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IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE THE MERCIFUL
THE HOLY KORAN
THE KORAN EVERYMAN Everyman I will go with thee and be thy guide Translated from the Arabic by J. M. Rodwell Foreword and Introduction by Alan Jones The Oriental Institute, First published 1909 Foreword " The Koran, or, to give it its strict transliteration, the Qur'an, is the sacred book of Islam. For Muslims it is the word of God revealed in Arabic by the archangel Gabriel to the prophet Muhammad and thence to mankind. For them Muhammad is the last of the prophets and thus the Qur'an is the final expression of God's message to mankind.
Non-Muslims are unlikely to share this view, but they too will recognise that the Qur'an is one of the most important and influential books known to mankind and that its influence is continuing to increase with the spread of Islam. On that basis alone the Qur'an is worthy of study, but its outstanding literary merit should also be noted: it is by far the finest work of Arabic prose in existence. Nevertheless, it has to be said that the Qur'an is not an easy book to read. There are several reasons for this: the subject matter is complex and much of the language is highly charged; the order of the suras (chapters) presents the contents in a way that those with no previous knowledge of the book often find confusing; the way material is presented within a sura is often surprising; the background of the work is very alien to the English-speaker; much of the power of the original is lost in translation - indeed most Muslims believe that the Qur' an cannot be translated properly and therefore should not be translated at all..." INTRODUCTION THE ARABIAN PENINSULA AT THE TIME OF MUHAMMAD'S BIRTH "Muhammad is believed to have been born about 570 AD. As had long been the case, most of the Arabian peninsula was the domain of nomadic bedu, with occasional settlements where there was water, cultivation, trading or a cultic centre. The north-western, Syrian march was controlled by the Ghassanids, Arab vassals ofthe Byzantines; whilst to the north-east the Lakhmids of Al-Hira, in what is now southern Iraq, were under the suzerainty of the Sassanians of Persia. Only in the high upland - that of the Yemen in particular - was life anything other than harsh. The extreme climate was no less trying then than it is today, and from time to time there were earthquakes in the western mountains that rise from the Red Sea.The desert terrain, though healthy, was inhospitable, but malaria was endemic in most of the settlements, though apparently not in Mecca and the high, lush al-Ta'if. Most trade that involved the bedu was local barter, but various commodities came from abroad. These included wine (from Syria, Iraq and Persia), weapons (spears etc. from India) and slaves (from Africa). There were long-distance caravan routes for spices and cloth from the Yemen to Syria and to Iraq, for which Mecca was a crucial staging point. There was also trade by sea' along both the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea. On the latter, Jedda, the port of Mecca some fifty miles distant, was also an important entrepot. The religious situation in the peninsula was complex. There were communities of Jews in the Yemen and in the Hijaz, and there were some Christians in the Yemen, particularly at Najran. On the periphery there were large numbers of Christian Arabs in Syria (Monophysites) and in Iraq (Nestorians). In southern / Page xii / Arabia several monotheistic cults had established themselves, including one to al-Rahman 'the merciful', a name that was to find prominence in the Qur'an as one of the most favoured descrip- tions of God. In the Hijaz, in particular, idol-worship had developed in several settlements: Nakhla, al- Ta'if and, most important of all, Mecca. The bedu had little or no religion. Their poetry makes it clear that their basic belief was that Fate ruled their destiny and that sooner or later Fate would bring death. They knew about gods and idols, but there are lines of poetry that show that the gods, even Allah, were less important to the bedu than Fate. The people of the settlements appear to have had some conviction that visiting their idols and performing rituals, includ- ing animal sacrifice, might induce the idols to intercede with Fate on their behalf. These rituals have something of the appearance of pilgrimage, because they were normally held when the local population was swollen by influxes of visitors to annual fairs, the main purpose of which was trading. Surviving poetry makes it clear that such visitors did take part in the rituals, but this appears to be due more to their links with the people of the settlements and respect for their traditions than to firmly held religious belief. Though the bedu seem to have had little expectation that Fate might be propitiated in this manner, they appear to have sought to avoid its final, fatal appearance in somewhat less formal ways, and divination and soothsayers (kahins) were all popular. The kahins had their own form of diction, a highly charged and often cryptic kind of prose, marked by rhythmic clauses and assonance. There were also two types of orators: tribal spokesmen, with an important role in inter-tribal relations; and itinerants preaching either a religious message or exhorting people to good. Finally: there w.ere storytellers ~ho told and retold ~tories and legends of tnbal life. All three kinds of prose were the oral tradition. Writing, however, was known and used in the settlements for archival and legal purposes, but apart from a few scraps, all this prose material has disappeared. There can, however, be no doubt of its influence and importance in providing several types of prose discourse that were comprehensible over a wide area and were largely, though not entirely, free of dialectal features. What has survived in a reasonable quantity is pre-Islamic poetry. This is often of the highest quality, for Arabic poetry was at its zenith from 525 to 650. Like storytelling, poetry was part of the fabric of tribal society, and poets were highly esteemed for / Page xiii / their ability to sing the praises of their own tribe and feared for their ability to satitise or even curse. It was generally believed that each poet was inspired by his own individual inspirational spirit, a jinn. The survival of considerable amounts of poetry, together with the later use made of it by commentators on the Qur'an, has tended to divert attention away from the importance of the prose genres in paving the way for the Qur'an. Yet the briefest comparison will show that poetry and the Qur'an are not closely linked. For example, the treatment of such key factors as narrative and homily are totally different; it is only rarely and coincident-ally that a Quranic phrase fits one of the metres of poetry; and though poetic diction does occur from time to time in the Qur'an, normally when it is the most appropriate way of expressing an idea, it is not a major feature. For its part, the Qur'an also strongly denies that Muhammad was a poet or inspired by the jinn. The basic objection it makes is clearly to the assertion that must have been made by Muhammad's Meccan opponents: that he was possessed by the jinn and not inspired by God." Pagexviii " When reading the Qur'an it is crucial to remember that the text was originally intended to be read aloud and that this is still its most effective form. Recitation to an audience gives the text a / Page xix / dimension that does not come across in silent reading, frequently showing up lines of thought that do not stand out clearly when one peruses the text. Translators often have to tackle this problem by adding to their translations bridging phrases that they normally draw from the numerous, and lengthy, commentaries on the Qur'an that have been written over the centuries in Arabic. In the standard form in which we have it today, the Qur'an is divided into 114 chapters of very unequal length, called suras. The suras are the working units of the revelation. They are largely composite. All but one (sura 9, which may well be unfinished) begin with the formula bi-smi llahi l-rahmani l-ra-himi 'in the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate'; and in 29 suras this formula is followed by a group of letters of the Arabic alphabet (e.g. alif, lam, mtm, found at the beginning of suras 2, 3, 2.9,30,31 and 32), whose function is unknown but which seem to be of mystical import. The text was originally revealed in pieces of varying length, most of them apparently containing a relatively short number of verses (ayas). There are vivid descriptions of Muhammad's state during a revelation, but they are too brief for us to work out what happened. For example, an account that is traced back to one of his wives, A'isha a, tells us, 'He was gripped by a spasm, and the sweat ran down him like pearls - and that on a winter's day', but that is all. The basic revelations then took their places in the working units of the Qur'an, the suras, in a way which has never been understood. There are traditions that tell us that at Medina he would dictate to scribes and tell them how to arrange the revelations, sometimes inserting a new revelation into an older' passage. A simplified and more pious tradition tells us that Gabriel used to go over the revealed text once a year with Muhammad and that this happened twice during the last year of Muhammad's life. Revelations are believed to have occurred over a period of years from 610 AD to Muhammad's death in June 632 AD. The Qur'an was originally revealed orally, but in quite early passages it refers to itself as 'the Book', and there is some evidence of pieces being committed to writing whilst Muhammad was still at Mecca. There is no evidence that he used scribes at Mecca, but / Page xx / in the later years at Medina he appears to have had a group of them, each with a special responsibility for a part of the text. It is not clear what happened to their material after Muhammad's death, but in comparison with other religions the sacred text moved very quickly towards the form in which we have it today. A single version that rendered void a mass of variants that had arisen through widespread oral transmission was declared to be authoritative by the caliph Uthman some twenty years after Muhammad's death, and to a very large extent the only changes that have taken place since that time are connected with the improvements in Arabic script that took place in the eighth century AD. It has become traditional to divide the suras into four or five periods: Early Meccan, Middle Meccan, Late Meccan and Medinan being the most popular schema. Though there is some justification for this, particularly as far as the Medinan period is concerned, it has two serious drawbacks: many of the suras contain material from at least two periods, and the criteria for classification, particularly for the Middle Meccan and Late Meccan periods, are somewhat vague and impressionistic. More- ver, the groupings by and large ignore the composite nature of the suras. The grouping that is most widely known and referred to in the West is that of Noldeke. It is of some use, provided that it is realized that such a grouping can act only as a rough guide and cannot be refined further. It also has to be said that it is no real advance on the traditional Muslim dating, on which it is heavily dependent. With the suras put in numerical order to eliminate some of the pseudo-preciseness, his division of the Meccan suras is: Early Meccan: I, 51-53, 55-56, 68-70, 73-75, 77-97, 99-109,111-114 (48 suras) Middle Meccan: 15, 17-21, 23, 25-27, 36-38,43-44, 50, 54, 67,71-72,76 (21 suras) Late Meccan: 6-7,10-14,16,28-32,34-35,39-42,45-46 (21 suras) It is only with the Medinan suras that one can have any confidence about relating material in the suras to external events. Even then there are a fair number whose position in the list is / Page somewhat doubtful. The most common ordering, again first put forward by Noldeke, is: 2.,98,64,62.,8,47,3,61,57,4,65,59,33,63,2.4,58,2.2.,48,66, 60,110,49,9,5 (24 suras) The standard order, i.e. the one used in this printing, appears to have been drawn up precisely to avoid questions of chronology. The first sura is short but ritually important. After that the suras are arranged in rough order of length, from longest to shortest. This puts much of the material that is important for legal purposes early in the arrangement; but it has to be said that many readers find the lack of chronological guidance confusing. This is where an attempted ordering, such as that of Noldeke set out above, is of some use. However, it is only with some of the Medinan suras that it is possible to relate suras to the events of Muhammad's life. Stylistically the Qur'an calls on four main registers that were current in seventh-century Arabia: the clipped, gnomic style of the kahins, the admonitory, exhortative and argumentative style of the khatibs, the narrative techniques of the storytellers and the dramatic style of some poetry. In the Medinan period the verses, containing social legislation appear to approximate to the style ;;~ used in formal agreements. It is the accepted view that much of the earliest material has a vigour that is terse and abrupt and that as time passed the terseness and to some extent the abruptness - and the verve - gradually diminished. The style thus broadened, eventually moving to the diffuse expression of the Medinan material. It is not unreasonable to see in this evolution of style differing mixtures of the registers of the soothsayers, preachers and storytellers and the eventual addition of the documentary style. But even the addition of the documentary style does not greatly diminish the oral and rhetorical nature of the other registers that gives the Qur'an its distinctive linguistic stamp. It is the rhetorical focus that leads to one of the most characteristic features of the Qur'an: the use of assonance to round off verses. The assonance may change after a few verses or remain constant throughout a longish sura. Its use had almost certainly been made popular by sooth- sayers and preachers, but the scale of its use in the Qur'an was / Page xxii / new and remarkable. It is most striking in early material, particularly when the verses are short; but it is still effective in the late material at Medina when it may well be rounding off legal material composed in a flat documentary style. Unfortunately, there is no realistic possibility of conveying this feature in translation. Two points of detail should be noted. Firstly, those reading the Qur'an only in translation usually find the terse formulation of the early material difficult to follow. In reading this material, it helps if one remembers the oral nature of the revelation. Secondly, it is a point of both content and style that Mu~ammad is at the centre of the revelation. In particular, he is the focal point for the dialectic that frequently occurs. Thus it is common to find passages that are introduced by the command 'Say'; and a high proportion of these are answers to clauses beginning 'they ask you' or 'they say', frequently referring to Muhammad's opponents, sometimes to his followers. See, for example, 17:87: 'They will ask thee concerning the Spirit. Say, "The Spirit is by command of my Lord. . .".' CONTENT The central theme of the Qur'an is the belief in one God, the merciful God who is the Creator of Heaven and Earth and all things and beings therein and whose omnipotence is to be seen everywhere in His signs (ayat [as mentioned above, this word is also used to refer to individual verses of the Qur'an]). Dis-obedience will lead to an apocalypse, which will be the prelude to the Day of Judgement. At the Judgement each individual will be judged and the righteous conveyed to Heaven and the unrighteous to Hell. Righteousness requires both belief and general rectitude. Along with the passages that tell of God and His signs, there are also stories of peoples and prophets. Some of the earliest of thse refer to Arabian legends: the destruction of the tribes of Ad, Thamud and Madyan after they failed to respond to the messages of their prophets (Hud, Sali and Shu ayb respectively). These stories were later to be afforced by other disaster/punishment stories drawn from Old Testament material: Noah and the flood, Lot and his people, and Moses and the Egyptians. In fact, Old Testament stories, often in a guise somewhat different from that in the Bible, dominate much of the narratives of the Qur'an. Among the best known are: Adam and Eve; the Fall; the / Page xxiii / disobedience of Satan; Cain and Abel; Abraham; Isaac and Ishmael; Jacob, Joseph and his brothers; Moses, Aaron and the Israelites; Solomon and David; Jonah and Job. By far the most important of these prophetic figures are Moses, the leader who freed the Israelites from the yoke of the Egyptians and led them to the promised land, and Abraham, who, having turned his back on idolatry, built with his son Ishmael the Ka ba as a shrine to the one God. There is much less material from the New Testament and Christian apocryphal sources. Apart from the story of Zacharias and the birth of John the Baptist and some references to the disciples (who are treated as a group and not named individually), the references are to Mary and, above all, to Jesus. The miraculous birth of Jesus is one of the signs of God, and mention is made of his ability to perform miracles such as raising the dead and healing the leper. However, Jesus is basically treated as one in the series of God's prophets, his description as al-Mast~ 'the Messiah' apparently having little special force. The Qur'an specifically rejects the doctrine of the Trinity (see, in particular, 5:17). It also denies the Crucifixion (4: 157) at the beginning of a passage that appears to imply the following sequence of events: apparent death of Jesus, Ascension, and then, at some later time, second coming, natural death and general Resurrection. There are some parables, but they are of little significance in comparison with the narrative material. The majority are in effect extended similes very similar to a form used with great success in early Arabic poetry (see, for example, 2: 17,2: 19, 16:75, 16: 112, 18:45,24:35, 29:41, 30:28, 39:29,66:10). For the rare longer parables see 14:24-7 (the good and bad trees); 18:32-44 (the two gardens); 36:13-32 (the unbelieving city); and 68:17-33 (the blighted garden). In addition, Sura 18 includes two stories from the Christian periphery to the north of Arabia: the so-called legend of the Seven Sleepers and extracts from the Alexander romance. There is also material that looks like traditional wisdom literature (cf. the material about Luqman in Sura 31). The narratives are crucial in underpinning two doctrines that evolved during the period of revelation: the first, that God had sent a series of believing prophets to their peoples over the ages, all conveying the same message; and the second, that Mut.tammad was the last in this series of prophets. Linked to this is the doctrine / Page xxiv that Muhammad is the prophet sent to the Arabs in particular and that his message is in Arabic lisan arabiyy mubin 'clear Arabic language' (16:103, 26:195), qur'an arabiyy 'an Arabic recita- tion' (12:2, 20:113, 41:3, 42:7, 43:3), lisan arabiyy 'Arabic language' (46:12), hukm arabiyy 'an Arabic judgement' (13:37). In addition -to biblical stories, there are a number of passages that are obviously parallel. From the Old Testament one may cite Q. 24:50 and Deut. 26:17; Q. 53:45 and 49 and I Sam. 2:6-7; Q. 53,39-42 and Ezek. 18:20; and, at greater length, Q. 17:23- 40 and Ex. 20:2-17IDeut. 5: 6-21. There are slightly more passages where the parallel is with the New Testament. See, for example, Q. 2:274 and Matth. 6:3-4; Q. 21:20 and Rev. 4:8; Q. 36:53 and I Thess. 4:16; Q. 48:29 and Mark 4:29; and, at greater length, Q. 2:49-64 and Acts 7:36-53. However, in none of these passages is there a close verbal relationship. There is more of that' in such Semitic sayings as 'an eye for an eye' etc. (Q. 5:45 and Ex. 21:23-7) and 'before the camel will pass through the eye of a needle' (Q. 7:38 and Matth. 19:24); but it is only in Q. 21:105 'And now, since the Law was given, have we written in the Psalms that "my servants, the righteous, shall inherit the earth" , that we have a close parallel: Psalms 37:29 reads 'The righteous shall inherit the land and shall dwell therein for ever'. Remarkably the previous verse (Q. 21: 1°4) 'On that day we will roll up the heaven as one rolleth up written scrolls' is a fairly close approximation to part of a quite separate verse (Isaiah 34:4) 'and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll'. However, by far the most interesting and instructive parallel is between Sura 12 and Genesis 37-47: the story of Joseph. The Quranic narrative, which includes details from the Midrash as well as Genesis, may at first seem rather sketchy, but in Arabic terms it is beautifully judged and effective. It is, incidentally, the only longish sura to be devoted to the telling of a single story. As has been mentioned, exhortation to belief and rectitude is common from the earliest revelations onwards, but after the hijra it became necessary to offer more specific guidance on religious and legal matters. Three of the five Pillars of Islamic faith (arkan al-din), witness to the one God (shahada), prayer (salat) and alms-giving (zakat), are mentioned in a fairly general way in Meccan material. Medinan material adds some detail about prayer: that it should be towards Mecca (2:142-50); that there should be ritual purifi- Page xxv / cation before prayer (4:43, 5:6), and so on, though the specific requirement to pray five times a day is nowhere mentioned. There is more detail on the two Pillars added in Medina, fasting (sawm 2.,183-5 and 187) and the pilgrimage (hjj, 2.: 196-2.00 and 203). There are passages too numerous to mention about fighting the infidel and the sharing of booty. Disturbances within the com- munity are dealt with in passages on retaliation (e.g. 2.: 178-9, 4:92.-3) and on theft (5:38). A less serious matter, but one dealt with severely, is usury (2.:2.75-80, 3:130). There are regulations on bequests and inheritance (2: I 80-82, 5: 106-8) and the assignment of debts (2.:2.82.-4). There are fifteen or so passages about marriage, and others about the position of women in society, of which 4:34 is now thought by many to be problem-atical. There is regulation of the calendar (9:36-7) and ten passages on food and drink. The two passages commenting on wine are an interesting example of how changes were sometimes gradually introduced, with the latest passage being deemed to abrogate previous ones. Sura 2:219 reads, 'They question thee about strong drink and games of chance. SAY, "In both there is great sin, and utility for men, but the sin of them is greater than their usefulness".' In 5:90-91 this is sharpened to: 'Strong drink and games of chance are an abomination of Satan's handiwork. Avoid [this abomination] so that you may succeed. Satan seeks to cast enmity among you by means of strong drink and games of chance and to turn you from remembrance of God and from prayer.' SOURCES Orthodox doctrine renders discussion of the sources of the Qur'an irrelevant for Muslims: the Qur'an is the word of God. They are also able to dismiss discrepancies between the Bible and the Qur'an by recourse to the doctrine that if there are differences between the Jewish, Christian and Muslim versions of the Scripture the Jews and the Christians have mangled the Message and Muslims have not. This doctrinal stance is, however, not without its problems. It is difficult to reconcile the very specific references to, for example, Muhammad 's family (cf., for example, Q. 33:28-33) with the belief that each prophet has received the same message. For non-Muslims the Muslim standpoint is untenable, and non-Muslim scholars have given much thought to the question of / Page xxvi / how Muhammad might have acquired his knowledge of the Bible. The most commonly accepted view is that Muhammad received most of his information about biblical stories through informants who talked to him; that this material was digested, meditated on and then absorbed into what became the text. There are two passages in the Qur'an itself that support this view. The first is Q. 16:103: 'We also know that they say, "Surely, a certain person teacheth him". But the tongue of him at whom they hint is foreign while this is in plain Arabic.' Secondly, Q. 25:4 reads: 'And the infidels say "This is a mere fraud of his own devising, and others have helped him with it, who had come hither with outrage and lie".' The allegation of fraud is strongly denied in Q. 25:6: 'Say, "He hath set it down Who knoweth the secrets of Heaven and Earth."'; but the question of help is ignored. It should be added that there is some corroboration in hadtth that Muhammad received stories and information from various individuals, includ-ing Jews and Christians, and that the material he received from them found its way into Quranic form. Be that as it may, the question of sources is one where there is an unbridgeable chasm between Muslim and non-Muslim. Toler- ance requires us to recognise the chasm and to respect the views of those on the other side, wherever our basic stance may be. The Qur' an in English The Qur'an was first translated into English in 1649 by Alexander Ross, who based his work on the French version of Andre du Ryer. The first translation directly into English was that of Sale in 1734. Since that time there have been four important translations by non-Muslim scholars: Rodwell (1861), Palmer (1880), Bell (1937-9) and Arberry (1955); and there have been over thirty translations by Muslims, mainly from the Indian sub-continent. The best and most influential translation by a Muslim is undoubtedly that of a British convert, Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, which was first published in 1930. The translation of Ross has little interest other than its position as first in the field, but there is something of value in the others I have mentioned. Given the difficulties associated with translation of the work, all have strengths and weaknesses; but they are all worth consulting, something I would hesitate to say of those that I have not mentioned by name. The strengths of Rodwell are very much the strengths of a nineteenth-century positivistic approach, which the reader will very soon see. Where he is much better than others is in his cross- referencing to biblical material, information that is crucial to one's understanding of the Qur'an." Alan Jones
EVERYMAN Everyman I will go with thee and be thy guide
THE KORAN SURA l I MECCA - 7 VERSES In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful 2 Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds! The compassionate, the merciful! King on the day of reckoning! Thee only do we worship, and to Thee do we cry for help. Guide Thou us on the straight path, The path of those to whom Thou hast been gracious; - with whom thou art not angry, and who go not astray.
A HISTORY OF GOD Karen Armstrong 1993 The God of the Mystics Page 175 " There is no deity but al-Lah the Creator of heaven and earth who alone can save man and send him the spiritual and physical sustenance that he needs. Only by acknowledging him as as-Samad, 'the Uncaused Cause of all being' will Muslims address a dimension of reality beyond time and history and which would take them beyond the tribal divisions that were tearing their society apart. Muhammad knew that monotheism was inimical to tribalism: a single deity who was the focus of all worship would integrate society as well as the individual.
A HISTORY OF GOD Karen Armstrong 1993 The God of the Mystics Page 265 "During the twelfth century the Iranian philosopher Yahya Suhrawardi and the Spanish-born Muid ad-Din ibn al-Arabi linked Islamic Falsafah indissolubly with mysticism and made the God experienced by the Sufis normative in many parts of the Islamic empire. Like al-Hallaj, however, Suhrawardi was also put to death by the ulema in Aleppo in 1191, for reasons that remain obscure. He had made it his life's work to link what he called the original 'Oriental' religion with Islam, thus completing the project that Ibn Sina had proposed. He claimed that all the sages of the ancient world had preached a single doctrine. Page 287 As the Sufis had wanted to experience God like Muhammed, Abulafia claimed to have found a way of achieving / Page 288 / He evolved a Jewish form of Yoga, using the usual disciplines of concentration such as breathing, the recitation of a mantra and the adoption of a special posture to achieve an alternative state of consciousness. Abulafia was an unusual Kabbalist. He was a highly erudite man, who had studied Torah, Talmud and Falsafah before being converted to mysticism by an overwhelming religious experience at the age of thirty-one. He seems to have believed that he was the Messiah, not only to Jews but also to Christians. Accordingly, he travelled extensively throughout Spain making disciples and even ventured as far as the Near East. In 1280 he visited the Pope as a Jewish ambassador. Although Abulafia was often very outspoken in his criticism of Christianity, he seems to have appreciated the similarity between the Kabbalistic God and the theology of the Trinity. The three highest sefiroth are reminiscent of the Logos and Spirit, the Intellect and Wisdom of God, which proceed from the Father, the Nothingness lost in inaccessible light. Abulafia himself liked to speak about God in a trinitarian manner.
NUMBER 9 The Search for the Sigma Code Cecil Balmond 1998 Page 214 NAMING THE 99 NAMES OF ALLAH
The Compassionate The Forgiving The Powerful The Merciful The Grateful The Domin~nt The King / Sovereign The High The Giver The Holy The Great The Retarder The Source of Peace The Preserver The First The Giver of Faith The Protector The Last The Overall Protector The Reckoner The Manifest The Strong The Sublime The Hidden The Almighty The Bountiful The Governor The Majestic The Watcher The High Exalted The Creator The Responsive The Righteous The Maker The Infinite The Relenting The Fashioner The Wise The Forgiver " The Great Forgiver The Loving The Avenger / Page 215 The Dominant The Glorious The Compassionate The Bestower The Resurrector The Ruler of the Kingdom The Provider The Witness The Lord of. Majesty and Bounty The Opener The True The Equitable The All-Knowing The Advocate The Gatherer The Restrainer The Most Strong The Self-Sufficient The Extender The Firm The Enricher The Humbler The Patron The Bestower The Exalter The Praiseworthy The Withholder The Empowerer The Numberer The Propitious The Humiliator The Commencer The Distresser The All-Hearing The Restorer The Light The All-Seeing The Giver of Life The Guide The Judge The One Who Gives Death The Eternal The Just The Living One The Everlasting The Kindly One The Self-Subsisting The Heir The Gracious The Perceiver The Guide to the Right Path The Clement The One The Patient
NUMBER 9 The Search for the Sigma Code Cecil Balmond 1998 Page 214 NAMING THE 99 NAMES OF ALLAH Allah The Mighty The Independent ALLAH THE MIGHTY THE INDEPENDENT The Compassionate The Forgiving The Powerful THE COMPASSIONATE THE FORGIVING THE POWERFUL The Merciful The Grateful The Dominant THE MERCIFUL THE GRATEFUL THE DOMINANT The King Sovereign The High The Giver THE KING SOVEREIGN THE HIGH THE GIVER The Holy The Great The Retarder THE HOLY THE GREAT THE RETARDER The Source of Peace The Preserver The First THE SOURCE OF PEACE THE PRESERVER THE FIRST The Giver of Faith The Protector The Last THE GIVER OF FAITH THE PROTECTOR THE LAST The Overall Protector The Reckoner The Manifest THE OVERALL PROTECTOR THE RECKONER THE MANIFEST The Strong The Sublime The Hidden THE STRONG THE SUBLIME THE HIDDEN The Almighty The Bountiful The Governor THE ALMIGHTY THE BOUNTIFUL THE GOVERNOR The Majestic The Watcher The High Exalted THE MAJESTIC THE WATCHER THE HIGH EXALTED The Creator The Responsive The Righteous THE CREATOR THE RESPONSIVE THE RIGHTEOUS The Maker The Infinite The Relenting THE MAKER THE INFINITE THE RELENTING The Fashioner The Wise The Forgiver THE FASHIONER THE WISE THE FORGIVER The Great Forgiver The Loving The Avenger / Page 215 THE GREAT FORGIVER THE LOVING THE AVENGER /Page 215 The Dominant The Glorious The Compassionate THE DOMINANT THE GLORIOUS THE COMPASSIONATE The Bestower The Resurrector The Ruler of the Kingdom THE BESTOWER THE RESURRECTOR THE RULER OF THE KINGDOM The Provider The Witness The Lord of, Majesty and Bounty THE PROVIDER THE WITNESS THE LORD OF MAJESTY AND BOUNTY The Opener The True The Equitable THE OPENER THE TRUE THE EQUITABLE The All-Knowing The Advocate The Gatherer THE ALL KNOWING THE ADVOCATE THE GATHERER The Restrainer The Most Strong The Self-Sufficient THE RESTRAINER THE MOST STRONG THE SELF SUFFICIENT The Extender The Firm The Enricher THE EXTENDER THE FIRM THE ENRICHER The Humbler The Patron The Bestower THE HUMBLER THE PATRON THE BESTOWER The Exalter The Praiseworthy The Withholder THE EXALTER THE PRAISWORTHY THE WITHHOLDER The Empowerer The Numberer The Propitious THE EMPOWERER THE NUMBERER THE PROPITIOUS The Humiliator The Commencer The Distresser THE HUMILIATOR THE COMMENCER THE DISTRESSER The All Hearing The Restorer The Light THE ALL HEARING THE RESTORER THE LIGHT The All Seeing The Giver of Life The Guide THE ALL SEEING THE GIVER OF LIFE THE GUIDE The Judge The One Who Gives Death The Eternal THE JUDGE THE ONE WHO GIVES DEATH THE ETERNAL The Just The Living One The Everlasting THE JUST THE LIVING ONE THE EVERLASTING The Kindly One The Self-Subsisting The Heir THE KINDLY ONE THE SELF SUBSISTING THE HEIR The Gracious The Perceiver The Guide to the Right Path THE GRACIOUS THE PERCEIVER THE GUIDE TO THE RIGHT PATH The Clement The One The Patient THE CLEMENT THE ONE THE PATIENT
NUMBER 9 The Search for the Sigma Code Cecil Balmond 1998 Page 214/Page 215 NAMING THE 99 NAMES OF ALLAH
ALLAH THE MIGHTY THE INDEPENDENT THE COMPASSIONATE THE FORGIVING THE POWERFUL THE MERCIFUL THE GRATEFUL THE DOMINANT THE KING SOVEREIGN THE HIGH THE GIVER THE HOLY THE GREAT THE RETARDER THE SOURCE OF PEACE THE PRESERVER THE FIRST THE GIVER OF FAITH THE PROTECTOR THE LAST THE OVERALL PROTECTOR THE RECKONER THE MANIFEST THE STRONG THE SUBLIME THE HIDDEN THE ALMIGHTY THE BOUNTIFUL THE GOVERNOR THE MAJESTIC THE WATCHER THE HIGH EXALTED THE CREATOR THE RESPONSIVE THE RIGHTEOUS THE MAKER THE INFINITE THE RELENTING THE FASHIONER THE WISE THE FORGIVER THE GREAT FORGIVER THE LOVING THE AVENGER THE DOMINANT THE GLORIOUS THE COMPASSIONATE THE BESTOWER THE RESURRECTOR THE RULER OF THE KINGDOM THE PROVIDER THE WITNESS THE LORD OF MAJESTY AND BOUNTY THE OPENER THE TRUE THE EQUITABLE THE ALL KNOWING THE ADVOCATE THE GATHERER THE RESTRAINER THE MOST STRONG THE SELF SUFFICIENT THE EXTENDER THE FIRM THE ENRICHER THE HUMBLER THE PATRON THE BESTOWER THE EXALTER THE PRAISWORTHY THE WITHHOLDER THE EMPOWERER THE NUMBERER THE PROPITIOUS THE HUMILIATOR THE COMMENCER THE DISTRESSER THE ALL HEARING THE RESTORER THE LIGHT THE ALL SEEING THE GIVER OF LIFE THE GUIDE THE JUDGE THE ONE WHO GIVES DEATH THE ETERNAL THE JUST THE LIVING ONE THE EVERLASTING THE KINDLY ONE THE SELF SUBSISTING THE HEIR THE GRACIOUS THE PERCEIVER THE GUIDE TO THE RIGHT PATH THE CLEMENT THE ONE THE PATIENT
THE MERCIFUL THE GRATEFUL THE DOMINANT THE SOURCE OF PEACE THE PRESERVER THE FIRST THE STRONG THE SUBLIME THE HIDDEN THE GREAT FORGIVER THE LOVING THE AVENGER THE DOMINANT THE GLORIOUS THE COMPASSIONATE THE HUMILIATOR THE COMMENCER THE DISTRESSER THE CLEMENT THE ONE THE PATIENT
GRATEFUL DOMINANT SOURCE PRESERVER FIRST SUBLIME AVENGER DOMINANT HUMILIATOR CLEMENT GRATEFUL DOMINANT SOURCE PRESERVER FIRST SUBLIME AVENGER DOMINANT HUMILIATOR CLEMENT
THE MERCIFUL THE GRATEFUL THE DOMINANT THE SOURCE OF PEACE THE PRESERVER THE FIRST THE STRONG THE SUBLIME THE HIDDEN THE GREAT FORGIVER THE LOVING THE AVENGER THE HUMILIATOR THE COMMENCER THE DISTRESSER THE CLEMENT THE ONE THE PATIENT
GRATEFUL DOMINANT SOURCE PRESERVER FIRST SUBLIME AVENGER HUMILIATOR CLEMENT GRATEFUL DOMINANT SOURCE PRESERVER FIRST SUBLIME AVENGER HUMILIATOR CLEMENT
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MERCIFUL THE COMPASSIONATE
Page 226 Then the numbers slip out, first One and Eight, then Two and Seven, Three and Six, and finally Four and Five, in pairs, to take their place around the sigma circle. The farthest away are given the most movement, to cut and dance across the inner space of the circle, as we saw in the shape of multiplications. The other numbers have less movement as they come nearer to Nine: One and Eight just move around the circum- ference of the circle. And the ninth spot remains unmoving. In this secret world of arithmetic, nine controls the other numbers, releasing them into the world yet holding onto them tightly. And the sigma circle is its crucible into which all secret arithmetic flows, im-printed by a hidden code. The beauty of NINE is that it is the Alpha and the Omega of these fabrications, an organising power of vanishing and emergence. Page 227 Nine is the centre and binding rim of the prayer wheel of numbers. And the last movement of nine never seems to come, each revelation or discovery simply deepens the mystery. The fascination grows. Like a spiral the shape of nine continues to evade a simple end, winding itself further into enigma and exploration. Enjil said that the Mandala and his quest for nine was but a reflection on life: Who is the man or woman, he asked, who would not like to know the hidden path that holds on to all movement? Was he not right? In the labyrinth of appearances with all its shout-ing, twists and turns, most of us become lost and bewildered. To find our way we need a code. On the surfaces of bent experience the straightness of our logic is not enough - there are no clues to a deeper understanding, no whispers that we must hear to make our inner world hold strong and have meaning. At the heart of the story of Enjil and the Mandalas is the simple truth, that a secret in itself is beautiful and once that is known, then somehow the fact gains power and multiplies. The world that grows around it is never barren or wasted, for in every part we see the trace of the original idea. The many that is one has always been the greatest treasure to find. In the eternal abstraction of points, number 9, will always find connections. To those who know how to look, the insights will grow. There is no end, as long as there are the numbers.
EVERYMAN Everyman I will go with thee and be thy guide Translated from the Arabic by J. M. Rodwell The Oriental Institute, First published 1909 Page xix FORM In the standard form in which we have it today, the Qur'an is divided into 114 chapters of very unequal length, called suras. The suras are the working units of the revelation. They are largely composite. All but one (sura 9, which may well be unfinished) begin with the formula bi-smi llahi l-rahmani l-rahimi 'in the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate'; and in 29 suras this formula is followed by a group of letters of the Arabic alphabet (e.g. alif, lam, mim, found at the beginning of suras 2, 3, 2.9,30,31 and 32), whose function is unknown but which seem to be of mystical import. "All but one (sura 9, which may well be unfinished) begin with the formula bi-smi llahi l-rahmani l-rahimi 'in the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate'; and in 29 suras this formula is followed by a group of letters of the Arabic alphabet (e.g. alif, lam, mim, found at the beginning of suras 2, 3, 2.9,30,31 and 32), whose function is unknown but which seem to be of mystical import." "All but one (sura 9," (e.g. alif, lam, mim, found at the beginning of suras 2, 3, 2.9,30,31 and 32), whose function is unknown but which seem to be of mystical import." 2+ 3 + 2 + 9 + 30 + 31 + 32 = 109 Page xxiv "...However, by far the most interesting and instructive parallel is between Sura 12 and Genesis 37-47: the story of Joseph. The Quranic narrative, which includes details from the Midrash as well as Genesis, may at first seem rather sketchy, but in Arabic terms it is beautifully judged and effective. It is, incidentally, the only longish sura to be devoted to the telling of a single story." Page xxiii / "...In addition, Sura 18 includes two stories from the Christian periphery to the north of Arabia: the so-called legend of the Seven Sleepers and extracts from the Alexander romance."
A MAZE IN ZAZAZA ENTER AZAZAZ AZAZAZAZAZAZAZZAZAZAZAZAZAZA ZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZ THE MAGICALALPHABET ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA 12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262625242322212019181716151413121110987654321
WORK DAYS OF GOD Herbert W Morris D.D.circa 1883 Page 22
LIGHT AND LIFE Lars Olof Bjorn 1976 Page 197 "By writing the 26 letters of the alphabet in a certain order one may put down almost any message (this book 'is written with the same letters' as the Encyclopaedia Britannica and Winnie the Pooh, only the order of the letters differs). In the same way Nature is able to convey with her language how a cell and a whole organism is to be constructed and how it is to function. Nature has succeeded better than we humans; for the genetic code there is only one universal language which is the same in a man, a bean plant and a bacterium." "BY WRITING THE 26 LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET IN A CERTAIN ORDER ONE MAY PUT DOWN ALMOST ANY MESSAGE"
"BY WRITING THE 26 LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET IN A CERTAIN ORDER ONE MAY PUT DOWN ALMOST ANY MESSAGE"
A HISTORY OF GOD Karen Armstrong 1993 The God of the Mystics Page 250 "Perhaps the most famous of the early Jewish mystical texts is the fifth century Sefer Yezirah (The Book of Creation). There is no attempt to describe the creative process realistically; the account is unashamedly symbolic and shows God creating the world by means of language as though he were writing a book. But language has been entirely transformed and the message of creation is no longer clear. Each letter of the Hebrew alphabet is given a numerical value; by combining the letters with the sacred numbers, rearranging them in endless configurations, the mystic weaned his mind away from the normal connotations of words."
THIS IS THE SCENE OF THE SCENE UNSEEN THE UNSEEN SEEN OF THE SCENE UNSEEN THIS IS THE SCENE
THE FAR YONDER SCRIBE AND OFT TIMES SHADOWED SUBSTANCES WATCHED IN FINE AMAZE THE ZED ALIZ ZED IN SWIFT REPEAT SCATTER STAR DUST AMONGST THE LETTERS OF THEIR PROGRESS
NUMBER 9 THE SEARCH FOR THE SIGMA CODE Cecil Balmond 1998 Cycles and Patterns Page 165 Patterns "The essence of mathematics is to look for patterns. Our minds seem to be organised to search for relationships and sequences. We look for hidden orders. These intuitions seem to be more important than the facts themselves, for there is always the thrill at finding something, a pattern, it is a discovery - what was unknown is now revealed. Imagine looking up at the stars and finding the zodiac! Searching out patterns is a pure delight. Suddenly the counters fall into place and a connection is found, not necessarily a geometric one, but a relationship between numbers, pictures of the mind, that were not obvious before. There is that excitement of finding order in something that was otherwise hidden. And there is the knowledge that a huge unseen world lurks behind the facades we see of the numbers themselves."
FINGERPRINTS OF THE GODS A QUEST FOR THE BEGINNING AND THE END Graham Hancock 1995 Chapter 32 Speaking to the Unborn Page 285 "It is understandable that a huge range of myths from all over the ancient world should describe geological catastrophes in graphic detail. Mankind survived the horror of the last Ice Age, and the most plausible source for our enduring traditions of flooding and freezing, massive volcanism and devastating earthquakes is in the tumultuous upheavals unleashed during the great meltdown of 15,000 to 8000 BC. The final retreat of the ice sheets, and the consequent 300-400 foot rise in global sea levels, took place only a few thousand years before the beginning of the historical period. It is therefore not surprising that all our early civilizations should have retained vivid memories of the vast cataclysms that had terrified their forefathers. A message in the bottle of time" 'Of all the other stupendous inventions,' Galileo once remarked, what sublimity of mind must have been his who conceived how to communicate his most secret thoughts to any other person, though very distant either in time or place, speaking with those who are in the Indies, speaking to those who are not yet born, nor shall be this thousand or ten thousand years? And with no greater difficulty than the various arrangements of two dozen little signs on paper? Let this be the seal of all the admirable inventions of men.3 If the 'precessional message' identified by scholars like Santillana, von Dechend and Jane Sellers is indeed a deliberate attempt at communication by some lost civilization of antiquity, how come it wasn't just written down and left for us to find? Wouldn't that have been easier than encoding it in myths? Perhaps. "What one would look for, therefore, would be a universal language, the kind of language that would be comprehensible to any technologically advanced society in any epoch, even a thousand or ten thousand years into the future. Such languages are few and far between, but mathematics is one of them" "WRITTEN IN THE ETERNAL LANGUAGE OF MATHEMATICS"
THE LIGHT IS RISING RISING IS THE LIGHT
THE DEATH OF GODS IN ANCIENT EGYPT Jane B. Sellars 1992 Page 204 "The overwhelming awe that accompanies the realization, of the measurable orderliness of the universe strikes modern man as well. Admiral Weiland E. Byrd, alone In the Antarctic for five months of polar darkness, wrote these phrases of intense feeling: Here were the imponderable processes and forces of the cosmos, harmonious and soundless. Harmony, that was it! I could feel no doubt of oneness with the universe. The conviction came that the rhythm was too orderly. too harmonious, too perfect to be a product of blind chance - that, therefore there must be purpose in the whole and that man was part of that whole and not an accidental offshoot. It was a feeling that transcended reason; that went to the heart of man's despair and found it groundless. The universe was a cosmos, not a chaos; man was as rightfully a part of that cosmos as were the day and night.10 Returning to the account of the story of Osiris, son of Cronos god of' Measurable Time, Plutarch takes, pains to remind the reader of the original Egyptian year consisting of 360 days. Phrases are used that prompt simple mental. calculations and an attention to numbers, for example, the 360-day year is described as being '12 months of 30 days each'. Then we are told that, Osiris leaves on a long journey, during which Seth, his evil brother, plots with 72 companions to slay Osiris: He also secretly obtained the measure of Osiris and made ready a chest in which to entrap him. The, interesting thing about this part of the-account is that nowhere in the original texts of the Egyptians are we told that Seth, has 72 companions. We have already been encouraged to equate Osiris with the concept of measured time; his father being Cronos. It is also an observable fact that Cronos-Saturn has the longest sidereal period of the known planets at that time, an orbit. of 30 years. Saturn is absent from a specific constellation for that length of time. A simple mathematical fact has been revealed to any that are even remotely sensitive to numbers: if you multiply 72 by 30, the years of Saturn's absence (and the mention of Osiris's absence prompts one to recall this other), the resulting product is 2,160: the number of years required, for one 30° shift, or a shift: through one complete sign of the zodiac. This number multplied by the /Page205 / 12 signs also gives 25,920. (And Plutarch has reminded us of 12) If you multiply the unusual number 72 by 360, a number that Plutarch mentions several times, the product will be 25,920, again the number of years symbolizing the ultimate rebirth. This 'Eternal Return' is the return of, say, Taurus to the position of marking the vernal equinox by 'riding in the solar bark with. Re' after having relinquished this honoured position to Aries, and subsequently to the to other zodiacal constellations. Such a return after 25,920 years is indeed a revisit to a Golden Age, golden not only because of a remarkable symmetry In the heavens, but golden because it existed before the Egyptians experienced heaven's changeability. But now to inform the reader of a fact he or she may already know. Hipparaus did: not really have the exact figures: he was a trifle off in his observations and calculations. In his published work, On the Displacement of the Solstitial and Equinoctial Signs, he gave figures of 45" to 46" a year, while the truer precessional lag along the ecliptic is about 50 seconds. The exact measurement for the lag, based on the correct annual lag of 50'274" is 1° in 71.6 years, or 360° in 25,776 years, only 144 years less than the figure of 25,920. With Hipparchus's incorrect figures a 'Great Year' takes from 28,173.9 to 28,800 years, Incorrect by a difference of from 2,397.9 years to 3,024. Since Nicholas Copernicus (AD 1473-1543) has always been credited with giving the correct numbers (although Arabic astronomer Nasir al-Din Tusi,11 born AD 1201, is known to have fixed the Precession at 50°), we may correctly ask, and with justifiable astonishment 'Just whose information was Plutarch transmitting' AN IMPORTANT POSTSCRIPT Of course, using our own notational system, all the important numbers have digits that reduce to that amazing number 9 a number that has always delighted budding mathematician. Page 206 Somewhere along the way, according to Robert Graves, 9 became the number of lunar wisdom.12 This number is found often in the mythologies of the world. the Viking god Odin hung for nine days and nights on the World Tree in order to acquire the secret of the runes, those magic symbols out of which writing and numbers grew. Only a terrible sacrifice would give away this secret, which conveyed upon its owner power and dominion over all, so Odin hung from his neck those long 9 days and nights over the 'bottomless abyss'. In the tree were 9 worlds, and another god was said to have been born of 9 mothers. Robert Graves, in his White Goddess, Is intrigued by the seemingly recurring quality of the number 72 in early myth and ritual. Graves tells his reader that 72 is always connected with the number 5, which reflects, among other things, the five Celtic dialects that he was investigating. Of course, 5 x 72= 360, 360 x 72= 25,920. Five is also the number of the planets known to the ancient world, that is, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus Mercury. Graves suggests a religious mystery bound up with two ancient Celtic 'Tree Alphabets' or cipher alphabets, which as genuine articles of Druidism were orally preserved and transmitted for centuries. He argues convincingly that the ancient poetry of Europe was ultimately based on what its composers believed to be magical principles, the rudiments of which formed a close religious secret for centuries. In time these were-garbled, discredited and forgotten. Among the many signs of the transmission of special numbers he points out that the aggregate number of letter strokes for the complete 22-letter Ogham alphabet that he is studying is 72 and that this number is the multiple of 9, 'the number of lunar wisdom'. . . . he then mentions something about 'the seventy day season during which Venus moves successively from. maximum eastern elongation 'to inferior conjunction and maximum western elongation'.13 Page 207 "...Feniusa Farsa, Graves equates this hero with Dionysus Farsa has 72 assistants who helped him master the 72 languages created at the confusion of Babel, the tower of which is said to be built of 9 different materials We are also reminded of the miraculous translation into Greek of the Five Books of Moses that was done by 72 scholars working for 72 days, Although the symbol for the Septuagint is LXX, legend, according to the fictional letter of Aristeas, records 72. The translation was done for Ptolemy Philadelphus (c.250 BC), by Hellenistic Jews, possibly from Alexandra.14 Graves did not know why this number was necessary, but he points out that he understands Frazer's Golden Bough to be a a book hinting that 'the secret involves the truth that the Christian dogma, and rituals, are the refinement of a great body of primitive beliefs, and that the only original element in Christianity- is the personality of Christ.15 Frances A. Yates, historian of Renaissance hermetisma tells, us the cabala had 72 angels through which the sephiroth (the powers of God) are believed to be approached, and further, she supplies the information that although the Cabala supplied a set of 48 conclusions purporting to confirm the Christian religion from the foundation of ancient wisdom, Pico Della Mirandola, a Renaissance magus, introduced instead 72, which were his 'own opinion' of the correct number. Yates writes, 'It is no accident there are seventy-two of Pico's Cabalist conclusions, for the conclusion shows that he knew something of the mystery of the Name of God with seventy-two letters.'16 In Hamlet's Mill de Santillarta adds the facts that 432,000 is the number of syllables in the Rig-Veda, which when multiplied by the soss (60) gives 25,920" (The reader is forgiven for a bit of laughter at this point) Thee Bible has not escaped his pursuit. A prominent Assyriologist of the last century insisted that the total of the years recounted Joseph Campbell discerns the secret in the date set for the coming of Patrick to Ireland. Myth-gives this date-as.- the interest- Whatever one may think-of some of these number coincidences, it becomes. difficult to escape the suspicion that many signs (number and otherwise) -indicate that early man observed the results.. of the movement of Precession . and that the-.transmission of this information was .considered of prime importance. 'With the awareness of the phenomenon, observers would certainly have tried for its measure, and such an endeavour would But one last word about mankind's romance with number coincidences.The antagonist in John Updike's novel, Roger's Version, is a computer hacker, who, convinced.,that scientific evidence of God's existence is accumulating, endeavours to prove it by feeding -all the available scientific information. into a comuter. In his search for God 'breaking, through', he has become fascinated by certain numbers that have continually been cropping up. He explains them excitedly as 'the terms of Creation': "...after a while I noticed that all over the sheet there seemed to hit these twenty-fours Jumping out at me. Two four; two,four.Planck time, for instance, divided by the radiation constant yields a figure near eight times ten again to the negative twenty-fourth, and the permittivity of free space, or electric constant, into the Bohr radiusekla almost exactly six times ten to the negative twenty-fourth. On positive side, the electromagnetic line-structure constant times Hubble radius - that is, the size of the universe as we now perceive it gives us something quite close to ten to the twenty-fourth, and the
strong-force constant times the charge on the proton produces two point four times ten to the negative eighteenth, for another I began to circle twenty-four wherever it appeared on the Printout here' - he held it up. his piece of striped and striped wallpaper, decorated / Page 209 /
with a number of scarlet circles - 'you can see it's more than random.'19 So much for any scorn directed to ancient man's fascination with number coincidences. That fascination is alive and well, Just a bit more incomprehensible"
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE THE MERCIFUL
ALLAH ALL AH 18 = 9 9 = 81 = HA NAMES OF GOD 99 99 GOD OF NAMES
BBC - Religions - Islam: Shahadah: the statement of faith www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/practices/shahadah.shtml Aug 23, 2009 – An article about the basic statement of faith encapsulates the most important Muslim beliefs Shahadah "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger." This is the basic statement of the Islamic faith: anyone who cannot recite this wholeheartedly is not a Muslim. When a Muslim recites this they proclaim: The Shahadah is the first of the Five Pillars of Islam. Becoming a Muslim Reciting this statement three times in front of witnesses is all that anyone need do to become a Muslim. A Muslim is expected to recite this statement out loud, with total sincerity, fully understanding what it means. The Arabic can be transliterated into the Roman alphabet like this: Ashhadu Alla Ilaha Illa Allah Wa Ashhadu Anna Muhammad Rasulu Allah Transliteration of the shahadah from the Arabic The Shahadah is written in Arabic on the flag of Saudi Arabia, the state that contains Islam's holiest places.
Five Pillars of Islam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Pillars_of_Islam Jump to Shahada – Shahada. Shahada is the declaration of faith and trust, i.e. the professing that there is only one God (Allah) (monotheism) and that ...
Pillars of Islam « Islamic Path islamicpath.org/pillars-of-islam/ Feb 16, 2009 – The Five Pillars of Islam are. Declaration of Faith (Shahadah); Prayer (Salah); Charity (Zakah); Fasting (Sawm); Pilgrimage (Hajj) ...
Sunni Islam's Real Shahadah - Answering Islam www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/real_shahada.htm One of the essential pillars of Sunni Islam is the Shahadah (Testimony, Witness), otherwise known as the Kalimah (Kalima) (Creed, Statement). It is actually the ...
BBC - Religions - Islam: Five Pillars of Islam www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/practices/fivepillars.shtml Sep 8, 2009 – This article looks at The Five Pillars of Islam, which are the five obligations that every Muslim must satisfy in order to live a good and ... The Five Pillars of Islam The most important Muslim practices are the Five Pillars of Islam. The Five Pillars of Islam are the five obligations that every Muslim must satisfy in order to live a good and responsible life according to Islam. The Five Pillars consist of: Why are they important? Carrying out these obligations provides the framework of a Muslim's life, and weaves their everyday activities and their beliefs into a single cloth of religious devotion. No matter how sincerely a person may believe, Islam regards it as pointless to live life without putting that faith into action and practice. Carrying out the Five Pillars demonstrates that the Muslim is putting their faith first, and not just trying to fit it in around their secular lives.
THE KORAN EVERYMAN Everyman I will go with thee and be thy guide Translated from the Arabic by J. M. Rodwell "The Koran, or, to give it its strict transliteration, the Qur'an, is the sacred book of Islam. For Muslims it is the word of God revealed in Arabic by the archangel Gabriel. . . "
mohammad.islamway.net/ Biography of Prophet Muhammad (Mohammad, Mohammed, Muhammed)
Muhammad Prophet Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim, also transliterated as Muhammad, was a religious, political, and military leader from Mecca who unified Arabia into a single religious polity under Islam. Wikipedia Born: 570 AD, Mecca, Saudi Arabia Died: June 8, 632 AD, Medina, Saudi Arabia Full name: Muhammad Ibn `Abd Allāh Ibn `Abd al-Muttalib Buried: Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, Saudi Arabia Spouse: Maymuna bint al-Harith (m. 630 AD–632 AD), More Children: Fatima bint Muhammad, Zainab bint Muhammad
Muhammad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim (Arabic: محمد بن عبد الله بن عبد المطلب ) ( c. 570 – c. 8 June 632), also ... Muhammad From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Muhammad Prophet of Islam Mohammad SAV.svg Born Died Cause of death Resting place Other names Ethnicity Religion Spouse(s) Children Parents Relatives Muhammad Muhammad
Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim (Arabic: محمد بن عبد الله بن عبد المطلب ) (c. 570 – c. 8 June 632),[1] also transliterated as Muhammad (Arabic: محمد), was a religious, political, and military leader[2][3][4] from Mecca who unified Arabia into a single religious polity under Islam. He is believed by Muslims and Bahá'ís to be a messenger and prophet of God. Muhammad is almost universally considered by Muslims as the last prophet sent by God for mankind.[5][n 1] While non-Muslims regard Muhammad to have been the founder of Islam,[6] Muslims consider him to have been the restorer of an unaltered original monotheistic faith of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets.[7][8][9][10] Born in about 570 CE in the Arabian city of Mecca,[11][12] Muhammad was orphaned at an early age and brought up under the care of his uncle Abu Talib. He later worked mostly as a merchant, as well as a shepherd, and was first married by age 25.[13] Being in the habit of periodically retreating to a cave in the surrounding mountains for several nights of seclusion and prayer, he later reported that it was there, at age 40,[11][14] that he received his first revelation from God. Three years after this event Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly, proclaiming that "God is One", that complete "surrender" to Him (lit. islām) is the only way (dīn)[n 2] acceptable to God, and that he himself was a prophet and messenger of God, in the same vein as other Islamic prophets.[15][16][17] Muhammad gained few followers early on, and was met with hostility from some Meccan tribes; he and his followers were treated harshly. To escape persecution, Muhammad sent some of his followers to Abyssinia before he and his followers in Mecca migrated to Medina (then known as Yathrib) in the year 622. This event, the Hijra, marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar, which is also known as the Hijri Calendar. In Medina, Muhammad united the tribes under the Constitution of Medina. After eight years of fighting with the Meccan tribes, his followers, who by then had grown to 10,000, took control of Mecca in the largely peaceful Conquest of Mecca. He destroyed the pagan idols in the city[18] and then sent his followers out to destroy all of the remaining pagan temples in Eastern Arabia.[19][20] In 632, a few months after returning to Medina from The Farewell Pilgrimage, Muhammad fell ill and died. By the time of his death, most of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam, and he had united Arabia into a single Muslim religious polity.[21][22] The revelations (or Ayah, lit. "Signs [of God]") — which Muhammad reported receiving until his death – form the verses of the Quran, regarded by Muslims as the "Word of God" and around which the religion is based. Besides the Quran, Muhammad's life (sira) and traditions (sunnah) are also upheld by Muslims as the sources of sharia law. They discuss Muhammad and other prophets of Islam with reverence, adding the phrase peace be upon him whenever their names are mentioned.[23] While conceptions of Muhammad in medieval Christendom and premodern times were largely negative, appraisals in modern history have been far less so.
THE GLORIOUS QUR'AN TEXT AND EXPLANATORY TRANSLATION Marmaduke Pickthall 1952 INTRODUCTION Page iv "Such seekers of the truth were known as Hunafa (sing. Hanif), a word originaly meaning "those who turn away" (from the existing idol-worship), but coming in the end to have the sense of "upright" or by "by nature upright," because such persons held the way of truth to be right conduct. These Hunufa did not from a community. They were the agnostics of their day, each seeking truth by the light of his own inner consciousness. Muhammad son of Abdullah became one of these. It was his practice to retire with his family for a month of every year to a cave in the desert for meditation. His place of retreat was Hira, a desert hill not far from Mecca, and his chosen month was Ramadan, the month of heat. It was there one night toward the end of his quite month that the first revelation came to him when he was forty years old. He was asleep or in a trance when he heard a voice say: "Read!" He said: "I cannot read." The voice again said: "Read ! " He said: "I cannot read." A third time the voice, more terrible, commanded: "Read ! " . He said: "What can I read ?" The voice said "Read: In the name of thy Lord Who createth. "Createth man from a clot. "HIS PLACE OF RETREAT WAS HIRA, A DESERT HILL NOT FAR FROM MECCA, AND HIS CHOSEN MONTH WAS RAMADAN, THE MONTH OF HEAT. IT WAS THERE ONE NIGHT TOWARDS THE END OF HIS QUITE MONTH THAT THE FIRST REVELATION CAME TO HIM"
SING A SONG OF NINES OF NINES A SONG SING I SING LOOK AT THE NINES LOOK AT THE NINES LOOK AT THE NINES THE NINES THE NINES
www.answers.com/topic/king-of-kings The 99 Attributes of Allah I found many different versions of the 99 names. The above 99 are on a poster I have. Another list includes Al-Mu'tiy - The Bestower, The Giver and does not have Al- Ahad - The One. Another list did not have Al- Ahad -The Sustainer, The Provider but did have Al - Razzaaq The Noble, The One who is Majid. Allah (subhanahu wa ta' ala)s' There are a couple of evidences, one is the du`aa where one calls upon Allah by the names He (subhanahu wa ta`ala) has kept to Himself (obviously not taking these names since Allah has not revealed them to us); another is the fact that in the narrations of the famous ninety nine names hadith that do contain 99 names, the names are not consistent between narrations (for example, imam al-bayhaqi reports two versions of this hadith, with different 99 names in each). It is suggested by one commentator that the names were not explicitly stated by the rasul (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam).
NAMES OF GOD = 99 = NAMES OF GOD THE NINETY NINE NAMES OF GOD = 198 1+9+8 = 9 = 1+9+8 = 198 = THE NINETY NINE NAMES OF GOD
99 Names of God - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Names of God in the Qur'an - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE THE MERCIFUL
THE KORAN Everyman Translated from the Arabic by J. M. Rodwell 1909 Page 431 SURA 1 "The word Sura occurs nine times in the Koran"
"THE WORD SURA OCCUR NINE TIMES IN THE KORAN"
THE NINETY NINE NAMES OF GOD
MOHAMMED PEACE BE UPON HIM
PEACE BE UPON HIM
PEACE BE UPON HIM
mohammad.islamway.net/ Biography of Prophet Muhammad (Mohammad, Mohammed, Muhammed)
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE THE MERCIFUL
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE THE MERCIFUL
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE THE MERCIFUL
www.answers.com/topic/king-of-kings The 99 Attributes of Allah I found many different versions of the 99 names. The above 99 are on a poster I have. Another list includes Al-Mu'tiy - The Bestower, The Giver and does not have Al- Ahad - The One. Another list did not have Al- Ahad -The Sustainer, The Provider but did have Al - Razzaaq The Noble, The One who is Majid. Allah (subhanahu wa ta' ala)s' There are a couple of evidences, one is the du`aa where one calls upon Allah by the names He (subhanahu wa ta`ala) has kept to Himself (obviously not taking these names since Allah has not revealed them to us); another is the fact that in the narrations of the famous ninety nine names hadith that do contain 99 names, the names are not consistent between narrations (for example, imam al-bayhaqi reports two versions of this hadith, with different 99 names in each). It is suggested by one commentator that the names were not explicitly stated by the rasul (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam).
CHEIRO'S BOOK OF NUMBERS Circa 1926 Page106 "Shakespeare, that Prince of Philosophers, whose thoughts will adorn English litera-ture for all time, laid down the well-known axiom: There is a tide in the affairs of men which if taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." The question has been asked again and again, Is there some means of knowing when the moment has come to take the tide at the flood?
THE QUESTION HAS BEEN ASKED AGAIN AND AGAIN IS THERE SOME MEANS OF KNOWING WHEN THE MOMENT HAS COME TO TAKE THE TIDE AT THE FLOOD
THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN Thomas Mann 1875-1955 Page 466 "Had not the normal, since time was, lived on the achievements of the abnormal? Men consciously and voluntarily descended into disease and madness, in search of knowledge which, acquired by fanaticism, would lead back to health; after the possession and use of it had ceased to be conditioned by that heroic and abnormal act of sacrifice. That was the true death on the cross, the true Atonement."
THE TRUE DEATH ON THE CROSS THE TRUE ATONEMENT THE SELF CRUCIFIXON OF THE CRUCIFIXION OF THE SELF BECOMING AT ONE MENTALLY MENTALLY AT ONE BECOMING
EIGHTEEN THIRTY SIX 1 8 3 6
I ASKED THE DIVINE ORACLE THAT QUESTION YOU KNOW THAT QUESTION THE ORACLE ANSWERED THAT QUESTION THUS O NAMUH I THAT I THAT I AM IS SICKENED UNTO THE DEATH OF YOUR LIVING SACRIFICES
99 NAMES OF GOD GOD OF NAMES 99 IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE THE MERCIFUL
ISLAM EID ISLAM
EID I DIE
www.answers.com/topic/king-of-kings The 99 Attributes of Allah I found many different versions of the 99 names. The above 99 are on a poster I have. Another list includes Al-Mu'tiy - The Bestower, The Giver and does not have Al- Ahad - The One. Another list did not have Al- Ahad -The Sustainer, The Provider but did have Al - Razzaaq The Noble, The One who is Majid. Allah (subhanahu wa ta' ala)s' There are a couple of evidences, one is the du`aa where one calls upon Allah by the names He (subhanahu wa ta`ala) has kept to Himself (obviously not taking these names since Allah has not revealed them to us); another is the fact that in the narrations of the famous ninety nine names hadith that do contain 99 names, the names are not consistent between narrations (for example, imam al-bayhaqi reports two versions of this hadith, with different 99 names in each). It is suggested by one commentator that the names were not explicitly stated by the rasul (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam).
THE HEART OF ISLAM Enduring Values for Humanity Seyyed Hossein Nasr 2002 ONE GOD, MANY PROPHETS The Unity of Truth and the Multiplicity of Revelations Say: He, God, is One, God the Self-Sufficient Besought of all. He begetteth not, nor is begotten, and none is like Him. Quran 112: v.1-41 Page 3/4 "To testify to this oneness lies at the heart of the credo of Islam, and the formula that expresses the truth of this oneness, La ilaha illa 'Llah, "There is no god but God," is the first of two testifications (shahadahs) by which a person bears witness to being a Muslim; the second is Muammadun rasal Allah, "Muhammad is the messenger of God." The oneness of God is for Muslims not only the heart of their religion, but that of every authentic religion. It is a reassertion of the revelation of God to the Hebrew prophets and to Christ, whom Muslims also consider to be their prophets, the revelation of the truth that "The Lord is one," the reconfirmation of that timeless truth that is also stated in the Catholic creed, Credo in unum Deum, "I believe in one God"."
LA ILAHA ILLA LLAH
LA ILAHA ILLA LLAH
ISLAM EID ISLAM
EID I DIE
THE HEART OF ISLAM Enduring Values for Humanity Seyyed Hossein Nasr 2002 ONE GOD, MANY PROPHETS The Unity of Truth and the Multiplicity of Revelations Say: He, God, is One, God the Self-Sufficient Besought of all. He begetteth not, nor is begotten, and none is like Him. Quran 112: v.1-41 Page 3/4 "To testify to this oneness lies at the heart of the credo of Islam, and the formula that expresses the truth of this oneness, La ilaha illa 'Llah, "There is no god but God," is the first of two testifications (shahadahs) by which a person bears witness to being a Muslim; the second is Muammadun rasal Allah, "Muhammad is the messenger of God." The oneness of God is for Muslims not only the heart of their religion, but that of every authentic religion. It is a reassertion of the revelation of God to the Hebrew prophets and to Christ, whom Muslims also consider to be their prophets, the revelation of the truth that "The Lord is one," the reconfirmation of that timeless truth that is also stated in the Catholic creed, Credo in unum Deum, "I believe in one God"."
www.answers.com/topic/king-of-kings The 99 Attributes of Allah I found many different versions of the 99 names. The above 99 are on a poster I have. Another list includes Al-Mu'tiy - The Bestower, The Giver and does not have Al- Ahad - The One. Another list did not have Al- Ahad -The Sustainer, The Provider but did have Al - Razzaaq The Noble, The One who is Majid. Allah (subhanahu wa ta' ala)s' There are a couple of evidences, one is the du`aa where one calls upon Allah by the names He (subhanahu wa ta`ala) has kept to Himself (obviously not taking these names since Allah has not revealed them to us); another is the fact that in the narrations of the famous ninety nine names hadith that do contain 99 names, the names are not consistent between narrations (for example, imam al-bayhaqi reports two versions of this hadith, with different 99 names in each). It is suggested by one commentator that the names were not explicitly stated by the rasul (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam).
Shahada - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahada The statement has two parts – la ilaha illa'llah (there is no god but God) and Muhammadun rasul Allah (Muhammad is the messenger of God). Though these ... Shahada is a statement of both ritual and worship. The statement has two parts – la ilaha illa'llah (there is no god but God) and Muhammadun rasul Allah (Muhammad is the messenger of God).[8] Though these statements are both present in the Quran but not present side by side as in the Shahada formula, the shahada may be considered a "defining statement of what it means to be a Muslim".[8] In the Hadith, Angel Gabriel defines Islam to Muhammad that he should "witness there is no god but God" and he is God's messenger. He was also asked to pay the "purification tax", performing the ritual prayer, fast during the month of Ramadan and make a pilgrimage to the Kaaba – these five pillars "are inherent" in this "declaration of faith."[9]
"Credo in unum Deum, "I believe in one God".
Names of God in Islam - Wikipedia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In Islam, God is believed to have 99 names in the Qur'an, known as the 99 Names of God (Arabic:asma?u llahi l-?usna, "Allah's Beautiful Names"). In some hadiths of Shia and Sunni, it is said that Mahdi reveals the 100th name.[1] While some names are only in the Quran, and others are only in the hadith, there are some names which appear in both. Different sources give different lists of the 99 names.[2] The following list is based on one list found in the 9th century. Other hadith, such as those of al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Ibn Majah, al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi or Ibn ?Asakir, have variant lists. Al-Tirmidhi comments on his list: "This (version of the) hadith is gharib [unusual, scarce]; it has been narrated from various routes on the authority of Abu Hurairah, but we do not know of the mention of the Names in the numerous narrations, except this one." Various early Muslim exegetes, including Ja?far al-Sadiq, Sufyan ibn `Uyaynah, Ibn Hazm, al-Qurtubi, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, have given their own versions of lists of 99 names.[3] See also: List of Arabic theophoric names Talismanic shirt inscribed with the 99 names of God as well as Quranic verses and prayers, Turkey, 18th century, Khalili Collection of Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage Because the names of God themselves are reserved to God and their use as a person's given name is considered religiously inappropriate, theophoric names are formed by prefixing the term ?abd (??????: "slave/servant of") to the name in the case of male names; in the case of female names, the prefix amat is used in place of ?abd.[4] This distinction is established out of respect for the sanctity of Divine names, which denote attributes (of love, kindness, mercy, compassion, justice, power, etc.) that are believed to be possessed in a full and absolute sense only by God, while human beings, being limited creatures, are viewed by Muslims as being endowed with the Divine attributes only in a limited and relative capacity. The prefixing of the definite article would indicate that the bearer possesses the corresponding attribute in an exclusive sense, a trait reserved to God. Quranic verse 3:26 is cited as evidence against the validity of using Divine names for persons, with the example of Malik ul-Mulk (???????? ?????????: "Lord of Power" or "Owner of all Sovereignty"): Say: "O God! Lord of Power, You give power to whom You please, and You strip off power from whom You please. You endue with honour whom You please, and You bring low whom You please. In Your hand is all Good." Verily, over all things You have power. — Quran 3:26 The two parts of the name starting with ?abd may be written separately (as in the previous example) or combined as one in the transliterated form; in such a case, the vowel transcribed after ?abdu is often written as u when the two words are transcribed as one: e.g., Abdur-Rahman, Abdul-Aziz, Abdul-Jabbar, or even Abdullah (?????? ??????: "Servant of God"). (This has to do with Arabic case vowels, the final u vowel showing the normal "quote" nominative case form.)
THE 99 NAMES OF GOD
LETTERS TRANSPOSED INTO NUMBER REARRANGED IN NUMERICAL ORDER LOOK AT THE 5FIVE5S LOOK AT THE 5FIVE5S LOOK AT THE 5FIVE5S THE 5FIVE5S THE 5FIVE5S 5 x 9 = 45 LOOK AT THJE 5FIVES LOOK AT THE 5FIVES LOOK AT THE 5FIVES THE 5FIVES THE 5FIVES 5 x 94 = 45 "The most common letter in the English alphabet is E." 5 x 9 = 45 LETTERS TRANSPOSED INTO NUMBER REARRANGED IN NUMERICAL ORDER
99 NAMES OF GOD GOD OF NAMES 99 THEN SINGS MY SOUL MY SAVIOUR GOD TO THEE HOW GREAT THOU ART HOW GREAT THOU ART
www.answers.com/topic/king-of-kings The 99 Attributes of Allah I found many different versions of the 99 names. The above 99 are on a poster I have. Another list includes Al-Mu'tiy - The Bestower, The Giver and does not have Al- Ahad - The One. Another list did not have Al- Ahad -The Sustainer, The Provider but did have Al - Razzaaq The Noble, The One who is Majid. Allah (subhanahu wa ta' ala)s' There are a couple of evidences, one is the du`aa where one calls upon Allah by the names He (subhanahu wa ta`ala) has kept to Himself (obviously not taking these names since Allah has not revealed them to us); another is the fact that in the narrations of the famous ninety nine names hadith that do contain 99 names, the names are not consistent between narrations (for example, imam al-bayhaqi reports two versions of this hadith, with different 99 names in each). It is suggested by one commentator that the names were not explicitly stated by the rasul (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam).
Jihad: Concept, history and Contemporary Application eng.dar-alifta.org/foreign/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=78 In other words, the early Quranic chapters were focused on monotheism and the ... in which God the Almighty says “Say: He is God, the only One, God the Everlasting.. He did not beget and is not begotten and none is His equal” (112: 1-4).
www.islamreligion.com › ... › Current Issues › Sects Attributed to Islam As chapter 112 of the Quran makes clear: “He is God, the only One,. God the Everlasting. He did not beget and is not begotten, And none is His equal.” In Islam ...
The Miraculous Quran (All parts) - The Religion of Islam www.islamreligion.com/articles/528/viewall/miraculous-quran/
By Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo (© 2007 IslamReligion.com) Published on 12 Mar 2007 - Last modified on 29 Mar 2011 ...... He begets not, nor was He begotten; And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him” (Quran 112:1-4). ... [4] In 2 Samuel, chapter 11, verses 1-17, the leader of the Jewish people David, whom the ... To be Muslim means to hold certain fundamental theological beliefs. The Muslim profession of faith is: “I bear witness that there is no god but God, and I bear witness that Mohammed is a prophet of God.” To elaborate on these statements, to be a Muslim means to believe that God is One, unique. He has no partners, no associates, no Son, nor did He ever become incarnate. As chapter 112 of the Quran makes clear: “He is God, the only One, God the Everlasting. He did not beget and is not begotten, And none is His equal.”
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