One of the Great Miracles

The Quran is characterized by a unique phenomenon never found in any human authored book. Every element of the Quran is mathematically composed — the suras, the verses, the words, the number of certain letters, the number of words from the same root, the number and variety of divine names, the unique spelling of certain words, the absence or deliberate alteration of certain letters within certain words, and many other elements of the Quran besides its content. There are two major facets of the Quran's mathematical system: (1) The mathematical literary composition, and (2) The mathematical structure involving the numbers of suras and verses. Because of this comprehensive mathematical coding, the slightest distortion of the Quran's text or physical arrangement is immediately exposed.

For the first time in history we have a scripture with built-in proof of divine authorship — a superhuman mathematical composition.

Any reader of this book can easily verify the Quran's mathematical miracle. The word “God” (Allah) is written in bold capital letters throughout the text. The cumulative frequency of occurrence of the word “God” is noted at the bottom of each page in the left hand corner. The number in the right hand corner is the cumulative total of the numbers for verses containing the word “God.” The last page of the text shows that the total occurrence of the word “God” is 2698, or 19×142. The total sum of verse numbers for all verses containing the word “God” is 118123, also a multiple of 19 (118123 = 19×6217). Nineteen is the common denominator throughout the Quran's mathematical system.

This phenomenon alone suffices as incontrovertible proof that the Quran is God's message to the world. No human being(s) could have kept track of 2698 occurrences of the word “God,” and the numbers of verses where they occur. This is especially impossible in view of (1) the age of ignorance during which the Quran was revealed, and (2) the fact that the suras and verses were widely separated in time and place of revelation. The chronological order of revelation was vastly different from the final format (Appendix 23). However, the Quran's mathematical system is not limited to the word “God;” it is extremely vast, extremely intricate, and totally comprehensive.

Like the Quran itself, the Quran's mathematical coding ranges from the very simple, to the very complex. The Simple Facts are those observations that can be ascertained without using any tools. The complex facts require the assistance of a calculator or a computer. The following facts do not require any tools to be verified, but please remember they all refer to the original Arabic text:

1. 1The first verse (1:1), known as "Basmalah," consists of 19 letters.
2. 2The Quran consists of 114 suras, which is 19 × 6.
3. 3The total number of verses in the Quran is 6346, or 19 × 334. [6234 numbered verses & 112 un-numbered verses (Basmalahs) 6234 + 112 = 6346] Note that 6 + 3 + 4 + 6 = 19.
4. 4The Basmalah occurs 114 times, despite its conspicuous absence from Sura 9 (it occurs twice in Sura 27) & 114 = 19 × 6.
5. 5From the missing Basmalah of Sura 9 to the extra Basmalah of Sura 27, there are precisely 19 suras.
6. 6It follows that the total of the sura numbers from 9 to 27 (9+10+11+...+27) is 342, or 19 × 18.
7. 7This total (342) also equals the number of words between the two Basmalahs of Sura 27, and 342 = 19 × 18.
8. 8The famous first revelation (96:1–5) consists of 19 words.
9. 9This 19-worded first revelation consists of 76 letters — 19 × 4.
10. 10Sura 96, first in the chronological sequence, consists of 19 verses.
11. 11This first chronological sura is placed atop the last 19 suras.
12. 12Sura 96 consists of 304 Arabic letters, and 304 equals 19 × 16.
13. 13The last revelation (Sura 110) consists of 19 words.
14. 14The first verse of the last revelation (110:1) consists of 19 letters.
15. 1514 different Arabic letters form 14 different sets of "Quranic Initials" (such as A.L.M. of 2:1), and prefix 29 suras. These numbers add up to 14 + 14 + 29 = 57 = 19 × 3.
16. 16The total of the 29 sura numbers where the Quranic Initials occur is 2+3+7+...+50+68 = 822, and 822 + 14 (14 sets of initials) equals 836, or 19 × 44.
17. 17Between the first initialed sura (Sura 2) and the last initialed sura (Sura 68) there are 38 un-initialed suras — 19 × 2.
18. 18Between the first and last initialed sura there are 19 sets of alternating "initialed" and "un-initialed" suras.
19. 19The Quran mentions 30 different numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 19, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 99, 100, 200, 300, 1000, 2000, 3000, 5000, 50,000, & 100,000. The sum of these numbers is 162,146 = 19 × 8,534.

The Quran is characterized by a unique phenomenon never found in any other book: 29 suras are prefixed with 14 different sets of “Quranic Initials,” consisting of one to five letters per set. Fourteen letters, half the Arabic alphabet, participate in these initials. The significance of the Quranic initials remained a divinely guarded secret for 14 centuries.

The Quran states in 10:20 and 25:4–6 that its miracle, i.e., proof of divine authorship, was destined to remain secret for a specific predetermined interim.

The Quranic Initials constitute a major portion of the Quran's 19-based mathematical miracle.

In 1968, Rashad Khalifa realized that the existing English translations of the Quran did not present the truthful message of God's Final Testament. For example, the two most popular translators, Yusuf Ali and Marmaduke Pickthall, could not overcome their corrupted religious traditions when it came to the Quran's great criterion in 39:45.

Yusuf Ali omitted the crucial word “ALONE” from his translation, and altered the rest of the verse by inserting the word “(gods).” Thus, he utterly destroyed this most important Quranic criterion. He translated 39:45 as follows:

The expression “When God, the One and Only, is mentioned,” is not the same as saying, “When God alone is mentioned.” One can mention “God, the One and Only,” and also mention Muhammad or Jesus, and no one will be upset. But if “God ALONE is mentioned,” you cannot mention anyone else, and a lot of people — those who idolize Muhammad or Jesus — will be upset. Thus, Yusuf Ali could not bring himself to present the truth of the Quran, if it exposed his corrupted belief.

Marmaduke Pickthall translated “ALONE” correctly, but destroyed the criterion by inserting his personal belief in parentheses; he translated 39:45 as follows:

When Rashad Khalifa saw the truth of God's word thus distorted, he decided to translate the Quran, at least for the benefit of his own children. Since he was a chemist by profession, and despite his extensive religious background — his father was a renowned Sufi leader in Egypt — he vowed to God that he would not move from one verse to the next unless he fully understood it.

He purchased all the available books of Quranic translations and exegeses (Tafseer), placed them on a large table, and began his translation. The first sura, The Key, was completed in a few days. The first verse in Sura 2 is “A.L.M.” The translation of this verse took four years, and coincided with the divine unveiling of “the secret,” the great mathematical Miracle of the Quran.

The books of Quranic exegeses unanimously agreed that “no one knows the meaning or significance of the Quranic Initials A.L.M., or any other initials.” He decided to write the Quran into the computer, analyze the whole text, and see if there were any mathematical correlations among these Quranic initials.

He used a time-share terminal, connected by telephone to a giant computer. To test his hypothesis, he decided to look at the single-lettered Quranic Initials — “Q” (Qaaf) of Suras 42 and 50, “S” (Saad) of Suras 7, 19, and 38, and “N” (Noon) of Sura 68. As detailed in his first book MIRACLE OF THE QURAN: SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MYSTERIOUS ALPHABETS (Islamic Productions, 1973), many previous attempts to unravel the mystery had failed.

The computer data showed that the text of the only Q-initialed suras, 42 and 50, contained the same number of Q's: 57 and 57. That was the first hint that a deliberate mathematical system might exist in the Quran.

Sura 50 is entitled “Q,” prefixed with “Q,” and the first verse reads, “Q, and the glorious Quran.” This indicated that “Q” stands for “Quran,” and the total number of Q's in the two Q-initialed suras represents the Quran's 114 suras (57 + 57 = 114 = 19×6). This idea was strengthened by the fact that “the Quran” occurs in the Quran 57 times. The Quran is described in Sura “Q” as “Majid” (glorious), and the Arabic word “Majid” has a gematrical value of 57: M(40) + J(3) + I(10) + D(4) = 57.

Glimpses of the Quran's mathematical composition began to emerge. For example, it was observed that the people who disbelieved in Lot are mentioned in 50:13 and occur in the Quran 13 times. Consistently, they are referred to as “Qawm,” with the single exception of the Q-initialed Sura 50 where they are referred to as “Ikhwaan.” Obviously, if the regular, Q-containing word “Qawm” were used, the count of the letter “Q” in Sura 50 would have become 58, and this whole phenomenon would have disappeared. With the recognized absolute accuracy of mathematics, the alteration of a single letter destroys the system.

Another relevant example is the reference to Mecca in 3:96as “Becca”! This strange spelling of the renowned city has puzzled Islamic scholars for many centuries. Although Mecca is mentioned in the Quran properly spelled in 48:24, the letter “M” is substituted with a “B” in 3:96. It turns out that Sura 3 is an M-initialed sura, and the count of the letter “M” would have deviated from the Quran's code if “Mecca” was spelled correctly in 3:96.

This initial is unique; it occurs in one sura, 68, and the name of the letter is spelled out as three letters — Noon Wow Noon — in the original text, and is therefore counted as two N's. The total count of this letter in the N-initialed sura is 133, 19×7.

The fact that “N” is the last Quranic Initial (see Table 1) brings out a number of special observations. For example, the number of verses from the first Quranic Initial (A.L.M. of 2:1) to the last initial (N. of 68:1) is 5263, or 19×277.

The word “God” (Allah) occurs 2641 (19×139) times between the first initial and the last initial. Since the total occurrence of the word “God” is 2698, it follows that its occurrence outside the initials “A.L.M.” of 2:1 on one side, and the initial “N” of 68:1 on the other side, is 57, 19×3.

This initial prefixes three suras, 7, 19, and 38, and the total occurrence of the letter “S” (Saad) in these three suras is 152, 19×8. It is noteworthy that in 7:69, the word “Bastatan” is written in some printings with a “Saad,” instead of “Seen.” This is an erroneous distortion that violates the Quran's code. By looking at the oldest available copy of the Quran, the Tashkent Copy, it was found that the word “Bastatan” is correctly written with a “Seen.”

These two letters prefix Sura 36. The letter “Y” occurs in this sura 237 times, while the letter “S” (Seen) occurs 48 times. The total of both letters is 285, 19×15.

It is noteworthy that the letter “Y” is written in the Quran in two forms; one is obvious and the other is subtle. The subtle form of the letter may be confusing to those who are not thoroughly familiar with the Arabic language. A good example is the word “Araany” which is mentioned twice in 12:36. The letter “Y” is used twice in this word, the first “Y” is subtle and the second is obvious. Sura 36 does not contain a single “Y” of the subtle type. This is a remarkable phenomenon, and one that does not normally occur in a long sura like Sura 36.

Seven suras are prefixed with the letters “H” and “M;” Suras 40 through 46. The total occurrence of these two letters in the seven H.M.-initialed suras is 2147, or 19×113. Naturally, the alteration of a single letter “H” or “M” in any of the seven H.M.-initialed suras would have destroyed this intricate phenomenon.

These initials constitute Verse 2 of Sura 42, and the total occurrence of these letters in this sura is 209, or 19×11. The letter “‘A” (‘Ayn) occurs 98 times, the letter “S” (Seen) occurs 54 times, and the letter “Q” (Qaf) occurs 57 times.

The letters “A,” “L,” and “M” are the most frequently used letters in the Arabic language. These letters prefix six suras — 2, 3, 29, 30, 31, and 32 — and the total occurrence of the three letters in each of the six suras is a multiple of 19: 9899 (19×521), 5662 (19×298), 1672 (19×88), 1254 (19×66), 817 (19×43), and 570 (19×30), respectively. Thus, the total occurrence of the three letters in the six suras is 19874 (19×1046), and the alteration of one of these letters destroys this phenomenon.

These initials are found in Suras 10, 11, 12, 14, and 15. The total occurrences of these letters in these suras are 2489 (19×131), 2489 (19×131), 2375 (19×125), 1197 (19×63), and 912 (19×48), respectively.

These initials prefix one sura, No. 13, and the total frequency of occurrence of the four letters is 1482, or 19×78. The letter “A” occurs 605 times, “L” occurs 480 times, “M” occurs 260 times, and “R” occurs 137 times.

Only one sura is prefixed with these initials, Sura 7, and the letter “A” occurs in this sura 2529 times, “L” occurs 1530 times, “M” occurs 1164 times, and “S” (Saad) occurs 97 times. Thus, the total occurrence of the four letters in this sura is 2529 + 1530 + 1164 + 97 = 5320 = 19×280.

An important observation here is the interlocking relationship involving the letter “S” (Saad). This initial occurs also in Suras 19 and 38. While complementing its sister letters in Sura 7 to give a total that is divisible by 19, the frequency of this letter also complements its sister letters in Suras 19 and 38 to give a multiple of 19. Additionally, the Quranic Initial “S” (Saad) interacts with the Quranic Initials “K.H.Y.‘A.” (Kaaf Haa Ya ‘Ayn) in Sura 19 to give another total that is also a multiple of 19. This interlocking relationship — which is not unique to the initial “S” (Saad) — contributes to the intricacy of the Quran's numerical code.

This is the longest set of initials, consisting of five letters, and it occurs in one sura, Sura 19. The letter “K” in Sura 19 occurs 137 times, “H” occurs 175 times, “Y” occurs 343 times, “‘A” occurs 117 times, and “S” (Saad) occurs 26 times. Thus, the total occurrence of the five letters is 137 + 175 + 343 + 117 + 26 = 798 = 19×42.

An intricate interlocking relationship links these overlapping Quranic Initials to produce a total that is also a multiple of 19. The initial “H.” is found in Suras 19 and 20. The initials “T.H.” prefix Sura 20. The initials “T.S.” are found in Sura 27, while the initials “T.S.M.” prefix its surrounding Suras 26 & 28.

It should be noted that the longer, more complex, interlocking and overlapping initials are found in the suras where uncommonly powerful miracles are narrated. For example, the virgin birth of Jesus is given in Sura 19, which is prefixed with the longest set of initials, K.H.Y.‘A.S. The interlocking initials “H.,” “T.H.,” “T.S.,” and “T.S.M.” prefix suras describing the miracles of Moses, Jesus, and the uncommon occurrences surrounding Solomon and his jinns. God thus provides stronger evidence to support stronger miracles.

When the Quran was revealed, 14 centuries ago, the numbers known today did not exist. A universal system was used where the letters of the Arabic, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek alphabets were used as numerals. The number assigned to each letter is its “Gematrical Value.” The numerical values of the Arabic alphabet are shown in Table 7.

Fourteen Arabic letters, half the Arabic alphabet, participate in the formation of 14 different sets of Quranic Initials. By adding the gematrical value of each one of these letters, plus the number of suras which are prefixed with Quranic Initials (29), we obtain a total of 722, or 19×19×2.

Additionally, if we add the total gematrical value of all 14 initials, plus the number of the first sura where the initial occurs, we get a grand total of 988, 19×52.

If we add the number of occurrences of each of the 14 letters as an initial, plus the numbers of the suras where it occurs as an initial, the Grand Total comes to 2033, 19×107.

The Grand Total for all initialed suras, combining total frequency of Quranic Initials with their total gematrical values in each sura, is 1,089,479 (19×57,341). The slightest alteration or distortion destroys the system.

The sum of numbers of suras and verses where the Quranic Initials are found, plus the initial's frequency of occurrence in that sura, plus the number of the first sura where the initials occur, plus the number of the last sura where the initials occur, produces a total that equals 44,232, or 19×2348. Thus, the distribution of the Quranic Initials in the initialed suras is so intricate that their counts and their placement within suras are intertwined to give a grand total that is a multiple of 19.

It is noteworthy that the initial “N” must be counted as two N's. This reflects the fact that the original Quranic text spells out this initial with 2 N's.

A special mathematical coding authenticates the number of verses where the Quranic Initials themselves are found. All Quranic Initials occur in Verse 1, except in Sura 42 (initials in Verses 1 and 2). The sum of all sura numbers (822), plus the count of initials per sura (79), plus initialed verses (30), equals 931 = 19×49. This fact is supported by a remarkable mathematical phenomenon: if we multiply the sura numbers by the number of initials per sura, instead of adding, the grand total is still divisible by 19.

Obviously, it is crucial to have two different initialed verses in Sura 42 in order to conform with the Quran's mathematical code. The fact that Verse 1 of Sura 42 consists of the two Quranic Initials “H.M.” and the second verse consists of the three Initials “‘A.S.Q.” has perplexed Muslim scholars and orientalists for 14 centuries.

Every element of the Quran is mathematically authenticated. When the numbers of all initialed suras are added to the number of verses in each sura, plus the number of verses containing initials, plus the gematrical values of those initials, the Grand Total is 7030, or 19×370. Remarkably, if we multiply instead of add the first two columns, the Grand Total is still divisible by 19: 63,536 = 19×3,344.

The numbers of suras and verses are among the basic elements of the Quran. Both initialed and un-initialed suras are independently coded. The numbers of all initialed suras, added to the number of verses in each sura and the sum of verse numbers (1+2+3+…+n), produce a Grand Total of 190,133, or 19×10,007. The values for the un-initialed suras add up to 237,785 = 19×12,515.

By adding the number of every sura to the number of the next sura and accumulating the sums to the end of the Quran, we obtain a value corresponding to each sura. The total values for the initialed suras come to 15,675 = 19×825. The values for the un-initialed suras add up to 237,785 = 19×12,515.

1. As shown earlier, the word “God” occurs in the Quran 2698 times, 19×142.
2. The numbers of verses where the word “God” occurs add up to 118,123, also a multiple of 19 (118,123 = 19×6,217).
3. From the first Quranic Initials (A.L.M. 2:1) to the last initial (N. 68:1), there are 2641, 19×139, occurrences of the word “God.”
4. The word “God” occurs 57 times in the section outside the initials (outside Suras 2–68).
5. By adding the numbers of the suras and verses where these 57 occurrences are found, we get a total of 2432, or 19×128.
6. The word “God” occurs in 85 suras. If we add the number of each sura to the number of verses between the first and last occurrences of the word “God,” both verses inclusive, the Grand Total comes to 8170, or 19×430.
7. The Quran's dominant message is that there is only “One God.” The word “One,” in Arabic “Wahed,” occurs in the Quran 25 times. Six of these occurrences refer to other than God (one kind of food, one door, etc.). The other 19 occurrences refer to God.

These simple phenomena gave us many difficulties while simply counting the word “God.” We were a group of workers, equipped with computers, and all of us college graduates. Yet, we made several errors in counting, calculating, or simply writing the counts of the word “God.” Those who still claim that Muhammad was the author of the Quran are totally illogical; he never went to college, and he did not have a computer.

The crucial importance of the word “ONE” as the Quran's basic message is manifested in the fact that the Quran's common denominator, 19, happens to be the gematrical value of the word “ONE” (Wahed): W(6) + A(1) + H(8) + D(4) = 19.

The opening statement of the Quran — “In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful” — consists of four words. Each word occurs in the Quran a number of times that is a multiple of 19: