Land to water ratio miracle in the Qur'an
According to some apologists, the Qur'an describes the ratio of land to water on Earth. That is approximately 71.8% water and 29.2% land [1]. This ratio isn't stated anywhere in the Qur'an, but according to apologists, the ratio is supposed to be hidden in a ratio of word counts.
The counted words are al-barr (ٱلْبَرّ) for "land" and al-bahr (ٱلْبَحْرِ) for "water", but the word al-bahr actually means "the sea".
Al-Barr - land
The trilateral root of the word بَرّ (barr) is برر (b-r-r). From this root we can derive many words. Besides "land", there is the meaning of "righteousness" and "kindness". Al-Barr (The Most Kind) is one of the names of Allah [2]. The word barr consists of only two letters ب (b) and ر (r), but there is a shadda sign above the ر, which makes it double length in pronunciation (رّ - rr). Above the ب is a fatha sign which determines the barr vowel (بَ).
This is the list of all the occurrences of words with the root برر in the Qur'an:
| Count | Verse | Word in Arabic | Transliteration | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2:44 | بِٱلْبِرِّ | bi-al-birri | in righteousness |
| 2 | 2:177 | ٱلْبِرَّ | al-birra | the righteousness |
| 3 | 2:177 | ٱلْبِرَّ | al-birra | the righteous |
| 4 | 2:189 | ٱلْبِرُّ | al-birru | the righteousness |
| 5 | 2:189 | ٱلْبِرَّ | al-birra | the righteous |
| 6 | 2:224 | تَبَرُّوا۟ | tabarroo | you do good |
| 7 | 3:92 | ٱلْبِرَّ | al-birra | the righteousness |
| 8 | 3:193 | ٱلْأَبْرَارِ | al-abrari | the righteous |
| 9 | 3:198 | لِّلْأَبْرَارِ | lil-abrari | for the righteous |
| 10 | 5:2 | ٱلْبِرِّ | al-birri | the righteousness |
| 11 | 5:96 | ٱلْبَرِّ | al-barri | the land 1 |
| 12 | 6:59 | ٱلْبَرِّ | al-barri | the land 2 |
| 13 | 6:63 | ٱلْبَرِّ | al-barri | the land 3 |
| 14 | 6:97 | ٱلْبَرِّ | al-barri | the land 4 |
| 15 | 10:22 | ٱلْبَرِّ | al-barri | the land 5 |
| 16 | 17:67 | ٱلْبَرِّ | al-barri | the land 6 |
| 17 | 17:68 | ٱلْبَرِّ | al-barri | the land 7 |
| 18 | 17:70 | ٱلْبَرِّ | al-barri | the land 8 |
| 19 | 19:14 | وَبَرًّا | wa-barran | and dutiful |
| 20 | 19:32 | وَبَرًّا | wa-barran | and dutiful |
| 21 | 27:63 | ٱلْبَرِّ | al-barri | the land 9 |
| 22 | 29:65 | ٱلْبَرِّ | al-barri | the land 10 |
| 23 | 30:41 | ٱلْبَرِّ | al-barri | the land 11 |
| 24 | 31:32 | ٱلْبَرِّ | al-barri | the land 12 |
| 25 | 52:28 | ٱلْبَرُّ | al-barru | the Most Kind |
| 26 | 58:9 | بِٱلْبِرِّ | bil-birri | for righteousness |
| 27 | 60:8 | تَبَرُّوهُمْ | tabarroo-hum | you deal kindly |
| 28 | 76:5 | ٱلْأَبْرَارَ | al-abrara | the righteous |
| 29 | 80:16 | بَرَرَةٍ | bararatin | dutiful |
| 30 | 82:13 | ٱلْأَبْرَارَ | al-abrara | the righteous |
| 31 | 83:18 | ٱلْأَبْرَارِ | al-abrari | the righteous |
| 32 | 83:22 | ٱلْأَبْرَارَ | al-abrara | the righteous |
The -i ending in al-barri means that the word is in the genitive case.
There is no question about this word count. There are clearly 12 occurrences of this word. They are all exactly the same forms. There are no prefixes, no plural and dual forms, no differences in diacritics, like in word counts for other words. And all other words from the same rott have a totally different meaning. Rarely the word count is so clear.
Al-Bahr - sea (not water)
| Count | Verse | Word in Arabic | Transliteration | Translation | Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2:50 | ٱلْبَحْرَ | al-bahra | the sea | singular |
| 2 | 2:164 | ٱلْبَحْرِ | al-bahri | the sea | singular |
| 3 | 5:96 | ٱلْبَحْرِ | al-bahri | the sea | singular |
| 4 | 5:103 | بَحِيرَةٍ | baheeratin | Bahirah * | singular |
| 5 | 6:59 | وَٱلْبَحْرِ | wal-bahri | and the sea | singular |
| 6 | 6:63 | وَٱلْبَحْرِ | wal-bahri | and the sea | singular |
| 7 | 6:97 | وَٱلْبَحْرِ | wal-bahri | and the sea | singular |
| 8 | 7:138 | ||||
| 9 | 7:163 | ||||
| 10 | 10:22 | ||||
| 11 | 10:90 | ||||
| 12 | 14:32 | ||||
| 13 | 16:14 | ||||
| 14 | 17:66 | ||||
| 15 | 17:67 | ||||
| 16 | 17:70 | ||||
| 17 | 18:60 | ||||
| 18 | 18:61 | ||||
| 19 | 18:63 | ||||
| 20 | 18:79 | ||||
| 21 | 18:109 | ||||
| 22 | 18:109 | ||||
| 23 | 20:77 | ||||
| 24 | 22:65 | ||||
| 25 | 24:40 | ||||
| 26 | 25:53 | ||||
| 27 | 26:63 | ||||
| 28 | 27:61 | ||||
| 29 | 27:63 | ||||
| 30 | 30:41 | ||||
| 31 | 31:27 | ||||
| 32 | 31:27 | ||||
| 33 | 31:31 | ||||
| 34 | 35:12 | ||||
| 35 | 42:32 | ||||
| 36 | 44:24 | ||||
| 37 | 45:12 | ||||
| 38 | 52:6 | ||||
| 39 | 55:19 | ||||
| 40 | 55:24 | ||||
| 41 | 81:6 | ||||
| 42 | 82:3 |
- In the verse 5:103, Bahira is a name for a she-camel. Muhsin Khan provides explanation in his translation of this verse: "Allah has not instituted things like Bahirah (a she-camel whose milk was spared for the idols and nobody was allowed to milk it) or a Sa'ibah (a she-camel let loose for free pasture for their false gods, e.g. idols, etc., and nothing was allowed to be carried on it), or a Wasilah (a she-camel set free for idols because it has given birth to a she-camel at its first delivery and then again gives birth to a she-camel at its second delivery) or a Ham (a stallion-camel freed from work for their idols, after it had finished a number of copulations assigned for it, all these animals were liberated in honour of idols as practised by pagan Arabs in the pre-Islamic period). But those who disbelieve invent lies against Allah, and most of them have no understanding."