Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
NUMERICAL
MIRACLE
by
Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
1
Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, 1987/1407 AH
2
nd
Edition 2002
2
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-Muqattat)
85
12 The Miracle of the Quraan 91
Conclusion 98
Bibliography 101
3
4
PREFACE
ince the publication of my refutation of Rashad Khalifas 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 Philipss
work is generally accepted among Sunni Muslims as the most
exhaustive rebuttal of Khalifa.
1
S
After three reprints of my refutation, The Qurans
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, Khalifas 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 Khalifas heretical movement since my
books 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
1
Mission to America, p. 155.
2
Death of a Messenger, Arizona Daily Star, March 4, 1990, p. 2A.
5
had claimed in one of the editions of the cults 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 Quraans
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
Quraan, 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 Khalifas 1981 volume The Computer Speaks: Gods
6
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
Quran, 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 (). In it, he claimed that the only legitimate hadeeth
was the Quraan 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 Quran; 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
3
In the year 2280 CE according to his calculations.
7
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 Quraan 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 Quraan.
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 () was the last
prophet (nabi), but claimed that there was no Quranic affirmation
that Muhammad () 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
4
Messengers are an elite group of prophets. Consequently, the last prophet
who was also a messenger must be, by default, also be the last messenger.
8
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 Quraan 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 () 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 sons 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
5
In appendix 2 to Quran: The Final Testament, he specified that the experience
took place when he was on Hajj in Makkah and further elaborated, saying: What
I witnessed, in sharp consciousness, was that I was sitting still, while the
prophets, one by one, came towards me, looked at my face, then nodded their
heads. God showed them to me as they had looked in this world, attired in their
respective modes of dress. (p. 639)
6
Muslim Perspective, June 1989.
7
Mission to America, pp. 137-165.
9
Dr. Bilal Philips
Ajman, August 2002
10
FOREWORD
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 Deedats presentation of Dr. Rashad Khalifas theory
of the miraculous numerical code of the Quraan
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 Quraan 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 Deedats book on it entitled, Al-
Quraan The Ultimate Miracle,
9
as well as facts and figures from
Dr. Rashad Khalifas own book on the subject, Quraan: 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 Quraan had been
loaded, however, the program proved to be unreliable and thus most
of the crosschecking and counting had to be done by hand.
O
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. Khalifas heretical claims, most of them concluded that
the theory was totally false and that something should be done to
8
The title of the tape was Al-Quraan, A Visual Miracle.
9
Ahmed Deedat, Al-Quraan The Ultimate Miracle, (Durban: The Islamic
Propagation Centre, 1st ed. Feb. 1979).
10
Rashad Khalifa, Quraan: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, (Tucson,
Arizona: Islamic Productions, 1982).
11
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
Khalifas 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. Khalifas 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.
11
Islamic Horizons (Plainfield, Indiana: Islamic Society of North America),
Jan-Feb. 1987, Vol. XVI, No. 1-2, p. 8.
12
Ibid., p. 14.
12
Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
Riyadh, 30/06/1987
13
INTRODUCTION
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 Shiisms call has always been for the protection of the
rights of Ahl al-Bait (the Prophets () family) as a guise for
excommunicating most of the Prophets 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 Quraan, 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 Khalifas 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 Quraan is Gods final message to the world, and
2. that the Quraan 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-
H
13
Qadtyaniat, pp. 156-7.
14
See the Flyer entitled Computer Discovers a Secret Numerical Code in the
Quran and Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, p. 247.
14
Tawbah (the ninth chapter) were fabricated,
15
and he has interpreted
the first aim to mean that only the Quraan alone should be followed
and anyone who follows the Sunnah [the compiled sayings and
actions of the Prophet ()] he has labeled a pagan, idol
worshipper.
16
The initial presentation of Rashad Khalifas seemingly
amazing findings in his book entitled, The Computer Speaks: Gods
Message to the World,
17
took the Muslim world by storm. Most
Muslims readily and unquestioningly accepted Khalifas claims as
they had the aura of scientific fact about them. Furthermore, his
stated aims, to prove the divine origin of the Quraan 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 Khalifas
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 Quraanic phrase Bismillaahir-
15
Muslim Perspective, March, 1985, p. 11, The computer exposes an historical
crime. Tampering with the word of God. Two false verses unveiled in Quraan.
And on p. 4 Khalifa states, Nine violations of the Quraan mathematical code
were discovered. All nine violations have been found in the last two verses of
Sura 9.
16
Quran, Hadith and Islam, p. 88 When we seek religious instruction from
Muhammad or any other sources beside God, we support Satan in his claim that
God needs a partner. See also Rashad Khalifas mistranslation of the Quraan,
Quran: The Final Scripture, p. 191, footnote 17:46, When you exhort the idol
worshipper who advocate hadith and sunna to follow the Quran alone as
stated in this verse, they run away in aversion.
17
The earlier 200-page edition was entitled, The Perpetual Miracle of
Muhammad.
15
Rahmaanir-Raheem (In the Name of Allaah, The Beneficent, The
Merciful) as well as the use of numerical equivalents of Quraanic
verses and chapters in the preparation of amulets commonly known
as Taweez. After referring to ancient reverence of 19 and its
appearance among deviant Shiite sects like the 9th century C.E.
Karamatians, he concentrated on the 19th century Shiite 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 Khalifas discovery. Foremost
among them was the internationally known Islamic debater, Ahmed
Deedat, who enthusiastically began spreading Rashad Khalifas
findings to all corners of the world. In 1979, Mr. Deedat published a
75 page booklet entitled, Al-Quran the Ultimate Miracle,
19
in
which he presented an emotion-packed summary of Rashad
Khalifas data and arguments. One of Mr. Ahmad Deedats public
lectures on this topic was also video taped and distributed
worldwide under the title, Al-Quraan: A Visual Miracle.
20
However, Khalifa later began to publicly make heretical
statements beginning with his claim that he had calculated the exact
18
Impact International, 9-24 October 1981, p. 14. See also the pamphlet, In
Defense of the Quran and Sunnah, pp. 8-11.
19
Sh. Muhammad Ashraf Press reprinted this booklet in Pakistan in 1982 and
again in England in 1985. Hundreds of thousands of copies were subsequently
printed for free distribution.
20
It used to be no. 11 on the list of Deedat debates distributed by the Islamic
Center International, Durban, South Africa.
16
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 Quraan 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
Khalifas 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 Khalifas 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.
21
The seven pairs (verse 87, chapter 15) refers to the 14 sets of numbers that add
up to 1709, the number of years from the time of this Quranic revelation to the
end of the world. See the book, The Computer Speaks, for details. (Quran: The
Final Scripture, p. 177, footnote 15: 86-88).
22
An English translation of the Fatwaa can be found in In Defence of the Qur an
and Sunnah.
17
The following chapters of this book systematically and
methodically challenge and disprove the vast majority of the so-
called fundamental facts of Rashad Khalifas theory. Furthermore,
they clearly expose his deliberate falsification of data and alteration
of the Quraanic text in order to bolster his theory of 19 as the
miraculous numerical code of the Quraan. 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 Khalifas 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 Quraan 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 Quraan 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 codes pattern in a literary work of the
Quraans size is far beyond human capabilities, and that it
alone constitutes the only real miracle of the Quraan which
proves its divine origin.
23
5. He further concludes that 19 and its multiples represent the
23
See Rashad Khalifas presentation of his theory in the article Problem of 19
Impact International, 13-26 November, 1981, pp. 14-5.
18
key to the correct interpretation of the Quraan 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
Quraan (19 = = 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 Quraan. 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.
24
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, pp. 70-73, 243. Note: This
calculation is based on the Abjad system of numerology in which the letters of the
Arabic alphabet are given numerical values. See chapter 9 for more detail.
19
1. INTERPRETATIONS OUT OF CONTEXT
he Quran, 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 Quraan. 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
uran, then he quoted verses 4-6 of Soorah al-Furqaan (25):
T
Q
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
25
Quran:Visual Presentation of the Miracle, p. 2.
20
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
onus (10): from Soorah Yo
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
istranslation is as follows: m
26
Ibid, p. 3.
27
Quran:Visual Presentation of the Miracle, p. 5.
28
Al-muddaththir actually means one wrapped in a cloak and refers to Prophet
Muhammad () who wrapped himself in his cloak after his first experience with
revelation. It does not by any stretch of the imagination mean a heavenly or
earthly secret which has been hidden for 1400 years.
29
For example, in verse 4 he translates the verb tahhir as shed when its
meaning is purify (the noun tahaarah, purification is derived from it) and he
also translates the plural noun thiyaab (sing. thawb) as covers instead of
garments or clothes. Hence, the verse should read And purify your garments
and not Shed your covers.
30
I.e., Prophet Muhammad ().
21
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.
erses 24-30 are as follows: V
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:
31
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, p. 5.
32
Based on narrations collected by al-Haakim, al-Bayhaqee and others, the
reputable commentators (Mufassiroon) of the Quraan unanimously agree that the
pronoun he here refers to al-Waleed ibn al-Mugheerah who had initially been
touched by the Prophet Muhammads () recitation of the Quraan but was later
dissuaded from accepting Islam by Aboo Jahl. (See, Fath al-Qadeer, vol. 5, pp.
326-29, al-Jaami li Ahkaam al-Quraan, vol.19, pp. 70-1, and Jami al-Bayaan
an Taweel Ayaa al-Quraan, vol. 29, pp. 152-3.
33
The word used here is Saqar which is another name for the Hell-fire as is
clear from Soorah al-Qamar (54): 48 The day they will be dragged through
the Fire on their faces (and told), Taste the touch of Saqar (Hell)! But, to
escape the obvious implications, Dr.Rashad Khalifa mistranslates it as
retribution.
22
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 Quran is man-made (verse
25), will be proven wrong by means of the number 19
(verse 30).
34
However, the verse says; Over it are nineteen and not Over
Him are nineteen, as he claims. The Quraan uses the attached
feminine pronoun 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
Quraan which is described in verse 24 by the disbeliever as
manmade, it would not work because the word Quraan is masculine
and the demonstrative pronoun this used to refer to the Quraan is
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
34
Quran: The Final Scripture, p.482.
23
verse 28 tathar and ' tubqee and a feminine adjective in verse
29 ` lawwaahah.
35
Another example of misinterpretation can be found in the
Quraanic quotes used by Rashad Khalifa to back his claim that the
Quraan is the only source of guidance and that seeking guidance
from the Prophets () sunnah constitutes idol-worship. Khalifa
quoted the following portion of verse 38 of Soorah al-Anaam (6) in
Arabic and English in his book Quran, Hadith and Islam,
36
` ` ' We left nothing out of this Book (Quran)
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:
) ' ` ` '
` ' ` ' ` ' ` (
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
35
See the book, The Quran and The Fallacy of Computer Concoction, published
by Majlis Ulama of South Africa, P.O. Box. 3393, Port Elizabeth, pp.56-8 for a
more detailed explanation of this grammatical point.
36
Page 65.
24
not the Quraan, 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:
) ' ` ` ` ' ` ` ' '
` ` ' ` ` ` ` ' ` ` '
' ` (
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
37
See vol. 6, p. 420 of the 13th century CE classical commentary on the Quraan
by Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Qurtubee, al-Jaamili Ahkam al-Quraan, as well
as vol. 2, p. 210 of Ismaaeel ibn Katheers (d. 1365 CE) commentary, Tafseer al-
Quraan al-Azeem. See also verse 6 of Soorah Hood (11).
38
Quran, Hadith and Islam, p. 66.
39
Soorah al-Anaam, (6): 114.
25
2. LETTER COUNT: TOTALS
number of Dr. Khalifas 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:
A
i) the opening statement
40
of the Quraan consists
of 19 letters
ii) the first five verses of revelation consisted of
76 letters (19x4)
iii) the first chapter revealed consists of 304
letters (19x16)
iv) the first of the last revelation consists of 19
letters
41
Such counts would only be valid if the Quraan were
divinely revealed in the written form, which is not the case. The
Quraan is essentially an oral revelation written down according to
the Arabic script known to the Prophets () companions.
42
Even
the peculiarities of the scribes responsible for transcribing copies of
the Quraan made during Caliph Uthmaans 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 Quraan.
43
Consequently, among the peculiarities of the
Quraanic script existing to this day are Alifs (), Yaas () and
Waaws () written but not read as well as some which are read but
40
I.e. The Basmalah: Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem.
41
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, pp. 244-5.
42
Al-Burhaan fee Uloom al-Quraan, vol.1, pp. 376-80. See also Mabaahith fee
Uloom al-Quraan, pp. 146-50.
43
Manaahil al-Irfaan fee Uloom al-Quraan, vol. 1, pp. 377-8.
26
not written.
44
For example, the pronounced Alif in the word Kitaab
is sometimes written () and at other times not ().
45
Similarly the unpronounced Alif in the phrase Bismi is written in
some cases () and not in others (). Thus, in the opening
statement of the Quraan, Bismilaahi-
Rahmaani-Raheem (In the name of Allaah, the Beneficient, The
Merciful), there are 3 deleted Alifs, one which is unpronounced in
the phrase () and the other two pronounced in the words () and
(), 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.
44
Al-Burhaan fee Uloom al-Quraan, pp.381-407.
45
See Soorah Taa Haa, (20): 52 and Soorah Fussilat, (41): 3.
27
3. LETTER COUNT: INCONSISTENCY
he largest group of Dr. Khalifas 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 Quraan, for example Alif
Lam Mim, Yaa Seen, Saad, etc. In Arabic these letters are
referred to as Fawaatih as-Suwar or al-Muqattaaat.
T
In Fact Number 18 on his flyer entitled, Let The World
Know Gods 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 Khalifas 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. Khalifas so-called Intricate Facts
47
,
assuming that the totals are correct - which is a big assumption,
46
Al-Quran The Ultimate Miracle, p. 66.
47
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, pp. 245-7.
28
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 ( ) initialed soorahs,
48
not a single
soorahs individual total of Haas () and Meems () adds up to a
multiple of 19! In order to get his multiple, Dr. Rashad has to total
all 7 soorahs totals for a grand total of 2147 (19 x 113)
Details from the visual counting of the letters HH
and M in the HH.M. - initialed chapters
CHAPTER HH M TOTAL
40.Ghaafir 64 380 444
41.Fussilat 48 276 324
42.Al-Shooraa 53 300 353
43.Al-Zukhruf 44 324 368
44.Al-Dukhaan 16 150 166
45.Al-Jaathiyah 31 200 231
46.Al-Ahhqaaf 36 225 261
Totals 292 1855 2147
2147 = 19 x 113
49
But, even this figure is suspect as it includes the total from Soorah
ash- Shooraa (42) whose initials are not simply Haa Meem ( ), but
48
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, pp. 149-50.
49
Ibid., p. 147.
29
Haa Meem Ayn Seen Qaaf ( ), 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. Khalifas 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. Khalifas 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. Rashads individual totals for Soorah (20)
prefixed by the letters Taa Haa (), Soorah ash-Shuaraa (26)
prefixed by the letters Taa Seen Meem (), Soorah al-Qasas (28)
also prefixed by the letters Taa Seen Meem and Soorah an-Naml
(27) prefixed by the letters Taa Seen (), 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 () from Soorah
Maryam (19) which is prefixed by five letter Kaaf Haa Yaa Ayn
Saad ( )!
Chapter H TT S M
175 - - - 19. Mary
251 28 - - 20.TT.H.
- 33 94 484 26.Al-Shuaraa
50
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, p. 246.
51
Ibid., p. 191.
30
- 27 94 - 27.Al-Naml
- 19 102 460 28.Al-Qassass
Total 426 107 290 944
GRAND TOTAL
52
= 426 + 107 + 290 + 944 = 1,767
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 Ha , Ta Ha , Ta Sin ,
Ta Sin Mim , in chapters 19,20,26,27 and 28. The
total occurance of these letters in the five chapters
is 1767; 19x93.
53
But, Haa () by itself is not really a
Quraanic initial; it is a part of the five-letter initial Kaaf Haa Yaa
Ayn Saad. In fact, when Dr. Khalifas 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-Shuaraa, 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 () to the four-
soorah total except to produce the magical multiple by any means
necessary. In fact, the Meem () from the letters Alif Laam Meem
( ) 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 (). Both Soorah al-Qasas (28) and Soorah
52
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, p. 191.
53
Ibid., p. 162.
54
Ibid., p. 161.
31
ash-Shuaraa (26) have Meems in their initials while only Soorah
Taa Haa has a Haa () 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 ( ) in Soorah Saad (38) which
has the single Quraanic initial Saad at its beginning is, according to
Dr. Khalifas own figures, 29 which is not a multiple of 19. To
produce his multiple, Rashad Khalifa adds to it 97 Saads from
Soorah al-Araaf (7) which is prefixed by the four letters, Alif Laam
Meem Saad ) and 26 Saads from Soorah Maryam (19) which
is prefixed by five letters Kaaf Haa Yaa Ayn Saad ( ). Dr.
Khalifa presents this contradiction to his premise as follows:
The letter Sad as a Quranic Initial is found in
3 chapters, namely, Al-Araaf purgatory
(Chapter 7), Mary , (Chapter 19), and Sad
(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 Quraanic Initials and not necessarily the
groups, such an argument would also not hold up under close study.
For example, the letter Haa as a Quraanic 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. Khalifas figures,
57
is 426 which is not a multiple of 19. The
same can be said for the letter Kaaf () which, as a Quraanic
55
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, p. 206.
56
Ibid., p. 92.
57
Ibid., p. 191.
32
initial, is only found in Soorah Maryam (19) and its total occurrence
in the soorah according to Dr. Khalifas own calculations
58
is 137
which is also not a multiple of 19. The Quraanic Initial Ayn ()
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. Khalifas totals, more than
half of the 14 letters do not make multiples of 19 when added in this
fashion.
58
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, p. 161.
59
Ibid.
33
4. LETTER COUNT: MANIPULATION
f the remaining 17 chapters which have Arabic letters, 13 of
them have the letter Alif () 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
O
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 ( ), the chapter prefixed by Alif Laam Meem Raa
( ) and for the remaining chapter prefixed by the letters Alif Laam
Meem Saad ( ). Why do these 13 chapters fit so nicely into the
theory and the previous 12 discussed in chapter three do not by
Khalifas 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)
34
) ' ` ' ` ' ` (
Dr. Khalifa records a total of 2 Alifs
60
by counting the raised Alif in
the word (` ) which is not written in the Quraanic script. While
in verse 7 of the same soorah (32)
) ' ' ` ' (
he records only 5 Alifs
61
thereby excluding the raised Alif in the
word ( ) which is not written in the Quraanic script.
Another example can be seen in verse 158 of Soorah Aal-
Imraan (3)
) ` ' ' ' ' ` ' (
Dr. Khalifa finds 4 Alifs
62
in it by including the raised Alif in the
word () while excluding the raised Alif in the word (). While in
verse 41 of Soorah ar-Rad (13), he has counted 16 Alifs,
63
by
including the Alif in the word ().
) ' ` ' ' ' ` ` '
` ' ` ` (
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 Gods
Message To The World:
60
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, p. 213.
61
Ibid., p. 213.
62
Ibid., p. 204.
63
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, p.231.
35
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 (), Soorah al-Qalam (68), prefixed by the letter Noon
(), Soorah Yaa Seen (36), prefixed by the two letters Yaa and Seen
(), and Soorah Maryam (19), prefixed by the five letters Kaaf,
Haa, Yaa, Ayn and Saad ( ). 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 Quraan 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
64
See, Al-Quran The Ultimate Miracle, wherein Mr. Ahmed Deedat states:
It will take you just a few minutes to count these Qafs...You will feel the
mairaculous nature of the Holy Quran. (Page 53).
36
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) 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) 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 Quraan 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.
65
Pages 39-40.
66
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, p. 161.
67
The Perpetual Miracle of Muhammad, p. 15. These figures were faithfully
recorded by Ahmed Deedat on page 68 of his book, Al-Quran the Ultimate
Miracle, (pub. 1979).
68
Quran:The Final Scripture, p. 480.
69
Quran: Visual Presentation of the Miracle, pp. 192-213.
37
1976-79 Figures 1981-82 Figures
Soorahs
Al-Baqarah (2) 2195 3204 4592 2195 3202 4502
Aal Imraan (3) 1251 1885 2578 1249 1892 2521
Al-Araaf (7) 1165 1523 2572 - - -
Ar-Rad (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
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 AalImraan, 11 Alifs in
38
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.
1981-82 Figures
70
Soorahs
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.
70
Quran: The Final Scripture, p. 480.
39
5. LETTER COUNT: DATA FALSIFICATION
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;
I
a) Not counting existing letters and
b) Changing the Text of the Quraan
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
Khalifas record of figure-juggling and arbitrary letter identification
would tend to indicate otherwise. However, the second category in
which he actually changes the Quraanic 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. Rashads table he calculates the number of
Laams as only 7,
71
however, there are actually 8 Laams in the verse.
) ' ' ' ` ' ' ' ' ' ' '
` ' ` ' (
71
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, p. 210.
40
NO. ARABIC TEXT TRANSLITERATION ENGLISH MEANING
1 khalaka He created
2 ' lakaum For you
3 ' litaskunoo So you can live
4 '
ilayhaa With her
5 Jaala He made
6 thaalika that
7 Laaayaatin Indeed signs
' 8 liqawmin For a people
B. Textual Changes
Instances in which the Rashad Khalifa has actually modified
the text of the Quraan in order to make the soorahs 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 Quraan was
perfectly protected from the slightest distortion, addition or loss.
For, as will be shown, he takes it upon himself to distort the
Quraanic text by adding and deleting from its preserved text in
order to conjure up his miraculous number 19.
i) Additions to The Quraans 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 (). According to Dr.
Khalifa,
41
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 Quraanic
text by actually changing the letter Noon (), which prefixes the
soorah, to the word (), 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 Ns. 133 = 19 x 7
Dr. Khalifas Arabic script
The correct mushaf
72
Ibid., p. 90.
73
It is generally held by scholars of the Quraan that the Basmalah is not a part of
the Quraanic revelation, but only a dividing phrase indicating the end of one
soorah and the beginning of the next. Thus, the actual total number of noons is
131.
42
Khalifa justified this change on pages 480-1 of the appendix
to his mistranslation of the Quraan, 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
,
which means the human being. Some printings of the
Quran use the conventional Arabic
, rather than
the Quranic Arabic
19 18 17 16 15
47
iii) 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)
onsisted of 38 words, and 38 = 19 x 2 c
*******************************************************
ARABIC
T TEX
ENGLISH
TRANSLITERATION
ENGLISH MEANING NO
.
NOON ALPHABET (N) 1
WAL-QALAMI & THE PEN 2
WAMA-YASTTUROON & WHAT THEY WRITE 3
MAA-ANTA YOU ARE NOT
4
BINIMATI BECAUSE OF THE MESSAGE 5
RABBIKA OF YOUR LORD 6
BIMAJNOON A MAD MAN 7
WA-INNA & SURELY 8
LAKA YOU WILL RECEIVE 9
LAAJRAN A RECOMPENSE 10
GHAYRA NOT 11
MAMNOON UNDESERVED 12
WA-INNAKA & SURELY YOU ARE 13
LAALAA ENDOWED WITH 14
KHULUQIN CHARACTER 15
AZZEEM THAT IS HONORABLE 16
FASATUBSSIRU YOU WILL FIND OUT 17
48
WAYUBSSIROON & THEY WILL FIND OUT 18
BI-AYYEEKUM WHICH OF YOU 19
AL-MAFTOON IS THE WRONG ONE 20
INNA SURELY 21
RABBAKA YOUR LORD 22
HUWA IS THE ONE 23
ALAMU FULLY AWARE 24
BIMAN OF THOSE 25
DDALLA WHO STRAY 26
AN FROM 27
SABEELIHI HIS PATH 28
WA-HUWA & HE IS THE ONE 29
ALAMU FULLY AWARE 30
BIL-MUHTADEEN OF THE GUIDED ONES 31
FALAA DO NOT 32
TUTTI OBEY 33
AL-MUKADHIBEEN THE DISBELIEVERS 34
WADDOO THEY WISH 35
LAWW THAT 36
37 TUD-HINU YOU COMPROMISE
SO THEY CAN COMPROMISE
78
38 FAYUD-HINOON
iv) the third revelation (73:1-10) was 57 words;
19 x 3
79
v) the number of words between the two Basmalas.
of Sura 27 is 342; 19 x 18.
80
78
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, p. 22.
79
Ibid., p. 23.
80
Quran: The Final Scripture, p. 473.
49
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 allathee: which as a
single word in example (i) word 13 and the negative particle
lam: not as a single word
81
while elsewhere counting maa lam
together as one word in example (i) word 18 when maa is
also a relative pronoun equivalent to allathee.
He also counts the conjunction 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 fee: in in example (ii) word 9,
alaa: on
82
and min: from in example (i) word 8 are all
counted as separate words, while the preposition bi 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
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. Khalifas five major facts mentioned above remains a multiple
19.
81
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, pp. 18.
82
Ibid., p. 40.
50
7. WORD COUNT: DATA FALSIFICATION
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
83
(In the Name of Allaah, the Beneficient, the
Merciful) which precedes most chapters of the Quraan. Dr. Rashad
considers the 19-letter Basmalah the basis of the Quraans
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.
84
From this basic
fact, which has no great significance since the Basmalah is
actually composed of 22 spoken letters,
85
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:
T
83
Referred to as the Basmalah.
84
As early as the beginning of the 9th Century C.E., the Ismaili Shiite sect
delved into mystical numbers, and the treatise attributed to Ibn Hawshab al-Kufi,
was one of the first recorded attempts to use the number 19 to propagate their
beliefs. He wrote as follows: The first words of the Quraan are: Bismillahi-
Rahmaanir-Raheem. In the name of Allaah (Bismillaah) is written with 7 letters
from which 12 others can be derived, and then the 12 letters of - The Merciful,
the Compassionate (ar-Rahmaanir-Raheem) - follow. This Surah is known as the
Surah of Praise and it is composed of 7 verses. The 7 letters of Bismillaah refer to
the 7 Natiqs and the 12 derived letters indicate the fact that every Natiq has 12
Naqibs. Then from the 12 letters of ir-Rahmaanir-Raheem are derived 19 letters
referring to the fact that from each Natiq is derived 7 Imams and 12 Hujjahs
making 19 altogether. (Translated by Kamil Hussein, Leiden: 1948. quoted in
the booklet, Ephemeral Nineteen, p. 1).
85
See Chapter 2, Letter Counts: Totals, for further clarification of this point.
51
Taking only one Basmala to represent the 114
Basmalas of the Quran (only the first one, in
the first sura, is given a number
86
), we find
that every word in the Basmala is repeated in the
whole Quran a number of times that is always a
multiple of 19.
i. the word Ism is found in Quran 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 Quran...)
87
Although Khalifas claim sounds spectacular and impressive, it is no
nearer to reality than any of his earlier sensational claims. However,
before examining the facts of Khalifas 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,
86
In some printings of the Quraan.
87
See the flyer Let The World Know Gods Message To The World, fact no.
12. See also, Quran: The Final Scripture, p. 472 and Quran: Visual Presentation
of The Miracle, pp. 27-69.
52
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 authors 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, Its 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 establishments recognition of
Rashad Khalifas 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
88
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 Quraanic Initials. Hence, if he were consistent in his
calculations by including the 112 Basmalahs in his totals for the
88
Khalifa stated the following at the beginning of his claim: Taking only
one Basmala to represent the 114 Basmalas of the
Quran (only the first one, in the first sura, is given
a number)
53
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
The claim that the first word Ism is found exactly 19
times in the Quraan 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 Ism , because he earlier considered Bism
in Soorah al-Alaq (96) to be one word.
89
Hence, he
should consider the first word to be Bism , which occurs
not 19, but only 7 times; 3 times in the shortened form and 4
times with the Alif included .
b) If the first word is considered to be Ism and the phrase
Bism is excluded from the count, the form Bism
with the Alif should also be excluded. If both forms of Bism
are excluded, the total occurrence of the word Ism
becomes 15 times, which is not a multiple of 19. In order to get
his multiple, Khalifa has included the four instances of Bism
with the Alif in Soorah 96, and twice in Soorah 56.
90
c) Even if the first word were accepted as Ism including the
phrase Bism with the Alif and excluding the form without
the Alif, the count could not be considered to be 19 because it
would include 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
89
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, p. 11.
90
Ibid, p. 27.
54
one instance in which the word was mentioned claiming that it
did not refer to Allaah.
91
Thus, it may be concluded that the first word Ism or
Bism does not occur 19 times or a multiple of 19 in the Quran
by any logical system of counting.
II. Allaah
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 Quraan in which the word Allaah occurs.
92
This total has been held up as dramatic evidence of how deeply the
numerical code of 19 is interwoven in the fabric of the Quraan. 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 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
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 Quraan. 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
91
See point no. iv for a more detailed explanation of this argument.
92
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, pp. 30-63.
55
as proof for a miraculous numerical code intricately interwoven
throughout the Quraan.
IV. Ar-Raheem
Dr. Rashad Khalifa boldly states in his book, Quran: Visual
Presentation of The Miracle
93
that the fourth word in the opening
statement is mentioned in the Quraan 114 times (19 x 6) without
making any stipulations. However, in appendix I of his
mistranslation of the Quraan which he calls, Quran:The Final
Scripture, he writes:
The fourth word, Al-Raheem = most merciful, is found
in the Quran 115 times. This number is not a multiple
of 19. But, we note that there is one Al-Raheem word
in Quran that refers specifically to the Prophet
Muhammad and not to God (verse 128 of sura 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.
94
This reasoning sounds logical except that in the case of the
first word Ism he included in his contrived total of 19 an
instance which does not refer to God: entry no. 10, Chapter 49, the
11
th
verse.
95
) (
.... 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
93
Ibid, p.66.
94
Quran: The Final Scripture, p.472.
95
Quran: Visual Presentation of The Miracle, p.27.
56
word-count violations. Dr. Khalifa has also included in his total a
mixture of definite forms of the word Ar-Raheem and
indefinite forms (),
96
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.
96
Soorah al-Baqarah 2: 173, 182, 192, 218 and 226.
57
8. REJECTION OF A PART OF THE QURAAN
n order to cover up the errors in his original calculations for the
word Allah , Dr. Khalifa went on the offensive by denying the
authenticity of some verses from the Quraan. Khalifa had to
remove a whole word from the Quraan 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 Quraan 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 Qurans 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 SURA 9.
VIOLATIONS OF THE QURANS MATHEMATICAL
MIRACLE
VIOLATED
WORD
Frequency in Quran
Without Removal of 9:
128 and 129
Frequency in Quran
After Removal of 9:
128 and 129
115 114 (19 x 6) Messenger
153 152 (19 x 8) (your) selves
115 114 (19 x 6) Merciful
20 19 (19 x 1) Turn away
God
I
2699 2698 (19 x 142)
58
96 95 (19 x 5) God
58 57 (19 x 3) Trust
Lord 970 969 (19 x 51)
(19 x 1)
97
Throne 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
Quraan.
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 sura 9 have always been suspect.
ALL classic and modern references dealing
with the collection and recording of the
original Quran have UNANIMOUSLY agreed that
these two verses ARE THE ONLY VERSES IN
QURAN THAT FAILED TO MEET THE CRITERIA SET
BY ABU BAKR, OMAR AND ZEID IBN THABET (the
original collectors of Quran). According to
these references, the last two verses of
sura 9 were never confirmed by the criterion
of SOURCE MULTIPLICITY.
98
97
Muslim Perspective, March, 1985, p. 4.
98
Muslim Perspective, March, 1985, p. 2.
59
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:
Sahih Bukhari gives three different accounts regarding
this subject.
99
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 Prophets
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
Quraan 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 Quraan may be lost. So, he has suggested to me that I
order that the Quraan be collected in one book. I asked him how he
could do something that Allaahs 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 Quraan for the Messenger of Allaah (), so go and
search for the Quraan and collect it. By Allaah! If they had
99
Muslim Perspective, March 1985.
60
ordered me to shift a mountain, it would not have been a heavier
task than ordering me to collect the Quraan. When I asked Aboo
Bakr how he could do what the Messenger of Allaah () 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 Quraan 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-Baraaa
100
. The complete manuscript
remained with Aboo Bakr until he died, then with Umar until the
end of his life, and then with Umars daughter, Hafsah.
101
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 Quraan was
collected in one book and the efforts made by the Prophets
companion, Zayd ibn Thaabit, to gather it from all available sources.
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 Quraanic disciplines, al-Itqaan fee
100
Soorah at-Tawbah, (9): 128-29.
101
Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 6, pp. 477-8.
61
Uloom al-Quraan. 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 Prophets () 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.
102
In a more recent work, the Lebanese hadeeth scholar, Dr.
Subhee as-Saalih, made the following comment on the account in
Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Zayds 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 () 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 Quraan 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... Zayds statement, I only found it with Aboo
Khuzaymah does not in any way imply that a portion of the
102
Al-Itqaan fee Uloom al-Quraan, vol. 1, pp. 77-8. See also the 15th century
Egyptian scholar, Muhammad az-Zarkashees, al-Burhaan fi Uloom al-Quraan,
vol. 1, p. 234.
62
Quraan was recorded on the basis of a single source, because Zayd
had heard it before and knew its location...
103
Hence, Dr. Rashad Khalifas claim that both early and
modern scholars who wrote on the collection of the Quraan are
unanimously agreed that the last two verses of Soorah at-Tawbah
(9) are the only verses in the Quraan 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 Quraan; it is violated not
merely in one soorah but in most of the soorahs of the Quraan.
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: messenger, selves, god,
Lord, throne.
a) Messenger
The total occurrence of the word rasool is actually 140
and not 115 as claimed by Dr. Khalifa. The 140 locations can easily
103
Mabaahith fee Uloom al-Quraan, pp. 75-6. See also the 20th century
Azharee scholar, Muhammad az-Zarqaanees Manaahil al-Irfaan fee Uloom al-
Quraan, vol. 1, pp. 252-3.
63
be found in any Arabic Quraanic concordance.
104
The total of 140
includes a mixture of definite forms: ar-rasool () in all three
cases; nominative ar-rasoolu ( ), genitive ar-rasooli ( )
and accusative ar-rasoola ( ) adding up too 60, and 56
indefinite forms in both the nominative rasoolun ( ) and
genitive cases rasoolin ( ) and 23 indefinite forms in the
accusative case rasoolan ( ) and one unusual definite form in
the accusative case with an Alif added ().
105
The total of 140
does not include an additional 95 forms of rasool to which personal
pronouns have been added.
106
These forms include one mention of
rasoolee my messenger; 4 mentions of rasoolunaa our
messenger; 2 of rasoolukum your (pl.) messenger;
84 of rasooluhu his messenger ; one of rasooluhaa her
messenger ; and 3 of rasooluhum their messenger ,
107
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
rasool only became a violation by outright data falsification.
b) Selves
The total occurrence of the word, (your) selves i.e.
anfus as written by Dr. Khalifa cannot be determined, because the
term your selves in Arabic is anfusukum
108
and not just
anfus , which simply means selves. The word selves
occurs only in the definite form al-anfus () and its frequency
104
See, for example, al-Mujam al-Mufahras li Alfaaz al-Quraan al-Kareem, pp.
314-316.
105
Surah al-Ahzaab 33:66.
106
In the case of selves following this, Khalifa includes such forms.
107
al-Mujam al-Mufahras, pp. 314-8.
108
It includes the accusative and genitive forms anfusakum and anfusikum.
64
is only 6 times!
109
When the personal pronouns are added, the totals
are as follows; your selves occurs 49 times; our selves
anfusunaa occurs 3 times; their selves (mas.)
anfusuhum occurs 91 times; and their selves (fem.)
anfusuhunna occurs 4 times
110
. The grand total of all forms
is 153 which is the total given by Rashad Khalifa for (your)
selves. It is neither the total for your selves nor for
selves . And it also includes the forms with attached pronouns
that are all excluded in the case of messenger , god and
Throne .
c) God
The total occurrence of the word ilaah god in the
nominative (ilaahun) and genitive (ilaahin) forms is 80 and in the
accusative form ilaahan ( ) is 16, giving Dr. Khalifas 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) selves and in the following
total for Lord rabb . Their totals are as follows: your god
ilaahuka occurs twice; your (pl.) god ilaahukum
occurs 10 times; our god ilaahunaa occurs once, and his god
ilaahuhu occurs twice
111
. 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) Lord
In the case of the word Lord rabb , Dr. Khalifa has
included all of the forms with attached personal pronouns (eg.
109
al-Mujam al-Mufahras, p. 712.
110
Ibid, pp. 712-4.
111
al-Mujam al-Mufahras, pp. 38-9.
65
rabbee, rabbunaa, rabbuka, rabbukum etc.) as
well as the accusative form rabban (