Discovery of Code 19

Before Discovery

Mission To Translate the Quran

In 1968, Rashad Khalifa realized that the existing English translations did not present the truthful message of God’s Final Testament (the Quran).

In Appendix 1 (opens in a new tab) of his translation, he notes how popular translators such as Yusuf Ali or Pickthall failed in doing justice to even the most basic message throughout the book ("Worship God alone"). This soon prompted him to translate the Quran himself, at least for the sake of his children.

It is worth noting that this was also the first ever attempt (opens in a new tab) by a native Arabic speaker to translate the Quran.

Committment To Understand

While working on his translation, Rashad Khalifa committed himself to not move past any verse until fully understood. This proved extremely difficult from the very beginning, given that the very second page of the Quran starts with a historical mystery: the Mysterious Letters (opens in a new tab) (muqaṭṭaʿāt, Arabic: حُرُوف مُقَطَّعَات ḥurūf muqaṭṭaʿāt, "disjoined letters" or "disconnected letters"), or, as Rashad himself puts it:

The Quran is characterized by a unique phenomenon never found in any other book; 29 suras are prefixed with 14 different sets of "Quranic Initials,” consisting of one to five letters per set. Fourteen letters, half the Arabic alphabet, participate in these initials. The significance of the Quranic initials remained a divinely guarded secret for 14 centuries.