Appendix 3
We Made the Quran Easy [54:17]
Verse 11:1 informs us that the Quran’s Miracle involves [1] the superhuman mathematical design
of its physical structure and [2] the simultaneous composition of a literary work of extraordinary excellence.
One may be able to meet the numerical distribution requirements of a simple
mathematical pattern. However, this is invariably
accomplished at the expense of the literary quality. The simultaneous control
of the literary style and the intricate mathematical distribution of individual letters
throughout the Quran (Appendix 1) is evident in the fact that the Quran is made easy to memorize, understand, and enjoy. Unlike a human-made book, the Quran is enjoyable
to read over and over,
infinitely.
The title of this Appendix
is repeated in Sura 54, verses 17, 22, 32, and 40. As it turns out, the Quran’s Arabic text is composed in such a way as to remind the
reader or the memorizer of the next correct expression, or the next verse. God created us and He knows the most efficient way for fixing literary materials
into our memory. Memorization of the Quran has played a
vital role in preserving the original text generation after generation at a time when written
books were a rarity.
Without even realizing it, the person who memorizes
the Quran is divinely
helped by an intricate literary
system as he utters the sounds of the Quranic
words. Almost every verse
in the Quran contains what I call “Memory Bells.”
Their function is to remind the reader of what comes next. This system is so vast, I will give only
two illustrative examples:
1. In Sura 2, Verses 127, 128, and 129 end with two different names of God
each. These pairs of names are “Al-Samee‘ Al-‘Aleem (The Hearer, the Omniscient),” “Al-Tawwaab Al-Raheem (The Redeemer, Most Merciful),” and “Al-‘Azeez
Al-
Hakeem (The Almighty, Most Wise),” respectively. If this were a regular book, one
would easily mis-match these six names. Not so in the Quran. Each one of these pairs is preceded in the same verse by a “Memory
Bell” that reminds
us of the correct pair of names. Thus, Verse 127 talks about Abraham and Ismail raising
the foundations of the Ka‘abah. The verse
ends
with
the
names
“Al-Samee‘
Al-‘Aleem.” The prominent sounds here are the “S,” “M,” and “ ‘Ayn.” These three
letters are prominent in the word “Ismail.”
We find that this word is conspicuously delayed in the sentence, while improving its literary quality. Thus, we find that
the verse goes like this: “When Abraham raised the foundations of the Ka‘abah, together with Ismail ...” Normally, a human writer would say, “When Abraham
and Ismail raised the foundations
of
the
Ka‘abah....”
But
delaying
the
sounds
in
“Ismail” brings them closer to the end of the verse, and thus reminds
us that the correct names of God in this verse are “Al-Samee‘ Al-‘Aleem.”
Verse 128 has the prominent word “Tubb”
just before the names “Al-Tawwaab
Al-Raheem.” The word “Tubb”
thus serves as the memory bell. The names of God
at the end of 2:129 are “Azeez, Hakeem.” The prominent
sounds here are “Z” and “K.”
Obviously, the memory bell in this verse is the word “Yuzakkeehim.”
2. Another good example is found in 3:176, 177, & 178, where the retribution
for
disbelievers is described as “‘Azeem (Terrible),” “Aleem (Painful),” and “Muheen
(Humiliating),” respectively. In a human-made book, the memorizer
could easily mix up these three descriptions. But we find that each of these adjectives is preceded by powerful memory bells that prevent such a mix-up.
The word “‘Azeem” of Verse 176 is preceded by the
word
“Huzzun,”
which
is
characterized
by
a
stressed letter “Z.” This serves to remind us of the particular
adjective at the end
of this verse. The word “Aleem” of Verse
177 is preceded by the sound of the word “Iman“ to serve as a memory
bell, and the word “Muheen” of 3:178 is preceded by an abundance of “M” and “H” throughout this verse.
Other examples of memory bells include the ending of 3:173 and the beginning
of 3:174, the ending of 4:52 and the beginning
of 4:53, the ending of 4:61 and the
beginning of 4:62, the ending of 18:53 and the beginning of 18:54, and many
more.
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