As-salamu ‘Alaykum,
This is a quick blog post about the Quran Math Miracles video series. In my 2018 e-book, Quran Math Miracles, which is available as a free download from this website, I highly praised and supplicated good for those whom I benefit from in these videos. Furthermore, I likewise make it clear in this series of videos that my videos are based on two separate methodologies. One of these methodologies is based on the Uthmanic Quran codex, which more faithfully follows the Quran as it was written, and is the methodology used by the Noon Center for Quran Research and Studies, directed by Sheikh Bassam Jarrar. The other methodology uses modern grammar rules, and is used by those at QuranWay.com. Whenever I add my own findings or observations, I follow the methodology of the Uthmanic Quran codex, which is used by the Noon Center for Quran Research and Studies.
The purpose of this post is to explain why I will no longer be referring to or using the findings published by Quranway.com.
In October of 2017, I was contacted by an employee from Quranway.com, and while the researchers at Quranway, along with the owner of the site, are honorable and seem to be good, polite, and well-mannered, reasonable people, this overzealous employee was unfortunately the extreme opposite. He claimed that I was stealing their findings and claiming that they were mine! Along with these accusations, he added all sorts of rather unpleasant language and hostilities in the comments section on YouTube, and then also via my website contact e-mail.
This included comments telling me that I am worse than atheists who are more honorable than me, as well as comments saying that I purposefully do all sorts of falsehood.
Imagine that… This person was not only extremely disrespectful, but clearly also believed that he could also look into my heart and know the unknown with certainty. He further made several threats, including the making of a video to basically ruin my reputation.
This behavior is simply ironic, because I have long known that once a Muslim tries to do any good, one can unfortunately expect attacks from Muslims before any attacks from non-Muslims. Despite the way I was approached, I responded with very gentle and polite language in a fully respectful manner (all of which is fully documented; however, it is generally wrong to publish private communications), while also highlighting and quoting their very own policy, which is published on their site and gives me and all others the right to translate and disseminate all of their findings (not just the few I selected to contribute to a video) so long as the source is mentioned. I also said that if this was the position they were taking, then I would no longer use their material or help spread the word about them and their findings. Needless to say, this was extremely painful due to how much I respected their efforts, and especially after having highly praised their work and noting them as the source for certain findings and making this clear in the relevant work. Yet what happened next made everything good again…
I was again contacted through the same account, but this time by the real honorable and respectable owner of Quranway, who explained that he has many employees who work for him and use his account and e-mail address, and said that the language they used against me was unacceptable and apologized to me. He used polite and respectable language, which clearly reflects his high moral character. He said he was honored to be in contact with me and confirmed that I and all Muslims have every right to use the information on their website so long as the source is mentioned.
Yet today (June 2, 2020), I again received hostile comments from what was presumably a new employee, who was not only highly disrespectful, but actually literally questioned if I am even a Muslim! He made several unpleasant comments, after which he said that I was using some of their material. He also said that I was mixing up different methods, and that my book mixed up between two separate methodologies.
My book makes it very clear that there are two separate methodologies, and I likewise note this in my YouTube series about the mathematical findings. I clearly explain that there are two separate methodologies and called them Approach A and Approach B. It is not some secret or conspiracy. I clearly state that there are two methods used, and this is explained in the book and noted in the video series. Likewise I am always making it clear that I use other people’s findings and often add some of my own, but for someone to suggest that all of the findings in this episode (No. 18) are from them, and to say that I stole them and attributed them to myself in a dishonest manner, is not just silly but borderline insane.
The irony is that this was the accusation I received in the comments section of a video where I not only clearly stated Quranway as the source verbally, but also literally wrote it out on the video screen in big, bold letters to make the source even more explicitly clear! [For example, see min. 9:00 of Episode 18, which is the video that triggered all of this hostility from the Quranway employee.]
Furthermore, by no stretch of the imagination was all of the information in the video taken from Quranway as this employee again falsely suggested; in fact, most of it was not taken from Quranway, but instead from the other sources (mainly Sheikh Bassam Jarrar, whom I also clearly cite), which I also clearly mention in the video. In addition, some of the information comes from observations of my own!
One would imagine with such efforts, sticking his neck out for Allah’s sake and wishing to support his community, that this brother would be supportive and point out any mistakes in a straightforward manner so that they may be fixed. Maybe the brother would also notice that the channel has never been monetized, albeit there is nothing wrong with that (and may change in the future), but I simply want people to be able to see the videos and benefit with as few interruptions as possible. Alhamdulillah, almost all of my Muslim brothers and sisters have otherwise been tremendously supportive, and their kindness is overwhelming and highly appreciated, including their sincere, good-willed criticism, which is also important, helpful, and appreciated.
For this and other reasons related to the tremendously time-consuming work of researching the Prophet’s biography for my new book, in addition to the work of mapping out Makkah and working on the other projects I am involved in, I have decided to stop using all material from Quranway.com in all future works. With “friends” like this, who needs enemies? I can only urge Quranway to give better guidance to their employees and pray for them to have even more success in their work. I must also repeat that the researchers at Quranway are very respectful and good people, as is the owner of the site! This is not a criticism of Quranway itself, which has done great work; rather this is a response to just one seemingly rogue employee.
This post is also intended as a message to my respected followers, some of whom have urged me to continue adding findings from the respectable establishment of Quranway to my videos. Because of the issues explained above, however, any future videos or writings I compile on the topic of Quran mathematics will from now on strictly follow the Uthmanic Quran codex, which more faithfully follows the Quran as it was written, and is the methodology used by the Noon Center for Quran Research and Studies. Having said that, I will also not hesitate to add my own findings along with those of others (of course, citing them whenever appropriate) so long as they also adhere to this methodology.
This will, insha’Allah, actually be much better and more authentic, and will also help keep things even clearer. For those who are familiar with his work, the honorable Eng. Abduldaem Al-Kaheel is also involved in this type of research, and many of his findings also adhere to this methodology, although he may not limit himself to just this approach.
Insha’Allah, this blog post successfully addresses any questions the respected viewers of my YouTube channel may have regarding this matter. To you, respected viewers, I also give you the glad tidings of an amazing surprise related to Makkah at the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that I have been working on day and night with an honorable and kind brother from Pakistan. Allah willing, I will soon be able to announce the details of this surprise, which will be freely available to all.
May Allah protect our hearts from animosity toward our brothers and sisters in faith, and protect us from ever wrongly attributing the work of others to ourselves.
Binimad Al-Ateeqi, June 2, 2020
