Quranaloneislam.org
What is the real meaning and position in the Islamic day of “al salât
al wustâ”?: The mathematical miracle of 2:238
What is the real meaning and position in the Islamic day of “al salât al wustâ”?: The mathematical miracle of 2:238
May
God forgive me and guide me regarding any sign that would have been
misinterpreted in this study and elsewhere. May He always guide us to a better
understanding of His profound scripture so we can purify ourselves and increase
our guidance and knowledge.

What is the meaning of “al salât al woustâ” mentioned in verse 2:238? This question has been a source of division among Muslim scholars for over a thousand years, and they are the first to acknowledge it. “Hadiths other than God and His verses” (39:45) are responsible for corrupting the names or meaning of four daily prayers out of five, as well as the number of raka’ât assigned to each prayer (see “salât in the Quran” for extensive details). When it comes to “al salât al wustâ”, we are first going to quote a few key hadiths which demonstrate the profound disarray of Sunni Islam regarding its interpretation because they provide three different definitions for that one prayer. We will then explain the straightforward meaning of 2:238 and will then prove that “al salât al woustâ” signifies “the middle prayer”, and not “the most excellent prayer” as some Sunnis and Quranists have claimed, thanks to simple and compelling mathematical properties embedded in the verse. We will finally demonstrate thanks to a series of additional mathematical properties that “the middle prayer” is the fourth prayer of the lunar day which starts at sunset in Islam, which corresponds to the noon prayer, because it is the prayer located “in the middle” of the daylight.
Table of contents
1. 2:238: Corruption and confusion of hadiths
2. Explaining verse 2:238 according to the lunar day schedule and ritual prayers decreed in the Quran
2.1 Understanding 2:238 in simple words
2.2 Al salât al wustâ: “Middle prayer” or “most excellent prayer”?
2.3 Which salât number is “Assalât al wustâ” (the middle prayer)?
2.3.1 “Al salât al wustâ” is equal to number “four” in the abjad system
2.3.2 Let us calculate gematrical values of letters to the right and left of “al salât al wustâ” (GV 278) to attempt to identify any additional relevant mathematical properties
2.3.3.2 Number one in the Quran: Ahad or wâheed?
2.3.3.3 Table: Gematrical values of “Safeguard the ritual prayers” are equal to “one and two and three”
2.3.4 The Gematrical value of “Safeguard the ritual prayers and the middle prayer” is equal to the gematrical value of “One and two and three and four”
2.3.5 The total gematrical value of verse 2:238 is also coded with numbers 1 and two and three and four
2.4 Important remark regarding the word “four” (أربعة) which ends with a “ta marbuta”
3. Frequency of two crucial words in 2:238
3.1 The plural Salawât occurs 4 times in the Quran as a simple form and five times in total
3.2 The expression “to guard the ritual prayers” also occurs four times in the Quran
Conclusion
حفظوا على الصلوت والصلوة الوسطى وقوموا لله قنتين
(2:238) Safeguard the ritual prayers, and the middle prayer (wassalâti ‘lwustâ), and stand [during the salât] before God with reverential humility.
1. 2:238: Corruption and confusion of hadiths
Any sincere person will agree that 2:238 refers to all daily ritual prayers in Islam. Only “al salât al wustâ” (the middle prayer) is mentioned by name in the verse, and hadiths are greatly responsible for the extreme confusion regarding its meaning. Here are a few examples:
Saheeh Muslim, Book 4, Number 1316:
Abu Yunus, the freed slave of 'A'isha said: 'A'isha ordered me to transcribe a copy of the Qur'an for her and said: When you reach this verse:" Guard the prayers and the middle prayer" (2:238), inform me; so when I reached it, I informed her and she gave me dictation (like this): “Guard the prayers and the middle prayer and the afternoon prayer (‘asr prayer), and stand up truly obedient to Allah”. 'A'isha said: This is how I have heard from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him).
This allegedly “sahîh” (authentic) hadith - apparently narrated after the death of the prophet - claims that 2:238 was (at least initially) revealed differently than the universally accepted version, and ‘Aisha, the prophet’s wife, orders to Abu Yunus to write a corrupted version of the Quran by adding the “’asr prayer” after “al salât al wustâ” in 2:238, claiming that the prophet used to recite it that way! What an incredible blaspheme! God proclaimed that He would protect the Quran from any alteration (15:9). An easy way to expose this lie is that this hadith uses an expression for the mid-afternoon prayer (salât al ‘asr) which is Quranically incorrect as “’asr” signifies “time” in the Quran and not “second part of the afternoon” as explained in the article “salât in the Quran”. The name for the second part of the afternoon in the Quran is “al ‘ashiyyu” (العَشِىُّ) - not “’asr” - as explained in great detail in the main article on the salât.
Despite the gravity of this lie, this hadith is interesting from a historical standpoint because it is one of those who indicate, about two centuries after the prophet’s death, that some people in the Muslim community knew full well that “al salât al wustâ” is the noon prayer, and not the mid-afternoon prayer as commonly interpreted in Sunni Islam nowadays.
Muslim, Book 4, Number 1317:
Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib reported: This verse was revealed (in this way): “Guard the prayers and the 'Asr prayer.” We recited it (in this very way) so long as Allah desired. Allah, then, abrogated it and it was revealed: “Guard the prayers, and the middle prayer.” A person who was sitting with Shaqiq (one of the narrators in the chain of transmitters) said: Now it implies the 'Asr prayer. Upon this al-Bara' said: I have already informed you how this (verse) was revealed and how Allah abrogated it, and Allah knows best.
In addition to spreading lies about Allah, claiming that He abrogated what He had initially revealed, this hadith grossly contradicts the preceding one as it now claims that “al salât al wustâ” is the ‘asr prayer (middle of the afternoon prayer according to Sunnis) and not the noon prayer anymore. One could think that it is surprising that Muslim reported two hadiths this contradictory, but this is very common in hadith literature. These two hadiths exemplify the following verse:
(4:82) Do they not reflect upon the Quran? If it had been from other than God, they would have found in it many contradictions.
As we will see throughout this section, hadiths are extremely contradictory, which is a distinctive feature of materials not revealed or inspired by God according to the Holy Quran.
Al Muwatta by imam Malik, Book 8, hadith 26:
Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from al-Qaqa ibn Hakim that Abu Yunus, the mawla of A'isha, umm al-muminin said, “A'isha ordered me to write out a Qur'an for her. She said, 'When you reach this ayat, let me know, “Guard the prayers carefully and the middle prayer and stand obedient to Allah.” When I reached it, I told her, and she dictated to me, “Guard the prayers carefully and the middle prayer and the asr prayer and stand obedient to Allah.” A'isha said, “I heard it from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace”.
Al Muwatta by imam Malik, Book 8, hadith 27:
Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam that ibn al Rafi said, “I was writing a Quran for Hafsa, umm al-muminin, and she said, “When you reach this ayat, let me know, “Guard the prayers carefully and the middle prayer and stand obedient to Allah.” When reached it, I told her, and she dictated to me, “Guard the prayers carefully and the middle prayer and the asr prayer and stand obedient to Allah”.
Again, we see two different wives of the prophet (A’isha and Hafsa) allegedly reporting that 2:238 was originally revealed differently and included the ‘asr prayer. Interestingly, Imam Malik reports here two hadiths which claim that “al salât al wustâ” refers to the noon prayer and not the afternoon prayer.
Al Muwatta by imam Malik, Book 8, hadith 28:
Yahya related to me from Malik from Da`ud ibn al-Husayn that Ibn Yarbu al-Makhzumi said, “I heard Zayd ibn Thabit say, 'The middle prayer is the prayer of dhuhr”.
In this hadith, “al salât al wustâ” is again identified as the noon prayer.
Al Muwatta by imam Malik, Book 8, hadith 29:
Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Ali Ibn Abi Talib and Abdallah ibn Abbas used to say, “the middle prayer is the prayer of subh.”
We have here a completely different interpretation claiming that “al salât al wustâ” is the dawn prayer (“subh” is synonym of “fajr” in hadith literature).
We witnessed that “al salât al wustâ” is interpreted as being the noon prayer, the afternoon prayer or the morning prayer according to so called reputable hadith sources. There are more hadiths and traditions that bear witness to the great divergence of opinion regarding to the correct meaning of “al salât al wustâ”. The objective of this section is to shed light on the fact that hadiths are extremely contradictory, and therefore extremely unreliable. This is one example among many that proves that instead of clarifying and completing the Quran as Sunnis claim, they do exactly the opposite, and spread horrendous lies and blasphemes such as claiming that the Quran was sometimes revealed differently initially!
Some scholars and quranists also claim that “al salât al wustâ” means “the most excellent prayer” and does not refer to a specific daily prayer, but honestly, sometimes it is better not to waste time commenting, and we will simply let that claim die of its own, as we will witness the self explanatory mathematical properties embedded in the verse.
2. Explaining verse 2:238 according to the lunar day schedule and ritual prayers decreed in the Quran
2.1 Understanding 2:238 in simple words
حفظوا على الصلوت والصلوة الوسطى وقوموا لله قنتين
(2:238) Safeguard the ritual prayers (al salawati), and the middle prayer (wassalâti ‘lwustâ), and stand [during the salât] before God with reverential humility.
There are five daily prayers decreed in the Quran (see “salât in the Quran”) which provides the details of five prayer Quranic time frames [(1) nightfall, (2) dark night, (3) dawn, (4) noon, (5) and mid-afternoon prayers]. Four of these prayers are mandatory and one is optional (the night prayer, see 17:78). The Quran has a very deep symbolical dimension, for instance the expression “turn your face(s) towards the sacred Mosque” occurs five times in the Quran (2:144, 2:149-150) and the plural “salawât” (ritual prayers) occurs a total of five times: Four times as a simple form (2:157, 2:238, 9:99, 22:40) and once with a possessive pronoun (23:9), which symbolizes in my view that one of these prayers is optional. There are also 6221 verses from 2:3 (first word “al salât”) until 98:5 (last word “al salât”), and 6221 is the 810th prime number: 810 = 5 × 162 (gematrical value of “al salât”). All this to say that the practice of five daily prayers is extensively proven, whether it be through the literal meaning of verses or allegorical signs of the Quran.
A first simple way to comment 2:238 is that the verse is written in a conspicuous manner because “al salât al wustâ” is mentioned separately in the verse which we will see in detail is designed to determine the correct position of "the middle prayer" in the Islamic day:
(2:238) Safeguard the ritual prayers [al salawât = [(1) nightfall, (2) dark night, (3) dawn, (4) and mid-afternoon prayers] and the middle prayer (al salât al wustâ = prayer timeframe which starts in the middle of the daylight), and stand [during the salât] before God with reverential humility.
Understanding 2:238 is as simple as that, provided that you analyze correctly Quranic prayer timeframes and all verses which deal with the ritual prayer in the Quran. In other words, the word “al salawât” (the ritual prayers) designates all five ritual prayers, but the verse is at the same time written in a conspicuous manner to prove that "al salaat al wusta" is the fourth prayer (the noon prayer). We saw that the plural “salawât” (ritual prayers) occurs symbolically five times in the Quran, four times as a simple form (2:157, 2:238, 9:99, 22:40) and once with a pronoun attached (23:9).
The question is why would the fourth daily prayer (al salât al wustâ = the middle prayer) be mentioned separately when there are five daily prayers? One possible symbolical explanation is that there are five words in the first part of the verse which allude to five daily prayers:
الوسطى (5) والصلوة (4) الصلوت (3) على (2) حفظوا (1)
= Safeguard the ritual prayers, and the middle prayer = five words
The second word that is associated with the prayer (al salât) is the fourth since the beginning of the verse, which corresponds to the position of “the middle prayer” in the lunar day, that is to say the noon prayer. If we calculate gematrical values of letters in 2:238 from the word “salawât” (discarding the article “al”) until “al salât al woustâ”, we get:
صلوت والصلوة الوسطى = 810 = 5 × 162 (GV “al salât”)
= “prayers and the middle prayer”
The Quran is multi-dimensional and a single verse can sometimes allow multiple meanings (as allegorically explained in 18:109) and the above correspondence between the word “salawât” (ritual prayers = three or more prayers in Arabic) and “the middle prayer” underlines in my view that there are five daily prayers in Islam, which concurs which the overall message of the Quran. Some people will ask why we discard the article “al” in the above sequence of words and will argue that it is arbitrary. We need to bear in mind that the word “al salawât” (الصلوت, the ritual prayers) occurs only once in the Quran in 2:238, while the word “salawât” (without article) occurs five times in all its forms (2:157, 2:238, 9:99, 22:40, 23:9). Once you understand that, we realize that focusing solely on the word “salawât” in the above sequence is justifiable, because we are attempting to identify the frequency of daily “salawât” (ritual prayers), which obviously include “the middle prayer”.
2:238 is coded mathematically at several levels which includes the number of words, letters as well as the abjad system which uses Arabic letters as numbers. What follows will extensively prove that the reason why “al salât al wustâ” is mentioned separately is destined to prove its position in the lunar day. We will publish later the table of gematrical values of Arabic letters and will decompose all words of 2:238 letter by letter, which will allow anyone to verify the data, even if you can’t read Arabic.

Above: Verse 2:238 written in Kufic script in a complete copy of the Quran entitled “al mushaf al imam”. The Quran was originally collected in a final book form under caliph Uthmân (576-656), the third caliph of Islam.
حفظوا على الصلوت والصلوة الوسطى وقوموا لله قنتين
(2:238) Safeguard the ritual prayers (al salawati), and the middle prayer (wassalâti ‘lwustâ), and stand [during the salât] before God with reverential humility.
Preliminary remark: The above picture of 2:238 was taken in a complete copy of the Quran written in Kufic script (al mushaf al imam), which is a script found in some of the oldest copies of the Quran (Topkapi manuscript, Samarkand Kufic Quran). It shows that the Arabic transcription above, upon which we will base our study, concurs with the script of the oldest copies of the Quran. It is the same transcription that you will find in any copy of the Quran around the world. The only observable difference is that diacritic marks (and vowels) have been added in modern Qurans to identify and pronounce more easily the various letters. A few modern Qurans I found on the internet have corrupted the original spelling of the Quran found above by changing the spelling of some letters: It is a great crime, as doing so prevents the human race from identifying mathematical properties and miracles encoded by Allah in the Glorious Quran, as will be demonstrated in this article.
2.2 Al salât al wustâ: “Middle prayer” or “most excellent prayer”?
Definition of the word “al wustâ”
According to the dictionary of the Quran by Omar, the root “wasata” signifies “to be in the midst, penetrate into the midst, be good and exalted, occupy the middle position”. The adjective “Wustâ” means “midmost, middle, most excellent”. In the Lane Lexicon one of the meanings for “al salât al wustâ” is “the middle prayer, between the other prayers, or between the prayers of the night and the day”. Another meaning is “the most excellent of them (i.e. “prayers”) in particular”. Another definition in the Lane Lexicon is the “afternoon prayer”. As pointed out earlier, Muslims and even scholars widely disagree regarding the meaning of “al salât al wustâ”.
In other words, “Al salât al wustâ” is interpreted as either “the middle prayer” (most commonly believed to be the noon or mid-afternoon prayer), which is the prevalent interpretation, or sometimes the “most excellent prayer”. In order to resolve these differences of opinion in a decisive manner, we must rely on the explicit Quran which reveals the following Quranic secrets:
The two words “wassalâti ‘lwustâ” occupy the exact middle of the verse:
1. In terms of words:

2. In terms of letters:

Detail of letters:

To summarize, in 2:238, the two words “wassalâti ‘lwustâ” (والصلوة الوسطى = “and the middle prayer”) occupy the middle of the verse in terms of words and in terms of letters.
These simple facts are particularly astonishing given the very meaning of the expression and are Quranic proofs that “al salât al wustâ” means the “middle prayer” and not “the most excellent prayer”, as claimed by some Sunnis and Quranists. Furthermore, these mathematical properties are a strong and preliminary indication that the verse is coded mathematically.
There are two correct ways to
interpret “Al salât al wustâ” and which do not contradict each other: It is the
one which starts in the “middle” of the daylight (when the sun reaches the
zenith), or the one that starts at a point which is equidistant to all three night prayers [(1)
nightfall prayer, (2) night prayer, (3) dawn prayer]. “The middle prayer” is
therefore the fourth prayer of the lunar
day according to the logical progression of the lunar day in Islam which starts
at sunset. It is also logical to mention the “equidistant” prayer last because
it is located at an equidistant point by comparison to the three night prayers,
as shown in the graph below:

Sunnis generally interpret “al salât al wustâ” as referring to the prayer “in the middle” of all other daily prayers, namely the mid-afternoon prayer:
(1) Dawn prayer, (2) noon prayer, (3) afternoon prayer, (4) sunset prayer, (5) night prayer.
This interpretation is incorrect because the Quran is based on the Islamic lunar calendar, and the lunar day in Islam starts at sunset. The mid-afternoon prayer is the fifth and last daily prayer from an Islamic point of view.
The correct interpretation is therefore that “al salât al wustâ” is the prayer which starts when the sun reaches the zenith, as it is “the middle” of the daylight, doubled with the fact that it also starts at a point which is “equidistant” (or “in the middle”) to all three night prayers.
2.3 Which salât number is “Assalât al wustâ” (the middle prayer)?
حفظوا على الصلوت والصلوة الوسطى وقوموا لله قنتين
(2:238) Safeguard the ritual prayers (salawât), as well as the middle prayer, and stand before God with reverential humility.
To understand the miracle in this section, the reader needs to understand the very simple concept of “mathematical values” of Arabic letters, also called “gematrical values”, based on the abjad numeral system (table below), which simply means that each Arabic letter as a mathematical value or number assigned to every letter:

At the time of the prophet, there were no numbers as we know them today (1,2,3,4,5…), and Arabs used (and sometimes still do to this day, for instance in Yemen) Arabic letters as numerals to count and trade, each letter of the alphabet having the mathematical value displayed in the above table.
One way to interpret 2:238 is that since “al salât al wustâ” is quoted right after “Safeguard the ritual prayers (salawât)” (حفظوا على الصلوت) and that “salawât” is a regular plural (three or more entities in Arabic by definition), the word “salawât” refers to all five daily prayers (we saw that the plural “salawât occurs five times in the Quran), and “al salât al wustâ” is purposely mentioned separately in order to occupy the middle of the verse and reveal its position in the Islamic lunar day which starts at sunset. We proved conclusively that “al salât al wustâ” is “the middle prayer”. But how do we prove mathematically that it is the noon prayer, that is to say the fourth prayer of the Islamic day [(1) nightfall, (2) night, (3) dawn and (4) noon)?
2.3.1 “Al salât al wustâ” is equal to number “FOUR” in the abjad system
Let us study the gematrical values of numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and let us compare with the gematrical value of “al salât al wustâ” to attempt to evaluate if a relation with a given number could potentially be meaningful:

We notice that “al salât al wustâ” (الصلوة الوسطى = the middle prayer, gematrical value 278) has the same gematrical value (or mathematical value) as number FOUR (أربعة = gematrical value 278). Is this a mere coincidence or a divine design? Let’s continue to study the mathematical properties of verse 2:238.
2.3.2 Let us calculate gematrical values of letters to the right and left of “al salât al wustâ” (GV 278) to attempt to identify any additional relevant mathematical properties
Let now us isolate “al salât al wustâ” from the rest of the verse, and calculate gematrical values of letters to the right and left of “al salât al wustâ” (GV 278) in the verse in order to attempt to identify any significant mathematical properties:

It is extremely difficult statistically to obtain a single multiple of 278 by chance (it is one chance out of 278). The probability for the gematrical value of “al salât al wustâ” to be 278 (gematrical value of number “four”) and to obtain by chance gematrical values multiples of 278 on the right and left of the expression in the verse (as described above) is easy to calculate:
278 × 278 × 278 = 21,484,952
From a purely statistical standpoint, this is an authentic mathematical miracle because there is one chance in over 21 million for such a system based on multiples of 278 (GV “al salât al wustâ” and “four”) to occur coincidentally.
We cannot but insist on the fact that it is particularly legitimate to isolate “the middle prayer” from the rest of the verse, as displayed in the above table, because of the meaning of the expression (the middle prayer), and because the two word expression occupies the middle of the verse in terms of words and letters as seen earlier, which is in itself was already astonishing. What we have witnessed in the table shows that verse 2:238 “revolves” or is mathematically “centered” around the mathematical value of “al salât al wustâ” (gematrical value = 278): It is very obvious that number 278 is purposely designed in the verse as a master number which symbolizes both “the middle prayer” (GV 278) and the gematrical value of number “FOUR” (أربعة = GV 278), simply because “al salât al wustâ” is the fourth prayer of the Islamic lunar day which starts at sunset [(1) sunset, (2) night, (3) dawn and (4) middle prayers].
As shown in the preceding table, the beginning of the verse (“Safeguard the ritual prayers and”) right before “al salât al wustâ” is also multiple of 278 (1668 = 278 × 6), and we notice a truly fascinating mathematical property which will be confirmed in the next section:
The factor associated with 278 (number 6) in number 1668 (= 278 × 6 = GV of “Safeguard the ritual prayers and”) seems to symbolize the addition of the numbers assigned to the first three prayers of the lunar day [i.e., (1) sunset, (2) night and (3) dawn prayers], 1668 being written in base 278 and located right before “the middle prayer” (GV 278 = GV of “four”):
1668 = 278 × 6 = 278 × (1+2+3) = (278×1) + (278×2) + (278×3)
1668 = 278 × 6 : 6 = 1+2+3
In terms of words, “1+2+3” can be written “one and two and three”, the conjunction “and” acting as the “+” that we see in the addition.
The following section is going to confirm in an astonishing manner this hypothesis.
2.3.3 The gematrical values of “Safeguard the ritual prayers” are equal to gematrical values of “One and two and three”
What we are going to witness in this section, combined to what we have already witnessed, is in my view a true mathematical miracle, simply because it is virtually impossible to reproduce in any language, except in divine revelations of course. You be the judge.
2.3.3.1 The article ”wa” must be used when there is an enumeration

Since we are assuming that “al salât al wustâ” (Gematrical Value 278) symbolizes number “four” (GV 278) in the verse given the fact that they have the same gematrical value, it is legitimate to theorize that - if The One who composed the verse chose to encode it following the same logic - it is possible that the first part of the verse also represents at a parallel level the gematrical values of numbers of all three first prayers of the lunar day [(1) sunset, (2) night and (3) dawn], namely numbers “1 and 2 and 3”.
الصلوة الوسطى حفظوا على الصلوت و
(2:238) Safeguard the ritual prayers and the middle prayer…
Since we are theorizing that we are dealing with actual numbers at a hidden parallel level, it is very important to bear in mind that “safeguard the ritual prayers” and “the middle prayer” are separated in the verse with the conjunction “wa” (و) which means “and”. This is crucial, as it means that if numbers have been coded at a parallel level, it signifies that, from a logical standpoint, those numbers must be separated by the conjunction “wa” (و = and) as well, which in Arabic is always used in an enumeration (for instance “one and two and three and four”), but can also mean an addition (1 + 2 + 3 + 4), or both, depending on the context. The article “wa” (و = “and” = gematrical value of 6) in Arabic is most of the time translated in English with a comma (,) when there is an enumeration. In English, the article “and” is usually only mentioned when the enumeration is over, which is not the case in Arabic where the article “wa” is always repeated:
1, 2, 3 and 4.
=
أربعة و ثلثة و إثنان و احد
(Ahad wa ithnân wa thalathatun wa arba’atun)
2.3.3.2 Number one in the Quran: Ahad or wâheed?
Before we can proceed with more
important mathematical properties, and because of the corruption of modern
Arabic, it is important to set the record straight regarding what number “one” is
from a Quranic perspective.

Above, Excerpt from the root “ahad’ in the Lane Lexicon (1863 edition), which explains that “ahad” (one) is “the first of the numbers”, synonym in many cases with “wâheed”.
Some people may be surprised that I translated number “one” previously in “1, 2, 3 and 4” with “ahad” (احد) and not “wâheed” (واحد), as “wâheed” is generally considered as number “one” in modern Arabic. Based on my personal research in the Quran, the real number “one” in Quranic Arabic is “ahad” (احد = one), NOT “wâheed” (واحد), which means “one and only”, “unique”, “sole”, but is not a number. What we are dealing with here is a corruption of the pure and original Arabic language, which foundation is nothing but the divine word of God (the Quran), and to a lesser extent classical Arabic.
To people who would foolishly try to claim that “ahad” is not number “one” in the Quran and that we should pick “wâheed” instead to try to evade the extraordinary mathematical properties depicted in this study, I will first ask two questions and finish with an important statement:
- Firstly, if “ahad” (احد) were not number “one” in Quranic Arabic, then why is number “eleven” written “ahada ‘achara” in the Quran (one + ten)?
اذ قال يوسف لابيه يابت انى رايت احد عشر
كوكبا والشمس والقمر رايتهم لى سجدين
(12:4) [Recall] when Joseph said to his father, "O my father, I saw eleven planets, and the sun, and the moon; I saw them prostrating before me."
This alone proves that “ahad” (احد) means number “one” in the Quran, whether people like it or not.
- Secondly, and bearing in mind that double digit numbers are entirely composed or derived from numbers from 1 to 10 in Arabic, I defy anyone to show me one single multiple digit number (10, 11, 12..20, 21, 31, 100, 200…. to infinity) in the Quran that is composed or derived from “wâheed” (واحد) instead of “ahad” (احد). You can waste your time if you like: It does not exist in the Quran.
- Thirdly, please bear in mind that if we select for instance number “twenty one” (21), it is written in modern Arabic with “wâheed”: “wâheed wa‘ishroon” (وعشرون واحد). This said, one needs to know that it can perfectly be written “ahad wa‘ishroon” (وعشرون احد) in old Classical Arabic as proven below:

This excerpt from the Lane Lexicon (1863 Edition) proves that “twenty one” can interchangeably be written “وعشرون احد” (ahad wa’ishroon = one + twenty) or “وعشرون واحد” (wâheed wa’ishroon = wâheed + twenty).
We saw that there are no multiple digit numbers (21, 31, 41, 121, 251 etc… ) finishing with number “one” in the Quran except number eleven (“ahada ‘achara” = احد عشر = one + ten), so it seriously leaves the question open regarding how “twenty one” and other similar numbers ending with “one” were written at the time of the prophet.
Given the importance of what will follow, it was very important to set the record straight and justify my choice to translate one as “ahad” (احد) in “ONE and TWO and THREE and FOUR” (أربعة و ثلثة و إثنان و احد) relying on the example of the Quran, instead of blindly accepting “wâheed”, which is currently used in corrupted modern Arabic.
2.3.3.3 Table: Gematrical values of “Safeguard the ritual prayers” are equal to “ONE and TWO and THREE”
(2:238) Safeguard the ritual prayers and the middle prayer (GV 278 = GV “FOUR” )
We already know that the gematrical
value of “al salât al wustâ” (GV 278) is equal to number “FOUR” (GV 278).
Let us study if, following the same logic, the gematrical value of the first
part of the verse (“safeguard the ritual prayers
and” = gematrical value 1688
= 278 × 6) could be equal to “ONE
and TWO and THREE and” in Quranic Arabic, which would be absolutely remarkable
from a statistical standpoint if that were to be the case:
أربعة و ثلثة و إثنان و احد
ONE and TWO and THREE and FOUR (GV of “al salât al wustâ”)

In other words, if we remove the final conjunction “wa” (و = “and” = GV 6) in both expressions in the table above, it is clear that “Safeguard the ritual prayers” and “one and two and three” both have the same gematrical value of 1662!
… we have now conclusively proven that the first part of the verse “Safeguard the ritual prayers and” added to “al salât al wustâ” reflects exactly the gematrical value of numbers “One and two and three and four” in the abjad system that was in place at the time of the prophet, thus confirming the position of “the middle prayer” in the Islamic lunar day as the noon prayer!
This is in addition to the fact that “Safeguard the ritual prayers and” (GV 1688 = 278 × 6) and “al salât al wustâ” (GV 278) are both multiples of 278 (gematrical value of “four”), as well as the end of the verse (“and stand before God with reverential humility” = GV 834 = 278 × 3), which shows that the entire verse is centered and coded around “al Salât al wustâ” (GV 278), which mathematical value is most obviously and purposely used as a master number in 2:238.
All this proves that the overwhelming majority of Sunnis and Shias have deviated from the right path of the Quran by following “hadiths other than God and His verses” (39:45) as most of them believe that “al salât al wustâ” is the mid-afternoon prayer. At the same time, this mathematical phenomenon further exposes Sunnis and Quranists who claim that “al salât al wustâ” signifies “the most excellent prayer”.
2.3.4 The Gematrical value of “Safeguard the ritual prayers and the middle prayer” is equal to the gematrical value of “One and two and three and four”
The goal of the following table is simply to verify that the gematrical value of “Safeguard the ritual prayers and the middle prayer” is equal to the gematrical value of numbers “One and two and three and four” in Quranic Arabic:

One possible way to describe the phenomenon depicted in the above table is to call it a “mathematical resonance” between “Safeguard the ritual prayers and the middle prayer” (GV 1946 = 278 × 7) and numbers “One and two and three and FOUR” (GV 1946 = 278 × 7).

The above graph helps to visualize better why, as explained previously, 2:238 is written in a peculiar way:
“Safeguard the ritual prayers” (GV 1662) symbolizes numbers “one and two and three” (GV 1662) or first three daily prayers [(1) sunset, (2) night and (3) dawn prayers] - while “al salât al wustâ” (GV 278, the middle prayer) symbolizes number “four” (GV 278), thus defining the correct position of “the middle prayer” in the lunar day.
We are now ready to study the gematrical value of the entire verse 2:238 which will cement even more our analysis:
2.3.5 The total gematrical value of verse 2:238 is also coded with numbers 1 and two and three and four

The total gematrical value of the verse is 2780 = 278 × 10. The factor associated with 278 (Gematrical value of “al salât al wustâ” as well as number “FOUR”) is number 10:
10 = 1+2+3+4
This addition (1+2+3+4) can only remind us what we have witnessed in the previous section, meaning that the mathematical value of “Safeguard the ritual prayers and the middle prayer” (GV 1946 = 278 × 7) is equal to the mathematical value of numbers “1 and 2 and 3 and 4” (GV 1946 = 278 × 7), which no one can deny can be mathematically written “1+2+3+4” as well, because the article “wa” (و = “and”), just like in English and other languages, applies to additions in Arabic.
In other words, another way to write the total gematrical value of verse 2:238 is:
2780 = 278 × (1+2+3+4)
What we are witnessing here is that the total gematrical value of 2:238 is a hidden clue regarding the fact that numbers “1 + 2 + 3 + 4” [= أربعة (+) و ثلثة (+) و إثنان (+) و احد = “ONE and TWO and THREE and FOUR”] are related to master number 278 (GV of “four” and “the middle prayer”) at a hidden level in the verse.
Gematrical value of 2:238 = 2780 = 278 × (1+2+3+4)
In other words, proclaiming that “safeguard the ritual prayers and the middle prayer” (GV 1946 = 278 × 7) symbolizes numbers “1+2+3+4” (GV 1946 = 278 × 7) at a parallel level when associated with “the middle prayer” (GV 278) does not come out of nowhere, and is in fact directly written in a subtle and hidden manner (as a hidden clue) in the gematrical value of the entire verse 2:238.
Writing that the gematrical value of 2:238 (2780) equals “278 × (1+2+3+4)” establishes a symbolical relation between numbers “one and two and three and four” (أربعة (+) و ثلثة (+) و <