Huroof-e-Muqattaat is a unique alphabet or a string of alphabets that appear at the beginning of 29 Surahs of the Quran. In Arabic, some letters are jointly written like a word, but when they are read, they are pronounced separately. This is true for the 14 distinct sets of Huroof-e-Muqattaat. They are present in groups of 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or sometimes just a lone alphabet like in the case of Qaf ( ق ) or Saad ( ص ).
As believers, we know that nothing is extraneously or carelessly introduced in the Qur’an, but everything is based upon absolute realities. From time immemorial, researchers have not been able to arrive at a conclusive decision concerning the significance of these alphabets. There have been several opinions, but the little consensus in those opinions.
Their definitions have remained unclear to scholars and are considered by most Muslims to be Divine secrets whose meaning and significance is only known to Allah. It is also a common belief among Muslims that it is strictly prohibited to ponder over Huroof-e-Muqattaat and its meanings.
It is hard to fathom that a book which has been sent down by the Almighty for guidance to humankind would contain verses that are not meant to be understood and pondered over in the first place. Every single Ayah of this Divine book is intended for humanity, and it is important to seek what is yet not understood or known.
Considering this Huroof-e-Muqattaat has been the subject of extensive research and discussions in the field of Quranic studies with many scholars claiming different theories like:
- Their meanings were earlier known, and now they are lost. This theory arises because there is no historical evidence of the Mukhalifeen making objections about these mystical letters. However, the Mukhalifeen would never spare a moment to create controversies, so it is deduced that the masses must have commonly understood the meanings. However, this theory is a bit hard to digest as something which was so well-known and was so common among people back then can’t vanish in a way that no trace of it can be found today.
- These are abbreviations present at the starting of the Surah, which act as an identifier of the Surah. For instance, if someone says, ‘ʾAlif Lām Mīm Ṣād’’ one can locate the Ayah at the start of Surah Al-Aʿarāf. However, this claim is quite weak in the sense that a single set of Huroof-e-Muqattaat like ‘Alif Lām Mīm’ appears at the start of six different Surahs. Therefore, how can one associate it with one particular Surah or use it as an identifier?
- These are the abbreviations of Allah’s names like Alif Lām Mīm where Alif stands Allah for Lām stands for Lateef and Mīm stands for Majeed. However, one could object as to why only these abbreviations and these names are taken and why not others. Thus this claim also lacks proper justification and appears like a sheer guess.
The Truth of Huroof e Muqattaat
Amidst all these theories and discussions, one thing is clear that no scholar had yet looked for the meanings of Huroof-e-Muqattaat from the Quran itself. Instead, claims were made from outside the Quran and often represented the scholar’s own understanding.
A Major mistake that everyone till now has made is trying to decipher Huroof-e-Muqattat by isolating it from the very next Ayah. Even if it is a part of an Ayah, only the Huroof-e-Muqattat are perused. For eg consider Ayahs 13:1 ;43:1 ;10:1; 11:1; 12:1; 13:1; 14:1; 15:1;27:1.
A good book’s beauty lies in its coherence. Undoubtedly, the Quran has elegant continuity and rhythm. If one studies Huroof-e-Muqattat in tandem with the very next Ayah, keeping continuity in mind, multiple clues, and some very striking patterns can be found. It is challenging to oversee these hints present in the Quran!
The verses containing Huroof-e-Muqattaat are as follows:
- Alif Lām Mīm. That is the Book; wherein there is no doubt.[2:1-2]
- Alif Lām Mīm. Allah – there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence. He has sent down upon you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming what was before it. And He revealed the Torah and the Gospel.[3:1-3]
- Alif Lām Mīm Ṣād. The Book revealed to you- so let there not be in your breast distress from there – that you may warn thereby and as a reminder to the believers.[7:1-2]
- Alif Lām Rāʾ, Those are the verses of the Book overflowing with wisdom.[10:1]
- Alif Lām Rāʾ. Book whose verses are perfected and then presented in detail from [one who is] Wise and Acquainted.[11:1]
- Alif Lām Rāʾ. Those are the verses of the clear Book.[12:1]
- Alif Lām Mīm Rāʾ. Those are the verses of the Book; and what has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, but most of the people do not believe.[13:1]
- ʾAlif Lām Rā. A Book which We have revealed to you that you might bring mankind out of darknesses into the light by permission of their Lord – to the path of the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy.[14:1]
- ʾAlif Lām Rā. Those are the verses of the Book and a clear Qur’an[15:1]
- Kāf Hāʾ Yāʾ ʿAin Ṣād. A mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zechariah.[19:1-2]
- Ṭāʾ Hāʾ. We have not sent down to you the Qur’an that you be distressed.[20:1-2]
- Ṭāʾ Sīn Mīm. Those are the verses of the clear Book.[26:1-2]
- Ṭāʾ Sīn. Those are the verses of the Qur’an and a clear Book[27:1]
- Ṭāʾ Sīn Mīm. Those are the verses of the clear Book.[28:1-2]
- ʾAlif Lām Mīm. Do the people think that they will be left to say, “We believe!” and they will not be tried? But We have certainly tried those before them, and Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars.[29:1-3]
- ʾAlif Lām Mīm.The Byzantines have been defeated in the nearest land. But they, after their defeat, will overcome.[30:1-3]
- Alif Lām Mīm. These are verses of the wise Book.[31:1-2]
- Alif Lām Mīm. The revelation of the Book about which there is no doubt from the Lord of the worlds.[32:1-2]
- Yāʾ Sīn. By the wise Qur’an.[36:1-2]
- Ṣāad. By the Qur’an containing reminder.[38:1]
- Ḥāʾ Mīm. The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.[40:1-2]
- Ḥāʾ Mīm. A revelation from the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.[41:1-2]
- Ḥāʾ Mīm; ʿAin Sīn Qāf.Thus has He revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and to those before you – Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.[42:1-3]
- Ḥāʾ Mīm. By the clear Book, Indeed, We have made it an Arabic Qur’an that you might understand.[43:1]
- Ḥāʾ Mīm. By the clear Book, Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind].[44:1-3]
- Ḥāʾ Mīm. The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.[45:1-2]
- Ḥāʾ Mīm. The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.[46:1-2]
- Qāf. By the honored Qur’an.[50:1]
- Nūn. By the pen and what they inscribe[68:1]
- In the Ayahs mentioned above, after each Huroof-e-Muqattaat, there is a mention of either The Book (Al-Kitab) or the Quran. Therefore, it seems like there is some relation between these concepts. Out of 29 surahs containing these letters, 26 surahs of them are such that there is direct mention of the Quran or The Book (Al-Kitab) immediately after the Huroof-e-Muqattaat. The other three surahs have an indirect connection to The Book.
When we ponder over them, we can conclude that either these letters are the name of a person who is being addressed to about The Book, or these are the names of The Book (Al-Kitab) itself.
- The second most crucial point to be noted here is the use of the word Zalika and Tilika when referring to The Book (Al-Kitab).
If we carefully observe the translations of the Ayahs mentioned previously, we notice something interesting. The words Zalika and Tilka are translated as This rather than That. Since scholars couldn’t comprehend why Zalika and Tilika were used to refer to something present here (i.e., The Holy Quran or The Book), they took a slight liberty with the translation. However, this is the word of God, and we can’t change the meaning to suit our understanding. When we want to know the reality of an Ayah, we ought to do an exact translation without any alterations.
When we do the accurate translations of all the Ayahs where Huroof-e-Muqattaat are mentioned, words like Zalika are used for The Book (Al-Kitab). In contrast, Tilika is used for Ayah, both of which clearly show that there is an indication of The Book (Al-Kitab) that is somewhere far away. Rest everywhere in the Quran where the Huroof-e-Muqattaat are not mentioned the word Haaza or Hazihi is used to refer to the Quran or Kitab. Some examples include : 17:89,10:37,17:9,41:26,59:21,6:155.
Quran clearly states that The Book, which is somewhere far away, is Lauh e Mahfooz/Preserved Tablets, also known as Ummul Kitab.
THE REALITY OF LAUH E MAHFOOZ /UMMUL KITAB/AL-KITAB?
The Glorious Quran states Al Kitab was sent to Musa (AS) [6:154] in the form of Taurait, to Isa (as) in the form of Injeel, and to Mohammad (SAW) in the form of the Quran.
The verses[85:21-22] says that the Quran is in the Preserved Tablets/Lauh e Mahfooz.
This proves that the Quran, Taurait, Injeel, and other Books of God are included within the definition of Al-Kitab/Lauh e Mahfooz/Preserved Tablets, which exist somewhere far away from us.
Allah retains and erases whatever He wishes from Al-Kitab for the people. For ex., Taurait was first revealed to Musa (AS), then Injeel was revealed to Isa (AS). Where some parts of these books were retained, others were erased. Then when the Quran was revealed on Mohammad (SAW), certain parts of Injeel were retained, and some parts were erased. That Lauh e Mahfooz/Al-Kitab/ Original Record from where Allah changes whatever He wills and retains whatever He wills is called Taqdeer. Taqdeer originates from Qadr, meaning Estimate.
The Taqdeer of every matter is inscribed in Lauh e Mahfooz The Quran states in Ayah 6:38 :
Every matter in this universe is mentioned in Al-Kitab/Lauhe Mehfooz.
A hadith of Tirmidhi calls it Kitab ul Qadr, where every past and future is written till eternity.
It is like a Record Book of the universe or the DNA of the world. The fate is written in Lauh e Mahfooz which may be in some form whose comprehension is beyond the reach of the human mind. It may also be necessary to understand that the Lauh e Mahfooz is also literally not present in written form. For example, the fate of the tree is written in its seed with ifs and buts considering the external environment, i.e., the tree will grow so and so height if sufficient nutrients, sunlight, water is accessible. Other than that, the characteristics of a person are recorded in his/her DNA. A computer chip has binary codes in the two binary numbers 0 and 1 that represents the most basic information stored in the computer. This machine language is converted to any other language which the user wants. For example: if some software for English or Hindi translation is installed, the entered data will be translated into either English or Hindi, respectively.
Similarly, the fate/Taqdeer/DNA of this Universe, which is recorded in Lauh e Mahfooz/Preserved Tablets/Al-Kitab, was transferred to different nations in different languages like Hebrew, Arabic, Sanskrit as the word of God.
THE FORM OF RECORD IN LAUHE MAHFUZ/PRESERVED TABLETS
A person can only perceive things in a manner that is known to him. The words pen, write, etc. were used to provide a picture of record in a way that was well acquainted to humanity 1400 years ago.
For example, it is said that Kiraman Kaatibeen is writing all deeds.
Kiraman meaning Buzurg (experienced)
Katibeen is plural of Katib, meaning recorders. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are writing with a pen on paper. We don’t know what will be the state of such a recording. These terms just give us an idea that highly experienced accurate recorders are there to capture our deeds. The verses 18:49 says that our deeds will be laid out to us like playback.
Scientifically it is possible that if we can cross the time barrier and travel at the speed of light. In the future, we may be able to travel in the past and playback the future. Everything that a person does is present in nature. A few decades earlier, no one would have thought the possibility of watching a live match from miles away. But now we know that when we tune our gadgets to a particular frequency which is relayed by that station, we can separate it from crores of other frequencies present in the environment and can watch a specific match.
Thus the form of record in Al-Kitab/Preserved Tablets is best known to Allah.
THE ORIGIN OF LIFE
The DNA/Record of the whole universe, as we call it, tells us that Al-Kitab was the initial stage (seed) of the creation. When we go back in time we see everything, every being that has come into existence has a reason, however, if we converge it down to the end of it, it all comes down to a single entity. Allah created this entity, which is the seed of creation. The expansion of the creation from Al-Kitab led to the existence of the universe as we see it now.