The Mathematical Miracle of the Quran, (Appendix 1) - Part 1

of the Authorized English translation of the Quran

Part I

"One of the Great Miracles" [74:35]

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.

Simple To Understand Impossible To Imitate

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, Page 372, shows that the total occurrence of the word "God" is 2698, or 19x142. The total sum of verse numbers for all verses containing the word "God" is 118123, also a multiple of 19 (118123 = 19x6217).

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.

The Simple Facts

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. The first verse (1:1),known as "Basmalah," consists of 19 letters.
2. The Quran consists of 114 suras, which is ..............19 x 6.
3. The total number of verses in the Quran is 6346, or ....19 x 334. [6234 numbered verses & 112 un-numbered verses (Basmalahs) 6234+112 = 6346] Note that 6+3+4+6 =.......19.
4. The Basmalah occurs 114 times, despite its conspicuous absence from Sura 9 (it occurs twice in Sura 27) & 114= 19x6.
5. From the missing Basmalah of Sura 9 to the extra Basmalah of Sura 27, there are precisely ...............19 suras.
6. It follows that the total of the sura numbers from 9 to 27 (9+10+11+12+...+26+27) is 342, or .............19 x 18.
7. This total (342) also equals the number of words between the two Basmalahs of Sura 27, and 342 = ........19 x 18.
8. The famous first revelation (96:1-5) consists of .......19 words.
9. This 19-worded first revelation consists of 76 letters .19 x 4.
10. Sura 96, first in the chronological sequence, consists of .....................................................19 verses.
11. This first chronological sura is placed atop the last ..19 suras.
12. Sura 96 consists of 304 Arabic letters, and 304 equals .19 x 16.
13. The last revelation (Sura 110) consists of ............19 words.
14. The first verse of the last revelation (110:1) consists of ................19 letters.
15. 14 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 x 3.
16. The 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 x 44.
17. Between the first initialed sura (Sura 2) and the last initialed sura (Sura 68) there are 38 un-initialed suras 19 x 2.
18. Between the first and last initialed sura there are ....19 sets of alternating "initialed" and "un-initialed" suras.
19. The 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 162146, which equals 19x8534.

This is a condensed summary of the Simple Facts.

The Literary Mathematical Composition

Historical Background

In 1968, I 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.

"When God ALONE is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink with aversion. But when others are mentioned beside Him, they rejoice." [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:

"When God, the One and Only, is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are filled with disgust and horror; but when (gods) other than He are mentioned, behold, they are filled with joy." [39:45] (according to A. Yusuf Ali)

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:

"And when Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are repelled, and when those (whom they worship) beside Him are mentioned, behold! they are glad." [39:45] (according to Marmaduke Pickthal)

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

I purchased all the available books of Quranic translations and exegeses (Tafseer) I could find, placed them on a large table, and began my 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." I decided to write the Quran into the computer, analyze the whole text, and see if there were any mathematical correlations among these Quranic initials.

I used a time-share terminal, connected by telephone to a giant computer. To test my hypothesis, I 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 my first book MIRACLE OF THE QURAN: SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MYSTERIOUS ALPHABETS (Islamic Productions, 1973), many previous attempts to unravel the mystery had failed.

The Quranic Initial "Q" (Qaaf)

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 = 19x6). 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.

Sura 42 consists of 53 verses, and 42 + 53 = 95 = 19x5.

Sura 50 consists of 45 verses, and 50 + 45 = 95, same total as in Sura 42.

By counting the letter "Q" in every "Verse 19" throughout the Quran, the total count comes to 76, 19x4. Here is a summary of the Q-related data:

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 - 7:80; 11:70, 74, 89; 21:74; 22:43; 26:160; 27:54, 56; 29:28; 38:13; 50:13; and 54:33. 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 3:96 as "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.

NuN (Noon)

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, 19x7.

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 19x277.

The word "God" (Allah) occurs 2641 (19x139) 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, 19x3. Tables 9 to 20 prove that the initial "NuN" must be spelled out to show two N's.

S (Saad)

Historical Note

The momentous discovery that "19" is the Quran's common denominator became a reality in January 1974, coinciding with Zul-Hijjah 1393 A.H. The Quran was revealed in 13 B.H. (Before Hijrah). This makes the number of years from the revelation of the Quran to the revelation of its miracle 1393 + 13 = 1406 = 19x74. As noted above, the unveiling of the Miracle took place in January 1974. The correlation between 19x74 lunar years and 1974 solar years could not escape notice. This is especially uncanny in view of the fact that "19" is mentioned in Sura 74.

Y. S. (Ya 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, 19x15.

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. In my book QURAN: VISUAL PRESENTATION OF THE MIRACLE (Islamic Productions, 1982) every "Y" and "S" in Sura 36 is marked with a star.

A.L.M. (Alef Laam Mim)

A.L.M.R. (Alef Laam Mim Ra)

These initials prefix one sura, No. 13, and the total frequency of occurrence of the four letters is 1482, or 19x78. The letter "A" occurs 605 times, "L" occurs 480 times, "M" occurs 260 times, and "R" occurs 137 times.

A.L.M.S. (Alef Laam Mim Saad)

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 = 19x280.

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. (See above).

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. (See below). This inter- locking relationship - which is not unique to the initial "S" (Saad) - contributes to the intricacy of the Quran's numerical code.

K.H.Y.`A.S. (Kaaf Ha Ya `Ayn Saad)

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 = 19x42.

H., T.H. (Ta Ha), T.S. (Ta Seen),
& T.S.M. (Ta Seen Mim)

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.

What Is A "Gematrical Value"?

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.

Other Mathematical Properties of the Initialed Suras

Major Parameters of the Quranic
Initials (Suras, Verses, Frequency,
First Sura, & Last Sura)

Table 11 shows that the sum of numbers of suras and verses where the Quranic Initials are found, plus the initial's frequency of occur- rence 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 44232, or 19x2348. 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. As detailed in Table 11, all Quranic Initials occur in Verse 1, except in Sura 42 (initials in Verses 1 and 2). This fact is supported by the remarkable mathematical phenomenon detailed in Table 12. If we multiply the first two columns of Table 12, instead of adding, we still end up with a Total that is divisible by 19 (see Table 13).

Remarkably, if we multiply the first two columns of Table 14, instead of adding them, we still get a Grand Total that is divisible by 19 (Table 15).

The number of verses per sura, and the numbers assigned to each verse are among the basic elements of the Quran. Not only are these elements authenticated mathematically, but both initialed and un- initialed suras are independently coded. Since we are now dealing with the initialed suras, Table 16 presents the numbers assigned to these suras, added to the numbers of verses in each sura, plus the sum of verse numbers (1+2+3+ ... + n). The Grand total is 190133, or 19x10007.

Mathematical Coding Of Special Words

The Word "God" (Allah)

[1] As shown earlier the word "God" occurs in the Quran 2698 times, 19x142.

[2] The numbers of verses where the word "God" occurs add up to 118123, also a multiple of 19 (118123 = 19x6217).

For part II, please click here