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 knowledge.

The word “year” is written in two radically different ways in the Quran and the purpose of this article is to rectify the widespread belief in Islam that the words “Sanat” (سنة) and “’Âm” (عام) are synonyms in the Quran.

Each of these singular words occurs seven times in the Quran, providing one of many examples of mathematical symmetries of Quranic words. At the time this article was published, the vast majority of Arab-speaking Muslims in the world, if not all of them, believe that the words “Sanat” (سنة) and “’Âm” (عام) are perfect synonyms. We will on the contrary demonstrate through the meaning of verses as well as the mathematical miracle of the Quran that the two words actually respectively mean “Solar Year” (سنة = “Sanat”) and “lunar year” = (عام = “’Âm”).

Although the Quran acknowledges both the concept of a solar and lunar year, we will also prove that the Islamic calendar acknowledged by the Quran is a lunar calendar thanks to the straightforward meaning of verses as well as a wide array of profound mathematical properties. Whoever reads this article closely and entirely will witness increasingly astonishing proofs as it combines proofs found in several important articles on this website. 

Table of content:

1. Sanat: Definition

2. ‘Âm: definition

3. Verse 18:25: Quranic symbol of the relationship between a Solar and a Lunar year

4. Solar year (Sanat) and Lunar year (‘Âm): Mathematical confirmation

5. Ratio between the 7 verses with “Solar Year” and 7 verses with “Lunar year”

6. Key Verses to understand the meaning of “Sanat” and “’Âm” and avoid misinterpretations

7. Edward Lane’s dictionary mentions the correct definition of “Sanat” and “’Âm”

8. Is the Quranic Islamic calendar solar or lunar?

8.1 Solar or lunar month?

8.2 Ramadan: Definition

8.3 The first and last phases of the lunar month described in the Quran

8.4 A cluster of mathematical evidence confirms that months, as well as laylatul qadr are counted within the frame of a lunar year in the Quran and not a solar year

8.4.1 the word “month”

8.4.2 Laylatul Qadr is always coded as the 27^th night of Ramadan

8.4.2.1 Laylatul Qadr: The 27th night of the 9th moon

8.4.2.2. The night of the decree coded in the 365 word “day” system

8.4.2.3 “Splitting of the moon”: Dividing all words “moon” around key verse 54:1 reveals the date of the night of decree (laylatul Qadr) in the Islamic lunar calendar

8.4.2.4 The night of the decree coded through prime numbers

8.4.2.5 The night of the decree and the Bismillah

8.4.2.6 The intersection between 27 and 9 in the numbering system of the Quran

8.4.3 Is the year chosen by caliph Omar as the beginning of the Hijri calendar authentic from a Quranic point of view?

Conclusion

1. Sanat: Definition

“Sanat” (سنة) derives from the root “sanâ” (سنا), which means “to blaze”, “to brighten”, “to flash”. In 24:43 we find the same root word and have the example of the lightning which “brightens” so much that it takes away the eyesight. Therefore, the word “Sanat” (سنة, GV 115, feminine word) carries the idea of intense light, like the “sun” (شمس, the word is feminine as well). For this very reason, it consistently refers to or symbolizes a Solar year in the Quran. We are going to provide decisive proofs in this regard.

The simple form “Sanat” (year) occurs 7 times in 2:96; 5:26, 22:47, 29:14, 32:5, 46:15 and 70:4.

A very similar root that is linked to “sanaa” (سنا) is saniha (سنه), which means “to advance in age”. Every time the Quran expresses the age of a human being or how many years a human being lived, it is consistently expressed in “Solar years” (Sanat), which is consistent with the way human beings around the globe almost always count their age to stay in phase with the recurrence of seasons.

(2:96) In fact, you will find them the most covetous of life; even more so than the idol worshipers. The one of them wishes to live a thousand [solar] years (Sanat). But this will not spare him any retribution, no matter how long he lives. GOD sees everything that they do.

(46:15)…until the time he reaches his maturity and the age of forty year(s) (Sanat)…

2. ‘Âm: definition:

“‘Âm” (عام, GV 111, masculine word) derives from the root “’âma”, which means “to enter in a contract for one (lunar) year”. The simple form occurs 7 times in verses 2:259; 9:37; 9:126; 12:49 and 29:14.

Since “Sanat” is the symbol of a Solar year, we can logically expect that “’Âm” is the symbol of a lunar year in the Quran.

Remark: The word “Moon” (قمر) is also masculine in Arabic.

One obvious example that “’Âm” means “Lunar year” is verse 9:37; let’s first read 2:189 and 2:197 to understand the context:

(2:189) They ask you about the apparitions [of the new moons]; Say: They are timing devices for the people and for the Hajj…

(2:197) Hajj takes place during the well-known months (الحج اشهر معلومت = “months” is a regular plural = three or more lunar months by definition in Arabic), so whoever undertakes Hajj therein…

(9:36) Indeed, the number of months according to God is twelve [lunar] months, in accordance with God’s decree from the day He created the heavens and the earth. Among them, four are sacred. This is the religion upright. So do not wrong yourselves in this regard and fight the polytheists altogether, just like they fight you altogether; and know that God is on the side of the righteous. (9:37) The postponement [of the Sacred months] is a sign of excessive disbelief; it augments the straying of those who have disbelieved. They make it lawful some Lunar year (عاما = ‘Âm) and make it unlawful some [other] Lunar year (عاما = ‘Âm) to adjust the number [of months], which God has prohibited (i.e. the number of months shall always be 12 lunar months and never 13 to try to stay in phase with the seasons), and making lawful what God has made unlawful. Their evil works are adorned in their eyes. God does not guide disbelieving people.

The polytheists in Arabia used to carry over a sacred month to another from time to time to adjust the lunar calendar to the solar calendar. The practice of “intercalation” is made unlawful in the verse. The use of “’Âm in 9:37 unquestionably signifies “Lunar year” since the sacred months are based on a perfect lunar calendar without any intercalation.

Based on this observation, we learn for instance from the perfect Quran in 12:49 that a lunar calendar was in place in Egypt at the time of Joseph:

(12:49) “Then will come after that a lunar year (‘Âm) in which people will receive abundant rain, and they will [once again] press [juice, oil, wine, etc…].”

In 29:14 the age of Noah is expressed both in solar and lunar years, as he is said to have lived one thousand solar years (sanat), less fifty lunar years (’Âm). 50 lunar years = 50 × 354.367056 days = 17718.3528 days; 17718.3528 days / 365.2425 days = 48.51 solar years; 1000 solar years – 48.51 solar years = 951.49 solar years = age of Noah when he passed away, if years were exactly the same length at the time (?).

Two different words have been used because they are not synonyms and because Noah’s age could only accurately be expressed as “one thousand Solar years (sanat), less fifty Lunar years (‘Âm)”.

Now that we proved with the straightforward meaning of verses the difference between “Sanat” (Solar year) and “’Âm” (Lunar year), let us study the meaning of 18:25:

3. Verse 18:25: Quranic symbol of the relationship between a Solar and a Lunar year

(18:25) And they (the seven companions of the cave) remained in their cave for three hundred solar years (سنين = sineen), and they add nine. (18:26) Say: “God knows best how long they [exactly] stayed (i.e. in addition to 309 years); to Him belongs the hidden aspect of the heavens and the Earth;…

The beginning of sura 18 tells the story of one of the greatest miracle in the history of mankind: In the early second century, seven young Christians known in the Quran as the “companions of the cave” fell asleep for 300 solar years by God’s grace to escape persecution from trinitarian Christians who wanted to force them to reject the absolute Oneness of God and corrupt their faith with the doctrine of trinity, a pagan belief (For more details, read the article: “Secret of the seven sleepers” on this website, which explains important secrets of the Quran).

Verse 25 is written in a very peculiar way since it separates “300 solar years” (300 “sineen” = plural of “Sanat” = Solar years), to which “nine” have to be added; God does not specify directly if we are dealing with nine solar or lunar years.

When the companions hid in the cave fearing for their lives because they desperately wanted to preserve the purity of their faith in the one true God, the calendar which was used was solar (the Julian calendar). When they woke up 300 solar years later, a lunisolar calendar was in place in the Byzantine Empire because people used to combine a solar and a lunar calendar to calculate the date for Easter, the most important date in Christianity.

More importantly, 300 Solar years + “nine” means that “nine” lunar years are needed in addition to number 300 to establish the correspondence between the solar and lunar calendar:

It is a hidden allegory that 300 Solar years = 309 Lunar years, and the ratio (or proportion) between a solar and a lunar year is the following:

309/300 = 1.03

In other words, since a solar year is approximately 365 days, a lunar year of 354 days has to be 1.03 longer in days to catch up with the length of a solar year.

Please note that it is very surprising that the division of 309 by 300 is exactly 1.03 – only a two decimal point number – instead of multiple or infinite decimal points; for instance, dividing 365 days (average solar year) by 354 days (average lunar year) is 1.031073446327684, and the overwhelming majority of divisions would look the same. People who study what we call “the statistical miracle of 1.03” will realize that the exact ratio of 1.03 serves as a mathematical symbol in the Quran which is the departing point for statistically significant Quranic ratios in the 1.03 range, as we will demonstrate in this article as well as in others on this website, God willing.

Some disingenuous people who deny mathematical miracles of the Quran reject the allegory that 300 solar years = 309 Lunar years saying that 1.03 is not the exact ratio between a Solar year and a lunar year.

300 solar years × 365.2425 days = 109572.75 days

309 lunar years × 354.367056 days = 109499.420304 days

Therefore, it is a fact that there is a difference of about 73.329 days between 300 Solar years and 309 Lunar years.

By the Grace of God, the Quran exposes such people because if God clearly says in verse 18:25 that they stayed a total of “300 solar years and they add nine”, He stated in the very next verse that “God knows best how long they [exactly] stayed”. In other words, God obviously said the absolute truth when He established that they stayed a total of “300 solar years and they add nine”, thus focusing on the relationship between 300 solar years and 309 lunar years in number of years, but He also added that “He knows best how long they stayed”, implying that He knows perfectly that the correspondence “300 solar years = 309 lunar years” is not perfectly accurate when it comes to the number of days.

We explained the mathematical miracle hidden in 18:25 establishing the relation between 300 Solar years and 309 Lunar years and the allegory of the ratio of 1.03; we also proved with Quranic verses the difference between “Sanat” (Solar year) and “’Âm” (Lunar year); let us now prove it mathematically with their gematrical values:

4. Solar year (Sanat) and Lunar year (‘Âm): Mathematical confirmation

Simply by studying the relationship between gematrical values of “Sanat” (Solar year, GV 115, symbolizing 365 days) and “’Âm” (Lunar year, GV 111, meaning 354 days), we witness the following profound fact:

Just like it is the case in 18:25 and a number of other places in the Quran, we see that the symbol of 1.03 is encoded in 1.03603… to reflect a close average between a Solar year (Sanat) and a lunar year (‘Âm)!

The fact that gematrical values of “Sanat” (GV 115) and “’Âm” (111) are so amazingly close and divinely calculated to allow and reflect the symbol of 1.03 is a great statistical wonder and miracle of the Quran:

“Sanat” and “’Âm” originate from two radically different roots. Gematrical values of Arabic words can be as different as 11 (GV “Hajj”), 66 (GV “God”), 115 (GV “Sanat”), 352 (GV “Quran”), 400 (GV “Sun”), 1091 (GV “Ramadan”) etc… and gematrical values of individual letters vary from 1 (letter ا) to 1000 (letter غ). We can safely say that it is extraordinarily unlikely that two meaningful words like “Sanat” (Solar year) and “’Âm” (Lunar year) would randomly reflect a ratio within the 1.03 range.

Note:

115/111 = 1.03603… = GV Sanat/GV ‘Âm

Let’s study what a slight variation by only 1 does compared to the above ratio:

116/111 = 1.0450…

114/111 = 1.0270…

115/110 = 1.0454…

115/112 = 1.0267…

This gives us a little idea of how significant it is that 115 and 111 reflect the symbol of 1.03. None of the four above ratios stays within the 1.03 range if we change one of the gematrical values just by 1. The only ratio that is in the 1.03 range is the one based on the actual gematrical values of “Sanat” (Solar year) and “’Âm” (Lunar year).

Let us divide a few random gematrical values by either “Sanat” or “’Âm”:

1091/115 = 9.4869…

400/115 = 3.4782…

352/111 = 3.1711…

11/111 = 0.0990…

The least we can say is that getting a ratio within the 1.03 range dividing random gematrical values is a tremendous statistical challenge.

What we have here is no less than a substantial mathematical confirmation based on the allegory of 1.03 (encoded in 18:25) of the respective meanings of “Sanat” (Solar year) and “’Âm” (Lunar year) which we initially explained showing very simple and straightforward examples of the way they are used in the Quran.

The ratio between 115 (Sanat) and 111 (‘Âm), just like in 18:25 is only a very close approximation. The reason why it is only “very close” to the scientifically perfect ratio between a Solar year and a Lunar year (which is 365.2425 days /354.367056 days = 1.03068… instead of 115/111 = 1.03603…) is that the ratio between “Sanat” (115) and “’Âm” (111) is based on whole numbers which reflect the symbol of 309/300 = 1.03, as encoded in 18:25. God makes His proofs overwhelmingly obvious for the sincere, but it is very important for disingenuous people to express their incredulity as most of them will say that they would only accept a ratio that it scientifically perfect, completely ignoring common sense.

Such people typically refuse to see that there are small to rather substantial variations regarding the length of a solar or lunar year throughout history. God knows exactly what the solar/lunar ratio was 14 centuries ago when the Quran was revealed, and He designed His Quran with close averages to reflect the fact that such a ratio will remain historically stable (allegory of 1.03), despite the fact that there are slight adjustments between the time the Quran was revealed and the time the world will end.

5. Ratio between 7 verses with “Solar Year” and 7 verses with “Lunar year”

There are numerous profoundly meaningful mathematical symmetries between words in the Quran, and it is clearly God’s design that the singular of the simple forms “solar year” (Sanat) and “Lunar Year” (‘Âm) both occur seven times.

7 times “solar year”:

Remark: Let us point out here that the singular of “Sanat” occurs 7 times and its plural occurs 12 times: 7:130 (1); 10:5 (1); 12:42 (1); 12:47 (1); 17:12 (1); 18:11 (1); 18:25 (1); 20:40 (1); 23:112 (1); 26:18 (1); 26:205 (1); 30:4) (1) = 12 words “sanat” (singular and plural).

7 + 12 = 19; it is noteworthy that the sun, the moon and the earth realign in the same relative position every 19 years to the day, which is precisely equal to 235 lunar months. This is called the Metonic cycle. We will mention here that the words “sun” and “moon” intersect 19 times (symbolizing this divine alignment) in 18 verses in the Quran. Once out of 19 occurrences, the words “Sun”, “Moon” and “earth” are mentioned only once in succession in 22:18 symbolizing a once in 19 years alignment.

Seven times “Lunar year”:

The word “Sanat” and the word “’Âm” thus both occur 7 times. This is in my view linked to the fact that the verse where the symbolical difference between a solar year and a lunar year is encoded is 18:25, where it is precisely 7 sleepers who stayed in the cave 309 years.

Note: In addition to the 7 singular simple forms of “’Âm” (GV 780 altogether), “lunar year”, there is one non simple singular form in 9:28 (عَامِهِمْ, “their lunar year”, GV 111 discarding the pronoun “their”) and one dual plural in 31:14 (عَامَيْنِ, “two lunar years”, GV 171). This makes 9 words “lunar year” in total. If we add the gematrical values of these 9 words, we get [111 + 111 + 112 + 112 + 111 + 111 + 112 (= 780 = GV of 7 simple singular forms of “lunar year”)] + 111 (9:28) + 171 (31:14) = 1062 = 354 × 3. Needless to say, there are 354 days in a lunar year, so it is an incredible mathematical property that the total gematrical value of the 9 words “lunar year” is evenly divisible by 354, the average number of days in a lunar year.

We notice that there are 7 verses where the simple form of the word “solar year” (سنة) occurs, and only 5 verses where we find the simple form of the word “Lunar Year” (عام);

7/5 = 1.4

Both words “solar year” and “lunar year” intersect in the same verse in 29:14.

Let us simply divide all gematrical values of the 7 verses where “Solar Year” occur by the 5 “Lunar year” verses:

41135/39609 = 1.03852659…

Even though there are seven words “sanat” and seven words “’âm” (7/7 = 1), we divided the gematrical values of 7 verses by five verses (7/5 = 1.4), and we still obtained a ratio within the 1.03 range. It is very difficult, especially given these specific conditions, to obtain randomly a figure within the 1.03 range. Gematrical values of verses are far too diverse to be proportional and the length of every single verse varies greatly. It is up to each and everyone to determine if such a result is a coincidence or a divine design. Again, this is here a test of sincerity.

Following the same logic as in the 365 words “day” system (see section 8), the ratio between all gematrical values of “sanat” and “’âm” also remain within the 1.03 range:

If we divide the gematrical values of the seven words “sanat” (805) by the seven gematrical values of the words “’âm” (780), we get: 805/780 = 1.03205…

If there had been one or several articles “al” (the) or at least one additional word “sanat” or “’âm”, the ratio within the 1.03 range would have been destroyed, but it is not the case and the overall ratio of 1.03 between the two words is therefore preserved.

We obtained earlier a slightly different ratio by dividing the gematrical value of “Solar year” by the gematrical value of “lunar year”: GV Sanat (115) / GV ’Âm (111) = 1.03603…

6. Key Verses to understand the meaning of “Sanat” and “’Âm” and avoid misinterpretations

Fully resolving the issue of the true meaning of “Sanat” and “‘Âm” requires to understand the following verse:

(10:5) He is the one who made the sun a source of light and the moon a [reflected] light, and determined for it phases, so that you can know the number of years (sinîn = plural of sanat) as well as the count (of time). God did not create this except in truth. He explains the signs to people who possess knowledge.

How could the word “Sanat” refer to a “solar year” in the Quran in general, while verse 10:5 mentions the moon as a light, as well as its phases, just before “so that you can know the number of years (sinîn = plural of Sanat)”?

The answer is actually very simple since 10:5 refers both to the fact that “the sun” and “the moon” are used to calculate the number of years in the verse. The Quran thus acknowledges both a solar and a lunar calendar. In other words, “so that you can know the number of years (sinîn = plural of sanat) and the count (of time)” refers at the same time to the sun and the moon, and not just to the moon, since both of them allow us to establish the two calendars created by God for the human race.

Since the sun is the foundation of the solar system, it implies by definition that it has the most direct influence on the life of all terrestrial creatures (temperatures, change of seasons, alternation between day and night, agriculture, etc …), while the moon is used for religious purposes such as the four sacred months of hajj and the fast of Ramadan, bearing in mind that the moon does have a profound influence on all creatures on earth, for example regarding pregnancies, women’s menstrual cycles, tides and some farmers even use both the solar and lunar calendars for agriculture. In verse 10:5, between “the sun” and “the moon”, it is naturally “the sun” which takes precedence over the moon and triggers the use of the word “sinîn” (solar years, by default). “Sinîn” therefore applies both to the sun and the moon in the verse. The use of the plural “lunar years” (اعوام = a’wâm) would obviously not have been suitable here. It is exactly like the fact that the masculine takes precedence over the feminine in terrestrial languages, as is of course the case in Arabic: If a man and a woman are mentioned together, the verb will always be in the masculine.

Anyone who carefully studies all words “Sanat” and “’Âm” in the singular and the plural in the Quran will find that it is strictly impossible to reverse the words, replacing “Sanat” by “’Âm”, and vice versa as it would severely corrupt the meaning of verses. It demonstrates that the common belief that these two words are synonyms is utterly false. A very good example which illustrates this are verses 12:47-49 in sura Joseph, where we notice a significant alternation between the words “Sanat” and “’Âm”:

(12:47) He (Joseph) answered, “You will sow seven solar years (sinîna), as usual, and what you harvest, leave it in its ear, except for a small amount which you will eat.

 

(12:48) Afterwards will come seven harsh [solar years], which will consume what you put aside, except for a small amount, which you will store.

ثُمَّ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ عَامٌ فِيهِ يُغَاثُ النَّاسُ وَفِيهِ يَعْصِرُونَ

(12:49) Then will come after that a lunar year (‘âmun) during which people will receive abundant rain, and during which they will [again be able to] press (juice, oil, etc …).

12:47 indicates that “you will sow seven sinîn” (solar years) because it is necessary to rely on a solar calendar in agriculture in order to follow the seasons. But in 12:49, the emphasis is no longer on the need to sow and harvest because the time of famine is over, but on the abundant rain and the fact that people will be able to press juice again: Verses 12:47-49 demonstrate that Egyptians at the time of Joseph relied both on a solar calendar for agriculture and a lunar calendar most likely for religious purposes such as festivals (20:59 mentions “the day of the festival” at the time of Moses).

Historically, Egyptians used the Sothic cycle, which relies on the reappearance of Sirius on the eastern horizon at dawn every 365 days (heliacal rising of Sirius), and which allowed them to stay in phase with the seasons for agriculture.

In short, trying to invert the words “Sanat” and “’Âm” in 12:47-49 would destroy the precise meaning of these verses; God used these two words because they differentiate a solar year (sanat) from a lunar year (‘âm).

Note: In 2:259, we see that a man visiting a ghost town was put to death by God and revived after 100 lunar years (مِائَةَ عَامٍ). 100 lunar years equal the following number of days:

100 × 354.36708 = 35436.708 = 35437 days = 3774 prime number = 2 × 3 × 17 × 37 = 111 (GV of عَامٍ, lunar year) × 34.

This is a possible sign that the 100 years mentioned in 2:259 are lunar years, and God knows best.

7. Edward Lane’s dictionary mentions the correct definition of “Sanat” and “’Âm”

The concept of “Sanat” and “’Âm” meaning respectively “solar year” and “lunar year” is nothing new, even though their precise meaning was historically altered because of the widespread corruption that affects the world of Islam: The proof can for instance be found in Edward Lane’s Arabic-English dictionary (1863 edition) which provides several and sometimes far-fetched definitions regarding the definition of  “’Âm”, for example that it is a synonym of “Sanat”, but does not fail to mention the correct definition from a Quranic point of view, confirming what we observed directly in the Holy Quran:

“…and Suh says in the R, that the سنة (sanat) is longer than the عام (‘âm); that the former is “a single revolution of the sun”, and that the latter being applied to the [twelve] Arabian months [collectively].”

This quote obviously signifies that “Sanat” corresponds to a solar year of 365 days (a single revolution of the earth around the sun) while “’âm » refers to the twelve lunar months or the Islamic calendar (354 days on average).

8. Is the Quranic Islamic calendar solar or lunar?

An average solar year equals 365.2425 days.

Average lunar year equals 354.367056 days.

The solar/lunar year ratio as calculated by modern science is therefore:

365.2425/354.367056 days = 1.03068…

If we add all gematrical values ​​of the 365 words “day” in the Quran, we get 22781 (symbolic Quranic representation of a solar year), and the total of the gematrical values ​​of the first 354 words “day” is 22103 (symbolic Quranic representation of a lunar year).

22781/22103 = 1.03067…

The Quranic ratio is therefore miraculously close to the one established by modern science, despite the fact that over 14 centuries have elapsed since the revelation of the Quran.

Unlike the ratio (which is historically very stable over a few centuries or millennia) calculated by modern science which is based on extraordinarily precise decimal numbers (365.2425 /354.367056 = 1.03068 …), the Quranic ratio is based on whole numbers (!), which makes its degree of precision even more astounding: The two ratios are identical until four digits after the decimal point, and in fact almost 5 (1.03067 … versus 1.03068 …)!

This is an allegoric and scientific way of proving that the Quran acknowledges both a solar and a lunar year, and that the One who created the Quran is an Omnipotent God who symbolically coded the exact duration of the solar and lunar year by means of a ratio by superimposing gematrical values symbolizing a solar year and a lunar year in the 365 word “day” system (see “miracle of 19” for more details and evidence regarding the divine authorship of the Quran). The solar calendar is thus superimposed on the lunar calendar in the Holy Quran. Considering that the Quran acknowledges both the concept of a solar year (Sanat) and lunar year (‘Âm), one is has the right to wonder whether the religious calendar advocated by the Quran is solar, lunar or both?

8.1 Solar or lunar month?

The Quran mentions only one month which is the month of Ramadan. Is it a lunar or solar month? In other words, whenever the Quran uses the word “month”, is it a solar month or a lunar month?

The main reason I had to include this section is that many Muslims who aspire to follow the Quran alone because they are well aware of the hadiths deception have been duped by quranists who claim that they understand the Quran but follow instead conspiracy theories and proclaim that the Quranic calendar is solar. The information we are going to present is going to tear apart point by point this theory which is unfortunately only one example among many others of the quranist deviance which has no other purpose than to destroy Islam instead of purifying it.

The reason why Quranists claim that the Quranic calendar is solar is the following:

The month of Ramadan means “the month of intense heat”. If the month of Ramadan is the month of intense heat, it means by definition that the Muslim calendar is solar. The lunar calendar loses 11 days a year and goes through all seasons over a period of 33 years. It is not possible that the calendar described in the Quran could be lunar!

Let us first review the definition of the month of Ramadan and the reasons why it is called that way before exposing this conspiration theory:

8.2 Ramadan: Definition

The word “Ramadan” is derived from the root “ramida” or “ramada”. “Ramida” means “to be burned or scorched by the sun”. The month of Ramadan can literally mean “the month of intense heat”. There are two main interpretations that link the notion of intense heat to the fact that the month of Ramadan is the 9^th lunar month:

– According to Edward Lane’s classic Arabic-English dictionary, this is “the ninth of the Arabian months: [TA] so called because, when they changed the name of the months from the ancient language, they called them according to the seasons in which they fell, (Jm, S, K) and this month, (Jm, S) or “nâtiq” (ناتق) for this was its ancient name (TA) agreed with the days of vehement heat, …or from “ramid” said of a man fasting, expl. above, or because [its effect is though] it burned or annulled sins”.

The definition of the root “ramada” is “dryness” or “pasture on a burned ground”, “to roast”, “to burn” (Dictionary of the Holy Quran by Omar). Muslims experience hunger and thirst while fasting, which is similar to how they would feel during a month of intense heat or drought.

The monumental mistake made by quranists is to pretend that one must interpret the literal meaning of the word “Ramadan” according to a specific region area on earth where the month of Ramadan would always be the month of intense heat, while Islam is a universal religion and earth is a sphere. We all know that the time of seasons and climates vary enormously throughout the world and the month of Ramadan was named for all Muslims wherever they may be and not just for Arabia or the Middle East.

God chose the name of the month of “Ramadan” because it symbolizes a “drought” or “intense heat” while Muslims fast during the 9^th lunar month and experience hunger and thirst. In addition, the pure Islamic lunar calendar (with no intercalation to stay in phase with the solar calendar because it is forbidden in 9:37) is very egalitarian for all Muslims all around the world because it goes through all seasons in any given place on earth every 33 years, which means that Muslims fast exactly the same amount of time every 33 years. A solar calendar would be very inegalitarian because people who fast in countries much further north or south of the equator would fast until very late during a summer month compared to Muslims who live near the equator.

8.3 The first and last phases of the lunar month described in the Quran:

The Quran describes very precisely the first and the last phase of the lunar month in the two following verses:

(2:189) They ask you about the appearances [of new moons]: Say: “They are precise markers [to determine time] for mankind, and the pilgrimage (Hajj)”. It is not righteousness for you to enter homes from their rear; on the contrary, righteous is the one who fears God and enters homes from their [front] door. Fear God, that you may succeed.

The last lunar phase as described in the Quran:

The last lunar phase is very poetically described in 36:39:

 وَٱلْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَٰهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّىٰ عَادَ كَٱلْعُرْجُونِ ٱلْقَدِيمِ

 (36:39) And the moon, We have ordained for it phases (منازل = manâzila), until it becomes similar to an old date stalk.

Dates stalks, and the fact that they are so thin and often curved, are the key to understand the last lunar phase:

On the left above, and as proof that it is indeed a date stalk, we can see two dried dates on the old stem. The above picture describes the last phase in California, USA, which will look different depending on the season and your geographical location on the terrestrial globe.

Above: Date palms, as found in hot or desert climates.

وَٱلْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَٰهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّىٰ عَادَ كَٱلْعُرْجُونِ ٱلْقَدِيمِ

 (36:39) And the moon, We have ordained for it phases (مَنَازِلَ = manâzila), until it becomes similar to an old date stalk.

The word “until” (حَتَّىٰ = hattâ) in 36:39 unequivocally indicates that the last phase of the lunar month is when the lunar phase looks like “an old date stalk”. When dates are in the process of maturing, the stems are initially green and often straight or barely curved as the stems collapse under the weight of the green dates. As the dates mature, the stems (as well as the branch that holds the date cluster) dry out gradually and their curvature increases, as shown in the above picture in the circle. When the dates are ripe and start falling, the curved dried stalks finally resemble to the last, extremely thin, phase of the moon. The branch that bears the date cluster also forms a thin arc which is very reminiscent of the last lunar phase (see the dotted lines in the above picture).

In addition to verse 36:39 which describes the last lunar phase, the only other verse in the Quran which mentions the word “phase” referring to the moon is verse 10:5:

(10:5) He is the one who made the sun a source of light and the moon a [reflected] light, and determined for it phases, so that you can know the number of years as well as the count (of time). God did not create this except in truth. He explains the signs to people who possess knowledge.

The verse speaks for itself and tells us that Allah created the sun and the moon for which He determined phases, so that we can count the number of years. How can one read verse 10:5 and not conclude that both the solar and lunar calendars are taken into account in the Quran? It is also clear that it is the succession of lunar phases that allows us to count the months and therefore years, and we have just witnessed in 36:39 that the last lunar “phase” is when the moon looks like an “old date stalk”.

The least we can say is that it is overly obvious that quranists who deny the validity of the lunar calendar in the Quran and claim that it advocates a solar calendar do not study the Quran carefully and follow instead unfounded conspiracy theories.

8.4 A cluster of mathematical evidence confirms that months, as well as laylatul qadr are counted within the frame of a lunar year in the Quran and not a solar year.

8.4.1 the word “month”

We know that the word “month” symbolically occurs 12 times in the Quran symbolizing a year:

2:185 (2), 2:194 (2), 2:217 (1), 5:2 (1), 5:97 (1), 9:36 (1), 34:12 (2), 46:15 (1), 97:3 (1) = 12 words “months”.

Verse 9:36 teaches us that God created the twelve month year since the creation of the heavens and the earth. A very simple way to prove that the word “month” refers systematically to lunar months in the Quran is that there are exactly 354 simple forms of the word “day” (out of 365) between the first and the last word “month”, bearing in mind that 354 days is the average duration of a lunar year. Whenever the Quran mentions the word “month”, it is always a lunar month of 29 or 30 days. A simple reason why the month is always lunar in Islam is because everybody can see with his own eyes the succession of lunar phases (from first to last) twelve times a year, while determining a reliable solar calendar with solar months has been very challenging for the human race for thousands of years, until we finally came up with the Gregorian calendar.

8.4.2 Laylatul Qadr is always coded as the 27^th night of Ramadan

The following is only a summary because there are many signs which confirm that Laylatul Qadr is the 27^th night of the 9^th lunar month. “Laylatul Qadr” (ليلة القدر = the night of the decree, GV 410) contains 9 letters, a sign that it is part of the 9^th lunar month (Ramadan), and the expression occurs three times in the Quran, and more precisely three times in Sura 97: 27 letters (9×3) thus correspond to “the night of the decree” (ليلة القدر), an expression of 9 letters, which is an allegory that this is the 27^th night of the 9^th lunar month.

8.4.2.1 Laylatul Qadr: The 27th night of the 9th moon.

“The Night Decree” is the 27^th night of the 9^th “moon” (Ramadan). For this reason, let us select verses where the 27^th word “night” and the 9^th word “moon” are located since the beginning of the Quran.

– Verses where the 27 singular words « night » are located are the following : 2:164 (1); 2:187 (1); 2:274 (1); 3:27 (2); 3:113 (1); 3:190 (1); 6:13 (1); 6:60 (1); 6:76 (1); 6:96 (1); 7:54 (1); 10:6 (1); 10:24 (1); 10:27 (1); 10:67 (1); 11:81 (1); 11:114 (1); 13:3 (1); 13:10 (1); 14:33 (1); 15:65 (1); 16:12 (1); 17:1 (1); 17:12 (2); 17:78 (1) = 27^th word “night”.

The 9 verses where the first nine words “moon” are located are the following:

6:77 (1) , 6:96 (1), 7:54 (1), 10:5 (1), 12:4 (1), 13:2 (1), 14:33 (1), 16:12 (1), 21:33 (1) = 9^th word “moon”.

There are 410 verses from 17:78 to 21:33

From the verse which contains the 27^th word “night” (17:78) to the verse which contains the 9th word “moon” (21:33), there are exactly 410 verses (verses 17:78 and 21:33 inclusive). 410 is the gematrical value of “Laylatul Qadr”:

ليلة القدر  = 30 (ل) + 10 (ي) + 30 (ل) + 5 (ة) + 1 (ا) + 30 (ل) + 100 (ق) + 4 (د) + 200 (ر) = 410

Between 17:78 and 21:33, there are 27 words “day” (pure form, singular). The beginning of the “day” in the Islamic lunar calendar begins at sunset with the appearance of the night. The “night of the decree” therefore begins precisely at sunset on the very beginning of the 27^th “day” of the 9^th “moon”: The 21 verses which contain the 27 words “day” are:

17:97 (1); 18:19 (2); 18:47 (1); 18:52 (1); 18:105 (1); 19:15 (3); 19:26 (1); 19:33 (3); 19:37 (1); 19:38 (2); 19:39 (1); 19:85 (1); 19:95 (1); 20:59 (1); 20:64 (1); 20:100 (1); 20:101 (1); 20:102 (1); 20:104 (1); 20:124 (1); 20:126 (1) = 27 words “day” from 17:78 (27^th word “night”) to 21:33 (9^th word “moon”).

The two key words of the system which allows us to identify that there are 410 verses (GV of “the night of the decree”) from 17:78 (27^th “night”) until 21:33 (9^th “moon”) are the words “night” (ليل = GV 70) and “moon” (قمر = GV 340). Let us add their respective gematrical values:

8.4.2.2. The night of the decree coded in the 365 word “day” system

The solar and lunar calendars are superimposed on each other in the 365 word “day” system as mathematically proven at the beginning of section 8.

The Quran is coded at multiple levels, and functions in a logical and symbolical way: To determine the verse where the night of the decree is coded, all we need to do is locate the only verse of this system which mentions “the revelation of the Quran”, the latter having obviously been revealed on the blessed night:

 (42:7) And we revealed to you (O Muhammad) an Arabic Quran, so that you may warn the mother of the cities (Mecca) and all those around it, and warn about the day (262nd word “day” of the Quran) of the gathering (the day of judgment), for which there is no doubt: Some [will be sent] to paradise, and some to the blazing fire.

As proven in the article “the “night of the decree”, the first possible day for “the night of decree” (Laylatul Qadr) is the 262^nd day of the Islamic lunar year, which is the case, in short, whenever the new moon occurs enough hours before sunset on the first day of the lunar year.

Remark: Even though the three possible gematrical values of the word “day” in the 365 “day” system are as diverse as 56, 57 and 87, the total of gematrical values of the word “day” in 42:7 is 16389 and the total of the first 354 words “day” is 22103 (symbol of a lunar year). 16389/22103 = 0.7414830565986518: 0.7414830565986518 × 354.367056 (average lunar year) = 262.7571678407456. In other words, based on gematrical values, the ratio is also consistent with the 262^nd “day”, first possible day for Laylatul Qadr.

Another profound sign which proves that “the night of decree” is coded in the 365 words “day” system in 42:7 is that it is the 243^rd verse of the “day” system (which has 341 verses in total) since the beginning of the Quran:

243 = 27 × 9

The night of the decree clearly corresponds to the beginning of the 27^th “day” of the 9^th lunar “month” (Ramadan).

Moreover, from 21:33 (which mentions the 9^th word “moon” of the Quran) up to 42:7 (which symbolizes the night of the decree in the 365 words “day” system), the word “night” occurs exactly 27 times:

21:33 (1), 21:42 (1), 22:61 (2), 23:80 (1), 24:44 (1), 25:47 (1), 25:62 (1), 27:86 (1), 28:71 (1), 28:72 (1), 28:73 (1), 30:23 (1), 31:29 (2), 34:33 (1), 35:13 (2), 36:37 (1), 36:40 (1), 37:138 (1), 39:5 (2), 39:9 (1), 40:61 (1), 41:37 (1), 41:38 (1) = 27 words “night”.

Symbolically speaking, we can say that “the night of decree”, divinely encoded in 42:7, is the 27^th “night” since the beginning of the 9^th “moon” (Ramadan).

8.4.2.3 “Splitting of the moon”: Dividing all words “moon” around key verse 54:1 reveals the date of the night of decree (laylatul Qadr) in the Islamic lunar calendar

اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ

(54:1) The hour has come closer and the moon has split.

The symbolical dimension of the Quran is infinitely deep and hides numerous secrets: The 20^th word “moon” since the beginning of the Quran (out of 27) occurs in 54:1. Number 27 refers symbolically to the average 27 days that it takes for the moon to complete a 360⁰ revolution around the earth (sidereal month).

As we know, several Quranic systems symbolize a year, such as the 365 words “day” system or the 12 words “month”. One of the secrets regarding the 27 words “moon” viewed as a group is that they also symbolize a lunar year in the Quran.

Representing a lunar year with 27 words “moon” is in fact logical in relation to an average lunar year of 354 days and indirectly reveals a Quranic sign: It is an undeniable scientific fact that the moon revolves 13 times around the earth in a lunar year and not 12 times as people who are unfamiliar with this phenomenon might think. Number 13 is therefore simply the common denominator between 27 words “moon” and 354 lunar days:

27.3 days (average sidereal month) × 13 revolutions = 354.9 days (average lunar year = 354.36 days). We need to keep in mind that the Quran works exactly like astronomy, that is to say by establishing averages. A lunar month or year is never exactly equal to the previous one and variations can be quite substantial (for instance, the exact length of a single synodic lunar month can vary as much as between 29.18 and 29.93 days!), even though averages are very stable over long periods of time. All this to say that those who will attempt to claim that the Quran seems not to provide a completely scientifically exact average would only reveal their total ignorance of scientific facts, and when it comes to 354 days for instance, it is obviously not possible to divide a word into a third, a quarter, etc. …. Furthermore, the crucial 365 words “day” system does encode a miraculously close average to that calculated by astronomers as explained earlier at the beginning of section 8 by dividing the gematrical values of the 365 words “day” by the first 354 words “day” (22781/22103 = 1.03067…, versus 1.03068… calculated by modern science).

Coding the Quran with 27 words “moon” to symbolize a lunar year implies the preliminary knowledge that there are 13 revolutions of the moon around the earth in a lunar year.

I wondered for a long time if the 27 words “moon” in the Quran were related to “the night of decree” (27^th night of Ramadan), which is by far the most important night of the Islamic calendar. If we assume that the 27 words “moon” represent a lunar year, we can wonder if 54:1 (20^th word “moon”) could be a key point to “separate” or “divide” the lunar calendar. All we need to do is then divide 20 by 27 and multiply the ratio by the number of days in a lunar year (354.367056 days) to obtain a specific day in the lunar calendar:

20/27 = 0.7407407407407407.

354.367056 days (average lunar year as calculated by modern science) × 0.7407407407407407 = 262.4941155…days.

We therefore obtain again (like in the 365 words day system) the 262^nd day of the lunar year = first possible day for Laylatul Qadr in the lunar year!

Very simply, and because the “splitting of the moon” is the 20^th word moon out of 27, the first possible day in the lunar calendar for Laylatul Qadr is the 20/27^th day of the lunar calendar (20/27 = 0.7407….), while in the “day” system the only verse which mentions the revelation of the Quran is 42:7, which is the 262^nd word day out of 354 lunar days (262/354 = 0.7401…). Both ratios are equal to the third decimal point and are both based on whole numbers.

Is it a simple “coincidence” or a true miracle? People of faith will appreciate.

8.4.2.4 The night of the decree coded through prime numbers:

“Laylatul Qadr” (GV 410 = 27^th night) and “Ramadan” (GV 1091 = 9th month = 182nd prime number) provide a precise definition of the night of the decree in the Islamic calendar because they define both the day and month of the blessed night. There are 80 prime numbers between 0 and 410 (GV Laylatul Qadr) and there are 182 prime numbers between 0 and 1091 (GV Ramadan):

80 (prime numbers are related to “laylatul Qadr”) + 182 (prime numbers are related to “Ramadan”) = 262 = first possible day for “laylatul Qadr” in the Islamic lunar calendar.

8.4.2.5 The night of the decree and the Bismillah

The Bismillah (بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ = “In the Name of God, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful”, GV 786) is unquestionably the very first verse revealed to our holy prophet on Laylatul Qadr:

786 = 262 × 3

We now know the meaning of number 262, which symbolizes the first possible day for the night of the decree (Laylatul Qadr) in the Islamic calendar. Laylatul Qadr is mentioned by name exactly 3 times in  the Quran (97:1, 97:2 and 97:3). The Quran is infinitely deep (18:109), and in light of what we have observed, I believe that the Bismillah bears the signature of the day of the night of the decree (786 = 262 × 3) in its genetic code.

There is obviously one chance in 262 for the Bismillah to be a multiple of 262 coincidentally which is therefore statistically significant.

8.4.2.6 The intersection between 27 and 9 in the numbering system of the Quran

27/9, in this order, is the way the 27^th night of Ramadan (9^th lunar month) is written. So, let’s select the only verse in the Quran which contains this sequence, i.e. verse 27:9:

(27:9) O Moses, verily it is I, God, the Almighty, the Wise.

27:9 is the first time that God speaks to Moses (and the first time that God speaks to a prophet directly, see 4:164). This is basically the first revelation he received, and it is in my view a sign that it occurred on the 27^th night of Ramadan. In addition, the verse contains exactly 27 letters.

By comparison, Muhammad received the first revelation on 27/9 through Gabriel.

All the signs which we reviewed irrefutably and miraculously confirm that Laylatul Qadr is indeed the 27th night of Ramadan, and only blind people will continue to deny these signs and reject the Islamic lunar calendar in place.

8.4.3 Is the year chosen by caliph Omar as the beginning of the Hijri calendar authentic from a Quranic point of view?

Another argument made by the Quranists to deny the validity of the Islamic lunar calendar is that the beginning of the “Hijri” calendar has historically been decided under the caliphate of Omar and not at the time of the prophet. In 639 CE, Caliph Omar decided that the first year of the Islamic lunar calendar would be from the beginning of the first month of the lunar year when the migration (Hegira) of the Prophet to Medina took place, which corresponds to July 16, 622 CE. In fact, Omar did not change anything to the calendar in place at the time of the prophet because the same lunar months continued to run as usual and no month was displaced. The burgeoning Islamic empire had to determine a first year for the Islamic calendar, and the Hegira symbolized the beginning of a new era with the founding of the first Muslim community in Yathrib (today’s Medina). It is the only thing that was decided. The month of Ramadan and the sacred months remained in place just like they were at the time of the prophet.

God is Omnipotent and knew that Muslims would choose the Hegira as the starting month and year when He composed the Quran, and this is why He coded the year, the month, and the day of the Quranic prophecy of “the separation of the moon” (54:1) in a way that would confirm today’s Islamic calendar, which first year was decided by Omar.

اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ

(54:1) The hour has come closer and the moon has split.

The article on the “splitting of the moon” on this website proves that it took place when the Americans first visited the moon on July 21, 1969 and brought lunar rocks back to earth, creating a symbolical as well as physical “splitting of the moon”.

This date corresponds to the 6^th day of Jumaada al-awal of the 1389^th year in the Hegira calendar (6/5/1389AH). After 54:1 there are 1389 verses left until the end of the Quran, which corresponds to the lunar year of the prophecy.

After walking on the moon and taking samples, Apollo 11 took off from the surface of the moon with 21 kilograms of lunar rocks at exactly 17:54:1 marking the fulfillment of a deeply symbolic prophecy and major achievement in the history of mankind. Nearly half a billion people watched these events live on TV, and at the precise moment of takeoff, and despite the different time zones, every human being in the world had in common that the “the splitting of the moon” occurred at exactly 54 minutes and 1 second, which is why God Almighty chose Sura 54 verse 1 to engrave the “splitting of the moon” prophecy in the Holy Quran.

In the Muslim calendar, the separation of the moon took place on the 6th day of Joumaada al-awal 1389 AH (After Hijri) at 17:54:1 UT (Universal Time). This is the 5^th lunar month (6/5/1389 AH). The average lunar month is 29.5 days, so if we multiply 29.5 by the first four months, we get 4 × 29.5 = 118 days. The event took place on the 6^th day of the fifth month. So let’s add 6 days to 118 days:

118 + 6 = 124 days

In other words, the splitting of the moon occurred on the 124^th day of the lunar calendar!

The Quran is a mathematically composed book (56:78, 72:28, 83:9-20,) and there are 27 words “moon” in the Quran. We saw that the 27 words “moon” symbolize both a sidereal month (the moon revolves around the earth in an average of 27 days) as well as a lunar year during which the moon orbits the earth almost exactly 13 times (354.36 /27.3 sidereal days = 12.98 …). Understanding this concept makes it possible to understand why “dividing” or “separating” (which is the very meaning of the verb “inshaqqa” in 54:1) the 7 words “moon” located after 54:1 (located on the side of 1389 verses between 54:1 and the end of the Quran which symbolize the Islamic year of the event) by the first 20 words “moon” up to 54:1 reveals the secret of the date of the “splitting of the moon” in the lunar calendar: 7/20 = 0.35. All we need to do is then multiply this ratio by the number of days in the lunar year to obtain the exact day of the prophecy of the separation of the moon:

354.367056 × 0.35 = 124.02… days

This calculation is equal to the number of lunar days at the time of takeoff of Apollo 11 from the moon on the 6^th day of Jumaada al-awal 1389 AH (21/07/1969). We calculated that this corresponds to the 124^th day of the lunar calendar. The lunar day (124), the year (1389) and the exact time of the prophecy (54:1) to the minute and the second are therefore engraved in the Holy Quran in verse 54:1.

54:1 thus reveals both the date of “Laylatul Qadr” and as well as the “splitting of the moon” in the Islamic Lunar calendar by dividing the number of words “moon” in two different ways (20/27 and 7/20 respectively) and by multiplying the ratio by the number of days in the lunar year (354,36708 days). How could it be possible to obtain these two extraordinary dates coincidentally in such a deeply symbolic verse which “divides” or “separates” the moon symbolically (the lunar calendar) as well as physically (the moon itself) at the same time?

Quranists who reject these profound proofs and insist that the Islamic calendar is solar will have to explain on the Day of Judgment why they rejected the straightforward message of the Quran regarding the fact that it is a lunar calendar, as well as so many profound mathematical proofs. All this should be a matter of sincerity and not a matter of pride, and we will all face Our Creator and will be accountable for our deeds.

Conclusion

The length of a solar or lunar year over a few centuries or millennia is remarkably stable: The variations are limited, but since there is variation, only a simple and emblematic average ratio can symbolize the relationship between a solar and lunar year. For that reason, God coded the solar/lunar year ratio mathematically in 18:25 through the symbol of 1.03, and expressed it in years: 

309 lunar years = 300 solar years: 309/300 = 1.03 (exact ratio two digits after the decimal point).

For the same reason, the simple forms of the words “day”, “days”, and “month” occur respectively 365 times, 30 times, and 12 times in the Quran, God using simple and emblematic averages to manifest His signs, especially when it comes to define the solar year of 365 days.

The solar/lunar year ratio as calculated by modern science is: 365.2425 days/354.367056 days = 1.03068… If we add all gematrical values ​​of the 365 words “day” in the Quran, we get 22781 (symbolic Quranic representation of a solar year), and the total of the gematrical values ​​of the first 354 words “day” is 22103 (symbolic Quranic representation of a lunar year). The solar/lunar year ratio as calculated by the Holy Quran is therefore: 22781/22103 = 1.03067…

The solar/lunar ratio encoded in the 365 words “day” system is therefore miraculously close to the one calculated by modern science (1.03067…versus 1.03068….), despite being based on whole numbers (!).

Based on the very same principle, the ratio between the word “sanat” (solar year) and the word “’âm” (lunar year) is also a mathematical wonder, even though they originate from two radically different roots:

Following to the same principle as the 365 words “day” system, the ratio between all gematrical values of “sanat” (“solar year” = GV 805) and “’âm” (“lunar year = GV 780) also remains within the 1.03 range:

Similarly, the gematrical value of all 7 verses with contain the words “sanat” (GV 41135) divided by the gematrical value of the 5 verses with contain the words “’âm” (GV 39699) also generates a ratio which remains within the 1.03 range: 

These simple to understand mathematical concepts are among the innumerable signs and wonders of the Holy Quran, which has been designed to prove to the human race that it is the divine Word of God.

Although the Quran acknowledges both a solar year and a lunar year, the word “month” always refers to a “lunar month” in the Quran because the Islamic Quranic calendar is lunar. The simplest proof in this regard is that there are 354 words “day” (average lunar year) between the first and the 12^th and last occurrence of the word “month” in the Quran.

The word “Ramadan” signifies the month of “intense heat” or “dryness” and the meaning is purely symbolic because it is the month of fasting during which Muslims experience hunger and thirst. Seasons and temperatures vary according to terrestrial geography and Islam and its lunar calendar are universal. Claiming that the meaning of the month of Ramadan is indicative of a solar calendar as some Quranists have argued is simply grotesque because a solar calendar could only replicate the same month of “intense heat” in countries with desert climates and certainly not everywhere on earth where seasons and climates vary substantially.

The first and the last phase of the lunar month are described respectively in 2:189 and 36:39 with the “appearance” of the new moon and the last very thin lunar crescent which resembles “an old date stalk” that is curved.

Laylatul Qadr is always taken into account as the 27^th night of Ramadan (the 9^th lunar month) in the Quran: There are 410  verses (gematrical value of “laylatul qadr”) from the 27^th word “night” (17:78) to the 9^th word “moon” (21:33, symbolizing the month of Ramadan, the 9^th lunar month), because the Islamic calendar is lunar. The night of decree is also coded in the 365 words “day” system (in which we proved that the solar and lunar calendars are superimposed) because the only word “day” which intersects with “the revelation of the Quran” is verse 42:7 which happens to be the 243^rd verse of the system: 243 = 27 × 9 = 27^th night × 9^th lunar month. More importantly, verse 42:7 is the 262^nd word “day” of the Quran which is the first possible “day” for the night of Laylatul Qadr in the Islamic lunar calendar.

We produced more similar proofs of the same caliber in this article and there are even more examples in the article entitled “the night of the decree”. It is therefore incontrovertibly proven literally as well as mathematically that the Islamic calendar is indeed lunar, keeping in mind that the Quran also acknowledges the parallel use of a “solar year” of 365 days, and that the words “Sanat” (سنة = solar year) and “’Âm” (عام = lunar year ) are used in a precise and revealing way of the necessity of a Muslim society to take into account both calendars.

(41:53) We will show them Our proofs, beyond the horizons, and within their souls, until it is manifestly proven unto them that this is the truth. Is it not enough for your Lord to witness all things?