Question 529 - The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 6

Ahmed al-Hasan Response:

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, the Imams and the Mahdis, and grant them peace. May Allah grant you success in every good. In The Allegories, I explained the meaning of the disconnected letters at the beginnings of the surahs. I ask you to consult and read what is written in The Allegories. This question and answer on the same subject may also benefit you: Q: What do the disconnected letters at the beginnings of the surahs mean? A: The Exalted said: Alif-Lam-Mim, Alif-Lam-Mim-Ra, Ha-Mim, Ya-Sin. Alif means Fatima al-Zahra (a). Alif is the origin and first of the letters, and it is the first thing to arise after the dot. The remaining letters are composed from it. It is the letter of Fatima al-Zahra (a), concerning whom the Messenger of Allah (s) related these words from Allah, Glorious is He: ‘O Ahmed, were it not for you, I would not have created the celestial spheres; were it not for Ali, I would not have created you; and were it not for Fatima, I would not have created either of you’ (^[43]). For this reason, the letter of al-Zahra (a), Alif, was placed before the letter of Ali (a), Lam, and the letter of Muhammad (s), Mim. The precedence in this station explains ‘were it not for Fatima, I would not have created either of you’-that is, were it not for the Hereafter, in which true knowledge exists. Were it not for knowledge, creation would not have been created, for Allah created them so that they may know: ‘I did not create the jinn and humankind except to worship Me’ (^[44]). Lam belongs to Ali (a). If Ali is the outward aspect of the door and Fatima (a) is its inward aspect, notice that when Alif and Lam are joined, their form is la: the Alif is written within the Lam, and the Lam is the outward form surrounding the Alif. This is la-the rejection of the rule of the people-with which the word of monotheism, la ilaha illa Allah, begins. It is the same la of the Husayni revolution that arose to reject the rule of the people and establish the rule of Allah. Thus, la ilaha illa Allah, or the la of Husayn, has Fatima-mercy and seeking the guidance of the wrongdoers-as its inward aspect, and Ali-strength and fighting the wrongdoers-as its outward aspect. This is because Lam is an Alif folded by force, meaning that it indicates the strength of Allah, Glorious is He: ‘And We softened iron for him’ (^[45]). Its inward Alif is also mercy toward the believers, while its outward Lam is vengeance upon those who disbelieve in the Riser. In some narrations, the Riser is described as Ali ibn Abi Talib or the Beast of the Earth, a title shared by the Riser and Ali ibn Abi Talib. Mim is Muhammad. It occurs seventeen times in the Quran. Mim is the arc of ascent, and it has the form of an inverted Waw. Ra is al-Hasan (a). Ha is al-Husayn (a). Sin is Imam al-Mahdi (a). Ya-Sin means that the end is Sin, for Ya here indicates the end. Sin occurs five times, corresponding to the number of the People of the Cloak, because the Mahdi (a) represents the five People of the Cloak. Look at the word of monotheism, la ilaha illa Allah. It contains three letters: Alif, Lam, and Ha. You have come to know Alif and Lam. As for Ha, it affirms the Established One, because it is the first letter of Huwa, the Greatest Name. Ha affirms the Established One and explains His existence, knowledge of Him, and witnessing Him. Waw explains His hiddenness and the inability to comprehend Him. Thus, Glorious is He, He is the Witnessed and the Hidden. Therefore, Ha is the evidence of witnessing and knowledge. Through Muhammad (s), Allah was known. Muhammad is the possessor of the manifest opening-‘Indeed, We have granted you a manifest opening.’ Thus, he is Ha, because through him Allah, Glorious is He, was known, and he is the city of divine perfections. Monotheism is therefore represented by these three letters-Alif, Lam, and Ha-which are Fatima, Ali, and Muhammad. Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you. Ahmed Alhasan Muharram al-Haram, 1432 AH