BEAUTIFUL FINDINGS: THE NUMERICAL MIRALCE OF SURAT AL-FATIHA
In describing the Holy Qur’an, our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once explained that this is a Book whose wonders shall not cease, and whose marvels shall never be old.….
It is every Muslim’s belief that this Holy Book is one for all people and all ages, and one that will forever stand the test of time and never become obsolete. And in today’s age of technology and numbers, we are confronted with a new and profound Qur’anic miracle that speaks the language of this age; a mesmerizing indication of the truth of the Holy Qur’an, and a proof that its words could not have been altered.
THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE QUR’AN
One of our guides to this new type of miracle – the numerical miracle of the Qur’an – is none other than the very first Chapter of the Qur’an, namely “Surat Al-Fatiha” (Chapter: The Opening), where we discover numerous examples of numerical phenomena centred around the number 7.
And this is not strange, for in the Qur’an, God Almighty has in fact called this Chapter “The Seven Mathani” i.e. The Seven Oft Repeated Verses: (We have given thee seven of the oft repeated (Verses) (i.e. Surat Al-Fatiha) and the Grand Qur’an) [Al-Hijr, 15:87] (Stone Land, 15:87).
Therefore, we shall demonstrate that the numerical truths inherent in this opening Chapter are all consistently multiples of this central number of 7, to declare that God Almighty, the Creator of the seven heavens and the universe, is also the One who authored the divine words of the Holy Qur’an.
Please note that various explanations of the abovementioned Verse, as well as sayings of the Prophet Muhammad have come to show that the ‘Seven Oft Repeated Verses’ is a reference to Surat Al-Fatiha. Surat Al-Fatiha is indeed an oft-repeated Chapter, because Muslims repeat this Chapter in all of their daily prayers and it is the one Chapter which every Muslim has most certainly memorised by heart. In the context of Fact 6, we shall refer to Surat Al-Fatiha as the ‘Seven Mathani’ Chapter, and to the abovementioned Verse as the ‘Seven Mathani’ Verse. To put it briefly, ‘Mathani’ is Arabic for ‘Oft-Repeated’.
So why was the number 7 attributed to this Chapter?
The following 20 facts represent a modest effort at proving the existence of a numerical miracle in Surat Al-Fatiha, which no human can possibly manufacture. The foundation of this miracle will always be the number 7.
FACT 1
The first Chapter in the Qur’an, Surat Al-Fatiha, which is considered “Umm Al-Kitab” (The Mother of the Book), consists of 7 Verses.
Similarly, the number 7 has a significant presence in the life of every person and every believer in particular. There are 7 heavens, the Earth’s crust has 7 layers, the Earth has 7 atmospheric layers, the days of the week are 7 and there are 7 continents. Specifically for Muslims, when performing “Hajj” in Mecca, they complete 7 laps around the Ka’aba. In addition, a Muslim in prayer prostrates on 7 body parts (face, 2 hands, 2 knees, 2 feet), and the importance of this number is often noted in the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.
Please note that the number 7, as discussed in other research articles, has many wonderful implications throughout the Qur’an, and is the basis for all research relating to the Qur’an’s numerical miracle. Indeed, God Almighty has organised the letters, words, Verses and Chapters of his Book based upon this number, as proof that the author of the Holy Qur’an is in fact the Creator of the seven heavens and the universe.
Furthermore, according to Muslims, God Almighty has created 7 doors to Hellfire, and the word “Hellfire” (جهنم) happens to be repeated in the Qur’an exactly 77 times; this number is our first example of a multiple of 7:
“Hellfire” is mentioned in the Qur’an 77 times, or 11 x 7
FACT 2
We don’t expect people to be convinced yet; this is only the start.
The Arabic language is the language of the Qur’an, and the number of letters in the Arabic alphabet is 28. This number, of course, is divisible by 7:
There are 28 Arabic letters in the Qur’an, or 4 x 7
In addition, out of these 28 letters, only 7 letters are not used in Surat Al-Fatiha
(ث- ج- خ- ز- ش- ظ- ف). This means that 21 Arabic letters are used in this Chapter, and again, this number is a multiple of 7:
Number of Arabic letters used in Surat Al-Fatiha is 21, or 3 x 7
FACT 3
The Holy Qur’an contains some ‘special letters’ which create ‘special words’ that are used as the opening Verses of 29 Chapters. We call them ‘special’ because the full meaning behind these seemingly disconnected characters ((الم، طسم، كهيعص… has not yet been fully understood, but the number of different ‘special letters’ used – without any repetition – is exactly 14:
‘Special letters’ used in the Qur’an (without repetition) are 14, or 2 x 7
Interestingly enough, all 14 letters are used in Surat Al-Fatiha, and these 14 letters are repeated exactly 119 times in this Chapter; another encounter with a multiple of 7:
‘Special letters’ used in Surat Al-Fatiha (without repetition) are 14, or 2 x 7
‘Special letters’ used in Surat Al-Fatiha (with repetition) are 119, or 17 x 7
FACT 4
This is one of the more intriguing examples. The letters comprising the word “Allah” in Arabic, namely (الله), are 3, and these are “Alif” (أ), “Laam” (ل), and “Haa’” (ه), and counting the instances when these letters are repeated in Surat Al-Fatiha, we find exactly 49, a multiple of 7:
The letters making up the Arabic word for Allah (الله): ‘Alif’, ‘Laam’ and ‘Haa’ are repeated in Surat Al-Fatiha 49 times, or 7 x 7
FACT 5
We mentioned that there are 14 ‘special letters’ in the Qur’an. We also mentioned that these letters make up ‘special words’ which are used as the opening Verses of 29 Qur’anic Chapters. This number, however, includes repetitions. For example, (الــر) is a ‘special word’ which is used as the opening Verse of several Chapters. And ignoring any repetition, the number of different ‘special words’ is also 14, just like the number of ‘special letters’.
That being said, the first ‘special word’ in the Qur’an is (الــم), which is the first Verse in Surat Al-Baqara (Chapter: The Cow), the second Chapter of the Qur’an. Now, taking the three letters which create (الــم) separately, we will look for the repetition of each separate letter in Surat Al-Fatiha. We find that ‘Alif’ (أ), ‘Laam’ (ل) and ‘Meem’ (م) are repeated 22, 22 and 15 times respectively as follows:
Meem (م) Laam (ل) Alif (أ)
15 22 22
It must be noted that in all our research of the numerical miracle, we follow one consistent method of arranging numbers, and that is by doing so in the order in which they are logically read in Arabic, i.e. from right to left. In other words, the numbers above create the 6-digit whole number 152222.
The number we arrive at above is, amazingly, perfectly divisible by 7:
The repetition of the three special letters ‘Alif’, ‘Laam’ and ‘Meem’ (الــم) separately in Surat Al-Fatiha forms 152222, or 21746 x 7
FACT 6
The same above exercise will be applied to what is known as the ‘Basmala’. The Basmala is the first Verse of Surat Al-Fatiha, (بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم) (In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful). The Basmala, which is also found elsewhere in the Qur’an, is a commonly recited Verse that Muslims normally repeat before commencing any activity in their daily lives.
As is well known amongst Muslims, there are different ways of reciting the Qur’an. Some types of recitations don’t actually treat the Basmala as a Verse of Surat Al-Fatiha, and recitation begins from the second Verse onwards! Despite this, however, we still find a numerical arrangement based on the number 7 in this very Verse.
The three letters (الــم) are cited in the Basmala as follows:
Meem (م) Laam (ل) Alif (أ)
3 4 3
This produces the number 343, which (you guessed it) is a multiple of 7 once again:
The repetition of the three letters ‘Alif’, ‘Laam’ and ‘Meem’ (الــم) in the Basmala forms 343, or 49 x 7
FACT 7
The Verse which speaks about Surat Al-Fatiha is the 87th Verse of Surat Al-Hijr:
(We have given thee seven of the oft repeated (Verses) (i.e. Surat Al-Fatiha) and the Grand Qur’an) [Al-Hijr, 15:87] (Stone Land, 15:87).
God Almighty has placed this Verse in Surat Al-Hijr, a Chapter in which the first Verse is a “special phrase”, namely (الــر). The question here is whether any connection related to the number 7 exists.
As we did in Fact 5, we will now take the three letters which comprise (الــر) separately, and look for repetitions of each separate letter in this Verse. We find that ‘Alif’ (أ), ‘Laam’ (ل) and ‘Raa’ (ر) are repeated 7 times, 4 times and 1 time respectively.
Raa (ر) Laam (ل) Alif (أ)
1 4 7
The resulting number – 147 – is a multiple of 7, not once, but twice:
The repetition of the letters ‘Alif’, ‘Laam’ and ‘Raa’ (الــر) separately in the 87th Verse of Surat Al-Hijr (The ‘Seven Mathani’ Verse) forms 147, or 3 x 7 x 7
Continuing, we find that incredibly, the repetition of the very same letters in Surat Al Fatiha also divides by 7 twice!! Indeed, ‘Alif’ (أ), ‘Laam’ (ل) and ‘Raa’ (ر) are repeated 22 times, 22 times and 8 times respectively:
Raa (ر) Laam (ل) Alif (أ)
8 22 22
This number – 82222 – also divides by 7 twice:
The repetition of the three letters ‘Alif’, ‘Laam’ and ‘Raa’ (الــر) separately in Surat Al-Fatiha (The ‘Seven Mathani’ Chapter) forms 82222, or 1678 x 7 x 7
And that is not all. We actually find another link between the ‘Seven Mathani’ Chapter (Surat Al-Fatiha) and the ‘Seven Mathani’ Verse in Surat Al-Hijr. It relates to the number of words in each of these. Surat Al-Fatiha comprises of 31 words and the ‘Seven Mathani’ Verse comprises of 9 words:
Word Count in ‘7 Mathani’ Verse Word Count in ‘7 Mathani’ Chapter
9 31
The number we arrive at – 931 – is once again, a multiple of 7 twice:
The number of words in the ‘Seven Mathani’ Chapter and the ‘Seven Mathani’ Verse forms 931, or 19 x 7 x 7
We now reflect: The 87th Verse of Surat Al-Hijr speaks of Surat Al-Fatiha, which is known as the Seven Oft-Repeated Verses, or the ‘Seven Mathani’ Chapter. The repetition of the three separate letters of the ‘special phrase’ (الــر) in this Verse forms a multiple of seven twice. Similarly, the repetition of these separate letters in Surat Al-Fatiha itself forms a multiple of seven twice. And incredibly, the number of words in both Surat Al-Fatiha and this 87th Verse of Surat Al-Hijr forms a number which divides by seven twice!
Is this not a profound example of concise arrangement worth pondering upon?
FACT 8
One of the beauties of Surat Al-Fatiha is that it links the beginning of the Qur’an to its end, with the number 7 placed at the heart of this connection. That being said, the first Chapter in the Qur’an, Surat Al-Fatiha, is Chapter 1, and the last Chapter of the Qur’an, Surat Al-Nas [Chapter: Mankind] is Chapter 114. These two numbers come together to form 1141, a multiple of 7:
The Chapter numbers of the first and last Chapters of the Qur’an form 1141, or 163 x 7
FACT 9
Similar to the above fact, we find a link between the first Verse and the last Verse in the Qur’an. The first Verse is of course the opening Verse of Surat Al-Fatiha, namely (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ) (In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful) [Al-Fatiha, 1:1]. The number of letters in each of its four words are 6 – 6 – 4 – 3 respectively. The number 6643 indeed divides by 7:
The number of letters in each word of the first Verse of the Quran forms 6643, or 949 x 7
To avoid inconsistency, we consult the last Verse of the Qur’an,(مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ) (Of the jinn and of mankind) [Al-Nas, 114:6]. The number of letters in each of its four words are 5 – 1 – 5 – 2 respectively. The outcome, 5152, is also a multiple of 7:
The number of letters in each word of the last Verse of the Quran forms 5152, or 736 x 7
FACT 10
Having found a link in both the first and last Chapter and the first and last Verse, we shall now tackle more delicate grounds by looking at the first and last word in the Qur’an.
The very first word is(بسم) (In the Name of) and the last word is(الناس) (mankind). Searching for these words throughout the Qur’an, the first word (اسم) (i.e. Name) is cited 22 times in the Qur’an, and the last word (الناس) is cited 241 times. Again, the resulting number – 24122 – is a perfect multiple of 7:
The repetition of the first and last word in the Qur’an forms 24122, or 3446 x 7
Pondering upon these findings, we have witnessed a connection between the first and last Chapter, the first and last Verse and even the first and last word of the Qur’an. The method used for finding this connection has always been one and the same, and the basis of this connection has always been the number 7. The question that begs itself is: can this simply boil down to pure coincidence?
FACT 11
Such consistency is not merely limited to both ends of the Qur’an. Rather, it is even found in the beginning and end of Surat Al-Fatiha.
That being said, the first Verse of Surat Al-Fatiha, (بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم), consists of 19 letters. The last Verse of this Chapter,
(صرط الذين أنعمت عليهم غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الضالين), consists of 43 letters.
Combining these numbers, 4319, we arrive at a multiple of 7:
The number of letters in the first and last Verse of Surat Al-Fatiha forms 4319, or 617 x 7
And to remove the possibility of coincidence, we shall count the letters of both these Verses again, but this time without any repetition (i.e. the letters of the alphabet contained in these two Verses). We now find that the first and last Verse of Surat Al-Fatiha contain 10 and 16 alphabetical letters respectively. The outcome, 1610, gives a multiple of 7 once again:
The number of letters (without repetition) in the first and last Verse of Surat Al-Fatiha forms 1610, or 230 x 7
Finally, we point out that the number of words in the first Verse is 4, and the number of words in the last Verse is 10. Therefore, the total number of words in both Verses is 14, a multiple of 7:
The total number of words in the first and last Verse of Surat Al-Fatiha is 14, or 2 x 7
FACT 12
This mesmerising fact answers the following question: Why did God Almighty divide Surat Al-Fatiha into seven Verses?
The answer, of course, is that God’s wisdom is ultimate, and we will never know the entire reason behind this and many other phenomena because our knowledge will always be limited, but we can at least attempt to identify some traces of the answer.
We also believe that a profound numerical miracle exists to help explain the division of Surat Al-Fatiha into seven Verses. That being said, each Verse of this Chapter ends with a particular word; these words are as follows:
(الرحيم – العلمين – الرحيم – الدين – نستعين – المستقيم – الضالين)
These words are called the ‘breaks’ or ‘intervals’ of a Chapter, because they separate between each Verse.
Incredibly, the letters of these seven words have come to present an astounding numerical result based on the number 7. Counting the number of letters in each separate word, we arrive at the following: 7 – 8 – 6 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 6. This number, 7865676, divides by 7 an astounding 5 times!
The number of letters in each separate ‘interval’ word in Surat Al-Fatiha forms 7865676, or 468 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7
FACT 13
Every Chapter in the Qur’an is identified by two numbers: The Chapter number and the number of Verses. And one of the wonders of Surat Al-Fatiha is its connection with other significant Chapters of the Qur’an with respect to these two numbers.
One of these Chapters is Surat Al-Ikhlas (Chapter: Sincerity), a Chapter about which the Prophet Muhammad once commented, saying that reciting it equalled one third of the Qur’an in reward. To explain further, Surat Al-Fatiha is Chapter 1 and its Verses are 7. Surat Al-Ikhlas is Chapter 112 and its Verses are 4. These numbers are, as always, arranged in logical order (i.e. Surat Al-Fatiha first, its Chapter number followed by the number of its Verses, followed by Surat Al-Ikhlas, etc.). This leaves us with 4 – 112 – 7 – 1, a multiple of 7:
The Chapter number and number of Verses of both Surat Al-Fatiha and Surat Al-Ikhlas are arranged to form 411271, or 58753 x 7
FACT 14
The exact same connection observed in the fact above is found with two Chapters that the Prophet Muhammad frequently recited. These are the last two Chapters of the Qur’an, namely Surat Al-Falaq (Chapter: The Daybreak, Dawn) and Surat Al-Nas (Chapter: Mankind). They are also known as “Al-Mu’awwithatain” (The two Chapters of refuge), since both begin with “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of…”
Therefore, applying the same logic that was followed in Fact 13, Surat Al-Fatiha is Chapter 1 and its Verses are 7, and Surat Al-Falaq is Chapter 113 and its Verses are 5. We are left with 5 – 113 – 7 – 1, a multiple of 7:
The Chapter number and number of Verses of both Surat Al-Fatiha and Surat Al-Falaq are arranged to form 511371, or 73053 x 7
As for Surat Al-Nas, we find that it is Chapter 114 and its Verses are 6. The outcome is 6 – 114 – 7 – 1, a number which divides by 7 yet again:
The Chapter number and number of Verses of both Surat Al-Fatiha and Surat Al-Nas are arranged to form 611471, or 87353 x 7
And now to reflect: Surat Al-Fatiha is linked to the last three Chapters of the Qur’an on a numerical level, in precisely the same way, and the foundation of all these connections is the number 7. And had the Chapter number or number of Verses of any of the above Chapters differed by no more than one digit, the entire test would have failed miserably, because we would have arrived at decimals rather than whole numbers.
We can only ask: is there any book on the face of this Earth that maintains such a delicately consistent arrangement?
FACT 15
All the numbers related to Surat Al-Fatiha are in fact connected with each other on the same basis (yes, the number 7!).
In other words, Surat Al-Fatiha is Chapter 1, it has 7 Verses and consists of exactly 31 words. These numbers give 31 – 7 – 1, which is a multiple of 7:
The Chapter number, number of Verses and number of words are arranged to form 3171, or 453 x 7
FACT 16
Facts 4 told us that Allah’s name in Arabic, (الله), is made up of three letters, namely “Alif” (أ), “Laam” (ل), and “Haa’” (ه), and these three letters are found 49 times in Surat Al-Fatiha.
Revisiting this fact, we now ask: How exactly were these three letters arranged in this Chapter? This is better illustrated below, by presenting Surat Al-Fatiha entirely, as it is read in the Qur’an (the 3 letters are each highlighted in a different colour):
(بسم اللـه الرحمن الرحيم * الحمد للـه رب العلمين * الرحمن الرحيم * ملك يوم الدين * إياك نعبد وإياك نستعين* اهدنا الصرط المستقيم * صرط الذين أنعمت عليهم غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الضالين)
We will now look for the three letters that comprise the name of (الله) in each of the Chapter’s 31 words. The first word, (بسم), contains none of these letters, therefore the first number is zero. The second, (الله), has 4 of these letters (i.e. ‘Alif’ once, ‘Laam’ twice, and ‘Haa’ once) and so on. The number we arrive at is 31 digits long:
42022021202230200220122303
And believe it or not, as large as this number is, it divides perfectly by 7 (no decimals!!!):
The repetition of the three letters comprising the word (الله) in each word of Surat Al-Fatiha forms 42022021202230200220122303
or 60031458860328857457317576
Again, if any of the 31 digits had been any different, this consistency would have been shattered by the appearance of decimals.
FACT 17
Now, we look for the three letters comprising God Almighty’s name, (الله), in each of the Basmala’s four words. The resulting number is 2240, and surely enough, it divides by 7:
The repetition of the three letters comprising the word (الله) in each word of the Basmala is 2240, or 320 x 7
Isn’t this like a watermark signature on behalf of God Almighty, a hidden confirmation that it is none other than He who authored the Holy Qur’an?
FACT 18
This fact demonstrates to us that the precision of the numerical miracle is so profound, to the extent that it covers all the letters of Surat Al-Fatiha.
As we stated in Fact 2, 21 different Arabic letters are used in Surat Al-Fatiha. We shall now illustrate how frequently each of these letters is repeated in this Chapter, in descending order (from most to least frequently repeated letter). The result is as follows:
أ ل م ي ن ر ع هـ ح ب د و س ك ت ص ط غ ض ق ذ
1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 8 11 14 15 22 22
The 26-digit number, 11222233344455681114152222
The repetition of the all the letters of Surat Al-Fatiha, arranged in descending order, forms 11222233344455681114152222
Could the Prophet Muhammad have possibly manufactured and hidden such a perfect numerical code within the Verses of the Qur’an?
FACT 19
Despite the example shown above in Fact 18, some people may claim that the large number we arrived at is only a coincidence. We respect all opinions despite our beliefs. And to be frank, although we find it highly unlikely, the possibility of coincidence is not impossible.
Therefore, we apply the same logic that was followed in previous facts, where we performed the same experiment twice: Once by taking Surat Al-Fatiha as a whole, and once by considering the Basmala on its own.
In the previous fact, we examined the repetition of the letters of Surat Al-Fatiha as a whole, and now, we shall look for the repetition of the letters of the Basmala alone.
The Basmala, of course, is (بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم). It consists of 10 different Arabic letters. Again, we write the frequency of each letter below in descending order:
ل م أ ر ح ب س هـ ن ي
1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 4
Surely enough, this number, 1111122334, passes the test of divisibility by 7:
The repetition of the all letters of the Basmala, arranged in descending order, form 1111122334, or 158731762 x 7
FACT 20
Someone may ask: ‘You only addressed the Qur’an in its textual form. What about the pronunciation of the Qur’an’s words? Is there anything miraculous about it?’ To this, we confidently say that the scope of the numerical miracle covers both the written and recited word of the Qur’an.
Having said that, a quick Arabic lesson needs to be learnt by those who are unfamiliar with the language. Some Arabic words contain letters that are pronounced twice but written only once. This is known as consonant doubling, and the technical term is ‘gemination’. In Arabic, this is known as ‘tashdiid’. “Instead of writing the letter twice, Arabic has a diacritical symbol that is written above the doubled consonant which shows that it is pronounced with twice the emphasis.”[1] The name of this symbol is ‘shadda’ (intensification), and it looks like this: ّ (looks like a mini ‘w’). So for example, the word ‘very’ in Arabic is جدّاً. The transliteration of this word is ‘jidd-an’. The letter ‘d’ is the equivalent of the letter ‘د ’ in Arabic. Notice, however, that the English letter ‘d’ is written twice, while the Arabic letter ‘د ’ is written just once. Instead of writing ‘د ’ twice, the ‘shadda’ is inserted to represent the need to emphasise the double ‘d’ sound, i.e. it is written as جدّاً to illustrate ‘tashdiid’.
Therefore, we ask: Are these ‘shadda’ letters involved in any numerical arrangement?
The answer is that there are exactly 14 such letters in Surat Al-Fatiha, and this is the first multiple of 7. But more interesting is the way in which these 14 letters are arranged in this Chapter. Indeed, this Chapter consists of seven Verses, and each Verse contains a particular number of “shadda” letters:
Verse Number: [7] [6] [5] [4] [3] [2] [1]
Number of “shadda” letters: 3 1 2 1 2 2 3
The number 3121223 is a multiple of 7:
The number of “shadda” letters arranged according to their appearance in each Verse of Surat Al-Fatiha forms 3121223, or 445889 x 7
That is not all, however. Even more astonishing is the order in which these 14 letters are found across the 31 words of Surat Al-Fatiha. Below, we have reproduced the entire Chapter, highlighting the 14 “shadda” letters:
(بسم اللّه الرّحمن الرّحيم. الحمد لـلّه ربّ العلمين. الرّحمن الرّحيم. ملك يوم الدّين. إيّاك نعبد وإيَّاك نستعين. اهدنا الصّرط المستقيم. صرط الّذين أنعمت عليهم غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الضَّالّين)
We will now look for the number of “shadda” letters in each word of Surat Al-Fatiha. Clearly, this number will be very large, and will include many zeros, but nevertheless, it is as follows:
20000000100100100110011011
And incredibly, this massive number is none other than a multiple of 7!
The number of “shadda” letters in each word of Surat Al-Fatiha forms 20000000100100100110011011
28571428714428714442872872
Upon reflection, we say: When reciting Surat Al-Fatiha, the number of “shadda” letters represents a multiple of 7. Furthermore, the arrangement of these letters in every Verse of this Chapter represents a multiple of 7. And finally, counting the number of “shadda” letters in each word of this Chapter gives us a 31-digit number that, again, is a multiple of 7.
MIRACLE OR JUST A COINCIDENCE?
Finally, we must put matters into perspective by logically considering the above facts. How indeed did this series of consistent numerical arrangements take place?
There are only two available possibilities here: Coincidence or miracle.
Although coincidence simply cannot occur in one Chapter as frequently as it did with Surat Al-Fatiha, we can nevertheless mathematically calculate the probability of coincidence using the simple law of probabilities.
Thus, in any literary text, the probability of deriving a number that divides by 7 is 1/7. The probability of deriving two numbers that divide by 7 is 1/7 x 7, or 1/49. The probability of deriving three numbers that are multiples of 7 is 1/7 x 7 x 7, or 1/343. As we can see, the probability of coincidence diminishes with every additional number divisible by 7.
And as we discovered with Surat Al-Fatiha, more than 30 multiples of 7 were extracted! Mathematically, the probability of this being mere coincidence is 1/
It is at such moments when we remember the profound Verses of challenge in the Qur’an:
(Let them then produce a recital like unto it (the Quran) if they are truthful) (Al-Tuur, 52:34) [The Mount, 52:34].
(Say: “If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support) (Al-Isra’, 17:88) [The Night Journey, 17:88].
(Do they not consider the Qur’an (with care)? Had it been from other than God, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy) (Al-Nisa’, 4:82) [Women, 4:82].
CONCLUSION
It is crucial to note that the various numerical methods explored above, from arranging numbers to finding sequences and patterns linking words to numbers, are all very recently discovered techniques. This is only one way in which the Holy Qur’an exceeds modern science and technology in wisdom and knowledge.
Also, the accuracy of the above calculations must be appreciated. The wonders of Surat Al-Fatiha have been presented in light of absolute numerical precision; the numbers we arrived at, no matter how large, were always multiples of 7; this means that they were always whole numbers with no decimals!
The numerical consistencies and arrangements successfully prevailed in all our examples. This accuracy was maintained everywhere from the Chapter numbers, numbers of Verses, numbers of words, and even the numbers of letters. It must be stated that the meticulous care for detail is unparalleled in any other book, and is something that humans are unable to fully comprehend, let alone produce.
We must also stop and admire the Arabic language, and particularly the Arabic of the Qur’an. This is because the Qur’an, in its textual form is written in classical Arabic, and the way in which some words are written in classical Arabic differs from modern Arabic as we know it today. For example, in Surat Al-Fatiha, the word صرط)) is found in the seventh Verse. In modern Arabic, this word is written with an additional letter “Alif” (أ), making it صراط)). Had this been the way this small word was written in the Chapter, many of the facts discussed above would simply have become incorrect, and the numerical arrangement would have been completely falsified. This tells us that the exact wording of the Qur’an has been preserved, and that the divine precision of the Holy Qur’an stretches to the very minute of details.
We appreciate the fact that people who don’t know Arabic may find some difficulty in easily following every detailed fact, and have therefore attempted to explain things as simply as possible. However, the beauty of the numerical miracle, of course, is that it speaks the language of numbers, a universal language that people of all tongues can relate to with relative ease.
We found that some of the numbers that were derived were significantly large, which means that a normal calculator does not usually suffice, and even a scientific one may not necessarily provide the intended result. We therefore provided a useful link to an online calculator that performs such large calculations, and gives answers up to one million digits, meaning that readers can clearly see whether a number contains decimals or not. That is, if our normal calculators at home are not sufficient enough to perform such calculations, what calculator could the Prophet Muhammad have used 1400 years ago, if he indeed was the one who designed the numerical miracle?
The Qur’an defends itself in the following Verse:
(Or do they say, “He (Muhammad pbuh) forged it”? say: “Bring then a Surah (Chapter) like unto it, and call (to your aid) anyone you can besides God, if it be ye speak the truth!”) (Yunus, 10:38) [Jonah, 10:38].
Indeed, for anyone doubting the miracle of the Qur’an, we simply present to them the Qur’an’s challenge, and say that regardless the author of the Qur’an, this challenge has not yet been matched, even in this day and age. Also, can anyone realistically come up with a Chapter like Surat Al-Fatiha, which contains a similarly unique numerical arrangement, whilst preserving meaning, context, wisdom and profound language throughout the Chapter? This is simply beyond the scope of human competence, which is why the divine challenges of the Qur’an have persisted more than 14 centuries after the Qur’an was revealed.
Indeed, it is but a never-ending miracle. Allah says: (Had We sent down this Qur’an on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rending asunder by the fear of Allah. Such are the parables which We put forward to mankind, that they may reflect) (Al-Hashr, 59:21) [Exile, 59:21].
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