Miraculous Quran (The Qur’an in Tawafuq)
What is tawafuq? What does “the miracle of tawafuq in the Qur’an” mean?
Tawafuq means synchronization of the things with each other. Especially the synchronicities which allude that they are not random and out of chance but based on a divine purpose and will are called tawafuq. It is about miraculous alignment in the Quran.
And the tawafuq miracle in the Qur’an is synchronicity of 2806 names ‘Allah’ with each other with a few very rare and specifically suitable exceptions. In 604 pages of the Qur’an the name ‘Allah’ is repeated more than once.
These words synchronize with each other either coming on top of each other in the same page or overlapping each other in the opposite pages or again overlapping each other this time in different faces of the same sheet or sometimes overlapping each other meaningfully while there are pages between them. The same kind of synchronicity can be seen with the words ‘Rabb, Qur’an and Rasul’ and there is also other kind of tawafuqs (synchronicity).
“Tawafuq, defined as compatibility and coincidence of two entities, is a new term used in scientific area. The common handwriting form of the Holy Quran, in which a page and line system was formed using measurement criteria taken from it, is called ayetberkenar Mushaf. This form provides great facilities in memorizing, reciting, and handwriting the Quran. The aim of handwriting the Mushaf with tawafuq, which was first handwritten by mid of XXth century, is to present a wonderful visual taste to the commons who do not understand the meaning of the Quran addressed to eyes. The words with tawafuq are not the just an i’jaz wit, but support the i’jaz, and since the wonderful tawafuqs are not ordinary coincidence they are miracles belonging to the Quran.”
Here, an example for names of Allah in the Quran [6].
Who Found The Tawafuq In The Qur’an?
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi realised that the words “Allah” are in tawafuq in his Qur’an handwritten by Hafiz Osman.
“About 40 years after Hafez Osman’s death (towards the mid-1930s), Bediuzzaman realized that the words of Allah were partially aligned in his own Qur’an, which was written in the style of Hafez Osman. Thereupon, he examined all the pages and the words of Allah mentioned in those pages. Bediuzzaman stated that the significant portion of the words “Allah” were aligned miraculously and in some of them, there were some shifts despite a clear tawafuq being present ” [7] It is shown in the figure below [7]. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi said: “After examining the same Qur’an that was scribed by the hatt of Hafez Osman, we observed that, foremost in the ‘lafzullah’(the word ‘Allah’), there was a significant tawafuq relating to the ghayb1. After marking each one of these tawafuqs in my personal copy of the Qur’an, we found that the erratic gaps between the sentences and ayat had partly spoiled the display of these tawafuqs. Together with this, we came to the belief that the tawafuq was an intended outcome, since it is an embellishment and beautification which removes the apparent blemish of repeated wordings. We realised that without making any changes to the pages and sentences, this intended tawafuq could, to a degree, be displayed without difficulty. And in doing so, it would awaken a pleasure and enthusiasm towards the hatt (scribing) of the Qur’an and would expound one of the ten visible indications pointing to its miraculousness. With this purpose in mind, I present this matter to the attention of my friends in the service of the Qur’an and invite their consultation and support.” [8]
In the figure below (left), 64th page from Mushaf of Hasan Rıza by Hafez Osman style. Bedüzzaman put remarks on lafzullah’s over his own mushaf. 64th page from Mushaf of Hamid Aytaç (right one), with style as Bedüzzaman figured out.
Upon this he appointed ten of his students and gave each of them three chapters (juz’) from the Holy Qur’an to write and reveal the tawafuqs, and he told them not to use their own ability to make it. After finishing, they all handed in the papers to Bediuzzaman. Looking at the copies thoroughly, Bediuzzaman came to the conclusion that tawafuq was seen in the chapters that one of his most valuable students Husrev Efendi wrote. He wanted those tawafuqs to be written in red ink. “Tawafuq is in Husrev Efendi’s style,” declared Bediuzzaman Husrev Efendi’s success.
Writing process of the Qur’an in Tawafuq
How did the copies of the Qur’an that show the miracle of tawafuq come to exist?
This started when the page order called “Ayat Barkanar” in the Qur’an was discovered. This page order accepted by the entire Islamic world – which has today’s aspect ratio of “15-line-pages” and “604 pages in total”, was first applied by the well-known last period Ottoman calligrapher Kayışzade Hafiz Osman Efendi (d.1895).
This person handwrote a new copy of the Qur’an by taking its measure from the Qur’an itself, thus opening a door to a miracle of the Qur’an pertaining to eyes. This miracle is that every page of the Qur’an always starts and ends with a complete verse.
This feature is called “Ayat Barkanar”. It does not exist in the copies written until that day. The measure which Hafiz Osman Efendi took from the Qur’an is as follows: 282nd verse of Surah Baqarah, the longest verse of the Qur’an, as page measure; and the shortest surah, Surah Ikhlas, as the line measure. When he wrote the entire Qur’an with this measure, he saw that every page started and ended with a complete verse. This composition, which Imam Said Nursi described as “Divine inspiration and the Quran’s own measure”, gained great popularity in the Islamic world and the copies mostly started to be written based on this measure.
| Width measure The shortest chapter Ikhlas | Height measure The longest verse 282nd verse of Baqarah |
After so many centuries the appearance of such a beauty in the Qur’an, which was revealed 1400 years ago, is evidence for that the tawafuq is not a product of human work, in the contrary, this copy was written with inspiration from Allah and that the real page order of the Qur’an in the Preserved Tablet was bestowed. This is because the revelation order of the verses are various; they have different lengths. So the fact that every page ends with a complete verse can be explained neither with coincidence nor with human will.
The second phase of this miracle was seen almost 40 years after Hafiz Osman’s death, in 1930s, when Imam Bediuzzaman realized the partly tawafuq of the words “Allah” in his copy of Qur’an written by Hafiz Osman. Upon this, examining all the pages and the words “Allah” in the pages Imam Bediuzzaman saw that a good part of them were in tawafuq; and some of them seemed not in tawafuq although they were meant to be in.
He decided to have a new copy of the Qur’an handwritten in a style that would show the eyes this tawafuq miracle which was understood that it existed in the composition of the word “Allah” in the Qur’an. He appointed ten of his students and gave each of them three parts (juz’) from the Holy Qur’an to handwrite and reveal the tawafuq. He asked them not to let their wills interfere while writing. He had also asked these tawafuq to be written in red to be seen clearly. After a short time, the tawafuq was seen in the juzes that Ahmed Husrev Efendi wrote, whom Imam Nursi called the hero of the Risale-i Nur and one of his students whom he gave value most. Tawafuq did not appear in the juzes of other students. Imam Bediuzzaman declared the success of Hüsrev Efendi by saying “Tawafuq is in Husrev’s style.” (Barla Appendix)
Now Husrev Efendi became, in Imam Bediuzzaman’s words, the calligrapher of the miraculous copy of the Qur’an. He completed all the juzes in the shortest time and presented them to Imam Bediuzzaman. Imam congratulated Husrev Efendi in one of his letters to him and gave glad tidings of great rewards:
“Oh, Husrev! Think of the supplications of the people of Islam, asking Allah to shower His Mercy and Compassion upon your spirit once the miraculous “the Qur’an in Tawafuq” you wrote becomes published by the will of Allah. Think and thank Allah in gratitude!” (Kastamonu Letters)
In the following 40 years Husrev Efendi wrote the Qur’an in Tawafuq nine times and gave its final form. Today the Qur’an in Tawafuq is printed and presented to the benefit of Muslims by Hayrat Publishing of Hayrat Foundation, founded by Husrev Efendi.
A Brief Life Of Husrev Efendi?
Ahmed Husrev Efendi was born in AH 1315 / AD 1899 in Senirce village, Isparta. His father, Mehmed Bey, was the grandson of one of the last Isparta governors of the Great Ottoman Islamic Empire, Haji Edhem Bey.
The forebears of his father who are among Isparta’s notable men, are known as Green Turbans and their family tree dates back to the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) companion Sayyidina Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him). His mother’s family also belongs to noble forebears who are the descendants of Imam Hussain (May Allah be pleased with him).
The family was known as “Hafiz Qurras (The ones who are both hafiz and reciters in 7 basic styles). Seeing a meaningful dream, Husrev Efendi visits him when Ustad Bediuzzaman was exiled in Barla in 1926. From then on, he served as an important senior student, an advising friend, an assistant to his Ustad and the most important element of the service of Noor.
While introducing his senior student Husrev Efendi, who became noted in the Service of Nur, Ustad gives his name both as a model and measurement to all his students from madrasas all around Turkey. He pays tribute to his other students by saying Husrev Efendi’s name.
Imam Said Nursi names Ahmed Husrev Efendi as a “Rose Factory” and tells the duty and the place of him in themanagement of Nur Service as follows: “We congratulate Husrev and pray for his success in his duty of correction, distribution, supervision, communication as well as spreading the Nur (treatises) and educating students around him. In addition to his important duties, we behold the beauty of his pleasant and brilliant handwriting in many copies of the Nur treatises.”[Emirdağ Appendix-I, p. 167]
Husrev Efendi in Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s perspective
“Tawafuq is a natural part of the Qur’an, it stands there. Do not use your calligraphy talent to disclose the tawafuq which is already in it and Husrev did not use his talent because he did not have one. Thus, tawafuq revealed itself in Husrev’s copy.” (Barla Appendix, p. 89)
Although Husrev had never been able to reach the same level as his friends in calligraphy, he suddenly became superior to those calligraphers and even the Arabic calligraphy teacher. He displayed a skill in calligraphy ten times greater than his brothers. They all attested to this truth and said: ‘He has surpassed us and we will never be able to reach his level.’
So Husrev’s pen is the Wonder of the Quran, the Miraculous Declaration, and the Risale-i Nur.”(Kastamonu Appendix, p. 207)
“O Husrev! God willing, you will get many prayers of mercy for your soul from the Islamic world after the miraculous Qur’an that you have written is published. Think of them and give thanks to Allah.” (Kastamonu Appendix, p. 424)
Who is Bediuzzaman Said Nursi?
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi was born in 1877 (AH 1293) in the city of Bitlis, Hizan Township, Nurs village. And he died in 1960 in the city of Urfa.
In only 3 months, he managed to study and finish all the books which normally took an ordinary student of that period many years to complete.
He studied positive sciences such as mathematics, geology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, history, geography, and philosophy within the shortest time on his own.
He was acknowledged in all the scholarly discussions he participated in, thanks to his higher abilities in questioning, reasoning and wisdom. He became prominent in every examination of the scholars.
His quickness in replying the questions caused the scholars to think that his knowledge is wahb (god-given).
In addition to his deep knowledge he led a life in accordance with sunnah of prophet, taqwa and piety and nothing could prevent him from living up to what he believed. Like those great imams modelling the lives of prophets in history he showed the maturity that his knowledge necessitates.
He stayed in Istanbul for ten years between 1908 and 1922 during the process of collapse of Ottoman state and he found the opportunity to diagnose the problems that Ottomans and Islamic world got into and offered solutions. Particularly the Damascus Sermon that he declared in Umayyad Mosque in 1911 was a perfect diagnosis and prescription and it showed that he was the mujaddid of the new century.
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi diagnosed that the root source of those problems was “belief sickness”. Thus he devoted all his life into demonstration of belief and treatment of illnesses stemming from disbelief. Beginning from 1926 in which he was exiled in Barla village of Isparta he wrote Risale-i Nur Collection, a semantic commentary of the Qur’an comprised of a hundred and thirty pamphlets, within 26 years being inspired by the Qur’an itself.
You can watch a movie about the life of Bediuzzaman called Free Man below. Free Man is a biographical film of Muslim scholar Said Nursî. Film about the life of the Said Nursi, commonly known as Bediüzzaman, which means “The Wonder of the Age”. His profound knowledge of religious and positive sciences which he learned at an early age was acclaimed by the scholars of his time, and due to his sharp intelligence, strong memory and superior abilities, he was called by the name “Bediuzzaman”, meaning “The most unique, superior person of the time.” His whole life until his death in 1960 in Urfa was consisted of arrest and imprisonment, surveillance, and harassment. An amazing life story that deserves to be known, read and studied. (Turkish Name of Film: Hür Adam: Bediüzzaman Said Nursi). [9]
Please, don’t forget to open subtitles (CC button) for english translation.
Answer to Every Question
At a young age, he was able to pass, with flying colours, all of the examinations given to him by his teachers, and to defend his theses in the scholastic discussions to which they subjected him.
His answering all the questions without hesitation convinced the scholars in general that his knowledge is ilmu wahbi, a gift given by Allah in other words.
Along with this high level of his knowledge, he lived a life based on sunnah al-saniyya, taqwa and zuhd; no oppression and cruelty could prevent him from living the truths he believed in. Like the scholars who lived in previous centuries as the heirs of the Prophet (pbuh), he showed the perfection required by his knowledge.
The Qur’an In Tawafuq (A Miracle for Eyes in Quran)
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, whose main aim in his life was to serve the Holy Qur’an, wanted to show the wonderfulness of the Qur’an not only with the meaning but also with script of the Qur’an even to those who do not believe and who are suspicious about all things unless they see it with their eyes due to their idea of materialism. He makes following remarks about that point:
Alhamdulillah, a new copy of the Qur’an has been prepared which will show a couple of aspects of the wonders of the Qur’an, the Miraculous Declaration. By preserving the highly embraced page and line structure of Hafiz Uthman script, we as all the Umma have realized that the word ‘Allah’ is repeated 2806 times all in tawafuq with each other with a few very rare and specifically suitable exceptions. We did not change the page and line structure. We just put them in order. A wonderful tawafuq emerged out of that ordering. Some spiritual people have seen the prepared pages and they have stated that they are similar to those in the Lawh al Mahfuz (Preserved Tablet).
How the idea of handwriting the Qur’an in Tawafuq came up?
This miracle in the writing of the Qur’an was first recognised by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi last century. It is a wondrous miracle of the Qur’an pertaining to eyes in this age when people have been deeply influenced by the materialist irreligious philosophy and become an empirically-minded who says “we don’t believe what we cannot see”. It is rather meaningful and completely a grace of Allah (swt).
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi said the following about the subject: “A new copy of the Qur’an was written which will show one of five or six miraculous aspects of The Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition pertaining to eyes. We preserved the pages and line numbers of the copy written by Hafiz Uthman. We understood that although the word “Allah” is repeated in the Qur’an just 2806 times, they are all in tawafuq (congruous alignment) with some exceptions which are very few and have subtle meanings. We did not change pages or lines. We have just organized them. Then a marvellous tawafuq has appeared thereafter. We learned that some people of heart have seen our copy and accepted that it is similar to the script of the Preserved Tablet.” (See The Letters, The Index of The Letters and Rumuzat al-Thamaniya”
How was the Qur’an in Tawafuq written?
“Making the most important purpose of his life to serve the Qur’an, the great Islamic Scholar Bediuzzaman Said Nursi discovered the hints of a miracle which can be seen in the script of the Qur’an while he was reading his own Mushaf written by Hafiz Uthman script.
That miracle is the concordance of “Allah” and “Rab” words, which are found a lot in each page of the Qur’an, either one under the other in the same page or in counter pages or in later pages.
He explains how he comes up with this miracle as follows: “I investigated the Qur’an written by Hafiz Uthman and realised quite meaningful tawafuqaat (plural of tawafuq) especially in the lafzullah (the “Allah” words). I marked those tawafuqaat in my own copy. Besides, I realised that tawafuq was not seen properly since spaces in the middle of verses were irregular. As a result of this, I realised that tawafuq was to be seen.
He later wanted his 10 leading students to reveal this miracle of tawafuq which already exists in the Qur’an. He wanted them to write “Allah” and “Rab” in red colour and apply the 15 line page order of Hafiz Uthman script. Because, Hafiz Uthman got this order from the Qur’an as a result of Divine inspiration. Therefore, he took the longest and the shortest Ayaat as measurment and applied the longest Ayah which is “Al-Mudayanah” to pages and the shortest Surah which is “Al-Ikhlas” to the lines.
As a result, tawafuq appeared marvellously on the chapters written by his closest student Ahmed Husrev. 2806 “Allah” words correspond to each other in such a beautiful way that whoever sees that says MashaAllah.
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi states his pleasure as follows: “I marked the flashes of miraculousness of the Qur’an, which can be seen on script, on five to six of each mushaf and distribute it to my brothers who have marvellous skills of writing the script of the Qur’an.
Even though Husrev was not able to reach his brothers in terms of Qur’anic script, he suddenly surpassed those writers and manuscript teachers. He ten times surpassed our brothers who are eminent in Qur’anic script. They all approved and said: “He surpassed us and we cannot reach him.”
That is to say, the pen of Husrev is miraculous wonders of the Qur’an and Risale-i-Nur” [5]
The Miraculous Qur’an
Ustad Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, whose main aim in his life was to serve the Holy Qur’an, wanted to show the miraculousness of the Qur’an not only with the meaning but also with script of the Qur’an even to those who do not believe and who are suspicious about all things unless they see it with their eyes due to their idea of materialism.
In order to realize this aim, he asked his students to write the Qur’an in such a way that even the script of it would show the miraculous beauty to the eyes. In order to accomplish this aim he appointed ten eminent scholars of the time who were his students as well and gave them three chapters (juz’) from the Holy Qur’an to write and reveal the tawafuqaat.
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi wanted them to take the previous famous copy of Calligrapher Hafiz Osman’s Qur’an as a mastercopy which has fifteen lines in every page starting with a verse and finishing with the end of the verse. They were asked to write it without interference from their own will and in a state of pure sincerity to gain Allah’s pleasure. He said: “Do not dare to use your own will while doing this. Do not disappear the ones which are already appearing in the Holy Qur’an!”
Along with the closest student, Ahmed Husrev Efendi, Hafiz Ali, Hoca Halid, Muallim Ghalib, Hoca Sabri, Hafiz Zuhdu, Tighli Hakki, Shamli Hafiz Tevfik, most of whom were either hafiz, or scholars, or Arabic calligraphy teachers,
were the candidates to the service of writing the Holy Qur’an in the Tawafuq form. After finishing, they all handed in the papers to their Ustad.
Looking at the copies thoroughly, Bediuzzaman came to this conclusion:
“Tawafuq is in Husrev’s style. He didn’t spoil the tawafuq. This was his good deed which I had advised you not to use your own ability to make it. The biggest ability is not to ruin the tawafuq.
Because there stands it in the Qur’an”
“Although Husrev was not able to reach the level of his friends’ calligraphy ability, he suddenly became superior to those calligraphers and that Arabic calligraphy teacher. He has displayed ten times higher skill than his brothers. They all attested to this truth and said: ‘He has surpassed us and we will never be able to reach his level.’
So, Husrev’s pen is the Wonder of the Quran, the Miraculous Declaration, and the Risale-i Nur.”
In this script of the Qur’an, all of the words ‘Allah’ are miraculously
matched to each other, in such a way by lying aligned to one another on the same page or by facing one another on the opposite page or being situated on or under the others on different pages. That is to say, they are in ‘tawafuq’ with each other.
Many meaningful and wise words deriving from the same root or having the same meaning or corroborating with each other’s meaning, are in charming tawafuq with each other.
With the charming and unique pen of Ahmed Husrev Altınbaşak, tawafuq appears in such a wonderful style that His Master Bediuzzaman describes this beauty as: “The mind will say ‘Subhanallah’ if it understands; the heart will say ‘Barakallah’ if it comprehends; the eyes will say ‘Mashaallah’ if they see.”
So the calligrapher of the Qur’an in Tawafuq was from then on: Ahmed Husrev Altınbaşak.
Later on, Imam Bediuzzaman Said Nursi writes about the process of writing the Qur’an in tawafuq and tells about how Ahmed Husrev Efendi was appointed to this honourable service. “Even though he is not a hafiz, he has written three copies of the Qur’an of which two of them are excellent and the third one shows visually the miracles of the Holy Qur’an. I have pointed out the visual miracles of the Qur’an in five or six copies. I have delivered them to my brothers who are highly skilled calligraphers of Arabic.”
Read Miraculous Quran in Arabic
Select Juz (Chapter) from the Quran.
References;
- http://www.kuranvetevafuk.com/
- http://www.hayratnesriyat.co/en/bilgi/
- http://www.thepenmagazine.net/husrev-efendi-in-said-nursis-perspective/
- https://atif.sobiad.com/index.jsp?modul=makale-detay&Alan=sosyal&Id=AWV_xeJdHDbCZb_mQphL
- https://www.facebook.com/QuranInTawafuq/posts/the-story-of-quran-in-tawafuq/380409022049517/
- https://www.hizmetvakfi.org/a3ler/tevafuk-eng.pdf
- https://www.risaleenglish.com/panel/uploads/galleries_v/files/risale-pdfleri/tawafuq-article.pdf
- Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Rumuzat-ı Semaniye, 29th Letter, 3rd part,
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWlQSgdLBwc