The Correct Explanation of the Abbreviations in the Beginning of some Surahs

The correct explanation of the abbreviations in the beginning of some Surahs


Publishing Date : Monday 1 Jumada Al-Akhirah 1422 AH, corresponding 20 August 2001 AD. Fatawa Source : From the Fatawa Delivered by Shaykhul-Islam Ahmad Ibn Taymeeyah Fatwa Reference : Al-Fatawa, Page 444

Question: What is the correct explanation of Allah's saying: Hâ-Mîm.'Aîn-Sîn-Qâf and the like of this in the beginning of some Surahs?

Answer : There are twenty nine Surahs in the Holy Qur'an beginning with such letters, or what we call abbreviations, which are recited separately such as Alif Lam Mîm. Some of these Surahs begin with o­ne letter o­nly such as Sâd, Qâf, and Nûn. Some others begin with two letters such as Ta-Ha and Ya-Sîn. Still others begin with three letters like Alif-Lam-Mîm. The rest of these kinds of Surahs starts with more than three letters such as Kâf-Ha-Ya-'Aiyn-Sâd and Hâ-Mîm-'Aîn-Sîn-Qâf.

Hâ-Mîm-'Aîn-Sîn-Qâf are the letters with which Surat Ash-Shura begins. Surat Ash-Shura is o­ne of the seven Surahs beginning with Hâ-Mîm that known as the Hawamîm. It is worth mentioning that all the Surahs starting with such letters are from among the Makkan revelation to the exclusion of Surat Al-Baqarah and Surat Al-'Imran, which are Madinite. All the Makkan Surahs concentrate o­n manifesting monotheism, revelation, the Prophets' mission and the resurrection in the Hereafter. Surat Al-Baqarah and Surat Al-'Imran contain the debate with the People of the Book regarding their denial of the revelation that was descended o­n the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).

There are no distinct meanings for these letters in Arabic except their meanings within the words formed by these letters. There is no authentic Hadith reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that shows the meanings of these letters and therefore people differ among themselves regarding the meanings of these letters.

All the opinions in this subject can be summarized in two opinions:

First: The majority from among the Companions and the Successors said that the meanings of these letters are confined to Allah and thus none knows their meanings except Him.

Second: Some scholars claimed that these letters have different meanings with which the books of Tafsir are filled. Among these assumed meanings is that they are the Names and the Attributes of Allah. According to this opinion, every o­ne of the Names and Attributes of Allah is specified for the letter with which this Name or Attribute starts. For example, the letter Alif is specified for the Name Allah, the letter Lam is specified for the Name Latif, the letter Mim is specified for the Name Malik and so o­n.

Some others said that these letters are signs for events that will occur in the future recognized by the way of the famous calculation of the statements or by the narrations which are baseless or by the way of guessing.

A third group maintained that these letters stresses the challenge that the Holy Qur'an poses for the disbelievers in that it consists of the same letters from which their speech is composed and thus the material is neither strange nor hidden from them. Thus, their inability to produce something like it represents a concrete evidence that the Holy Qur'an is not the making of human beings but a revelation from Allah the Creator of all strengths and powers.

The most correct opinion is the first o­ne, which refers the meanings of these letters to the knowledge of Allah. Of course, there is some wisdom behind starting the Surahs with such letters. This wisdom can be derived from the distinctiveness of these letters and their positioning in the beginning of the Surahs as a proof of the significance of the Holy Qur'an because the disbelievers used to recommend each other to refrain from the listening to it. Allah said:

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَا تَسْمَعُوا لِهَذَا الْقُرْآنِ وَالْغَوْا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَغْلِبُونَ

"And those who disbelieve say: 'Listen not to this Qur'ân, and make noise in the midst of its (recitation) that you may overcome.'" [41:26]

They were astonished by the strange beginning of the Holy Qur'an which knocked their ears and pushed them to listen to it. So, these letters are similar to the stimulating letters in Arabic.

There is a narration reported by At-Tabari that [Hâ-Mîm-'Ain-Sîn-Qâf ] are letter that refer to the destruction of two cities which will be founded beside o­ne of the rivers in the east; as the river will take its way between them, etc. But this narration is not reliable. It is not proper to tell such narrations while explaining the Holy Qur'an as they are baseless, unreasonable and disturbed narrations.

The proper stand for the Muslim is to believe in these letters as he believes in the Holy Qur'an as a whole. It is the duty of the Muslim to believe that Allah [may He be Glorified] has special secrets in His Book about which none but He has the absolute knowledge as He has special secrets in His universe.

Allah said:

وَلاَ تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولـئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْؤُولاً


"And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or do not or witness not) that of which you have no knowledge. Verily! The hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of each of those o­ne will be questioned (by Allâh)" [17:36]

Translation of this fatwa provided by The King Fahd Quran complex