Recommendation: Also kindly read the e-book-'Critical Evaluation of Rashad Khalifa with Quran-Alone' @: https://rashadkhalifafakemessenger.wordpress.com
THE QUR’AN’S
THE QUR’AN’S
NUMERICAL
MIRACLE
By
Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
© Abu
Ameenah Bilal Philips, 1987/1407 AH 2nd Edition
2002
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Preface
|
5
|
|
Foreword
|
11
|
|
Introduction
|
13
|
|
1
|
Interpretation out of
Context
|
19
|
2
|
Letter Count: Totals
|
25
|
3
|
Letter Count:
Inconsistency
|
27
|
4
|
Letter Count:
Manipulation
|
35
|
5
|
Letter Count: Data
Falsification
|
41
|
6
|
Word Count: Grammatical
Inconsistencies
|
47
|
7
|
Word Count: Data
Falsification
|
50
|
8
|
Soorah Qaf: False Claims
|
69
|
9
|
Why Nineteen?
|
74
|
10
|
Number 19: A Platform for
Deviation
|
80
|
11
|
The Prefixed Letters (al-Muqatt‘at)
|
85
|
12
|
The Miracle of the
Qur’aan
|
91
|
Conclusion
|
98
|
|
Bibliography
|
101
|
|
PREFACE
S
|
ince the
publication of my refutation of Rashad Khalifa’s 19 theory in 1987, some new
developments have taken place with regard to his personal claims. However, the
arguments for his “miraculous” number theory have not changed. Consequently, as
Professor Yvonne Haddad put it, “The fact remains that Philips’s work is
generally accepted among Sunni Muslims as the most exhaustive rebuttal of
Khalifa.”[1]
After three reprints of my refutation, The Qur’an’s Numerical
Miracle: Hoax and Heresy, I allowed it to go out of print in the early
1990s due to the steadily decreasing impact of the cults’ ideas. However, with
the arrival of the Internet in the past decade and its subsequent spread,
Khalifa’s ideas have found a new channel by which to spread its falsehood in a
number of unsuspecting communities around the world,
from India to Nigeria, and Australia to Austria.
Thus, every year, there are some people around the world, unaware of my
thorough refutation, who become ensnarled by his claims. These claims are
vigorously propagated by his cult which operates under the title of the United
Submitters International.
From an historical perspective, the
most significant development in Khalifa’s heretical movement since my book’s
publication was his assassination in his temple in Tucson,Arizona on
January 31, 1990. When the temple secretary arrived to meet him for morning
prayers, she discovered his body in the kitchen, bloody and lying on top of a handgun
he carried for his personal protection.[2] It is
worth noting that following a series of death-threats Khalifa had claimed in
one of the editions of the cult’s official newsletter, Muslim
Perspective, in the late 1980s that since he was a messenger of Allah
he would never be assassinated but would die a natural death.
Due to many recent requests
from Malaysia to Nigeria for copies of my refutation
mentioned on my website, www.bilalphilips.com ,
I decided to republish it with the this update and a few minor adjustments and
additions. The following is a brief history of the false-prophet/messenger,
Rashad Khalifa.
Rashad Khalifa was born in 1935 in a small village in Egypt to
a father was supposed to be a master of the Shadhili Sufi order. Rashad came to
the United States in 1959 and received his doctorate in biochemistry
from the University of California at Riverside in
the early 1960s. In 1963 he married Stephanie Hoefle, a native of Tucson,
and later became a U.S. citizen. In the mid 1970s he was sent as a
United Nations agricultural adviser to Libya and from 1980 to 1986 he
served as supervising chemist in the pesticides section of the Arizona
Commission of Agriculture and Horticulture.
Khalifa
began working on his interpretation of the Qur’aan’s mathematical code from
1968. In 1973 he published his first booklet explaining his theory, Miracle
of the Quran: Significance of the Mysterious Alphabets. As a result of
that work and of the many talks and lectures he gave on the mathematical
composition of the Qur’aan, he became widely known in Muslim communities in
the United States and in English speaking communities in the Islamic
world. The first reports of his findings published in Arabic were
in Egypt in the middle 1970s.
However, there
where many Arab Muslim scholars who immediately recognized the inherent
deviation in his claims. Consequently, a number of warnings by scholars were
published in the Arab media in response to his claims.
The work that first attracted the attention of an even wider audience was
Khalifa’s 1981 volume The Computer Speaks: God’s Message to the
World. In this volume he presented his first claim, cited on page 1,
that he had “physical, touchable, verifiable and utterly indisputable proof
for: (1) the existence of God, (2) a message from God to you, and (3) the exact
year when this world will end.”[3]
The book itself
was written on a Hewlett-Packard HP-1000 E-Series computer and appeared
irrefutable at a first glance. In 1981 Khalifa also published his first English
translation of the Qur’an, which he claimed to be “the first translation of the
sacred scripture of Islam into English by a native speaker of Arabic.” He
called it: Quran: The Final Scripture. (Two revised translations
were published in 1989 and 1992.)
In the following year, 1982, the materials already presented in his previous
writings were published in a work, initially designed to be shown through a
series of photographic slides, entitled Quran: Visual Presentation of
the Miracle. In the same year he wrote a vehement attack on the Sunnah entitled Quran,
Hadith, and Islam, in which claimed that the whole Muslim world had
fallen into idolatry by believing and following the Sunnah of Prophet
Muhammad (r). In it, he claimed that the only
legitimate hadeeth was the Qur’aan itself.
Subsequently, in his community in Tucson,Arizona, he eliminated the female
dress code, segregation of men and women (i.e., men and women prayed
side-by-side in his temple called Masjid Tucson).
Three years later in 1985, as opposition to his claims among Muslims steadily
increased and his popularity had fallen to an all-time low, Khalifa claimed
that his 19 code had revealed that there were two false verses in the Qur’an;
the last two verses of Chapter 9. This stirred up a great resentment to him
among Muslims in America and caused even some of his own followers to
abandon him. Such a claim is unanimously held among Muslims to be a statement
of disbelief.
In May 1988 he made the ultimate pronouncement of heresy in a special bulletin
of Muslim Perspective entitled “GOD INSISTS” in which he
confirmed “God has provided powerful, physical proof in support of my mission
as His commissioned messenger to the New World.” He claimed
that America, the new world, had never had a messenger commissioned by
God. The time had now come.
Khalifa pointed
to the physical evidence that he had brought of the miracle of the Qur’aan as
supportive proof for his mission. He concocted nineteen more “facts” based on
his inconsistent numerical system showing that his name Rashad Khalifa was a
part of the 19 miracle mentioned in the Qur’aan. Subsequent issues of Muslim
Perspective devoted considerable attention to the reaffirmation of his
claim to be a messenger of Allaah.
Khalifa
affirmed that Prophet Muhammad (r) was the last
prophet (nabi), but claimed that there was no Qur’anic affirmation that
Muhammad (r) was the last messenger (rasul). This word
game, while sounding reasonable to the non-Arab speaker, or the ignorant Arab,
is obviously false to the religiously educated Arab speaker[4].
In the same year, Khalifa made another incredible announcement in support of
his claim to messengership. He announced that he had encountered the previous
prophets who all confirmed his identity as the Messenger of the Covenant. In
the September 1988 issue of Muslim Perspectives he stated: “On
Tuesday, the third day of Zul-Hijja, 1391 (December 21, 1971), I, Rashad
Khalifa, the soul, the real person, not the body, was taken somewhere in the
universe, where I was introduced to all the prophets … All of them, one by one,
declared that they believe in me as the ‘Apostle of the Covenant.’ ”[5]
In his 1989 revision of his translation of the Qur’aan Quran: The Final
Testament, he rejected the second half of the Muslim declaration of
faith: Muhammadur rasoolullaah (Muhammad is the Messenger of
Allah) and mention of Prophet Muhammad (r) in the Athan was removed. He moved
toward a kind of universalism, insisting that Islaam was not a name but a
description of the act of submitting to God, saying:
“a Muslim is
anyone who submits to God, be they Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, or
Buddhists … One can be a Muslim Jew, a Muslim Christian, a Muslim Hindu, or a
Muslim Muslim.”[6] In the
middle of 1989 the name of the bulletin of the Tucson temple was
changed from Muslim Perspective to Submission
Perspective and then to Submitters Perspective.
Since his death in 1990, no new
leader has emerged to take his place in the cult. However, Edip Yuksel, a well
educated Turk provided religious leadership during the 1990s (His father is a
Muslim scholar who has condemned his son’s writings.) Followers of Rashad
Khalifa are currently located in such places as Phoenix, Arizona; Riverside and the Bay
area in California; Vancouver, British Columbia; and other parts of
the world. [7]
Bilal Philips
Ajman, August
2002
FOREWORD
O
|
ne hot Fall day
in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the year 1986, one of my students
excitedly gave me a video-taped copy of Ahmed Deedat’s presentation of Dr.
Rashad Khalifa’s theory of the miraculous numerical code of the Qur’aan[8] and asked
my opinion of it. Although a good friend of mine, Abu Bilal Mustafa al-Kanadi,
who was doing his M.A. thesis on Numerical Exegesis of the Qur’aan at that
time, had previously mentioned to me that the theory seemed to be based on
falsified data, I reserved comment and instead showed the tape to my grade 10,
11 and 12 Islamic Studies classes and asked their opinion about it.
Most students
were thoroughly convinced of its authenticity, so I made the issue a research
project for my grade 10 students and supplied them with a copy of Ahmed Deedat’s
book on it entitled, Al-Qur’aan The Ultimate Miracle,[9] as well
as facts and figures from Dr. Rashad Khalifa’s own book on the subject, Qur’aan:
Visual Presentation of the Miracle.[10] Most
of the students enthusiastically embarked on the project of checking the
accuracy of the data. Some initially used an IBM program in which the whole
Qur’aan had been loaded, however, the program proved to be unreliable and thus
most of the crosschecking and counting had to be done by hand.
Their research uncovered many inconsistencies and errors which raised
doubts in their minds about the authenticity of the whole theory. When I
confirmed their doubts and informed them of some of Dr. Khalifa’s heretical
claims, most of them concluded that the theory was totally false and that
something should be done to inform others. At this point, I considered writing
a thorough refutation of the theory, but I was told that a number of articles
and booklets had already been written so I gave up the idea.
During this period I also came across a plea written by a reader of the
magazine, “Islamic Horizons” for clarity on Rashad Khalifa’s
claim.[11] There
was a reply in the issue of the magazine,[12] however,
it did not tackle the core of the claim to my satisfaction. I then set about
gathering whatever articles and booklets were in circulation, most of which was
from South Africa, but, to my disappointment, I found them to be more
emotional than factual. Most dealt with only a few of Dr. Khalifa’s claims,
many had errors in their rebuttals and perhaps the most comprehensive of them
all was written in very poor English. Consequently, I decided to make a
thorough study of the theory in order to present a comprehensive factual
refutation of its claim.
At this point, I would like to thank all those who contributed to the
preparation of this booklet, especially my grade 10 class of 1986/87
at Manaret ar-Riyadh School. And, of all those who took part in
its preparation, I would like to make special mention of Omar al-Musa, Ahmed
Qteishat, Ghassan Kashmiri, M. Akif Rahman, Mohammed Tahir Qureshi and lastly
Syed Osman of Grade 6A.
May Allaah accept this effort as one done solely for His pleasure in defense of
His religion, Islaam, and make it reach and benefit those who are in most need
of it.
Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
Riyadh,
30/06/1987
INTRODUCTION
H
|
istory amply
demonstrates that deviants desiring to found their own cults among Muslims
usually begin their quest by presenting themselves as firm defenders of the
faith. This deception is perpetrated in order to attract followers and gain
popularity among the ignorant masses.
Furthermore, it
should also be noted that even the novel ideas and controversial issues of the
cults will often contain some truth, otherwise the errors of the cults would be
too obvious to people from the outset. For example, deviant Shi’ism’s call has
always been for the protection of the rights of Ahl al-Bait (the
Prophet’s (r) family) as a guise for excommunicating most of
the Prophet’s companions, defaming his wives and consequently denying the
prophetic traditions which they conveyed.
Ghulam Ahmed,
founder of Qadianism/Ahmadism, initially wrote articles in Indian newspapers in
defense of Islaam against Hindu and Christian missionary claims[13] before
declaring his own prophethood. In America, Elijah Muhammad openly called
black Americans to Islaam and the Qur’aan, but what he actually gave them was a
concoction of racist fantasies and fables in which black men became gods and
white man were portrayed as devils created by the black gods.
Similarly, Dr.
Rashad Khalifa’s stated aim from the time he initially presented the Miraculous
19 Theory in the early 1970s until the mid 1980s was to physically prove two
things: 1. that the Qur’aan is God’s final message to the world, and 2. that
the Qur’aan was perfectly protected from the slightest distortion, addition or
loss.[14]
However, in
1985 he has cancelled the second aim by claiming that the last two verses
of Soorah at-Tawbah (the ninth chapter) were fabricated,[15] and
he has interpreted the first aim to mean that only the Qur’aan alone should be
followed and anyone who follows the Sunnah [the compiled
sayings and actions of the Prophet (r)] he has
labeled a pagan, idol worshipper.[16]
The initial presentation of Rashad Khalifa’s seemingly amazing findings
in his book entitled, The Computer Speaks: God’s Message to the World,’[17] took
the Muslim world by storm. Most Muslims readily and unquestioningly accepted
Khalifa’s claims as they had the aura of “scientific fact” about them.
Furthermore, his stated aims, to prove the divine origin of the Qur’aan and the
purity of its text, were both among the basic tenets of Islaam.
However, many religious scholars who initially heard his claims had
serious reservations about accepting them. For example, prior to 1981, a
Pakistani scholar by the name of Maulana ‘Abdul-Quddoos Haashimi wrote an
article in which he rightly pointed that the pseudo-science of numerology, on
which some of Khalifa’s arguments were based, was a product of ancient
mythology and as such had no place in Islaam. He also condemned the widespread
use of the number 786 to represent the Qur’aanic phrase Bismillaahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem (In
the Name of Allaah, The Beneficent, The Merciful) as well as the use of
numerical equivalents of Qur’aanic verses and chapters in the preparation of
amulets commonly known as Taweez.
After referring to ancient reverence of 19 and its appearance among
deviant Shi’ite sects like the 9th century C.E. Karamatians, he concentrated on
the 19th century Shi’ite off-shoot, Bahaisim, in which 19 is glorified as the
central core of the universe since the founder of Bahaisim, Ali Muhammad Bab,
was born in 1819 (1+8+1+9=19). He concluded his article by stating that if 19
has any religious significance, it belongs to Bahai thinking as the Bahai
religious calendar has 19 months consisting of 19 days each and the number 19
can found written on walls and even embossed on chairs in all Bahai premises.[18]
On the other hand, the vast majority of common Muslims who heard or read
about the theory eagerly and blindly accepted Khalifa’s “discovery”. Foremost
among them was the internationally known Islamic debater, Ahmed Deedat, who
enthusiastically began spreading Rashad Khalifa’s findings to all corners of
the world. In 1979, Mr. Deedat published a 75 page booklet entitled, Al-Qur’an
the Ultimate Miracle,[19] in
which he presented an emotion-packed summary of Rashad Khalifa’s data and
arguments. One of Mr. Ahmad Deedat’s public lectures on this topic was also
video taped and distributed worldwide under the title, “Al-Qur’aan: A Visual
Miracle.”[20]
However, Khalifa later began to publicly make heretical statements
beginning with his claim that he had calculated the exact date of the Day of
Judgment.[21] Consequently,
most of his admirers in the Muslim world, including Mr. Deedat, were forced to
denounce him and disassociate themselves from him. Doubts about the correctness
of his initial premise of 19 being the mathematical key to the Qur’aan were
then raised and a number of emotional articles were written against both him
and his theory. In fact, one of the leading scholars of Saudi Arabia, Shaikh
‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz ibn Baz, wrote a fatwaa (religious
ruling) concerning Khalifa’s heretical claims in which he declared him an
apostate.[22]
During this period, Rashad Khalifa became firmly entrenched in
the U.S.A. He married an American and gave up his Egyptian
nationality to become an American citizen. From his base
in Tucson, Arizona, he freely distributed copies of his monthly
newsletter to all Islamic centers throughout
the U.S.A. and Canada. He also built a following among the new
Muslim converts, whose Islamic knowledge was limited. Female converts who feel
restricted by the Islamic dress code and rules against free-mixing with males
were particularly attracted to his ideas by his rulings canceling Islamic dress
codes and allowing women to pray beside men in congregational prayer,
etc.
However, there still remains the question of whether the basis on which
Rashad Khalifa’s theory is built is valid or not, as it continues to attract
the unsuspecting and the ignorant. Hence, it is not sufficient to merely
discredit Rashad Khalifa based on his many heretical
statements, any one of which is sufficient to remove him from the fold of Islam.
This controversy has to be laid to rest by a factual dismantling of its
foundations.
The following chapters of this book systematically and methodically
challenge and disprove the vast majority of the so-called fundamental ‘facts’
of Rashad Khalifa’s theory. Furthermore, they clearly expose his deliberate
falsification of data and alteration of the Qur’aanic text in order to bolster
his theory of 19 as the miraculous numerical code of the Qur’aan. This work
will demonstrate, without a shadow of a doubt – God willing, that the Theory of
19 is a shoddily concocted hoax unable to withstand serious scientific
scrutiny. However, before proceeding with the refutation of Dr. Rashad
Khalifa’s claims, the following summary of his theory has been prepared for readers
unfamiliar with its core issues.
1.
According to
Khalifa, there is a miraculous numerical code to the Qur’aan based on its
“first” verse (Bismillaahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem) which
consists of 19 letters.
2.
This miraculous
code is supposedly referred to in verse 30 of Chapter 74 (al-Muddaththir)
which states “Over it are 19.”
3.
Based on these
two premises, Khalifa claimed to have discovered an intricate mathematical
pattern involving 19 and its multiples throughout the Qur’aan and especially in
what he calls the Quranic initials which precede 29 chapters (i.e., Alif,
Laam, Meem, etc.).
4.
From this
discovery, Khalifa concluded that the complexity of this mathematical code’s
pattern in a literary work of the Qur’aan’s size is far beyond human
capabilities, and that it alone constitutes the only real miracle of the
Qur’aan which proves its divine origin.[23]
5.
He further
concludes that 19 and its multiples represent the key to the correct
interpretation of the Qur’aan and Islaam and the reason why 19 was chosen is
that 19, according to him, means “God is One” which is the message of the
Qur’aan (19 = واحِد = one).[24]
In the book, Quran: Visual Presentation of the Miracle, Rashad
Khalifa overwhelms the reader with 247 pages of data proving 52 so-called “physical
facts”. Each “fact” is supported with pages of tables containing additions,
multiplications and divisions of letters, words and verses from the Qur’aan.
This book, due to its size alone, is enough to convince the casual reader of
its authenticity, as even a few errors would not be enough to counter the
apparently extensive body of data to support the theory.
However, under
closer examination, it becomes evident that the 52 “facts” are in fact based on
a relatively small number of principles that may be grouped together and
refuted under the few general headings that I have chosen as chapter titles.
1.
INTERPRETATIONS OUT OF CONTEXT
T
|
he Qur’an, like
any other text, may be misinterpreted if verses are taken out of their context
or out of the context of the text as a whole. While compiling his
so-called “facts”, Rashad Khalifa freely took verses out of their context in
order to interpret them in an unorthodox manner and to create multiples of 19
where they do not exist.
For example,
when Khalifa presented his interpretation of verse 30 (“Over it are
nineteen.”) of Soorah al-Muddaththir (74) in his
book, Quran: Visual Presentation of the Miracle, he mentioned
before it some other verses taken at random from various parts of the Qur’aan.
Then he deliberately misinterpreted them in order to build his case. He made
the statement: “A great Secret will prove the
authenticity and divine source of the Quran,” then he quoted verses 4-6 of Soorah al-Furqaan (25):
“The disbelievers said, “This is a fabrication by him (Muhammad) done
with the help of others.’ Indeed, they have produced a blasphemy and a
lie. They also said, ‘Tales of the men of old which he has written down
and are dictated to him morning and evening.’ Say, ‘He who knows the Secret of the heavens
and the earth has revealed it. Surely, He is forgiving and merciful.’ ”[25]
Following
that, he made the statement: “This great Quranic secret
is to be unveiled at a time subsequent to the era of the prophet Muhammad,” and then he quoted verse 20 from Soorah
Yoonus (10):
“They will say,
‘If only a miracle were sent down to him from his Lord! They say, ‘The future
belongs to Allaah. So wait! Indeed, I am waiting with you.”[26]
Khalifa then
turns to Soorah al-Muddaththir and claims; “THE SECRET REMAINED HIDDEN FOR 1400 YEARS described in
Chapter 74, entitled “AL-MUDDATH-THIR” which means “THE HIDDEN (SECRET).”[27]
Following that misinterpretation of the word muddaththir[28], Rashad Khalifa then translated the first seven
verses of Soorah al-Muddaththir. However, despite his
mistranslation of a number of words,[29] it is obvious that the verses are referring
to a human being[30] and not an inanimate object like the number
19. His mistranslation is as follows:
“O you hidden
secret. Get up and warn. And glorify your Lord. Shed your covers. Avoid
falsehood. Do not exceed the limits. And persevere in serving your Lord.”[31]
He then does a
verse-by-verse translation of verses 18-30. Following that, he summarizes what
he claims to be the five objectives of verse 31, without translating it, and
then continues to translate verses 32-35. Khalifa purposely avoids the
translation of verse 31 because it provides the contextual meaning for verse
30, proving, without a shadow of a doubt, that number nineteen mentioned in
verse 30 refers to none other than the angels guarding the Hellfire and not the
miraculous mathematical code, as he claims. Verses 24-30 are as follows:
“Then he[32] said, ‘This is only magic from of old; This
is nothing but the word of a mortal!’ Soon I will cast him into Hellfire![33] And what will explain to you what Hellfire
is? It leaves nothing and spares nothing. It burns man up. Over it
are nineteen.”
And verse 31:
“And
We have only appointed angels as guardians of the Fire; and We have only set their
number as a stumbling-block for the disbelievers, in order that those who received
a Scripture may gain certainty and the believers may increase in faith; and
that those given the Scripture and the believers may not doubt; and that those
with diseased hearts and disbelievers may say, ‘What does Allaah mean by this
symbol?’ In this way Allaah cause whomsoever He wishes to go astray and
guides whomsoever He wishes. No one knows the soldiers of your Lord
besides Him and this is nothing but a reminder to mankind.”
Khalifa interprets
the meaning of verse-30 as:
“…anyone who claims that that Qur’an is man-made (verse 25), will be
proven wrong by means of the number 19 in verse 30).”[34]
However, the
verse says; “Over it are nineteen” and not
“Over Him are nineteen,” as he claims. The Qur’aan uses the attached feminine
pronoun ها haa and thus could not possibly refer back to verse 25 which along with
verse 24 says; “Then he said, ‘This is only magic from
of old; This is nothing but the word of a mortal!’ ”
Even if Khalifa
tried to claim that “it” refers to the Qur’aan which is described in verse 24
by the disbeliever as manmade, it would not work because the word Qur’aan is
masculine and the demonstrative pronoun “this” used to refer to the
Qur’aan is هذا haathaa which is also masculine. The feminine pronoun haa, in fact,
refers to the closest preceding feminine noun saqar (Hellfire)
mentioned in verses 26-7 and described by two feminine verbs in verse 28 تَذَر tathar and تُبْقِي tubqee and a feminine adjective in verse 29 لَوَّاحَة lawwaahah.[35]
Another example of misinterpretation can be found in the Qur’aanic quotes used
by Rashad Khalifa to back his claim that the Qur’aan is the only source of
guidance and that seeking guidance from the Prophet’s (r) sunnah constitutes idol-worship. Khalifa quoted the
following portion of verse 38 of Soorah al-An‘aam (6) in Arabic
and English in his book Quran, Hadith and Islam,[36]
مّاَفَرَّطْناَ فيِ اْلكِتَابِ مِنْ
شَىءٍ “We left nothing out of this Book (Qur’an)”
Then he stated
the following:
“The Arabic text of this verse consists of 19 letters. The number
of this verse is 38 or 19x2.” However, the
complete text of the verse is as follows:
) وَماَمِن دَآبّةٍ في ارَْض وَلاَ طَائرٍ
يَطيٌر بجَنَاحَيهِ إِلأَ أٌمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُم مّاَ فَرَّطْنَا فيِ الكِتبِ مِنْ
شَىءٍ ثُمَّ إلَى رَبِحمْ مُحْيشَرُونَ (
“All animals crawling the earth or flying on wings
or communities like you. We have omitted nothing
from the Book, and they shall all be
gathered to their Lord in the end.”
The complete
Arabic text contains much more than 19 letters! It should also be noted that
the Arabic text does not use the demonstrative pronoun “this” but merely the
definite article “the.” Hence, from the context of the verse, “the Book”
referred to here is not the Qur’aan, but the heavenly Book, al-Lawh al-Mahfooz, in
which all things are written.[37]
On the following page Khalifa repeats the same trick by quoting, in both Arabic
and English, a piece of verse 114 of the same soorah as “God revealed this Book fully detailed,” and deceptively states: “The Arabic text of this verse consists of 19 letters. The number
of this verse is 114; or 19X6.”[38] However, as in the previous case, the
complete Arabic text of the verse contains much more than 19 letters as is
obvious from the following quote of the complete verse and its translation:
) أَفَغَيْرَ اللهِ
أَبْتَغِي حُكْمًا وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكِتَابَ مُفَصَّلاً
وَالَّذِيْنَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ مُنَزَّلٌ مِنْ رَّبِكَ
بِالْحَقِّ فَلاَ تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُمْتَرِينَ (
“Say,
‘Shall I seek another judge besides Allaah when it is He who revealed
to you the Book explained in detail?’ Those to whom We have given the
Book know full well that it has been sent down from your Lord with truth.
So, do not be doubtful.”[39]
2. LETTER
COUNT: TOTALS
A
|
number of
Dr. Khalifa’s “physical facts” are based on the total number of letters in a
verse, group of verses or a soorah (chapter) being a total of
19 or a multiple of nineteen. For example, he claims that:
ii) the first
five verses of revelation consisted of 76 letters (19x4)
iii) the first
chapter revealed consists of 304 letters (19x16)
Such counts would only be valid if the
Qur’aan were divinely revealed in the written form, which is not the case. The
Qur’aan is essentially an oral revelation written down according to the Arabic
script known to the Prophet’s (r) companions.[42] Even the peculiarities of the scribes
responsible for transcribing copies of the Qur’aan made during Caliph
‘Uthmaan’s reign (644-56 C.E.) have been preserved to this day since Muslim
scholars, down through the ages, have unanimously agreed to follow the basic
structure of the ‘Uthmaanic transcription when making new
copies of the Qur’aan.[43]
Consequently,
among the peculiarities of the Qur’aanic script existing to this day are Alifs (ا), Yaas (ي)
and Waaws (و) written but not read as well
as some which are read but not written.[44] For example, the pronounced Alif in
the word Kitaab is sometimes written (كتاب)
and at other times not (كتب).[45] Similarly the unpronounced Alif” in
the phrase “Bismi” is written in some cases (باسم)
and not in others (بسم).
Thus, in the
opening statement of the Qur’aan, بسم الله الرحمن
الرحيم Bismilaahi-Rahmaani-Raheem (In the name of Allaah, the Beneficient, The
Merciful), there are 3 deleted Alifs, one which is
unpronounced in the phrase (بسم) and the other two pronounced
in the words (الله) and (الرحمن),
which make the actual total of letters 22 and not 19. The same may be said of
most of the other “facts” resulting from letter counts, all of whose totals
would become indivisible by 19 if their deleted Alifs were
counted.
3. LETTER
COUNT: INCONSISTENCY
T
|
he largest
group of Dr. Khalifa’s physical facts is based on total letter counts with
regards to what he calls the “Quranic Initials”, the letters of the alphabet
which appear singly or in groups before 29 soorahs of the
Qur’aan, for example الَم Alif Lam Mim, يسYaa Seen, ص Saad, etc. In Arabic these
letters are referred to as Fawaatih as-Suwar or al-Muqatta‘aat.
In Fact Number 18 on his flyer entitled, Let
The World Know God’s Message To The World, Dr. Khalifa states:
“It was discovered that the letters of All Quranic initials, without any
exceptions, exist in their suras in
multiples of 19. Any reader can easily verify this physical fact by
counting the letter “Qaf” in the sura entitled “Qaf” (Sura 50).
He will find that the
letter “Qaf” occurs in this sura exactly 57 times (19 x 3). The only
other sura initiated “Qaf”, namely, Sura 42, also contains the same number of
“Qaf”, 57.”
Mr. Ahmed Deedat echoed this claim in his representation of the theory
as follows:
“Count the
number of times the initials occur in the Suras and divide them by 19,
and without exception, the answer is always an exact multiple of
19!”[46]
This statement sounds very impressive, however, based on Rashad
Khalifa’s own data, it is far from being the case. It is merely a sensational
claim in which the facts have been grossly exaggerated to impress the reader in
a style reminiscent of the news media. A quick review of Dr. Khalifa’s
so-called “Intricate Facts”[47], assuming that the totals are correct - which is a
big assumption, indicates that out of the total 29 soorahs beginning
with the Arabic letters, the totals of 12 of them are not multiples of 19 and
have to be combined with the totals of up to six other soorahs in
order for their grand totals to become multiples of 19.
For example, in the figures for the 7Haa Meem (حمَ) initialed soorahs,[48] not a single soorah’s individual
total of Haas (هـ) and Meems (م)
adds up to a multiple of 19! In order to get his multiple, Dr. Rashad has to
total all 7 soorah’s totals for a grand total of 2147 (19 x
113)
Details from the visual
counting of the letters “HH ح” and “M م” in the “HH.M.حم”
- initialed chapters
CHAPTER
|
HH ح
|
M م
|
TOTAL
|
|
40.Ghaafir
|
غافر
|
64
|
380
|
444
|
41.Fussilat
|
فصلت
|
48
|
276
|
324
|
42.Al-Shooraa
|
الشورى
|
53
|
300
|
353
|
43.Al-Zukhruf
|
الزخرف
|
44
|
324
|
368
|
44.Al-Dukhaan
|
الدخان
|
16
|
150
|
166
|
45.Al-Jaathiyah
|
الجاثية
|
31
|
200
|
231
|
46.Al-Ahhqaaf
|
الأحقاف
|
36
|
225
|
261
|
Totals
|
292
|
1855
|
2147
|
2147
|
=
|
19
|
x
|
113
|
But, even this
figure is suspect as it includes the total from Soorah ash-Shooraa (42)
whose initials are not simply Haa Meem (حم),
but Haa Meem ‘Ayn Seen Qaaf (حم عسقَ),
and if its total were removed, the grand total of the 6 soorahs which
only begin with Haa Meem is then 1794 which is indivisible by
19!
This fact also
falsifies another of Dr. Khalifa’s “facts” namely “Chapter 42 is prefixed with the three initials “‘Ain”, “Sin”, and “Qaf”,
and the total occurrence of these three leters in this chapter is 209 or 19 x
11.”[50]
Chapter 42 is
in fact prefixed by five letters, as previously mentioned, and not
three letters as he falsely claims. Furthermore, if Dr. Khalifa’s Haa
Meem total of 353 for this Surah, is added to his ‘Ayn Seen
Qaaf total of 209 it makes a grand total of 562 which is
also not divisible by 19!
Similarly, Dr. Rashad’s individual totals for Soorah (20)
prefixed by the letters Taa Haa (طه), Soorah
ash-Shu‘araa (26) prefixed by the letters Taa Seen Meem (طسم), Soorah
al-Qasas (28) also prefixed by the letters Taa
Seen Meem and Soorah an-Naml (27) prefixed by the
letters Taa Seen (طس), are all indivisible by 19![51] To achieve his illusive multiple, Dr. Rashad
not only arbitrarily adds up all four totals of these soorahs whose
only uniformly shared characteristic is their contradiction of his sensational
claim, but he also includes Haa (هـ)
from Soorah Maryam (19) which is prefixed by five letter Kaaf
Haa Yaa ‘Ayn Saad (كَهيعص)!
Chapter
|
Hهـ
|
TT ط
|
S س
|
M م
|
|
19. Mary
|
مريم
|
175
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
20.TT.H.
|
طـه
|
251
|
28
|
-
|
-
|
26.Al-Shu‘araa
|
الشعراء
|
-
|
33
|
94
|
484
|
27.Al-Naml
|
النمــل
|
-
|
27
|
94
|
-
|
28.Al-Qassass
|
القصص
|
-
|
19
|
102
|
460
|
Total
|
426
|
107
|
290
|
944
|
1,767
|
=
|
19
|
X
|
93
|
He
cleverly hides the obvious implications of this juggling of figures which he
calls Physical Fact Number (37) by presenting it as
follows; “An interlocking
relationship covers the Quranic initials “Haهـ ”, “Ta Haطه ”, “Ta Sin طس”, Ta Sin Mimطسم ”, in chapters 19,20,26,27 and
28. The total occurance of these letters in the five chapters is 1767;
19x93.”[53]
But, Haa (هـ)
by itself is not really a Qur’aanic initial; it is a part of the five-letter
initial Kaaf Haa Yaa ‘Ayn Saad. In fact, when Dr.
Khalifa’s total of 798 for the five letters of Soorah Maryam[54] is added to his
total of 1592 for the four soorahs, Taa
Haa, ash-Shu‘araa, al-Qasas and an-Naml, it
produces a grand total of 2390 which is not divisible by 19.
There actually
is no logic in his the addition of Haa (هـ)
to the four-soorah total except to produce the magical multiple by
any means necessary. In fact, the Meem (م)
from the letters Alif Laam Meem (الَم)
preceding Soorah al-‘Ankaboot (29) has more right to be added
to the four-soorah total as it has more in common with the
four soorahs than the Haa (هـ).
Both Soorah
al-Qasas (28) and Soorah ash-Shu‘araa (26)
have Meems in their initials while only Soorah Taa
Haa has a Haa (هـ) in its initials. However,
the “interlocking relationship” was not made with Soorah 29
because its total of 344 Meems as counted by Dr. Khalifa[55] added to his total of 1592 for the initials
of the four soorahs in question make a grand total of 1936,
which is not divisible by 19.
The total number of Saads (صَ) in Soorah Saad (38)
which has the single Qur’aanic initial Saad at its
beginning is, according to Dr. Khalifa’s own figures, 29 which is not a
multiple of 19. To produce his multiple, Rashad Khalifa adds to it 97 Saads from Soorah
al-A‘raaf (7) which is prefixed by the four letters, Alif Laam
Meem Saad المص)
and 26 Saads from Soorah Maryam (19)
which is prefixed by five letters Kaaf Haa Yaa ‘Ayn Saad ( كَهيعص).
Dr. Khalifa presents this contradiction to his premise as follows:
“The letter “Sad ص” as a Quranic Initial is found in 3 chapters,
namely, “Al-A‘raaf الأعراف purgatory” (Chapter 7), “Maryمريم ”, (Chapter 19), and “Sad ص” (Chapter 38). The total occurrence of the
letter “Sad” in the three chapters is 152; 19 x 8.”[56]
Even if such juggling of figures were to be justified by claiming that the
miraculous numerical code is based on the individual letters of the Qur’aanic
Initials and not necessarily the groups, such an argument would also not hold
up under close study. For example, the letter Haa as a
“Qur’aanic Initial” is found only in 2 chapters, namely Soorah Taa
Haa (20) and Soorah Maryam (19), and the total
occurrence of the letter in the two chapters, according to Dr. Khalifa’s
figures,[57] is 426 which is not a multiple of 19.
The same can be
said for the letter Kaaf (ك) which, as a Qur’aanic
initial, is only found in Soorah Maryam (19) and its total
occurrence in the soorah according to Dr. Khalifa’s own
calculations[58] is 137 which is also not a multiple
of 19. The “Qur’aanic Initial” ‘Ayn (ع)
is found only in two soorahs, namely, Soorah Maryam (19)
in which it occurs 117 times[59] and Soorah ash-Shooraa (42)
in which it occurs 98 times making a grand total of 215 which again is not a
multiple of 19. In fact, according to Dr. Khalifa’s totals, more than half of
the 14 letters do not make multiples of 19 when added in this fashion.
4. LETTER
COUNT: MANIPULATION
O
|
f the remaining
17 chapters which have Arabic letters, 13 of them have the letter Alif (ا)
in the beginning of their “Quranic Initials” and Dr. Khalifa claims that in
every case their “Initials” occur a multiple of 19 times within their own
chapters. For example, he claims that
i)
|
Chapter
2 is initialed with the letter “A.L.M.” and contains 9899 of these
letters (19 x 521).
ii)Chapters 3,29,30,31 and 32
are also initialed with the letters “A.L.M.” and the total frequency of
occurrence of these letters is 5662 (19 x298), 1672 (19x88), 1254 (19x66),
817 (19x43), and 570 (19x30), respectively.
|
He makes
similar claims for the five chapters prefixed by the letters Alif Laam
Raa (الَر), the chapter prefixed
by Alif Laam Meem Raa (الَمر)
and for the remaining chapter prefixed by the letters Alif Laam
Meem Saad (الَمص). Why do these 13 chapters
fit so nicely into the theory and the previous 12 discussed in chapter three do
not by Khalifa’s own admission?
Actually none
of these 13 chapters fit the theory, but Dr. Khalifa has managed to make them
fit by doctoring the count of the Alifs in every case. He does
this by selectively counting the letter Alif which is
sometimes written above letters and read in ancient Arabic script as in the
case of the Alif above the Laam in the word
Allaah. If any are to be counted as Alifs, then all of
them should be counted. By counting them where it is convenient, Dr. Khalifa is
able to manipulate the totals in these 13 chapters and thereby produce
multiples in every case.
For example, in verse 8 of Soorah as-Sajdah (32)
) ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسْلَهُ مِنْ سُلَلَةٍ مِنْ مَاءٍ مَهِينٍ (
Dr. Khalifa
records a total of 2 Alifs[60] by
counting the raised Alif in the word (سُلالَة)
which is not written in the Qur’aanic script. While in verse 7 of the
same soorah (32)
) اَلّذِي أَحَسَنَ
كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ وَبَدَأَ خَلْقَ اْلإِنْسَنِ مِنْ طِيْنٍ (
he records only
5 Alifs[61] thereby
excluding the raised Alif in the word (الإْنْسَان)
which is not written in the Qur’aanic script.
Another example can be seen in verse 158 of Soorah
Aal-‘Imraan (3)
) وَلَئِنْ مُتُّمْ أَوْ قُتِلْتُمْ َلإِلَى اللهِ تُحْشَرُونَ (
Dr. Khalifa
finds 4 Alifs[62] in
it by including the raised Alif in the word (إلى) while excluding the raised Alif in
the word (الله). While in verse 41 of Soorah
ar-Ra‘d (13), he has counted 16 Alifs,[63] by
including the Alif in the word (الله).
) أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا
أَنَّا نَأْتِي اْلأَرْضَ نَنْقُصُهَا مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَا وَاللهُ يَحْكُمُ لاَ
مُعَقِّبَ لِحُكْمِهِ وَهُوَ سَرِيْعُ الْحِسَابِ (
The Remaining
Four
Based on the refutation in chapter three and what has preceded in this
chapter, there remains only four (4) chapters out of the original 29 in which
the total occurrence of the prefixed letters could actually add up to multiple
of 19 as claimed by Khalifa in Fact Number 18 on his
flyer entitled, Let The World Know God’s Message To The World:
“It was discovered that the letters of All Quranic initials, without any
exceptions, exist in their
suras in multiples of 19. Any
reader can easily verify this physical fact by counting the letter “Qaf” in the
sura entitled “Qaf” (Sura 50). He will find that the letter “Qaf” occurs
in this sura exactly 57 times (19 x 3). The only other sura initiated
“Qaf”, namely, Sura 42, also contains the same number of “Qaf”, 57.”
The remaining
four chapters are: Soorah Qaaf (50), prefixed by the
letter Qaaf (ق), Soorah al-Qalam (68),
prefixed by the letter Noon (ن), Soorah
Yaa Seen (36), prefixed by the two letters Yaa and Seen (يس),
and Soorah Maryam (19), prefixed by the five letters Kaaf,
Haa, Yaa, ‘Ayn and Saad (كَهيعص).
At this point, it should be noted that even if all the remaining four totals
were multiples of 19 - which they are not, such a
limited amount of data would not suffice to establish a miraculous numerical
code for the whole Qur’aan and as such could only be considered a minor
coincidence.
In the presentations of his theory, Dr. Khalifa always held up Soorah
Qaaf (50) as practical evidence supporting his claim because it
represents one of the few drops of truth within his ocean of lies. Readers and
listeners were urged to count the Qaafs for themselves.[64] Once
they did so and found the total to be 57 (19 x 3) as Khalifa claimed, they
would then assume that all of his other totals were correct, as who had the
time to count the total number of Alifs in Soorah
al-Baqarah?
The total number of Noons in Soorah
al-Qalam (50) is 132 which is not a multiple of 19. His claim that the
total is 133 is dealt with conclusively in chapter five[65] of
this book where it is exposed as a blatant lie. The total for the
letters of Soorah Yaa Seen is 271 which is not a
multiple of 19.
Soorah Yaa Seen (36)
|
ي
|
س
|
Total
|
224
|
47
|
271
|
The total for
the five letters of Soorah Maryam is not 798 or (19 x 42)[66] as
Khalifa claims but 670 which is not a multiple of 19.
Soorah Maryam (19)
|
ص
|
ع
|
ي
|
هـ
|
ك
|
Total
|
26
|
104
|
307
|
141
|
122
|
670
|
New Totals New
Miracles
It should be further noted that there is a vast difference between the
figures for the eight soorahs prefixed by Alif, Laam,
Meem claimed by Dr. Khalifa in his booklet The Perpetual Miracle
of Muhammad (pub. 1976)[67] and
those found in his mistranslation of the Qur’aan entitled, Quran: The
Final Scripture (pub. 1981)[68] and
repeated in his compendium, Quran: Visual Presentation of the Miracle, (pub.
1982)[69].
His 1976 totals for the soorahs was 26,676, a convenient
multiple of 19 (19 x 1404), whereas his later figures were not combined to make
any claims.
1976-79 Figures
|
1981-82 Figures
|
|||||||
Soorahs
|
م
|
ل
|
ا
|
م
|
ل
|
ا
|
||
Al-Baqarah (2)
|
2195
|
3204
|
4592
|
2195
|
3202
|
4502
|
||
Aal ‘Imraan (3)
|
1251
|
1885
|
2578
|
1249
|
1892
|
2521
|
||
Al-A‘raaf (7)
|
1165
|
1523
|
2572
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
||
Ar-Ra‘d (13)
|
260
|
479
|
625
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
||
Al-Ankaboot (29)
|
347
|
554
|
784
|
349
|
554
|
774
|
||
Ar-Room (30)
|
318
|
396
|
545
|
317
|
393
|
544
|
||
Luqmaan (31)
|
177
|
298
|
348
|
173
|
297
|
347
|
||
As-Sajdah (32)
|
158
|
154
|
268
|
158
|
155
|
257
|
||
Totals:
|
5871
|
8493
|
12312
|
|||||
Grand Total:
|
26,969 (19 x 1404)
|
|||||||
When his
followers and well-wishers helpfully pointed out obvious mistakes in his
totals, which could not be explained away (like those for Meem and Laam),
Rashad was obliged to make modifications to retain his credibility. However, he
cleverly used it to his advantage.
1976-79 Figures
|
1981-82 Figures
|
|||||
Soorahs
|
م
|
ل
|
ا
|
م
|
ل
|
ا
|
Al-Baqarah (2)
|
2195
|
3204
|
4592
|
same
|
-2
|
-90
|
Aal ‘Imraan (3)
|
1251
|
1885
|
2578
|
-2
|
+7
|
-57
|
Al-Ankaboot (29)
|
347
|
554
|
784
|
+2
|
same
|
-10
|
Ar-Room (30)
|
318
|
396
|
545
|
-1
|
-3
|
-1
|
Luqmaan (31)
|
177
|
298
|
348
|
-4
|
-1
|
-1
|
As-Sajdah (32)
|
158
|
154
|
268
|
same
|
+1
|
-11
|
However, the
greatest differences were in the totals of the Alifs. How does
Rashad Khalifa account for a difference of 90 Alifs in Soorah
al-Baqarah, 57 Alifs in Soorah Aal‘Imraan, 11 Alifs in Soorah
as-Sajdah and 10 in Soorah al-‘Ankaboot? He does
not.
Most of these
differences were made by Khalifa, himself in order to set up more imaginary
multiples. The differences in Alif totals are nothing but the
result of arbitrary juggling, as previously demonstrated, in order to produce
more miracles. In the early figures, the miraculous multiple of 19 did
not show up in the individual totals for these soorahs. It
only appeared in the grand total of all the letters for all seven soorahs.
However, in the new figures, the totals for each individual soorah become
a multiple of 19!!! Thus, seven new “miracles” replaced one previous
“miracle”.
Soorahs
|
الم
|
Al-Baqarah (2)
|
9,899 (19 x 521)
|
Aal ‘Imraan (3)
|
5662 (19 x 298)
|
Al-Ankaboot (29)
|
1672 (19 x 88)
|
Ar-Room (30)
|
1254 (19 x 66)
|
Luqmaan (31)
|
817 (19 x 43)
|
As-Sajdah (32)
|
570 (19 x 30)
|
The figures for
both Soorahs 7 and 13 are deliberately not given in
either Quran: The Final Scripture or Quran:Visual
Presentation of the Miracle. Why? God alone knows what other miracles
he had planned.
5. LETTER
COUNT: DATA FALSIFICATION
I
|
n a number of
instances, Dr. Rashad Khalifa has actually fabricated data in order to
artificially create letter totals which are multiples of 19. The falsification
of letter count data may be grouped under two main headings;
a) Not counting existing letters and
b) Changing the Text of the Qur’aan
The first category is an extension of his letter manipulation, mentioned in the
previous chapter, which could be considered errors in calculation and not
deliberate doctoring of data except that Khalifa’s record of figure-juggling
and arbitrary letter identification would tend to indicate otherwise. However,
the second category in which he actually changes the Qur’aanic text leaves no
room for doubt about the deliberate nature of these errors in the tabulation of
his data.
A. Existing
Letters Ignored
Verse 21 of Soorah ar-Room (30) - prefixed with the
letters Alif Laam Meem, contains an example of this type of
data falsification. In Dr. Rashad’s table he calculates the number of Laams as
only 7,[71] however,
there are actually 8 Laams in the verse.
) وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا
لِتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ مَوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً إِنَّ فِي
ذَلِكَ َلآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (
NO.
|
ARABIC TEXT
|
TRANSLITERATION
|
ENGLISH MEANING
|
1
|
خَلَقَ
|
khalaka
|
He created
|
2
|
لَكُمْ
|
lakaum
|
For you
|
3
|
لِتَسْكُنُوا
|
litaskunoo
|
So you can live
|
4
|
إِلَيْهَا
|
ilayhaa
|
With her
|
5
|
َجَعَلَ
|
Ja‘ala
|
He made
|
6
|
ذَلِكَ
|
thaalika
|
that
|
7
|
َلآيَاتٍ
|
La’aayaatin
|
Indeed signs
|
8
|
لِقَوْمٍ
|
liqawmin
|
For a people
|
B. Textual Changes
Instances
in which the Rashad Khalifa has actually modified the text of the Qur’aan in
order to make the soorah’s letter-count conform to his theory
are of two basic types:
i) changes to increase the letter count and
ii) changes to decrease the letter count.
Both of these methods contradict the very aim which
Dr. Khalifa claimed that the theory of 19 proved; “That the Qur’aan was
perfectly protected from the slightest distortion, addition or loss.”
For, as will be shown, he takes it upon himself to distort the Qur’aanic text
by adding and deleting from its preserved text in order to conjure up his
“miraculous” number 19.
i) Additions to The Qur’aan’s Text
Of the
remaining four chapters in which the total occurrence of prefixed letters could
add up to a multiple of 19 is Soorah al-Qalam (68), prefixed
by the letter Noon (ن). According to Dr.
Khalifa, “Chapter 68 is initialed with the letter “Nun” and contains 133 Nuns; 133
= 19 x 7,”[72]
However, the actual number, with the inclusion of a Noon from
the Basmalah[73] (ie.,
the phrase Bismillaahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem which precedes most
chapters) is 132. Faced with this dilemma of being agonizingly one Noon short
of his desired total, Dr. Rashad resorted to the heretical act of rewriting the
Qur’aanic text by actually changing the letter Noon (ن),
which prefixes the soorah, to the word (نون),
which is the name of the Arabic letter, thereby introducing another Noon into
the text to achieve the desired total of 133 Noons. He did
this in spite of writing in the beginning of the Soorah:
“Chapter 68 is initialed with the letter “N”, and contains 133 “N’s.” 133
= 19 x 7” Dr. Khalifa’s Arabic script
is given below:
The correct mushaf
Khalifa
justified this change on pages 480-1 of the appendix to his mistranslation of
the Qur’aan, Quran: The Final Scripture, as follows:
“It
should be noted that all counts are based on the original Quranic Arabic, as
found in Quranic printing strictly adhering to the original. The reader, by now
appreciates the fact that the slightest alteration in one word, indeed one
letter, utterly destroys this miraculous system. For example, point number 9 of
the simple facts listed above states that the first Quranic revelation (19
words) consisted of 76 letters (19 x 4).
This
first revelation contains two words of الإِنسن, which means “the human being.” Some printings of the Qur’an
use the conventional Arabic الإِنسان, rather than
the Quranic Arabic الإِنسن. The reader who consults a printing that
does not conform to the original Quranic Arabic will find that the first
revelation consists of 78 letters, which is wrong.
Another example is noteworthy. The letter
“Noon” (N) of Surah 68, verse 1, is spelled out into three alphabet letters نون. The printings of Qur’an have dropped this spelling and usually
write down the single letter “N”. Thus, if the reader consults a Quranic
printing that does not spell out the letter “N” into “Noon”, (he) will have a
deficiency of 1 in the total frequency on “Noon” in Surahh 68. It should be
noted that this is the only letter that is spelled out in the original.”
This method of argumentation is a
classical example of the deceptive method used by heretics in which truth is
mixed with falsehood. The first part of the statement is correct; the word Insaan الإِنسانis written as الإِنسن, without the Alif, in
the oldest manuscripts of the Qur’aan and also in Qur’aans printed in the Arab
world, while Qur’aans printed in India
and Pakistan
include this particular Alif based on their oldest manuscripts.
This can
easily be verified where prints of the Qur’aan from both regions are
available. However, the second point is
an outright lie whose veracity cannot be checked by most people, but, since the
first point is verifiably true, people would tend to accept the second as also
being true. Ancient manuscripts do not
support this false claim in the least nor are there any reputable Qur’aanic
printings that agree with him.
In fact the 15th century
C.E. Egyptian Qur’aanic scholar, Muhammad az-Zarkashee stated the following
concerning the prefixed letters, “Fourthly, they are all written in the Qur’aan in the form of letters and not in the
form of their names.” [1] Such an aberration can only
be found in Dr. Rashad’s clumsily doctored photocopy of the Qur’aan’s text. He was
also careful to point out that this “peculiarity” is limited to Soorah
al-Qalam because its uniform application throughout the Qur’aan would upset
most of his other concocted multiples.
ii) Deletion From The
Qur’aan’s Text
As was pointed out earlier, in
the case of Soorah Saad (38) which is prefixed by the letter Saad
(ص) and
which contains only 29 Saads (10 more than 19, and 9 less than
38), Dr. Rashad achieved his multiple of 19 by adding to it 26 Saads
from Soorah Maryam and 98 from Soorah al-A‘raaf since both of
these soorahs have the letter Saad in their “initials”.
However, the resulting grand total was 153; agonizingly one more than was
necessary to achieve his miraculous multiple of 19. Faced with this problem,
Dr. Khalifa simply gave a false total of 28 Saads for Soorah Saad.
He then
proceeded to point out that the divine wisdom behind writing the word Bastatan
بَسْطَةً
as بَصْطَةً
with a Saad
instead of a Seen (س), in verse 69 of Soorah al-A‘raaf was to maintain
the intricate mathematical relationship necessary to produce a multiple of 19
in the total number of Saads from the three soorahs. This
line of argument was also repeated by Ahmed Deedat in his summary of Dr.
Khalifa’s early presentation of the theory and its supportive data.[2]
However, it was later pointed out to Dr. Khalifa that his total for Soorah
Saad was incorrect which created a new problem for him. He solved
this problem in the 1982 edition of his book, Quran: Visual Presentation of
the Miracle, by presenting a grand total of 152 Saads (19 x
8) for the three soorahs without indicating their individual totals.
Instead, he included in his book a photocopy of the three chapters with
stars indicating the letters to be counted in order to camouflage the changes
he had made to the text. However, when his running count was closely
scrutinized, it became clear that he had corrected the total for Soorah Saad
while simultaneously reducing the total in Soorah al-A‘raaf from 98 Saads
to 97.
This was achieved by taking the heretical step of actually deleting a Saad
from the Soorah Saad. Dr. Rashad Khalifa rewrote the same word
which he had previously held up as evidence of divine intervention in
maintaining the miraculous code of 19! He removed the Saad from
the word بَصْطَةً and
replaced it with a Seen بَسْطَةً
!

6. WORD COUNT: GRAMMATICAL
INCONSISTENCIES
A
|
number of the “facts” used by Rashad Khalifa
to establish 19 as the Qur’aan’s code are based on passage or chapters from the
Qur’aan wherein the total number of words are claimed to be 19 or multiples of
19. For example, Dr. Khalifa claims in his books, Quran: Visual Presentation
of the Miracle and Quran: The Final Scripture, that:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
PHYSICAL
FACT NUMBER (3)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The first Quranic revelation consisted of 19 words
*******************************************************
These
famous words are found in the first 5 verses of Chapter 96.
الانسن
|
خلق
|
خلق
|
الذي
|
ربك
|
باسم
|
اقرأ
|
7
|
6
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
علم
|
الذي
|
الأكرم
|
وربك
|
اقرأ
|
علق
|
من
|
14
|
13
|
12
|
11
|
10
|
9
|
8
|
يعلم
|
مالم
|
الإنسن
|
علم
|
بالقلم
|
||
19
|
18
|
17
|
16
|
15
|
ii)
The last chapter revealed (ch. 110) consists of 19 words
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
PHYSICAL
FACT NUMBER (8)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The last Quranic revelation consisted of 19 words
*******************************************************
الناس
|
ورأيت
|
والفتح
|
الله
|
نصر
|
جاء
|
اذا
|
7
|
6
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
بحمد
|
فسبح
|
أفواجا
|
الله
|
دين
|
في
|
يدخلون
|
14
|
13
|
12
|
11
|
10
|
9
|
8
|
توّابا
|
كان
|
انه
|
واستغفره
|
ربنك
|
||
19
|
18
|
17
|
16
|
15
|
i)
The second revelation (68: 1-9) was 38 words;
19 x 2
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
PHYSICAL
FACT NUMBER (10)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Second revelation (the first 9 verses of Chapter
68) consisted of 38 words, and 38 = 19 x 2
*******************************************************
NO.
|
|||
1
|
نون
|
NOON
|
ALPHABET
(N)
|
2
|
والقلم
|
WAL-QALAMI
|
&
THE PEN
|
3
|
وما
يسطرون
|
WAMA-YASTTUROON
|
&
WHAT THEY WRITE
|
4
|
ما
انت
|
MAA-ANTA
|
YOU ARE NOT
|
5
|
بنعمة
|
BINI’MATI
|
BECAUSE OF THE MESSAGE
|
6
|
ربك
|
RABBIKA
|
OF YOUR LORD
|
7
|
بمجنون
|
BIMAJNOON
|
A MAD MAN
|
8
|
وان
|
WA-INNA
|
& SURELY
|
9
|
ليك
|
LAKA
|
YOU WILL RECEIVE
|
10
|
لاجرا
|
LA’AJRAN
|
A RECOMPENSE
|
11
|
فير
|
GHAYRA
|
NOT
|
12
|
ممنون
|
MAMNOON
|
UNDESERVED
|
13
|
وانك
|
WA-INNAKA
|
& SURELY YOU ARE
|
14
|
لعلي
|
LA’ALAA
|
ENDOWED WITH
|
15
|
خلق
|
KHULUQIN
|
CHARACTER
|
16
|
عجيم
|
‘AZZEEM
|
THAT IS HONORABLE
|
17
|
فستبصر
|
FASATUBSSIRU
|
YOU WILL FIND OUT
|
18
|
وبصرون
|
WAYUBSSIROON
|
& THEY WILL FIND OUT
|
19
|
ياييكم
|
BI-AYYEEKUM
|
WHICH OF YOU
|
20
|
المفتون
|
AL-MAFTOON
|
IS THE WRONG ONE
|
21
|
ان
|
INNA
|
SURELY
|
22
|
ربك
|
RABBAKA
|
YOUR LORD
|
23
|
هـــو
|
HUWA
|
IS THE ONE
|
24
|
علم
|
A’LAMU
|
FULLY AWARE
|
25
|
بمن
|
BIMAN
|
OF THOSE
|
26
|
ضل
|
DDALLA
|
WHO STRAY
|
27
|
عن
|
‘AN
|
FROM
|
28
|
سبيله
|
SABEELIHI
|
HIS PATH
|
29
|
وهو
|
WA-HUWA
|
& HE IS THE ONE
|
30
|
اعلم
|
A’LAMU
|
FULLY AWARE
|
31
|
بالمهتدين
|
BIL-MUHTADEEN
|
OF THE GUIDED ONES
|
32
|
فلا
|
FALAA
|
DO NOT
|
33
|
تطع
|
TUTTI
|
OBEY
|
34
|
المكذبين
|
AL-MUKADHIBEEN
|
THE DISBELIEVERS
|
35
|
ودوا
|
WADDOO
|
THEY WISH
|
36
|
لو
|
LAWW
|
THAT
|
37
|
تدهن
|
TUD-HINU
|
YOU COMPROMISE
|
38
|
فيدهنون
|
FAYUD-HINOON
|
SO THEY CAN COMPROMISE[4]
|
However, to
obtain these multiples, Rashad Khalifa has followed a haphazard system of word
identification that totally contradicts both classical and modern rules of
Arabic grammar and lexography. For example, he counts the relative pronoun “الذي allathee: which” as a single word in
example (i) word 13 and the negative particle “لم lam: not” as a single
word[7] while elsewhere counting maa
lam together as one word in example (i) “word” 18 when “maa ما” is also a relative pronoun
equivalent to allathee.
He also counts the conjunction “و wa: and” as a part of the word
following it even though it is a separate word. In example (iii), according to
Dr. Khalifa, “word” 3 is made up of the conjunction wa, the relative
pronoun “maa” and the verb “yasturoon”.
Prepositions like “في fee:
in” in example (ii) word 9, “على
‘alaa: on”[8] and “ من
min: from” in example (i) word
8 are all counted as
separate words, while the preposition “bi بِ” meaning “in, on, at, and
with” is not counted as a separate word. Instead it is counted as a part of the
word to which it is joined as in example (i) “word” 2. The same can be said of
possessive pronouns like “ka ك” meaning “your”.
Dr. Khalifa does not count them as words. For example, “word” 11 in
example (i) is actually composed of the conjunction “wa”, the noun “rabb”
and the possessive pronoun “ka” (i.e., wa rabbuka means “and your
Lord”). Hence, when the correct method of identifying words is employed,
not a single one of Dr. Khalifa’s five major “facts” mentioned above remains a
multiple 19.
7. WORD COUNT: DATA FALSIFICATION
T
|
he last major
group of facts used by Rashad Khalifa to prove his miraculous numerical code is
the four words which compose the phrase, Bismillahi-Rahmaani-Raheem[9] بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم (In
the Name of Allaah, the Beneficient, the Merciful) which precedes most chapters
of the Qur’aan. Dr. Rashad considers the 19-letter Basmalah the basis of
the Qur’aan’s numerical code. The fact that the Basmalah is composed of
19 written letters was not first discovered by Dr. Rashad, but has been spoken
about by various individuals belonging to secret societies and sects from the
early era of Islaam until today.[10] From this basic “fact”,
which has no great significance since the Basmalah is actually composed
of 22 spoken letters,[11] Khalifa has attempted to
create an aura of numerical mysticism by claiming for the Basmalah a
battery of amazing “facts.” Foremost among these so-called facts are the
following:
“Taking only one “Basmala” to
represent the 114 Basmalas of the Qur’an (only the first one, in the first
Surah, is given a number[12]),
we find that every word in the Basmala is repeated in the whole Qur’an a number
of times that is always a multiple of 19.
i. the word “Ism” is found in Qur’an 19 times
ii. the second word “Allaah” is mentioned 2698 times ( 19 x 142)
iii. the third word “Alrahman” is mentioned 57 times (19 x 3)
iv. the last word “Alraheem” is mentioned 114 times (19 x 6)
(Based
on this single fact, the respected scientific journal Scientific American
proclaimed that this is “an ingenuous study of the Koran.” See Scientific American, September 1980, pp.
22-24). This fact alone is sufficient to prove the divine source of Qur’an...)”[13]
Although
Khalifa’s claim sounds spectacular and impressive, it is no nearer to reality
than any of his earlier sensational claims. However, before examining the
“facts” of Khalifa’s word count claim, let us examine his claim of scientific
verification.
In the
above-mentioned quote, Khalifa gave the impression that this aspect of his
theory was published in the prestigious scientific journal, Scientific
American, as “an ingenious study of the Koran” which is not the case at
all.
In fact, its
mention appeared in a humorous 4-page article called “Mathematical Games” in
which the columnist, Martin Gardner, presents some mathematical curiosities and
riddles in story form, replete with fictional characters. In the September 1980
episode, the story is about the author’s fictitious encounter in Istanbul with a C.I.A. agent, Dr. Matrix, who has adopted
the ludicrous name of Abdul Abulbul Amir, and his half-Japanese daughter Iva
who takes the name Fatima .
The story is
filled with satirical comments and snide remarks about Islam. In a short
paragraph on page 22 of the fictitious story, Dr. Matrix gives the author a
copy of a 60-page booklet entitled “Number 19: A Numerical Miracle in the
Koran”, mentions the four points about the Basmalah, and says, “It’s
an ingenious study of the Koran... but it would have been more
impressive if Khalifa had consulted me before he wrote it.” Dr. Matrix then
proceeds to discuss some peculiarities of integers and prime numbers. Thus, the
“scientific establishment’s recognition” of Rashad Khalifa’s theory is a lie
and deliberate deception.
The Facts
The initial condition of not considering
the other 112 Basmalahs when calculating the frequency of occurrence of
the words of the Basmalah[14] is illogical since Dr.
Khalifa includes the Basmalah in his entire letter counts for individual
soorahs. The fact that it is a verse only in the first soorah as
well as in Soorah al-Naml, (27): 30 did not stop him from depending on
its letters in the totals for the “Qur’aanic Initials.” Hence, if he were
consistent in his calculations by including the 112 Basmalahs in his
totals for the four words of the Basmalah, not a single one of them
would remain a multiple of 19. However, even if the exclusion of the Basmalahs
were allowed, only one of the totals for the four words of the Basmalah
is actually a multiple of 19 while the remaining three are a result of rigged
data.
I. Ism اسم
The claim that the first word “Ismاسم ” is
found exactly 19 times in the Qur’aan is incorrect from at least three points
of view.
a) It is illogical for Khalifa to consider the
first word of the Basmalah to be “Ismاسم ”, because
he earlier considered “Bism باسم” in Soorah al-‘Alaq
(96) to be one word.[15] Hence, he should consider
the first word to be “Bism بسم”, which occurs not 19,
but only 7 times; 3 times in the shortened form بسم and 4 times with the Alif included باسم
.
b) If the first word is considered to be “Ism
اسم” and
the phrase “Bism بسم” is excluded from the count, the form “Bism باسم” with the Alif should
also be excluded. If both forms of “Bism” are excluded, the total
occurrence of the word “Ismاسم ” becomes 15 times, which is
not a multiple of 19. In order to get his multiple, Khalifa has included the
four instances of “Bism باسم” with the Alif in Soorah
96, and twice in Soorah 56.[16]
c) Even if the first word were accepted as “Ism”
including the phrase “Bism باسم” with the Alif and
excluding the form without the Alif, the count could not be considered
to be 19 because it would include الاسم in verse 11 of Soorah
al-Hujuraat (49) which does not refer to Allaah. This was his rule used to
make the total number of Raheems a multiple of 19. Khalifa
excluded one instance in which the word was mentioned claiming that it did not
refer to Allaah.[17]
Thus, it may
be concluded that the first word “Ism اسم” or “Bism بسم” does
not occur 19 times or a multiple of 19 in the Qur’an by any logical system of
counting.
II. Allaah الله
In his book, Quran: Visual
Presentation of The Miracle, Rashad Khalifa included 34 pages of data
tabulating the 2,698 (19 x 142) places in the Qur’aan in which the word “Allaahالله ”
occurs.[18] This total has been held up as dramatic
evidence of how deeply the numerical code of 19 is interwoven in the fabric of
the Qur’aan. The total can be found in his flyers, books and monthly
newsletters. However, in the March 1985
issue of his monthly newsletter, Rashad Khalifa admitted that after a revision
of his data, his figures for the frequency of occurrence of the word Allaah الله
were off by
one! According to the Doctor, the word actually occurs, 2,699 times, which is
not a multiple of 19.
III. Ar-Rahmaan الرحمن
This is the only one of the
four words composing the Basmalah which actually occurs a multiple of 19
times (57 = 19 x 3) in the Qur’aan. However, it should be remembered that the
only way in which even this multiple could be arrived at was by including only
the Basmalah preceding the first soorah and excluding the 112 Basmalahs
preceding the others soorahs all of which the Doctor conveniently
includes in his letter counts. In any case, one word out of four occurring a
multiple of 19 times could hardly be considered as proof for a miraculous
numerical code intricately interwoven throughout the Qur’aan.
IV. Ar-Raheem الرحيم
Dr. Rashad Khalifa boldly
states in his book, Quran: Visual Presentation of The
Miracle[19] that the fourth word in the opening statement is mentioned in the
Qur’aan 114 times (19 x 6) without making any stipulations. However, in
appendix I of his mistranslation of the Qur’aan which he calls, Quran:The
Final Scripture, he writes:
“The fourth word, “Al-Raheem = most merciful,”
is found in the Qur’an 115 times. This
number is not a multiple of 19. But, we note that there is one “Al-Raheem” word
in Qur’an that refers specifically to the Prophet Muhammad and not to God
(verse 128 of Surah 9). Since the verse is in the name of God, we must exclude
the word referring specifically to the Prophet. Thus the frequency of
occurrence of “Al-Raheem” as an attribute of God is 114. 19 x 6.”[20]
This reasoning sounds logical except that in the case of the first word
“Ismأسم ” he
included in his contrived total of 19 an instance which does not refer to God:
entry no. 10, Chapter 49, the 11th verse.[21]
) بِئْسَ الاِسْمُ الْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ الإِيمَانِ (
“.... The worst name is one implying sinfulness after he has
believed.”
Hence, this
qualification, if applied consistently, would only further invalidate the total
for the first word as well as the other 8 supposed word-count violations.
Dr. Khalifa
has also included in his total a mixture of definite forms of the word “Ar-Raheem
الرحيم” and indefinite forms (رحيم),[22] both of which were excluded
in one or another of the totals for the other 8 words found in the last two verses
of Soorah at-Tawbah which supposedly violate the code of 19. Thus, in
arriving at his desired total, the Doctor follows another incoherent pattern
not used in the other 8 supposed violations of the code.
8. REJECTION OF A PART OF THE QUR’AAN
I
|
n order to
cover up the errors in his original calculations for the word Allah الله, Dr.
Khalifa went on the offensive by denying the authenticity of some verses from
the Qur’aan. Khalifa had to remove a whole word from the Qur’aan in order to
keep his code intact. That major feat of tampering was accomplished by yet
another heretical claim.
He announced
in his newsletter that this contradiction to his theory was clear proof that
the Qur’aan had been tampered with in earlier times! It had not been perfectly
preserved and protected from any addition or loss as he had previously claimed
that his code proved. He wrote the following in his newsletter:
“It is the result of this vast review of the computer
data that unveiled the shocking crime of tampering with the Quran. Nine
violations of the Qur’an’s mathematical code were discovered by the time the
review of data was completed. ALL NINE VIOLATIONS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE LAST
TWO VERSES OF SURAH 9.”
VIOLATIONS OF THE QUR’AN’S MATHEMATICAL MIRACLE
|
|||||
VIOLATED WORD
|
Frequency in Qur’an Without Removal of 9:
128 and 129
|
Frequency in Qur’an
After Removal of 9:
128 and 129
|
|||
Messenger
|
رسول
|
115
|
114
|
(19 x 6)
|
|
(your)
selves
|
أنفس
|
153
|
152
|
(19 x 8)
|
|
Merciful
|
رحيم
|
115
|
114
|
(19 x 6)
|
|
Turn away
|
تولوا
|
20
|
19
|
(19 x 1)
|
|
God
|
الله
|
2699
|
2698
|
(19 x 142)
|
|
God
|
اله
|
96
|
95
|
(19 x 5)
|
|
Trust
|
توكلت
|
58
|
57
|
(19 x 3)
|
|
Lord
|
رب
|
970
|
969
|
(19 x 51)
|
|
Throne
|
العرش
|
20
|
19
|
||
His justification for this bold
statement of disbelief is based on two main arguments, both of which are false.
a) There existed and still
exists doubt about the authenticity of these verses among early and modern
scholars of the Qur’aan.
b) The only nine violations of
the code can all be found in the two verses.
Concerning
the first argument, Khalifa stated:
“Before presenting the physical evidence, it
should be pointed out that the last two verses of Surah 9 have always been
suspect. ALL classic and modern references dealing with the collection and
recording of the original Qur’an have UNANIMOUSLY agreed that these two verses
ARE THE ONLY VERSES IN QUR’AN THAT FAILED TO MEET THE CRITERIA SET BY ABU BAKR,
OMAR AND ZEID IBN THABET (the original collectors of Qur’an). According to
these references, the last two verses of Surah 9 were never confirmed by the
criterion of SOURCE MULTIPLICITY.”[24]
As proof for
this line of argument, Khalifa mentioned the names of five references without
quoting anything from any of them, thus the reader is obliged to take his word
that they confirm what he claims.
Saheeh al-Bukhaaree
The first of the references listed by Rashad Khalifa is the famous hadeeth
collection of the 9th century C.E. known as Saheeh
al-Bukhaaree. Although Dr. Khalifa had denied the validity of hadeeths
much earlier, claiming them all to be forgeries, here he stated that:
The following
is the longest and most complete of the three accounts mentioned in Saheeh
al-Bukhaaree:
Zayd ibn Thaabit said, “Aboo Bakr as-Siddeeq sent for me
just after the Battle of Yamaamah in which many of the Prophet’s companions
were killed. When I came to him, I found ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab sitting
with him. Aboo Bakr then said to me, ‘Umar has come and told me that there were
many casualties among the Qur’aan memorizers during the Battle of Yamaamah and
he fears that many more of them will die on other battlefields. As a result,
much of the Qur’aan may be lost.
So, he has suggested to me that I order that the Qur’aan be collected
in one book. I asked him how he could do something that Allaah’s messenger did
not do. ‘Umar said that it was good and he kept on urging me to do it until
Allaah made me realize the good in it. You (Zaid) are a wise and trustworthy
young man, and you are among those who wrote down the revelation of the Qur’aan
for the Messenger of Allaah (r), so go and search for the Qur’aan and collect it.’
By Allaah! If they had ordered me to shift a mountain, it would not
have been a heavier task than ordering me to collect the Qur’aan. When I asked
Aboo Bakr how he could do what the Messenger of Allaah (r) had not done, he told me
there was good in it and persisted until Allaah made me recognize the benefit
in it which he had shown Aboo Bakr and ‘Umar.
So I searched for the Qur’aan and collected it from what was written on
the stalks of palm leaves, stone tablets and also from those who had memorized
it, until I found the last verse of Soorah at-Tawbah with Aboo Khuzaymah
al-Ansaaree and I did not find them with anyone else:
“Verily a Prophet from among yourselves has come to you. It grieves him that you should be injured or
face difficulty...
(until the end of the Soorah al-Baraa’a[26]. The complete manuscript
remained with Aboo Bakr until he died, then with ‘Umar until the end of his
life, and then with ‘Umar’s daughter, Hafsah.”[27]
As is obvious from the text of
above-mentioned hadeeth, there was no suspicion about the
authenticity of the two verses nor is there any mention that they did not
conform to any set criteria. The hadeeth only indicates the
reason why the Qur’aan was collected in one book and the efforts made by the
Prophet’s companion, Zayd ibn Thaabit, to gather it from all available
sources.
Khalifa’s claim of unanimous Agreement of Scholars!?
The other four references, which were
mentioned by Dr. Khalifa as support for his claim, all quote or rely on one or
more of the hadeeth narrations from Saheeh
al-Bukhaaree and other hadeeth works, and comment on them.
For example, Khalifa includes in his list the 16th century classic on Qur’aanic
disciplines, al-Itqaan fee ‘Uloom al-Qur’aan.
Its author,
‘Abdur-Rahmaan as-Suyootee, included in his commentary on the previously
mentioned hadeeth collected by Imaam al-Bukhaaree a quote from
another great scholar of his time, “(Aboo Shaamah) said that their intention was to insure that only that which was
written in the Prophet’s (r) presence was
collected and not only that which was memorized.
Because of that, he (Zayd) said the
following concerning the end of Soorah at-Tawbah, ‘I did not find it
with anyone else.’ That is, he did not find it written with anyone else,
because memory alone was not considered sufficient without written support.”[28]
In a more
recent work, the Lebanese hadeeth scholar, Dr. Subhee as-Saalih,
made the following comment on the account in Saheeh
al-Bukhaaree, “… Zayd’s statement that he only found the end of Soorah
at-Tawbah with Aboo Khuzaymah al-Ansaaree might present a problem
for the reader.
However,
the problem is quickly resolved when the reader learns that Zayd meant that he
only found it written with Aboo Khuzaymah, which was sufficient for it to
be accepted, as many Companions of the Prophet (r)
had memorized it and so had Zayd. He only wanted to confirm what was memorized
by what was written as a precautionary measure. That was also the method that
he followed in collecting the rest of the Qur’aan as requested by Aboo Bakr.
There had
to be two confirming sources for a verse or group of verses to be accepted: a
memorized source and a written source... Zayd’s statement, ‘I only found it
with Aboo Khuzaymah’ does not in any way imply that a portion of the Qur’aan
was recorded on the basis of a single source, because Zayd had heard it before
and knew its location...”[29]
Hence, Dr. Rashad Khalifa’s claim that both early and modern scholars
who wrote on the collection of the Qur’aan are unanimously agreed that the last
two verses of Soorah at-Tawbah (9) are the only verses in the Qur’aan
that failed to meet the criterion of source multiplicity is totally false. Not
only is it not unanimous, but also it is non-existent among authoritative
works, past or present, written by Muslim scholars.
Violations of the Code?
As for the second part of his argument concerning the so-called nine
violations to his numerical code, it has already been clearly demonstrated in
the previous chapters that the so-called miraculous code is no more than a
coincidence occurring only in a few rare instance.
It is not only violated and contradicted nine times, but innumerable
times throughout the Qur’aan; it is violated not merely in one soorah
but in most of the soorahs of the Qur’aan. However, just for the sake of demonstrating
the consistency with which Khalifa has falsified and manipulated his data, the
following five examples from his so-called nine violations will be systematically
refuted: رسول
messenger, أنفس selves, اله god, رب Lord, العرش throne.
a)
رسول Messenger
The total occurrence of the word رسول rasool is actually 140 and not 115 as claimed by Dr.
Khalifa. The 140 locations can easily be found in any Arabic Qur’aanic
concordance.[30] The total of 140 includes a
mixture of definite forms: ar-rasool (الرسول) in all three cases;
nominative ar-rasoolu (الرسولُُ), genitive ar-rasooli (الرسولِ) and accusative ar-rasoola
(الرسولَ)
adding up too 60, and 56 indefinite forms in both the nominative rasoolun
(رسولٌ) and
genitive cases rasoolin (رسولٍ) and 23 indefinite forms in
the accusative case rasoolan (رسولاً) and one unusual definite form
in the accusative case with an Alif added (الرسولا).[31] The total of 140 does not
include an additional 95 forms of rasool to which personal pronouns have
been added.[32]
These forms include one mention of rasoolee “my messengerرسولي”; 4
mentions of rasoolunaa “our messengerرسولنا”; 2 of
rasoolukum “your (pl.) messengerرسولكم”; 84 of rasooluhu “his messenger رسوله”; one
of rasooluhaa “her messengerرسولها ”; and
3 of rasooluhum “their messengerرسولهم ”, [33]making a grand total of 235
which, like 140, cannot be made divisible by 19 by the removal of the single
mention in the last two verses of Soorah 9. Where Khalifa got his total
of 115 from, God alone knows. Consequently, the number of occurrences of the
word رسول rasool only became a violation by outright data
falsification.
b)
أنفس Selves
The total occurrence of the “word”, “(your) selvesأنفس ” i.e. anfus
as written by Dr. Khalifa cannot be determined, because the term “your
selves” in Arabic is anfusukum[34] أنفسكم and
not just anfus أنفس ,
which simply means “selves.” The word “selvesأنفس ”
occurs only in the definite form al-anfus (الأنفس) and
its frequency is only 6 times![35]
When the personal pronouns are added, the totals are as follows; “your
selves أنفسكم”
occurs 49 times; “our selves anfusunaaأنفسنا
” occurs 3 times; “their selves (mas.) anfusuhumأنفسهم ” occurs 91 times; and “their selves (fem.) anfusuhunnaأنقسهن ”
occurs 4 times[36]. The grand total of all
forms is 153 which is the total given by Rashad Khalifa for “(your) selvesأنفس”. It
is neither the total for “your selves أنفسكم” nor for “selvesأنفس ”. And
it also includes the forms with attached pronouns that are all excluded in the
case of “messengerرسول ”, “godإله ” and “Throneالعرش ”.
c) إله God
The total occurrence of the word “إله ilaah god” in the nominative (ilaahun)
and genitive (ilaahin) forms is 80 and in the accusative form ilaahan
(إلها) is
16, giving Dr. Khalifa’s total of 96.
However, here he has also excluded the forms in which the personal
pronouns have been added; the same forms which he included in his previous
total for the word “(your) selvesأنفس ” and
in the following total for “Lord rabbرب ”. Their totals are as follows: “your god ilaahukaإلهك ”
occurs twice; “your (pl.) god ilaahukum إلهكم
” occurs 10 times; “our god ilaahunaaإلهنا ”
occurs once, and “his god ilaahuhuإلهه ” occurs twice[37]. If these forms are
included, the grand total of 111 is not a multiple of 19 when the last two
verses of Soorah 9 are deleted.
d) رب Lord
In the case of the word “Lord rabbرب ”, Dr.
Khalifa has included all of the forms with attached personal pronouns (eg. rabbee,
rabbunaa, rabbuka, rabbukum ربي،
ربنا، ربك، ربكم، etc.) as well as the
accusative form rabban (ربًّا) to get his total of 970. But, if the total was limited to the
nominative, genitive and accusative forms of the word “Lord رب” as
was done in the case of the words “god إله” and “throneالعرش , the
resulting total would be 85, which would not become a multiple of 19 with the
removal of the last two verses of Soorah
at-Tawbah.[38]
e) العرش Throne
In the last example, the word “throne al-‘arshالعرش ”,
Rashad Khalifa records only 20 occurrences. By doing so, he not only excluded
all of the forms with attached personal pronouns which he included in the case
of “Lordرب ” and
“(your) selvesأنفس ”, but
he has also excluded the indefinite form ‘arsh عرش.
The indefinite form arsh (عرش) occurs twice; and the three
forms with attached pronouns (‘arshuka, ‘arshuhu, arshuhaaعرشك، عرشه، عرشها) occur
4 times, making a grand total of 26 times, which would not be a multiple of 19
with the deletion of the last two verses of Soorah 9. Hence, Dr. Khalifa
had to exclude the indefinite forms that he had counted in all previous totals.
From these five examples, the following four points are clear:
1) Rashad Khalifa has used a
different basis for calculating each total,
2) None of bases used follows a
logical pattern,
3) If any one base was used
consistently, all of the other totals would be incorrect, and
4) Data has been falsified when
the above methods failed to produce the desired figure.
Thus, it may
be concluded that the so-called nine violations are in fact concocted figures
used to disguise the error in Dr. Khalifa’s total for the word “الله
Allah” and that the last two
verses of Soorah at-Tawbah are as authentic as any other verse in the
Qur’aan.
Doctored Data
Considering Dr. Khalifa’s
previous record of data manipulation, there is no reason to expect that no
tampering has taken place in his 34 pages of data tabulating the occurrence of
the word “Allah
الله” in
the Qur’aan. A careful analysis of the Khalifa’s data for the 2,698 locations
in which the word “Allah الله” are supposed to occur,
revealed the following five irreconcilable discrepancies among many:
List
of Chapters & Verses
containing
the word “Allahاللـه”
NO.
1118
1119
1120
1121
1122
1123
1124
|
CHAPTER
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
|
VERSE
13
14
15
16
16
16
17
|
) وَيُذْهِبْ غَيْظَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَيَتُوبُ اللهُ عَلَى مَنْ
يَشَاءُ وَاللهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ (
NO.
1668
1669
1670
1671
1672
1673
1674
1675
|
CHAPTER
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
|
VERSE
58
59
60
60
60
61
61
62
|
) ذَلِكَ
وَمَنْ عَاقَبَ بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبَ بِهِ ثُمَّ بُغِيَ عَلَيْهِ لَيَنْصُرَنَّهُ اللهُ
إِنَّ اللهَ لَعَفُوٌّ غَفُورٌ (
iii) Soorah
al-Furqaan (25), verse 68, he recorded only one mention of the word
“Allaah” when, in fact, there are 2 mentions.[41]
NO.
1790
1791
1792
1793
1794
1795
|
CHAPTER
25
25
25
25
25
25
|
VERSE
41
55
68
70
70
71
|
) وَالَّذِينَ
يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ وَلاَ يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي
حَرَّمَ َاللهُ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ وَلاَ يَزْنُونَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ
يَلْقَ أَثَامًاٌ (
iv) Soorah Ghaafir (40), verse 74, he also
recorded only one entry instead of the actual total of two.[42]
NO.
2217
2218
2219
2220
2221
2222
2223
|
CHAPTER
40
40
40
40
40
40
40
|
VERSE
65
66
69
74
77
78
78
|
) مِنْ
دُونِ اللهِ قَالُوا ضَلُّوا عَنَّا بَلْ لَمْ نَكُنْ نَدْعُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ
شَيْئًا كَذَلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللهُ الْكَافِرِينَ (
v) Soorah al-Ahqaaf (46), he did not record any
mention of the word “Allaah” in verse 33, although it is mentioned once.[43]
NO.
2307
2308
2309
2310
2311
2312
|
CHAPTER
46
46
46
46
47
47
|
VERSE
26
28
31
32
1
3
|
) أَوَلَمْ
يَرَوْا أَنَّ اللهَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَاْلأَرْضَ وَلَمْ
يَعْيَ بِخَلْقْهِنَّ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَى أَنْ يُحْيِيَ الْمَوْتَى بَلَى إِنَّهُ
عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (
It should be
noted that these discrepancies are not a result of printing errors, but are
tabulation errors. Seven other errors were discovered besides these five that
are a result of printing errors (e.g., chapter 63 has one entry for verse 6 and
3 entries for verse
7, when in fact there are 2 mentions in each verse).[44]
Thus, the whole issue of there being an
extra mention of the word “Allaah الله” in the last two verses of Soorah
at-Tawbah (9) becomes meaningless except as a mask to hide Dr. Khalifa’s
doctored totals.
9. SOORAH QAAF: FALSE CLAIMS
9. SOORAH QAAF: FALSE CLAIMS
I
|
n the
presentations of his theory, Dr. Khalifa always began his claims concerning the
prefixed Arabic letters (“Quranic Initials” as he call them) with the totals
for Soorah Qaaf (50). The
reason being that this soorah represents one of the few incontrovertible
truths. Readers of his books and listeners to his lectures were urged to count
the Qaafs for themselves.[45] Once they did so and found
the total to be 57 (19 x 3), they would assume all of his other totals to be
correct.
In order to
greatly magnify Soorah Qaaf’s importance and thereby increase the
overall impact of the theory of 19, the Khalifa made two additional dramatic
claims for the soorah: (i) Qaaf means Qur’aan and (ii) there
exists clear evidence that the number of Qaafs in Soorah Qaaf was
specially protected.
i) Dr. Rashad explains why Qaf means Qur’aan as follows:
“Since
the total occurrence of the letter Qaf in the two Qaf-initialed chapters equals
the number of chapters in the Qur’an, 114: Qaf total = 57 + 57 = 114 = 19 x 6,
the letter Qaf stands for “Qur’an.”[46]
This “fact”
is further supported by the fact that the “Qur’an is described in the
first verse of Chapter Qaf as “مجيد = Majeed = Glorious,” and the numerical
value of this word is exactly 57 which is the number of Qafs in each of the two
Qaf-initialed chapters; د= 4, ي = 10, ج = 3, م = 40.”[47]
The practice of translating letters into
numbers and numbers into words in order to deduce “hidden” meanings is known as
numerology that will be dealt with in more detail in the following chapter. It
is sufficient to point out here that according to this un-Islamic system of
letter translation, the numerical value of the word “Qur’an القرآن” is
382:
ا
|
=
|
1
|
ل
|
=
|
30
|
ق
|
=
|
100
|
ر
|
=
|
200
|
آ
|
=
|
1
|
ن
|
=
|
50
|
Total
|
382
|
|
which is
neither a multiple of 57 nor 19. Hence, if the letter Qaaf meant
Qur’aan, as claimed, this most direct “translation” should show it, which it
does not.
It should also be noted that the word “nahbنهب ”,
which means “pillage and plunder”, also has a numerical value of 57!
ن
|
=
|
50
|
هـ
|
=
|
5
|
ب
|
=
|
2
|
Total
|
57
|
|
and the word
“danas دنس” which
means filth, has a numerical value of 114:
د
|
=
|
4
|
ن
|
=
|
50
|
س
|
=
|
60
|
Total
|
114
|
|
Thus, using the system of numerology one could just as well erroneously
argue that the Qur’aan promotes filth and Soorah Qaaf invites humans to
pillage and plunder. The fact that it may be used in this fashion clearly shows
its falsehood.
ii) Dr. Khalifa also claims that Allaah used the term “Qawm قوم
(people)”
when referring to Prophet Lot’s people everywhere in the Qur’aan except in Soorah
Qaaf in order to avoid upsetting the total of Qaafs in the soorah.
Khalifa expressed this claim as follows:
“An illustration of the
miraculous intricacy of this Quranic mathematical system is in order. Looking
at Surah Qaf, verse 13, for example, we find it a short verse which is usually
recited without any special attention.
But,
it contains a most profound demon-stration of how every word, indeed every
letter in Quran is divinely designed, calculated and carefully placed. This
short verse says, “ ‘Aad, Pharaoh, and the brethren of Lot.’ The people of Lot
are mentioned in Quran 12 times (7:80; 11:70, 74, 89; 22:43; 26:160; 27:54, 56;
29:28; 38:13; 50:13; and 54:33) and they are consistently referred to as “Qawm
Lot”, with only one exception; in Surah Qaf they are called “Ikhwan.” It is
readily obvious that the use of the word “Qawm” or “Ikhwan” determines the
number of occurences of the letter “Qaf”(Q).
Thus,
had the word “Qawm” been used in Surah Qaf instead of the word “Ikhwan”, the
number of occurences of the letter “Qaf” (Q) would have been 58, a number which
is not a multiple of 19; and a number that will not match the number of “Qaf”
(Q’s) in the sister Surah where the initial Qaf occurs; and the total number of
“Qafs” will not match the total number of Surahs in the Quran. In other words,
the whole system collapses as a result of altering one letter.”[48]
This claim is simply not true at all. Dr. Khalifa has deliberately
ignored four places in the Qur’aan where the people of Prophet Lot are not
referred to as “Qawm قوم”.
Soorah al-Hijr, (15): 59
) إِلاَّ آلَ لُوطٍ إِنَّا لَمُنَجُّوهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ (
Soorah al-Hijr, 15:61
) فَلَمَّا جَاءَ آلَ لُوطٍ الْمُرْسَلُونَ (
Soorah an-Naml, (27): 56
) ... قَالُوا أَخْرِجُوا آلَ لُوطٍ مِنْ قَرْيَتِكُمْ ... (
Soorah al-Qamar, (54): 34
) إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ حَاصِبًا إِلاَّ آلَ لُوطٍ
نَجَّيْنَاهُمْ بِسَحَرٍ (
In all of
these instances Allaah refers to Prophet Lot’s people as “Aal Lootآل لوط ” and not “Qawm Lootقوم لوط ”.
Thus, Soorah Qaaf is not the only soorah in which the word “Qawm
قوم” was
not used when referring to Prophet Lot’s people.
Consequently,
it may be concluded that the total of 57 Qaafs in Soorah Qaaf and
Soorah ash-Shooraa is no more than a co-incidence and cannot in any way
be considered proof for a “miraculously intricate mathematical system” in the
Qur’aan.
10. WHY NINETEEN?
M
|
any of those who hear or read about Dr. Rashad Khalifa’s
numerical code of 19 usually ask why he chose the number 19 when there are so
many other numbers mentioned in the Qur’aan. Dr. Khalifa’s initial reply to
this question is:
“While the Quranic numbers are
defined (forty nights, seven heavens, six days, etc.), the number NINETEEN is
not defined. This indicates the purely mathematical function of this number.”[49]
However,
there is another unqualified number mentioned in the Qur’aan, the number eight
in verse 17 of Soorah al-Haaqqah, (69):
) وَالْمَلَكُ عَلَى أَرْجَائِهَا وَيَحْمِلُ عَرْشَ رَبِّكَ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ ثَمَانِيَةٌ (
“The
angels will be on its sides, and on that day eight will carry above them
your Lord’s throne.”
By Using Dr.
Khalifa’s inconsistent method of concocting multiples, it is also possible to
establish 8 as the axis of the Qur’an’s miraculous numerical code. For example;
i) The opening statement of the Qur’an consists of 8-2 words.
ii) The number of Surahhs with Basmalahs revealed before their
first verse is 112 (8 x 14).
iii) The first complete chapter of the Qur’an to be revealed (no.1)
consists of 32 words (8 x 4)
iv) The first complete chapter to be revealed consists of
136 letters (8 x17)
v) Between the verse in which the “numerical code” of 8 was
revealed and the Basmalah preceding the Surahh are 16 verses (8 x2)
vi) The verse in which the number 8 was revealed is composed of 14
words and 42 letters which make a total of 56 ( 8 x 7)
vii) The first Quranic revelation (the first 5 verses of Surahh
al-‘Alaq (no.96) consists of 24 words (8 x 3)
viii) The last Quranic revelation (chapter 110) consists of 24 words (8
x 3) and 80 letters (8 x 10) which make a total of 104 (8 x 13)[50]
At this point, Dr. Khalifa turns to the
occult pseudo-science of numerology wherein numbers are turned into words and
vice versa by assigning numerical valuesto the letters of the alphabet. He explains the choice of nineteen as
follows;
“Why 19? Because 19 means GOD IS ONE and this
is the message of the Qur’an. At the
time of revelation of Qur’an, the numerals as we know them today were not in
existence. Instead, the alphabet letters
were used as numerals,...”[51] “The
Arabic word for ONE is “Waahid واحد”, consisting of و = 6, ا = 1, ح= 8 and د = 4. By adding the numerical value of
these four letters (6 + 1 + 8 + 4), we find the total 19. Therefore 19 = واحد = ONE.”[52]
As was
mentioned in the introduction, numerology has no place in Islam. It was neither sanctioned by the Qur’an nor
by the Prophet Muhammad (r) and was opposed by the Companions of the Prophet (r) as well as the early
scholars.
The great
14th century C.E. scholar Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani said, “(Numerology) is
completely false and should not be relied on, for it has been accurately
reported that (the companion of the Prophet (r) Ibn ‘Abbas used to forbid
the Abjad and consider it a form of Magic, which is quite reasonable, as
it has no basis in the Shari‘ah (Islamic Law).”[53]
The origins of numerology can be found
in the pagan beliefs of the ancient Babylonaians and Greeks. Among the
Assyrians and Babylonians, heavenly bodies were at the same time both deities
and personified numbers. The star which
they called Ishtar was at the same time both the goddess Ishtar
and the deified number 15.
The moon was
not only earth’s satellite but also the lunar deity Sin and the deified
number 30.[54] In Greece the base can be found in the
Pythagorean idea that all things can be expressed in numerical terms because
they are ultimately reducible to numbers.
Hence, in the Greek alphabet, each letter represented a number.[55] These ideas became incorporated in Judaism’s
esoteric branch known as the Cabala (literally “tradition or hidden
wisdom”) which is believed to date back at least to the time of Christ.
Its most
important texts are the Book of Creation, written sometime between the 2nd and
6th centuries C.E. and the Book of Splendor, by the 13th century Spaniard,
Moses De Leon. The Cabala
includes a number science called gematria in which each letter of the
Hebrew alphabet is given a numerical value and through which all kinds of
mystic interpretations of the Scriptures can be made.[56]
From Jewish
mysticism, Greek philosophy and pagan Babylonian beliefs, Christian numerology
evolved in the centers of learning in Alexandria and Syria. It later came into Arabia from Iraq and Syria along with the skill of
writing. It is worth nothing that the Abjad
is in the order of the old Hebrew alphabet as far as 400, the six remaining
letters being added by the Arabs.[57]
However, the
mathematical arrangement of the alphabet (the Abjad) was not used as
numerals, as claimed by Dr. Khalifa, but was used by fortunetellers to
interpret their clients’ characters and to divine the future. Which explains why the companion, Ibn ‘Abbas,
considered it a branch of magic.
According to Islamic law, fortunetelling is included under the general
heading of magic which is itself classified as Haram (forbidden).
The Abjad
is only one of the tools of trade used by the fortuneteller as Dr. Khalifa
himself has amply demonstrated in his prediction of the Day of Judgment based
on the 14 sets of Quranic “Initials” being in reality 14 sets of numbers which
add up to 1709, the supposed number of years that the Prophet Muhammad’s
message would last. That is, from the
time of this discovery in 1400 A.H. to the end of the world there remains 309
years.[58] Actually, Dr. Khalifa borrowed this
calculation from a quote in a 15th century C.E. text on Quranic sciences, al-Itqan
fi ‘Ulum al-Qur’an. The author of
the text, as-Suyuti, quoted in volume 2, page 14, a variety of opinions
concerning the meaning and significance of the Arabic letters prefixed to the
Surahhs. among the more extreme opinions
quoted was that of a 12th century grammarian, as-Suhaili, who said, “Perhaps
the number of prefixed letters, when the repetitions are removed, are there to
indicate how long this (Muslim) world will last.” The author then quoted one of the leading
scholars of his day’s total rejection of as-Suhaili’s statement.
In the end of the Arabic
edition of his presentation of the 19 theory, Mu‘jizah al-Qur’an al-Karim,
pages 215-17, Dr.Kalifa actually attempts to attribute numerology and the
calculation of the world’s end from the Quranic initials to the Prophet
Mohammad (r)
himself! Although he openly denies the authenticity of Hadith in most of
his writings, his whole argument here is based on what he calls “a famous
historic event” narrated in the form of a Hadith in Tafsir
al-Baydawi.
Concerning the Hadith
and such claims, the famous classical commentator of the Qur’an, Ibn Kathir (d.
1365 C.E.) said the following: “As for those who assume that they (the prefixed
Arabic letters) indicate time periods from which the dates of events,
calamities and Armageddon may be deduced, they have claimed knowledge of what
they are ignorant of, and speculated where they have no right to
speculate.
There is however, an
unauthentic (Da‘if) Hadith related to this subject which actually
indicates the falsity of this line of thought.
It is narrated by Muhammad ibn Is-haq on the authority of al-Kalabi from
Jabir ibn Abdullah who said, “Once Abu Yasir ibn Akhtab passed by the Prophet
as he was reciting the openings words of Surahh al-Baqarah: ‘Alif, Lam, Mim, this is the book wherein
there is no doubt.’
Then he went to his brother
Huyayy who was with some other Jews and said: ‘Do you know by God that I have
heard Muhammad recite “Alif, Lam, Mim this is the book wherein there is
no doubt” among what was revealed to him? After expressing surprise, Huyayy and
these men went to the Prophet and told him what had been reported to them and
asked if Gabriel had brought the message from God.
When he said that he had they
said: God sent prophets before you but we do not know of anyone of them being
told how long his kingdom would last and how long his community would
last. Huyayy went back to his men and
said to them: ‘Alif is 1; Lam is 30; and Mim is 40 that is
71 years. Are you going to adopt a
religion whose kingdom and community will last for only 71 years?”
Then he went to the Prophet
and said, ‘Have you anything else, Muhammad?’ He replied ‘Yes, Alif Lam Mim
Sad.’ Huyayy said, ‘This by God is
more weighty and longer: Alif is 1: Lam is 30; Mim is 40,
Sad is 90, that is 161 years.’
Similar questions were asked and answered in respect of Alif Lam Ra
231; Alif Lam Mim Ra 271; then he
said, ‘Your situation seems obscure to us, Muhammad, so that we do not know
whether you will have a short or long duration.’ When they left him, Abu Yasir said to his
brother Huyayy and the others, ‘How do you know that all these totals should
not be added together to make a grand total of 734 years?’ They answered, ‘His
affair is obscure to us.’” Ibn Kathir
said “This Hadith revolves around Muhammad ibn as-Sa’ib al-Kalabi whose
solitary narrations are considered unreliable.”[59]
Besides being
un-Islamic, numerology also does not provide an ironclad case for the choice of
19 because, according to the Abjad, 19 also translates as “Haajiz حاجز” consisting of ز = 7, ج
=3, ا =1, and ح= 8, meaning an obstacle or a screen, which the Qur’an certainly
is not.
And for the case of 8, one could just as well argue that
since the Qur’an is the beginning and basis for all true religious knowledge,
the number eight was chosen as the axis for the Qur’an, because 8 = بدء = beginning ( ء =1,
د = 5 and ب = 2).
In any case, since the vast majority of the evidence used
by Dr. Khalifa to build his case for 19 as the miraculous numerical code of the
Qur’an has been thoroughly refuted in the previous chapters, the numerological
claim can not be considered as being any more than hollow and meaningless.
If you compare the attitude of Saamri and "Rashad Khalifa", you can see a lot similarity in them:
ReplyDeleteSaamri: Proclaimed that he was able to see, what the other Israelites’ were unable to see.
"Rashad Khalifa: Proclaimed that he was able to see [19], what the other Muslims were unable to see.
Saamri: Took a handful (of dust) from the footprint of the Messenger, and threw it (into the calf). Thus did his soul suggested to him.
"Rashad Khalifa": Took a hint from the footprint (History) of the Messenger [See Khalifa’s Appendix-25, where he says: The books of Hadith indicate that the Quranic initials were believed to determine the life span of the Muslim Ummah] and put the Quran-initials into a computer. Thus did his soul suggested to him.
Saamri: Fascinated people with the buzz-sound of the golden-calf and portrayed that like a great miracle, even-though it cannot respond to people in the form of an answer but that fascination made many people to gone astray.
"Rashad Khalifa": Fascinated people with the correlation of Quran-initials and portrayed that like a great miracle, even-though it cannot respond people in the form of an answer but that fascination made many people to go astray.
"Rashad Khalifa" is dead and his account is with Allah [SWTA]. We should be concerned only about, which he has left in writing, a stinking odor and about those whom he fascinated.
Therefore, we should not try to prove him as an intellectually dishonest person by researching about his personal life instead we should judge and know "Rashad Khalifa" by what he has himself said and believed, in the light of Quran; the criterion.
This small book is the result of years of data gathered interacting with people for and against "Rashad Khalifa" in internet forums and in real life, including my personal experience and research. Many have contributed to this book, directly and indirectly, knowingly and unknowingly.
ReplyDeleteI want to thank all the people, who by the grace of Allah [SWTA], helped me to open my eyes; thanks to their criticism. Actually it took me too long to realize the facts and gradually I understood what "Rashad Khalifa" was really about.
I believe the “Submitter” movement that he founded will collapse if people have the courage to read and study carefully this simple book, and face the facts and pass down the information around them. I suggest everyone to print this and circulate to get the most from it.
Khalifates claim that the number-nineteen is a miracle from Allah [SWTA] and that protects the whole Quran! But careful study reveals that the number-19 is a trial for people who have disease in their souls.
ReplyDeleteAlso keen observation discloses that the Verse about number-19 [Quran 74:30] is a Mutashabihat Verse!
How do we confirm that the Verse about 19 is a Mutashabihat Verse? This is very clear to a believer who is well grounded in the knowledge of Qur'an. For example, a believer can notice such parallels from Quran as the following one:
In-order to view the parallel comparison and to understand that the number-19 is a trial for people who have disease in their souls and also to understand that the Verse about number-19 [Quran 74:30] is a Mutashabihat Verse, kindly open the link given below:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lVSIXtaUVoqbCgK0ct5EQAxHvKE-_zqqavMSy80XLkY/edit?hl=en&forcehl=1
"Rashad Khalifa" and 19 miracles: I register here a strong suggestion and that is even-though a lot of mathematical perspectives are available in the Quran but many try to use it for their personal agenda.
ReplyDeleteThe personal agenda is to deviate and divert the true believers from the essence of the Quran-its meanings and commands.
Therefore I’m bringing to your kind notice about two blogs, which would break the fakes in the form of numerology cakes even-though they call it as miraculous bakes:
1) http://alquranonlysubmission.blogspot.in/2015/12/the-qurans-numerical-miracle-by-dr.html
2) http://alquranalonesubmission.blogspot.in/2016/01/edip-yuksel-gently-exposed.html