In the Name of Allah,
the Gracious, the Merciful
“No calamity can ever befall the earth and your own
selves, unless it is in Our decree before We bring it (the calamity) into
being. Verily, this is easy for Allah.” [Q: 57.22].
2. The above is an approximate translation of Verse 22
in Chapter 57 of the Qur’aan. It unmistakably means that Allah knows beforehand
when, where and why any calamity takes place. Its occurrence is pre-recorded in
His Book of decrees.
3. The sceptics are bound to raise their eyebrows on
this divine claim, but, keeping aside their scepticism for a while, let us
consider another divine claim. "Soon will We show them Our Signs in the
regions, and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest to them that this (Qur’aan)
is the Truth --------" [Q: 41.53]. As per this latter claim, Allah in His
mercy gives some signs to help the sceptics get over their doubts about the
divine statements.
4. One such sign has recently come to light. It has
been lying concealed for fourteen centuries in the 99th Chapter of the
Qur’aan, which Chapter starts with a Verse having 20 letters of the
Arabic alphabet. The Chapter is entitled, ‘The Earthquake’, and has 8
Verses. The 4th Verse therein, which could literally be rendered as, “The day
when its news would be broadcast”, has, in the original, 17 letters of
the Arabic alphabet, counting the Arabic letter da, with a Tasdid
thereon, twice. The 3rd Verse describes the immediate spontaneous
reaction of the people crying out, “What is happening”, when the earthquake
strikes them suddenly and devastatingly. The 7th and 8th Verses
each contain the word misqaal, which inter alia means a unit by which to
weigh or measure.
5. The underlined numbers in the preceding paragraph,
viz., 99, 20, 8, 17, 3, 7 and 8, and their sequence are very significant. These
numbers have an amazing correspondence with the timing and the severity of the
earthquake that struck Turkey recently. This earthquake occurred in the 99th
year of the 20th century. The month was the 8th (August) and the date, the
17th. It struck at 3 a.m. and its intensity was measured as between 7 and 8 (at
about 7.8 to be more specific) on the Richter scale! Its severity drove people,
in their thousands, out of their homes and onto the streets, crying out, “What
happened?” And thousands died.
6. Can this amazing correspondence be dismissed as a
series of mere coincidences? Let us examine this important question in greater
details.
7. Events taking place in a year can well be considered
as a distinct Chapter in the book of all events in the relevant century. As
such, the numbering of the Chapter on the Earthquake as the 99th of the Qur’aan
has a striking analogy to the event of the earthquake in Turkey occurring in
the 99th year of the 20th century. It is as if somebody, who could clearly look
into the future, consciously numbered it so. There are, after all, 114 Chapters
in the Qur’aan and the Chapter on the Earthquake could have been numbered as
any one of the other 113. The sceptics may well say, “Earthquakes occur almost
every year in some or the other part of the world. Had this particular Chapter
in the Qur’aan been given any other number from 1 to 98, the same would have
been claimed to be alluding to the earthquake occurring in that particular
year.” But, as may be seen from what is mentioned herein above, the signs,
alluded to in this particular Chapter of the Qur’aan, are specific to the
earthquake that occurred on the 17th August 1999 in Turkey. These signs,
together, could not be made applicable to other earthquakes. So, the odds are
heavily against the Chapter being numbered as 99th. These are 1 to 113. The
chance of its being so numbered is an infinitesimal 0.88%. Even so, let us
concede to the sceptics that they have a chance of 1 in 114 here. That is some
chance indeed!
8. The 99th year could come in any century. The
indication that the earthquake in Turkey would befall in the 20th century is
given in the very first Verse, which contains 20 letters of the Arabic
alphabet. The link between the 20 letters to the 20th century is aptly
indicated by the word izaa, meaning ‘when’, at the beginning of the
Verse. Now Verses in the Qur’aan could be containing any number of letters up
to over 270 as in the 11th Verse of its 4th Chapter. There could be Verses
containing letters still more in number. Making however a very, very
conservative estimate, letters contained in various Verses of the Qur’aan could
be, at the least, in 100 different numbers. So, there could be only
one-in-a-hundred chance for that first Verse of the 99th Chapter being of 20
letters. And, the likelihood of both – (1) the Chapter being numbered as 99th
and (2) its first Verse containing exactly 20 letters – happening
simultaneously would be 1 in 11400, as per the law of probability. The chance –
of both the things happening together – is now reduced to 0.0088%. The chance –
of all the 7 things mentioned in the foregoing paragraphs happening together
amazingly in the one Chapter on the earthquake – would be further reduced to
almost an impossibility at 0.00000000000088%. That too, by taking a very, very
conservative estimate of only 100 different ways in which the rest of the 5
things could happen. In fact, there are many, many more than 100 different ways
that every one of these 5 things could happen.
9. Scientifically and mathematically speaking therefore
it would be impossible, by mere chance, for the said seven things to be there
in such a combination as to unmistakably indicate the occurrence of the
earthquake in Turkey. It was as if the signs were put there in the Qur’aanic
Chapter by someone who knew beforehand every detail of the earthquake –
fourteen centuries before its actual occurrence. That someone could be none
other than Allah Himself. The signs therefore unmistakably point to the Truth
that Allah is the Author of the Qur’aan. Not only did the Verses originate from
Him, but He also determined the order in which the Verses were placed in the
Qur’aan.
10. The sceptics may wonder how the Qur’aan could
indicate the date of the earthquake by the solar calendar whereas in Islam the
lunar calendar is followed. This apparent anomaly gets resolved the moment it
is realised that the Author of the Book knew the future. He knew beforehand
that in this age all communities including Muslims would generally follow the
solar calendar. Moreover, it is significant to note that the Qur’aan mentions
both the moon and the sun as Allah’s signs for mankind to count time thereby.
11. It should very well be noted in this context that
Allah’s plan is for mankind to realise the reality of His existence primarily
through the faculty of intellectual reasoning, with which it is specially
endowed. Mankind has moreover been granted the freedom of choice unlike other
animals. Whether one believes it or not, every man or woman has been given a
fixed spell of life on this earth, within which to realise that reality and
submit his/her self to that reality completely and unequivocally. Human life is
nothing but a test for that purpose. Freedom to make a choice is an essential
prerequisite of that test.
12. Now if in the Qur’aanic Chapter on the Earthquake,
had it been clearly mentioned that an earthquake of a devastating magnitude of
7.8 would befall a section of mankind at 3 a.m. on the 17th of August 1999,
mankind would have been deprived of its freedom. Everybody, aware of such a
clear prophecy in the Qur’aan, would know for certain that there is Allah and
there would be no question of making a choice in this regard. Allah has
therefore given only some indications or hidden signs as mere aids to mankind’s
special attribute of intellectual reasoning with which to recognise His
existence and thus for mankind to pass the test.
13. The hidden signs in the said Qur’aanic Chapter must
be understood in that perspective. Such signs are to be recognised by means of
the very same intellectual or scientific reasoning, as has been done in this
case herein above. The obvious theme, otherwise, of the Chapter is the
cataclysm that is to happen on the Last Day.
14. But, alas, the bulk of mankind obstinately refuses
to make use of the Allah-given gift of intellect to recognise the innumerable
such signs that Allah, in His mercy, has been sending down for its guidance!
Friday, the 26th of
April 2019.
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