FatwaFederal TerritoriesQuran & Hadith
AL-KAFI #1353: MAKSUD HURUF HIJA'IYYAH PADA PERMULAAN SURAH
What is the meaning of the disjointed letters (huruf hija’iyyah) at the beginning of some surahs, such as alif laam miim?
Short answer
No hadith from the Prophet SAW explains these letters. Many scholars hold that they signal that the Quran is composed of the same letters the Arabs use, yet they cannot produce anything like it, which is why the verses that follow mostly concern the Quran.
A reference, not a fatwa. First sentence of the summary below — read the original fatwa and consult your state authority before acting.
- Authority
- Federal Territories Mufti Office
- Date
- Status
- Opinion (irsyad)
- Series
- Al-Kafi li al-Fatawi
- Topic
- Quran & Hadith
No evidence of gazettement in the source — this is not a gazetted fatwa.
Summary
No hadith from the Prophet SAW explains these letters. Many scholars hold that they signal that the Quran is composed of the same letters the Arabs use, yet they cannot produce anything like it, which is why the verses that follow mostly concern the Quran. The fatwa concludes that the meaning of each letter is known only to Allah SWT and falls under the mutashabihat verses, which should not be debated.
Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.
Terdapat sebanyak 29 surah di dalam al-Quran yang dimulakan dengan himpunan huruf hija'iyyah.
Read the full fatwa on the Federal Territories website (new tab)
How to cite
Cite the original fatwa and its authority. Rujuk Fatwa is only where you found it.
Federal Territories Mufti Office. “AL-KAFI #1353: MAKSUD HURUF HIJA'IYYAH PADA PERMULAAN SURAH”, 26 August 2019. https://muftiwp.gov.my/ms/artikel/al-kafi-li-al-fatawi/3653-al-kafi-1353-maksud-huruf-hija-iyyah-pada-permulaan-surah. Found via Rujuk Fatwa: https://rujukfatwa.com/en/fatwa/meaning-of-huruf-hijaiyyah-at-start-of-surahs/