METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR'AN
by Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein
Āyāt Mutashābihāt: the Muqatta’āt
The most prominent of all Āyāt Mutashābihāt of the Qur’ān are certain letters of the Arabic alphabet with which some Sūrahs of the Qur’ān commence. Indeed, the Qur’ān itself commences, after the Opening Chapter (i.e., Sūrah al-Fātihah) with three letters of the Arabic alphabet Alif, Laam, Meem – which are located at the very beginning of the second chapter (i.e., Sūrah al-Baqarah). Other letters of the Arabic alphabet appear at the commencement of other Sūrahs of the Qur’ān.
It was not by accident, but by Divine design, that the text of the Qur’ān commenced with three letters of the Arabic alphabet, nor was it by accident but, rather, by Divine design, that he who was sent to teach the Qur’ān, never taught the interpretation of these letters of the alphabet in the Qur’ān. Rather the divine plan appears to have been designed to challenge those who would study the Qur’ān, to locate a methodology of study through which they could eventually attempt an explanation for the Muqatta’āt.
A proper effort to locate the system of meaning which would allow for a possible interpretation of the Muqatta’āt must be based on recognition of the fact that we have no evidence of Allah Most High, or the blessed Prophet, or any previous Prophet, ever previously employing a letter of an alphabet to symbolize a meaning or message being conveyed allegorically. In recognition of the theory of consistency in the Divine literary method, we can dismiss the view that these letters symbolize some meaning which was being symbolically conveyed, such as an interpretation that , (i.e., Alif).
We do find in the Qur’ān, however, evidence of a numerological system which protects and guards the Qur’ān from forces of evil which may seek to penetrate and corrupt it. How else can we explain the anomaly that all Sūrahs of the Qur’ān commence with the phrase “with the Name of Allah Most Gracious, Most Merciful” except Sūrah al-Taubah? Since the Qur’ān itself declares that it has no defect or inconsistency, how do we explain this anomaly other than by recognizing the existence of a numerical system which binds together, in an interlocking foolproof security-system, all the verses and even letters of the Book? There are 114 Sūrahs in the Qur’ān and this number seems to have a numerical significance.
As a consequence of the fact that there are 114 Sūrahs in the Qur’ān, it appears that the phrase “with the Name of Allah Most Gracious, Most Merciful” must also occur 114 times. Had this phrase appeared at the beginning of Sūrah al-Taubah, the number of occurrences in the Qur’ān would have been 115 instead of 114 because the phrase also occurs once within the text of Sūrah al-Naml:
“Behold, it is from Solomon, and it says ‘with the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful’.”
(Qur’ān, al-Naml, 27:30)
If letters of the Arabic alphabet used in the Qur’ān have a numerical value, then the Muqatta’āt can be recognized to have a function of guarding or protecting the Qur’ān and to therefore constitute a part of that security-system of the Qur’ān. And Allah Knows best!
It would also appear that the second Sūrah of the Qur’ān was chosen to commence with the Muqatta’āt, and not the first, since the function of Sūrah al-Fātihah is to open or unlock the security system of the Qur’ān, and hence it was given the name The Sūrah which Opens. And Allah Knows best!
It is therefore advisable never to recite the Qur’ān without first reciting Sūrah al-Fātihah, and to do so with the consciousness in the heart that with this recitation the Qur’ān can be unlocked for those who possess faith in it.
We now offer three more examples of Āyāt Mutashābihāt in the Qur’ān and go on to offer an interpretation of all three based on methodology taught in this book. The first is the verse concerning the preservation of Pharaoh’s body, the second is Abraham’s dream in which he saw himself sacrificing his son, and the third is the narrative concerning Dhūl Qarnain.
to be continued .....
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