Volume 6 No. 5, January-February 1998

Editor: Ali R. Fazely, Associate Editors: Saied Andalib and Milan Sulc

P.O.Box 80333 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808

e-mail: 76451.271@CompuServe.com

GOD revealed His final scripture, the Quran, during the month of Ramadan. This revelation is a unique book having a property, never seen in any other literary work with 29 chapters having letters as first and in one case second verse, referred to as "initialed" suras. These letters constitute a mathematical code authored by the Almighty that proves its divine source. The mathematical code is based on the number 19. The first initialed sura is number 2 and the last one is sura 68. The number of verses in every sura is mathematically coded and the positions and number of verses are divinely controlled. This is to reassure us that we are reading a book with the ultimate "best" intention for our well-being and prosperity in this world and most importantly for our "hereafter" which constitutes the real life.

Let us count all the initialed verses from 19:1 to 68:52, we find that there are 1514 such verses. The number 1514 is a composite and it is the 1273rd composite. Note that 1273 is the frequency of word "Allah" until the end of sura 9. Furthermore, 1514 number verse from the beginning of the Quran is verse 11:43. Remember that:

1143 = 9 x 127

Therefore, the number of initialed verses from 19:1 to 68:52 which is the last verse in the last initialed sura testifies that sura 9 has 127 verses. GOD insists upon perfecting His light despite those who set up partners for GOD[1].

This takes us back to chapter 9 having 127 verses. In sura 74 verse 30, GOD tells us that "Over it is 19". Accordingly, the order of writing the digits 9, 1, 2 and 7 happens to be the 19th permutation of these four digits in ascending order. All praises are due to GOD, Creator of all things.

GOD's Land is Spacious The Meaning of "Al-Ardh' in the Quran

GOD created in His Infinite Wisdom the heavens and the earth according to a perfect design. GOD tells us that the skies and the "land" were one solid mass and He separated them. GOD tells that His "land" is spacious, and we should worship Him alone. He also tells us that He created all the living things from water. After GOD has increased our knowledge through the Hobble telescope and new information from the Mars lander and radar imaging of the ice on the moon, we realize that GOD has stored provisions for humans throughout the universe and it is not limited to earth as we wrongly believed.

Our galaxy, the Milky Way has a diameter of 100,000 light years. Very recently, there is news that there is a smaller galaxy, about a tenth of Milky Way is in a state of collision with it. Do not be alarmed, it takes 100,000 years to travel from one end of the Milky Way to the other end, if one goes at the speed of light. There are more than a hundred billion stars in our galaxy and we have information of planets like earth and mars revolving around them. We already know that there is water on mars, and GOD has given us the know-how to make a planet like mars habitable for ourselves.

GOD also talks about mountains, and we know that mountains are not unique to earth and it is a feature of the rocky planets and their moons. GOD tells us that all mountains will be wiped out. He has created us from dust and we know that there has been exchanges between different bodies in the universe. In other words, we are created from "star dust". Such is GOD's creation and He teaches us what we do not know, according to His Infinite Wisdom and at the "right" time. All praises are due to GOD, Creator of all things.

I have been reporting on GOD's revelation and its mathematical structure, based on the Ultimate Mathematics of primes and their indices, by GOD's leave for about eight years. I must say, that there is no end to this Divine structure and embracing GOD's Signs, as soon as possible, is our only way of salvation.

Let me now explain the following Sign from GOD.

Sura 38 in the Quran is called "Saad" which is an Arabic letter and it is initialed with the same letter. It happens to be the 20th initialed sura in the Quran. Sura 47 is called Muhammad and it is the 20th uninitiated chapter in the Quran. Note that sura 47 has 38 verses. verse 38:1 is the 2147th initialed verse from the beginning of the Quran and the number of uninitiated verses up-to this point is 1822 and 1822nd composite is 2147. On the other hand if we count the number of uninitiated verses to 18:22, we find that there are 931 verses. The number 931 is 19 x 49 and note that 49 is the 22nd uninitiated sura in the Quran and 18 is the number of verses in chapter 49. This is GOD's Design, Creator of all things.

7:180 To GOD belongs the most beautiful attributes; therefore call on Him by these and leave alone those who blaspheme His attributes...

The Arabic word 'esm, name' is primarily applied to denote the substance or intrinsic attributes of an object under discussion. In 2:31, for example, it is clear that GOD did not teach Adam just the names, rather the nature and uses of all things. The word 'alhosna' is a superlative adjective and may be translated as 'the most beautiful, perfect, good..' so the combination may be translated as 'the most beautiful names, the most beautiful attributes, attributes of perfection, etc.'

Of course GOD is not limited to any fixed number of attributes and these attributes do not limit GOD. He is beyond comprehension; no vision can possibly comprehend Him (6:103), nothing is like Him (42:11), none equals Him (112:4). It may be said that GOD teaches us about Himself through these attributes, through the signs to the extent that He wills. The signs of the divine names are present in everything and everywhere and in all that we do and in our relations with Him.

It cannot be emphasized enough that these are not 'names', per se, these are not proper names like John, Mary etc. A proper name, John for example, cannot be translated, the person is called by that name at all times and in any language. A proper name may or may not have meaning but it is of no particular relevance to the person. On the contrary, these are indeed attributes, glimpses of GOD through which He has decided to reveal Himself to us, to teach us about Himself. Of course Quran is revealed in Arabic, so the names, the attributes are in Arabic but the important thing is to understand what they mean and what they represent. They can be translated into any language, although as we have seen in previous articles and writings, quite often, it is difficult to translate them by one or two words.

When we use the original Arabic, we must have the meanings and the implication of the names in mind, we must reflecton what they mean and what GOD is telling us about Himself, and not just repeating them so many times without understanding the meanings of them.

There has been discussions as to exactly what these names and attributes are. One thing is for certain and that is these names must be in the Quran, it can't be otherwise. GOD has commanded us in the about verse (7:180) to call Him by these names; "the most beautiful attributes' and this expression is repeated in Quran four times (7:180, 17:110, 20:8, 59:24). We believe that Quran is complete and fully detailed, and therefore the only valid conclusion must be that GOD has also stated ALL these names in the Quran. Followers of Hadith have made up a so called list of 99 names. There are a number of difficulties with this list, most significant being that many of these so called names are not found in Quran, ad litteram, or do not refer to GOD (Preventer, Honorer, etc.) and many of these names are not beautiful at all, in any sense of the word; (Harmful, Afflicter, Degrader, etc.) GOD is good and beautiful and not only the names He gives to Himself would be good and beautiful but He very specifically tells us that they are so.

There are many actions attributed to GOD in the Quran (of course GOD is doer of all things), but that does not mean that a particular action, expressed as a name or an adjective is an attribute of GOD. For example, GOD punishes or burns the disbeliveers in Hell but Punisher or Burner is not an attribute of GOD. In many verses names are mentioned, but without the definite article 'Al, the', for example 2:181, and it appears in these situations the name works more as a verb referring to that particular situation rather than as an attribute. In the mentioned verse, for example, the names 'hearer and knower' may be understood as referring to the fact that GOD hears and knows those who...., as stated in the verse; similarly in 3:98 etc. For these reasons as well as the fact that the expression 'the most beautiful names' appears to be referring to an absolute, unattached name, in compiling the following list I have included only those names and attributes that are specifically mentioned in Quran and have the definite article.

As stated, these attributes are absolute, they belong to GOD only, in total, there is nothing comparative about them. GOD is not just more knowledgeable, for example, than this or that person or all the people, He is Omniscient, He has absolute knowledge of all things at all times, past, present and future. Knowledge comes from GOD only and as implied in 2:255, for example, He releases certain knowledge about the Quran, about the universe, about elementary particles, etc. as He sees fit. But He is the All Knowing and He is the only source of knowledge. When He call Himself 'the King', the meaning is just that; He is THE King, there is no other king, it does not mean that He is bigger or, more powerful king that this or that king, it does not mean that He is better than all other kings, rather, it simply means that there is NO other king, period. He gives a kingdom to His servant as He sees fit, but there is no King but He. When He calls Himself "the All Great", it means just that; all greatness belongs to GOD, there is no great but GOD, there is nothing comparative about it, there is nothing worthy of comparison.

To truly understand the magnificence and absoluteness of these attributes, it has been suggested that any of these attributes can be placed in the testimony to GOD's absolute Oneness; the so called first pillar of faith "there is no god but GOD", similarly; "there is no god but the All Gracious", "there is no god but the All Great", "there is no god but the Absolute King", "there is no god but the All Merciful", the meaning would be that there is no mercy but GOD's mercy and there is no merciful but GOD, all mercy comes for GOD, etc.

The following table lists the attributes of GOD: explicitly stated in Quran, that contain the definite article "Al,the". I have mentioned the chapter and the verse number that each attribute is mentioned for the first time in the Quran, although, of course, quite a few of these are mentioned in the Quran only once. Some of these are difficult to translate with one or two words and I have given various shades of their meanings and obviously fuller understanding requires further study. I have listed "Allah, GOD" in this list since I believe it does meet all the conditions stated above and the way it is stated in 28:70 a proper translation of it would be "The One God" or in the mentioned verse "He is The god (GOD), there is no god but He...." Remember, Allah or GOD or Khoda (Persian) etc. is not a proper name of GOD rather it is just a reference to the Creator, the Absolute King.... and as Quran says; with whatever name you call Him, He is the One.

1. Allah -- The One God, GOD; 1:1, (28,70)
2. Al'Awwal -- The First, The Alpha; 57:3
3. Al'Aakhir -- The Last, The Omega; 57:3
4. Al'Bari' -- The Maker; 59:24
5. Al'Barr -- The All Benign; 52:28
6. Al'Batin -- The Innermost, The Inward, The Hidden; 57:3
7. Al'Baseer -- The All Seer; 17:1
8. A(l)t'Tawwab -- The Redeemer, The Acceptor of repentance; 2:37
9. Al'Jabbar -- The All Compeller, the Irresistible, The One Who subdues wrong and restores right; 59:23
10. Al'Haq -- The Real, The Ultimate Truth; 20:114
11. Al'Hakeem -- The All Wise; 2:32
12. Al'Hameed -- The Praiseworthy, The All Laud-able; 14:1
13. Al'Hayy -- The Living; 2:255
14. Al'Khaliq -- The Creator, The Producer, The Designer; 59:24
15. Al'Khabeer -- The All Aware, The Cognizant; 6:18
16. Al'Khallaq -- The All Creator; 15:86
17. A(l)r'Rahaman -- The All Gracious; 1:1
18. A(l)r'Raheem -- The All Merciful; 1:1
19. A(l)r'Razzagh -- The Provider; 51:58
20. A(l)s'Salam -- The Peace, The One free from any disharmony and disequilibrium; The Salvation, The One with Whom all salvation rests; 59:23
21. A(l)s'Samee' -- The All Hearer; 2:127
22. A(l)s'Samad -- The Eternal, The Absolute, the Uncaused cause of all existence; 112:2
23. Al'Lateef -- The All Subtle, The Unfathomable, The One beyond comprehension, The Benevolent; 6:103
24. A(l)z'Zahir -- The Outermost, The Outward, The Seen; 75:3
25. Al'Azeez -- The All Mighty; 2:129
26. Al'Azeem -- The Supreme, The All Glorious, The Great; 2:255
27. Al'Ali -- The All Exalted, The All High; 2:255
28. Al'Aleem -- The All Knower, The Omniscient; 2:32
29. Al'Ghaffar -- The All Forgiving, The Ever Forgiving; 38:66
30. Al'Ghafur -- The Forgiver; 10:107
31. Al'Ghani' -- The All Sufficient, The Self-Sufficient, The One free from any dependency and need; 22:64
32. Al'Fattahh -- The Judge, The One Who opens all truth, The Opener, The Revealer; 34:26
33. Al'Qoddus -- The All Holy, The One Beyond Imperfection; 59:23
34. Al'Qadeer -- The All Powerful, The One Who measures and determines all things; 30:54
35. Al'Qahhar -- The Omnipotent, The One Who holds absolute sway over all things, The Irresistible, The Dominator; 12:39
36. Al'Qawi -- The All Strong; 11:66
37. Al'Qayyum -- The Everlasting, The Self-subsistent Fount of All Being; 2:255
38. Al'Kabeer -- The All Great; 13:9
39. Al'Kareem -- The All Beneficent, The All Generous, The All Bountiful; 82:6
40. Al'Mobeen -- The Manifest and Manifesting the truth of all things; 24:25
41. Al'Mota'al -- The All Exalted; 13:9
42. Al'Motakabbir -- The One to Whom all greatness belongs, The Possessor of all greatness, The Just Proud, The One Who is Great in Himself, the Magnificent; 59:23
43. Al'Mateen -- The Eternal, The Ever-Sure, The Unshakable; 51:58
44. Al'Mosawwir -- The Shaper, The Fashioner, The Designer; 59:24
45. Al'Majeed -- The All Glorious; 85:15
46. Al'Malik -- The King, The Absolute Sovereign; 20:114
47. Al'Mohai'men -- The Guardian over all that exists, The All Preserver, The One Who determines what is true and false; 59:23
48. Al'Mo'min -- The All Faithful, The Grantor of security, The Giver of Faith; 59:23
49. Al'Wahid -- The One; 13:16
50. Al'Wadud -- The All Loving, The All Embracing in His Lover; 85:14
51. Al'Wali -- The Protector, The Lord, The Friend; 42:29
52. Al'Wahhab -- The Grantor of all bounties, The Giver of all gifts, The Bestower; 3:8

As we pointed out earlier, there are quite a few names that are mentioned in the Quran without the definite article. There are also some names that are mentioned in compound forms in such a way that the meaning of definite article is implied. There are also instances where a name has the definite article but it does not appear to be in an independent and free form. I have included all these names in the following table. Followers of Quran consider these also among "the most beautiful names", although there is no unanimity. The simple fact is that all these names are specifically mentioned in Quran and they do refer to GOD.

1. Ahad -- One; 112:1
2. Baddee' -- Originator, Creator; 2:117
3. Jami' -- Gatherer; 3:9
4. Hafeez -- Guardian, Preserver; 11:57
5. Haleem -- Forbearing, Clement, Kind; 2:225
6. Dhu'l Jalale Wa'l Ikram -- Possessor of Majesty and Glory, Full of Majesty and Generosity; 55:27
7. Dhul'Fazlil'Azeem -- Possessor of Infinite Grace, Lord of Mighty Grace; 2:105
8. Dhul'Qowwa' -- Possessor of all strength, Lord of all Power; 51:58
9. Rafi'o'Darajat -- Possessor of the highest ranks, Exalter of ranks; 40:15
10. Ra'us -- Affectionate, Full of kindness, Gentle; 2:143
11. Rabb -- Lord, Sustainer, Fosterer; 1:2
12. Raqeeb -- Watchful; 4:1
13. Shakir -- Responsive to gratitude, One Who recognizes gratitude; 2:158
14. Shakur -- Ever-response, Most Appreciative; 35:30
15. Shaheed -- Witness; 3:98
16. Aalim -- Knower; 6:73
17. Allam ol'Ghoyub -- Knower of all the Secrets, Knower of all things unseen, Knower of the unknowables; 5:109
18. Al'Aa'laa -- The Most High; 79:24
19. Afuw -- Pardoner, Absolver of sins; 4:43
20. Fatir -- Originator, Maker; 6:14
21. Al'Qahir -- The Supreme, The One Who holds Sway, Omnipotent; 6:18
22. Qareeb -- Near, Close; 2:186
23. Malik' Al' Molk -- Owner of the Kingdom, Lord of the Dominion; 3:26
24. Mojeeb -- Responsive, Ready to respond; 11:61
25. Mohyi' -- Life Giver; 30:50
26. Moqeet -- In Control, Determiner, One Who watches over everything; 4:85
27. Al'Matula -- The Patron, The Protector; 8:40
28. Maleek -- King, Sovereign; 54:55
29. Moqtadir -- Powerful, One Who determines all things; 54:42
30. Masi' -- All Embracing, Omnipresent, Ample Giving; 2:115
31. Al'Wakeel -- The Guardian, The Trustee, In-Charge, The Disposer of affairs; 3:173

All Praise belongs to GOD Hossein Kowsari

Congratulations to all believers for reading the Quran from cover to cover in the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the month when the Quran was revealed. Each one of us, individually, made a vow to GOD to read the Quran from cover to cover during this month. We should try to do this as often as we can. Remember, approach it as it is the first time you are reading it, as though you are a child, having no prejudice and ask GOD to increase your knowledge.

We are going to have our annual meeting, insha Allah on June 19 and 20 (Friday and Saturday) 1998, here in Baton Rouge.

A Farsi translation of the Quran by Behruz Mofidi is available. Interested parties should contact him directly in order to obtain more information. His address/phone number is:

P.O. Box 251902

Los Angeles, CA 90025

Tel: (310) 262-7838

Behruz Mofidi has expressed and is expressing, in the strongest terms, that although; he has translated the preface, the footnotes, the subtitles, the items in the parenthesis, and the appendices from Rashad's English translation of the Quran; these items ARE NOT parts of the Quran.

The editor

[1] Quran, 9:32, 61:8