text:
VOL. XXV—No. 10 Bethel Junior College and Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. MAY 29, 1946
After making two concert tours
through Iowa and Illinois, a n d
singing in s e v e r al Twin City
churches, the Bethel Girls' Chorus
closed its season last Friday even-ing
in the college chapel with a
concert of sacred, classical, and
spiritual music.
Included in the program were:
"We Thank Thee Lord" by Bort-niansky,
"I Lo v e to Hear the
Story" by Overly, "We Sing Thy
Praise" by Tkach, "Ezekiel Saw
de Wheel" by Noble Cain, "Sing
a Joyous Song," "I Got a Robe"
by Burleigh, "Adoration" by Bor-owski,
"T h e Lord's Prayer" by
Malotte, "Love, Divine" by Wohl-fiel,
"Were You There When They
Crucified My Lord" by Burleigh,
"I Walked Today Where Jesus
Walked" by O'Hara, and "Open
Our Eyes" by Macfarlane. Carol
Landberg, violinist provided
two instrumental solos.
The girls sang last Thursday at
a meeting of the University of
Minnesota chapter of the Inter-var-sity
Fellowship, and will sing to-night
at the commencement exerci-ses
in the Elim Baptist Church.
Students Honored
at Class Program
This morning at 10:00 A. M. the
annual Class Day Program was
held in the Bethel College Chapel.
The program began with a prelude
by Marian Lund, and congrega-tional
singing of "0 Zion Haste."
G r ace Swanson, seminary gradu-ate
led in devotions. Pres. Henry
Wingblade then brought a mess-age,
and a girls' trio sang.
Coach Paul Edwards made
awards for athletic achievements.
Eleven awards were ma d e for
girls' basketball, nine for boys'
basketball, • and eleven for boys'
baseball. Two of the boys, Robert
Nelson and Robert Sandin also re-ceived
letter sweaters, having won
two letters in both baseball and
Awards for work on the student
publications were next made by
Advisor LaVon Berthel. Thirteen
charms and six honorable men-tion
awards were made to the
Clarion and Spire staffs. Miss
Berthel also gave f our bronze
charms to the school's debate
Bronze charms were awarded by
Prof. Nels Stjernstrom to twenty
girls' chorus members f or two
years service in the chorus.
After Warren Valine had sung,
"I Will Pilot Thee" by Wilson,
Pres. Wingblade presented a num-ber
of prizes and scholarships and
the presidents of the two gradu-ating
classes, Warren Magnuson
and James Anderson, presented
the class gifts. Mr. Valine sang
"Hold Thou My Hand" by Briggs.
Valedictorians for the college and
seminary then made their class
day speeches. Miss Kirstein's sub-ject
was "The Forward Look" and
Mr. Johnson spoke on "Spiritual
Reconstruction." The meeting was
dismissed with prayer.
With a view to obtaining greater
efficiency for next year, student
organizations at Bethel have held
elections in recent chapel periods.
At the lastest election held on
Tuesday, May 21, next year's pub-lication
staffs were chosen. Gord-on
Krantz will head the Clarion
workers, with Florence Bergman
a s assistant editor a n d Wilbur
Peterson as business manage r.
The job of editing next year's
Spire was given to Maynard John-son,
and Joyce Dubuque will be
assistant and Margie Erickson,
business manager.
Continued on Page 2
Diplomas Given
In Elim Church
The annual commencement exer-cises
of Bethel Junior College and
Seminary will be held tonight,
Wednesday, at 8:00 P. M. in the
Elim Baptist Church. The church,
which has Rev. John G. Johnson
as its pastor, is located at 13th
Avenue and Madison St. in Minn-eapolis.
It is an interesting side-light
that Bethel Academy carried on
in the Elim Church for two years
after the school was founded in
1905, prior to the erection of a
school building on Como Avenue
and Carter St. at Anthony Park.
Speaker at the graduation pro-gram
will be Congressman Walter
J u d d, former medical missionary,
who will address the graduates on
the subject, "The Road Ahead."
As in former years, the Bethel
Girls' Chorus will sing.
Large classes are to be gradu-ated
from both the college and the
seminary. Degrees of Associate in
Arts will be awarded to thirty-six
college students, and two others
will receive the new degree of As-s
o c i a t e in Religious Education.
Nine degrees of Bachelor of The-ology
will be awarded to seminary
students, and eight Bachelor of
Divinity degrees will be given.
A recent announcement from the
seminary f a c u l t y revealed that
Gordon Johnson, former Navy
chaplain, will be valedictorian for
the seminary class of '46. Lucille
Kirstein will be valedictorian for
the graduates of the junior college.
Summer School
To Open June 5
T h e first summer session o f
Bethel Junior College will open on
June 5, with some thirty students,
several of whom are veterans of
World War II, i n attendance.
Courses offered include three-cred-it
courses in Modern World His-tory,
Elements of Political Science,
and Problems of Philosophy, and
five-credit courses in Introductory
Sociology and Literature. A three-credit
Bible course is also being
offered under Dr. K. J. Karlson.
Other professoi's for the summer
term will be C. E. Carlson, Swan
A. Engwall, and Effie V. Nelson.
Classes will meet four times a
week for seven periods a day from
7:45 to 2:05. Students may not
register for in o r e than twelve
credits of work. The term ends
on July 26.
Bethel's valedictorians spoke this morning at the annual class-day
program. The seminary's Gordon Johnson spoke on "Spiritual Recon-struction,"
and the college's Lucille Kirstein on "The Forward Look."
Eighteen Get Scholarships
1) Dr. Martin Ericsson First Forensic Prize, fifteen dollars, to Harold
2) Dr. Martin Ericsson Second Forensic Prize, ten dollars, to Charles
3) Gordh Memorial Scholarship, twenty-five dollars, to Robert Unmack.
4) Fred Swedberg Memorial Scholarship, twenty-five dollars, given by
the Newport church at Ellison Bay, Wis., to Helen Soder.
5) The Oscar Berglund Encouragement Scholarships.
Twenty-five dollars to Marjorie Malm; twenty-five dollars to Gladys
Carlson; Twenty-five dollars to Grace Martinson; twenty-five dollars
to Signe Anderson.
6) Bethel Alumni .Association Scholarships.
Twenty-five dollars to Elaine Pegors, college; twenty-five dollars
to Irwin Bjelland, seminary; thirty-five dollars to Barbara Edson,
college; thirty-five dollars to Robert Dischinger, seminary.
7) Samuel Fletcher Kerfoot Scholarship in Memoriam by Harold L.
Kerfoot, son of Dr. Samuel Fletcher Kerfoot, fifty dollars, to Ruth
8) The Dr. C. G. Emanuel Merit Scholarship, fifty dollars, to Robert
9) The Mr. and Mrs. Arnold W. Peterson Scholarship, fifty dollars, to
Betty Person.
10) Mr. and Mrs. Gustaf Westmo Scholarship, fifty dollars, to Lucille
11)' Signe Erickson Memorial Scholarship, fifty dollars, to Fred Miller.
12) Freda Wall Encouragement Scholarship, fifty dollars, to Dale Berry.
13) The Dr. and Mrs. Carl G. Burton Honor Scholarship, one hundred
dollars, to Donald Decker.
Chorus Comp letes Season SNt udents Pick
New Leaders
A bi-weekly campus newspaper.
1480 North Snelling Ave., St. Paul, Minn.
1. To maintain and promote the Christian principles of Bethel
2. To promote scholarship.
3. To foster more school spirit. -
4. To establish a better understanding among the students.
Editor Robert Sandin
Ass't Editor Nettie Castle
News Editor Doris Engwall
Feature Editor Florence Bergman
Sports Editor Roy Nelson
Business Manager Jacqueline Lundquist
Circulation Manager Joyce Dubuque
Faculty Advisor La Von Berthel
The First Psalm
Blessed is the man who hath not walked astray
In counsel of the wicked, and in the way
Of sinners hath not stood, and in the seat
Of scorners halal_ not sat. But in the great
Jehovah's law is ever his delight,
And in his law he studies day and night.
He s.hall be as a tree which planted grows
By watery streams, and in his season knows
To yield his fruit, and his leaf shall not fall,
And what he takes in hand shall prosper all.
Not so the wicked, but as the chaff which fanned
The wind drives, so the wicked shall not stand
In judgment, or abide their trial then,
Nor sinners in the assembly of just men.
For the Lord knows the upright way of the just,
And the way of bad men to ruin must.
John Milton (1853)
Sentence Sermons
Page 2 THE BETHEL CLARION
Living and
"If we live in the Spirit, let us
also walk in the Spirit."
(Gal. 5:25).
Lest anyone should imagine that
a life which is lived step by step
with the Spirit is an irksome one,
let us be reminded that unfailing
obedience produces unfailing j o y
and peace. A joyless Christian is
almost invariably a disobedient
Christian. A life of self-renounc-ing
love is a life of liberty, for
"where the Spirit of the Lord is
(where I-4 is recognized and obey-ed)
there is liberty." Step by step
is the secret of a life that is nev-er
perturbed, never surprised by
sudden assaults of the evil one,
never shorn of its spiritual
strength. To follow thus will fill
our life with such joy and power
as we have never dreamed pos-sible.
Hear God
"He that hath ears to hear, let
him hear" (Matt. 11:15).
Why do we sometimes fail to
hear God speak? Is it possible to
have ears, yet not to hear? "If
you stood in a street where traf-fic
was abundant, creating a con-tinuous
rumble, it would be diffi-cult
to preach and to command at-tention
from the passers-by. The
mass of mankind is in that posi-tion
as to the sound of the Gospel.
The noise of trade, the cries of
competition, the whirl of care, the
risk of pleasure—all drown the
voice of Heavenly love and men
hear no sound of it."—Hallock. We
must ask God to shut out other
sounds and to unstop our ears that
we may hear his voice.
Taken from The King's Business.
New Officers
(Cont. from page 1)
On the same ballot, officers for
next year's student council were
elected. Robert Sandin will be
president, Mel Soneson vice-presi-dent,
and Eunice Peterson secre-tary-
Religious council officers w ere
chosen in two ballots, the first
being a "primary" election. The
final results: Ray Larson, presi-dent;
Maynard Johnson, vice-pres-ident;
Becky Iosty, secretary; and
Carl Olson, treasurer.
Officers for Missionary Band for
1946-7 as elected on Friday, May
17, are Vernie Stoneberg, presi-dent;
Gilbert Forsline, vice-presi-dent;
Goldie Erickson, secretary;
and Roy Nelson, treasurer.
Final results on the election at
the women's dormitory council
were not available at printing
n tbe earprt By Pres. Henry Wingblade
We are told that Lord Tenny-son
was -walking with another
man in the Alps. Turning to his
friend as he pointed to the vast-ness
of the mountain, he s a i d,
"What if all this is nothing less
than the garment of God?"
I do like to think of all nature
as a kind of great extended meta-phor
of spiritual reality, every part
a symbol of some great invisible
When John Bunyun wrote Pil-grim's
Progress he w a s afraid
that people might read it only for
the simple basic story and not
get the spiritual truths implied
all along the way. But as we well
know now, the impacts of those
spiritual truths rank next to those
of the Bible.
But I am thinking of the coming
summer as it will flood the world
with sunshine—a symbol of God's
grace and love for the sons of
men. And then—the Holy Spirit.
How is He symbolized?
When the Bible speaks of the
Holy Spirit as wind, it always
implies recreation or resurrection
from the dead—or the new birth,
as seen in the case of the dry
bones of Ezekiel and set forth in
the quiet talk of Jesus to Nicode-mus.
"So is everyone who is born
of the spirit."
When the Bible speaks of the
Iloly Spirit as water, it implies
the cleansing and refreshing, and
also the filling and overflowing on
the part of the Spirit as is seen
when Jesus speaks to the woman
at the well and then in His great
promise in John .7:37-38.
When the Holy Spirit is sytubol-ized
by the fiery tongues we have
the warmth of testimony. Only
out of a warm spirit-kindled heart
can a warm tongue speak forth
the testimony of love and power.
And so this summer, when we
listen to the soughing of the ev-ening
breeze or to the murmurs
of the country brook, may they
remind us of the words of the
Christ: "So is every one who is
born of the Spirit," and "he shall
never thirst again,"—and may we
also testify faithfully thereof.
And so—abundant blessings to
all Bethelites till we meet again.
God has been good and He does
not change. Praise His holy Name
* * *
There is nothing so strong or
safe in an emergency of life as
the simple truth.
* * *
The best in life is in effort, not
1560 Snelling Ave.
Don't call the world dirty be-cause
you have forgotten to clean
your glasses.
* * *
He that is wise by day is no
fool by night.
* * *
Usually he is most empty who
is most full of himself.
* * *
If you faint in the day of adver-sity,
your strength i n d e e d is
Why quarrel with a man to
NV h o m sincerity a n d insincerity
mean the same thing?
* * *
He who does not look forward
remains behind.
* * *
Strong convictions in a k e great
God is, and nothing good is im-possible.
Psalm of the Good Teacher
The Lord is my Teacher;
I shall not lose the way to wisdom
He leadeth me in the lowly path of learning,
He prepareth a lesson for me every day.
-He findeth the clear fountain of instruction—
Little by little He showeth me the beauty of truth.
'I'.he world is a great book that He has written,
He turneth the leaves for me slowly;
They are all inscribed with images and letters—
His voice poureth light on the pictures and the words.
Then am I glad when I perceive His meaning.
He taketh me by the hand to the hill-top of wisdom;
In the valley, also, He walketh beside me,
And in the dark places H whispereth in my ,heart.
Yea, though my lesson be hard, it is not hopeless,
For the Lord is very patient with His slow scholar.
He will wait awhile for my weakness—
He will help me to read the truth through tears—
Surely Thou wilt enlighten me daily by joy and by sorrow,
And lead me at last, 0 Lord, to the perfect knowledge of Thee.
Henry Van Dyke
The Anderson Press
4210 E. 34th St. DUpont 2011
Minneapolis, Minn.
By Mabel Anderson
The dorm was unusually quiet.
Everyone had taken advantage of
the sunny Sunday afternoon, and
the Bethel population had evident-ly
migrated to Como Park. It
seemed that the only one "home"
was the operator. The quietness
was a stimulus to dreaming, and
it wasn't long before thoughts of
the almost gone school year were
going through her mind—the ever
repeated phrases such as "Bethel
College and Seminary," "Yes, we
have girls that take care of child-ren,"
"I'm sorry, all the lines are
busy," and "No, I -don't know -
where Mrs. Hademan is"— Then
there was Ginnie "Pete" who did
the cleaning. How often she would
stand at the top of the stairs with
mop in her hand (and her mop on
the top of her head) and say, "Are
there any men a r oun d?"—And
one could never forget Roy Nelson
and his frequent visitations—
"Buzz the red head will ya."—"Oh,
tell him I'm indisposed. I'll be out
in two minutes." The operator is
still waiting for a different reply
from this fair attraction. But then
there's nothing like keeping the
men waiting—(as long as it's not
in the church).
Little Jimmie, the five year old
blonde, heart-throb on the campus
will never be forgotten. Usually
the "fellow on the beam" knows
all the answers, but this little guy
asks all the questions. One day
he inquired about the switchboard
and he was answered that he
would know when he grew up.
That was the wrong thing to say!
Jim replied, "I'll have you know
I'm five and I can count up to
Most fellows ask the operator
to buzz one individual, but Sher-burne
Ray likes a little variety
and just says, "Buzz all the girls
in 325." What a letdown when
Nettie answers. "We can't go. The
buzzer just woke us up." Yes, the
switchboard is even an alarm
clock, and times like that can be
most alarming especially to Gospel
team leader Sherburne Ray.
Dreaming is all right, that is
when no one's home. But when
dorm residents arrive one can't
even concentrate on d r e a m in g.
The question has been asked, "Is-n't
this a boring job?" To which
we'll reply, "switchboard? Nope."
In fact right now seeing as the
school year is just about over the
prevailing question is, "Say do you
suppose I can sign up for next
year?" So students we'll be see-ing
you. Give us a BUZZ some
THE BETHEL CLARION Page 3
Sem Snatches
By Bill Peterson Class Prophecy Switcboard
Fantacy We have heard of acute housing
shortages. We have heard - of the
extreme difficulties encountered in
securing material for building
homes. We have received reports
of war veterans obtaining house-trailers
from the Army, which they
intended to make their habitation
until the shortage is p a s t. We
have heard of several cases in
which individuals have made
appeals to various forts for mat-erials
with which they might
build their homes. But we have
never he'ard of so small a creat-ure
as a robin attacking Fort Hod-ges
for housing materials. The
little fellow and his better half
built their home in the sacred se-clusion
of a ledge in the seminary
chapel. It's surprising what short-ages
can do.
At this writing we have just
emerged from one of the most
boisterous weeks in the school
year. S e m i n a r y seniors, large,
small, and middle-sized (That's a
pun in case you don't catch on.
If you still don't know what I'm
talking about, take a look at Burt
Ankerberg) were given their year-ly
washings in the cool, refreshing
waters of Bath-tub L a k e. Burt
Ankerberg barricaded the door of
his room very affectively, and de-fended
himself single-handed
against twenty-five or thirty under-classmen
for more than a hour. By
the time he was routed through
S h or t y "T h e Worm" Bjelland's
storming of his windowless tran-som,
he was so soaked by buckets
of liquid that had been poured on
him through the overhead opening,
that his tormentors got wet carry-ing
him down the hall.
Some graduates put up tremen-dous
battles before they succumb-ed
to the water treatment, but
there was one glorious exception.
"Buck" Agee seemed more anx-ious
to get thrown in the tub than
the dorm fellows were to put him
there. He practically jumped in.
John is still trying to rub the red
ink off his midriff.
A most peculiar phenomena
occurs in conjunction with these
widely reported bath-tub parties.
When people are being thrown in,
the hall is filled with forms of all
sizes, shapes, and what have you,
running, flying, or sliding back
and forth on the water-flooded.
floor. But when it's all over and
somebody brings out the m o p,
eighteen doors are slammed and
locked, and t h e place gets so
quiet ,you'd think everyone was
fast asleep. A most remarkable
Well, I can tell you sincerely
that I am tremendously relieved
that this is the last time I'll be
plagued with this column. As I'm
writing this, the editor is sitting
here with his foot on my ball and
chain, a baseball bat in his right
hand, and Birdell Emmel's razor
in his left. It is a very uncomfort-able
situation( and by no means
conducive to amusing writing.) But
at any rate, we in the dorm want
to extend to everyone best wishes
\ for a joyous and useful summer.
By-Pauline Widen and Doris Engwall
One gloomy day as we were sitting by Como Lake, we saw a cur-ious
earthen jar floating toward shore. As it washed upon the sand,
we excitedly opened it. A prodigious, gargantuan Genie sprang forth
and threatened to take our lives.
"Nip,. No!" we screamed in unison, "Spare our poor souls!"
"Very well," the Genie said. "You shall have two choices. Either
die, or listen to the 1946 Class Prophecy of Bethel College."
Our choice was instantaneous. "We have no choice. Take our
lives and spare us this dire torture."
"For that caustic remark you shall undergo both the prophecy and
death," replied the Genie.
We swooned—our minds became balls of fire—but what could we
do? Here then, are the exact words that the Genie spoke to us.
"While walking about town on a Saturday morning I discovered
a slight trace of your Sophomore class. The first thing that caught
my attention were the glaring headlines of the St. Paul Dispatch which
read: NEW YORK YANKEES WIN WORLD SERIES FOR 27TH CON-SECUTIVE
TIME. Immediately I became interested and went on to
read the rest of the article. Eleanore "Sluggo" Anderson, the greatest
Manager in the team's history had led the Yankees through a success-ful
season for the 27th time. Star pitcher, Rapid Robert Sandin, per-fected
his super drop ball and held the opposing team, the Tilden Gram-mar
School Redbirds to a hitless game. Biggest excitement in the
game came in the fifth inning when the Yankees most faithful supporter,
Edna Sahl, threw a pop bottle at umpire Vernie Stoneberg. Incidentally,
she knocked him cold. When asked to explain her conduct, Miss Sahl
replied emphatically that he was definitely calling the balls wrong.
Turning over the page, a picture in the lower left hand corner
caught my eye. What could this be.? Aha—a picture of Dagmar Jensen
combing her hair with an egg beater. This new fad, originated by Miss
Jensen, has become a sensation throughout the country.
As I skimmed through the rest of the paper, I paused at the comic
section to see if Axel the Apeman, a new strip written by Betty Person,
had escaped from the trap set for him by "Flossie" a character which
Miss Person had created in honor of Florence Peterson, her girlfriend
from college days.
Leaving the newsstand I saw a large crowd gathering on the corner
of Seventh and Wabasha. Curious to see what was going on, I elbowed
my way through to the front and lo and behold what should I see but
Rev. Robert Daley laying the cornerstone for the new popcorn stand
owned and operated jointly by Myrtle Krueger and Florence Hedman
Incorporated. I arrived just in time to hear Rev. Daley read the contents
of the box. It contained, he said, the latest book of the month selection,
"Why I Hate Men" by Maxine Bjork, a colored, autographed picture
of Lucille Kirstein, first woman president of the United States, and an
I. 0. U. note from Hazelruth Quiggle dating back s to her coffee shop days
at Bethel.
Looking through the crowd I spied Mrs. Phil Johnson, known to me
in forfner days as Barbara Edson. I edged my way to her and proceeded
to renew my acquaintance. She was delighted to see me and immediately
produced an interesting letter and some pictures from India which she
had received from Mrs. Dana Larson. The pictures, which were taken
at a missionary conference in Calcutta portrayed several familiar
faces ... Among those that I recognized were Elaine Pegors, who, the
letter related, had just recently escaped from her third encounter with
a boa constrictor. Standing at her side was Eunice Herboldt whose
successful dealings with the economic problems of India have brought
her world-wide fame and fortune.
But now little Phil Jr. had become restless and began pulling on his
mother's skirt so it was necessary for Barbara to be on her way. She
only had time to say over her shoulder as she left that that night she
would be attending the wedding of Grace Jorgensen to a handsome,
prosperous doctor. She also mentioned that Rev. Robert Swanson,
pastor of the First Baptist Church of St. Paul would perform the cere-mony.
Ambling on, I noticed a huge billboard on the side of the building
which announced the arrival of the Budapest Musical Trio to Northrup
Auditorium. The trio, which had been organized shortly after their
Bethel days was composed of Helen Holle, clarinetist extraordinary,
Kay Darling, brilliant pianist, and Annella Krueger, vocalist. Although
Miss Krueger had been offered a position with the Metropolitan Opera
Company and the others, seats in various noted orchestras, they pre-ferred
to remain together. They had just returned from a tour of
Europe where they had played before Prime Minister Vasil Tanyas of
As I walked further on, the aroma of fried onions filled my nostrils.
I followed the scent to the "Greasy Spoon" restaurant where the propri-etor,
Marie Ann Hedberg stood in the doorway. Her days in the Bethel
Coffee Shop had given her invaluable experience in this line. Behind
the counter was Marianne Schouweiler, who was busy preparing a
"Dagwood" sandwich for Alice Edwall, a frequenter of the shop.
Through the kitchen doorway Dorothy Dahlman could be seen waving a
spatula in the air and singing a harmonious duet with dishwasher Clara
Hintz. (Cont. on page 6)
Page 4 THE BETHEL CLARION
On the Atom Bomb
Orch•i d.' s Eye Vi• ew
By Milton Paulson
By Thelma
The "big noise" of the Clarion
Staff dragged me into the Clarion
office one day and said, "I want
a technical article on the atom
bomb from Prof. Norstrom." So
what could I do? She's my room-mate!
My experience as an inquiring
reporter was v e r y limited (or
should I say void), but, neverthe-less,
I undertook my assignment
with vigor.
Me: Mr. Norstrom, could you
tell m e what makes the atom
bomb work?
Mr. Norstrom (with furrowed
brow) : No, that's a military secret
about which I have not yet been
Me: Oh.
I was satisfied to take "no" for
an answer, but the Clarion Staff
("big noise") wasn't so I under-took
my assignment again.
Me: Mr. Norstrom, could y o u
tell me something about splitting
the atom?
Mr. Norstrom: Well, I can try.
Before long he was expounding
the mysteries of the atomic theory.
"The isotopes of Uranium-235
are easily decomposed, but the or-dinary
Uranium of atomic weight
238 which is , found in nature is
not easily split up. It has an aver-age
1 i f e of about two million
years; hence, it is quite a stable
e 1 e m e n t. Science, however, has
developed a method whereby U-238
may be changed to the isotope,
"A neutron is fired with great
force into U-238 (that is, natural
Uranium) with the result that the
extra neutron is added to the nu-cleus
forming an isotope having
an atomic weight of 239. This is-otope,
however, is unstable and
Consider the many hours you
have spent in the lounge of our
women's dormitory, listening t o
records, making pop corn, fighting
over funnies, and—humm—v i s i t-ing.
Were • you aware of the fact
that you were under the observing
blue eyes of an ever-present chap-erone?
This matron of the Bethel
lounge has the enviable position
of a fly on a wall. She sees all,
hears all, but tells nothing. I im-agine
her ability to tune in on all
the conversations and join the
most exclusive of gatherings af-fords
her a very liberal educati9n,
and a sophisticated insight to hu-man
nature. She must chuckle at
the inadequacy of Castle's gossip
column, "Dorm Doin's" as it is
published in every Clarion and di-gested
ferociously by all our stu-dents.
So Ike thought no one was the
wiser when he broke the vase
which held our rubber plant! Did
Eel and Root think their animated
conversation on the dival by the
piano went unheard? They were
mistaken, friends. There was a
immediately loses an electron be-coming
Neptunium, element No.
93. This element, too, is short-lived,
losing two nuclear electron
almost immediately converting
two neutrons into protons with the
result that element No. 94, or Plu-tonium
is formed. It now loses an
Alpha particle and Uranium 235 is
formed." Simple, eh, what?
Mr. Norstrom went on to say
that the fact that we can start
with normal Uranium, and by
these steps produce U-235 makes
Uranium a practical source of en-ergy.
If we liad to depend upon
nature for our supply, we would
obtain very little.
By means of the cyclotron, pro-jectiles
are hurled at the nuclei of
U-235 and within a fraction of a
second, one million U-235 nuclei
are split producing two million
lighter atoms. This bombardment
is carried on with the result that
the f a s t moving projectiles are
continually being released a t a
ration of two to o n e, thereby,
emitting tremendous energy.
Thus far, practical use of the
split atom is hindered by the cost
of the procedure. Millions of dol-lars
are necessary to furnish the
equipment and carry out the pro-duction
of U-235. The value of ob-taining
a less expensive means of
deriving U-235, however, can be
seen in the yield from one pound
of this isotope.
11,400,000 Kilowatt-hours
1,500 tons of coal
200,000 gallons of gasoline.
There are untold possibilities in
this field. Who knows, perhaps
even a Bethel Student may pass
through t h e portals o f atomic
fame (in other words, here's a way
to get a big bang out of life)!
silent listener there, leering at
them, taking everything in. How-ever,
Ike, Ruth, and Eel can stop
quaking in their loafers. They
can cancel all plans they may
have started for a public confes-sion
of their deeds, and reimburse-ment
for damage done, for unlike
most w o m e n, this well-informed
guest never divulges a secret.
Many of the students using the
lounge a r e unconscious o f her
presence, but not everyone is tot-ally
oblivious to her steady gaze.
There are rumors that she has
been found standing upside down,
on her head, mind you, with a
light glaring up into her eyes after
the sitting room ,had been occupied
by one of the most well-known
couples here at school.
By this time your curiosity is
no doubt piqued. Or have you
guessed who the little lady is?
This phantom-like member of the
vigilante is none other than the
portrait of Lady Bodine, the first
president of Bethel's Women's As-sociation.
Perhaps you too, have
been the subject of her constant
I was delivered on Friday after-noon,
May 17. A girl with her
hair wrapped in a white towel
took one quick look at me and fell
over backwards exclaiming, "The
guy's rich after all. He sent me a
whole big scrumptous orchid." A
kind lady with a quick, little walk
saw to it that I was placed in a
very cold room with shelves full
of food. while the nurse revived
the girl.
After an hour or two in a frigid
atmosphere trying my best to look
like a twelve dollar orchid, I was
removed and was carefully pinned
onto a filmy white gown. The
girl's condition had improved con-siderably
by that time, and I
might say conservatively that I
was proud to be in her possession.
She walked down the stairway
into a big room full of soft chairs,
and people. The crowd assembled
there gasped and whispered,
"Look, an orchid—and it's real
too. Who is she going with any-way?"
About this time I felt very
proud because I thought people
were looking primarily at me.
The girl with the white gown
soon met a tall, dark, gentleman
and she stopped to pin a white
carnation to his lapel and to com-pliment
him on his appearance.
They exchanged glances and blush-e
d simultaneously. I though t,
"This can't be love because I feel
so well," but adventures later in
the evening proved otherwise.
She took his arm (tightly) as
they marched down to the ban-quet
hall. The gentleman seated
the girl in white, and the banquet
began. Due to crowded conditions
the girl sat half way under the
table. This was very injurious to
my form but few noticed it, I hope.
Towards the end of the meal
my countenance was beginning to
sag, but with renewed courage I
tried to keep up appearances.
Then there was that taxi ride,
crushing to say the least. The
guy didn't have to hold her so
tight, did he? Orchid he? No-body
paid any attention to me any-more.
I was just a has been. I
didn't try any longer to smell be-cause
I knew no one cared.
Now I'm in this cold room again,
trying to retain some of my beauty
after that rugged night, but look-ing
like only the four dollar kind.
Silent Listener By Taffy Bergman
esson In Concentration
"The term 'foreign exchange rate' means the rate at which the
money of-one country can be exchanged for the money of other coun-tries."
A lot of good it does me to know what the foreign exchange rate
is. I haven't got anything to exchange in the first place, and if I had, all
my creditors would snow me under before I could snap my fingers. Well,
maybe someday I'll get some money. Hey, get back to work. We've got
a test on this stuff tomorrow. Why did I wait so long to get started on
it? Boy, next year it's going to be different. Why can't I concentrate?
Maybe it's stuffy in here. I'll open the window.
Now let's see, "The term—" Oh yeah, I read that. "An American
traveler about to embark for England wishes to exchange his dollars for
pounds sterling, for, of course, American mon���." I wonder what it
would be like to go to England. Maybe I will someday. Who knows?
Not a chance. No money. Get back to work, you dope. You're just
wasting time. No wonder it takes you fifteen minutes to read a page.
You sit and dream most of the time. Yeah, but this is a tough book.
C. E. said so. So what? Get busy.
"How many dollars must he ,give for the pound sterling? If both
countries are on the gold standard—" What was it he said about the
gold standard? England was off and we were on? They always told
me that all the countries of the world went off the gold standard a
few years ago. Or maybe nobody told me. I might have imagined it
myself. But I'm so messed up now, I don't even know what the gold
standard is.
Jeepers, I'll never get this finished by tomorrow. Let's see, how
many pages more? I wonder what'll happ6n if I don't do it. I can bluff
my way through some way. I know what the foreign exchange rate is
anyway. When he asks that question I'll answer it, and he'll think I read
the whole chapter. A
What time is it? Boy, it sure gets late in a hurry. Ho hum. I
never saw anybody who yawned as much as I do. Some day I'm going
to stay in bed and sleep all day long. Now what else do I have to do
for tomorrow. Logic. I'm gonna hafta start reading that stuff pretty
soon too. I'll probably end up in the same pickle I was in at mid-quarters.
Well, I haven't got time to do it now. Speech. Do we have
anything for that? Nah, I don't think so. He won't call on we tomorrow.
German. I can do that second period. I really ought to read some of
those poems too. Oh well. I ought to read some history too sometime.
Jeepers, am I ever behind! Not much to do about it though. It's time to
go to bed now.
(Ed. note. These are operations in the mind of a college sophomore
while reading page 607 of Principles of Economics by Garver and Han-sen.
They are submitted without comment as a lesson in concentration.)
1573 University Avenue Midway 9910
Meats at Fair Prices
Fruits and Vegetables
597 Snelling Avenue North Ne. 8621
THE BETHEL CLARION Page 5
Bethelites Make Plans for Summer
This being the end of the year,
we thought it would be nice for
everybody to know where every-body
is going this summer. So our
inquiring reporter got to work and
asked around school in a hurried
sort of a way, and this is the re-sult.
Hazel Larson—Work in resort at
Pequot Lakes in -mornings, swim
in afternoons (I hope).
Jewell Ernest—Stay in cities and
work. I am looking for a secre-tarial
job. Tel. No. NE 7568.
Janet Hagan—Secretary at Elec-tronic
Distributing Corporation.
Irene Kemis—Teach Bible school
in June and be secretary the
rest of the summer.
Jim Rentz—S t u d y my German
that I didn't study during the
year. My telphone number will
be the same as Miss Effie Nel-son's.
Earl Hoagberg—S e 11 pencils on
University and Snelling.
Dorothy Carlson—Marian Johnson
and I are starting a music con-servatory
in Portland, The City
of Roses.
Prof. Archerd—Teach in Hamline
University. In my spare time,
work in my garden.
Donald Brink—G o i n g to Canada
with Earl Quesnell.
Donald Edson—G o to summer
school and. . . fish!
Donella Grobe—It's a big ques-tion
Nancy Olmstead—Work at home.
Catherine Nelson — Sell shoe-strings
on University and Snell-ing.
Phyllis Hammond—Raise corn in
Sinea City.
Grace Martinson—G e t married so
that I can live in the married
couple's dorm next year.
Mel Soneson—Feed cows and milk
chickens. Also sell varnish!
Gordon Krantz—Going back home
to Red Wing.
Louise Hansen —Going fishing!
(We. ask, "What for?")
B o b Sandin — Student missionary
in Carp and Rako, Minn.
John Leggett—Go home and work,
so that I can pay these money
"hounds" around here.
Evelyn Gates—Plow corn.
Doris Johnson— Write letters, I
Lois Norberg—Teach Bible school.
Bob Brunko—Take over pastorate
of First Pentecostal Church, Au-rora,
Wis. Take guitar lessons.
Walter Eddy—I am working at the
Union Gospel Mission again this
year. I will work with children
and men (women?) huba, huba.
Also have street meetings. This
is a real blessing to me—giving
out the Word to the world.
Bill Peterson—Work at home and
save money for medical school
next year. Work in home church
Jim Anderson—Pick fleas on bay-mares
and send them C. 0. D.
to -my girl.
Al Gustafson—Stay right here.
Helen Voight—Work in Dad's res-taurant.
Henry Peterson—W o r k on farm
and pick cherries.
Roy Nelson—Ask Jean.
Russell Voight—Operate a restaur-ant,
teach Bible school, sleep!
Herb Ellison—Go to summer
school. Be a counselor at Wood
Lake Bible Camp. Make a trip
out West, too.
Jim Troxel—Go to summer school,
help with Bible conferences, be
a counselor in various camps, do
Gospel team work.
Deloris Erickson—L earn how to
cook—(Poor Dave! ) _-
Florence Bergman—Work and be
a counselor in a camp. Think up
something to pay those boys
Thelma Burgeson—Go to summer
school and work.
Ruth Ekstrom—Work and take pi-ano
Al Brown—Tote a gun.
Bette Mae Nelson—Work at
Brown a n d Bigelow's on the
night shift.
Carl Edwards—Go to school.
Trudy Lehman—Go to summer
school and also on a trip.
Milton Paulson—Drafted or work
in Rilco-Rafftee Co.
Don Patet—Go to school and work.
Joyce Dubuque—Work for a while
and then travel.
Evelyn Christenson—Going to Vic-tory
Sky Pilots at Winona Lake
and be a secretary to Mr. Hart:
ford,-Pres. V. S. P. (P. S.—Chris
will also be there.) •
Miss Berthel—Go to Northwestern
University and date during ev-enings.
Annabelle Sherman—Sit right here
(in my office).
Harold Christenson—Instruct peo-ple
in flying.
Herb Johnson—W o r k in b o y' s
Doris Engwall—Go to Chicago.
General Hardware
F. 0. Hagen J. W. Hagen
755 No. Snelling Ave.
St. Paul, Minn.
W. J. Borchert
Midway 4287
Midtown Cleaners
1558 Como Ave. at Snelling
-1583 No. Hamline Avenue
Hamline Murders
Bethel Pitching
On Wednesday, May 15, Bethel
suffered its worst setback of this
year when it was trounced by a
high-flying Hamline nine in Nor-ton
field. The score was 15-4.
Hamline unleased a terrific nine-teen-
hit attack, with every man in
the lineup except one getting at
least one hit. First baseman
Thompson paced the assault on
Bethel's Bob Sandin with two
singles, two doubles, and a home-run
in six times at bat. Shortstop
Seitz also hit for the circuit, be-sides
pounding out a double and
a triple in his five times at bat.
Five other Hamline players col-lected
two hits each.
Hamline opened the scoring in
the first inning of the game with
three runs on two doubles and a
single. Pitcher Bob Sandin's
homer into the left field stands in
the last half of the inning gave
the Bethelites a ray of hope and
hits by Bob Nelson, Picker, and
Bud Peterson in the second inn-ing
narrowed the margin to 3-2.
However, a conglomeration of four
Bethel errors and three solid sing-les
gave the Pipers five runs in
the third inning and from then on
the issue was settled.
Four more runs were scored by
Hamline in the sixth frame, one in
the seventh, and two in the ninth,
while Bethel picked up one tally
in both the seventh and eighth in-nings.
Bob Sandin and Bill Peter-son
shared the pitching duties for
Bethel, Sandin being charged with
the defeat. Hamline's Miller went
the route, yielding a total of nine
hits to Bethel bats.
Class Prophecy
(Cont. from page 3)
Suddenly over the restaurant
radio came a familiar voice. It
was the outstanding sports com-mentator
Edna Buller, announcing
the winners of the super-muscle
contest sponsored by the ABCD
Vitamin Co. owned by Eloise Jen-sen.
I was not surprised to hear
that Leroy Gardner, President of
t h e Ober Club h a d taken first
After the sports analysis, the
University of Bethel Roundtable
discussion came on the air, with
Jean Lindblom, of Princeton Uni-versity
and Jean Hamlett, head of
the German department at the
University of Chicago leading it.
The topic of the hour was:
"Should a course in the art of bub-ble
gum blowing be required for
a Ph. D. degree?"
Suddenly t h e Genie stopped
speaking. A shudder ran through
him. "I can't stand it" he scream-ed!
"To be a member of this
class is a worse fate than death.
You both shall live."
He groaned, shook convulsively,
and disappeared into the bottle.
We picked up our shattered nerves
and went home.
DINNERS and LUNCHES
1568 Como Ave., St. Paul, Minn.
Bethel 5 2 .714
Bethany 2 2 .500
Concordia 2 3 .400
Luther 1 3 .250
1171 Snelling Avenue North
LINCOLN 5c-10c $1.
And Up
Owned and operated by
1549 W. Larpenteur Ave.
Mi. 7849 St. Paul 8, Minn.
Page 6 THE BETHEL CLARION
Season Ends for Indians Sandin Leads Hitters
Bow to Concordia, 7-2
Bethel College brought down the curtain on its 1946 baseball season
on Tuesday, May 21 in a game played against Concordia College in Como
Park. The game was loosely played, with Concordia walking off the
field with a 7-2 victory. It was Bethel's third straight decisive defeat,
and their second of the season at the hands of conference opponents.
Concordia got off to a flying start in the first inning. After two
v, ere out, Baem singled to right. Otto followed with a hard hit single
that bounced over right fielder Voight's head, and both runners crossed
the plate. Boettcher fanned to end the inning.
The Comets collected another score in the sixth inning. Myhr was
safe on Voight's error. Seehausen hit a double play ball to Eddy, who
was over-anxious and fumbled, putting two Concordia men on base.
Braem forced Myrh, Sandin to Olson, and Otto struck out. Boettcher
walked filling the bases. Seehausen then stole home neatly, but Boett-cher
was picked off first base for the third out of the
The seventh inning netted four runs on two hits for Concordia.
After Wentzel grounded out and E. Hafner fanned, M. Hafner was
safe on an error. Friedrichs walked, and both runners advanced on a
passed ball. Myhr was intentionally passed filling the bases. Seehausen
singled to left center, Hafner and Friedrichs scoring and Myhr going
to third. Seehausen stole second. Braem then singled to right, driving
Myhr and Seehausen across the plate, but he was thrown out stealing
second, the play going from Bill Peterson to Picker.
Meanwhile Bethel bats had been nearly silent. During the first
seven innings only four men reached base, and only one got at far as
second. But with one out in the eighth frame the Indians came to life.
Landsberg singled to left, and went to second when the ball got away
from left fielder Wentzel. Bud Peterson hit a high fly down the right
field line for a double, but Landsberg could only go to third. Daley
then singled through the box to score both runners. Bethel threatened
again in the ninth inning, having the bases full with one out, but they
were unable to score.
The game kept the rivalry between the two schools at a peak.
Bethel won four and lost two of the athletic contests played his year,
and next year gives promise of a spirited renewal of the rivalry.
The box score:
Betting records compiled at the end of the baseball season, had at
the top of the list the name of Bob Sandin, Bethel captain, whose
fourteen hits in thirty-nine official times at bat for an average of .356
was tops for the club. In hot pursuit was Bill Peterson, Bob's battery-mate
in most of the contests, who had twelve-for-thirty-four for a .353
average. Carl Olson, who participated in only eight of the twelve games,
took third place with .343.
Six players hit over .300 for the season, and the team average
stood at .240. Strikeout king for the year was Bob Daley who whiffed
nineteen times. Bob Picker took second place with sixteen strikeouts
to his credit.
Picker also had the somewhat dubious honor of committing the
most errors on the -team, making eleven of them. However, Bud Peter-son
gave him a close race as he made ten misplays. The team made
a total of 53 errors, a little
G AB H Pct. SO PO A E
Sandia 12 39 14 .356 5 9 24 4
Wm. Peterson 11 34 12 .353 7 84 25 4
Olson 8 35 12 .343 5 10 16 1
Landsberg 11 18 6 .333 6 7 0 3
Leggett 2 3 1 .333 2 1 0 0
Sahlin 8 31 10 .323 8 42 9 4
B. Nelson 10 20 4 .250 6 0 1 0
Eddy 11 45 11 .244 2 21 8 4
Voight 11 27 5 .185 13 3 0 2
R. Nelson 10 27 5 .185 10 34 6 6
Daley 12 30 5 .167 19 12 1 2
W. Peterson 12 25 4 .160 8 8 2 10
Picker 12 40 5 .125 16 31 19 11
Rentz 3 5 0 .000 0 0 0 0
Team Total 133 379 57 92 .243 110 268 112 53
Key: G—Games; AB—Times at Bat; R—Runs; H—Hits; SO—Strike-outs;
PO—Putouts; A—Assists E—Errors)
Nine Looses at New Ulm
more than four per game.
Olson 3 b 4 0 2 1 0 0
Eddy s s 4 0 0 1 1 1
Sandin p 3 0 1 1 5 1
B. Peterson c 3 0 0 10 6 0
R. Nelson 1 b 4 0 1 7 0 0
Picker 2 b 4 0 0 6 1 2
Voight r 2 0 0 0 0 2
Landsberg r f 1 1 1 0 0 0
B. Nelson 1 f 2 0 0 0 1 0
W. Peterson 1 f 1 1 1 0 0 0
Daley c f 3 0 1 1 0 0
Totals 31 2 7 27 14 6
Myhr p 4 1 0 0 1
Seehausen 2 b 4 2 1 1 1
Braem c
4 1 2 13 2
Otto s s
4 1 1 0' 4
Boettcher 1 b 3 0 0 8 0
Wentzel 1 f
3 0 0 1 0
Mueller 2 b 2 0 1 2 1
E. Hafner 2 b 2 0' 0 I 1
M. Hefner c f 3 1 0 1 0
Friedrichs r f 3 1 0 0 0
Totals 32 7 5 27 10
On Saturday, May 18, Bethel
College traveled to New Ulm,
Minnesota and lost their first con-ference
game of this season to
Martin Luther College. by a score
of 10-4. Lack of Bethel hits, loose
fielding, and some timely hitting
by several New Ulm men meant
the difference between victory and
The game started well for Beth-el
when in the first inning the
Bethelites scored t h r e e markers
on three hits, two walks, and an
error.' However Luther pulled the
same trick in the last half of the
inning and tied the score at 3-3.
In the fourth D. M. L. C. went in-to
a 4-2 lead on a walk, a single,
and a double. An inning later the
hosts picked up two more runs,
two Bethel fielding errors being
the means.
Bethel meanwhile was ,effective-ly
throttled by Luther's Dietz, and
no one went beyond second base
until Eddy scored from first on 01-
son's two-bagger in the seventh.
The eighth inning was a big one
for Luther as they cashed in on
lack of control on the part of Beth-el
pitchers and scored three runs
on two hits. In the eighth the
home team scored its tenth and
last run on walks and a hit bats-man.
Carl Olson pitched for the In-dians
until relieved by Bob Sandin
in the seventh. Dietz pitched the
whole game for Luther, allowing
only six hits. Bethel made four
runs, six hits, and seven errors,
to Luther's ten runs, eight hits,
and two errors.
Click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections.


text:
The Several Journeys of Reemus Chapter 1 - The Royal Journey
For those of you that enjoyed the first game, here is another chapter in the ongoing saga of Reemus.
The Royal Journey:
After the defeat of the Ant Queen, Reemus & Liam embark on a journey to the Royal Palace to meet the King. Unfortunately things don't go as smoothly as planned…
Two possible endings!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|"Are you a wizard or not?"
The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is a conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information released from canonical sources. If this occurs, please move this page to the appropriate title.
A host of waiters served food at the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour on 1 August, 1997 at the Burrow.
They wore white robes and arrived at two o'clock; while guests were arriving, they sat with the band under a tree close to the main tent, smoking pipes. After the vows were completed and the reception began, the waiters filled the tent and carried silver trays of Pumpkin juice, Butterbeer, and Firewhisky, others tottering piles of tarts and sandwiches.[1]
When the reception was attacked by Death Eaters that evening following the fall of the Ministry of Magic, the waiters presumably fled, along with most of the guests.[2]
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (First appearance)
Notes and references
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 8 (The Wedding)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 9 (A Place to Hide)


text:
By Sara Angle
One in a series
MADRID — I spent a lot of time at the Life and Love center this afternoon, floating between events. The English-speakers home is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and Sisters of Life and being housed in Madrid's main indoor sports arena. The building is a maze, and I got frustrated trying to find where I wanted to be!
I had quite a comical experience running AWAY from the Eucharist there, too.
I was trying to get to the Adoration Chapel for Eucharist adoration with Archbishop Dolan of N.Y., but had to make it there before the Eucharist did! Let's just say that those priests were booking it!
Afterward, I had the chance to interview Archbishop Dolan (look for a CNS video soon.) He seems so excited to be here and didn't know about the Forgiveness Festival (tons of portable confessionals set up in Madrid's largest park,) but said he would like to go there for confession this week.
One of the big cultural events of the day was the Cinema Festival, which took place in Madrid's theater district. I caught "The Gardener of God," a film about the life of Fr. Gregor Mendel, who is played by Christopher Lambert. The theater was packed with people from all different countries, but the film played in English with Spanish subtitles. It was really interesting to learn about Mendel's life as a priest, because I really only knew about his scientific legacy. The Father of Genetics was a religious father to so many.
Sara Angle, 21, is a senior at Villanova University and has written for CNS from Rome and Washington. She enjoys traveling and soaking up the culture of her surroundings, be it through food, fashion or faith, and looks forward to covering WYD for CNS — from the big events to the off-beat adventures. Sara loves reading and writing (but not arithmetic) and dancing like no one is watching. You can also follow her on Twitter @CatholicNewsSvc. She'll be using the hashtag #SaraInMadrid.


text:
Seeking The Most Of The Good
Pleasure Of Allah
A believer is one who has been purified of idolatry and other forms of ignorance, such as placing his hopes in imaginary deities or seeking their approval, thereby becoming subservient to them. He serves Allah alone and seeks the approval of Allah alone. As mentioned earlier, he does this by "striving with all due striving."
The right manner of "striving with all due striving" on Allah's way is to seek what pleases Allah most. In the face of several choices, all of which are legitimate, a believer must choose the one he hopes will please Allah most.
This can be briefly described as follows:
- A believer must spend his entire life doing what is "lawful." In the Qur'an, Allah makes clear which actions are unlawful, and these are indeed very few in number. Anything other than these unlawful deeds is lawful.
- In addition, what a believer must do is attend to the deeds and thoughts that please Allah most. His wisdom and "foresight" guide him in this endeavor.
The example of "spending in the way of Allah" (infaq) will make this theme clearer. A believer is a person who has sold his "property and self" to Allah. He should put whatever he has to use in the way that pleases Allah most. However, he may frequently encounter many choices. Let us assume that he has a considerable amount of money with which he could buy a new suit for himself. This is indeed a legitimate and lawful thing to do; being meticulous about one's appearance is certainly something in conformity with Allah's will. However, there may be other things to do with this money which would please Allah more . Giving it to a needy person might well please Allah more. However, this is a decision that rests entirely with the person himself. Considering the specific conditions and environment he is in, he must establish his priorities by consulting his conscience.
Another example will lead to a better understanding of this theme: A believer is responsible for "enjoining good and forbidding evil," communicating Allah's religion and waging a struggle on intellectual grounds against the tyrants in the world. Undertaking this all-important responsibility is one way to earn the good pleasure of Allah. Such a responsibility means that certain duties always take precedence. Since there are so many duties demanded by such an important responsibility, it would be incorrect to give priority to any other deed, albeit a legitimate and lawful one. For instance, a man is responsible for taking care of his family; he is the one who provides security and sustenance for the family members. However, using this as an excuse to avoid the responsibility of "enjoining good and forbidding evil" would be conduct unbecoming to a believer.
Indeed, upon reflection, we can see that the "soul" (an-nafs) is involved when one prefers what is less valuable in the Presence of Allah. Preferring the less valuable to the more valuable in the Presence of Allah is a consequence of setting aside a "share" for one's soul. In this sense, what one needs to accomplish is not to be guided by one's soul, but to go all-out to seek the total approval of Allah. Seeking Allah's consent by a ninety nine percent effort and setting aside a one percent share for the soul may not be acceptable in the eyes of Allah. That is because the person in question has associated his soul with Allah. A mere one percent of idolatry may render his services unacceptable. The situation of those who ascribe partners to any being other than Allah is described as follows:
They assign to Allah a share of the crops and livestock He has created, saying, "This is for Allah,"—as they allege—"and this is for our idols." Their idols' share does not reach Allah, whereas Allah's share reaches their idols! What an evil judgment they make! (Surat al-An'am: 136)
If a person risks his life to protect his family in the event of some injustice done to him, but remains heedless and involves himself with his own business when there is tyranny, oppression and slander against other believers, we can hardly say that he seeks Allah's approval. Such an attitude indicates man's inclination towards and submission to his soul (nafs), which is entirely against the Islamic goal of "serving Allah alone." Furthermore, acting in compliance with the desires of the soul is defined in the Qur'an as setting up partners with Allah:
Have you seen him who has taken his whims and desires to be his god? Will you then be his guardian? (Surat al-Furqan: 43)
A believer, on the other hand, devotes all his possessions and his entire life to Allah. This superior attribute of believers is indicated in the Qur'an as follows:
Say: "My prayer and my rites, my living and my dying, are for Allah alone, the Lord of all the worlds." (Surat al-An'am: 162)
As for seeking what most pleases Allah, the attitude of some believers in wartime in the days of the Prophet Muhammad (saas) is related in the Qur'an. In the face of two groups of enemies, believers preferred to fight against the weaker of the two. Yet it was Allah's will that there should be a fight against the stronger. These events are related in the verses as follows:
When Allah promised you that one of the two parties would be yours, you would have preferred the unarmed one, whereas Allah sought to fulfill His promise and to rout the last remnant of the disbelievers. This was so that the Truth should triumph and falsehood be discomfited, even though the evil-doers hated that. (Surat al-Anfal: 7-8)
Finally, Allah made the believers confront the stronger party and led them to the one thing that would please Him most. Ultimately, they triumphed with the help of Allah.
The example related above is an event shaped within the conditions of our Prophet's (saas) era. Yet the fact remains that in every age Muslims are put to the test through different events. Today, for instance, Muslims must engage in a struggle on intellectual grounds against those who deny the Qur'an and the facts of creation and who strive to sow immorality in society. Muslims should determine the best course to follow in this intellectual struggle they take upon themselves and then carry it through with commitment. Yet, even if one has the strength to undertake this responsibility, if one involves oneself with issues of no great urgency only to satisfy one's own desires, that will only incur the displeasure of Allah. A believer must scrupulously avoid falling into such a situation.
In any case, such a tendency does not conform to a Muslim's sense of right conduct. He is someone who has been chosen by Allah and to whom faith has been granted; he is held responsible for extirpating wrongdoing from society, replacing it with peace, and establishing an environment where everyone lives by Allah's religion. He is responsible for struggling on intellectual grounds for those men, women and children who are oppressed and who say: "Our Lord, take us out of this city whose inhabitants are wrongdoers! Give us a protector from You! Give us a helper from You!..." (Surat an-Nisa: 75)
This theme is not confined to an intellectual struggle only. Throughout his life, a believer must maintain this standpoint in his daily life, his worship and in all the events he encounters.
Meanwhile, we need to bear in mind that the expression, "doing what is most pleasing to Allah" is used to make the theme more comprehensible. Turning away from what pleases Allah most and involving oneself with tasks of secondary importance is in fact displeasing to Allah. Hence, that one thing that pleases Allah most is, under all circumstances, whatever is in accordance with His will. To put it another way, there is no alternative to what pleases Allah most.
Not seeking what will please Allah best, and being contented with less, is actually a consequence of a flawed outlook on the Hereafter. Such an outlook is formed because one thinks one unconditionally deserves Paradise. However, nobody can be assured of such a reward. In the Qur'an, Allah warns even the Prophet (saas) with the verse, "… If Allah willed, He could seal up your heart…" (Surat ash-Shura: 24). This being the case, it is obvious that no one is guaranteed Paradise.
In any case, a sincere believer, as described in the Qur'an, never thinks, in such a wrong way, that he or she definitely deserves Paradise or becomes carried away by this feeling. The true believer typically prays to Allah in "fear and hope." (Surat al-A'raf, 56)
Those lacking real faith also think they deserve Paradise, because they do not fear Allah as they should and assume that the deeds they do are good. With their flawed rationale, they say, "We will in any case be forgiven." However, this is an attitude peculiar to those who do not fear Allah as He should be feared. Of the situation of these people Allah states the following:
An evil generation has succeeded them, inheriting the Book, taking the goods of this lower world, and saying, "We will be forgiven." But if similar goods come to them again they still take them. Has not a covenant been made with them in the Book, that they should only tell the truth about Allah and have they not studied what is in it? The Final Abode is better for those who have fear of Allah. Will you not use your intellect? (Surat al-A'raf: 169)
There are also those who, deceived by the material wealth granted to them in this world, arrive at the erroneous conclusion that Allah loves them, - despite the fact that they do not sincerely turn to Allah and do good deeds, - thereby believing that they too will be welcomed into Paradise—although they harbor doubts about its existence. Allah gives us a relevant example in the Qur'an:
Give them this parable. Once there were two men, to one of whom We gave two gardens of grape-vines and surrounded them with date-palms, putting between them some cultivated land. Both gardens yielded their crops and did not suffer any loss, and We made a river flow right through the middle of them. He was a man of wealth and property and he said to his companion, which conversing with him, "I have more wealth than you and my clan is mightier than yours." He entered his garden and wronged himself by saying, "I do not think that this will ever end. I do not think the Hour of Doom will ever come. But if I should be sent back to my Lord, I will definitely get something better in return." (Surat al-Kahf: 32-36)
In contrast to people with such a mindset, a believer fears "going astray after being guided to the right path." The prayer of believers is related in the Qur'an as follows:
Our Lord, do not cause our hearts to go astray after You have guided us. And grant us mercy. You are the Ever-Giving. (Surah Al 'Imran: 8)
However, it is also worth mentioning that this is not the kind of fear that arouses dread or uneasiness in a believer's heart. On the contrary, fear of Allah motivates believers to have zeal in striving to be servants who deserve to enter Paradise and ensures that they spend the life of this world in the best way possible.
A believer aims at earning the approval of Allah in the life of this world, which is inherently temporary and short. His thoughts concentrate on a single great event that will happen soon: he will certainly die one day and give an account of his deeds in the Presence of Allah. This will lead him either to eternal terrible ruin or to eternal salvation. It would certainly be unwise to pursue some other course or to remain heedless while there is such a great event ahead of him.
For his salvation, a believer is responsible for seeking "what pleases Allah most." Failing to do so means being unaware of the danger waiting ahead. In the face of the humiliation one will face in Hell and in the Presence of Allah, it is surely essential to seek "what pleases Allah most."
A few examples of the attitude one displays in the face of dangers that one may encounter in this world and the efforts one makes to deal with them will lead to a better understanding of how one seeks what pleases Allah most:
- Assume that you are face to face with a giant torrent and the water level is rising rapidly. In this situation, would you run to the top of a 10-story building to save yourself, or remain on the fifth-floor and say, "This place is high enough to save me"?
- Let's assume that there is a lift that can take you to the top floor. This lift is not free of charge and it will operate only once. You have just the right amount of money to take you to the top floor. Would you give all the money you have to go to the top, or remain at a lower story which is vulnerable to the torrent?
- Again, let's assume that there is a party being held on the sixth-floor, where you have taken refuge. Would you attend the party or strive to find a way to the top floor?
- As another example, let's assume that one of your close friends has had a heart attack and he or she must immediately be taken to the emergency room. In this situation, would you drive as fast as you can, or not drive so fast and say, "This is fast enough, he or she will have to hang on"?
As is apparent from the examples above, in the face of danger, a man becomes vigilant and does his utmost to be saved from it. The biggest threat to man is Hell. One of the most important goals of a person who seeks what pleases Allah most is his inner inclination to avoid this danger.
For a moment, let's assume that you are on the edge of Hell, around which people will be gathered on the Day of Judgement and witness its stunning images… Having seen Hell, would you not choose what pleases Allah most out of a number of alternatives?
Once a person is sent to Hell, he will no longer have the opportunity to make choices but will only give an account of his deeds. This being the case, one must already start acting in that light. Indeed, a believer always acts in the light of the idea of the nearness of Hell, considering that he can, at any moment, go to the Hereafter. On numerous occasions Allah reveals in the Qur'an the fact that any regret felt in the Hereafter will be in vain. One of the relevant verses is as follows:
There they will shout out: "Our Lord! Take us out! We will act rightly, differently from the way we used to act!" But He will answer: "Did We not let you live long enough for anyone who was going to pay heed? And did not the warner come to you? Have a taste of it then! There shall be no helper for the wrongdoers." (Surah Fatir: 37)
On the other hand, just as we strive to stay away from danger, we need to devote similar and even greater efforts to attaining blessings. It is surely unwise to feel contented with having less in Paradise. When leaving an island abounding in gold, would you not take as much gold as possible with you if you had the opportunity? When the time comes to depart this world, a believer should not feel regret and say, "I wish I had done such and such a thing" or "I wish I had gained the rewards from doing a particular righteous deed." To avoid this situation, he should be cautious to choose what pleases Allah most.
Disbelievers do their best to "make the most" of their lives, which is nothing but "a brief enjoyment" (Surah Al 'Imran: 197). While this "brief enjoyment" is doomed to a bitter end, Allah promises His approval, mercy and Paradise for believers. A believer, who wishes to avail himself of these promises of Allah, must strive hard to seek what most pleases Him.
The Key to the Approval of Allah: Conscience
In the face of several choices, a believer must choose the one with which Allah will be most pleased. In this, conscience is the most important criterion that will guide him to the correct choice. Allah's Messenger, the Prophet Muhammad (saas), drew attention to the importance of conscience during a conversation with a man:
A person asked Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him): "What is faith?" He said: "When a good deed becomes a source of pleasure for you and an evil deed becomes a source of disgust for you, then you are a believer." He again said to Allah's Messenger: "What is a sin?" Whereupon he said: "When something pricks your conscience, give it up." (Tirmidhi)
One of the most important differences between a believer and a disbeliever is that while the believer will follow his conscience, the disbeliever will comply with his soul, which inspires evil deeds. Consequently, a believer displays his most natural state when he heeds his conscience.
However, it is by no means true that a believer is immune to the temptations of the self. In the Qur'an, Allah reveals that the Prophet Joseph (as) said, "The self indeed commands to evil acts..." (Surah Yusuf: 53) Accordingly, it will command alternatives that are against Allah's Will.
A believer avoids the tricks of his soul by means of his conscience. Faced with a choice, a believer initially tends to select the one that first occurs to him, which is generally the one that pleases Allah most. Then, the self intervenes: it foolishly tries to make other alternatives seem more alluring and finds pretexts to legitimize them. A believer must disregard these pretexts and comply with the initial and absolutely correct choice to which his conscience leads him.
Loving for Allah's Sake
That is the good news (the promise of Paradise) which Allah gives to His servants who believe and do right actions. Say: "I do not ask you for any recompense for this [but] only good will through kinship. If anyone does a good action, he shall be repaid many times over. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Thankful." (Surat ash-Shura: 23)
A believer devotes his entire life to Allah. He lives for Allah, works for Allah and loves for Allah's sake.
"Loving for Allah's sake" might be an incomprehensible theme to someone who is not well acquainted with the true Islam. One who has remained distant from Allah throughout his life, and who has therefore not known Him, will be unaware of how to love Allah intuitively.
However, a believer who knows Allah and witnesses His mercy to him, who recognizes that everything he loves is His blessing and that he owes his existence and life to His mercy, loves Allah and attains the noble spirit of loving for the sake of Allah. In the Qur'an, the great difference between believers and other people in this sense is set out as follows:
Some people set up equals to Allah, loving them as they should love Allah. But those who believe have greater love for Allah… (Surat al-Baqara: 165)
As stated in the verse above, those who associate partners with Allah and who, in their own minds, ascribe all attributes of Allah to other beings, love these beings as they should love Allah. This is the kind of love that is based on idolatry.
Aware that everything belongs to Allah and that every being's existence is consequential upon Allah's creation, believers love Allah most. This great feature, which is a natural consequence of the believer's recognition of Allah as the One and Only Supreme Being, makes him completely different from other people. This quality of believers is set out in one of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (saas):
Whoever has three things discovers the sweetness of faith: that Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than all else, that he loves another only for the sake of Allah Most High, and that he hates to return to disbelief as he would hate to be thrown into fire." (Muslim and Bukhari)
Those who associate partners with Allah, on the other hand, cannot stand the remembrance of Allah:
...When you mention your Lord alone in the Qur'an, they turn their backs and run away. (Surat al-Isra': 46)
However, it is worthy of mention that remembering Allah next to their idols may not disturb idolaters. The rationale thus expressed: "We are believers, but we can enjoy our day as well" is at the basis of their thinking. The believer, however, grasps the following fact:
- Nothing (be it a human being, a thing or an event, etc.) has a beauty of its own. Allah creates all things and endows them with beauty. Since a person, for example, has not designed and formed his or her face himself, that beauty is a beauty that belongs to Allah.
- Allah gives this beauty to man, whom he created from nothing, for a brief time only (since that person will soon grow old and die). Only Allah possesses the power to recreate that beauty in the Hereafter, in an even more perfect form.
- As in the case of a human being, all creatures that deserve love are created by Allah and made "pretty." To remind people that the actual owner of this beauty is Allah, He destines the beauty of these beings to perish with death and ultimately with Doomsday. In the Hereafter, all beings will be recreated.
This being the case, a believer loves all the things he encounters in this world, aware that they all belong to Allah and that he will encounter the "original" form of their beauty in the Hereafter. Consequently, his actual love is for Allah, the One Who provides him with everything he loves: He is the real Owner of every kind of beauty.
Contrary to the concept of love based upon faith in Allah that is enjoyed by believers, disbelievers' love is based on idolatry. This form of love is described in the following verse revealing what the Prophet Abraham (as) said to his people:
He said, "You have adopted idols apart from Allah as tokens of mutual affection in this world. But then on the Day of Rising you will reject one another and curse one another. The Fire will be your shelter. You will have no helpers." (Surat al-'Ankabut: 25)
Said Nursi, also known as Bediuzzaman (the Wonder of the Age), one of the greatest Islamic scholars of the 20th century, likens this form of love to that of a man who looks at the Sun through a mirror held in his hand. Once the mirror is broken into pieces and light is no longer reflected from it, the man feels profound distress at having lost a source of light. However, he is not intelligent enough to realize that the light in the mirror does not actually originate from it. The light comes from the Sun; mirrors only reflect it.
A believer shows all his love for Allah. Loving Allah means to love beings, aware that they reflect the attributes of Allah and that these attributes actually belong to Him, as in the case of the mirrors.
Consequently, a believer shows his love for Allah by loving believers who make "manifest" the attributes of Allah in their manner and conduct, and who display the moral values foreseen to be good by Allah. This form of love is not based on kinship, race or any kind of interest. Due to the love felt for Allah, it is solely a matter of loving those who love Allah. In the Qur'an, our Lord describes the love between believers by referring to the love between the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (saas) in his time:
Those who were already settled in the abode, and in faith, before they came, love those who have emigrated to them and do not find in their hearts any need for what they have been given, but prefer them to themselves, even if they themselves are needy. It is the people who are safe-guarded from the avarice of their own selves who are successful. (Surat al-Hashr: 9)
In the Qur'an it is made clear that the love felt for believers has been specially granted to them by Allah:
As for those who believe and do right actions, the All-Merciful will bestow His love on them. (Surah Maryam: 96)
"John, observe the Book with firm resolve." We gave him judgment, tenderness and purity while still a child, and he went in fear of Allah. (Surah Maryam: 12-13)
Believers sincerely and passionately love only Allah and those who place their faith in Him. This being the case, they have no love for anybody who rebels against Allah. Allah recalls this in the following verses of the Qur'an:
You who believe! Do not take My enemy and your enemy as friends, showing love for them when they have rejected the truth that has come to you, driving the Messenger and yourselves out of your city simply because you believe in Allah your Lord. If you go out to struggle in My Way and seeking My pleasure, keeping secret the love you have for them, I know best what you conceal and what you make known. Any of you who do that have strayed from the right way. (Surat al-Mumtahana: 1)
You have an excellent example in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, "We wash our hands of you and all that you worship apart from Allah, and we reject you. Between us and you there will be enmity and hatred for ever unless and until you have faith in Allah alone…" (Surat al-Mumtahana: 4)
You who believe, do not befriend your fathers or your brothers if they prefer disbelief to faith. Those among you who do befriend them are wrongdoers. (Surat at-Tawba: 23)
You will not find people who believe in Allah and the Last Day on friendly terms with anyone who opposes Allah and His Messenger, even though they be their fathers, their sons, their brothers or their nearest kindred... (Surat al-Mujadala: 22)
As the verses above make clear, the love of a believer rests on no other criterion than the "love felt for Allah." Setting aside all factors such as kinship or material wealth, this love is deeply rooted in faith and noble values. A believer has love for those whose faith is assured rather than for those possessing fame, money or social status, which are only seemingly important.
Having purified his feelings of love of factors other than "the love felt for Allah," a believer loves the one who fears Allah most and who is most attentive to seeking His pleasure. The more one has of the attributes peculiar to a believer, the more one is cherished by believers. In the Qur'an, too, we witness believers holding most dear the Prophet (saas)—the one who is nearest to Allah and the one who fears Allah most:
The Prophet has closer ties to the believers than they have to each other… (Surat al-Ahzab: 6)
Since a believer's understanding of love is based on faith, he will also establish his marriage on the same grounds. At this stage, too, there emerges an all-important difference between believers and disbelievers: disbelievers often base their marriage on mutual material benefits. This is especially true of women, who try to find a "prosperous man" in the expectation of a high standard of living. For such a purpose, a young girl may easily agree to be the life-long spouse of someone for whom she has no affection. This is, in fact, similar to a commercial agreement from which both parties derive benefits. The only difference is that this agreement is purported to be a life-long one. But this state of affairs is never permanent and consequently the marriages are short-lived.
The examples of such marriages are legion. There are many young people who marry partners who are rich or old or who are known for their immorality, solely because they are wealthy or famous.
Marriages of disbelievers are not always based on material benefits. There are also many young people who seek "good looks" or attractiveness in the person they want to marry. Such girls marry men who have nothing but physical charm, who they assume to be a "knight on a white horse."
Yet the rationale behind this viewpoint neglects one crucial fact: all these physical traits are eventually doomed to perish. All human beings will eventually grow old. Furthermore, Allah can take back someone's fortune, good looks or health in a moment. Similarly, it takes but a few seconds to have an accident and become paralyzed, bed-ridden or lose one's good looks. Under such conditions, what would become of such a marriage?
What would a woman do if her husband was blinded in an accident, for instance, if she married him because he had beautiful eyes? Most probably she would only then realize the irrational basis upon which her most important decision has been made.
A believer aims at eternal Paradise in the Hereafter. His life is intended to gain the approval of Allah and to attain "salvation and happiness." Having devoted all his prayers and his entire life to Allah, he will surely also devote his marriage to Allah.
A marriage entered into to gain Allah's approval is surely entirely different from one based on "idolatry." In such a marriage, the criteria can never be money, fame or beauty. The sole purpose in marrying will be to gain Allah's approval. The true believer would like to marry someone who will be most instrumental in making him or her earn Allah's approval. Consequently, he or she only marries such a person as displays a deep loyalty to Allah and is superior in faith and piety (taqwa).
For the reason set out above, certain women who lived during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saas) expressed a desire to marry the Prophet (saas). Those who preferred otherwise are described in the Qur'an as desiring "the life of the world and its finery":
Prophet, tell your wives: "If you desire the life of the world and its finery, come and I will give you all you need and release you with kindness. But if you desire Allah and His Messenger and the abode of the Hereafter, Allah has prepared an immense reward for those among you who do good works." (Surat al-Ahzab: 28-29)
Attributes of Believers
One who lives by the Qur'an will also love others who live by the Qur'an, that is, believers. Due to their faith in Allah, believers are granted some attributes that make them worthy of love. A believer will also seek these attributes in other believers and, witnessing these attributes in them, will duly cherish them.
The following are the notable attributes of believers as explained in the Qur'an:
• Believers serve Allah only. There is no being that they have idolized in their minds but Him. (Surat al-Fatiha: 1-7; Surat an-Nisa': 36)
• They fear Allah. They refrain from doing anything that Allah has forbidden or that is contrary to the Will of Allah. (Surah Al 'Imran: 102; Surah Ya Sin: 11; Surat at-Taghabun: 16; Surat az-Zumar: 23)
• They trust Allah alone. (Surat al-Baqara: 249; Surat at-Tawba: 25-26)
• They fear no one but Allah. (Surat al-Ahzab: 39)
• They always feel grateful to Allah. Prosperity or destitution does not lead them to be boastful or to feel sorry for themselves. (Surat al-Baqara: 172; Surat al-Isra': 3; Surah Ibrahim: 7)
• They have certainty in their faith. The thought of turning away from earning the approval of Allah does not even occur to them. They unceasingly render their services with ever-increasing zeal and ardor. (Surat al-Hujurat: 15; Surat al-Baqara: 4)
• They are committed to the Qur'an. They orient all their deeds in compliance with the moral values in the Qur'an. They immediately disown an attitude once they realize it is not in conformance with the teachings of the Qur'an. (Surat al-A'raf: 170; Surat al-Ma'ida: 49; Surat al-Baqara: 121)
• They remember Allah continually. They know that Allah is ever the Hearer and Seer of everything, and always keep in mind the eternal might of Allah.Surah Al 'Imran: 191; Surat ar-Ra'd: 28; Surat an-Nur: 37; Surat al-A'raf: 205; Surat al-'Ankabut: 45)
• They know their weakness before Allah. They are humble. (However, this does not mean they are weak and thus display unconfident attitudes towards people.)(Surat al-Baqara: 286; Surat al-A'raf: 188)
• They know nothing will happen to them, except what Allah has decreed. They do not become overwrought about anything and always remain calm and put their trust in Allah. (Surat at-Tawba: 51; Surat at-Taghabun: 11; Surah Yunus: 49; Surat al-Hadid: 22)
• They turn towards the Hereafter; their main target is the Hereafter. They also benefit from worldly blessings and aspire to an environment in this world very similar to Paradise.(Surat an-Nisa': 74; Surah Sad: 46; Surat al-A'raf: 31-32)
• They take only Allah and believers as their friends and intimates.(Surat al-Ma'ida: 55-56; Surat al-Mujadala: 22)
• They are the people endued with understanding. Never losing their consciousness of worshipping, they remain cautious and vigilant at every moment. They always render services which are in the interests of believers and religion. (Surat al-Mu'min: 54; Surat az-Zumar: 18)
• They strive to the utmost in the way of Allah. They struggle with disbelievers on intellectual grounds, especially with the leaders of disbelief. They never feel frustrated or weak-hearted in this struggle. (Surat al-Anfal: 39; Surat al-Hajj: 78; Surat al-Hujurat: 15; Surat at-Tawba: 12)
• They do not hesitate to speak the truth. They do not refrain from telling the truth because of their fear of others. They do not mind rejecters' ridiculing and attacking them and are fearless of human censure. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 54, 67; Surat al-A'raf: 2)
• They resort to various methods to convey Allah's message and to summon people to Allah's religion. (Surah Nuh: 5-9)
• They do not oppress others. They are merciful and tender-hearted. (Surat an-Nahl: 125; Surat at-Tawba 128; Surah Hud: 75)
• They are not carried away by their anger; they are sensible and forgiving. (Surah Al 'Imran: 134; Surat al-A'raf: 199; Surat ash-Shu'ara': 40-43)
• They are trustworthy people. They impress people with their strong personality and make them feel how trustworthy they are. (Surat ad-Dukhan: 17-18; Surat at-Takwir: 19-21; Surat al-Ma'ida: 12; Surat an-Nahl: 120)
• They are accused of being sorcerers or of being mad. (Surat al-A'raf: 132; Surah Yunus: 2; Surah Sad: 4; Surat al-Hijr: 6; Surat al-Qamar: 9)
• They are subjected to oppression. (Surat ash-Shu'ara': 49; 167; Surat al-'Ankabut: 24; Surah Ya Sin: 18; Surah Ibrahim: 6; Surat an-Naml: 49, 56; Surah Hud: 91)
• They persevere in the face of adversity. (Surat al-'Ankabut: 2-3; Surat al-Baqara: 156, 214; Surah Al 'Imran: 142, 146, 195; Surat al-Ahzab: 48; Surah Muhammad: 31; Surat al-An'am: 34)
• They have no fear of oppression or death. (Surat at-Tawba: 111; Surah Al 'Imran: 156-158, 169-171, 173; Surat ash-Shu'ara': 49-50; Surat as-Saffat: 97-99; Surat an-Nisa': 74)
• They are attacked and plotted against by disbelievers; they are mocked. (Surat al-Baqara: 14, 212)
• They are under the protection of Allah. All plots devised against them prove to be futile. Allah protects them against all slanders and plots and exalts them. (Surah Al 'Imran: 110-111, 120; Surah Ibrahim: 46; Surat an-Anfal: 30; Surat an-Nahl: 26; Surah Yusuf: 34; Surat al-Hajj: 38; Surat al-Ma'ida: 42, 105; Surat an-Nisa': 141)
• They are on their guard against disbelievers. (Surat an-Nisa': 71, 102; Surah Yusuf: 67)
• They treat satan and his followers as enemies. (Surah Fatir: 6; Surat az-Zukhruf 62; Surat al-Mumtahana: 1; Surat an-Nisa': 101; Surat al-Ma'ida: 82)
• They struggle with hypocrites on intellectual grounds. They do not keep company with people displaying hypocritical attributes. (Surat at-Tawba: 83, 95, 123)
• They prevent the tyranny of rejecters. (Surat al-Ahzab: 60-62; Surat al-Hashr: 6; Surat at-Tawba: 14-15, 52)
• They act by consulting each other. (Surat ash-Shura: 38)
• They do not long for the ostentatious lives of disbelievers. (Surat al-Kahf: 28; Surat at-Tawba: 55; Surah Ta Ha: 131)
• They are not impressed by wealth or status. (Surat al-Hajj: 41; Surat al-Qasas: 79-80; Surat an-Nahl: 123)
• They practice every act of worship in the best manner. They perform the prayer five times a day. (Surat al-Baqara: 238; Surat al-Anfal: 3; Surat al-Mu'minun: 1-2)
• They do not follow the majority, but rather the criteria that Allah has provided. (Surat al-An'am: 116)
• They strive to draw nearer to Allah, and to serve as good examples for those who believe. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 35; Surah Fatir: 32; Surat al-Waqi'a: 10-14; Surat al-Furqan: 74)
• They are not influenced by satan. (Surat al-A'raf: 201; Surat al-Hijr: 39-42; Surat an-Nahl: 98-99)
• They do not follow their fathers blindly. They behave in compliance with Qur'anic teaching and the Sunnah. (Surah Ibrahim: 10; Surah Hud: 62, 109)
• They do not let women be ill-treated. (Surat an-Nur: 4; Surat at-Talaq: 6; Surat al-Baqara: 231, 241; Surat an-Nisa': 19)
• They avoid extravagance. (Surat an-An'am: 141; Surat al-Furqan: 67)
• They guard their chastity, wed and conduct their married lives in the way Allah desires. (Surat al-Mu'minun: 5-6; Surat an-Nur: 3, 26, 30; Surat al-Baqara: 221; Surat al-Ma'ida: 5; Surat al-Mumtahana: 10)
• They are moderate while practicing their worship. (Surat al-Baqara: 143; Surat an-Nisa': 171)
• They are self-sacrificing people. (Surat al-Insan: 8; Surah Al 'Imran: 92, 134; Surat at-Tawba: 92)
• They are careful about being clean. (Surat al-Baqara: 125, 168; Surat al-Muddaththir: 1-5)
• They attach importance to esthetics and art. (Surah Saba': 13; Surat an-Naml: 44)
• They do not spy on or backbite believers. (Surat al-Hujurat: 12)
• They avoid jealousy. (Surat an-Nisa': 128)
• They ask for forgiveness from Allah. (Surat al-Baqara: 286; Surah Al 'Imran: 16-17, 147, 193; Surat al-Hashr: 10; Surah Nuh: 28)
Oppression against Believers
The attributes of believers stated above are actually designated along two themes:
The first are those beautiful attributes which believers display of their own volition; these include being a servant to Allah, self-sacrifice and modesty.
The second, however, are those which they evince in matters beyond their control, e.g. the plots devised against them or their being mocked by disbelievers. In fact, these are very important in enabling one to identify sincere believers. That is because many of the attributes displayed by believers are of an "imitable" nature. For instance, a hypocrite can also practice every act of worship - like performing prayers five times every day -or make sacrifices, provided that he gains from doing so. But the attributes displayed in situations beyond their control are "non-imitable," e.g. when disbelievers subject sincere believers to oppression.
This being the case, these attributes acquire great importance in one's evaluation of believers. To understand whether a community is one of sincere believers, these criteria, the immutable laws of Allah as explained in the Qur'an, have to be taken into consideration.
While evaluating verbal oppression and slanders against Muslims, the events that befell Muslims in the past should be our reference point. In this sense, in the Qur'an Allah gives an account of the difficulties and slanders encountered by the early Muslims:
Or did you suppose that you would enter the Garden without facing the same as those who came before you?... (Surat al-Baqara: 214)
In the verses in which "trials that came to those who passed away in the past" are related, we come across a noteworthy situation. The enemies of prophets and believers did not say: "These people believe in Allah and seek His approval" or "These people are not immoral like us, they possess noble values." On the contrary, they foolishly tried to slander believers and accused them in the most unbecoming manner due to a rationale of their own making.
Certainly, they would not dare to say: "We are rebellious against Allah and we do not observe any moral limits; we just want to oppress these people who do not serve to benefit us." It would be unwise to expect these people to make confessions such as: "These are the people who observe Allah's commands, whereas we are transgressors." On the contrary, due to their distorted mentality, they would strive to legitimize their slanders by maligning believers and presenting themselves as "decent and honest" people. In the stories related in the Qur'an, we see the very same method being employed against the believers of the past.
For example, the Prophet Noah (as)—like all the other prophets—summoned his people to serve Allah alone. An order established on the basis of serving Allah alone surely hampered the advancement of the interests of the leaders of the society, who acquired wealth and status through a system of disbelief. Surely these leaders would not agree to say that what Noah (as) demanded was not in their interests. On the contrary, they cast aspersions on him by accusing him of pursuing his own interests—"status and prestige." Our Lord gives an account of this situation in the Qur'an as follows:
We sent Noah to his people and he said, "My people, worship Allah. You have no deity other than Him. So will you not take heed?" The ruling circle of those of his people who were disbelievers said: "This is nothing but a human being like yourselves who simply wants to gain ascendancy over you…" (Surat al-Mu'minun: 23-24)
The Prophet Moses (as) and the Prophet Aaron (as) were exposed to the same illogical accusation. In the Qur'an, Allah reveals that Pharaoh and his close circle said to them: "Have you come to us to turn us away from what we found our fathers doing, and to gain greatness in the land? We do not believe you." (Surah Yunus: 78)
The slanders made against believers may reach an unimaginable scale. Throughout history, Allah's messengers have been accused of "bewitching and deceiving" the believers around them:
They said, "These two magicians (Moses and Aaron) desire by their magic to expel you from your land and abolish your most excellent way of life." (Surah Ta Ha: 63)
… The disbelievers say, "This is a lying magician." (Surah Sad: 4)
The main ambition of those who slander Muslims is to present an image of a Muslim who has the same vices that they themselves display. This went to such great lengths that they dared to call the noble Prophet Noah (as) as a liar: "He is an insolent liar!" (Surat al-Qamar: 25). By saying this they proved that they are indeed the liars themselves.
Another slander that believers are very often exposed to is that of "insanity." In fact, disbelievers' failure to grasp one important rationale of believers accounts for this slander. Having no concept of "earning the approval of Allah," disbelievers have difficulty in understanding the acts of believers that are aimed at this goal alone. Due to their distorted perspective, they fail to comprehend why believers, who obviously pursue no interests of their own for the services they render, devote their lives to Allah. According to their superstitious point of view, such an idealistic attitude can be nothing but "insanity." Throughout history, they have often employed this slander. As Allah reveals in the Qur'an of the Prophet Moses (as), Pharaoh said: "This Messenger, who has been sent to you, is mad." (Surat ash-Shu'ara': 27) Also, when denying the Prophet Noah (as), his people said, "He is a madman." (Surat al-Qamar: 9).
Leaving these aside, believers were also exposed to another slander which is adultery. The Prophet Joseph (as) and Mary (as), the role models to follow for all faithful men and women, are noble people who were exposed to this slander. Furthermore, disbelievers foolishly accused many prophets of "being in plain error." (Surat al-A'raf: 60).
But it would not be correct to assume that all these events pertain to the past. In the Qur'an, it is revealed that other believers may have the very same experiences. Accordingly, each believer advocating the true religion, thereby disturbing those who are far removed from the values of that religion, is vulnerable to the same accusations and slanders.
We need to keep in mind that what disbelievers spread about Muslims may be part of such a slander campaign. As Allah advises in the verse below, prior to extensive investigation, we must avoid believing in such news spread by "deviators." Of this Allah warns us as follows:
You who believe! If a deviator brings you a report, scrutinize it carefully in case you attack people in ignorance and so come to greatly regret what you have done. (Surat al-Hujurat: 6)


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100 UK imams urge Britons to stay away from Syria
LONDON (AP) — Some 100 imams are urging British Muslims to refrain from traveling to Syria amid concerns that fighters will become radicalized.
The open letter issued Friday offered a unified voice by various religious factions, appealing to British Muslims to support those affected by the war in Syria and recent fighting in Iraq, but to do so "from the U.K. in a safe and responsible way."
The letter comes as concerns grow about home-grown terrorism. Fears about returning radicals have been heightened by a video released online that showed three men identified as British exhorting compatriots to come join the militants in Iraq.
U.K. authorities estimate as many as 500 Britons have traveled to Syria to fight, and that some may have crossed into Iraq.


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Melissa George Taken To Hospital After Alleged Assault
Melissa George has been taken to hospital after allegedly being assaulted by partner Jean-David Blanc.
The Australian actress is reported to have visited a police station before being taken to hospital with bruises on her face and complaining of pain and feeling faint.
The couple, who have two sons together, have been together for four years and currently reside in Paris.
According to French media, the 40-year-old told police she had been assaulted by the businessman man.
There is no word yet whether he has been arrested or charged.
The couple first met in 2011 at a BAFTA after party and began dating the next year.
They have since had two sons, Raphael, two, and Solal, who turns one in November.
Thirty-eight-year-old Blanc founded AlloCiné – a site which provides information on French movies and television series.
Photos: Getty


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Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's and women's track and field teams took advantage of their lone opportunity to compete at home this season by posting several impressive marks in Saturday's (April 9) annual running of the Bulldog Invitational at Top Taggart Field.
The meet took place under sunny and breezy weather conditions and served as the Bulldogs' lone home competition of the 2011 outdoor season.
In addition to Ferris State, student-athletes from several other schools across the state took part, including Calvin, Hope, Saginaw Valley State, Grand Valley State, Northwood, Lake Superior State, Concordia, Davenport and Lansing Community College along with unattached competitors.
Sophomore Zoey Hohmann won the women's 400 meters (57.27) and came in second overall in the 200 meters (25.94).
Freshman Samantha Johnson earned runner-up laurels in the 800 meters (2:18.18) and also came in second in the 1,500 meters (4:37.77).
The Bulldogs also garnered three of the top five spots in the women's 3,000 meters as freshman Brittany Anderson placed second (10:25.59), sophomore Anna Rudd was third (10:26.45) and sophomore Alyssa Osika wound up fifth (10:35.43).
Ferris State junior Amy Joostberns finished second in the discus (138-11) with freshman Jessica Pilling coming in second in the hammer throw (154-10) as the Bulldog women tallied eight top-three efforts in the meet.
Sophomore Christa Cwiek also finished among the top five as she took fourth place in the javelin (105-0) for FSU.
The Bulldog men were paced by sophomore Ryan Chute, who brought home runner-up honors in the 3,000 meters (8:42.78). Sophomore J.J. Vandenburg was fifth in the hammer throw (158-5).
Bulldog sophomore Derrick Bartlett came in seventh in the 800 meters (1:58.89). Sophomore Kyle Walch was eighth in the 110-meter hurdles (17.49).
The FSU men also were sxith in the 4x400-meter relay (3:31.15).
The Bulldog Invitational was held on an annual basis prior to the 1987 season. Ferris then reinstated the annual event by hosting their first home track meet in 12 seasons on April 10, 1999. The meet has been held each season since then with the exception of the 2000 and 2006 outdoor campaigns when the event was cancelled due to weather.
Ferris State will hit the road again next Saturday (April 16) as the Bulldogs travel to Midland to take part in the Northwood Invitational. The meet will take place at the same site as this season's Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Outdoor Championships in early May.