Topic: Abbreviations

3:2; 7:2; 13:2; 29:2; 30:2; 31:2; 32:2.

Commentary:

Abbreviations like الم (Alif Lam Mim) are known as المقطعات (Al-Muqatta‘at), i.e. letters used and pronounced separately. They occur in the beginning of not less than 28 Surahs, and are made up of one or more, to a maximum of five, letters of the Arabic alphabet. The letters out of which these abbreviations are constituted are thirteen in number: Alif, Lam, Mim, Sad, Ra, Kaf, Ha, Ya, ‘Ain, Ta, Sin, Ha, Nun and Qaf. Of these Sad, Qaf and Nun occur alone in the beginning of one Surah only; the rest occur in combinations of two or more in the beginning of certain Surahs.

Of the meanings ascribed to Muqatta‘at two seem to be more authentic:

1. that each letter has a definite numerical value. Thus ا has the value of 1, ب of 2, ج of 3, د of 4, ھ of 5, and so on (Aqrab). This system was known to the early Arabs and is mentioned in some well-known books of tradition (e.g. Jarir, 70 & 71). In numerical terms the letters الم (Alif Lam Mim) could signify the length of time which the full manifestation of the inner significance of the Surah was meant to take.

The letters الم have the numerical value of 71 (ا being 1, ل 30 and م 40). Thus the placing of Alif Lam Mim in the beginning of the Surah would mean that the subject matter of Al-Baqarah, i.e. the special consolidation of early Islam, would take 71 years to unfold itself completely. It is well known that this consolidation went on until the year 71 Nabawi (after claim of Prophethood), the year of the coming to power of Yazid, son of Mu‘awiyah, when the history of Islam took a different turn.

2. The second and much more important significance of the Muqatta‘at is that they are abbreviations for specific attributes of God and a Surah before which the Muqatta‘at are placed is, in its subject matter, connected with the divine attributes for which the Muqatta‘at stand. The Arabs used such abbreviations. Says an Arab poet:

بالخیر خیرات و ان شر فا

ولا ارید الشر الا ان تا

"I will certainly return good for good; but if you are bent on mischief, so will I. I do not contemplate mischief except that you yourself should desire it" (Jarir). Here فا and تا stand for فشر and تشاء respectively. Similarly, the letters الم stand for انا الله اعلم i.e. "I am Allah, the All-Knowing"—a meaning which has the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas, cousin of the Holy Prophet (Jarir). Thus Alif Lam Mim placed in the beginning of Al-Baqarah indicate that the central theme of this chapter is divineknowledge. God proclaims, as it were, that Muslims, weak in the beginning, will soon become strong and attain to knowledge, wisdom and power.

The system of using Muqatta‘at was in vogue among the Arabs, who used them in their poems and conversations. In the modern West also the use of abbreviations has become very widespread. Nearly every dictionary provides a list of them along with their meanings (For fuller discussion of the Muqatta‘at see Tafsir-e-Kabir by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II, Qadian).

Commentary:

A brief note here on abbreviated letters which have been placed at the beginning of some Surahs of the Quran and which are known as المقطعات (al-Muqatta‘at) i.e. letters used and pronounced separately, is called for. The Muqatta‘at are abbreviations for specific attributes of God and the subject matter of a Surah before which they are placed has a deep connection with the Divine attributes for which they stand. The various Muqatta‘at have not been haphazardly placed at the beginning of different Surahs, nor are their letters combined arbitrarily. There runs a deep and far-reaching connection between the various sets of Muqatta‘at and the letters of which they are made also serve a definite purpose. Surahs 2 & 3 are prefaced with the abbreviated letters الم (Alif Lam Mim), indicating a kinship between their contents. chapters 4, 5 & 6 have no Muqatta‘at placed at their beginning which means that the subject matter of these three chapters is subordinate to and follows the pattern of that of the preceding two Surahs. Chapter 7 begins with the abbreviated letters المص (Alif Lam Mim Sad) which has the additional letter ص. The next two chapters (8 & 9) have no Muqatta‘at and the following three chapters (10, 11 & 12) have the abbreviated letters الر (Alif Lam Ra) placed at their beginning and the 13th chapter begins with المر (Alif Lam Mim Ra) i.e. with the addition ofم to الر. Chapters 14 and 15 have again the combination الر in their beginning which shows that there exists a certain similarity of subject matter among all these Surahs. Chapters 16, 17 and 18 have no Muqatta‘at before them which again shows that the subject matter of these three Surahs is subordinate and similar to that of the preceding Surahs. Chapter 19 is headed with کھیعص(Kaf Ha Ya‘Ain Sad) and deals with a particular subject, i.e. the Christian dogmas of Salvation and Atonement. The next six Surahs have no abbreviated letters at their beginning, طه at the head of 20th chapter, not being treated as Muqatta‘at. The following three Surahs are known as the Surahs of طس (Ta Sin) group. With the 29th chapter the Quranreverts to the same subject which has already been dealt with in Surahs2 & 3 but in a new form and to fulfil a new need and serve a new purpose, and, therefore, this chapter again has the Muqatta‘at الم (Alif Lam Mim) in its beginning. The next three chapters (30, 31 & 32) follow suit and the five chapters following these Surahs have no Muqatta‘at. Chapter ص (Sad) begins with the abbreviated letter ص (Sad) and the next chapter (39) has no Muqatta‘at.

The following seven Surahs open with the abbreviated letters حم (Ha Mim), only chapter 42 having the letters عسق(‘Ain Sin Qaf) added to حم (Ha Mim). They are known as Surahs of حم group. The next three Surahs, viz. 47, 48 & 49 again have no Muqatta‘at in their beginning. The 50th chapter is the last chapter which has an abbreviated letter i.e. ق(Qaf).

This somewhat detailed examination shows that three main categories of Muqatta‘at have been used in the Quran and that the Surahs having the same category of Muqatta‘at have been placed together which is a further indication of the fact that the subjects dealt with in such Surahs bear a close resemblance to each other and that the Muqatta‘at placed in their beginning serve as a key to their subject matter.

It is also pertinent to note that there is one thing which is common to all those Surahs that have Muqatta‘at. They open with the subject of the revelation of the Quran and this is no mere chance.

The system of using abbreviations (Muqatta‘at) was in vogue among the Arabs and at present is very popular in western countries and in its imitation in all eastern countries.

According to Ummi Hani, a cousin of the Holy Prophet, he (the Holy Prophet) is reported to have said that in the combined letters کھیعص the letter ک stands for کاف (the All-Sufficient), ھ for ھاد (the Guide), ع for علیم (the All-Knowing), and ص for صادق (the Truthful). According to Ibn ‘Abbas, however, the letters ک stands for کبیر (the Great), ھ for ھاد (the Guide), ی for امین (Who gives peace and protection), ع forعزیز (the Mighty) and ص for صادق (the Truthful). Ibn Mas‘ud and some other Companions interpreted these combined letters as الملک (theKing), الاله(God), العزیز (the Mighty) and المصور (the Fashioner). ‘Ali sometimes would preface his prayer with the words یا کھیعص(Fath).

Different combinations of abbreviated letters signify different subjects and the subject matter of a particular Surah at the beginning of which a particular combination is placed is governed by it. It has been explained above that the abbreviated letters stand for Divine attributes, but which particular letter stands for which particular Divine attribute becomes clear only by a deep study of the subject matter of the Surah at the beginning of which those letters are placed. The explanation of کھیعص as given by the Holy Prophet in the hadith narrated by Ummi Hani must necessarily be accepted as the best and should be preferred to all other explanations. But in this explanation the letter ی has been left out which shows that it does not signify any Divine attribute but has been used only as a letter of interjection, joining the first two Divine attributes with the last two. Thus the explanation of the combined abbreviated letters would read like this: انت کاف انت ھاد یا علیم یا صادق i.e. "Thou art Sufficient for all and Thou art the true Guide, O, All-Knowing, Truthful God." Or expanding its sense a little further the expression would mean, "Thou O God, Who knowest all my secrets and art true to Thy promises and art a true Friend, Thou alone canst satisfy all my needs and Thou alone canst guide me."

The four Divine attributes as represented by the combined letters کھیعص expose the falsity of the basic Christian doctrine of Atonement, i.e. salvation through the vicarious sacrifice of Jesus which forms one of the principal subjects of the Surah under comment. And if the doctrine of Atonement is proved to be false, the whole structure of the doctrines of the Trinity and godhead of Jesus would automatically fall to the ground.

Of these four attributes عالم or علیم and صادق are the principal and basic attributes and کاف and ھادare subordinate ones and flow from the former two and are their inevitable manifestation and result. If God is عالم (All-Knowing), then there is no place for the dogma of Atonement because this dogma presupposes that God had designed to carry on the business of the world according to a certain plan but His knowledge being defective that plan failed to function and, therefore, God was compelled to offer His own son for sacrifice to save the world. The failure of God’s plan contradicts His attribute "All-Knowing" and when God’s knowledge is shown to be defective, He cannot claim to be کاف (All-Sufficient) because the Being Who is عالم (All-Knowing) must necessarily be کاف (All-Sufficient).

In the same way the attribute صادق (Truthful) and its subordinate attribute ھاد (Guide) demolish this dogma. If God is not the true Guide and salvation without a belief in the vicarious sacrifice of Jesus is impossible, then all Divine Messengers will have to be accepted as so many liars and cheats because, contrary to Christian belief, they preached and taught that salvation was possible only through right beliefs and righteous actions; and a reflection on the truthfulness of God’s Messengers constitutes a reflection on the truthfulness of God Himself and consequently on His being ھاد i.e. the True Guide. Thus in this combination of abbreviated letters a hint is given that in dealing with the beliefs and doctrines of Christians, the best way to drive home to them the untenability of their doctrines is to dwell and lay emphasis upon Divine attributes, particularly on the attributes which are represented by the four letters ک, ھ , ع , ص .

In fact the best and most effective argument to show that the doctrine of Atonement is entirely unfounded, is to prove that Jesus did not die on the cross and if this thesis is proved, then the question that by his crucifixion he carried away the sins of humanity does not arise. For a detailed and full discussion, however, of the subject that Jesus did not die on the cross but after having remained on it only for a few hours was taken down alive, was kept in a sepulchre and then in fulfilment of his own prophecy, viz. "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd" (John 10:16), he travelled to Afghanistan and Kashmir to reclaim and retrieve the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel who had been dispersed to these countries by the Babylonian kings. See 23:51.