786

You must have noticed the number 786 on a green background prominently displayed on roadside dargahs or Muslim places of worship around the country side. What does it mean and what is it significance.

The opening verse or phrase of Quran is “Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim”. Now according to an Arabic system of numerology, the sum of numbers assigned to letters of this verse amount to 786. Not all Muslims place emphasis on this numerological analysis; however, some — mostly in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh — use 786 as a substitute for Bismillah ("In the name of Allah" or "In the name of God"). They write this number to avoid writing the name of God, or Quranic verses on ordinary papers, which can be subject to dirt or come in contact with 'unclean' materials. This practice does not date from the time of Muhammad and is not universally accepted by Muslims.

Orthodox Muslims say that Islam does not believe in this numeral mumbo-jumbo and it associates it with pagan culture. There are various arguments given to impress upon Muslims that they should desist from using such numbers one being that '786' is also an aggregation of the numbers of Hindu 'Lord Hari Krishna'. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid using this number to avoid the danger of being indulging in infidelity.

Ramneek Maan Singh