Grammar term · Nahw · syntax
حُرُوف مُقَطَّعَة
huruf muqatta'a
Disjoined Quranic letters (muqatta'at)
Nahw · syntaxSpecialadvanced term30+ in the Qur'an
In one line
The disconnected letters opening 29 surahs — الٓمٓ, يسٓ, قٓ — recited letter by letter, taking no i'rab place; their intent rests with Allah.
Understand it
Twenty-nine surahs open with bare letters of the alphabet, recited by their names — alif-lam-mim, not 'alam'. Grammatically the safest classical statement is negative: they are not nouns, verbs or particles in construction; they are mabni and have no place in i'rab. As for meaning, the soundest position is the famous الله أعلم بمراده — Allah knows best His intent — though many scholars note the pointed challenge in them: the Qur'an is woven from the very letters on every tongue, yet stands inimitable. Fourteen distinct letters appear, exactly half the alphabet.
How to spot it
Recognition test
Alphabet letters standing alone at a surah's head, spelled out in recitation: huruf muqatta'a. In i'rab, state simply: mabni, la mahalla laha min al-i'rab.
In the Qur'an
الٓمٓ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ
Al-Baqarah 2:1–2 — “Alif-Lam-Mim. This is the Book — there is no doubt in it”
Three letters recited by name, holding no i'rab place — and immediately the Book built from such letters is declared beyond doubt.
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