:salam2:
Certain Suras have certain initials prefixed to them, which are called the “Abbreviated Letters”. A number of conjectures have been made as to their meaning. Opitions are divided as to the exact meaning of each particular letter or combination of letters, but it is agreed that they have a mystic meaning.
Mystic meaning, not intelligible at first sight, is not inconsistent with the character of the Qur’an as a “plain book”. The book of nature is also a plain book, but how few can fully understand it? Everyone can get out of the Qur’an plain guidance for his life according to his capacity for spiritual understand. As his capacity grows, so will his understanding grow. The whole Book is a Record for all time. It mustnecessarily contain truths that only gradually unfold themselves to humanity. Even parables and tales of mystic meaning employ symbolism. The plain man may find the symbolism helpful, as a soldier finds his NAtional Flag helpful. But waht proportion of British soldiers or citizens understands the full symbolism of the British Union Jack?
This is not amystery of the same class of “mysteries” by which we are asked to believe against the dictates of reason. If we are asked to believe that on is three and three is one, we can give no intelligible meaning to the words. If we are asked to believe that certain initials have a meaning which will be understood in the fulness of time or of spiritual development, we are asked to draw upon Faith, but we are not asked to do any violence to our reson.
Dicussion some of the probable meanings of any particular abbreviated letter or set of abbreviated letters on the first occasion on which it apprears in the Qur’an. But it may be desireable hereto take a general view of the facts of their occurrence to help us in appreciating the various views which are aheld about them.
There are 29 letters in the Arabic Alphabet (counting hamza and alif as two letters), and there are 29 Suras which have abbreviated letters prefixed to them. One of these Suras (Surah Al-Shoura) has two sets of abbreviated letters but we need not count this Surah twice. If we thake the half of the alphabet, omitting the fraction, we gat 14 and this the number of letters, which occur in the Muqatta’at.
The 14 letters, which occur in various combinations, are:-
The science of phonetics tells us that our vocal sounds arise from the expulsion of the air from the lungs, and the sounds are determined by the way in which the breath passes through the various organs of speech, e.g., the throat (guttural), or the various position of the tongue to the middle or fron of the palate or to the teeth, or the play of the lips. Every one of these kinds of sounds is represented in these letters.
The above are the general considerations.