Many people ask about the reason for the difference in counting verses, words, and letters of the Quran among those engaged in extracting the numerical miracles of the Book of God Almighty. Their astonishment stems from the fact that this difference is not a contradiction, but rather a difference in scope that enriches the field of research and expands the circle of this numerical miracle. Each researcher, by adopting a new methodology, has been led to new miraculous secrets. After this introduction, the methodology we have followed in counting will be clarified to the reader. We say, and with God Almighty lies all success: 1. We rely in counting verses on what is stated in the narration of Hafs from Asim, which is the basis for the Kufan count. The number of verses in the Noble Quran according to this count is 6236 verses.

2. We rely in our enumeration of words and letters on the script of the Mushaf, known as the Uthmani script, and specifically on the Mushaf prevalent in the Islamic world, based on the recitation of Hafs.

3. When we count the letters in the Mushaf, we ignore additions made to the Uthmani script for clarification, unless we find a numerical indication in them. For example, the small alifs written above some letters are not counted, as they are extraneous to the script. The word "Ismail," for instance, is written in the Mushaf as "Ismail," and thus consists of only six letters.

4. We have adopted the principle that when counting words, we take the script into consideration. Therefore, we count according to what is reflected in the printing of the Mushafs today, as it conforms to the script. For example, the letter "J" is counted as part of a word because it is written separately and not connected to other words. As for the letters "B," "F," or "W," they are attached to the following word in the script, such as "B والله" (by God) or "ف واي دل" (and it is said). "والسماء" (and the sky) is considered one word in the script.

This methodology is adapted from the website "Younoun for Quranic Research and Studies."

Click here to return to the index. Page 107 Al-Tibyan Li Mawaqit Hawadith Akher Al-Zaman