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
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 page 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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