THE NUMERICAL AND TIME CORRELATIONS IN THE QURAN

Name: THE NUMERICAL AND TIME CORRELATIONS IN THE QURAN
Author: Sahal A. Mohamed
ISBN: 978-1-5255-3002-9

by Sahal A. Mohamed ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2018

A unique study of the Quran that seems randomly devised and provides no general accounting of its interpretive principles.

bookshelf

An analysis of the mathematical representation of time allegedly encoded within the Quran.

The Quran is notoriously resistant to confident interpretation, which partially explains why it has remained a subject of spirited dispute for thousands of years. Debut author Mohamed endeavors to shed some exegetical light on the most obscure elements of the Quran—the mathematical symbolism hidden within plain sight. According to the author, the Quran abounds with references to time. In fact, Allah even identifies himself with time. It’s not only mentioned in words, but alluded to in mathematical relationships subtly inserted in numerous passages throughout the text. Mohamed hunts down every reference to time and number with the zeal and rigor of an investigative journalist and attempts to divine its meaning. He covers several topics in relation to time, including prayer, faith, creation, and Jesus. Ultimately, his overarching point seems to be that the incomprehensible intricacy of the Quran, expressed in its complex mathematical relations, couldn’t possibly be the result of either coincidence or human artifice and is therefore evidence of the book’s divine origin. “No man could have written this with the intention of including these many coincidences,” he writes. The author’s methodology is reminiscent of Judaic gematria; every conceivable numerical relation is tracked down—even the number of words or letters in a passage—and subjected to microscopic scrutiny. The author’s knowledge of the Quran is inarguably impressive, and his interpretative efforts astonishingly creative. Also, he writes the plainest prose, especially helpful given the complexity of the subject matter. Most of Mohamed’s proposals seem wildly speculative, however, if not arbitrary. For example, the author will count the number of words in a verse, multiply them together, take their root, and divide by two, arriving at a final number he claims is both significant and divinely intended. But by what rationale does he justify these mathematical procedures? He provides none.

A unique study of the Quran that seems randomly devised and provides no general accounting of its interpretive principles.

Pub Date: June 25, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5255-3002-9

Page Count: 132

Publisher: FriesenPress

Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2018

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

bookshelf

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

bookshelf

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

bookshelf

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.