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Draft 0.1
By Hamza Tzortzis
hamza.tzortzis@theinimitablequran.com
In the Qur'an there are 'cryptics letters' that initiate 29 of its chapters, examples
include:
"Alif Lam Meem" Qur'an 2:1
"Alif Lam Ra" Qur'an 10:1
"Ta Ha" Qur'an 20:1
"Kaf Ha Ya 'Ayn Saad" Qur'an 19:1
"Alif Lam Meem Saad" Qur'an 7:1
With regards to their meaning and significance these letters have caused a sense
of 'mystery'. It is unanimous amongst Muslim exegetes and scholars that they are
not just placed there in jest.
To state that these letters are just the initials of scribes or the initials for the
names of God goes against the linguistic and literary nature of the Qur'an. The
Qur'an is known to have semantically orientated word order and arrangement.
To state that there is no significance in these letters indicates a lack of
understanding with regards to the literary excellence of the Qur'an.
There are two major opinions that account for the use of the cryptic letters. The
first opinion relates to the challenge of the Qur'an to produce a chapter like it.
The letters, according to this opinion, reminds the listener that although the
Qur'an is made up of the letters of the Arabic language no one can, and no one
has, been able to imitate it. This is similar to many other rhetorical devices used
in Classical Arabic Rhetoric (balagha). This opinion is supported by Ar-Razi,
Al-Qurtubi, Az-Zamakhshari, Ibn Taymiyyah, Shaykh Al-Mizzi and contemporary
scholars such as Abdul-Raof.
The second opinion is that it is used as a exclamatory device used to attract the
attention of the listener. This is similar to other exclamatory devices used in the
Qur'an such as 'No!' or 'Indeed'. This opinion is supported by Prof. A. Haleem.
In my opinion both of these views can be used, as these letters can have a dual
function, that is, to attract the attention of the listener and to remind the listener
that the Qur'an is made of the same letters used every day but yet no one can
produce anything similar to that of the Qur'an.
What is also interesting to note is that after the cryptic letters the Qur'an usually
follows with a statement about nature of the book and its miraculousness. For
example:
"Qaf. By the Glorious Qur'an..." Qur'an 50:1-2
"Ha Mim. This is the scripture sent down from God, the Almighty the Wise."
Qur'an 46:1-2
"Ha Mim. 'Ayn Sin Qaf. This is how God, the Mighty, the Wise, sends revelation
to you as he did to those before you." Qur'an 42:1-3
"Ha Mim. A revelation from the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy; a Scripture
whose verses are made distinct as a Qur'an in Arabic for people who
understand..." Qur'an 41:1-4
"Alif Lam Ra. This is a Scripture We have sent down to you so that, with their
Lord's permission, you may bring people from the depths of darkness into light,
to the path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy One." Qur'an 14:1
It is evident from the above that the letters placed at the beginning of some
chapters in the Qur'an have a stylistic and rhetorical effect. Theories put forward
by some scholars, that undermine the significance of these letters, are devoid of
any hard evidence and have an unholistic methodology. This is clear as they do
not take into account Qur'anic and Arab stylisitcs, rhetoric and the literary and
linguistic design of the inimitable text.
Bibliography
Tafsir Ibn Kathir
The Qur'an: A New Translation. Introduction. M. A. S Abdel Haleem. Oxford
University Press. 2005.
Exploring the Qur'an. Hussein Abdul-Raof. Al-Makhtoum Institute Academic
Press. 2003.
Az-Zamakhshari. Al-Kashshaf.
By Hamza Tzortzis
hamza.tzortzis@theinimitablequran.com
In the Qur'an there are 'cryptics letters' that initiate 29 of its chapters, examples
include:
"Alif Lam Meem" Qur'an 2:1
"Alif Lam Ra" Qur'an 10:1
"Ta Ha" Qur'an 20:1
"Kaf Ha Ya 'Ayn Saad" Qur'an 19:1
"Alif Lam Meem Saad" Qur'an 7:1
With regards to their meaning and significance these letters have caused a sense
of 'mystery'. It is unanimous amongst Muslim exegetes and scholars that they are
not just placed there in jest.
To state that these letters are just the initials of scribes or the initials for the
names of God goes against the linguistic and literary nature of the Qur'an. The
Qur'an is known to have semantically orientated word order and arrangement.
To state that there is no significance in these letters indicates a lack of
understanding with regards to the literary excellence of the Qur'an.
There are two major opinions that account for the use of the cryptic letters. The
first opinion relates to the challenge of the Qur'an to produce a chapter like it.
The letters, according to this opinion, reminds the listener that although the
Qur'an is made up of the letters of the Arabic language no one can, and no one
has, been able to imitate it. This is similar to many other rhetorical devices used
in Classical Arabic Rhetoric (balagha). This opinion is supported by Ar-Razi,
Al-Qurtubi, Az-Zamakhshari, Ibn Taymiyyah, Shaykh Al-Mizzi and contemporary
scholars such as Abdul-Raof.
The second opinion is that it is used as a exclamatory device used to attract the
attention of the listener. This is similar to other exclamatory devices used in the
Qur'an such as 'No!' or 'Indeed'. This opinion is supported by Prof. A. Haleem.
In my opinion both of these views can be used, as these letters can have a dual
function, that is, to attract the attention of the listener and to remind the listener
that the Qur'an is made of the same letters used every day but yet no one can
produce anything similar to that of the Qur'an.
What is also interesting to note is that after the cryptic letters the Qur'an usually
follows with a statement about nature of the book and its miraculousness. For
example:
"Qaf. By the Glorious Qur'an..." Qur'an 50:1-2
"Ha Mim. This is the scripture sent down from God, the Almighty the Wise."
Qur'an 46:1-2
"Ha Mim. 'Ayn Sin Qaf. This is how God, the Mighty, the Wise, sends revelation
to you as he did to those before you." Qur'an 42:1-3
"Ha Mim. A revelation from the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy; a Scripture
whose verses are made distinct as a Qur'an in Arabic for people who
understand..." Qur'an 41:1-4
"Alif Lam Ra. This is a Scripture We have sent down to you so that, with their
Lord's permission, you may bring people from the depths of darkness into light,
to the path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy One." Qur'an 14:1
It is evident from the above that the letters placed at the beginning of some
chapters in the Qur'an have a stylistic and rhetorical effect. Theories put forward
by some scholars, that undermine the significance of these letters, are devoid of
any hard evidence and have an unholistic methodology. This is clear as they do
not take into account Qur'anic and Arab stylisitcs, rhetoric and the literary and
linguistic design of the inimitable text.
Bibliography
Tafsir Ibn Kathir
The Qur'an: A New Translation. Introduction. M. A. S Abdel Haleem. Oxford
University Press. 2005.
Exploring the Qur'an. Hussein Abdul-Raof. Al-Makhtoum Institute Academic
Press. 2003.
Az-Zamakhshari. Al-Kashshaf.