19

(Tunga Torgal)

I want to join the discussions turning around Quran’s number 19 with my own
interpretation. Of course, this is just another interpretation. My intent is to show “the
Code 19” believers the fact that there might be other dimensions of the case which
they never thought of. My interpretation might also be faulty just like their claims but I
accept that beforehand and I believe in the fact that common sense of muslims will
eventually find out the truth about Quran’s number 19. One of the reasons of just
throwing away another interpretation about Quran’s number 19 is the fact that it can
be inferred from Quran that the fact about number 19 will be understood by the
believers and the people of book in this world. However, because of the fierce
fighting of “code 19 believers” to support their claims, the Muslim community became
reluctant to approach the case in hand with other interpretations. From this point of
view, I just want to present another Quranic exegesis on the matter with care.

My claim about Quran’s number 19 is simply the following: "Quran, by

mentioning the number 19 and establishing a relation between number 19 and
the hell (i.e. disbelievers) and declaring it both as a “fitna (trial)” for
unbelievers and as a source of doubt for believers and people of the book,
miraculously predicts “the rise of atheism and disbelief during the 19th
century” in general and the coming of "the theory of evolution" in particular".
(God knows the best)

So, for now, there are 3 claims about Quran’s number 19:
1. Traditional interpretation of Quran’s number 19
2. There is a coding system in Quran based on number 19.
3. There is a relation between Quran’s number 19 and the rise of atheism during
19th century.

Related Verses of Chapter “Muddesir”

The meaning of number 19 is not made clear in Quran. Quran mentions about
number 19 in surah “Muddesir”, verses from 27 to 31. Obviously the meaning of
these verses is a secret of Quran. From this point of view, all three claims stay in an
equal distance to the real meaning of number 19. We have to look at the Quran to
evaluate the claims. Although Quran does not make clear the meaning of 19, it gives
some hints about it. So, here are 2 translations of those verses, Muddesir/27-31 by
Yusuf Ali and M. H. Shakir :

Muddesir/27-31 (A. Yusuf Ali)

And what will explain to thee what Hell-Fire is?
Naught doth it permit to endure, and naught doth it leave alone!-
Darkening and changing the color of man!
Over it are Nineteen.
“And We have set none but angels as Guardians of the Fire; and We have fixed
their number only as a trial for Unbelievers,- in order that the People of the
Book may arrive at certainty, and the Believers may increase in Faith,- and that
no doubts may be left for the People of the Book and the Believers, and that
those in whose hearts is a disease and the Unbelievers may say, "What doth
Allah intend by this ?" Thus doth Allah leave to stray whom He pleaseth, and
guide whom He pleaseth: and none can know the forces of thy Lord, except He
and this is no other than a reminder to mankind.”

Muddesir/27-31 (M.H. Shakir)

And what will make you realize what hell is?
It leaves naught nor does it spare aught.
It scorches the mortal.
Over it are nineteen.
“And We have not made the wardens of the fire others than angels, and We
have not made their number but as a trial for those who disbelieve, that
those who have been given the book may be certain and those who believe may
increase in faith, and those who have been given the book and the believers may
not doubt, and that those in whose hearts is a disease and the unbelievers may
say: What does Allah mean by this parable? Thus does Allah make err whom He
pleases, and He guides whom He pleases, and none knows the hosts of your Lord
but He Himself; and this is naught but a reminder to the mortals.”

The verses above first define the sole function of number 19 and then describe its
consequences.

Traditional Interpretation of Number 19

I will try to clarify the traditional interpretation of Quran’s number 19 by using well-
known Quran tafsirs. (Tafsir means Quranic exegesis). So here are 2 traditional
interpretations of Quran’s number 19:

“And We have appointed only angels as wardens of the Fire, in other words,
and so they cannot be withstood as these [disbelievers are wont to] imagine;
and We have made their number, so, only as a stumbling-block, a cause for error,
for those who disbelieve, when they then say, 'Why are there nineteen of them?',
so that those who were given the Scripture, namely, the Jews, may be certain, of
the sincerity of the Prophet (s) in [saying that] they are nineteen, for this
concords with what is in their Scripture; and that those who believe, from among
the People of the Scripture, may increase in faith, in affirmation of the truth,
given that what the Prophet (s) has said concords with what is in their Scripture,
and that those given the Scripture and the believers, [those] other than these
[Jews], may not be in doubt, concerning the number of [these] angels, and that
those in whose hearts there is a sickness, an uncertainty, [those] in Medina, and
the disbelievers, in Mecca, may say, 'What did God mean by this, number [as a],
similitude?' (mathalan: they referred to it thus [as a mathal] on account of it
being a curious matter; in terms of syntax, it [mathalan] is a circumstantial
qualifier). Thus, that is, just as the one who rejects this number is led astray and
the one who affirms the truth of it is guided, God leads astray whom He will and
guides whom He will. And none knows the hosts of your Lord, namely, the
angels, [none knows them] in terms of their strength and their assistants, except
Him. And it, that is, Saqar, is nothing but a reminder for humans.” – Tafsir Al-
Jalalayn (source: www.altafsir.com)

“(We have appointed) We set on the dwellers of the Fire (only angels) the
keepers of the Fire (to be wardens of the Fire, and their number have We made)
and We have not mentioned the fewness of the keepers of the Fire save (to be a
stumbling block) except in order to be a calamity (for those who disbelieve) the
disbelievers of Mecca: Abu'l-Ashadd Ibn Usayd Ibn Kildah who said: “I will take
care of seventeen angels, nine on my back and eight on my chest; therefore you
should take care of the other two”; (that those to whom the scripture) the Torah,
i.e. 'Abdullah Ibn Salam and his followers, for it is written in the Torah that the
number of the keepers of the Fire is nineteen (hath been given may have
certainty, and that believers may increase in faith) when they know that what is
in their Scripture is similar to that which is in the Torah; (and that those to whom
the Scripture hath been given) 'Abdullah Ibn Salam and his followers, when they
see that there is no difference between what is in the Qur'an and that which is in
the Torah (and believers) also for the same reason (may not doubt; and that
those in whose hears there is disease) doubt and hypocrisy, (and disbelievers)
the Jews and Christians; and it is said: the disbelievers of Mecca, (may say:
What meaneth Allah by this similitude) when he mentioned the small number of
angels who are in charge of the Fire? (Thus Allah sendeth astray) through this
similitude (whom He will) whoever deserves it, (and whom He will) and whoever
deserves (He guideth) by means of this similitude. (None knoweth the hosts of
your Lord) among the angels (save Him. This is) i.e. Saqar, the fourth gate of the
Fire (naught else than a Reminder unto mortals) an admonition to people in
order to warn them.” - Tafsir Ibn Abbas (source: www.altafsir.com)

According to traditional view, the number of angels in hell (19) is a kind of trial (or
a test or a source of error or a calamity) for disbelievers and the importance of
Quran’s number 19 comes from its concordance with Torah. So traditional approach
claims that Quran’s mentioning of the same number of angels in hell in concordance
with Torah will make the people of book (namely the Jews) be certain about Quran’s
divine origin and the sincerity of the Prophet. In this view, “the number 19” and “its
being made a “fitna” for disbelievers” are separated from each other and the
consequences are connected to the number’s concordance with Torah. But the
problem is that Quran never mentions about this concordance in the related verse.

Code 19

I assume the readers are aware of and know what the Code 19 is about. So I
will not discuss the Code 19 claim in detail and leave its exploration to the readers.
But I will try to clarify what Code 19 really does.

The supporters of “Code 19” claim say that: “Number 19 (Code 19) is both a
kind of trial for disbelievers and (at the same time) a support to the faiths of believers
and “the people of book”. Actually Code 19 does the same thing as traditional
approach does. Code 19 claimers separate “the number 19” and “its being made
solely a fitna for disbelievers” from each other and establish a relation between the
consequences and their code which is totally an innovation. There is no reference to
the code in the verse and there is no logical reason to separate “the number 19” and
“its being made solely a fitna for disbelievers” from each other unless you want to
give it another meaning.

Analysis of the Verses

 First of all, Quran establishes an irrefutable relation between number “19” and
the hell (i.e. disbelievers). Just look at the verses of the same surah (Muddesir) from
27 to 30. This fact strengthens our “19th century” claim. Because the other two of the
theories advocate positive meanings for number 19: Code 19 advocates that it is a
miraculous coding system in which the whole Quran is based on and the traditional
approach advocates the idea of concordance with Torah (a concordance which
shows the divine origin of Quran).

If we carefully look at the verse, we can see that Quran describes only one
function for the number 19. The verse 31 of chapter “Muddesir” emphasizes that “it is
only a trial (fitna) for unbelievers”. The usage of the term “only” is important here.
The term “only” makes one think that number 19 is not directly linked with the
believers. The word “only” is directly used by Yusuf Ali and it can be inferred from the
translation of M.H. Shakir –“…We have not made their number but as a trial…”). The
“nothing but” pattern is obvious in both translations. So according to Quran, the
number 19 is “nothing but a ‘fitna’” or “only a ‘fitna’” for those who disbelieve. This
implies that the number 19 has no functionality other than being a ‘fitna’ for
disbelievers. From this point of view, only my claim passes the test. Because, either
traditional interpretation or the Code 19 theory associate number 19 with other
meanings that have never mentioned in the Quran. This situation strengthens our
claim.

Further analysis draws our attention to the phrase “in order that” in Yusuf Ali’s
translation. This phrase links the first part of the sentence (a trial (a fitna) for
disbelievers) to the second part (believers may increase in faith and the other
consequences) with a cause-effect relationship as a whole. The cause-effect
relation is between “number 19’s being made solely a ‘fitna’” and the following
consequences given in the verse. Both the Code 19 claim and the traditional
interpretation of the number separate “the number 19” and “its being made solely a
fitna” from each other and establish a relation between the consequences and a new
innovative meaning of the number 19. But the problem is that there is no reference to
these innovations in the verse and there is no logical reason to separate “the number
19” and “its being made solely a fitna” from each other unless you want to give it
another meaning. Apparently the verse establishes a relation between “number 19’s
being made solely a ‘fitna’” and the consequences. So, it is neither the number
19’s concordance with Torah nor the Code 19 that will increase the faiths of
believers and give rise to the consequences defined in the verse, but the fact
that “19 is just a trial (fitna) for disbelievers”. This cause-effect pattern is also
observed in Shakir’s translation: “and We have not made their number but as a trial
for those who disbelieve, that those who have been…”. This situation strengthens my
claim too and on the contrary with the other two claims.

My “19th century” claim is in perfect harmony with the meaning and “nothing
but” and “cause-effect” patterns in the translations and in original Arabic verse. My
claim does not separate “the number 19” and “its being made solely a fitna” from
each other and does not establish a relation between a new innovative meaning of
the number and the consequences defined in the verse. “19th century” claim is not an
innovation. My claim makes use of the fact that 19th century is just a period of fitna
(trial) for the disbelievers. So, it is in perfect harmony with the sole function of number
19 as described in the verse. My claim simply advocates that the consequences
defined in the verse will be achieved by means of nothing but the reveal of the fact
that “19th century is just a period of “fitna” for the disbelievers.

Analysis of the Consequences

According to verse 31 of Chapter Muddesir number 19 will give rise to the

following consequences:

• It will give certainty to people of the book,

• It will increase the faiths of the believers (muslims),
• It will remove the doubt from the believers and people of the book.

Let’s analyze all the claims in the light of these consequences.

From the viewpoint of consequences, the traditional interpretation seems like a

childish expectation. Expecting that Quran’s mentioning of exactly the same number
of angels in hell will give rise to the above consequences is nothing but optimism. I
can not think of either a Jew or a Christian will become certain about Quran’s divine
origin just by recognizing that number 19 is both mentioned in Quran and its
predecessor Torah. On the contrary, this situation will certainly make them question
the origin of Quran. The major problem of traditional interpretation is that the
consequences are claimed to be achieved by number 19’s concordance with Torah,
not by means of the sole function of number 19 which is defined in the verse and
discussed above.

Code 19 seems to satisfy all the consequences. A mathematically structured

book can attract the attention of some people and give rise to the above
consequences. But the problem is that these mathematical miracles (or statistical
coincidences) can be found in most of the books. In fact, the same kind of codes are
claimed to be found in Christian Bible and even in the American Declaration of
Independence. So claiming that these kinds of statistical coincidences are beyond
chance and that they prove that a super intelligent source is responsible for the
document in which they are found is again nothing but optimism. But, the major
problem of Code 19 is the same as that of traditional approach: The consequences
are claimed to be achieved by means of a mathematical code, not by the sole
function of number 19.

On the contrary, my hypothesis is in total harmony with the consequences.

First of all, Quran’s prediction of the rise of atheism during 19 th century is a miracle
and it will certainly increase the faiths of believers and give certainty to people of the
book.

The greatest “fitna” (trial) of 19th century is of course the theory of evolution. In
this respect, saying of Richard Dawkins, a famous atheist and the author of best-
selling book “God Delusion” is very important: “Darwin made it possible to be an
intellectually full-filled atheist”. Charles Darwin published his theory in 1859 (19th
century).
 If we scan all the history of human beings, we can see that there is only one
thing that can be defined as “the 19 being a fitna (trial) for disbelievers”: “19th
century”. Before 19th century atheism was just a crazy idea.

It is a reality that this 19th century evolution “fitna” is such a big one that it is not
only confusing the minds of the believers but also the minds of “the people of the
book”. But God reaches out for help by stating this as a “fitna for disbelievers” and
asking the believers and “the people of the book” not to doubt. From this point of
view, the usage of the term “doubt” (for both “people of the book” and the believers)
strengthens our claim. Ask yourself: “As of today, what is the primary source of doubt
(about the existence of God) among “people of the book” and the believers?”

My claim has also a unique feature regarding the “doubt” issue. It is the fact
that the primary source of doubt of the believers and people of the book is also an
outcome of 19th century which in turn is the “fitna” of the disbelievers. I think this
feature is really important. It is stated in the verse that number 19 is made nothing
but a “fitna” for disbelievers so that the believers and people of the book may not
doubt. This statement implies that the source of doubt of the believers and people of
the book is also somehow related to number 19. In this regard, only my claim passes
the exam.

Another important issue is that “believers” and “people of the book” are
mentioned separately in the verse. So that this miracle (whatever it is), inevitably
should also be approved by the “people of the book”. But it is obvious that this group
which is described as “people of the book” is not the same as the group of people
believing in Quran. In other words this miracle must also make sense to the “people
of the book” group. The claimers of the “Code 19” do not satisfy this condition, that’s
for sure. But the “19th century” claim will seem logical to this group too.

The Arabic name of the surah (Muddesir) means “hidden thing” (actually
covered thing). This name is in total correlation with “19th century” claim. Such as,
atheism is a concept which was hidden until the 19th century, and has never had any
intellectual baseline but this situation has changed within the 19th century.

Yet another point against the owners of “Code 19” claim is: “Anything in Quran
can be hard to find but it must be easy to understand when explained.” Quran is
attempting all humanity. From this point of view, owners of “Code 19” claim are not on
solid ground because their claim can not even be tested. Even their method of
counting words and letters had been a topic of discussion. For example there has
been serious criticism for their counting of 19 letters in the “Besmele”. On the other
hand “19th century” claim is easy to understand when explained.

The word “Fitna”

A little study of the meaning of the word through browsing the verses of the
Quran one would learn the following meanings for the word "fitna": trial; persecution;
mischief; confusion; temptation; hardship; punishment; or forcibly keeping away a
man from pursuing the right path, or misleading a man into false pursuits or into
deviation from truth. The word is often used in the Qur'an in conjunction with the word
Fasad which means corruption and disruption and signifies social disorder and
tyranny.

Below is a list of quotations I found on the net about the relation between
th
19 century and atheism:

Some of the great philosophers of the nineteenth century, such as Karl Marx, not
only thought that no evidence existed to support the belief in a god, but also
believed that religion was a creation of society. They thought that society created
religion in order to supress man's desire to seek a good life by promising him a
better after-life.(7) Others, like Sigmund Freud, believed that religion was
something that comforted people and kept them somewhat in order. (8) With the
endorsement of some of the greatest minds of the century, atheism became a
notable philosophy of life for the first time in the nineteenth century.
http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/atheism.html

Until the nineteenth century, atheism was widely thought to be not just false
but impossible or crazy. By the early twentieth century, however, all that had
changed. Indeed, according to some of our most influential culture-heroes - for
example, Marx, Nietzsche and Freud - it is religion that is pathological and it is
atheism that distinguishes our culture from those of the past. Yet despite the
importance of atheism (for unbelievers and believers), its history has not been the
object of much scholarly study.
http://www.amazon.com/Atheism-Britain-David-Berman/dp/185506474X

Almost everyone who has studied human history, particularly its philosophical and
social aspects, will agree that the nineteenth century was an important period,
for it was during those years that the first steps were taken toward the future
spiritual collapse. Its most important characteristic was the growth of
atheism (i.e., rejecting God's Existence) as opposed to theistic beliefs and
religion, which had been generally dominant in the world until then.
…..
Toward the end of the nineteenth century, atheists formulated a worldview that
"explained" everything: The universe had not been created, for it had no beginning
and had existed forever. They claimed that it had no purpose, that its order and
balance were the result of chance, and that Darwin's theory of evolution explained
how human beings and other living things came into being. They believed that Marx
and Durkheim had explained history and sociology, and that Freud had explained
psychology on the basis of atheist assumptions.
http://www.riseofislam.com/rise_of_faith_01.html
19th CENTURY

The French Revolution (1789-1799) shocked the world in its violence and marked
the end of another era. Religion began to reform and tried to blame the deists and
other movements for the social turmoil that resulted. This reform is evident in the
image of God, which is now shown as a loving, humanist deity. Rationalism, and
later on Freethinking, organizes itself and starts to bring about social reform.
In 1841, Ludwig Feuerbach wrote a book called "The Essence of Christianity",
which was one of the first German atheistic influences. The book theorized that
God was man's projection of himself.
A year later, George Jacob Holyoake (1817-1906) was arrested for blasphemy. An
English freethought organizer, he coined the term "secular". In 1859, Charles
Darwin publishes his famous book "Origin of Species", which gave atheists their
first natural explanation of animal and human life.
The freethinking movement definitely began to take root with the incredible action of
two men, Charles Bradlaugh, and most importantly, Robert Ingersoll.
http://www.objectivethought.com/atheism/history.html

In the latter half of the 19th century, atheism rose to prominence under the
influence of rationalistic and freethinking philosophers. Many prominent German
philosophers of this era denied the existence of deities and were critical of religion,
including Ludwig Feuerbach, Arthur Schopenhauer, Karl Marx, and Friedrich
Nietzsche.[68]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism

In 1859, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural

Selection or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life, which
described evolution by means of natural selection. As we stated at the beginning,
one of the main supports for the rise of atheism to its zenith in the 19th century was
Darwin’s theory of evolution.
http://www.harunyahya.com/articles/70the_fall_of_atheism_sci34.php
The most influential publication of the nineteenth century was Charles Darwin
's Origin of Species. Published in 1859, described evolution by natural
selection over millions of years and confirmed what many had suspected,
that the Genesis creation story was not literally true. Many people became
agnostics when they learnt how life on earth evolved and realised that there
was no need for a god to have created it and that Earth and all the life forms
on it were not created in six days, though others continued to prefer the
biblical account. Scientists like Pierre and Marie Curie were not religious and
motivated by the desire to know more and to improve the human condition.
http://www.humanism.org.uk/site/cms/contentviewarticle.asp?article=1220

It was when the conflict between science and religion arose in the nineteenth
century, largely because of Darwinism's inconsistency with a fundamentalist
reading of the Bible, that humanism acquired its modern association with atheism
or agnosticism.
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/hmmsoc/

He realised that ideas have consequences and that the rise of atheism during the
19th century would in due course subvert the institutions created and sustained by
the Judaeo-Christian faith.
http://www.christianheritageuk.org.uk/Mobile/default.aspx?group_id=32432&article_
id=43921

One final point is about the Calendars! I have received a “bigoted” criticism about
the calendars. Here it is: “Isn't 19th century georgian and not Hijri. Why would Quran
authenticate christian calendar and not Islamic”. Many things can be said about this
criticism. First of all, the verses mentioning number 19 clearly states that this miracle
is not only for muslims but also for people of the book. But the best answer is a
quotation from a web site:

“The Islamic calendar is the official calendar in countries around the Gulf,
especially Saudi Arabia. But other Muslim countries use the Gregorian calendar
for civil purposes and only turn to the Islamic calendar for religious purposes.”
http://webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-islamic.html

Conclusion

One can criticize my claim by stating that all my deductions are based on just
two words: 19 and fitna. It is a truth that we have only a few numbers of features to
solve the puzzle of Quran’s number 19. But the problem in hand is a classification
problem and we have only a number of alternatives to choose from.
 I do not suggest you approach the issue of knowing the truth as a logic
problem. Logic has nothing to do with that. The correct approach to this problem is to
use recognition. I just want to ask a simple question: "How do you know your
mother?" By means of some kind of proof or by recognition?

So just try to recognize the truth about Quran’s number 19. A number which is
made a fitna for disbelievers: 19. Read the confessions that I found on the net. What
else it can be!?

What I learned from my personal experiences and Quran is that God does not
work with proofs and faith is not a matter of proof. God and Quran see faith as a
matter of recognition. And it is not a surprise to me that human brain is a specialized
pattern recognition engine. From this point of view, we can also recognize a sharp
distinction between Code 19 claim and my 19th century claim. Code 19 is a claim of
proof. On the contrary, my claim is based on recognition.

I want to end my article with two verses from Quran. I think they can help truth
seekers in their search:

“And when they listen to the revelation received by the

Messenger, thou wilt see their eyes overflowing with tears,
for they recognize the truth: they pray: "Our Lord! we
believe; write us down among the witnesses.” Quran,
Chapter Maide, Verse 83

“Forsooth, each one of them wants to be given scrolls (of

revelation) spread out!” Quran, Chapter Muddesir, Verse 52