My name is Zack, I am a student of religions. Recently I have been reading the Quran and I had some questions, so I came here to see if anyone could answer them for me.
OK, so I am reading the Quran, and I haven't got very far, just to the beginning of al-Baqara, and there I see, first ayat, A L M. One of the Muqatta'at. Now, I've read bits of the Quran before, and I've read a bit about the Quran, so I know a little bit about the Muqatta'at. I know Islamic scholarship has many opinions on what they mean, and it isn't a settled matter.
But an idea occurred to me as to their meaning, and I wanted to know what people thought of it. Of course, I don't expect anyone to endorse my idea as the right one, given the immense of variety of opinions on this, and given that others far more knowledgeable in these matters than me have tried to tackle them without clear success. But I just really want to know if my idea has any prior history in Islamic scholarship (surely I cannot be the first to have thought of this) and whether it makes any sense, whether it has any plausibility.
The theory is that the Muqatta'at are actually Semitic roots (triliteral or otherwise), or else as words derived from those roots. Considering for example Sura 2:1 there is alif-lam-meem. Is that a valid triliteral root in Arabic? I know in Hebrew it is a valid root, with a root meaning of "bind", and derived meanings of "silenced", "mute", etc. Doesn't الم mean pain, trouble, distress, etc in Arabic? Could this theory be extended to the other disjointed letters? Does the theory make any sense? Is al-Baqara about binding, silencing, muting, pain, troubling, distress? Just reading the beginning of it, it seems to fit somewhat, see e.g 2:7 - "And for them is a great punishment", "And for them is a great punishment", "great is the penalty they incur", etc. (Choose your translation.) The idea of binding also seems to fit with the seal upon the hearts and ears, the veil over the eyes, in 2:7.
Can this theory be sensibly be extended to the Muqatta'at of other Surahs than al-Baqara?
I am hoping an orthodox Muslim, especially one with some knowledge of Arabic, could inform me on this.
No such indication was given by the prophet, companions and early scholars. What we know of Al-mutqataat is all we'll know of them, they're certainly not open to our personal renditions!
هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ ۖ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ ۗ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ ۗ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّنَا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ {7} [3:7] He it is Who hath revealed unto thee the Scripture wherein are clear revelations - they are the substance of the Book - and others (which are) allegorical. But those in whose hearts is doubt pursue, forsooth, that which is allegorical seeking (to cause) dissension by seeking to explain it. None knoweth its explanation save Allah. And those who are of sound instruction say: We believe therein; the whole is from our Lord; but only men of understanding really heed.
Text without context is pretext If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him
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