Sura Al-Baqarah(The Cow)
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficient, the Most Merciful.
1.Alif-Lam-Mim*.[These letters are one of the miracles of the Quran and none but Allah(Alone) knows their meanings.]
2. This is the Book (the Quran), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqun[pious and righteous persons who fear Allah much(abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much(perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)].
*The particular letters A, L, M, are found prefixed to this Sura, and Suras 3, 29, 30, 31, 32(six in all). IN Suras 2 and 3 the argument is about the rise and fall of nations, their past, and their future in history with ordinances for the new universal People of Islam. In 29 a similar argument about nations leads off to the mystery of Life and Death, Failure and Triumph, Past and Future, in the history of individual souls. The burden of Sura 30 is that God is the source of all things and all things return to Him. In Sura 31 and 32 the same lesson is enforced: God is the Creator and He will be the judge on the Last Day. There is therefore a common thread, the mystery of Life and Death, Beginning and End.
• Much has been written about the meaning of these letters, but most of it is pure conjecture. Some commentators are content to recognize them as some mystic symbols, of which it is unprofitable to discuss the meaning by mere verbal logic. In mysticism we accept symbols, of which it is unprofitable to discuss the meaning by mere verbal logic. In mysticism we accept symbols as such for the time being: their esoteric meaning comes from the inner light when we are ready for it.
• Among the conjectures there are two plausible theories. One is that each initial represents an attribute of God. Among the attributes it is not difficult to select three which fit in with these letters. Another theory, favoured by Baidhawi is that these letters are the initial, the final and the middle(or again the initial)letter of three names: Allah, Jibril, Muhammad,----the source of revelation, the heavenly Messenger who brought it, and the human Messenger through whom it was promulgated in human speech. This might be appropriate to the first Sura(which Baqara really is if we treat Fatiha asa preface): but if it was prefixed to others, why to these six only?
• If we look to the nature of the sounds which the letters represent, A is a breathing and comes from the throat, L is a lingual-palatal-dental sound from the middle of the mouth, and M is a labial or lip-sound. Can we not take them as symbolical of the Beginning, Middle and End? If so, are they not appropriate to the Suras which treat specifically of Life, Growth, and Death---the Beginning and the End? In the New Testament Greek scripture, the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Omega, are symbolical of the Beginning and the End, and give one of the titles of God: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending ,saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”(Rev.i.8). The symbolism of the three things is better with three letters.
The translation and commentary was by Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
Please keep checking this thread for the entire Surat's interpretation which will be posted InshaAllah after every 3 days or at least once in a week.
Jazakallah
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficient, the Most Merciful.
1.Alif-Lam-Mim*.[These letters are one of the miracles of the Quran and none but Allah(Alone) knows their meanings.]
2. This is the Book (the Quran), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqun[pious and righteous persons who fear Allah much(abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much(perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)].
*The particular letters A, L, M, are found prefixed to this Sura, and Suras 3, 29, 30, 31, 32(six in all). IN Suras 2 and 3 the argument is about the rise and fall of nations, their past, and their future in history with ordinances for the new universal People of Islam. In 29 a similar argument about nations leads off to the mystery of Life and Death, Failure and Triumph, Past and Future, in the history of individual souls. The burden of Sura 30 is that God is the source of all things and all things return to Him. In Sura 31 and 32 the same lesson is enforced: God is the Creator and He will be the judge on the Last Day. There is therefore a common thread, the mystery of Life and Death, Beginning and End.
• Much has been written about the meaning of these letters, but most of it is pure conjecture. Some commentators are content to recognize them as some mystic symbols, of which it is unprofitable to discuss the meaning by mere verbal logic. In mysticism we accept symbols, of which it is unprofitable to discuss the meaning by mere verbal logic. In mysticism we accept symbols as such for the time being: their esoteric meaning comes from the inner light when we are ready for it.
• Among the conjectures there are two plausible theories. One is that each initial represents an attribute of God. Among the attributes it is not difficult to select three which fit in with these letters. Another theory, favoured by Baidhawi is that these letters are the initial, the final and the middle(or again the initial)letter of three names: Allah, Jibril, Muhammad,----the source of revelation, the heavenly Messenger who brought it, and the human Messenger through whom it was promulgated in human speech. This might be appropriate to the first Sura(which Baqara really is if we treat Fatiha asa preface): but if it was prefixed to others, why to these six only?
• If we look to the nature of the sounds which the letters represent, A is a breathing and comes from the throat, L is a lingual-palatal-dental sound from the middle of the mouth, and M is a labial or lip-sound. Can we not take them as symbolical of the Beginning, Middle and End? If so, are they not appropriate to the Suras which treat specifically of Life, Growth, and Death---the Beginning and the End? In the New Testament Greek scripture, the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Omega, are symbolical of the Beginning and the End, and give one of the titles of God: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending ,saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”(Rev.i.8). The symbolism of the three things is better with three letters.
The translation and commentary was by Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
Please keep checking this thread for the entire Surat's interpretation which will be posted InshaAllah after every 3 days or at least once in a week.
Jazakallah
