Patterns of 1s and 19s in the Quran

Nassir H. Sabah

The number 1 is of special significance in the Quran, as it symbolizes the Oneness of Allāh, and is repeated 30 times, more than any other number.

A set of six repeated 1s is divisible by 7, the quotient being 015873, and 19 such sets, side-by-side, form a 114-sequence of 1s, where 6x19 = 114, the number of chapters of the Quran.

Hence, if the 114-sequence is divided by 7, the quotient is 19 repetitions of the number 15873, separated by 0s, as shown below, ignoring the leftmost 0.

The four numerals 1587 of the repeating number 15873 can be interpreted as a reference to Chapter 15, Verse 87, which glorifies the Quran and reads: “And We have indeed given thee the seven oft-repeated (verses), and the great Quran” وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَـٰكَ سَبْعًا مِّنَ ٱلْمَثَانِى وَٱلْقُرْءَانَ ٱلْعَظِيم.

If the 3 in the number 15873 is considered to represent the 3rd word in the Arabic verse, this word is, incredibly, the word seven, where the number 7 is the divisor of the 114-sequence of 1s and has been of mystical significance since at least Babylonian times. It is the first number mentioned in the Quran (Q2:29). The seven oft-repeated verses are believed to refer to Chapter 1 of the Quran, which consists of seven verses and is repeated often in daily prayers.

The number 19 is also of mystical significance. It is mentioned in the Quran (Q74:30) and is believed to be the first number revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The number 19 consists of the first, nonzero, numeral and the last numeral of the decimal system and is considered a reference to The First and The Last, these being two of The Most Exalted Names of Allāh in the Quran. These two names occur in Verse 3, Chapter 57: “He is The First, and The Last, and The Outward, and The Inward; and He is Knower of all things” (Q57:3). هُوَ ٱلْأَوَّلُ وَٱلأَخِرُ وَٱلظَّـٰهِرُ وَٱلْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ. In Arabic gematria, whereby each letter is assigned a numerical value, the value of the Divine Name Wāḥid(One وَاحِد), is 19.

Consider then a 114-sequence of 19s. When divided by 19, the result is a 114-sequence of 01s. These can be regrouped into 38 = (19x2) repetitions of the number 10101, separated by 0s, as shown below, where the leftmost 0 is ignored.

Consider then a 114-sequence of 19s. When divided by 19, the result is a 114-sequence of 01s. These can be regrouped into 38 = (19x2) repetitions of the number 10101, separated by 0s, as shown below, where the leftmost 0 is ignored.

The number 10101 has mystical significance. The first and last 1s symbolize The First and The Last in the previously quoted Verse 3, Chapter 57. The middle 1, preceded and followed by 0s, symbolizes The One and Only, nothing is before Him and nothing is after Him, as explained by the Prophet Muhammad in connection with Verse 3, Chapter 57: “He is the First, nothing is before Him, and the Last, nothing is after Him” إنَّهُ الأوَّلُ لَيْسَ قَبلَهُ شيءٌ والآخِرُ لَيْسَ بَعدَهُ شيءٌ.

Can all this be coincidental or of human origin?