Islam is not a proper name; it simply means submission and peace. There are many aspects of being a muslim or submitter to God. There are at least three spheres of divine law. Submitting oneself to those laws is the only way of attaining peace and eternal happiness.

Dr. Rashad Khalifa did not have any knowledge that his curiosity regarding the meaning of the alphabet letters that initialize 29 chapters of the Quran would end up with the discovery of its mathematical system. His computerized study that started in 1969 gave its fruits in 1974 by the discovery of the 14 century old SECRET.

"At the right time, we will produce for them a creature (dabbah) from earthly materials, communicating to people that they are not certain about our miracles/signs/revelations (ayaat)." (27:82).

Verse 3:7 is frequently abused by those who claim that they cannot and they should not understand a part (how much?) of the Quran. Proponents of this sanctified ignorance are relentlessly attacking those who study and understand the Quran. The argument below is an excerpt from the beginning of Running Like Zebras, a lengthy debate between Edip Yuksel and Daniel Abdurrahman Lomax. The entire argument is at http://www.yuksel.org

It was 570 years after Christ when Muhammad was born in Mecca. At age 40 he made a declaration that shocked his people. During the month of Ramadan of 610, he claimed that he was visited by Holy Revelation (a.k.a. Jibreel or Holy Spirit) delivering him a message from God. This claim was first kept secret he shared only with several close friends and relatives. A few years later he publicly declared his messengership and his opposition to the religious and political establishment of Mecca. An era of revolution and reformation that would change world history had started.

I spent the last two weeks of the year 2000 in Turkey. This was a trip to promote several of my newly published books, including the long-awaited translation of the Quran, The MESSAGE. My people, being in the middle of great social and political turmoil, was ready to listen my words and question all their taboos and dogmas.

The prototype disbeliever who is challenged by the number 19 is described as the one who makes erroneous inferences (74:18-20). The repetitious reference to his fallacious logic emphasizes the importance of thinking and inferring properly.

"When missionaries came to South Africa, we had the land, they had the Bible. Then they told us, 'Let's close our eyes and pray.' When we opened our eyes we saw that we have the Bible, they have the land." (Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Prize winning South African priest).