FATIHA/1:

                         M. Selami ÇEKMEGÄ°L  "Lay Man's Interpretation"

We begin reading the Kor'an, the word of Allah and the book of universe -to understand and to transmit it to others- by taking refuge in Allah from the evil of Satan, with His name. To start a work by His name means to intend to carry out the work on His behalf as a vicegerent (let us say as a caliph, guardian) on earth. The reading does not mean only

to glance at the text, it also means to comprehend, to repeat, to spread the lines, the verses, as well as the universe and the rules which govern it. Therefore, -in this context- the illiterate can also read (or recite) and are held responsible to do so.

That is why Allah revealed to his prophet, the model and the pinnacle of humanity, the verses of the Koran with the first verse “recite (or read) in the name of thy Lord who createth”. This first revelation was interpreted as “read” by some, and some others extend it to recite, to spread, to declare, to announce, to repeat and to tell others in the name of Allah.

Taking these meanings into account, by starting in the name of Allah, I also intend to tell the readers in this ‘Lay Man’s Interpretation’ what I understood from the meaning of the Koran. In this work, I try to understand and explain the Holy Book together with "the book of the universe" which we live in.

Anyway, we always start with the name of Allah in our good work. When we eat, when we work for our livelihood, when we throw stones to Satan, when we criticise evil, when we gather knowledge, when we plough the land, when we are passing sentences in accordance with the law -even if in our capacity as a judge we may feel sorry for the accused-, when we defend our rights, when we stroke our grand children, when we cloth the poor and when we feed the hungry child we always start with His name. In any case we have to do this, this way of starting counts as a prayer. Because all the goodness from him and, all the beauty belongs to him. When it’s started by His name, anything permissible by him becomes even better.

We can not start a bad thing in his name. It would be an ugly thing to do. Because evilness is not from Allah, they are from Satan or, from us due to the Satan’s deception.

Allah gave us all the good things; He gave us intelligence, aesthetics, feelings, eyes, ears and a perfect creation. Aren’t all these beautiful?

He gave us pretty hands; did He say we should use them for stealing other people’s property or killing others? He gave us eyes; did He say we should use them to covet, to watch clergies, feminists and bufoonery (disgusting) acts on television to blunt our mind? He gave us tongues; did He tell us to keep quite in the face wickedness? He gave us legs; did He say to use these legs to fall in to holes and not use them to look for work and stay at home? Did He say not to stand up and perform your payers (salat)? Did he tell us we should elect unqualified people to lead us and, did He tell us to applaud these incompetent people?

He gave us mouths; He told us not to eat filthy meat, not to drink filthy fluid unless it be out of absolute necessity. He gave us propaganda ability but He informed us the wickedness of assertive nationalism as shown by Hitler, Mussolini and lately by Saddam.

We can not start our evil works in His name, because those evils are not instructed by Allah; they are from Satan or from ourselves due to Satan's deception.

In this “layman’s interpretation of the Koran” I intend to write good things, to search for the truth and to reflect. Therefore, I start this work in the name of Allah (the beneficient, the mercifull).

Selam (peace and salvation) to you all.