"What do letters at start of some surahs mean?
Like: A.L.M.; A.L.R.; H.M.; T.A."
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Question:
"What is the meaning of the letters at the beginning of the surahs (chapters of the Quran)? Like - 'alief', 'laam', 'meen'?"
Answer:
You have a very good question.
Let's examine some of the examples and learn more, inshallah (God Willing).
Here are some examples: Surah (chapter)
#2 - Surah Al-Baqarah:
Alief, Laam, Meen
#3 - Surah Al Imran
Alief, Laam, Meen
#7 - Surah Al Araf
Alief, Laam, Meem, Saad
#10 - Surah Yunus (Jonah)
Alief, Laam, Raa
(only the first 3 letters)
#20 - Surah TaHa
TaHa
#26 - Surah Ash-Shuara
Ta, Seen, Meem
#27 - An Naml
Ta, Seen
#28 - Al Qasas
Ta, Seen, Meem
#29 - Al Ankabut
Alief, Laam, Meem
#30 - Ar Rum
Alief, Laam, Meem
#31 - Luqman
Alief, Laam, Meem
#32 - As Sajdah
Alief, Laam, Meem
#36 - Yaa Seen
Yaa, Seen
#38 - Saad
Saad
#40 Ghafir
Ha, Meem
#41 - Fussilat
Haa, Meem
#42 - Ash-Shura
Haa, Meem - Ayn, Seen, Qaf
#43 - Az Zukhruf
Haa Meem
#44 - Ad Zukhan
Haa Meem
#45 - Al Jathiyah
Haa Meem
#46 - Al Ahqaf
Haa Meem
#50 - Qaf
Qaf
#68 - Surah Al-Qalam
Nun
(only the very first letter)
In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful.
"Nun.."
These letters (nun, alief, seen, meem, lam, Ta Ha, saud, dhad, etc.) are one of the miracles of the Quran - But does anyone really know (except Allah) the meanings of these letters and why they are there since the beginning of revelation?
Guess what? -- Nobody has the definitive answer on this one (except Allah).
None of the companions of the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, discussed these letters, nor did they ask the prophet, peace be upon him, nor did he offer anything about the meanings of these letters.
The vast majority of scholars today tell us this is a closed subject, unworthy of deep contemplation or investigation.
These letters were recited by the prophet, peace be upon him and by all of his companions and they passed it on to their companions the same way. No one can take them out of the Quran as this would then make a change that has never happened in 1,400 years and has never been that much of an issue if the first place.
There has been some speculation on this topic by some thinkers and philosophers in Islam, but nothing conclusive has ever been proven to be a definitive answer to the question of meanings of these letters, nor is there really one needed.
So it will just have to remain - A Mystery!
NOTE: Be careful about listening to people offer commentary on these types of subjects. I do recall someone doing a large investigation about this subject some years back. I heard the results of the study and I was frankly not very impressed. This person had taken all of the letters and tried to use a computer to figure out any or all possibilities of using any or all of the words to make something out of it. But his only conclusion was that a combination of each of the letters used only once could form a sentence that meant, It is truth, contains dangerous secret. (This may well be the truth, but what would be the advantage of knowing this?)
