You can download it here: first is an updated explanation in text, and the one below it is a brief one-page summary + a Quranic Architecture chart for illustration:
This is a shortened version of the original that may help assimilate the idea (which can get very complex the more details you include). Photo of Al-Fatiha’s structure is below.
The paired names of the Basmalah represent how Allah relates to us: with His power/authority (Al-Rahman) and mercy (Al-Raheem). These two names contain 6 letters each for a total of 12 letters, and the number 12 is associated with 12 months, suggesting “in time.” The first 7 letters are the words “bism Allah” or “in the name of Allah.” The number 7 symbolizes 3 basic things: a test of what we value or “evaluation;” balancing “opposites;” and marriage or significant pairing (where the pairing involves a change in status, usually raising up in some way). Marriage can refer in Arabic to any pair somehow joined together: the body with the soul, the day and night as a dynamic duo, Allah and His messengers, the Almighty, All-Merciful, life and death as a cycle rather than a timeline, this world and the Hereafter, and our souls – if we choose the upright path seeking Allah – with the Almighty All-Merciful.
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The name Al-Raheem – The All-Merciful – is commonly counted and “combined” with the adjective raheem – merciful, without the al- prefix. But considering the two separately has yielded interesting results. The name Al-Raheem “The All-Merciful” is mentioned 34 times, whereas the adjective raheem “merciful” is mentioned 81 times, or 3⁴, and thus these two different ways of mentioning raheem are themselves “paired” as a {3,4} set. A unique characteristic of both expressions of Allah’s mercy is that they are almost always paired: the name Al-Raheem is always paired with another name, and the adjective raheem is usually paired with another adjective – plus in the case of raheem, this pair (or simply raheem in a few cases) is almost always preceded by either the name Allah, Lord, “I,” or Him (referring to Allah or Lord), the one exception being in 9:128 referring to prophet Mohammad as “kind, merciful” to the believers. This shows that kindness/caring is the form of mercy we are encouraged and indeed enabled to exemplify. And these unique stylistic traits teach us about what mercy itself means, in our relationship to Allah, each other, and to all life.
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This article in Yaqeen website shows us the tools Allah gives us to fight against genocide, the propaganda that upholds it in Palestine and elsewhere including America, and more.
There’s never been a more important moment. In a very real sense we are all Palestinians, and a few in control are censoring our voices and trying to control even our biological makeup as individuals. But the Quran is highly relevant and guides us as to how to save ourselves. Some excerpts below:
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Here we shall examine the placements of this exalted name in the Quran using the architectural “nautilus” chart, the possible meanings inherent in these placements, as well as some fascinating patterns. This also gives a sense of how the “nautilus chart” can indicate possible interpretations to increase our understanding of the Quran. Previously we examined the significance of the name Al-Rahman, as well as the name’s stunning relationship to perfect numbers. Here we show a surprising connection between this name and the sacred months, elucidating their sacred nature.
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Note re featured image above: When you plot the sun’s position at the same time of day once a week throughout the year you get this figure of eight, or infinity symbol, called Analemma. April and September are at the crossover point in precisely the same position.
Muslims know that Allah’s justice is perfect – one of His significant names is Al-‘Adl, the Just. In fact, justice of the highest order is required of all Muslims, for “indeed Allah loves those who act justly.” (5:42, 49:9, 60:8) But certain theological dogmas in Christianity and other faiths involve beliefs which at their heart represent God/Allah to be unjust. Which is itself unjust to Allah/God. It’s not the only one we’ll explore here, but the doctrine of original sin is a prime example. Is it just or fair to hold a person guilty for an act they did not themselves commit? Clearly not. The Quran tells us, contrary to church doctrine, that God/Allah forgave Adam/Eve and even gave them words to properly express their feelings.
Continue readingThen Adam received some words from his Lord, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed it is He who is the Acceptor of Repentance, the Merciful. (2:37) – (close to the beginning of the whole Quran)
This is a revelation of amazing correlations between the sura:ayat numbers where the name Al-Rahman occurs, and “perfect numbers,” explained below. The name Al-Rahman, when interpreted as the Almighty, forms a clear Yang/Yin relationship with the name Al-Raheem, the All-Merciful with which it is paired in the Basmalah, the invocation that begins all suras except one. A previous post describes the significance of the name Al-Rahman. Here we get even closer to the heart of the miracle regarding this powerful name. Studying the sura and aya numbers for all references for a word or phrase in the Quran can often seem like an exercise in futility, especially considering the earliest known manuscripts of the Quran do not contain such numbers. But with the name Al-Rahman, the results are two perfect numbers (explained below) multiplied by 100 whose sum is equally spectacular, and closely intertwined with other significant Quranic numbers to form a whole only the Almighty Al-Rahman Himself could have made.
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The name Al-Rahman as explained here is most meaningful when interpreted as the Almighty, forming a clear Yang/Yin relationship with the name Al-Raheem, the All-Merciful. It is mentioned 57 times in Quran, in 56 ayat (because one aya contains 2 mentions) in 18 suras. This subject is so vast it needs multiple posts, but here I will try to convey the Quranic significance of the name to begin with.
Everything in the Basmalah is important, far more than most of those who analyze Quranic structure think. But the name Al-Rahman is particularly so, and also not well-understood, or at least the translations and a number of presumptions do not take into account all the indicators of its depth of meaning. Here we list some important indicators of that meaning.
Continue readingThis short 30-second video tells us much about what Islam is and Who Allah Is. The Arabs had 14 different words for love, one of which is arguably a name for Allah. And which is more loving, to sacrifice an innocent human being in order to enable forgiveness for a supposed “original sin” that God Himself is unfairly accused of refusing to forgive? Or to have forgiven Adam/Eve on the spot after they repented, and only punish people for sins they personally committed and not for some inherited sin? Allah is the same God of Psalms 136:1-3, 5, and elsewhere, “and His mercy endures forever.” “Indeed, your Lord is vast in forgiveness.” (Quran 53:32)
This is a very real possibility, which I began to examine while thinking that possibly all numbers somehow relate to or are reflective of Allah’s name. That seems way beyond my limited mathematical abilities – yet after studying the Quran in details, I ran into a simple pattern expressed in two ayat, 4:3 (itself a {3,4} set) and 35:1, as “two and three and four,” essentially a {2,3,4} set, which in turn reflects the {3,4} set, as expressed in Allah’s name. I’ve discussed this {3,4} set previously as well as how Allah “wrote mercy upon Himself” (6:12 and 6:54). Here finally is a post that covers this topic.
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As the 7th and 8th words in the Quran, and arguably the 4th name of Allah in Al-Fatiha, the name Rabb Al-‘Alameen is significant and appears in the Quran 42 times in 42 verses in 21 suras. Thus it is not repeated in any verse, but is frequently repeated among the suras. Of these 42 ayat/verses, 7 are ayat of praise like the second verse of Al-Fatiha 1:2. As both 42 (6×7) and 21 (3×7) are multiples of 7, this is an interesting correlation. Much interpretation has been given by scholars to this name over time, most interpreting the word al-alameen to refer to all that exists except Allah, or in the words of Ibn Abbas, “all the heavens and what they contain, all the earths and what they contain, and all that is between them, be it known or unknown.” Or, as Ibn ‘Arabi put it, “all through which God can be known.” He also thought of the term rabb as referring to the level where existence and the Divine are related. But for me, I think of Rabb in itself as simply the relationship name for Allah, because unlike other names of Allah, it easily and unequivocally accepts possessive usage, such as “my Lord” (using “lord” as the English expression for rabb), “their Lord,” “your Lord,” etc. Adding the expression al’alameen signifies that this name only can possibly refer to Allah the Exalted.
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The basic statement of tawheed, Allah’s singularity or “oneness,” is لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ or lā ilāha illā Allāh, explained here. This Basic Tawheed Statement is also the form of the Shahada or Islamic creed declaring there is no god but Allah – the name Allah being a form of the word “god” in Arabic that can only be One God. Since tawheed is the central tenet of Islam – monotheism – this statement is of course central to the Quran’s message.
There are six main variations of it, the most frequent being lā ilāha illā hua or لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ, which means “no god except Him,” mentioned in the Quran 30 times (with 4 variations in how this expression is framed). The total mentions of all forms of Tawheed Statement are 40, itself a significant Quranic number. Thus, there are 30 Tawheed Statements containing the words lā ilāha illā hua out of 40 total mentions in the Quran of all variations of Tawheed Statement, a significant {3,4} pairing, a structural pattern in the Quran based on the Arabic name Allah (the Most High). The contexts of these statements give us a range of insight into the meaning of tawheed (oneness/ singularity) itself.
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A previous post speaks in details about how with every heartbeat there is a death — when dead (de-oxygenated) blood enters the right atrium (yin receptive chamber) to be pumped at low pressure (an essential yinmercy) into the lungs (by the right balanced yin/yang ventricle/pump) — and resurrection — oxygenation in the lungs, the organ that recycles the element of air (O2 in, CO2 out) — received by the left atrium (receiving chamber), to be pumped by the powerful left ventricle (the power yang pump) at high pressure (full might/power) alive into the whole body, which is thus resurrected. And how this relates to Allah’s name.
THIS HAPPENS WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT. And this heartbeat is dhikr Allah!
Despite the Basmalah (pictured above) being the first aya of Surat Al-Fatiha in most printed copies of the Quran including those printed in Saudi Arabia (a copy of the Quran in writing being called a mus’haf not a Quran), there are Muslims, especially of the Hanafi and Hanbali schools of the Sunnis, who believe the first numbered verse of Al-Fatiha to be not the Basmalah but instead what is aya 2 in its most commonly printed text meaning “Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds!” (Pictured below.) We shall discuss the differences of opinion and examine the implications of each.
The meaning of some of Allah’s great names are not that obvious, and no word in English can do justice to them. Al-Latif is one such name. Often translated ”The Subtle,” this doesn’t really convey the meaning and no single English word can, because it is so much more than that. This article from the Yaqeen Institute delves into the meaning both beautifully and with clarity.
This surah’s title has been translated in English variously as “The Expansion,” Al-Sharh in Arabic (also I’ve seen written Al-Inshirah), which does mean something like “expansion” but more of a “spiritual/ soul” opening with a sense of “relief” than the English word. Al-Sharh gives the sense as if God were widening one’s inner “chambers” so one could “take a deep breath” again. We are all familiar with a kind of “tightness” in one’s chest from anxiety or discomfort from a difficult situation. It is the relief from that tightness which inshirah or sharh accomplishes. It was the first thing Prophet Musa (Moses) asked Allah for (TaHa 20:25) when Allah the Exalted gave him the mission to bring Allah’s message to the Pharaoh; the meaning implied was that inshirah would enable Musa to alleviate his anxieties so he could accomplish this task. It is a way of strengthening one’s resolve by Divine reassurance. Thus sharh is variously translated as “uplifted your heart,” “relieve the tightness in your chest,” “expand for thee thy breast,” and “comfort your chest,” among others. The title is variously translated Solace, Consolation, Relief, and The Expansion.
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Although this important aya has been analyzed by the scholar Raymond K. Farrin in his paper “Surat Al-Baqarah – a Structural Analysis,” I used a different translation to keep the literal words “between their hands” because this Quranic image directly correlates with free will, which is at the heart or center of this aya and indeed of our relationship with Allah the Exalted. It is also translated “what is before them and what is behind them.”
If you’ve seen this post before, I’ve just made a major change in calculations, with apologies. Although the number of words in Ayat Al-Kursi is, as previously mentioned, 57 (3•19), which is exactly half of 114, the total number of suras in the Quran, and also 57 is the number of Surat Hadeed (“Iron”), an element whose production in stars is the point at which a star explodes into a supernova, but I’ve recalculated the letter count and found my original (in which the letter count too was a multiple of 19) was wrong, and so I’ve corrected it below.
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أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالطَّيْرُ صَافَّاتٍ ۖ كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ
Do you not see that Allah is exalted by whomever is within the heavens and the earth and the birds with wings spread? Each has known his salat prayer and his exaltation (of Allah), and Allah is Knowing of what they do.
Surat Al-Nur (Light) 24:41
The healing and restorative power of nature is well-documented, and it is essentially free and without side effects. Nature therapy, also called ecotherapy, is the well-documented treatment of many health disorders by immersion in or interaction with “nature”, which refers to any part of creation, especially living things, even when represented in videos, pictures, sounds, or scents from pleasing natural sources. Another article is one of many discussing how such therapy works or can be applied, the how often confused with the why, which is rarely addressed. When children ask “why is the sky blue,” the answer nowadays is usually a scientific explanation of the how. But the child’s probing why may ask a different question: for what purpose or meaning is the sky blue? So in that spirit we ask here the question why is nature such a healing force not so much to know how it works as a mechanism, but what is the root cause and the purpose/ intention of this phenomenon.
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Surah 111 Al-Masad, less commonly called Surat Lahab (flame) directly precedes Surat Al-Ikhlas (Sincerity) #112, one of the most important surahs in the Quran, one could say its very “heart.” Since I have seen “connections” between adjacent surahs, I wondered how two so vastly different surahs could be connected. To find the answer, I examined the surah using ring composition, as the illustration shows, supplementing this analysis with other Quranic verses, as well as examining the number of words and letters in this surah, and found some striking results.
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The name Al-Samad is mentioned only once in the entire Quran, in Surat Al-Ikhlas (Sincerity) 112. Below is the link to a beautiful and very thorough explanation of its meaning, significance, roots in the Arabic language, application in our lives, and more, including an answer to the question “why is this name mentioned only once in the Quran?” To which I would also add: its placement in the Quran is also expressive of its meaning, right in the center or “heart” of the Quran. (Article below by Sheikh Mohammad Elshinawy on the Yaqeen Institute website.)
114 Chambers 