How Many Times Does the Word اسم (Ism) Appear in the Quran?
The word اسم (Ism) appears exactly 19 times throughout the entire Quran. This number, being a multiple of 19 (19 × 1), is a clear example of the Quran's numerical structure based on the number 19.
Furthermore, the word اسم (Ism) is the standard written form (with the Alif – ا) of the word بِسْمِ (Bism), which appears at the beginning of the phrase "Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem." This structural match reinforces the mathematical harmony within the Quran. Interestingly, the 3 instances of بِسْمِ (Bism) written without Alif reveal another layer of mathematical precision, which is detailed in the additional notes at the end of the table.
Occurrences of the Word اسم (Ism) in the Quran
| Chapter | Verse | Verse Text | اسم |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 4 |
يَسـَٔلونَكَ ماذا أُحِلَّ لَهُم قُل أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ الطَّيِّبـٰتُ وَما عَلَّمتُم مِنَ الجَوارِحِ مُكَلِّبينَ تُعَلِّمونَهُنَّ مِمّا عَلَّمَكُمُ اللَّهُ فَكُلوا مِمّا أَمسَكنَ عَلَيكُم وَاذكُرُوا اسمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيهِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَريعُ الحِسابِ
|
1 |
| 6 | 118 |
فَكُلوا مِمّا ذُكِرَ اسمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيهِ إِن كُنتُم بِـٔايـٰتِهِ مُؤمِنينَ
|
1 |
| 6 | 119 |
وَما لَكُم أَلّا تَأكُلوا مِمّا ذُكِرَ اسمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيهِ وَقَد فَصَّلَ لَكُم ما حَرَّمَ عَلَيكُم إِلّا مَا اضطُرِرتُم إِلَيهِ وَإِنَّ كَثيرًا لَيُضِلّونَ بِأَهوائِهِم بِغَيرِ عِلمٍ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعلَمُ بِالمُعتَدينَ
|
1 |
| 6 | 121 |
وَلا تَأكُلوا مِمّا لَم يُذكَرِ اسمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَفِسقٌ وَإِنَّ الشَّيـٰطينَ لَيوحونَ إِلىٰ أَولِيائِهِم لِيُجـٰدِلوكُم وَإِن أَطَعتُموهُم إِنَّكُم لَمُشرِكونَ
|
1 |
| 6 | 138 |
وَقالوا هـٰذِهِ أَنعـٰمٌ وَحَرثٌ حِجرٌ لا يَطعَمُها إِلّا مَن نَشاءُ بِزَعمِهِم وَأَنعـٰمٌ حُرِّمَت ظُهورُها وَأَنعـٰمٌ لا يَذكُرونَ اسمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيهَا افتِراءً عَلَيهِ سَيَجزيهِم بِما كانوا يَفتَرونَ
|
1 |
| 22 | 28 |
لِيَشهَدوا مَنـٰفِعَ لَهُم وَيَذكُرُوا اسمَ اللَّهِ فى أَيّامٍ مَعلومـٰتٍ عَلىٰ ما رَزَقَهُم مِن بَهيمَةِ الأَنعـٰمِ فَكُلوا مِنها وَأَطعِمُوا البائِسَ الفَقيرَ
|
1 |
| 22 | 34 |
وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ جَعَلنا مَنسَكًا لِيَذكُرُوا اسمَ اللَّهِ عَلىٰ ما رَزَقَهُم مِن بَهيمَةِ الأَنعـٰمِ فَإِلـٰهُكُم إِلـٰهٌ وٰحِدٌ فَلَهُ أَسلِموا وَبَشِّرِ المُخبِتينَ
|
1 |
| 22 | 36 |
وَالبُدنَ جَعَلنـٰها لَكُم مِن شَعـٰئِرِ اللَّهِ لَكُم فيها خَيرٌ فَاذكُرُوا اسمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيها صَوافَّ فَإِذا وَجَبَت جُنوبُها فَكُلوا مِنها وَأَطعِمُوا القانِعَ وَالمُعتَرَّ كَذٰلِكَ سَخَّرنـٰها لَكُم لَعَلَّكُم تَشكُرونَ
|
1 |
| 22 | 40 |
الَّذينَ أُخرِجوا مِن دِيـٰرِهِم بِغَيرِ حَقٍّ إِلّا أَن يَقولوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ وَلَولا دَفعُ اللَّهِ النّاسَ بَعضَهُم بِبَعضٍ لَهُدِّمَت صَوٰمِعُ وَبِيَعٌ وَصَلَوٰتٌ وَمَسـٰجِدُ يُذكَرُ فيهَا اسمُ اللَّهِ كَثيرًا وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ اللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِىٌّ عَزيزٌ
|
1 |
| 49 | 11 |
يـٰأَيُّهَا الَّذينَ ءامَنوا لا يَسخَر قَومٌ مِن قَومٍ عَسىٰ أَن يَكونوا خَيرًا مِنهُم وَلا نِساءٌ مِن نِساءٍ عَسىٰ أَن يَكُنَّ خَيرًا مِنهُنَّ وَلا تَلمِزوا أَنفُسَكُم وَلا تَنابَزوا بِالأَلقـٰبِ بِئسَ الِاسمُ الفُسوقُ بَعدَ الإيمـٰنِ وَمَن لَم يَتُب فَأُولـٰئِكَ هُمُ الظّـٰلِمونَ
|
1 |
| 55 | 78 |
تَبـٰرَكَ اسمُ رَبِّكَ ذِى الجَلـٰلِ وَالإِكرامِ
|
1 |
| 56 | 74 |
فَسَبِّح بِاسمِ رَبِّكَ العَظيمِ
|
1 |
| 56 | 96 |
فَسَبِّح بِاسمِ رَبِّكَ العَظيمِ
|
1 |
| 69 | 52 |
فَسَبِّح بِاسمِ رَبِّكَ العَظيمِ
|
1 |
| 73 | 8 |
وَاذكُرِ اسمَ رَبِّكَ وَتَبَتَّل إِلَيهِ تَبتيلًا
|
1 |
| 76 | 25 |
وَاذكُرِ اسمَ رَبِّكَ بُكرَةً وَأَصيلًا
|
1 |
| 87 | 1 |
سَبِّحِ اسمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعلَى
|
1 |
| 87 | 15 |
وَذَكَرَ اسمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلّىٰ
|
1 |
| 96 | 1 |
اقرَأ بِاسمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذى خَلَقَ
|
1 |
| Toplam "İsim" (19×1) | 19 | ||
The word اسم (Ism) appears exactly 19 times in the Quran.
Additional Insights on the Word "Ism" and the 19 Code
The word "Ism" (اسم) appears exactly 19 times in the Quran, making it a significant part of the 19-based numerical structure. It is the first word in the phrase "Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem." The fact that the word "Ism" is written without the Alif (as "Bism" - بسم) in three specific instances is also part of this mathematical system. Further details are provided below.
The Basmalah Formula
The four words that make up the Basmalah — Ism (Name), Allah, Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem — each occur throughout the Quran in counts that are multiples of 19.
Bism or Ism? Word Form Distinction in the Quran
In the Quran, the word "Ism" appears in two distinct forms:
With Alif (اسم – Ism)
This is the standard form, written with an Alif (ا) at the beginning. It appears exactly 19 times in the Quran.
Without Alif (بسم – Bism)
This special form is used in the Basmalah, where the initial Alif is dropped. This version appears only 3 times in the Quran — in verses 1:1, 11:41, and 27:30.
This distinction is also recognized in classical Quranic reference works. Notably, "Al-Mu'jam al-Mufahras li Alfāẓ al-Qur'an al-Karīm" by Muhammad Fuad Abdul-Baqi — first published in 1938 and widely accepted — lists 19 occurrences of the word "Ism" (اسم) in its standard form. As with all counting tables on 19code.org, this result has been confirmed using fully automated software analysis: the total is precisely 19.
A Curious Observation
In Surah 96:1, the phrase "Bismi Rabbika allathee khalaq" ("Read in the name of your Lord, who created") uses the Alif-included form of "Bism" (i.e., "Ism"). However, the Basmalah at the start of the same surah uses the Alif-omitted form. This subtle contrast appears to preserve both the 19-letter structure of the Basmalah and the 19-count integrity of the standard "Ism" form — a fine example of Quranic mathematical precision.
The Relationship Between the Number 19 and the Word "Ism"
Each of the four words in the Basmalah occurs throughout the Quran in counts that are exact multiples of 19:
- Ism (Name): Appears exactly 19 times in the Quran (19 × 1)
- Allah: Appears 2,698 times (19 × 142)
- Ar-Rahman: Appears 57 times (19 × 3)
- Ar-Raheem: Appears 114 times (19 × 6)
Frequently Asked Question: Why Aren't the "Bism" (Without Alif) Forms Counted?
A common question arises: "Why aren't the Basmalah phrases in 1:1 and 27:30 included in the count of the word Ism?" While this may seem reasonable at first, a deeper look at the mathematical system of the Quran reveals something remarkable.
The three instances of the Alif-less Bism (بسم) — found in 1:1, 11:41, and 27:30 — act as mathematical dividers within the Quran:
- From the 1st Bism to the 2nd Bism: 1,520 verses (19 × 80)
- From the 2nd Bism to the 3rd Bism: 1,691 verses (19 × 89)
- From the 3rd Bism to the end of the Quran: 3,135 verses (19 × 165)
These results show that excluding the Bism forms without Alif is not arbitrary, but rather part of a larger mathematical structure. Each form — with or without Alif — follows its own internally consistent and numerically meaningful pattern.
NOTE
Except for the letter "Bā'" (ب), every letter in the 19-letter Basmalah occurs in the Quran's mysterious opening letters known as Hurūf al-Muqattaʿāt.
The Word "Ism" and Its Connection to the Name "Wahid"
The fact that the word Ism (Name) appears exactly 19 times is also connected to one of God's names — "Al-Wahid" (الواحد), meaning The One — whose Abjad (numeric) value is 19.
Word: Ism (اسم)
Occurs exactly 19 times in the Quran.
Name: Al-Wahid (واحد)
A Symmetrical Connection Between the Words
The repetition count of the word "Ism" (19) and the Abjad value of "Wahid" (19) form a perfect symmetry — emphasizing God's oneness. The first word in Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem is "Ism", its count is 19, matching the numerical value of "Wahid", the name that declares God's singularity.