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Mu atta’at in the Qu an: the wider Semitic context By Sajah Suaeed Abstract 29 surah of the Quran start with abbreviations which have never been satisfactorily explained. This paper considers not only Arabic but also other Semitic languages, as well as Latin and Greek. Acronyms were widely used in e...

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Mu atta’at in the Qu an: the wider Semitic context By Sajah Suaeed

Abstract 29 surah of the Quran start with abbreviations which have never been satisfactorily explained. This paper considers not only Arabic but also other Semitic languages, as well as Latin and Greek. Acronyms were widely used in each of these languages, but Hebrew is considered to have the greatest number. Hypotheses are offered for: EL+ R (ύod’s spirit), EL + M (ύod’s kingdom), H Hashem and T for Torah.

The muqatta'at The muqatta'at (‫ )مقطعات‬or “abbreviations” are combinations of letters that appear in the beginning of 29 suras. They have been very resistant to Arabic and Quranic scholarship over 1400 years. The main approaches are summarised at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muqatta%27at : single Arabic letters representing attributes of God; a mathematical code base on multiples of 19; pronunciation rules - tajweed mystic letters. The present paper widens previous scholarship to include other Semitic languages and the administrative languages that had influence in Arabia. The muqatta’at are: Surah

7 15 16 17 18 2 3 13 10 11 12 14 15

3rd

‫ص‬

‫ر‬

2nd

1st

‫م‬ ‫م‬ ‫م‬ ‫م‬ ‫م‬ ‫م‬ ‫م‬ ‫م‬

‫أل‬ ‫أل‬ ‫أل‬ ‫أل‬ ‫أل‬ ‫أل‬ ‫أل‬ ‫أل‬

‫ر‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ر‬

‫أل‬ ‫أل‬ ‫أل‬ ‫أل‬ ‫أل‬

Surah

3rd

2nd

20 ‫ح‬ 27 ‫س‬ 26 ‫س‬ 28 ‫س‬ 40 ‫م‬ 41 ‫م‬ 42 ‫م‬ 43 ‫م‬ 44 ‫م‬ 45 ‫م‬ 46 ‫م‬ 50 68 2 ‫س‬ 19 ‫يع ص‬ 38 ‫ص‬

1

1st

‫ط‬ ‫ط‬ ‫ط‬ ‫ط‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ح‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ي‬ ‫كح‬ ‫ص‬

Semitic languages Ancient languages of the Middle East have a common origin and form one tree or Stammbaum. The word comes from “languages of Shem”. Semitic languages have common features different from Indo-European languages. One obvious feature is triliteral base words, which are modifiable to give many different derivatives e.g. K-T-B “book” can become “wrote”, “library” etc. There are many scripts, but all stand for consonants only, at least until recent times. The most important scripts are shown side-by-side below. The Hebrew and Aramaic scripts of 22 letters are very similar and are used for comparison. The most common script for Aramaic is now Syriac, which is somewhat different. Arabic has about six additional letters.

The main contact languages for Arabic to be considered here are Greek, Latin, Aramaic, and Hebrew. Latin was the official language of the Roman Empire for several centuries. Greek was the main language of Christians, and became the official language of Byzantium after the Roma Empire split into an eastern and a western part. Aramaic was the common speech of Syria and the written language for Christian bibles. Hebrew was the language used by Jews and of the Torah. Persian was a major contact language after 637 CE, but is probably too late to be considered here. South and Ethiopian Semitic could be considered at a later date. The role of abbreviations in each of these languages is considered briefly.

Letters as numbers compared All classical languages can use letters to represent numbers. The most familiar are Roman numerals to represent years, e.g. 2015 is MMXV. Some of the Aramaic examples were described above. The Hebrew system are referred to as gematria. Each letters-as-numbers system is rather unique to its own language, and they do not map well onto the others. The Arabic abjad system starts like the Aramaic – alif = 1, ba = 2, jim = 3, dal =4. The arrangement of abjad as a “magic square” was to allow multiplication and division, which is impossible with Roman numerals. Arabic has its own system of mystical letters, ilm al-huruf, which is similar to the gematria. Some of the single letter muqatta’at have numerical values, e.g. nun = 50, sad = 90. In the following two tables each of the 22 consonants is shown with its Aramaic names. Next comes the character in the Syriac Estrangela script. Then come the Hebrew and Arabic characters. Finally systematic pronunciation in the International Phonetic Alphabet is shown. 2

3

4

Greek abbreviations Xenophon is often credited with the earlies use of abbreviations in Greek, in the memoir of Socrates. Greek was the language of the Christian church for many centuries. The ichthys symbol was a fish drawing, adopted by Christians a secret sign of their faith. It is the word for “fish”, but this is also an acronym for “Jesus, anointed, ύod’s, Son, Saviour”. Some Greek acronyms were imported into Latin as Nomina Sacra.; for example IHS from the first three letters of ΙΗΣΟΥΣ, “Jesus”. The opening verses of the book of Revelation were IH XP, corresponding to the Greek words for Jesus Christ. Sacred names consisted of two letters with a line over the top.

Latin Sigla Abbreviated writing was often used because writing materials were costly. In the Roman Empire these became very common and were referred to as sigla. Matters arising from government and administration, the judiciary and Church, learning and medicine were recorded in Latin. The use of abbreviations and sigla abounded and many became conventions in use as part of inscriptions, in correspondence, manuscripts and documents etc. S.P.Q.R. -Senatus populusque Romanus - was the abbreviation for the Republic DM = Dis/Diis/Manibus was a reference to the Manes, the Roman spirits of the dead and meant for"- the deified souls of the departed"- and was conventionally inscribed on tombstones. H.I = hic iacet “he lies here” S.T.T.L. = Sit tibi terra levis - May the earth rest light(ly) on you R.I.P. = Requiescat in pace - Rest in Peace. Salutations used in Latin correspondence were often abbreviated to the utmost S.P.D. =Salutem pluriman dicit 5

S.V.B.E.E.V. = si vales,bene est,ego valeo. As Latin was and is the official language of the Roman Catholic Church, abbreviations abound I.N.P.F. et S.S. = In nomini Patris Fillii et Spiritus Sancti. Dύ = deo gratia “by the grace of ύod” Some sigla are still in common use: e.g. = exempli gratia, “for example” AD = anno Domini “in the year of τur Lord”

Aramaic abbreviations Aramaic is the North-West branch of the Semitic family and is close to Hebrew. Parts of the Jewish Torah and the Christian bible were written in Aramaic. It is regarded as the language of Jesus and the apostles. It was once widely-spoken in the Middle East, but is now spoken by small Assyrian communities. Luxenberg (2009) claims that about 20% of the Quran, including that word, makes more sense in Aramaic. The script is relatively hard to study. www.tyndalearchive.com//TABS/PayneSmith gives access to scans of texts, but not searchable or editable. Atour.com, the web-site of the Assyrian church in Chicago, has a good look-up facility; select the tab . Biblical texts with each Aramaic word hyperlinked can be found at www.dukhrana.com/peshitta. www.learnassyrian.com/aramaic.pdf gives fairly quick teaching of the Syriac script and the Estrangela character set. Some Syriac characters can be accessed on Windows menu. Syriac handwriting can be daunting, but a regular Estrangela font is considerably easier. Try two of the best-known phrases:

e-lee e-lee l-maa-naa saa-baach-taa-nee

ee-sho mshee-khaa

My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?

Jesus, the oiled (i.e. anointed)

Some of the 22 individual Aramaic letters have contracted roles: ‫ܐ‬ alap is often dispensable; cardinal number 1; with point beneath 1,000; with 2 points 10,000,000 ‫ܒ‬ beth is rarely used for contractions; it can be 2 and 2,000 ‫ܓ‬ gamal used for numbers - 3 etc ‫ܕ‬ dalath is a relative pronoun “who, which that” or conjunction “in order that” ‫ܗ‬ h is a contraction for “hallelujah”; ‫ ܗܐ‬is “behold” ‫ܘ‬ waw is very similar to Arabic, short for “and, but, since” etc. and a vowel-consonant ‫ܙ‬ zain is not a common short form; it is the 7th letter and could mean “7”, “7,000” etc. ‫ܝ‬ heth is the interjection “o” ‫ܛ‬ teth is rarely used for abbreviations ‫ܝ‬ yodh interjection “o!” ‫ܟ‬ kap; Payne Smith says this is used for Greek χ ‫ܠ‬ lamadh is a preposition “to, against” etc.; sign of the dative ‫ܡ‬ mim with a vowel is the interrogative pronoun “whatς whoς” ‫ܢ‬ nun “I beg thee” and other entreaties ‫ܣ‬ semkath abbreviation for the version of Symmachus; also the first letter of Sabbath ‫ܥ‬ ain is a contraction for “the Hebrew test” or “ancient” ‫ܦ‬ grammatical for the imperative; Arabic replaces this sound with fa ‫ܨ‬ sadhe is an abbreviation for a codex or a prayer ‫ܩ‬ qop is a contraction for “somewhat”, “a lection”, or “a tone” ‫ܪ‬ resh is rarely used for abbreviations ‫ܫ‬ shin is a contraction for “here endeth” ‫ܬ‬ tau is a contraction for the theodotion bible 6

Hebrew abbreviations Hebrew has a very large number of abbreviations, probably running into thousands. Letters have special religious significance to Jews, especially the four letters Y**H of the most important name of God, which is supposed only to be said with great reverence. Next in sacredness come El ("God"), Elohim ("Gods", but used like “the royal we” in English.), Eloah ("God"), El Shaddai, and Tzevaot or Sabaoth ("of Hosts"). A list sorted only by alphabetic order is at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hebrew_abbreviations,

Kabbalists hold that not only do the words of Torah give a divine message, but they also indicate a far greater message that extends beyond them. Thus they hold that even as small a mark as a kotzo shel yod (‫) ו ו של יוד‬, the serif of the Hebrew letter yod (‫)י‬, the smallest letter, or decorative markings, or repeated words, were put there by God to teach scores of lessons. Ein Sof – "Endless, Infinite", is a major Kabbalistic name of God.

The number of abbreviations is so large that non-Jews, including the current authors, can hardly treat them thoroughly.

The 29 abbreviations

‫الر א‬

The surah starting Aleph – Lam – Ra will be considered first. AL is closest to the Hebrew word for God, and would be pronounced to rhyme with “ale”. It also exists in compounds in Aramaic, including alheyaa ‫“ ܐܠܗܝܐ‬divine”, e.g. before a saint and Emmanuel ‫“ ܐܡܢܥܐܝܠ‬god with us” and Elijah (Hebrew: ּ ּ ‫אֱ ִ י‬, Eliyahu) “my god is Yah”. Catholicos Patriarch Timothy I of Baghdad equated Muhammad with Elijah to σestorians. Timothy declared the muqatta’at were mystical references to qualities and attributes of three names of the one and only indivisible Godhead as unique persons: namely God, his Word and his Spirit.

7

10 Yunus : Alif L m R

Timothy of Baghdad’s third quality of ύod was “spirit”. A resh in Hebrew would be probably be an abbreviation for ru'ach hakodesh. This is one of the levels of the soul. Yunus is close to the book of Jonah in the Torah, and is the story of Jonah and the whale

11 Al-Hood : Alif L m R This a story of divine punishment for those who do not heed prophets named after one of them, Hud, , and also prophets Saleh and Shu’aid. The Qu'ranic version of the Biblical story of Sodom and ύomorrah is in ayat 69–83. Lot offers his daughters to the men of Sodom, but they respond with disinterest and say "you know what we want." The content is similar to that of the book of Genesis in the Torah.

12 Yusuf : Alif L m R The story of the prophet Joseph from the book of Genesis. Joseph is the son of Jacob and wears a coat of many colours but is sold into slavery and taken to Egypt.

14 Ibrahim : Alif L m R “Abraham” is an account of the presumed ancestral patriarch of many Arabian tribes, as well as the Jews. The sura emphasizes that only God knows what goes on inside a man's heart, implying we must accept each other's words in good faith. The same hypothesis applies: AL + R (ru'ach hakodesh)

15 Al-Ḥijr : Alif L m R This means “the stoneland”. It is supposed to be chronologically after Yusuf and is a series of brisk verses praising God. This group of five are consistent with the hypothesis that an abbreviation for “ύod’s spirit” ( l + Ruach) would have been written at the top. The three letters in Hebrew are shown at the head of this section, where the muqatta’at would appear. The teachings of Mohammed were mainly oral history, later scribed on stone or bone, and much later written with ink on parchment. The letters may never have been written in the Hebrew script; it is more likely that the letter corresponds to the Hebrew spoken form. _______________________________________________________________________________

‫الم אלמ‬ The next group are those also starting AL but followed by Mim, written above in Arabic and Hebrew. There are eight with AL + M alone, one with a further Sad and one with a further Ra. Three are from the Medina period when the dominant influence of Jewish ideas was decreasing, so will be considered later. The remaining five are listed below.

29 Al-Ankabut: Alif L m Mīm The Spider concerns persecution of Muslims in Mecca before the flight to Yathrib.

30 Al-Rom: Alif L m Mīm The Romans describes the theological crisis for monotheists in Mecca following the defeat of the Romans (Byzantines) by the Persians at the Battle of Antioch. The Christian Byzantines were considered People of the Book, or monotheists, while the Persians who defeated them were considered idolators. The surah is in 8

part a response to the non-Muslim Meccans who took this victory as a sign that traditional polytheism would win out over monotheism.

31 Luqm n: Alif L m Mīm This is named after a sage, Luqman. The many elements are considered to emphasise moderation.

32 Sūrat as-Sajdah Alif L m Mīm

“The Prostration” summarises the creation story, heaven and hell, and judgment of unbelievers.

7 Al-A ar f : Alif L m Mīm

d

“The heights” describes the story of creation, σoah and the flood, Moses

There are many possibilities for an M in Hebrew standing alone. It could be 

  



  

M with an L would be “kingdom” or “dominion” (malchut, , ); melech ha-m'lachim is “king of kings” Mishnah – teaching Masoretic - the traditional and authoritative Torah Mila –word. Timothy’s suggestion that muqatta’at might be “ύod’s word” would be supported by Hebrew mila “word”, though shem is more authoritative and used in the ten commandments. M with S might be “our teacher Moses, peace on him” (Moshe rabeinu alav hashalom, ‫ֹשׁ ַ בּינּ ּע ּי‬ ‫ ש ע‬, ֹ ּ‫) ַש‬. Mispar: the numerical value of the gematria The work of creation The name of a month

There is insufficient evidence for deciding between these alternatives. The first four are more likely than the others, and “kingdom” is considered the most probable. ______________________________________________________________________________________

‫ط‬

The four surah starting with a “Ṭā (‫ ”)ط‬also have much content taken from the Torah. The focus of the TaSin – Mim group of three might be correcting Torah/ Old Testament History. If so, it is an argument for the Mim to mean “Masoretic”.

27 Surah Al-Namal (The Ant) : Ṭ

Sīn

This surah describes Moses, and also Solomon, who warns the ants to take cover before a battle. Ta Sin could be “Written Torah” (Torah SheBichtav - ‫) ת·ש‬, by contrast with the spoken Torah.

26 Al-Shua'ra (The Poets) : Ṭ

Sīn Mīm

This starts with Moses and Abraham, and then describes several prophets/ poets and their tribes. The best Hebrew candidate is Torah SheBichtav, as with surah 27. The additional mim could mean “kingdom”, “word” or “traditional”, as discussed in the AL-M above.

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28 Al-Qa a : Ṭ

Sīn Mīm

This means “the stories”, perhaps because it has the correct chronology for Moses. A likely hypothesis is “ύod’s kingdom” as for surah 26.

20 Ṭ -H The content is accounts of Moses and Adam, each repeated several times. Both stories are prefaced by instructions from God to Muhammad, and followed by a discussion of judgment day and the punishment of the disbelievers. Ta-Ha has no meaning in Arabic, except as a given name. Tav-Het in Hebrew ‫ ·ח‬is the abbreviation for techiyat hameitim - the Resurrection of the Dead. Judaism does not stress afterlife to the same extent as Christianity, but it is a core belief in the Mishnah. An Aramaic source could also be considered. Tau is a bible version, an abbreviation for Theodotion ("sixfold"), which is the term for an immense comparison of the Greek Septuagint with the original Hebrew Scriptures, and other Greek translations. Ha is an abbreviation for “hallelujah” In Aramaic emphatic-t followed by h and also r (Syriac ‫ ) ܬܗܪ‬would mean “marvel!”. This word is used in Matthew 19:25 “astonishment: who can be savedς” The content of Ta-Ha intently repeats several major themes. A parsimonious approach would be assume Ta is the same abbreviation in each of the four passages above. If so, Ta-Ha could mean this: the teaching of the Torah is the same as the teaching of the Hashem.

‫حم‬ The next group of seven all start with Ha Mim. These chapters are statements of Islamic faith without direct Torah references. HaShem ( ‫ ) ש‬is Hebrew for “the name” but is a coded way of avoiding saying the tetragrammaton, the full name of G_d. It is also the name of the Banū Hāshim (Arabic: ‫)بنو هاشم‬, a clan in the Quraysh tribe. The Banu Hashim considered themselves both an Ishmaelite and Israelite tribe, and Muhammad was a member of this Arab tribe. Hashim is therefore a prestige word. All seven might be claims by the Banu Hashim to monotheist correctness in arguments with Meccan polytheists. A possible meaning of ha-mim therefore combines these two sense with the abbreviation for kingdom previously described.

40 Al-Mu'min (The Believer): Ḥ

Mīm

Surah believer is also known as “the sentry” or “the forgiver”. It includes multiple references to the pharaoh

41 Surah Fu ilat: Ḥ

Mīm

This means “explained in detail”.

42 Al-Shūr : Ḥ

Mīm; Ain Sīn Q f

This means “council” or “consultation”. The additional letters ʿAin Sīn Qāf appear separately. It appears to be assaying God has sent a message in Arabic to the people of Mecca.

43 Al-Zukruf (The Embellishment) : Ḥ

Mīm

This means “ornaments of gold” and warns against excessive materialism.

44 Al-Duqqan (The Smoke): Ḥ

Mīm

45 Al-Jasiya (The Kneeling): Ḥ

Mīm

This means “the smoke” and refers to a plague on the Quraish for not embracing Islam. “The kneeling” or “the crouching” deals only with faith and punishment. 10

46 Surah Al-Ahqaf (The Sandhills): Ḥ

Mīm

This also deals only with faith and punishment using winding sand dunes as metaphor. ____________________________________________________________________________________ The following muqatta’at are unique.

50 Surah Q f : Q f

Qaf in Aramaic can be a lection or the number 100. If it were Hebrew qop it would also be “a reading”. The next phrase in surah 50 is “the honoured Quran”, or aqurana if Luxenberg is correct. It deals predominantly with the Resurrection and the Day of Judgement. Reference is made to previous generations of disbelievers, both to warn the disbelievers in Mecca and to reassure the prophet. It therefore seems linked with the hamim series in the struggle with Mecca.

68 Al-Qalam (The Pen): Nūn This is one of the oldest surah. It starts with a defence of Mohammed, so Hebrew phrases such as netilat yadayim – “ritual washing of the hands” or wudu might be relevant. Nun is an Aramaic particle of entreaty, e.g. “I beg thee”. It could be “inkstand” in Arabic, as the translator Maulana Muhammad Ali suggests. Nun has the numerical value 50 in the abjad.

2 Ya-sin