A tree diagram of the Qur'anic initial letters, labelled with the respective numbers of occurrences. To be read right to left.

29 suras (chapters) of the Qur'an begin with letters taken from a restricted subset of the Arabic alphabet; these are the Muqatta`at (مقطعات), sometimes translated as "abbreviated letters", or Fawatih (فواتح), "initial letters", also called Hawamim (حواميم), after the common letter combination Ha Mim. For example, surat Yunus begins: The term tree diagram is used in different ways in different disciplines. ... 29 (twenty-nine) is the natural number following 28 and preceding 30. ... See also: Sura (disambiguation). ... The Quran (Arabic al-qurʾān أَلْقُرآن; its literal meaning is the recitation and is often called Al Quran Al Karim: The Noble Quran, also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book of Islam. ... The Arabic alphabet is the script used for writing the Arabic language, which is the language of the Quran, the holy book of Islam. ... Sura Yunus (Jonah) is the 10th sura of the Quran. ...

Alif Lam Ra. These are the verses of the wise Book.

and surat Ar-Raad:

Alif Lam Mim Ra. These are the verses of the Book; and that which is revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, but most people do not believe. (Shakir translation)

In all but 3 of the 29 cases, these letters are almost immediately followed by mention of the Qur'anic revelation itself (the exceptions are suras 29, 30, and 68); and some argue that even these three cases should be included, since mention of the revelation is made later on in the sura. More specifically, one may note that in 8 cases the following verse begins "These are the verses...", and in another 5 it begins "The Revelation..."; another 3 begin "By the Qur'an...", and another 2 "By the Book..." Additionally, all but 3 of these suras are Makkan suras (the exceptions are suras 2, 3, 13.) The Makkan suras are the chronologically earlier suras of the Quran that were revealed at Makka. ... Surat al-Baqarah (the Cow) is the second, and the longest, sura of the Quran, with 286 ayat. ... Surat āl-Imrān (The Family of Amram) is the 3rd sura of the Quran with 200 ayat. ...

While there has been some speculation on the meaning of these letters, the consensus of Muslim scholars is that these letters' full meaning is beyond our understanding (Ibn Kathir, for instance, describes them as "among those things whose knowledge Allah has kept only for Himself".) However, in light of their observed distribution, one traditional hypothesis suggests that these letters represent a challenge to the doubting reader: this book is made of ordinary letters, but can you produce anything like it? The rare combinations Ya Sin and Ta Ha are commonly interpreted in Muslim tradition as names of Muhammad, an interpretation which their context makes natural, though not certain. A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... Ibn Kathir (Arabic : بن كثير ) was an Islamic scholar born in Busra, Syria in 1301 CE. He was taught by the Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyya in Damascus, Syria. ... Muhammad is a common male name for Muslims. ...

Western scholars have occasionally attempted to explain them; one proposal, for instance, was that they were initials or monograms of the scribes that had originally written the sura down, an idea rejected by critics as implausible.

Rashad Khalifa, founder of a small Hadith-rejecting sect called "United Submitters International", proposed that they formed a key part of the numerical code he claimed to have found in the Qur'an. Rashad Khalifa (November 19, 1935 - January 31, 1990) was an Egyptian Muslim who moved to the United States as a student of biochemistry in 1959 and later became a citizen. ... The Hadith (الحديث, pl. ...

The initial letter combinations themselves are restricted to combinations of 14 letters, taken from the first 20 letters of the Arabic alphabet in its old numerical order (that is, alif ba jim dal...). These are: أ ح ر س ص ط ع ق ك ل م ن ه ي (alif, ha, ra, sin, sad, ta, ain, qaf, kaf, lam, mim, nun, ha, ya.) Certain co-occurrence restrictions are observable; for instance, alif is invariably followed by lam. The substantial majority of the combinations begin either alif lam or ha mim. See the diagram for fuller information. 14 (fourteen) is the natural number following 13 and preceding 15. ... The Arabic alphabet is the script used for writing the Arabic language, which is the language of the Quran, the holy book of Islam. ...

The suras that contain these letters are: sura 2, sura 3, sura 7, sura 10, sura 11, sura 12, sura 13, sura 14, sura 15, sura 19, sura 20, sura 26, sura 27, sura 28, sura 29, sura 30, sura 31, sura 32, sura 38, sura 40, sura 41, sura 42, sura 43, sura 44, sura 45, sura 46, sura 50, sura 68 (one sura seems to be missing from this list.) Surat al-Baqarah (the Cow) is the second, and the longest, sura of the Quran, with 286 ayat. ... Surat āl-Imrān (The Family of Amram) is the 3rd sura of the Quran with 200 ayat. ...

External links

• Al Huruful Muqatta'at (http://www.netnavigate.com/hasan/studyquran/ch13.html), by Dr. Hasanuddin Ahmad
• Islamic Voice: Abbreviated letters (http://www.islamicvoice.com/august.2000/religion.htm)