What does the Alif Laam Meem in Quran for?

[amin]

We have in Quran, many Suras that starts with the letters Alif Laam Mim? any one knows the significance of this word? As an Indian I find these letters similar to the sacred word of AUM or OM? In Hindu and Buddhism their sacred texts often starts with AUM, I read somewhere the sounds A,U,M are the hidden sounds that is present in all words, is there a connection between this and the Alif-Laam-Mim?

I think this word  came from a  practice among ancient people to identify the texts that follows are about the most sacred.

[Al-Sabr]

peace!

i only know two theories concerning these single letters in front of specific chapters of the quran..

the first is the code 19 which you maybe know, but as it contains many errors, it does not seems to be the true answer to your question..

the second one is that you can determine by these letters which verses of the quran are ambiguous and which are non-ambiguous..but to be honest, i haven't investigated much time in the second one, therefore i cannot tell you much about it..in simple words, it says that (for example) all verses in the quran which start with one of these single letters are non-ambiguous.
maybe anyone else knows more about that theory..?^^

the common answer that you will get from a sunni or shia concnering these letters are: only god knows what they mean..=)
..but, of course, this answer would not satisfy someone who deeply thinks about the quran^^

peace!

[Mazhar]

Arabic letters and diacritic marks

[Edip Yuksel]

Dear Amin,

Code 19 provides a reasonable explanation for these letters. Since Code 19 is a test to distinguish the ingrates and hypocrites from those who acknowledge, you will hear many people rejecting it, distorting it, or even making mockery of it. We learn from the Quran that the reaction of ingrates and hypocrites to the signs of the messengers in the past. Majority of people follow the crowd or their wishful thinking and they deny "one of the greatest" signs, as a fulfillment of the prophecy in 74:25-37, and verse 7:146. Here is a brief information about the meaning of ALM and other intials from the Quran: a Reformist Translation:


002:001   A1L30M40. The meaning of 14 different combinations of alphabet letters/numbers initializing 29 chapters of the Quran remained a secret for centuries until 1974. Many scholars attempted to understand the meaning of these initial letters with no results. A computerized study that started in 1969 revealed in 1974 a 19-based mathematical design that was prophesied in Chapter 74. The frequency of the 14 alphabet letters in 14 different combinations that initialize 29 chapters are an integral part of this mathematical structure.

Arabs, during the time of revelation, did not use what we now know as Arabic Numerals. A notable book, The Universal History of Numbers by George Ifrah, dedicates Chapters 17-19 to ancient numerical systems, titled: Letters and Numbers, The Invention of Alphabetic Numerals and Other Alphabetic Number-Systems. The book provides extensive information on the Hebrew, Armenian, Phoenician, Greek, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopian Alphabetic Numerals. According to historical evidence, during the era of Muhammad, Arabs were using their alphabet as their numbering system. The Arabic alphabet then was arranged differently and was named after its first four letters, ABJaD. Each of the 28 letters of the alphabet corresponded to a different number starting from 1 to 9, from 10 to 90, and then from 100 to 1000. When Arabs started adopting Hindu numerals in 760 AC, long after the revelation of the Quran, they abandoned their alphabet/numeral system in favor of a pedagogically arranged alphabet, which is currently in use. Below is the list of the 28 Arabic letters/numbers. When they are put next to each other, their numerical values are added to each other to attain a total number. For instance, the numerical value of ALLaH (God) is 1+30+30+5=66, of ShaHYD (Witness) is 300+5+10+4=319, and of WaHiD (One) is 6+8+4=19.

Thus, the Quran is not only a literary book, but also a book made of numbers. The numerical structure of the Quran has two features: intertwined patterns among the physical frequency of its literary units, such as letters, words, phrases, verses, and chapters AND intertwined patterns among the numerical values (ABJaD) of these literary units. Considering the relevancy of the common meaning of words and letters during the time of revelation, we cannot ignore the fact that the combinations of letters that initialize 29 chapters are primarily numbers. After Arabs commonly adopted the Indian numerals in the 9th century, unfortunately, the numerical system prevalent during the revelation became an antique abused by charlatan psychics, and astrologists. It is ironic that an innovation (today's Arabic numerals) replaced the original (ABJaD), but through the passage of time people started considering the original to be the innovation! The allergy of Muslim scholars to ABJaD and its use in the Quran, does not allow them to open their eyes to marvels of the numerically structured book (83:7-21).

To verify and witness the mathematical system of the Quran, one does not need to know Arabic, though the knowledge of Arabic might increase the magnitude of its appreciation. Though there are hundreds of examples of the 19-based mathematical system, there are surely many still out there yet to be discovered. Meanwhile, there are also some issues that need to be resolved; for instance, the count of the letter Alif still remains to be settled. We know the mathematical structure of the Quran verifies both the extraordinary nature of the text and its miraculous preservation from tampering. However, the system still involves the entire Quran and we have yet to discover a miraculous system verifying the divinity and authenticity of each chapter, independently.

Observers reacting to this prophetic feature fall into three main groups: 1) unappreciative skeptics or fanatic religionists who reject its existence without sufficient investigation; 2) appreciative seekers of truth who witness it and experience a paradigm change; and 3) gullible people who are impressed by it without fully appreciating the statistical facts and consequently indulge in "discovering" their own "miracles" through arbitrary numerical manipulations and jugglery. Ironically, the third group?s exaggerated claims serve as justification for the first group?s beliefs. For more information on this issue, please visit, 19.org.

See 74:1-56.

[Wakas]

peace Edip,

I think to convince people you really need to have such studies published in a scientific peer-reviewed journal. Many people seem to talk big about code 19, yet deliver very little.

And of course, people will make up their own minds as to why this is.

[Mazhar]

Arabs, during the time of revelation, did not use what we now know as Arabic Numerals.

Edip

To verify and witness the mathematical system of the Quran, one does not need to know Arabic,

Aren't both these two statements/premises funny?

[loxbox13]

And We have made the guardians of the Fire to be angels; and We have only made their number a trial for those who have rejected  ( Those who don't want to study the tenets of the quran ), so that those who were given the Scripture would understand, ( Those who believe in the quran will not fall for this trial ) and those who have faith would be increased in faith ( By realising that it's a trial so they go more seriously into the quran ) and so that those who have been given the Scripture and the believers do not have doubt ( people can be misleadi like me, i saw at first how khalfa was convincing with code19, than i realised that the same thing must have happened in the past, the reason i rejected the hadith and went back quran only , applied to me, maybe it's differnet for others ) , and so that those who have a sickness in their hearts and the rejecters would say  "What did God mean with an example such as this?" (  they get attracted to this ambiguis number keep studing and appreciating a number and forgetting the whole point of the quran ) It is such that God misguides whom He wishes, and He guides whom He wishes. And none know your Lord's soldiers except Him  ( Meaning u will never understand what 19 angels mean exept allah , code or no code)'; and it is but a reminder for human beings.'( Allah is telling us that the whole point is the quran, the reminder ans don(t follow ambiguis trials digits )

Well, back to what you said
Since Code 19 is a test to distinguish the ingrates and hypocrites from those who acknowledge, 
TRUE
their wishful thinking and they deny "one of the greatest" signs 
Since when you juge us as rejection the quran   even though we say all of it is from Allah ,  AH rejection of code 19 became a shirk, more important than the quran itself !!!!!!
their wishful thinking and they deny "one of the greatest" signs, as a fulfillment of the prophecy in 74:25-37
I thaught these are all the scientific verses proven by modern science such as the creation or the cosmos or humans etc....didn't know that scientisits or christians need code 19 to believe !!!
Arabs, during the time of revelation, did not use what we now know as Arabic Numerals  thanwho made the numbers in the arab language? 
ah MAN mde numbers
Quran is not only a literary book, but also a book made of numbers  , 
  the main point of the quran is morals and conduct, from individuals to state, 
the numerical system prevalent during the revelation became an antique abused by charlatan psychics, and astrologists. 
It still is, numerical and geometry, both sacred, ex KABALA and no offence,  code19

Observers reacting to this prophetic feature fall into three main groups
Now we get to the mind of code 19, how they became juges
1) unappreciative skeptics or fanatic religionists who reject its existence without sufficient investigation;
WOW , do u mean everyone on earth who reject it??? wow, is this fanatism or what ?
2) appreciative seekers of truth who witness it and experience a paradigm change; and
( Ofcourse, they start counting all day and forget what does mean it is all from allah  or  allah will protect it or .....................many)
3) gullible people who are impressed by it without fully appreciating the statistical facts and consequently indulge in "discovering" their own "miracles" through arbitrary numerical manipulations and jugglery.
Miracles? what kind? tricks? magic? explain the miracles

Open your heart and mind brother, what is the quran all about ?

It is He who has sent this Scripture down to you (Prophet). Some of its verses are definite in meaning - these are the cornerstone  of the Scripture  ummul-kitab") - and others are ambiguous /allegorical (mutashabihaat The perverse at heart eagerly pursue the ambiguities in their attempt to make trouble and to pin down a specific meaning of their own: only God knows the true meaning. Those firmly grounded in knowledge say, ?We believe in it: it is all from our Lord?- only those with real perception will take heed" ( 3:7)


Maybe the next messenger is gonna come up with code 8 , because there's a verse that says   and 8 bearing the throne of your lord
Nobody makes a mockery of you guys, it is just not our religion, it is summitters religion  CODE 19 , they only share with us english khalfa translation of the quran minus 2 verses,  so in reality we don't even share the same book, we have the quran brought to us by mohamed, submitter have a quran transformed to them by rashad khalfa,  once it is changed, it's no more allah's words, it is another book,  i believe that sunnis and shi'as are closer to us quranists than code19 submitters,  they're only misguided by a barrier called hadith,  submitters are misguided by code 19 and hadiths,  but sunnis and shi'as use the same quran as us ,  ALL OF IT IS FROM ALLAH
as for guidance, ALLAH only knows who is really guided
Salam,

[Raaajah]

Edip

Dear Amin,
Code 19 provides a reasonable explanation for these letters.

At least he provided an answer to the question raised in the thread, we can agree or disagree, but where are the answers of others? just only criticism will lead no where.

[loxbox13]

Alif lam ra
ha meem
noon

Combined together gives alrahman = Most gracious
i just noticed one

but these letters sounds more like swearing, they come before a sentence like this is a book where there's no doubt  etc

maybe with more efforts and the history of ancient arabic, we will understand their meaning, remember , it was a barrier of 1000 years between us and the quran, 300 years after the prophet people closed knowlege and locked everything with hadiths,  so more efforts and one day we will understand, one must search in ancient history, maybe aramaic or hebrew, or ancient dictionaries, if someone have access to these dictionaries as ancient as 1100 years, i know they exist because maurice bucaille studied some

[loxbox13]

Edip Yuksel 
I'm really sorry for responding so harsh like that, i didn't really take in consideration your beliefs and sorry about that.