct logic and viewpoint to approach it. I think we largely achieved this. After reading this book, you will see that questions dont frighten you as much as before. You will bravely ask the questions you thought were the hardest to answer, and soon you will see that you cant think of a question that doesnt have an answer. You should never be afraid of asking questions, and dont ever give up asking questions! Because a question is a key.

Every question opens a door for you. And behind every door is a whole other world. Hang onto the questions tail and pull as much as you can. A huge answer will follow it. Furthermore, asking a question is also a prayer. Asking a question is saying, I want to learn!, I want to understand!, I want to know better and love more! Make sure you do these types of prayers a lot so that your mind and heart is filled with the light of knowledge; so that your path is always bright.

The I Wonder Series have been written using the works of the great Muslim scholar Said Nursi (1878-1960). The answers given to the questions and the examples to help you understand the topics have all been taken from his Risale-i Nur books. You can easily reach these valuable works through the internet. zkan ze stanbul, 2012 DO YOU WANT to see Allah? Dont be afraid to say, Yes, I want to see Allah, because I understand how you feel. I want to see Allah too. I, too, wonder about Allah, who hung the glistening sun above the earth like a lamp.

Is it possible not to wonder about Allah, who lit up the dark night sky with the moon and millions of stars? Look at the earth! A humongous basketball hanging in space. No, no, I am wrong. It is not just hanging; its orbiting the sun at extraordinary speeds. I also want to see Allah, who keeps the earth in its orbit without allowing it to fall. How could we not wonder about Allah, who wraps the earth with the sky? Who wouldnt wonder about Allah, who makes heavy clouds float in the sky as if theyre not carrying seas and rivers of water? What is more reasonable than wanting to know about and wanting to see Allah, who allows rain to fall from the clouds, who creates each snowflake to be different from another? Look at those trees! They drink muddy water through their roots, yet cherries as sweet as honey, mouth-watering apples, succulent pears and pomegranates with hundreds of seeds, grow out of their branches. Who wouldnt want to see Allah, who creates and does all these things? Why cant I see Allah? you ask.

Youre completely justified in wanting to see Him. I feel the same way. I want to see Allah too! I want to know Him better and love Him more. Look at all these flowers: daisies, carnations, roses all different from each another. Of course you wonder about Allah, who created all these flowers, all more beautiful than the other, all so colourful and with their individual fragrances. Oh no, I almost forgot! What about the sparrows chirping in the trees? Think about the tall storks.

What about the seagulls you throw your bread at? Close your eyes for a second and think about all the birds you have seen. Think about how they beat their wings when they fly, and how they float with the wind. Some have pleasant voices. Some have magnificent feathers. And some make spectacular nests and feed their chicks. I wonder more than anything about Allah, who created those birds and gives them beaks, wings and voices.