The Guiding Light — Page 121
S u rah al-Baqarah Chapter 2, Verses 1-8 121 1. That each letter has a definite numerical value. Thus ا ( Alif ) has the value of 1, ب ( B a ) of 2, ج ( J i m ) of 3, د ( D a l ) of 4, ( H a ) of 5, and so on (Aqrab). This system was known to the early Arabs and is mentioned in some well-known books of tradition (e. g. Jar i r,i. 70 & 71). In numerical terms the letters اﻟﻢ (a lif l a m m i m ) would signify the length of time which the full manifestation of the inner significance of the S u rah was meant to take. The letters اﻟﻢ (a lif l a m m i m ) have the numerical value of 71 ( ا [Alif] being 1, ل [ L a m ] 30 and م [ M i m ] 40). Thus the placing of a lif l a m m i m in the beginning of the S u rah would mean that the subject- matter of Al-Baqarah i. e. the special consolidation of early Islam would take 71 years to unfold itself completely. It is well known that this consolidation went on until the year 71 A. H. , the year of the coming to power of Yaz i d, son of Mu‘ a wiya, when the history of Islam took a different turn. 2. The second and much more important significance of the Muqa tt a‘ a t is that they are abbreviations for specific attributes of God and a S u rah before which the Muqa tt a‘ a t are placed is, in its subject-matter,