29 surahs out of 114 in the Quran are prefixed with a set of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 Arabic letter(s) known as Quranic initials and their total occurrence is 30 as the surah 42: al-Shuuraa has 2 sets. The surahs that possess these initials are called initialed surahs and the surahs that do not possess any initials are called non-initialed surahs. Thus, there are 29 initialed and 85 non-initialed surahs in the Quran. However, let us thoroughly review these initials to derive important information from the Quran with regard to their significance and role rather than overlooking their presence in the Quran considering them mysterious or their meaning is only known to God keeping in mind that there is no nonsense in the Quran.
Details of initials including surah and verse number and surah name
- Alif Laam Meem (2:1- al-Baqarah)
- Alif Laam Meem (3:1- Aal Imran)
- Alif Laam Meem Saad (7:1- al-A’araf)
- Alif Laam Rah. That is of signs (Quranic initials) of the scripture, the wise (10:1- Younus)
- Alif Laam Rah. A scripture has been perfected its verses, then has been detailed out from Wise, Cognizant (11:1-Hud).
- Alif Laam Rah. That is of signs of the scripture, the clear (12:1-Yousuf).
- Alif Laam Meem Rah. That is of signs of the scripture, and that which has been revealed to you (Muhammad) from your Lord is the truth, but most of the people do not believe (13:1-al-Raad).
- Alif Laam Rah. A scripture we revealed it to you (Muhammad) that you may bring out the people from the darkness into the light by permission of their Lord to the path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy (14:1-Ibrahim).
- Alif Laam Rah. That is of signs of the scripture and the clear Quran (15:1-al-Hjr).
- Kãf Hã Yã `Ayn Sãd (19:1-Maryam).
- Ta Ha (20:1-Ta Ha).
- Ta Seen Meem (26:1-al-Shu`araa).
- Ta Seen. That is of signs of the Quran and a clear scripture (27:1-al-Naml).
- Ta Seen Meem (28:1-al-Qasas).
- Alif Laam Meem (29:1-al-Ankaboot).
- Alif Laam Meem (30:1-al-Ruum).
- Alif Laam Meem (31:1-Luqman).
- Alif Laam Meem (32:1-al-Sajdah).
- Yaa Seen (36:1-Yaa Seen).
- Saad and the Quran having the warning (38:1-Saad).
- Ha Meem (40:1-Gaafer).
- Ha Meem (41:1-Fussilat).
- Ha Meem (42:1-al-Shuuraa). Ayn Seen Qaf (42:2-al-Shuuraa).
- Ha Meem (43:1-al-Zukhruf).
- Ha Meem (44:1-al-Dukhan).
- Ha Meem (45:1-al-Jatheyah).
- Ha Meem (46:1-al-Ahqaf).
- Qaf and the glorious Quran (50:1-Qaf)).
- NuN and the pen and what they write (68:1-al-Qalam).
30 occurrences of Quranic initials including initialed surah number and name
| SL No | Quranic Initials | # of letters in each set | Surah No | Surah name with its English equivalent |
| 1 | Alif Laam Meem | 3 | 2 | al-Baqarah (The Heifer) |
| 2 | Alif Laam Meem | 3 | 3 | Aal Imraan (The Family of Amran) |
| 3 | Alif Laam Meem Saad | 4 | 7 | al-A’araf (The Purgatory) |
| 4 | Alif Laam Rah | 3 | 10 | Younus (Jonah) |
| 5 | Alif Laam Rah | 3 | 11 | Hud (Hud) |
| 6 | Alif Lam Rah | 3 | 12 | Yousuf (Joseph) |
| 7 | Alif Laam Meem Rah | 4 | 13 | al-Ra’ad (Thunder) |
| 8 | Alif Lam Rah | 3 | 14 | Ibrahim (Abraham) |
| 9 | Alif Laam Rah | 3 | 15 | al-Hijr (The Hijr Valley) |
| 10 | Kaf Ha Yaa Ayn Saad | 5 | 19 | Kaf Ha Yaa Ayn Saad |
| 11 | Ta Ha | 2 | 20 | Taa Haa (T.H) |
| 12 | Ta Seen Meem | 3 | 26 | Ta Seen Meem |
| 13 | Ta Seen | 2 | 27 | al-Naml (The Ant) |
| 14 | Ta Seen Meem | 3 | 28 | al-Qasas (History) |
| 15 | Alif Laam Meem | 3 | 29 | Alif Laam Meem |
| 16 | Alif Laam Meem | 3 | 30 | al-Ruum (Romans) |
| 17 | Alif Laam Meem | 3 | 31 | Luqmaan (Luqman) |
| 18 | Alif Laam Meem | 3 | 32 | al-Sajdah (Prostration) |
| 19 | Yaa Seen | 2 | 36 | Yaa Seen (Y. ‘S) |
| 20 | Saad | 1 | 38 | Saad (S) |
| 21 | Ha Meem | 2 | 40 | Ghaafer (Forgiver) |
| 22 | Ha Meem | 2 | 41 | Fussilat (Detailed) |
| 23 | Ha Meem | 2 | 42 | al-Shuuraa (Consultation) |
| 24 | Ayn Seen Qaf | 3 | 42 | al-Shooraa (Consultation) |
| 25 | Ha Meem | 2 | 43 | al-Zukhruf (Ornaments) |
| 26 | Ha Meem | 2 | 44 | al-Dukhan (Smoke) |
| 27 | Ha Meem | 2 | 45 | al-Jatheyah (Kneeling) |
| 28 | Ha Meem | 2 | 46 | al-Ahqaf (The Dunes) |
| 29 | Qaf | 1 | 50 | Qaf (Q) |
| 30 | NoonwawNoon | 2 | 68 | al-Qalam (The Pen) |
Note: Noon prefixed to surah al-Qalam is spelled out to represent two Noons.
Quranic Intials at a glance
- 14 sets of initials consisting of 14 Arabic letters in 30 occurrences prefixed to the 29 initialed suras.
- The initialed suras are prefixed with a set of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 initial(s) and sura 42 is prefixed with 2 sets of initials consisting of 5 Arabic letters.
- At the very beginning of the revelation, initials are single-lettered but the number of letters in the initials are increased in the later revelations.
- The occurrence of Quranic Initials is 30 at the beginning of the 29 initialed suras.
- The first position of one set at the 2nd sura (Al-Baqarah), which is between Sura 1: Al-Fatehah and Sura 2: Al-Baqarah while Sura 2 (Al-Baqarah) is the 87th revelation and Sura 1 (Al-Fatehah) is the 5th revelation.
- The last position of one set as spelled out to two Noons prefixed to the 68th sura, which is the first initialed sura according to the order of revelation.
- There are 13 letters but “Ha” has 2 forms open and closed having two different gematrical values that make 14 letters.
- Nun has been spelled out to represent the two Nuns.
- Out of 14 sets of initials, there are 10 single instances and 4 multiple instances.
| # of Set | Quranic Initials | # of Instancs | Letters in Initials | # of Letters | 14 letters in 14 Sets |
| 1 | Alif Laam Meem | 6 | Alif Laam Meem | 3 | Alif, Ta, Hha. Ha, Rah, Seen, Saad, Ayn, Kaf, Qaf, Laam, Meem, Nun, Yaa. |
| 2 | Alif Laam Meem Saad | 1 | Saad | 1 | |
| 3 | Alif Laam Rah | 5 | Rah | 1 | |
| 4 | Alif Laam Meem Rah | 1 | – | – | |
| 5 | Kaf Hha Yaa Ayn Saad | 1 | Kaf Hha Yaa Ayn | 4 | |
| 6 | Ta Ha | 1 | Ta Ha | 2 | |
| 7 | Ta Seen Meem | 2 | Seen | 1 | |
| 8 | Ta Seen | 1 | – | – | |
| 9 | Yaa Seen | 1 | – | – | |
| 10 | Saad | 1 | – | – | |
| 11 | Haa Meem | 7 | – | – | |
| 12 | Ayn Seen Qaf | 1 | Qaf | 1 | |
| 13 | Qaf | 1 | – | – | |
| 14 | NuN | 1 | Noon | 1 |
Major role of Quranic Initials
The Quranic initials are signs which play multiple roles in the guidance if we can reflect while we know that there are 14 sets of Quranic initials prefixed to 29 suras in the Quran:
- Quranic initials being at the beginning of 29 surahs are God’s statements of oath to give assurance of truth in the statement(s) followed by these initials.
- The initial, Alif Laam Meem prefixed to surah 2 is a gateway between the specific words (surah 1) and the words of guidance (surah 2 – surah 114).
- The initials are the basis of unveiling Quran’s mathematical coding by God’s leave upon fulfillment of God’s covenant with the prophets placed in every scripture including the Quran and the related prophecies in the Quran.
- These initials are factual evidence that the Quran is from God as they occur at certain frequencies in the Arabic text of the relevant surahs.
- These initials are hidden guards in the Quran to exist the pure Quran until the end of the world.
- These initials are signs to predict when the world will come to an end depending on the survival time of the Quran, which is until 1709 A.H. being the sum of their gematrical values.
Mathematical Confirmation
a. If the initialed sura numbers and the verse numbers where initials are found is added, and then the sum is added with the initialed sura #, which is 29, and the initial #, which is 30, the total is a multiple of 19 => 853 + 29 + 30 = 912 = 19x48. The detail is in the table below:
Note: The parameters, the particular set of verses associated with initials, the initialed sura # and the initial # including double initials prefixed to sura 42:Al-Shooraa are confirmed.
b. If the initialed sura numbers and the number of letters in the initials prefixed to the relevant initialed sura is added, and then the sum is added with the total of the initialed verses, which is 30, the total is a multiple of 19 => 901 + 30 = 931 = 19×49. The detail is in the table below:
Note: The parameters, letter # in the initial and # of verses of initials are confirmed. Verse numbers are replaced with letter numbers in the initials in the confirmation (b) while both verse and initial # are same, which is 30.
Here are two pieces of mathematical confirmation from Quranic initials that authenticate the following:
- Quranic initials occur 30 times as prefixed to 29 initialed surahs including double initials prefixed to surah 42:al-Shuuraa
- The placement of the initialed surahs in the composition of the Quran (Mus’haf) in addition to the physical proof obtained from placing each surah # next to each revelation order #, the long number being a multiple of 19.
- The verse numbers associated with the instances of initials (30) of the initialed surah numbers (a) and the number of letters in the initials associated with the initialed surah verse number (b).
- The double initials prefixed to the sura 42 and 2 Nuns as spelled out to represent the prefixed to the surah 68: al-Qalam.
- The 2 major divisions of Quran: (a) words of God given as our prayer (sura 1:al-Fatehah) (b) words of God given as our guidance (sura 2:al-Baqarah to surah 114: al-Naas). Not only the position of the surah al-Fatehah but also its Arabic wording and the properties given to it makes it quite different from the words of God given in the rest of the Quran as our teaching and laws.
- It is required to establish the salat prayer by recitation of surah 1 (al-Fatehah) without combination of any other suras or a portion from the God’s words for our guidance in each unit (Rak’ah) in addition to the two physical proofs from the surah 1: al-Fatehah itself being the number of words in its 7 verses equal to the sum of the digits of 7 verse numbers, both of which are 28, and the surah number which is 1 and the digits of its seven verses are placed next to each other, the number is 1 1234567, which is a multiple of 19 => 11234567 = 19x591293. However, those who establish the salat prayer by recitation of some words when making certain moves without knowing its objective would be difficult for them to reflect and accept this fact, though this practice is the prime source to nourish our soul (29:45) through only remembering God (20:14).
Conclusion
God has designed His last scripture which we may also call it the last version of His scripture and has assigned numerous attributes to it to serve as a guidance for all the people of the world from the time of prophet Muhammad until the end of the world. The Quran is efficiently designed and it has all to serve as the last scripture. The initials as the physical proofs of Quran hidden from us 1400 years, which has been unveiled in 1974 by God’s leave serve as incontrovertible proofs that the Quran is God’s message to the world and as a letter level guard to continue to have a pure Arabic Quran until the end of the world in the event of any human errors, variations or distortions with possibility of a single version of the Quran for all.
The Quran has divinely been divided into suras and verses, composition and revelation, numbered and unnumbered verses, and presence and absence of opening verse known as Basmala, and all of these divisions subject to extract appropriate message from it in particular context. God has also assigned numerous attributes to it for us to apply the principle of ‘divide and conquer’ for our best use of it such as initialed and uninitialed suras, God’s words for our prayer and God’s words as our guidance, Meccan and Medinan suras which is because of immigration of prophet from Mecca to Medina, and early and later revelations, isolation and association of certain sets of verses with certain events, processes and practices to better understand to avoid any misconceptions or to remove any distortions and innovations while the division of the whole Quran into 30 ‘paras’ facilitates memorization of the Quran for many but of course, not to read the whole Quran in the Tarawih prayer during the month of Ramadan as this practice is not a commandment from God.
The true believers trust in God, and depend on His words to understand what to do and how to do being reverent to Him as it has details for everything while some instructions are direct, some are indirect and some are to be derived from it. The Quranic initials being attributes of Quran play a significant role to help us to have clear understanding in practicing certain things in a right way and their two-fold mathematical proof provides us certainty to accept them. It is true that 14 sets consisting of 14 Arabic letters in 30 Quranic initials to be the physical proofs of the Quran from God and their total gematrical value, 1709 to pinpoint the survival and end of the world in the year 1710 A.H were hidden from us for 14 centuries being prophetic sign but the significance other than that was not hidden from the true believers of God and Quran. So the Quran has always been and would be fully detailed, complete and perfect being the guidance from the time of its revelation to the end of the world same as the Quran would continue to be a pure Quran for all the people of the world.
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.
Tafazzal (12/30/2016).