An Analysis of the Arabic of 9:128 and 9:129

Past research has thoroughly proven that verses 9:128 and 9:129 were never part of the original Quran, but were nefariously added after the prophet’s death in a grand conspiracy that was finally brought to light via the mathematical structure of the Quran. More information on this topic and its history can be found here and here.

In this article I want to look at the Arabic of these two false verses to show further evidence that the Arabic utilized by these authors does not corroborate with the rest of the Quran, and instead forms numerous contradictions. Since the Quran is written in perfect Arabic, if these two verses are part of the whole, then there shouldn’t be any inconsistencies in the Arabic between these two verses and the rest of the Quran, but as we will see this is not the case.

[26:192] This is a revelation from the Lord of the universe.

وَإِنَّهُ لَتَنْزِيلُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

[26:193] The Honest Spirit (Gabriel) came down with it.

نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الْأَمِينُ

[26:194] To reveal it into your heart, that you may be one of the warners.

عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنْذِرِينَ

[26:195] In a perfect Arabic tongue.

بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُبِينٍ

The best source to understand the meanings of the Arabic words of the Quran is by using the Quran itself. This may seem counterintuitive, but this is one of the fascinating aspects of the Quran that we can use the Quran’s own text to decipher meanings and understandings of the Quran. While a person can use Classical Arabic sources, similar to a dictionary, to understand the range of meanings of a root, these derivative meanings should never be used in contradiction to how the words are actually used in the Quran itself. A better approach is to have a general understanding of the word and then see how it is actually applied in the Quran. As many Arabic roots have a multitude of meanings it is important that we select the proper meaning for how it is used throughout the Quran.

A guaranteed way to misunderstand the meaning of the Quran and lead ourselves astray is to treat the Arabic Quran as a sort of mad-lib where meanings are arbitrarily selected from derivative root meanings despite how the word and root is used throughout the Quran itself. Meanings should never be applied carte blanche without investigating how the root is used throughout the Quran such that no contradictions are made. This is particularly true for words and roots that are used numerous times throughout the Quran and consistently with the same meaning or context. If all of a sudden a different meaning is applied in a single instance that is at odds with all the other uses of that word in the Quran then this should cause a flag to be raised and an investigation to understand the discrepancy.

So while neither verses (9:128-129) were part of the original Quran the discrepancies in the Arabic are found in verse 128 which was inserted in praise to the prophet against his will. This is in contrast to verse 129, which is in glorification of God and utilizes much the same language and expressions that can be found in other places of the Quran (See 3:32, 27:26, 40:3, 39:38, and 47:38). But it doesn’t matter how correct a statement is, we should never insert anything more into the Quran. So because of this, the main focus of this article will be verse 128 where as you will see there were many liberties taken by the authors that contradict much of the Arabic Quran.

So let’s start by looking at the Arabic of these two verses:

Here is the word by word breakdown:

128	1	لَقَدْ	For certain	laqad	ق د
128	2	جَاءَكُمْ	[he] came to you [all]	jāakum	ج ي ا
128	3	رَسُولٌ	a messenger	rasūlun	ر س ل
128	4	مِنْ	from (among)	min	م ن
128	5	أَنْفُسَكُمْ	yourselves.	anfusakum	ن ف س
128	6	عَزِيزٌ	Grievous	ʿazīzun	ع ز ز
128	7	عَلَيْهِ	upon him	ʿalayhi	ع ل ي
128	8	مَا	what	mā	م ا
128	9	عَنِتُّمْ	distresses you [all] / (makes) you [all] suffer.	ʿanittum	ع ن ت
128	10	حَرِيصٌ	Concerned	ḥarīṣun	ح ر ص
128	11	عَلَيْكُمْ	for you [all].	ʿalaykum	ع ل ي
128	12	بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ	With the believers	bil-mu’minīna	ا م ن
128	13	رَءُوفٌ	kind,	raūfun	ر ا ف
128	14	رَحِيمٌ	merciful.	raḥīmun	ر ح م
–	–	–	–	–	–
129	1	فَإِن	“But if	fa-in	ا ن
129	2	تَوَلَّوْا	you [all] turn away	tawallaw	و ل ي
129	3	فَقُلْ	then say	faqul	ق و ل
129	4	حَسْبِيَ	“Sufficient for me	ḥasbiya	ح س ب
129	5	اللَّهُ	(is) God.	l-lahu	ا ل ه
129	6	لَا	(There is) no	lā	ل ا
129	7	إِلَٰهَ	god	ilāha	ا ل ه
129	8	إِلَّا	except	illā	ا ل ل ا
129	9	هُوَ	Him;	huwa	ه و
129	10	إِلَيْهِ	to Him	ilayhi	ا ل ي
129	11	تَوَكَّلْتُ	[I] put my trust	tawakkaltu	و ك ل
129	12	وَهُوَ	and he (is)	wahuwa	ه و
129	13	رَبُّ	(the) Lord (of)	rabbu	ر ب ب
129	14	الْعَرْشِ	the throne / dominion	l-ʿarshi	ع ر ش
129	15	الْعَظِيمِ	the great.”	l-ʿaẓīmi	ع ظ م

Red Flag #1: عَزِيزٌ (ʿazīzun)

Starting from the top of the verse, the first strange phenomenon is the use of the word عَزِيزٌ (ʿazīzun). This root occurs 119 times in the Quran. In the entire Quran, out of all 119 occurrences of this root not once is this word, let alone this root used in the context of a “grievance” as is depicted in 128.

Consistently in the Quran this word is used in in the context of power, honor, pride, dignity, and mostly in reference to might. This specific word is used predominately as a name of God which would be translated as Almighty which constitutes 88 of the 119 occurrences.

The closest use to any context even close to “grievous” is in the following two verses, 35:17 & 14:20, but even in these verses the context of the word بِعَزِيزٍ (biʿazīzin) is still in regards to power and might, that such tasks are not “difficult” to do for God.

[35:17] This is not too difficult for GOD.

 وَمَا ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ بِعَزِيزٍ

[14:20] This is not too difficult for GOD.

وَمَا ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ بِعَزِيزٍ

وَمَا	And not (is)	wamā	م ا
ذَٰلِكَ	that	dhālika	ذ ل ك
عَلَى	for	ʿalā	ع ل ي
اللَّهِ	God	l-lahi	ا ل ه
بِعَزِيزٍ	in difficulty.	biʿazīzin	ع ز ز

Based on the above, how does this impact the expression “عَزِيزٌ عَلَيۡهِ مَا عَنِتُّمۡ”, what does this expression even mean? It is clear that the common translation as we find it “Grievous to him is what you suffer” does not match the Quranic use of the words. As described above, the Quran is not a mad-lib where we select meanings arbitrarily to formulate sentences. If the word عَزِيزٌ (ʿazīzun) meant in any way shape or form grievous we would expect to see this in at least one other verse out of the 119 occurrences, but we do not.

I am not doubting that this word could be used in other sources with the particular context as “grievous,” but we do not have even one time where this meaning is used in a single verse of the Quran in this context. The Arabic Quran is perfect and should be the standard by which we understand the text. If a word that is used as widely as عَزِيزٌ (ʿazīzun) is consistently translated with with a particular set of meanings, it makes no sense to select a completely different meaning in this occurrence that contradicts all the other verses.

Therefore, the meaning using the Quran as the translator for this expression “عَزِيزٌ عَلَيۡهِ مَا عَنِتُّمۡ” should be “Mighty to him, what distresses you.” This obviously does not make much sense, let alone align with the rest of the Quran and because of this should be of major concern for those who are in doubt if this verse belongs in the Quran.

6	عَزِيزٌ	Mighty	ʿazīzun	ع ز ز
7	عَلَيْهِ	to him,	ʿalayhi	ع ل ي
8	مَا	what	mā	م ا
9	عَنِتُّمْ	distresses you [all] / you [all] suffer.	ʿanittum	ع ن ت

Red Flag #2: حَرِيصٌ (ḥarīṣun)

128 also uses the word حَرِيصٌ (ḥarīṣun). This word comes from the root ح ر ص. This root is only used four times in the entire Quran. All the occurrences of this root are in the context of desire, but in the context of 128 this word is translated as “concerned”.

Again from the verses of the Quran and looking at how words with the same root are used in other occurrences we see that to translate the expression “حَرِيصٌ عَلَيۡكُم” as “He is concerned over you” does not correspond with other uses of this root. Instead according to the meaning of this word as used per the Quran, the translation would be implying that the prophet was covetous or desiring of the believers, which again does not align with the rest of the Quran. But due to the only select uses of this root in the Quran, this point is not as strong as the previous point.

10	حَرِيصٌ	Covetous / Desiring	ḥarīṣun	ح ر ص
11	عَلَيْكُمْ	for you [all].	ʿalaykum	ع ل ي

Red Flag #3: رَءُوفٌ (raūfun)

The Arabic word رَءُوفٌ (raūfun) occurs ten times in the Quran and every single instance throughout the Quran is in reference to God. The word is typically translated as Most Kind or Compassionate. We do not have a single occurrence of this word being used to anyone other than God in the entire Quran.

As we see above, the root for this word occurs twelve times in the Quran. The other two occurrences use the plural form رَأْفَةً (rafatan) in 57:27 and 24:2. These other two occurrences are in the plural form because they are applied to people.

[57:27] Subsequent to them, we sent our messengers. We sent Jesus the son of Mary, and we gave him the Injeel (Gospel), and we placed in the hearts of his followers kindness and mercy. But they invented hermitism which we never decreed for them. All we asked them to do was to uphold the commandments approved by GOD. But they did not uphold the message as they should have. Consequently, we gave those who believed among them their recompense, while many of them were wicked.

 ثُمَّ قَفَّيْنَا عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِمْ بِرُسُلِنَا وَقَفَّيْنَا بِعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْإِنْجِيلَ وَجَعَلْنَا فِي قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ رَأْفَةً وَرَحْمَةً وَرَهْبَانِيَّةً ابْتَدَعُوهَا مَا كَتَبْنَاهَا عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ رِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ فَمَا رَعَوْهَا حَقَّ رِعَايَتِهَا فَآتَيْنَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْهُمْ أَجْرَهُمْ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ

[24:2] The adulteress and the adulterer you shall whip each of them a hundred lashes. Do not be swayed by pity from carrying out GOD’s law, if you truly believe in GOD and the Last Day. And let a group of believers witness their penalty.

الزَّانِيَةُ وَالزَّانِي فَاجْلِدُوا كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا مِائَةَ جَلْدَةٍ وَلَا تَأْخُذْكُمْ بِهِمَا رَأْفَةٌ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَلْيَشْهَدْ عَذَابَهُمَا طَائِفَةٌ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

So when رَءُوفٌ (raūfun) is applied in the singular form it is always in reference to God. This is because God is the source and the criteria for Compassion, therefore it only applies to Him alone. But if we look at 128 we see that the innovators have made this singular form and applied it to the prophet.

Red Flag #4: رَحِيمٌ (raḥīmun)

We see the similar phenomenon with second description of the prophet in 128 with the word رَحِيمٌ (raḥīmun). We see that this word in the singular form occurs 57 times in the Quran, and again every single occurrence is in reference to God alone. The other spelling of رَحِيمًا (raḥīman) occurs 20 times in the Quran and again every single occurrence is in reference to God alone. The only time you will see this word applied to people is in the plural tense like in 48:29 which uses the form رُحَمَاءُ (ruḥamāu), which interesting enough is in regards to Muhammad and the believers.

[48:29] Muhammad—the messenger of GOD—and those with him are harsh and stern against the disbelievers, but kind and compassionate amongst themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating, as they seek GOD’s blessings and approval. Their marks are on their faces, because of prostrating. This is the same example as in the Torah. Their example in the Gospel is like plants that grow taller and stronger, and please the farmers. He thus enrages the disbelievers. GOD promises those among them who believe and lead a righteous life forgiveness and a great recompense.

مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ذَٰلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْإِنْجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَىٰ عَلَىٰ سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنْهُمْ مَغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا

But when we look at 128, we see that again the authors of this verse applied this word in the singular towards Muhammad which completely contradicts the rest of the Quran, as only God is رَحِيمٌ (raḥīmun). This may be challenging to understand in English but this is the difference between a person who can be merciful and God who is Merciful. This is why in English we will capitalize the word or in addition add the word “Most” before the word to distinguish God who is Most Merciful from anyone else who may have traits of mercy.

Red Flag #5: رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ

Not only do we find each of the words رَءُوفٌ (raūfun) and رَحِيمٌ (raḥīmun) used exclusively in reference to God throughout the entire Quran in every single instance, but we even find both these names in this exact same order in reference to God in the following eight verses:

[2:143] We thus made you an impartial community, that you may serve as witnesses among the people, and the messenger serves as a witness among you. We changed the direction of your original Qiblah only to distinguish those among you who readily follow the messenger from those who would turn back on their heels. It was a difficult test, but not for those who are guided by GOD. GOD never puts your worship to waste. GOD is Compassionate towards the people, Most Merciful.

وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الْقِبْلَةَ الَّتِي كُنْتَ عَلَيْهَا إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَنْ يَتَّبِعُ الرَّسُولَ مِمَّنْ يَنْقَلِبُ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ لَكَبِيرَةً إِلَّا عَلَى الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ

[9:117] GOD has redeemed the prophet, and the immigrants (Muhãjireen) and the supporters who hosted them and gave them refuge (Ansãr), who followed him during the difficult times. That is when the hearts of some of them almost wavered. But He has redeemed them, for He is Compassionate towards them, Most Merciful.

لَقَدْ تَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَةِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِيقٍ مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّهُ بِهِمْ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ

[16:7] And they carry your loads to lands that you could not reach without a great hardship. Surely, your Lord is Compassionate, Most Merciful.

وَتَحْمِلُ أَثْقَالَكُمْ إِلَىٰ بَلَدٍ لَمْ تَكُونُوا بَالِغِيهِ إِلَّا بِشِقِّ الْأَنْفُسِ إِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ

[16:47] Or it may strike them while they are fearfully expecting it. Your Lord is Compassionate, Most Merciful.

 أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ عَلَىٰ تَخَوُّفٍ فَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ

[22:65] Do you not see that GOD has committed in your service everything on earth? The ships run in the ocean by His command. He prevents the heavenly bodies from crashing onto the earth, except in accordance with His command. GOD is Most Kind towards the people, Most Merciful.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَالْفُلْكَ تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَيُمْسِكُ السَّمَاءَ أَنْ تَقَعَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ

[24:20] GOD showers you with His grace and mercy. GOD is Most Kind towards the believers, Most Merciful.

وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ

[57:9] He is the One who sends down to His servant clear revelations, in order to lead you out of the darkness into the light. GOD is Compassionate towards you, Most Merciful.

هُوَ الَّذِي يُنَزِّلُ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ لِيُخْرِجَكُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ

[59:10] Those who became believers after them say, “Our Lord, forgive us and our brethren who preceded us to the faith, and keep our hearts from harboring any hatred towards those who believed. Our Lord, You are Compassionate, Most Merciful.”

وَالَّذِينَ جَاءُوا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ

Conclusion

The Quran sets its own criteria, and as these verses 128 and 129 were bundled together before they were added to the Quran we can unequivocally state that verse 128 completely fails on five separate accounts when compared against the rest of the Quran. By adding this verse it forms numerous contradictions in the Arabic Quran, and since 129 accompanied this verse when it was added it too should be discarded as proven via the mathematical structure of the Quran.