Placements of the Name Al-Rahman and Their Meaning

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.

Is the Quran’s Structure Based on Allah’s Name?

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.

What are “Houses” in Quranic Architecture?

Since I use this term more often as the study of Quranic architecture develops, it’s important to discuss it separately. It simply refers to the “pie sections” in the spiral/circle of the Quranic architecture, and each of these pie sections or houses represents the same month of the symbolic “year” in its calendar design. Each sura within that House is like a return to the same month, but in a different year, just like one returns to January or July each year. So for example, Al-Fatiha (the Opening) is in the First House representing Muharram (Prohibition) in the Hijri calendar, which is also the New Year. All the suras in the First House are also in Muharram, the same “month:” such as Al-R’ad (Thunder) sura 13, and Al-Furqan (The Criterion), sura 25; these suras also carry some of the same relevant meanings for that House/month. Thunder is like an initiating force, thundering us into awareness of something new, electrifying (“new year”); the word furqan actually means to “break open/apart” and thus distinguish (“criterion”) between the dichotomies, such as good/bad and heaven/hell (“opening”). The final sura in the First House is Al-Kafiroon “The Disbelievers” – a fitting end for “Prohibition,” as these are the people who will be prohibited from the celestial realm of Allah in paradise.