Muqatta'at: Cracking the Code
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
This is the final paper in this sequence. The exercise of these 6 odd papers was a means for me to sediment my thoughts into a consistant expression that I could keep for myself and my family and also share with others. I now have to go back and learn more stuff and hopefully correct myself in several ways where I think I am in error. Thankyou everyone for your support.
DISCLAIMER
Although I have researched this topic and formulated a hypothesis that can be backed by evidence, this is analysis and opinion of a single individual...
I am only human and am prone to mistakes in judgement. It is better if the reader verifies the information I am presenting. I would be glad if someone corrects me if I have made a mistake.
Muqatta'at Cracking the Code
A question that has perplexed Islamic scholars for centuries is the existance of strange initials in the beginning of various Quranic chapters. These initials consist of the first fourteen letters of the Arabic alphabet ordered its old numeric value form and are
Known as Tawaasiin and Hawaamiim, these intials exist in distinct patterns as follows
Alif Laam Meem -
Alif Laam Meem tSaad -
Alif Laam Raa -
Alif Laam Meem Raa -
Kaaf Haa Yaa 'Ain tSaad -
dTaa Haa -
dTaa Seen Meem -
dTaa Seen -
Yaa Seen -
tSaad -
'Haa Meem -
'Haa Meem, 'Ain Seen Qaaf -
Qaaf -
Nun -This paper is meant to provide an in depth study of the background of these initials, and also present possible explanation that may help the reader in understanding the Quran better.
Contemporary Theories
Various scholars including Hamiduddin Farahi, Shabbir Ahmed, and going as far back as Imam Raghib Isfahani have proposed the meanings of the codes that, in the author's opinion, only provide a partial view of the implementation of the Muqatta'at and their intended meaning. Imam Raghib relates these codes to the attributes of God as described in the Quran, while Farahi describes its association with the letters as being portrayed as Glyphs. It will be demonstrated that the combination of these two contending theories is not wrong and with further help of the Arabic Lexicon, can only make the intended meaning clearer. It should be noted however, that the proposed solution cannot be verified completely as of yet, but with a deeper understanding of Nabataea Aramaic and its morphing into Arabic, a better chance of verifiability can be envisioned. It is provided to add another dimension to the study of the Muqatta'at and it is hoped that mankind can once again read the complete meaning behind these words.It should be noted that since Arabic follows the same consonental root system as other Semitic languages that were derived from Phoenician, the meanings of the roots were based on Heiroglyphic description of the pictograms of the consonents. It should hence be noted that the roots of these Semitic languages if not exactly the same, contain similar meanings. Perhaps this is the reason why Hamiduddin Farahi was inclined to consider meanings of the Muqatta'at based on pictographic representation of the Arabic alphabet.
What can be said with certainty, is that these acronyms invite the human intellect to be used at its fullest and to portray an extremely beautiful and artistic impression so characteristic of the Quran.
Arabic was Informal
Observing the archeological evidence from the period before the the advent of Islam, a very interesting phenomenon is observed in the Arabian region, especially the North West. All Arabic inscriptions are mostly informal writings that do not talk about formal religious or political affairs, such as graffiti written by average people. The Nabataean (and sometimes Greek and Hebrew) inscriptions from the same regions are related to royal and religious affairs. Contemporary research has shown that it were the same people living in the same region who were using two different languages depending on the subject and purpose. They used Arabic as an informal language for everyday matters, and Nabataean (or Greek) as a language for religious and formal affairs. Most commoners would not have understood the religious language and this helped the religious and political elite to monopolize power. This also sheds light on the fact that Arabic was not a literary language, as is contended by traditionalists.Proposed Meanings of Muqata'at
Following are the proposed implementations of the Muqatta'at not only in the context of the subsequent verses and the chapter as a whole, but also incorporate the meanings as presented by various scholars discussed in previous sections.Alif Laam Meem -
Consider the following glyphs
Alif - Alep - Phoenician Symbol = Ox - Strong/Fervent
Laam - Laamed - Phoenician Symbol = Goad Used to guide - Guidance
Meem - Mem - Phoenician Symbol = Water - Clear, Nourishing and FlowingCombining the meaning of the above symbols with the context of the whole Quran, and the acronymistic meanings presented by Raghib, the following picture can be rendered
Alif. Laam. Mim. The stage is set! Allah - the God, Latif - the Unfathomable, Majeed - the Magnificent, knows and understands your needs, and bestows upon you a Fervent Guidance that is Clear! The perfect tool-set An ox, a goad and water. Using ALM, run your plough (life) through the ground (this world) and sow your seeds (deeds) to earn the harvest (paradise)!
And then follows,
This is the code in which there is absolutely no doubt concerning authority (and authenticity). It is a Guide for all those who wish to journey through life in true honor and security.
Qaaf -
In Phoenician, Qaaf or Qop represents the symbol for the "Eye of a Needle". Hence, using it for Chapter 50 may need some elaboration to make sense. Instead, Qaaf in Arabic implies to Qif Stop and Think! Hence
Qif (Stop and Think)! But, nay, they marvel that a Warner from among their own has come unto them! And so these deniers are saying, This is a weird thing! How (can we be returned) after we have died and become dust? Such a return is a thought far-fetched indeed!
The Phoenician symbolic representation can be used to augment the above rendition, giving it a completely new dimension!
The eye of a Needle (is indeed too narrow to fit a camel through, but be creative, hold it close to your eye and see what happens)! But, nay, they marvel that a Warner from among their own has come unto them! And so these deniers are saying, This is a weird thing! How (can we be returned) after we have died and become dust? Such a return is a thought far-fetched indeed!
However, once combined, these two concepts present an extremely powerful message in the beginning of Chapter 50
Qaaf. Stop and think about the eye of a needle! It is indeed too narrow to fit a camel through; keep an open mind Hold it close to your eye and see what happens. It is a matter of perception! Al-Qadir, the Omnipotent, who can bring you back from the dead, presents this Glorious Quran as a witness to itself!
And then follows,
But nay, they are surprised that a warner has come to them from amongst them, so the rejecters are saying "This is something strange!"
tSaad -
tSaad in Arabic imples Saadiq or Full of Truth, and the Phoenician symbol is Papyrus Plant.
Hence,
tSaad. Written on Papyrus in Full Truth, I Swear that This Reading is a Profound Reminder!
And then folows
But nay, the deniers are lost in false pride and opposition for the sake of opposition. Hence, they split their own personalities forcing themselves into maintaining double standards in life, (like flakes of papyrus that split!)
Nun -
In arabic, also represents the inkpot, and the Phoenician symbol is a fish. Since the pen is mentioned, the inkpot is a logical choice for the interpretation. However, it also makes sense from the Phoenician symbol point of view, since the prophet Jonah seems to be mentioned as well! The Quran mentions Jonah as "the companion of the fish". Hence,
Nun. By The Inkpot and Pen, like a Fish in Water, and that (Word) the Pen Traces (like a fish swims its course!)
And then follows
You, (O Messenger,) by the blessing of your Lord, are not one for whom reality is hidden.
dTaa Haa -
This acronym has been successfully been translated by scholars as "O Man!", or in the context of the Quran, "O Ideal Prophet!" exclaimed in sheer warmth and affection. Lexicons and dictionaries attribute this word to the Southern Semitic language of Ethiopic, which is related to Southern Arabic dialects such as Hadramatic and Sabaic. So this word could have been borrowed from these Southern Arabic dialects.
Yaa Seen -
This acronym has been successfully been translated by scholars as or "O Man!", or more appropriately as "O Great Man!".
dTaa Seen -
For chapters beginning with with this instance, it is observed that when read as a word, the meaning of the verses becomes convincingly clear. The word "dTas" appears in the lexicon as "delve/sink deep into something", amongst other meanings. In addition, the two letters when read separately, remind us of Mount Sinai (dToor-e-Sinin). It is indeed true, that these chapters do indeed speak of a Divin address to Moses. It should be noted here that the meaning, if derived from the Phoenician symbols, is "Good Tooth". It possibly means a sharp tooth that sinks deep into what is bitten. Thus, 271-2 could be translated as follows
dTaa. Seen. Sink/Delve deep into these Messages of the Book clear in itself, that shows you the Truth of what happened on Mounti Sinai.
dTaa Seen Meem -
The instance occurs at the beginning of chapters 26 and 28. When read as a word, Classical Arabic dictionaries describe "dTasam" as used by common people to mean "sharpen" and "study", among other meanings. Again, when read as acronyms, the reader is reminded of Mount Sinai, but this time the Meem is introduced to remind us of Moses specifically, possibly since it mentions the commandments given to Moses. Hence, the rendition of 261-2 becomes
dTaa. Seen. Meem. Study well these Signs of the Clarifying Book that tells you the Revealed Word to Moses on Mount Sinai.
'Haa Meem -
When read as a word, ('Ham), which appears in chapters 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46 also has a meaning. According to Classical Arabic dictionaries, the meaning as a noun is something that is "intended", "fashioned/designed/shaped" or "destined", or as a verb is "to clean out mud from a well". It is interesting to note here that if the Phonician symbols are considered, the meaning comes out to "Fenced Water", a highly feasible definition of a well. Hence, 401-2 and other chapters beginning with this instance can be translated as follows
'Haa. Meem. This is a Destined Revelation of the Clear Book Designed to Cleanse its reader from all confusion! Behold, We have made it a Monograph in clear Arabic language that you may fully understand.
'Haa Meem, 'Ain Seen Qaaf -
For Chapter 42, the instance is also coupled by , which according to Classical Arabic means "following closely" and "pollinate/pollination". Thus, 421-3 can be translated as follows
'Haa. Meem. - 'Ain. Seen. Qaaf. It is (a Message) Destined to be followed closely, inspiring you in a similar manner by God the Powerful, the Wise, as he inspired those before you!
Alif Laam Meem tSaad -
Considering the meanings presented above, the meaning can be derived as "A strong teaching/guidance that is clear and true".
Alif Laam Raa -
It can be observed that the symbol for in Phoenician represents the head, possibly hinting intellect. Considering the meanings presented above, the following rendition can be derived for 101.
Alif. Laam. RA. Allah the God, Lateef the Unfathomable, Raheem the Merciful, announces that these are the Verses of a Book that is full of Wisdom, the Potent Guidence that invites you to use your intellect!
Alif Laam Meem Raa -
Considering the meanings presented above, the following can be derived for 131.
Alif. Laam. Mim. Ra. Allah the God, Lateef the Unfathomable, Majeed the Magnificent, Raheem the Merciful bestows these verses of the Divine Writ that is a Strong Guidence, Clear and inviting you to use intellect! That which is revealed to you (O Prophet) from your Sustainer is the Truth. Yet most people do not believe in it.
Kaaf Haa Yaa 'Ain tSaad -
To the author, this particular case was the most perplexing, yet proved to be the most trivial. The concept of K H Y 'A tS can be based on the context of Chapter 19 (birth of Yohanan the Baptist and 'Eshu the Messiah) using Phoenician symbols
Kaaf - branch/palm-of-hand
Haa - Birth/window
Yaa - Arm/Extending/Extension/Reaching-Out
'Aeen - Eye/Vision/Appointment
tSaad - Papyrus/Plant/TruthHence, Kaaf Haa Yaa 'Aeen tSaad would render "A Branch's Sprouting Extends the Vision of Truth (of the Scripture)".
However, there is another possibility that seems more feasible. One must keep in mind that Arabic was a spoken, hence very informal, language. In recent colloquial english/electronic communication, several words are shortened in order to get the point across with as little typing as possible. It is also thought of as being creative in an informal way. For instance, many people shorten "How are you" to "How R U" or "I am okay" to "I M OK". This particular case seems to have a somewhat similar connotation.
It was already noted that "Yaa Seen" was translated as "O Great Person!", hence "Yaa" is undoubtedly being used to address someone, presumably the prophet. 'Ain not only stands for the eye, but also means oppointed or appointment. Therefore, can actually be considered as a complete clause "How about this, O sincerely appointed one!". Hence, the following would be the rendition of the this case
=> -
Kaaf. Haa. Yaa. 'Ain. tSaad. (Allah, Kareem the Honored, Hadi the Guide, Yameen the Bounteous, Aleem the Knower, Sadiq the Truthful calls for your attention to show you how the birth of a blessed child extends the vision of truth!) O sincerely appointed one! How about this reminder of your Lord's Mercy to His servant Zachariah!
Synopsis
Through the demonstrated renditions of the Muqatta'at, when the analyses and recommendations of notable scholars are combined, they offer a very clear picture into their intended meanings. It was seen that these occurances can be considered as "acronyms" as well as words or even sentences when viewed under different schema. In short, they seem to indicate that a picture is worth a thousand words. It is likely that as Islamic teachings have moved from the hands of the Umayyads to the Abbasids, the meanings of these constructs of speech started fading away, and under Persian influences, their meanings seem to have been lost almost completely. If further study is conducted looking at the origin of Arabic from the regions around the Nabataea, and how it evolved from Aramaic that has directly descended from Phoenician, the meanings of these constructs will become even more comprehensible.
References
1 ) Ahmad, Shabbir. Quran as It Explains Itself, 2nd Ed. Galaxy Publications, USA, 2005
2 ) Tamanna, Imadi, (Quranic Miracle, and Dialects,) al-Rahman Publishing, Pakistan, 1993.
3 ) Hoyland, Robert. Seeing Islam as Others Saw It, Darwin Press, USA, 1997.
4 ) Lane, William. Lane's Arabic Lexicon, 1863, http//studyquran.co.uk/LLhome.htm
5 ) Gibson, Dan. The Multi-Alphabet Theory, http//www.nabataea.net/write2.html
6 ) Dr. Ayman, Language Barrier, http//www.free-minds.org/articles/science/language.htm
7 ) Benner, Jeff. Ancient Hebrew Root List, http//www.ancient-hebrew.org
8 ) Khalaf, George. The Phonecian Alphabet, http//phoenicia.org/alphabet.html -
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Peace "maxq",
I cannot agree with this speculative interpretation. Hislamic scholars have also tried but failed to derive such meanings for those letters. The only thing which makes sense is tht those are part of a mthematical code- based on no. 19. BOTH chapters which have qaaf initials, there occurs qaaf 57 times(57x2=114) and this despite one being significantly shorter than the other. Infact 7 out of the total 29 chpters the initials occur in xples of 19. ALM ones are not YET proved although submission.org has done some new counts and found them to be xples of 19. GOD Bless! -
Understood,
But what I think you should reconsider is your statement that "they have failed..."
I am slightly susceptible to the mathematical code theory BUT for the life of me, I cannot understand how would it be useful to the message. There is plenty in the Quran that suggests it is a Divine writ. I do not need mathematical codes to prove it is so.
Peace "maxq",
I cannot agree with this speculative interpretation. Hislamic scholars have also tried but failed to derive such meanings for those letters. The only thing which makes sense is tht those are part of a mthematical code- based on no. 19. BOTH chapters which have qaaf initials, there occurs qaaf 57 times(57x2=114) and this despite one being significantly shorter than the other. Infact 7 out of the total 29 chpters the initials occur in xples of 19. ALM ones are not YET proved although submission.org has done some new counts and found them to be xples of 19. GOD Bless! -
Peace Maxq,
I am slightly susceptible to the mathematical code theory BUT for the life of me, I cannot understand how would it be useful to the message. There is plenty in the Quran that suggests it is a Divine writ. I do not need mathematical codes to prove it is so.
The alleged code is analyzed here
http//www.free-minds.org/articles/science/ayman19.htm
You can also see the ensuing debate with Edip Yuksel, who you may know as one of the people who was part of the original "discovery" if the alleged code
http//www.free-minds.org/articles/science/debate19.htm
Peace,
Ayman
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Peace "maxq" and all,
Since "ayman" has posted his page of the debate btw him and yuksel from free-minds.org, im obliged to also post all the three parts of "intelligent ppls guide to code-19 from 19.org
http//19.org/index.php?id=14,246,0,0,1,0
http//19.org/index.php?id=14,250,0,0,1,0 (Second Round)
http//19.org/index.php?id=14,275,0,0,1,0 (Third Round)
GOD Bless! -
jonny_k, my nick is "maxq" not "maxa"... please correct it if it was a mistake at your end.
Peace "maxa" and all,
Since "ayman" has posted his page of the debate btw him and yuksel from free-minds.org, im obliged to also post all the three parts of "intelligent ppls guide to code-19 from 19.org
http//19.org/index.php?id=14,246,0,0,1,0
http//19.org/index.php?id=14,250,0,0,1,0 (Second Round)
http//19.org/index.php?id=14,275,0,0,1,0 (Third Round)
GOD Bless! -
Dear Dr. Ayman,
As you yourself put it very correctly, it is all from God.
Thankyou for appreciating.Peace Maxq,
This is an excellent article that clarifies a lot of things. May the god reward you in this world and in the ending for your good efforts.
Peace and all best wishes,
Ayman
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PEace All
Bro Max, good effort. but some constructive criticism - don't you think you're reading too much into your analysis? You made whole paragraphs of translation out of 3 letters....
Bro Johnny, 2 ayat are missing if you follow code 19 to the end... by the way i do believe there is a mathematical code. I just don't know if all calculations were accurate by the late R.K.
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Bro Max, good effort. but some constructive criticism - don't you think you're reading too much into your analysis? You made whole paragraphs of translation out of 3 letters....
lol yeah, I was thinking the same thing. But it does makes sense. I'll have to read it over again more carefully, though.
Until then, well done "maxa." -
Salam BOOST
Thankyou for the encouragement. I appreciate your comments and welcome the critique.
The idea behind my paper was that a picture is worth a thousand words... also, I tried to portray a combined vision of the two major theories of the muqatta'at (albeit the 19-code theory) along with lexical analysis presents a more elaborate picture.PEace All
Bro Max, good effort. but some constructive criticism - don't you think you're reading too much into your analysis? You made whole paragraphs of translation out of 3 letters....
Bro Johnny, 2 ayat are missing if you follow code 19 to the end... by the way i do believe there is a mathematical code. I just don't know if all calculations were accurate by the late R.K.
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Peace Bro MAx
well then you may be on to something! i need to still digest it too
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Peace Maxq,
Unfortunately, I agree mainly with JK on this one. You are right that initials do have an important role in the scripture. E.g.
A.L.R, these are the signs of the Scripture of wisdom.
A.L.R, these are the signs of the clarifying Scripture.
A.L.M.R, these are the signs of the Scripture.There are many other examples of this. These references are clearly referring to the initials as they only occur directly after them, and do not occur in the non-initialled chapters.
I am slightly susceptible to the mathematical code theory BUT for the life of me, I cannot understand how would it be useful to the message.
It seems a lot of people have a problem as to the use of the 19 code. What was use of the miracles given to Jesus or Moses? Only to prove they were messengers, there was no other profound meaning to them. The Quran is a messenger too so it would make sense to prove itself in a similar way.
There is plenty in the Quran that suggests it is a Divine writ. I do not need mathematical codes to prove it is so.
The Quran needs to do more than that to meet its own criteria
Say "If all the humans and the Jinn were to gather to bring a Quran like this, they could not come with its like, even if they were helping one another."
Although I believe the primary reason for the initials is to prove the Quran?s divinity through the mathematical code, I don?t rule out other meanings to them. I like what you have suggested, it is a new way of thinking about it.
Zak
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It seems a lot of people have a problem as to the use of the 19 code. What was use of the miracles given to Jesus or Moses? Only to prove they were messengers, there was no other profound meaning to them. The Quran is a messenger too so it would make sense to prove itself in a similar way.
I do not have a problem with the 19-code and I do not condem people who believe in it. I have not done enough study of this phenomenon to give a concrete opinion.
I am merely saying that I do not personally find the idea of the code-19 significant once I look at other elements of the Quran.
Thanks for the encouragement though on "These references are clearly referring to the initials as they only occur directly after them, and do not occur in the non-initialled chapters." really appreciated. -
Maxq, I applaud your effort.
At first, I had always ignored these initials, and assumed that they were something private between God and His final prophet. Then, when I started to familiarize myself with classical Arabic, and discovered truths about the language, I immediately ignored them as some kind of slang , used by God to show us that His scripture was revealed in the informal tongue of the commoners "ummiyeen".
But you have gone way beyond that!! )
You have traced them as far back as their Phoenician roots o.
Phoenician is in fact the source of all Semitic languages ( including Nabatean ) isn't it?Concerning the classical Arabic lexicons, I just wanted to ask you something What is the oldest Arabic dictionary known, and where is it possible to find a copy of it??
Thank you, and may God bless your efforts.
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Hey Pazuzu,
Thanks for the feedback and yes I too started that wayI have used Lisan-il Arab and Lane's. I do not know of the oldest lexicon/dictionary out there. What I can say is that if you want to go "way back when", something of that antiquity (if it exists) would probably be very pricey unless it is in mass reprint.
It is interesting that the further back in time you go, the more difficult it will be since most of the lexicons (if they have survived) are for explaining other languages in Arabic, or for Arabic translation to a certain language (so you need to know both somewhat). For example, the oldest Arabic-Berber lexicon was written in 1145AD...
ouch brickwall
That was the whole reason why I thought of going back to a point where the words themselves convey a pictorial message so I could verify to a certain degree.
So you can see that it is quite a conundrum confused I will let you know if I find something...
maxq
Maxq, I applaud your effort.
At first, I had always ignored these initials, and assumed that they were something private between God and His final prophet. Then, when I started to familiarize myself with classical Arabic, and discovered truths about the language, I immediately ignored them as some kind of slang , used by God to show us that His scripture was revealed in the informal tongue of the commoners "ummiyeen".
But you have gone way beyond that!!
You have traced them as far back as their Phoenician roots o.
Phoenician is in fact the source of all Semitic languages ( including Nabatean ) isn't it?Concerning the classical Arabic lexicons, I just wanted to ask you something What is the oldest Arabic dictionary known, and where is it possible to find a copy of it??
Thank you, and may God bless your efforts.