The mathematical miracles of the Holy Quran

AMEL ABDULLAH

These “straightforward” observations, as Abdulaziz calls them, often revolve around a certain number or pattern that appears repeatedly in a particular chapter of the Quran.

Much has been written about the Quran’s many linguistic miracles—but did you know that Islam’s holy book also contains a mind-blowing symphony of seemingly impossible mathematical harmony as well?

That’s according to Lt. Col. Abdulaziz (Binimad) Al-Ateeqi, author of Quran Math Miracles: An Undeniable Miraculous Code (a free e-book available for download here), who says that computer technology has made it possible to examine the Quran’s numerical patterns in a new light. Abdulaziz, a researcher from Kuwait who also hosts a popular YouTube channel dedicated to Quran mathematics and other Islamic topics, has made it a mission to compile some of the most salient findings into English so that interested researchers and others may benefit from the latest amazing discoveries.

“The numbers don’t lie,” explains Abdulaziz. “For example, the number of times Noah—peace be upon him—is mentioned by name in the Quran is not something that will change, nor will the rules of simple mathematics ever change.”

These “straightforward” observations, as Abdulaziz calls them, often revolve around a certain number or pattern that appears repeatedly in a particular chapter of the Quran.

Surah Nuh (The Chapter of Noah), for instance, is Chapter 71 of the Quran, while the number of verses in this chapter is 28, making the difference between these two numbers 43, as 71 – 28 = 43. Interestingly, it turns out that Noah (PBUH) is mentioned in the Quran exactly 43 times. Besides this, there are 43 chapters following Surah Nuh until the end of the Quran. These 43 chapters contain no mention of Noah, a fact which becomes a lot more interesting when you find out that there are also 43 chapters preceding Surah Nuh that contain no mention of Prophet Noah, creating what Abdulaziz calls a “Ring Composition” around Surah Nuh. What’s more, the chapters of the Quran that do mention Prophet Noah are 28 in number, which is the exact number of verses in Surah Nuh.

In a YouTube video (below) dedicated to this surah, Abdulaziz presents a series of related findings that seem much too intricate to be mere coincidence. “Nothing in the Quran is random,” asserts Abdulaziz.

Among the many topics covered in the Quran Math Miracles e-book is the phenomenon of “disjointed” letters that appear at the start of some chapters of the Quran. Many theories abound regarding the purpose of these letters, with scholars generally saying that their true meaning is only known to Allah (SWT). Much of the research and speculation surrounding these letters has been on a purely linguistic level, but Abdulaziz points out a number of powerful mathematical connections as well, adding an array of new dimensions to the possibilities.

In one stunning example, he notes that Surah Al-Naml (The Chapter of the Ants) is the 27th chapter of the Quran, while the total number of verses in this chapter is 93. This chapter begins with the disjointed letters “Ṭah” (ط) and “Seen” (س), which are written as a single unit and pronounced together as “Ṭah, Seen.”  Amazingly, the first letter (ط) appears throughout the chapter 27 times, mirroring the chapter number. But that’s not all. The second disjointed letter (س) appears 93 times, which is the exact number of verses in the chapter!

“Ta, Seen. These are the verses of the Qur’an and a clear Book…”
(Quran 27:1)

Abdulaziz, who has written other books as well, including a modern contextual biography of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) expected for release in 2019/2020, has largely depended on the work of others to form the basis of his math book and videos; he has, however, also included a number of his own unique findings, especially in the “DNA” chapter of his e-book, where much of the book’s most fascinating material is found.

Consider the amazing code of 16 found in Surah Al-Nahl (The Chapter of the Bees). Surah Al-Nahl is the 16th chapter of the Quran, and Abdulaziz notes that male bees (called drones) have 16 chromosomes, while female workers and queen bees have 16 pairs of chromosomes. Furthermore, queen bees emerge from the egg in 16 days. The number of verses in this chapter is 128, which is a multiple of 16, as 16 X 8 = 128. Half of 128 is 64 (another multiple of 16), and researchers have found that 64 of this chapter’s verses contain the name of Allah, while 64 of them do not.

The surprising prominence of the number 16 in Surah Al-Nahl and its possible connection to bees is already enough to pique one’s interest (this video explains the details), but it gets much more complex when we also explore other DNA connections—both human and animal—in the Quran.

In one example of interest, Abdulaziz notes that the first verses of the Quran revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) were the first five verses of Chapter 96. The name of the chapter is “The ‘Alaq,” which scholars have described as an early embryonic stage from which humans are created in the womb. The Arabic word ‘Alaq (rendered below in English translation as “a clinging substance”) is the ninth word in the Arabic surah. This is where it gets more intriguing, as the ninth prime number in mathematics is 23, which is also the number of DNA chromosome pairs found in humans—a finding that is decidedly thought-provoking for a verse that is directly related to human creation, but only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the other data uncovered by Abdulaziz and other researchers.

“Recite in the name of your Lord who created – Created man from a clinging substance. Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous – Who taught by the pen – Taught man that which he knew not.”

(Quran 96:1–5)

According to Abdulaziz, prime numbers, which have “baffled mathematicians for centuries,” constitute “a noticeably strong and recurring key throughout the Quran.” Other prominent keys in the Quran include specific words and numbers, such as 114, which is the total number of chapters in the Quran.

Abdulaziz believes that the Quran’s mathematical “code” shows unequivocally that the Quran could not have been authored by a human being—something we already know as Muslims, but which may be less well understood by those unfamiliar with Islamic teachings. Still, cautions Abdulaziz, Muslims must take care not to misuse the findings. “Meanings derived from the Quran should remain centered on the language of the Quran with support from authentic hadith and historical context,” he says.

AMEL ABDULLAH

Amel S. Abdullah is an Italian-American convert to Islam who has worked in the field of Islamic publishing as a writer, editor, and Arabic to English translator since 2004.