Miserable Is What He Decided

Sura 74 is entitled The Hidden Secret (Al-Muddath-thir / الـمـدثـر). This Sura is regarding the 19-based mathematical miracle of the Quran.

[74:30] Over it is nineteen.

(٣٠) عَلَيْهَا تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ

This Sura describes a human being who evaluated this phenomenon and then concluded that the Quran is man-made.

[74:11] Let Me deal with one I created as an individual.
[74:12] I provided him with lots of money.
[74:13] And children to behold.
[74:14] I made everything easy for him.
[74:15] Yet, he is greedy for more.
[74:16] He stubbornly refused to accept these proofs.
[74:17] I will increasingly punish him.
[74:18] For he reflected, then decided.
[74:19] Miserable is what he decided.
[74:20] Miserable indeed is what he decided.
[74:21] He looked.
[74:22] He frowned and whined.
[74:23] Then he turned away arrogantly.
[74:24] He said, “This is but clever magic!
[74:25] “This is human made.”

It is interesting that the word translated in Arabic as “decided” in verses 18 – 20, is the word قَدَّرَ / qaddara.

[74:18] For he reflected, then decided.

(١٨) إِنَّهُ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ

[74:19] Miserable is what he decided.

(١٩) فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ

[74:20] Miserable indeed is what he decided.

(٢٠) ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ

The Arabic of the Quran uses multiple words that can be translated as “decided” and each of them has a slightly different connotation. For example, there is عَزَمَ ʿazama, قَضَىٰ qaḍā, حَكَمَ ḥakama. Each of these words has a slight different flavor when used in the context of deciding. Such that عَزَمَ ʿazama is a decision based on an intention, قَضَىٰ qaḍā is a decision in the form of a decree, حَكَمَ ḥakama is a decision based on a judgment or ruling.

What is interesting in the usage of the word قَدَّرَ qaddara in the context of the above verses, comes from a decision that is based on a calculation or measurement. This is why we see this root used in the Quran as a form of measurement (23:18, 43:11, 42:27, 25:2, 22:74, 32:5, 70:4, 34:11, 73:20). Because of this, you will see some translations say:

Miserable indeed is what he calculated/measured/analyzed.

In conjunction with the mathematical miracle of the Quran, this makes sense because a disbeliever will be able to calculate, measure, and analyze the 19-based phenomenon of the Quran yet be baffled by what they see only to make the claim that:

[74:24] He said, “This is but clever magic!
[74:25] “This is human made.”

(٢٤) فَقَالَ إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ
(٢٥) إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا قَوْلُ الْبَشَرِ

Additionally, the word قَدَّرَ / qaddara has a gematrical value of:

100 + 4 + 200 = 304 = 19 x 16

If we add the verse numbers where this word occurs in Sura 74 we get:

18 + 19 + 20 = 57 = 19 x 3

Also, the word قَدَّرَ on the 19th verse is the 57th word in Sura 74.