Question
Sometimes it is said that the Quran has numerical miracle, for instance, the word "month" has been used in the Qur'an 12 times and the word "day" has been used 365 times. Likewise, the words "death" and "life" or "world" and "hereafter" have been used in equal numbers. What is your opinion in this regard?
Concise answer
The Quran
features many miraculous aspects that are not restricted to eloquence and
expressiveness. In fact, one of the miracles which have been claimed for the
Quran is numerical miracle which needs further investigation and it is very
likely that that we can confidently and firmly ascribe such a miracle to the
Qur'an in future. What is known as numerical miracle today is at the most a
kind of congruence or analogy established between the terminologies of the
Quran and obtained through persoalized methods in the process of counting
words.
No mention has been made of this type of miracle in the Quran or traditions.
However, part of the statistics presented in this regard reveals some sort of
consistency and coherence between the words of the Quran. For example, if we
consider the word "shahr" (month = 30 days) without its plural forms,
we notice that that it has been used 12 times in the Quran. Other examples have also been presented in
connection with the numerical miracle of the Quran. Such claims have to be
substantiated by those who have made them.[1]
Note: As was stated, when it comes to the numerical miracle of the Quran, no fixed criterion has been mentioned for counting the words. Perhaps, it is likely that those words may have been counted on personalized methods. For example, the term "shahr = month" if taken into account together with its plural form have been used more than twelve times. However, it should be noted that even if such a miracle is not proved with the Quran, it will not reduce anything from the miraculous nature of this heavenly book.
For further information about the miracle of the Quran, refer to the following indexes:
1. Question 115 (site: 985) (Definition of Miracle and Proving it)
2. Question 70 (site: 311) (Miracle of the Quran)
3. Question
69 (site: 310) (Miracles of the Quran)
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