This is an orientation that Allah is giving us and pretty much it's a start to let us know that we know nothing and we should always approach the Quran as beggers and slaves and not customers ready to  "review" or "critique" the Quran. The Wisdom of the Quran is too immense and these letters should let us know that we don't know much and Allah is the ultimate teacher. These letters are mysterious and nobody has been able to figure out its meaning. we should be fully humble when we come to the Quran and we need to approach it with zero arrogance.

Also these letters when the leaders of the Jewish community heard it they were shocked because the prophet pbuh was unlettered and did not know the letters, so for him to be reciting these letters and the people that have knowledge was surprised by that and in the back of their mind they knew that the prophet had a teacher behind him and that teacher was Allah. 

You and I will only understand when Allah allows it. We are not entitled to know; we are privileged. All of what we read boils down to words and words boil down to letters. The teacher of all language, Allah, has eternally reminded us that the building blocks of all learning, letters themselves, are something we don't even fully grasp. How profoundly humbling!

ا ل م
What if someone who cannot read nor write uttered random letters of the alphabets like A, L and M or X?
Picture this scene 1400 years ago, 7th century Makkah in a society full of poets and lyricists weaving their words like magic.
It is pretty difficult for us to imagine such a situation since we live in a time of modernity where being literate is a given.

Allah the Almighty chose 3 alphabets to start a surah that is filled with history and regulations for mankind till the end of time.
His Message? Simply, we as creation do not know.
All Knowledge belongs to Him alone.

Reflections on 2:1

Alif Lam Mim - If we are to take Surat al-Fatihah as a preabmle to the entire Qur`an, then the Quran begins with Surat al-Baqarah, and Surat al-Baqarah begins with the disjointed letters: Alif Lam Mim. A quick summary of some powerful reflections from this reality:

1. We must first come to the Quran with intellectual humility - there is no one on the face of the earth who can say with certainty what is the true, intended meaning, of Alif Lam Mim. Therefore the Quran begins with text that we must believe has meaning but don't have access to that meaning. It immediately puts the individual in their place, It is as if that Qur`an is informing its reader at the get go: 'You can't know everything, reality is greater than your ability to grasp it'. Understand then that the first pre-requisite of the Quran is captured in Allah's statement, 'I know and you do not know'. 

2. 14 of the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabets are used for the disjointed letters throughout the Quran, that is obviously half the alphabets. Allah (swt) is informing us through this that the same exact letters are used in the Quran that exist in the Arabic language, yet the Quran is inimitable (beyond human ability to imitate). This indicates to the challenge put forth in the Quran that if anyone doubts its a divine emenation, then bring the likes of it. 

3. Alif Lam Mim are alphabets, they are not words - This indicates to the source being a learned and literate source since an illiterate person has no business dealing with alphabets. One can speak fluently without the need of learning alphabets, the mere mention of alphabets is indicative of literacy, which cannot indicate to the prophet (saw), since he was not literate, therefore, Alif Lam Mim hints to the source of the Quran being other than the prophet (saw). 

4. Alif Lam Mim also indicates to the reality that mere recitation of the Quran is rewarding. Even if someone doesn't understand the meaning of what they are reciting, the act of reciting sincerely, garners reward. This is elaborated by the prophet (saw) in his prophetic statement regarding the rewards of recitation. He mentioned that for each letter a person is bestowed 10 rewards, out of all the words in the Quran to express this, the prophet (saw) uses Alif Lam Mim as an example, he said, 'Alif is a letter, Lam Is a letter and Mim is a letter' - Since we do not know what this means, yet we get rewarded for its recitation, it establishes the principle that recitation without understanding, which may not be useful much for guidance, is still rewarded. 

5. Alif Lam Mim teaches us that we must practise exegesis (extracting meaning from he Quran) and not eisegesis (give meaning to the Quran). No matter how much we want to, we cannot read our biases and opinions into the Quran, rather, we must try our best to ascertain what the intended meaning of the verse is and if we cannot fathom its reality, then we refrain from reading into it something that is not present within it, intrinsically. Importantly, it should also be noted that exegesis is something that is the domain of those who have gained expertise in the field - The rest of us may reflect, ponder and take benefit from the extractions of those qualified to dive deep into the Quran and bring out its pearls.

Syed Hassan wa 'alaykum as-salaam! Looking forward to more of your contributions, may Allah bless and accept from us.

For the last two more days here in Uzbekistan,  schools are again being shut down due to the pandemic. If you were here some weeks ago, everything was as normal as it was before. Sadly, Ramadan is near and we might not be able to attend the masjids again. Now I realize why the Salaf used to pray asking God 'Oh Allah, allow us to reach Ramadan'. 
     As for 'الم' , they are so precious for me. During the first two weeks of Ramadan, I learnt how to read and recite them properly. SubhanAllah, I had no idea if I could even recite Qur'an in Arabic and understand as much as I can now. That was a dream. Biiznillah , thanks to Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan and Ustadh Jawad, I am having the joy of being connected to the language of Qur'an.  'Indeed, there is nothing like it'. 

May Allah put barakah in your knowledge. Ameen

Have you ever been in a conversation and someone says, Guess what...........and you are very curious to know. Now imagine same person says, Never Mind lol. You get furious sometimes right ? 

Lets be real, we all want to know what is ahead of us, our trials, tests and even the unknown reality of our future. What is amazing is that many scholars tried to decode these letters and come up  with many meanings and understandings. One of the biggest lessons I take away from these letters ( Alife Lam Mim ) is the humility of not knowing.  like literally 

YOU DONT KNOW NOTHING....YOU ARE NOT GOING TO KNOW EVERYTHING....CERTAIN THINGS YOU WILL NEVER EVER KNOW ! LOL.  

 When I stand in my Salah- I recite these 3 letters and I submit to Allah. It frees me. I feel a sense of Humility that takes over me and I recognize my weakness. I see myself as someone who is dependent on Allah for everything/ 

NOT KNOWING IS FREEDOM - ITS A RELIEF AT TIMES.

Beautifully said. Freedom of not knowing. Jazak'ALLAH Khair

 
#MASramadan2019

When I read these letters at the beginning of some surahs it gives me chills (when I'm paying proper attention). 
There can be so much clarity and personalization in the Quran, and also so much mystery and wonder.  I think we only scratch the surface of how the Quran interacts with our heart and mind, becomes part of the cellular makeup of our brain as we memorize its verses, affects our character and  our soul, even these letters at the beginning of the verses that we don't completely comprehend, have a power and an affecting quality.

An excerpt from In the Shade of the Quran, talking about the use of letters at the beginnings of some surahs:

The difference between the Qur’ān and what people make up, using letters and sounds is unbridgeable. It is the same as the gulf between God’s creation and what people make in any particular field. What is of God’s making is distinct and remarkable. It cannot be matched by humans, even in the most mundane of things. Look at the colour distribution in a single flower: it appears like a miracle for even the most skilful of painters in all ages. The same applies to the Qur’ān and what people compose when they use the letters and sounds of language. 

Muslim American Society

Some say the letters in the beginning of some surah represent the root words in the Arabic language as some are one letter like و and some are 2 letters like  كم and some are 3 letters like فعل and some came be 4 like دحرج . So these are letter forms used in this miracle,  use them and bring something like it.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful,

After Suratul Fatiha where we are encouraged to ask Allah for Guidance, one then comes to the second chapter ‘Suratul Baqara’. The preliminary verses describes who is a believer.

I always stop at these verses again and again because I think do I have all these qualities? and if I don’t then I must work for them! This is always the reflection I attain from reading them. However another thing I noted is that the believer must really do them, he or she must practically ‘do’ and merely not just ‘say’ and then those people will receive the best gift possible and that is Allah’s Guidance. 

If one wants to receive the Guidance of Allah he or she must certainly practise even if one is struggling. 

Razia Zahra  ♥️♥️♥️ Ameen ya rab ul alameen

So today i saw my cousin and he is Christian and we were talking about religion and he was talking about how he was really struggling with life and faith
And I said to him, “Cousin, I was in a situation like you, but then I read the Quran, and it helped me. i think it would help you." so i handed him my copy of the Quran and he said, "Thank you," and we went along our day and then when day started turning to night, I said, “do you want to read the Quran?" and he said, "Sure," and i just pulled up Quran.com on my iPad but as I read, I watched him as he read it and i saw something change on his face, like a light turn on
and he said 
Thank you, and I said, "You're welcome," and he asked, "Can I keep it?" and I said, "Sure."
and he continued to read
So that’s when i realized the power of Allah. 
And i thank Allah for having that happen

Thank you for reading this. Allah bless you.

SubhanAllah.
Allah guides whom He wills out of His grace, often directing those who actively seek truth, turn to Him, or show goodness in their hearts. 🙏🌟💖

Not everyone reads the same Book
Reading Al-Baqarah through the Hadith that explain it

 الم ﴿١﴾ ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٢
 “Alif, Lam, Meem. 
This is the Book about which there is no doubt—a guidance for those conscious of Allah.” (2:1–2)

By the time these verses were revealed in Medina, 
the Qur’an had already become part of daily life.

It was being recited daily— in prayer, in gatherings, in teaching.
People were listening. 
Memorizing. 
Repeating.
And yet, something was becoming quietly clear:
Not everyone was receiving it in the same way.

The words were the same.  
But their effect was not.

So the Qur’an itself begins with a distinction:
It does not only  state  that it is guidance.
It says: “guidance for the muttaqeen”

Which raises a question:
If the Book is one, why is its guidance not received the same way?

The answer begins within the same passage

 الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ ﴿٣﴾
 وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ ﴿٤
 “Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend from what We have provided them, and who believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain.”  (2:3–4)

The difference is not in the Book.
It is in the one who stands before it.

A heart that believes before it sees. 
A life that is ordered around prayer. 
A willingness to give.
 An openness to what came before.
 A certainty in what has not yet come.

These are not results of guidance.
They are what allow guidance to enter.

And this was not only described in the Qur’an.
It was something the Prophet ﷺ clarified as the community grew.

In Medina, people gathered to learn.
They heard the same verses. 
Sat in the same circles.
But they did not all leave with the same understanding.

Among those who later conveyed this reality was: Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan — 
a companion of the Prophet ﷺ who transmitted his teachings.

He narrates:
 مَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ بِهِ خَيْرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ فِي الدِّينِ 
“Whoever Allah intends good for, He gives him understanding of the religion.”
- Sahih al-Bukhari — Hadith 71

This was not said in response to a single event.
It was said because something had already become visible:
Two people may hear the same words— and only one truly understands them.

Understanding, then, is not only effort.
It is something that is opened.

And then, the explanation becomes visible
The Prophet ﷺ did not leave this as an idea.
He described it in a way that could be seen.

In a land where rain meant life, 
he gave an image everyone would recognize.
 مَثَلُ مَا بَعَثَنِي اللَّهُ بِهِ مِنَ الْهُدَى وَالْعِلْمِ كَمَثَلِ الْغَيْثِ…
 “The example of the guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like rain falling upon the earth…”-Sahih al-Bukhari — Hadith 79 (Abu Musa al-Ashari)

He described three kinds of land:
-and that absorbs water and brings growth
-and that holds water but produces nothing
-and that neither holds nor benefits

The rain is one.
But the earth is not.

-Connection-
Now the layers align.
The Qur’an names those who receive guidance. 
The hadith explains that understanding itself is given. 
The example shows why people differ.

The message does not change.
But what it meets—does.

-What becomes clear-
The opening of Al-Baqarah is not only about the Book.
It is about the one who approaches it.
It shows that guidance is not only something sent— it is something received.

So the question is no longer:
Is the Qur’an guidance?
That is already answered.

The question becomes:
How does it settle within me?

#AlBaqarah  #Quran   #Hadith   #QuranReflection   #IslamicReflections   #Guidance   #SeekingKnowledge   #BeyondRecitation   #ReflectAndUnderstand  #تدبر   #البقرة

sabiha hasan Jazāki Allāhu khayran for such a sincere reflection. You captured something essential — that the same āyāt meet each of us differently, biqadri mā fī al-qulūb. May He open our hearts to truly tafakkur and tadabbur, so the words are not only read, but lived.