The Fourth Section, Which Is the Fourth Treatise
Reminder: One hundred and sixty verses were written in explanation of the important point concerning the word “Messenger.” In addition to these verses having a glorious quality, they form a Qur’anic supplication for those who want to memorize or recite different verses, since they prove and complete one another with regard to the meaning and their meanings are very profound. In degree, the eloquence and beauty of the sixty‑nine verses in the explanation of the sublime point concerning the word “Qur’an” is also most wondrous and elevated. This may be recommended to our brothers as a second Qur’anic supplication.
In regard to the word “Qur’an,” it was present in the seven lines of the word, which included all of them with the exception of two, and since these latter had the meaning of qira’at, their remaining outside the pattern strengthened the point. As for the word “Messenger,” since the Suras most connected with the word are Sura Muhammad and Sura al‑Fath, and since we limited it to the lines of the word appearing in those two Suras, the instances of the word outside those have not been included. If time permits, the mysteries these hold will be explained, if Allah so wills.
The Third Point
Consists of four points.
First Point
The word “Allah” is mentioned two thousand eight hundred and six times. Including in the Bismillah’s (In the Name of God’s), the word “Merciful (Raḥmān)” one hundred and fifty‑nine; “Compassionate (Raḥīm),” two hundred and twenty; “Forgiving (Ghafūr),” sixty‑one; “Sustainer (Rabb),” eight hundred and forty‑six; “Wise (Ḥakīm),” eighty‑six; “Knowing (‘Alīm),” one hundred and twenty‑six; “Powerful (/Qadīr),” thirty-one; the “He” (Hū) in There is no god but He, twenty‑six times. The number of times the word “Allah” is repeated contains many mysteries and subtle points.
For instance, the number of times “Merciful,” “Compassionate,” “Forgiving,” and “Wise,” which are the most mentioned after “Allah” and “Sustainer,” are repeated together with the word “Allah,” is equal to half the number of the Qur’an’s verses. And repetitions of “Allah,” together with “Sustainer,” which is mentioned instead of the word “Allah,” again equal half the number of the Qur’an’s verses. The word “Sustainer” is mentioned eight hundred and forty‑six times, but if these are studied carefully, it will be seen that around five hundred of them are mentioned in place of the word “Allah,” while around two hundred are not.
Also, repetitions of “Allah” together with “Merciful,” “Compassionate,” “Knowing,” and the He of the phrase There is no god but He are again equal in number to half of the verses; the difference is only four. And together with “All‑Powerful” instead of He, they again equal half the number of verses; the difference here is nine. There are numerous subtle points in the total number of time the word “Allah,” but for now we deem this point to be sufficient.
Second Point
This is in respect of the Suras, and it too contains many subtle points. It contains coincidences (tevâfukat) in a way that points to an order, intention, and will.
In Sura al‑Baqara, the number of instances of the word “Allah” and the number of the verses is the same. There is a difference of four, but four “He’s” replace the word “Allah,” like the He in There is no god but He and they correspond exactly.
In Sura Al‑i ‘Imran, again the word “Allah” and the number of verses coincide and are equal. Only, “Allah” is mentioned two hundred and nine times and there are two hundred verses, making a difference of nine. But small differences do not mar the fine points of eloquence and literary merits such as these; an approximate coincidence is enough.
The total number of verses of Suras al‑Nisa, al-Ma’ida, and al-An‘am coincides with the total number of instances of the word “Allah:” the number of verses is four hundred and sixty-four, and the number of instances of the word “Allah” four hundred and sixty-one; with the “Allah” of the Bismillahs, it coincides exactly.
And for example, the number of instances of the word “Allah” in the first five Suras is twice the number of the word in Suras al‑A‘raf, al-Anfal, al-Tawba, Yunus, and Hud. That is, the second five are half the first five. Then the number of instances of the word in the following suras, Yusuf, al-Ra‘d, Ibrahim, al-Hijr, and al-Nahl, is half that, and in the following Suras, al-Isra, al-Kahf, Maryam, Ta. Ha., al-Anbiya, and al-Hajj, it is again halved. And so it continues to decrease in approximately the same ratio in the following groups of five Suras. There are, however, some differences and deficiencies but they cause no harm in such stations of address. For example, some are one hundred and twenty‑one, others are one hundred and twenty-five, others are one hundred and fifty-four, and yet others are one hundred and fifty-nine.
Then, the five Suras which begin with Sura al‑Zukhruf decrease to an eighth. And in the five beginning with Sura al-Najm, it is a sixty-fourth, but this is approximate. Differences arising from small errors do not harm stations of address such as these. The subsequent three groups of five short Suras contain only three instances each of the word “Allah.”
And this shows that chance has not interfered at all in the number of the word; the numbers of it have been specified in accordance with wisdom and order.
The Third Point Is About the Word “Allah”
This concerns its relation to the pages and is as follows:
The number of instances of the word on one page looks to that page’s reverse side, and that page sometimes looks to its facing page, and sometimes to the left‑hand facing page and to the reverse face of the facing page. I studied a coincidence in my own copy of the Qur’an and observed what was generally a very fine numerical relationship. I marked them in my copy. Very often they are equal, and sometimes they are a half or a third. Their positioning tells of a wisdom, purpose, and order.
Fourth Point
This concerns coincidences on a single page.
My brothers and I compared three or four different copies and we came to the conclusion that the coincidences were intended in all of them. However, since copyists for printed copies had different aims in view, the coincidences lost their order to a degree. But if they were set in order, coincidences would become apparent to the number of the two thousand eight hundred and six instances of the word Allah in the whole Qur’an with only rare exceptions.
A light of miraculousness shines in this, because the human mind could not encompass a page as extensive as this and interfere in it. And the hand of chance could not reach up to such a situation, so full of meaning and wisdom.
We are having a new Qur’an written in order to demonstrate this Fourth Point to a degree, which together with preserving the pages and lines of the most widely used copies of the Qur’an, will set in order the places that have lost their order due to the slackness of calligraphers, and will display the true order of the coincidences, if Allah so wills. Indeed, it was displayed.
Allah! O Revealer of the Qur’an! For the sake of the Qur’an, allow us to understand its mysteries so long as the spheres revolve. And grant blessings and peace to the one to whom You revealed the Qur’an, and to all his Family and Companions. Amen.