Lesson 3
Abbreviated Qurʾānic Letters
الحروف المقطعة
29 sūrahs of the Qurʾān open with mysterious single letters or short combinations. These are not read phonetically each letter is read by its name, one at a time.
What Are the Ḥurūf Muqaṭṭaʿah?
The abbreviated letters (الحروف المقطعة "the cut/separated letters") appear at the opening of 29 sūrahs. Their full meaning is known only to Allāh. What we must do is read each letter by its name individually, pausing briefly between each one.
The 14 Letters Used
Exactly half the Arabic alphabet (14 of 28 letters) appears in these openings. They are:
احر
سصط
عقك
لمن
هي
Common Opening Combinations
WrittenRead asSūrah(s)
المAlif · Lām · MīmAl-Baqarah, Āl ʿImrān, and others
الرAlif · Lām · RāʾYūnus, Hūd, Yūsuf, and others
المرAlif · Lām · Mīm · RāʾAr-Raʿd
كهيعصKāf · Hāʾ · Yāʾ · ʿAyn · ṢādMaryam
طهṬāʾ · HāʾṬā Hā
طسṬāʾ · SīnAn-Naml
يسYāʾ · SīnYā Sīn
صṢādṢād
حمḤāʾ · MīmSeven sūrahs (the Ḥawāmīm)
عسقʿAyn · Sīn · QāfAsh-Shūrā
قQāfQāf
نNūnAl-Qalam
How to Read Them
Read each letter by its full name, not its sound:
الم
Alif Lām Mīm
Three separate letters, each read by name, each with its own elongation
Each letter name that ends in a long vowel gets 2 counts. Letters like Alif, Ḥāʾ, Rāʾ, Sīn get 6 counts (a special rule applying specifically to these openings taught fully in Tajweed).
Key Points
- Never read these as a word they are always individual letter names read one by one.
- There is a small stopping mark after these letters in most Qurʾān prints observe it.
- Their meaning is from the knowledge of Allāh. Our job is to recite them correctly with full presence.