al-Muḥṣī

The Counter, who numbers everything

Begin the series ↓

Say it: al-Muḥṣī. A recording by our own reciter is on its way.

Heard together with: al-Muḥṣī / al-Ḥasīb

Start with what we know

Then take away everything it needs. What is left is not a bigger version of us. It is the Name.

Episode 1

In us

Glance at a handful of things and you can see about four at once. Beyond that, we count one by one, and lose count.

Episode 2

In nature

In 2024 scientists showed that crows can plan and produce from one to four calls on cue (Liao and others, Science).

Episode 3

At our best

The Gaia telescope has catalogued nearly two billion stars. The stars of the observable universe we can only estimate: up to a million million million million.

Episode 4

The Break

Take away counting one by one, estimating, error bars, running out of time. We estimate the stars. al-Muḥṣī counts them, and names them. The Psalm says the same: “He counteth the number of the stars; He giveth them all their names” (Psalm 147:4, JPS 1917).

Read: 19:94; 72:28.

From the tradition: 'Whoever enumerates them (aḥṣāhā) enters Paradise' (Bukhari 7392); Ibn al-Qayyim's levels of aḥṣā: words, meanings, calling on Him by them.

On screen

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Where it shows up

In scripture: Q 19:94; 72:28; 14:34; Ps 147:4; Isa (peace be upon him) 40:26; Luke 12:6–7.
The same thread in Jewish and Christian scripture: Ps 147:4; Isa (peace be upon him) 40:26 'sends out their host by count'; Luke 12:7 'the very hairs of your head are all counted'. Strong.
In the universe: ESA Gaia star catalogue.
In nature: Ants: about 20 quadrillion ants (Schultheiss et al., PNAS 2022).
In people: The census: humanity's largest counts are still samples and estimates.
In science: Avogadro's number; large-number estimation; the mole.

Living it

Count blessings, knowing (14:34).

Its kind

Act: something done: mercy shown, provision given, a prayer answered.

In the Qur'an: 19:94; 72:28 (verb aḥṣā)

Sources for this page

bipm.org