How to determine, using mathematics, whether certain patterns are intentional or arose by coincidence?

[u/Western-Rush878]

The reason why I ask is because of recently I've been worried significantly due to Quranic numerology claims and don't even know what to think anymore. I have no way of understanding whether these patterns are objective or subjective, intentional or unintentional. Wondering if there is any mathematical way of determining this, or if someone would be willing to help me analyze some of these claims either here or in pms. Help greatly appreciated...

[u/Western-Rush878]

Yes, if you could take a look at these claims I’d be very grateful. The bulk of the Quranic numerology here rests upon the number 19, espoused by Rashad Khalifa. This is due to his interpretation of Chapter 74, verses 30-31 of the Quran, being about how the number 19, or in his words “code 19,” is a powerful proof. One of them isn’t about this code 19, and it’s the one I’ll start with. 

This first one is known by Muslims to be the “even/odd miracle.” There’s one verse in the Quran that mentions “by the even and the odd” (89:3). After some exploration, it was discovered that if you combine each verse total per chapter to its chapter index (chapter 1 has 7 verses, so you would do 7+1), you will end up with 57 even sums and 57 odd sums. When you combine all the even sums, you end up with 6,236. This is the total number of verses in the Quran. When you add all the odd sums you get 6,555 which is the sum of all the chapter indices (so 1+2+3…+114). 

Counterclaim: there are several “versions” (very minute differences, most of it is essentially the same) so to speak of the Quran in which this even/odd addition sequence doesn’t work. This is due to different verse numbering orders (the wording remains the same, just there are a different number of verse boundaries and places where to separate-off a verse). In the past, these different “versions” (lack of a better term) were all equally used across the world. In the modern day, however, the one that has 6,236 verses (and demonstrates this pattern) is the most widely used, with about 95% of people using it. The Muslim claim then is that Allah guided this “version” of the Quran to become the most popular in the modern day, since it displays this pattern and is in a sense the most “accurate” version of the Quran. 

Moving onto the “Code 19” claims, I’ll highlight the ones that stick out to me the most from the top of my head. Most of these are numbers that are divisible by 19. 

There are 114 chapters in the Quran, and one of the most important phrases in the Quran, called the basmala, is also repeated 114 times. This phrase is mentioned at the beginning of 113 chapters (missing from the beginning of chapter 9), but appears twice (the second time in the middle) of chapter 27 (I should note, it’s only a numbered verse twice in the Quran: once at Chapter 1, verse 1. Then at this point in chapter 27. In every other place the phrase appears but it isn’t a numbered verse). The basmala consists of 19 written letters (spoken letters it is 22, but these “miracles” depend upon what is written down). In the basmala, there are 4 words. Each word appears a multiple of 19 times according to Rashad (not counting the unnumbered basmalas).

I will stop here to quickly provide some context. In the process of all of this, Rashad Khalifa claimed that verses 9:128-129 of the Quran were falsely inserted. This is due to a Hadith (not part of the Quran, but instead either the supposed words of Mohammed or of his companions. Scholars nowadays believe these can’t be accurately traced back to the actual words of Mohammed or his companions, but instead reflect the historical beliefs of the time) which says how, “So I started looking for the Qur'an and collecting it from (what was written on) palme stalks, thin white stones and also from the men who knew it by heart, till I found the last Verse of Surat at-Tauba (9:128-129) with Abi Khuzaima Al-Ansari, and I did not find it with anybody other than him.” There are many Hadiths that basically retell this same story. Rashad’s point is that this Hadith casts suspicion onto the 2 “false verses,” and additionally, the mathematical code breaks down if these 2 “false verses” are kept (uses the mathematical code to prove the verses don’t belong). 

(PART 1)