by Rashad Khalifa.

The renewed interest in the West in Islam is due to both the resurgence of the faith in recent times, manifested most dramatically in the Iranian Islamic revolution, and to the failure of western secular philosophies of liberal capitalism and Marxist communism.

This Islamic resurgence, definitely begun by the reform movement of Jamaluddin al-Afghani and Muhammad Abduh at the end of the last century, propagated a return to essential Islam, a rejection of taqlid (blind following of the teachings of the various schools) and an opening of independent rational thought and assimilation of western science, technology and rationalism that are not contradictory to the Islamic worldview.

Having its roots in earlier 18th century reformers, the movement was carried forward through the writings of various thinkers, including Rashid Riyha, Syed Ameer Ali and Muhammad iqbal. Unfortunately, midway, the movement was captured by traditionalist thinkers like Maulana Maud Udi who stressed tradition rather than new creative thinking. Still, the modern Islamic trend of Muhammad Ahduh’s creative thinking persists as a strong undercurrent. I would place Dr Rashad Khalifa’s book as a major contribution to this creative reform movement.

The book makes one of the most amazing discoveries about the Quran. After several years of painstaking research, Rashad has come out with the extraordinary announcement that the Quranic literary composition is based on a precise mathematical structure based on the figure 19. it is so precise that if a Quranic word like "Allah" or "al-Rahman" or "al-Rahim" is added to or subtracted from the Quran, this mathematical structure collapses! Indeed the arrangement of the Quranic chapters and the frequency of certain crucial words and letters in the Quran consistently conform to this structure. Rashad gives such overwhelming proof of this thesis that any reasonable, objective reader cannot hut accept it.

He obtains the clue to this amazing Quranic code from verse 30 of surah 74, appropriately titled "The Hidden Secret", the last verse of the fourth revelation to the Prophet. The verse reads literally:

"Over it are nineteen." The classical commentators explained the figure "nineteen" as referring to angels of hell or to man’s external and internal faculties. However, verse 35 of the same surah which was revealed later) states that this 19-based Quranic code is one of the greatest miracles. Going on this clue, the author calculated (with the help of the computer in the case of intricate calculations), found and enumerated in detail 31 amazing facts about this code, some of which 1 give below:

• The opening statement of the Quran ("Bismillah") consists of 19 Arabic alphabetic letters;

• The last Quranic revelation (surah 110) consists of 19 words;

• The Quran consists of 114 surahs (114 is a multiple of’ 19);

• The first chapter in the order of revelation (surah 96) consists of 19 verses;

• The first word in the Quran’s famous opening statement ("ism") occurs in the Ouran exactly 19 times;

Although these facts are amazing enough, the reader must read the hook itself to appreciate the full significance of the author’s revelations of this mysterious 19-based Quranic code. The author explained that the figure I’) is chosen by God to he the numerical basis of His Quran. because oneness of God is the theme of the Ouran. The numerical value of the Arabic word "one" (wahid) in the traditional "letter arithmetic" is also 19. It is a reasonable and logical explanation.

Reading this hook, an objective reader cannot doubt the soundness of the author’s conclusion - that the Quranic composition is based on the numerical code of 19 and that this code represents one of the greatest miracles of the Quran, as the Quran itself states (73:35).

Although non-believers have said that the Quran is the work of Muhammad (whom they call a man of the greatest genius), with this astounding discovery, they can no longer say so with reason, although they may continue to disbelieve in it. No man can write a book whose linguistic structure is based on such mathematical precision! Only an All-Knowing God can execute such intricate and exquisite planning. The code therefore proves conclusively that the Quran is God’s message to the world and that it has been perfectly preserved through these 14 centuries.

Apart from this great discovery, this hook opens the minds of Muslims to one very important fact: that the Quran. The unaltered work of God to mankind and the last of God’s books, is a comprehensive, perfect and self-explanatory book of guidance to man, requiring no other book to supplement or supersede it.

The Muslims themselves over the last thousand years have set up and taken other books (the books of jurisprudence) to rival the Quran as their guidance in their everyday life. The learned author rightly points to the warning given by the Quran over this possibility: "And the Messenger will say: ‘My Lord, surely my people treat this Quran as a forsaken thing’. And thus have We made for every prophet an enemy from among the guilty, and sufficient is thy Lord as a Guide and a Helper". (25:30-31).

This strong criticism, nay condemnation, of the false Muslims will not endear the author to the formalist leaders of the Muslim community, but this is perhaps necessary to fully reawaken the Muslim community to the truth of their great religion. It also opens the way for the re-establishment of the link and unity between Islam and the other bearers of the Heavenly Message, like Judaism and Christianity, that is necessary for the coming unity, peace and justice among mankind. This book continues and carries forward the basic rationalist teachings of the great reformer Muhammad Abduh and his teacher Jamaluddin al-Afghani.

It will interest readers greatly to know that Dr Rashad Khalifa has also ventured a thesis, based on Quranic evidence, in an attempt to solve the great riddle of the end of the world and the Day of Resurrection. This intriguing question has, of course, given rise to many erroneous predictions in the past.

The mystery of this date, the author claims, lies hidden in a Quranic code representing the age of Islam. The end of the age of Muhammad, who is the last in the series of God’s prophets to mankind, is logically the end of the world and the Day of Resurrection. The intriguing question is therefore the length of the period of Muhammad. By a series of "deductions" from Quranic statements, he arrives at 1709 lunar years as the period from 14(X) Hijrah, the year of Dr Khalifa’s discovery. Amazingly enough, this figure of 309 lunar years or 300 solar years is mentioned in the Quran in a separate context.

However, by venturing into this area, the author has embarked on a hazardous enterprise, which seriously detracts from his credibility. The Quran is categorical about the inaccessibility of the knowledge concerning the date of the Day of Judgment. Speculation about this remains an idle exercise. But this diversion need not deter us from examining positively the point the author so diligently tries to make.

In spite of the importance of this book, I have not read a single review of it. But, in a sense, it is to be expected. This book is so wondrous in its revelations, so sharp in its understanding and so blunt in its criticisms that even those who call themselves Muslims are skeptical and afraid of it. But I am thoroughly convinced that it is a book of major significance for the proper, understanding of the Quran and the teachings of Islam.

Brother Feiniz Karmally of Vancouver, BC, is a well-known mathematics and computer wizard. He recently added up all the numbered and un-numbered verses of Qur’an, according to the authorized Uthmani version. The Grand Total came to 6,348. This total includes the last two verses of Sura 9. When these two verses are removed, the Total becomes 6,346, A MULTIPLE OF 19. This conforms to the miraculous mathematical system of Qur’an, where 19 is the common denominator.

Brother Ismail Barakat, also of Vancouver, further noticed that the digits that make up 6,346 odd up to exactly 19.

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