Quran Garden

Have you ever questioned the purpose of the individual letters at the beginning of some Surahs?  Today, we start our journey by exploring such letters.  We are delighted to join you in the study of Surah Al-Baqarah.  Taking this step speaks volumes about your character and faith.  Let's begin.

Session 23

Chapter 2

Surah Al-Baqarah

Verse 1,

Alef, Lam, Meem

The chapter opens with three distinct letters from the Arabic alphabet: Alef, Lam, and Meem (ا ل م).  In any language, letters have both names and phonetic sounds.  Typically, we use the sound of the letters, not their names, when speaking.  For instance, when you say "drive," you use the sounds of the letters.  You only use letter names when spelling the word out explicitly, like "D, R, I, V, E."  Only an educated person can pronounce both the names and sounds of letters.  As for the illiterate, he or she pronounces the letter sounds while speaking, but if you ask an illiterate person to spell a word, he or she won't be able to.

This is an interesting fact that should draw our attention.  Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was illiterate, unable to read, write, or spell.  Yet, when the Quran was revealed to him, he started reciting verses containing the names of letters, a skill an illiterate person does not have.  This indicates that the Prophet was relaying the Quran as it was revealed to him, as he heard it, rather than drawing from personal knowledge.

Even more intriguing is that some chapters of the Quran begin with words identical in their Arabic written form; however, these words are recited differently.  For example, in Chapter 105 ("The Elephant"), the word Alam (الم) is recited as a single word, whereas in Chapter 2 ("The Cow"), the exact same word is recited by pronouncing each letter separately, that is, Alim Lam Meem (ا ل م).  Why did the Prophet recite the same written word differently in various chapters?  This serves as further evidence that he was not reciting from personal knowledge, interpretation, or visual recognition but was delivering the text exactly as it was conveyed to him by the Angel Gabriel.

From the examples above, we also learn that the true essence of the Quran can only be obtained by listening to its recitation in Arabic.  A person cannot recite it correctly by reading alone.  Only through listening can one learn the correct recitation of each word in any given verse.

When we examine the Quran for verses similar to the first Aya in Al-Baqarah, we find that some chapters begin with a single-letter verse, while others begin with a verse of four or five letters.  At times, letters are in a separate verse, while in other chapters (such as Chapter 13), they are part of a larger verse.  It becomes quickly evident that the letters that occur at the beginning of some chapters do not follow any particular rule or pattern.

Naturally, at this point you may ask, "What is the meaning of these letters?"  We reply that the question in itself is incorrect, because linguistically around the world single alphabetical letters carry no meaning.  Letters are simply the building blocks forming words and sounds.  In English, you wouldn't ask, "What is the meaning of the letter G?"  But let's not forget what Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, told us when he said, "Whoever recites God's Book will earn a reward for each letter, and that reward will be multiplied by ten.  I am not saying that 'Alef, Lam, Meem' is a letter; rather, I am saying that 'Alef' is a letter, 'Lam' is a letter, and 'Meem' is a letter."

So, while you may not understand the meaning of a verse or two as you recite the Quran, you can rest assured that you will benefit from and be rewarded for their recitation.  This is similar to a person living in a remote village who benefits from electricity, television, and mobile service, even though he or she may have no understanding of how they work.  Similarly, military passwords might seem meaningless to most, but they can be vital to those who understand their significance.  So, when you encounter a verse you don't understand, trust in God's wisdom.  These letters contain hidden secrets and miracles that, while currently beyond our understanding, still offer us great benefit.

In fact, the Quran holds many miracles and hidden treasures that encompass every area of human knowledge.  Intellectuals from all fields of study have pondered God's Book and found it miraculous.  A scholar of literature who studies the Quran will find literary miracles in its verses; a medical doctor or an astronomer will find it miraculous from a scientific point of view; and so on.  Each of us may possess a key to understanding according to his or her knowledge.  But only Allah, with His infinite knowledge, possesses all the keys to the Quran.  We do not wait to find out the wisdom behind the prohibition of consuming pork and drinking alcohol in order to refrain from them.  Instead, we trust that these rules are set out of God's knowledge and love for us.  Similarly, we say to those who question the wisdom behind beginning some Quranic Surahs with letters that God Almighty holds the wisdom behind them, and we accept them from our Lord, whether we understand them or not.

Perhaps the best way to appreciate this is to look at the Meccan society at the time of revelation.  More specifically, how did the enemies of Islam, the non-believers whose mission was to discredit the Prophet and his message, react to such an Aya?  We find that they did not challenge the use of these letters.  How could they have missed such an opportunity to attack the Quran unless, deep down, through their fine Arabic and linguistic skills, they understood the value of such speech?

So, when you direct yourself to God in worship by reciting His book, don't occupy your mind with pondering the meaning of these letters.  You can reap the full reward of worship if you simply acknowledge that many of the miracles and treasures of the Quran are beyond the mind's comprehension.  On the other hand, when you set out to study the Quran, you can dedicate as much time as you need to research each word and ponder over its meaning.

Those who believe they fully grasp all the meanings of the Quran are mistakenly limiting God's divine speech to their human knowledge and judgment.  That's why these mysterious letters serve as a reminder: We cannot confine the meanings of the Quran to our own understanding and interpretation.

In fact, the spoken word holds within it the attributes of the speaker and, in the case of the Quran, God is the speaker.  His attributes of perfection are in every word of the Holy Book, and that is why the human understanding cannot encompass the ultimate meaning of the Quran.  The words we speak reflect who we are, and since God is the speaker of the Quran, His perfect knowledge and wisdom are in every word.  That is why our human understanding cannot possibly encompass the ultimate meanings of the Quran.  If you think about a verse, you might find fresh insights every day.  Scholars who study the Quran often come away with different ideas, but they don't claim to have all the answers.  They simply say, "God knows best."

Thus, when you recite the first verse of Al-Baqarah, remember that, just as eyesight has limitations, so do the hearing, smell, and, perhaps more importantly, the human mind.  Nevertheless, you should not close the doors of curiosity, research, and seeking further knowledge. 

Keeping that in mind, let's look at this Aya from another angle.  Speech is a means of communication between the speaker and the listener.  While the speaker has the initiative, the listener's mind is often occupied with something else, which can result in missing the first few words of a conversation.  Thus, before delivering an important message, you can alert the listener by making a sound or saying a few letters to grab their attention.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Practice what you understand of the Quran, and believe in what you do not understand." God Almighty says:

It is He Who has sent this Scripture down to you.  Some of its verses are definite in meaning – these are the cornerstone of the Scripture – and others are ambiguous.  The perverse at heart eagerly pursue the ambiguities in their attempt to make trouble and to pin down a specific meaning of their own: only God knows the true meaning.  Those firmly grounded in knowledge say, "We believe in it: it is all from our Lord." Only those with real perception will take heed. (3:7)

If today's session was enjoyable and enlightening, get ready for even more.  There's a rich treasure of knowledge to explore in the upcoming sessions.  God bless.