Numerology in the Quran

Why I don't believe in most of the "Numerical Miracles of the Quran" that get shared around.

I will be including the below post as an Appendix to the Heavenly Order Book.¹

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As someone who runs a blog exploring literary connections and symmetry in the Quran, it seems inevitable that I’d attract lots of comments pointing me to “numerical miracles of the Quran.” And while I acknowledge that there might be some subtle observations regarding numerology in the Quran, I don’t find most arguments suggesting its miraculous or religious nature convincing. 

My problem with numerical “miracles” is that they feel extremely arbitrary in how or why things are counted.² And, probably most egregiously, they aren’t even accurate.

For example, in this 45-second video with over a million views titled, “Did you know this secret in the Quran? Surah Al-Kahf,”³ they summarize the Sleepers of the Cave account in Sūrat al-Kahf (The Cave) as them having remained asleep in a cave for 309 years. They note that from the first instance of the word “labithū (they remained)” to the last instance of the word, labithū, there are 309 words in between,⁴ which matches the 309 years they remained in the cave. 

They add that if you take the 300th word in this sequence, it is the word “thalātha mi’ah (300).” Miraculous? I don’t think so.

First, why take the last use of labithū? Had the counting worked on the next use of the word labithū instead of the last, does that change or diminish the “miracle?” Is only one of the words miraculous, based on its numeric placement? And why that word? Because it works for the count?

And “300” being the “300th word” isn’t exactly true. It’s technically both the 299th and 300th word in Arabic. 

Or take another popular video titled, “Mind-blowing Qur'an Miracle- Ready To Convert?”⁵ which speaks of numerical miracles involving… honestly, I’m not sure what to call it. He begins by introducing Sūrat as-Sajdah (Bowing One’s Head Down) and notes that the āyah of sajdah⁶ is 15 words long, while it is also the 15th āyah in the sūrah. Coincidence? Maybe, had it been correct to begin with.

First, the words are counted wherever there is a space, but that isn’t the determinant of where words start and end in Arabic.⁷ For example, the word āyāti-nā (Our signs) is two words, not one, as they claim in the video. Same goes for bi-hā (in them), bi-ḥamdi (with praise), and wa-hum (while they). 

The next claim is that the word sajdah in this āyah is the 186th word in the sūrah,⁸ and that if you add up the digits “1+8+6” you get 15, which is the āyah this word sits in. Should we be excited about this? My immediate question is, why add up the digits instead of multiply or divide? Because it gets one to the desired number? What evidence is there of this being a miracle when the decision to add the numbers together isn’t based on anything from the Quran?

Not to fixate on this video, but there’s one more example that is indicative of a lot of other “numerical miracles,” so it’s worth pointing out. The very next “miracle” shown is that if you multiply 15x2 you get 30, which is the number āyat in this sūrah.⁹ Again, why multiply? And why by two? Why not by three since 15 has been mentioned three times thus far? It’s supposedly the 15th word, of the 15th āyah, and 1+8+6=15.

Another common “miracle” I see is the one about bees and their chromosomes. For those who are unfamiliar, allow me summarize. Sūrat an-Naḥl (The Bee) is the 16th sūrah of the Quran. The only āyah that mentions bees in this sūrah is made up of 16 words¹⁰ and 16 different Arabic letters.¹¹ Coincidentally, female bees have 16 pairs of chromosomes, whereas male bees have 16 chromosomes. 

Nothing above is factually incorrect.¹² But if one were to say this is a miracle, I’d expect the same for other suwar named after animals. For example, Sūrat al-Baqarah (The Cow) is the 2nd sūrah of the Quran. Now, cows have more than 2 chromosomes (actually 60), so does that mean I’ve just disproven the Quran? Or, is it more accurate to say that the bees and numbers thing isn’t actually a miracle?¹³

Speaking of Sūrat al-Baqarah, one oft-repeated “miracle” is that it’s incredible that the longest sūrah, which consists of 286 āyāt, revealed over many years, has at its central āyah, āyah 143 (because 286/2 = 143), Allah ﷻ calling Muslims a “middle nation.”¹⁴ This is made to sound even more incredible when one considers that the sūrah was revealed over many years, out of order, as an oral tradition. However, technically the 143^rd āyah isn’t the middle since it’s an even number of āyāt.¹⁵ It would make more sense if Sūrat al-Baqarah were 287 āyāt long, and this was the 144th āyah. 

On that note, this numerical observation is only made with regards to the recitation style of Hafs, while many of the other accepted recitation styles vary in how many āyāt they consider there to be in Sūrat al-Baqarah, ranging from 284-287.¹⁶ Is it still the middle ayah in each of these recitation styles? No. Does that mean the Quran is no longer a miracle? Also no. 

There are many more examples, but the above cover the main types of numerology posts I see shared.¹⁷

I know some of you reading this are thinking, “Oh, but have you considered the ones that don’t require random multiplying, dividing, or addition? Like how the number of times Allah ﷻ says ‘day’ and ‘night’ are equal? Or ‘angels’ and ‘devils?’ Or ‘sky’ and ‘earth?’” Unfortunately, many of these claims are untrue.¹⁸

To summarize, let’s assume a word like shahr (month) occurs 12 times in the Quran.¹⁹ If that’s a miracle, then why doesn’t the word “sāʿah (hour)” occur 24 times? And if it doesn’t, does that mean the Quran is no longer a miracle and has been disproven? 

I’ll end on the same two notes concluded with in the video referenced above:

1. Don’t spread “numerical miracles” without confirming them for yourself. I’m finding that most aren’t true. Or if they are, the way to get to the number is quite spurious. It seems the conclusion comes first then they work backwards to get to the number needed. 

2. If true, we shouldn’t wholesale dismiss it, but at most we should call it a “subtlety” of the Quran. A “nice to know.” An “observation.” But certainly not a “miracle.” This is not what anyone should be attaching their faith to.²⁰

I am acutely aware that I write a blog that essentially gives arbitrary explanations to connections made between āyāt and sūwar. I extend point #2 above to my own work. I pray no one is using this to base their faith on. It’s nice to know. A “wow, that’s interesting,” kind of thing, but our faith in this religion should be tied to the message and entirety of the Quran, not pretty pictures of symmetry or numerology.²¹ 

Okay, rant over. God bless you all. I’ll see you all next week when I present another Quran structure for you all to decide whether or not the connections are made-up and/or arbitrarty.²²

And Allah ﷻ knows best.

1. Pray that the book is ready in 2024! It’s looking like it should be. Become a paid subscriber to get the E-book for free when it’s released 😁

2. Is it ironic that I say this as I write a weekly blog on what others criticize as “random” and “arbitrary” connections between āyat in the Quran? Yes, very much so.

3. “Did You Know This Secret in the Quran? Surah Al-Kahf.” YouTube, OnePath Network, 12 Jan. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIktVVJcwIU.

May Allah ﷻ bless those involved for their efforts in connecting people to the Quran. I have benefited from this channel, so I am in no way trying to disparage them here.

4. This isn’t even accurate, but I’ll explain the issue in another “miracle” below.

5. “Mind-blowing Qur’an Miracle-Ready to Convert?” YouTube, Smile 2 Jannah, 20 Apr. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4CpelztAeg.ِِ

Again, may Allah ﷻ bless them and their intentions. I have also benefited from this channel. This is simply a criticism of this particular video.

6. An āyah that indicates that the reader/listener should bow their head to the ground after concluding it.

7. And this same critique applies to the Sūrat al-Kahf miracle above

8. I would assume this isn’t true based on the above explanation, but let’s assume it is.

9. But according to two of the 10 accepted recitation styles, it’s actually 31 āyāt long, so this argument would no longer apply. Āyah 21 in the recitation of Hafs is divided into two smaller āyāt according to Hisham and Ibn Dhawkan. For the uninitiated, these differences in recitation styles do not affect the core meaning or the message of the Quran, but rather reflect the diversity and richness of its linguistic and rhetorical aspects. The content of the sūrah is the same, but where āyāt are divided is where the difference of opinion lies.

10. They actually count the words correctly here. I was shocked. I had to count three times to be sure. And now one of my readers will count for themselves, find a mistake in my counting, and show I don’t know how to count.

11. This is also true. I want to meet the first person who decided to count the letters used. Seems so random, but I guess it works for this case.

12. But, if I were to place another doubt into the mix, consider that there’s an opinion that Sūrat al-Anfāl (#8) and Sūrat at-Tawbah (#9) are actually one sūrah, which then throws off the sūrah count for Sūrat an-Naḥl.

13. If you want something that seems more miraculous with regards to bees, consider this from the same āyāt. In Sūrat an-Naḥl (The Bee), Allah ﷻ says,

وَأَوْحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ ‎

And your Lord inspired to the bee, "Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct.

ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلًا ۚ يَخْرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِّلنَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down [for you]." There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought.

What’s interesting is that Allah ﷻ uses the feminine form when speaking with the bees.

For the command, “take,” Allah ﷻ says “ittakhidhī," which is specific to females. He says “kulī (eat)” which is again specific for females. For “uslukī (follow),” again, Allah ﷻ uses the feminine form. And finally, when referencing their innards, Allah ﷻ says “butūni-hā (her bellies) which specifies the females.

What makes this interesting is that honey bees are only female, so it’s amazing that Allah ﷻ kept the references female-specific as opposed to the more general male conjugation of the words. Even more interesting, Allah ﷻ said “her bellies,” plural. It’s now known that a honey bee has an extra stomach dedicated for honey. This is quite precise language!

14. This can also mean “balanced” nation, but we can accept the double meaning since it wouldn’t diminish or contradict the other understanding.

15. Think of it this way: what’s the middle number of a sūrah four āyāt long? There isn’t one. But what’s the middle āyah of a sūrah five āyāt long? Āyah #3.

16. The main reason for the variations is the different ways of dividing some long āyāt into smaller ones, or combining short āyāt into larger ones. For example, āyah 282 in Hafs is divided into two āyāt in Khalaf and Khallad, while āyāt 9 and 10 in Hafs are combined into one āyah in Hisham and Ibn Dhakwan.

17. I will not even indulge the “Number 19” stuff. A crazy rabbit hole with a crazier conclusion.

18. And if you want a great video that describes all this in detail, watch

“The Numerical Miracles in the Quran | Arabic101” YouTube, Arabic 101, 17 Dec. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11dDOBdQobQ.ِِ 

19. The Arabic 101 channel referenced above claims this, but I don’t agree here. They are counting according to the number of times both the words “shahr” or “al-shahr” come up, even though one of those is in the context of meaning “months,” plural - "The Night of Power is greater than 1000 shahr (months).”

See this search from Quran Corpus for details: https://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=%24hr.

20. Here’s an example of a numerical miracle observation that falls under this category. In Sūrat Āl ʿImrān (Family of Imran) Allah ﷻ says:

إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَىٰ عِندَ اللَّـهِ كَمَثَلِ آدَمَ ۖ خَلَقَهُ مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ

Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created Him from dust; then He said to him, "Be," and he was.

The apparent meaning of this āyah is that Adam and Jesus were both created without a father, but what’s interesting is that up until this point in the compiled order of the Quran, both the names Adam and Jesus have been mentioned six times each. By the end of the Quran they will each have been mentioned exactly 25 times (I checked!). So they are alike both in creation and in mention.

21. My pictures aren’t even that pretty any more. Remember when they were in color? Now I make them in black-and-white because I’m formatting things for a print/e-book edition. I sold out!

22. The only number I need is ONE, for the ONE TRUE GOD! And all those numbers relating to zakāt. And inheritance. And the number of days in Ramaḍān. And… actually, there are a lot of numbers I need to know. But the number of chromosomes in an animal is not one.