Al-Baqarah البقرة

Alif Laam Meem

Much has been said about the meaning and role of these letters. The very first thing to note is, as scholars have agreed, these are the names of the letters, not their sounds. Hence, we read them as Alif, Laam, Meem; and these are the names of these letters. These names are nouns, and hence possess characteristics that define a noun in Arabic, such as the definite article, having plural forms, and accepting adjectives that define it. Sibawayh mentions his teacher al- Khalal ibn Ahmed al Farahidi asking his companions to produce the sounds of these letters, to which they responded Alif, Laam, Meem. Upon this, he said that these are names of the letters, not their sounds. If one wants to refer to their sounds, he would say أه، به، كه, not Alif, Laam and Meem etc. Zamakhshari has written in detail supporting this position

Now, what is the meaning and significance of these letters? Many opinions have been presented. Ibn Ashur notes down 21 different opinions presented by different scholars across different times after omitting overlapping views. We can narrow them down into broader categories instead of having to dive in detail into each one.

1. They are the names of the surahs of which they are a part of. This is the position of the majority of scholars including linguistic scholars such as Sibawayh and al- Khalil.
2. They are oaths whereby Allah swears by these letters. Since the final revelation was sent down in Arabic, Allah swears by the letters of this language to indicate its greatness and lofty nature for it was this specific language in which Allah chose to sent down his final and greatest revelation.
3. These letters are a challenge to those who reject the Qur’an, especially the Arabs. This book is made up of the same letters that you are well aware of and which you use frequently in your daily life. Not only is this your native tongue, you are masters of this language and take great pride in your mastery of it. Yet despite this, you are incapable of producing anything like this. Therefore, these letters are a direct challenge to the deniers of the Qur’an to highlight their incapability to produce anything like it despite having all the tools of the language needed to do it.
4. These letters are there to grab and attract the attention of the listener. No one in Arab history started speech in this manner. As a matter of fact, we would be hard pressed to find anyone in human history to have done so. When an extremely unusual thing happens, it naturally attracts you to it and makes you curious about it. Therefore, when someone reads and hears the names of these letters being pronounced in this manner, it captures his attention and produces in him the desire to know what follows these letters.
5. They are abbreviated forms of larger names, attributes, actions or sentences. For example, Alif can refer to Allah, Laam to Latīf, and Meem to Majīd. It can also be that Alif refers to Allah, Laam to Gabriel, and Meem to Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. It can also be that they are abbreviated forms of a larger sentence such as أنا الله الملك - I am Allah, the king. Under this category, many meanings have been presented.
6. They are signs for the Jews and Christians. Allah had informed them in their books that he will send down a book in the future which would contain disjointed letters in this form.

If what is meant by these letters are the names of the surahs of which they are a part of, then many surahs start with the same letters. For example, apart from this surah, Āl - Imrān, Luqmān, al - Rūm and some other surahs also start with these very same letters; Alif Laam Meem. If the entire point of these letters were to name these surahs, then we would have many surahs with the same name. Since the very purpose of naming something is to distinguish it from something else, this opinion can be considered weak. This is a well known objection and Razi responds to it by saying that even though each surah would have the same name, it would then be distinguished by what follows it, which is different from other surahs. Some will agree while others may disagree.

The second position that they refer to oaths by means of which Allah highlights the lofty nature of Arabic language in which He chose to send down His final book is also very common. This would then serve to explain why Allah sent down the Qur’an in Arabic. Because it is the best and greatest language in which divine guidance can be read and communicated to people to guide and change them. Secondly, if these letters referred to the names of the surah itself, then Allah would be swearing by the surah itself just as in other places, He swears by the Qur’an itself.

The fact of the matter is that Alif Lām Mīm are names of Arabic alphabets and undoubtedly, what is being emphasized by reading out their names separately is the Arabic language itself. These letters highlight the elementary constituents from which the Qur’anic linguistic expression is constructed. This miraculous divine book is in Arabic language, a language used and understood widely by people. This language has now been chosen for God’s revelation. This can not only refer to the greatness of this language, but also to its accessibility and easy to understand nature. This is not some mystic, poetic and hidden word spoken in some other worldly language, but in the widely known and spoken Arabic language to make it easy and accessible for people to understand. This is supported by the Qur’an itself;

وَلَقَدۡ يَسَّرۡنَا الۡقُرۡاٰنَ لِلذِّكۡرِ فَهَلۡ مِنۡ مُّدَّكِرٍ‏

Truly have we made the Qur’an easy to take reminder from. So is there anyone to take heed? (54:22)

Arabic itself, of course, is not the only thing that makes the Qur’an easy to understand. It is the Qur’anic expression itself, its coherent structure, its clear message and masterful composition that all contribute to it.

Secondly, all languages are learnt by understanding and pronouncing the letters first. The disjointed letters could serve to represent the beginning and initial phases of learning Arabic. But then, what comes after it in the form of entire surahs, is Arabic language - rather linguistic expression itself as a whole - taken to its utmost perfection. At first the most basic building blocks of the language are shown, and then they are taken to utter perfection later on. It is a very rhetorical challenge. See these letters? These basic building blocks that form words? Now watch! See how I will use them to compose utter perfection - language that will become the very standard itself of what eloquence is.

Every time any surah starts with disjointed letters, this rhetorical fact and challenge is being stated out loud. You all use these basic letters all the time in your daily lives. I will use these very same letters to compose a surah and a book the likes of which you cannot. I will not use any other sources or materials to which you have no access, but the very letters and language that you not only speak day to day, but are masters of it. The Arabs at that time excelled in their language and took great pride in it. You use these letters all the time. Now watch how I use them!

Hence, we can see why many scholars mentioned that these letters are a challenge to the disbelievers. What also supports this position is the use of the demonstrative noun ذلك - used normally to refer to objects far away - in the next verse instead of هذا as we will see in sha Allah. This position also remains in harmony with the view that these disjointed letters serve to capture the attention of the listener since a huge claim is being made regarding the nature of what will follow these letters, which would naturally capture the attention of the listener.

That is the book - no doubt in it - guidance for those who keep safe.

From a grammatical perspective, this verse is extremely complex with a number of possibilities.

Firstly, Allah uses the demonstrative noun ذلك (that) instead of هذا (this) to refer to the book. ذلك is usually used to refer to objects far away or those that are not physically present with you as opposed to هذا which is used to refer to things in close proximity. This could be for many reasons. I will first present what has been mentioned by scholars then present the position that is most consistent with the context.

1. What could be referred to are the surahs of the Qur'an that have already been sent down before this surah. It is permissible to refer to a surah of the Qur'an or some parts of the Qur'an as Kitab, and Qur'an itself. Since they have been revealed already, they were naturally referred to as being far away and completed.
2. It could be referring to the book that Allah promised the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to send down previously (the Qur'an) when He said اِنَّا سَنُلۡقِىۡ عَلَيۡكَ قَوۡلًا ثَقِيۡلًا‏‏ - Truly, We will send down on you a heavy word. (72:5)
3. It could be referring to the book that Allah had promised and prophesied to send down in the previous scriptures especially if the disjointed letters are a marker by which the Jews and Christians were told the final revelation would contain.
4. It could be referring to these very words and this very verse and this usage is very common in our day to day life. For example, if I have just completed speaking to someone, I could refer to what I have just said with "that." For example, if I say, "Allah sent down the Qur'an and it is the ultimate truth", and then say right after, "that is the creed you must believe in", then this is perfectly normal and allowed inside Arabic as well as English. When a speech has been completed, it can be referred to with ذلك, even in the same settings. This is the position of Tabari and he quotes Ikramah, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Jurayj and others.
5. What is being referred to by ذلك are the letters Alif, Laam, Meem. This view is held mostly by those who view Alif Laam Meem as the name of the surah and it is permissible to call a single surah of the Qur'an kitab (book) and Qur'an itself. But, as Zamakhshari points out, the demonstrative pronoun could be pointing to the meaning conveyed by the letters Alif, Laam, Meem; and not necessarily the letters themselves. The meaning of Alif Laam Meem was to show the superior nature of the Qur'an and the inability of the disbelievers to produce something like it despite being composed of the very same letters that they use regularly. Hence, ذلك here refers to the book which is composed of these very letters that you use regularly and form the language that you use, yet you are incapable of producing something like that book.
6. What could be referred to is the entire Qur'an because even though the entire Qur'an had not yet been revealed, its revelation is anticipated and known to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and other people. So it is treating what is present in the minds and souls of people as if it is literally physically present.
7. "That"/ذلك is used to indicate the loftiness and holiness of the book. In Arabic, even though a thing might be present in close proximity, to indicate its loftiness and greatness, you can point towards it by using ذلك. Something that is lofty and elevated is as if it is far away from you, and you can treat it then as something that is literally elevated and distant from you physically. The Qur'an is so exalted that it is metaphorically placed at a great distance and above other things. In eloquent Arabic, something noble and lofty is often represented as something high up and difficult to reach.

Looking at all of these positions, the last opinion that ذلك is used for it because of the loftiness and holiness of the book is most consistent with the text. In the Fatihah, we prayed to Allah to guide us to the straight path. This surah starts by stating that this book is that guidance. The guidance that you asked for in Fatihah, is this book. Allah answers the prayer of Fatihah, by sending down this book. Since this book is true guidance, it is unlike other books and stands above the rest. You will see this when we discuss the word kitab as well below. Since this book - the Qur'an - is guidance, the very guidance you sought in al-Fatihah, it is lofty, holy and superior to all other books and to indicate its lofty nature, it is treated as if it is elevated and high above by using the demonstrative noun ذلك instead of هذا. Hence, the loftiness of the book makes it distant and far away. Its elevated status is treated literally as physical elevation.

Now, depending on which position you take, the role of each word in ذلك الكتاب - That is the book, changes.

1. "That" is the subject (مبتدأ) and "the book" is its predicate (خبر). The meaning would then be "that is the complete and perfect book", where "that" refers to the book composed of the letters Arabs use daily as explained above. The meanings of being complete and perfect are contained inside the definite article with the word كتاب/ book. That book, composed of these letters, is the complete and utterly perfect book. Also, the definite article conveys that this is the only thing that deserves to be called a book because of its nature and qualities, as if everything else besides it, does not deserve to be called kitab/book. This is consistent with position that ذلك is used to indicate the loftiness of this book. This is the only thing that is fit to be called kitab, and hence it is superior and unlike any other piece of literature. This superiority makes it far above and lofty, and hence ذلك is used to highlight this, as if the book is actually elevated and at the very top.
2. "That" is the subject, "the book" is its apposition (بدل), and what comes after is the predicate (خبر). The meaning in this case would be "that book, composed of these letters - without any doubt in it - is guidance for those who keep safe."

Now based on each of these positions, the grammatical role of what comes next in the verse changes.

1. If "that" is the subject and "the complete and perfect book" is the predicate, then the next words "there is no doubt in it" could be referring back to this book i.e, there is no doubt that this is the complete and perfect book. This is the book par excellence. It is limiting the qualities of perfection and completeness inside the Qur'an. There is rhetorical restriction here (قصر ادعائي). It is as if this is the only thing that deserves to be called kitab, as if whatever is besides it, does not deserve to be called Kitab. This is not to say that other books are not to be called kitab, but that they, when compared with the Qur'an, are deficient in qualities that make a book complete and perfect. They are technically books, but they lack the complete perfection of what a book should actually be.
2. It could also be referring to the next words "guidance for those who keep safe", i.e, there is no doubt that this complete and perfect book is guidance.
3. Rayb - translated is doubt - means something that disturbs you deeply and makes you anxious. Since doubt and suspicion by nature make one anxious and uneasy, this word came to be used in the meanings of anxiety and uneasiness as well. This book will not produce rayb in the chests. People will not be disturbed if it is the truth or not, rather their hearts will find peace and assurance in it and their souls will testify to its truth. Nor is there any room for doubt about its truthfulness.

But in reality, there are many people who doubt the truthfulness of the Qur'an and even reject it. So how can it be said that there is no rayb or doubt in the Qur'an? Two things. Firstly, it is treating their doubt as if it does not exist because of its falseness. If someone expresses doubt over an obvious fact, his doubt is treated as being meaningless. For example, if I express doubt over the fact that the Qur'an was revealed in Makkah, you would ignore my doubt because of its absurdity. A doubt over an obvious and known fact is rejected and treated as if it does not exist. Similarly, the Qur'an is the book par excellence and this is a well established fact. Anyone who expresses doubt over it will be treated as if his doubt does not exist because of its absurdity. Secondly, it could be saying that there is nothing in the Qur'an that causes rayb to arise. The focus then would be on the perfection of its text, meanings and guidance. This is based on the well know usage in Arabic where an action is interchanged with its cause and this is very common in the Qur'an as well. Both of these positions compliment each other. There is nothing in the Qur'an that causes rayb and hence there is no room for any rayb and doubt regarding it. Anyone who expresses doubt regarding it does so because of a flaw within his own self, reasoning and logic, and not because of anything inside the Qur'an. This runs consistently with the theme of the Qur'an being the perfect book which cannot be matched in any shape or form by anyone else. The Qur'an is the perfect and greatest literature. As such, it contains no errors. Anyone who says it does or expresses doubt about it, is himself at fault.

Next is the debate over where the pause is. Should one pause over لا ريب or after فيه? The majority have put the pause after فيه. Ibn Ashur allows for both interpretations. Al- Razi takes the position that one should only pause after فيه because otherwise it would entail that some parts of the Qur'an are guidance while others are not, and as we know, the Qur'an as a whole is guidance. This latter position is to be preferred.

Next notice the arrangement of the words in لا ريب فيه. Had the the words فيه (in it) come in the middle between لا and ريب as in لا فيه ريب, as it occurs in other places of the Qur'an such as لا فيها غول in surah 37:47, it would have meant that there is no doubt or rayb in the Qur'an but there is doubt in other books. This although true, is not the subject. The subject is to show the absolute loftiness and singularity of the Qur'an not a comparison with another piece of literature. Hence, لا ريب فيه is ordered to match the context.

Next is the word هدى - translated as guidance. Linguistically, it means to lead and make something apparent and visible. It is different from دل which is also used in the same meaning in Arabic. هدى - the word in this verse - not only refers to guidance, but guidance that actually makes you reach your end goal. One can call simply showing the path to someone as guidance. If someone asks me for directions to a location he wants to reach, I can "guide" him by giving him directions. This is not هدى. هدى is when I not only give him the directions, but also make him reach his destination. The Qur'an not only shows us the path to salvation and success, but also walks us through it, step by step. It takes hold of our hands and walks us every step.

Secondly, هدى is a verbal noun (مصدر). The norm is to use the active participle (اسم الفاعل) instead which would be هاد. Using the مصدر instead of the اسم الفاعل has many rhetorical effects and impacts on the meaning. Firstly, it puts emphasis on the strength of the Qur'ans guidance. It emphasizes the ability of the Qur'an to one reach the utmost good and also emphasizes the perfection of its guidance. It is as if it is guidance itself. The Qur'an is what true guidance is. Secondly, it makes it expands the guidance across all times and ages. The اسم الفاعل in Arabic refers to the act happening in the present, but the مصدر is not restricted to a specific time. It can refer to the past, present and future, and all of them at the same time as well. The Qur'an was guidance in the past, it is guidance right now in the present and it will continue to be the perfect guidance in the future. It is absolute guidance, that will stand the test of time and it will remain so across all times and ages. This contradicts many so-called modern Muslims who seek to change the Qur'ans rulings to harmonize with contemporary ideologies.

The Qur'an was also guidance in the past as mentioned above. The past referring to the surahs that had been revealed before this surah. In this case, the مصدر also emphasizes the visual impact of its guidance that can be seen. The Qur'an is guidance and this can be seen in the companions who accepted Islam with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in Makkah before this surah was revealed. The way it changed them and their lives for the better, the way it not only made them better people individually, but also changed society and their community as a whole for the better. The use of the also مصدر emphasizes and calls for people to reflect on how the Qur'an actually lived upto its description of it being true guidance.

Thirdly, هدى (guidance) is indefinite. For the one who pauses after لا ريب this means that the Qur'an contains something of guidance which again runs against the Qur'ans message. The Qur'an as a whole is guidance, not just some parts of it. The indefiniteness of the word هدى (guidance) makes it generic and broader in scope. The Qur'an is guidance in a broad range of areas. A person will find guidance related to morals and ethics, with regards religious truths, with regards to reality and facts as they were and are, with regards to communal life, responsibilities and duties, governance and leadership, teaching, relationships, dispute settlement, money, trade, education, governance system, societal and communal laws and regulations, penal and criminal laws, human interaction etc. The Qur'an is a timeless guidance in a broad areas of life.

Next is the word متقين (Muttaqeen) - the God conscious. It comes from the root وقى which means protection and safety. متقين are the people who protect themselves from breaking Allah's commandments and keep themselves safe from incurring his wrath and anger. In other words, they are those who obey Allah and remain secure from breaking his commands.

The question now arises, the Qur'an here calls itself guidance for the Muttaqun whereas in other places, the Qur'an calls itself guidance for whole of mankind. So is the Qur'an guidance for only this set of people or for mankind in general? The Qur'ans guidance is related to becoming a Muttaqi. It is guidance in the sense that it leads a person to become a Muttaqi. This is the end goal the Qur'an leads us to. In the Fatihah, we pray to Allah to guide us to the straight path. To the path of those upon whom Allah showered his kindness and blessings. What is the straight path of Allah and who were those people upon whom Allah showered his blessings and kindness? They were people of taqwa. They were those who obeyed Allah's commandments and kept away from what He prohibited. The straight and clear path of Allah is the path of those who obeyed Allah's commandments and kept away from what Allah forbade them. The Qur'an guides us on how to become such a person so that we too can receive Allah's kindness and blessings. Secondly, the Qur'an is guidance for the whole of mankind but the only ones who benefit from it and attain guidance by means of it are these people - the Muttaqun.

In short, this verse calls Qur'an the perfect and flawless book that has reached the status of perfection and absoluteness. It is as if perfection is the Qur'an. It calls it the greatest piece of literature ever. It is a book that cannot be matched or reproduced. It is in a category of its own with no others sharing that category with it. It is THE book. Nothing else deserves to be called a kitab (book). Anyone who expresses doubt about it does so because of his own flaw and fault and not because of anything inside the Qur'an because there is nothing in the Qur'an that can cause rayb. It is a timeless guidance which leads to absolute forms of good in all fields of life. It guides us to the path of those who gained favor in the sight of Allah that was mentioned in surah al-Fatihah, and this path is the path of taqwa. The straight and clear path of Allah is the path of those who obeyed Allah's commandments and kept away from what Allah forbade them.