THE MEANING OF SEPARATED LETTERS

I said to Ja`far b. Muhammad b. `Ali b. al-Husayn b. `Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be upon him,: O' son of the Prophet of Allah, what is the meaning of the saying of Allah, Mighty and Exalted,: "Alif Lam Meem" [2:1, 3:1, 29:1, 30:1, 31:1, 32:1] and "Alif Lam Meem Sawd" [7:1] and "Alif Lam Ra" [10:1, 11:1, 12:1, 14:1, 15:1] and "Alif Lam Meem Ra" [13:1] and "Kaf Ha Ya `Ayn Sawd" [19:1] and "Ta Ha" [20:1] and "Ta Seen" [27:1] and "Ta Seen Meem" [26:1, 28:1] and "Ya Seen" [36:1] and "Sawd" [38:1] and "Ha Meem" [40:1, 41:1, 43:1, 44:1, 45:1, 46:1] and "Ha Meem Seen `Ayn Qaf" [42:1-42:2] and "Qaf" [50:1] and "Noon" [68:1]?

He, peace be upon him, replied: As for the Alif Lam Meem in the beginning of Baqarah (Surah 2), its meaning is: Ana aLlaah al-Malik (I am Allah, the King).

As for the Alif Lam Meem in the beginning of Aal-e-Imran (Surah 3), its meaning is: Ana aLlaah al-Majeed (I am Allah, the Glorious).

And (as for) Alif Lam Meem Sawd, it means: Ana aLlaah al-Muqtadir as-Sadiq (I am Allah, the Determiner, the Truthful).

And (as for) Alif Lam Ra, it means: Ana aLlaah ar-Ra'ouf (I am Allah, the Clement).

And (as for) Alif Lam Meem Ra, it means: Ana aLlaah al-Muh'yi al-Mumeet ar-Razzaq (I am Allah, the Giver of Life, the Taker of Life, the Sustainer).

And (as for) Kaf Ha Ya `Ayn Sawd, it means: Ana al-Kafi al-Hadi al-WaliY al-`Alim as-Sadiq al-wa`ad (I am the Sufficient, the Guide, the Master, the Omniscient, the Truthful in Promise).

And as for Ta Ha, it is a name from among the names of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his progeny, and its meaning is: ya Talib al-Haq al-Hadiy ilayh (O' seeker of the truth, the guide to it), "We have not sent down the Qur'an to thee to be (an occasion) for thy distress" [20:2], rather (we have sent it down) so that you become happy by it.

And as for Ta Seen, it means: ana al-Talib as-Samee` (I am the Seeker, the Listener)
And as for Ta Seen Meem, it means: ana al-Talib as-Samee` al-Mubdi' al-Mu`eed (I am the Seeker, the Listener, the Originator, the Restorer to life)   
 
And as for Ya Seen, it is a name from among the names of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his progeny, and its meaning is: Ya Ayyuha as-Sami` al-Wahiy  (O' hearer of the Revelation) "By the Qur'an, full of Wisdom, Thou art indeed one of the apostles, On a Straight Way." [36:2-36:4]

And as for Sawd, it is a spring that flows from beneath al-`Arsh (the Throne), and this is that which the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his progeny, performed wudu` (ablution) with when he ascended to it (during the mi`raj - the Night of Ascension). And every day Jibra`il, peace be upon him, enters it (the spring) diving therein, and then emerges from it and shakes his wings. And there is not a drop that drops off his wings except that Allah, Blessed and High, creates therewith an angel who glorifies Him, sanctifies Him, declares His greatness, and praises Him til the Day of Judgment.

And as for Ha Meem, it means: al-Hameed al-Majeed (The Praised, The Glorious).

And as for Ha Meem `Ayn Seen Qaf, it means: al-Haleem al-Mutheeb al-`Alim al-Samee` al-Qadir al-Qawee` (The Forbearing, The Granter of Rewards, The Knower, The Hearer, The Powerful, The Possessor of Strength).

And as for Qaf, it is a mountain that surrounds the earth, and the greenness of the sky is due to it, and by it Allah has held the earth lest it should shake with its inhabitants.

And as for Noon, it is a stream in Paradise. Allah, Mighty and Exalted, said to it: "Congeal", so it congealed and turned into Ink. Then the Mighty and Exalted said to the Pen: "Write", so the Pen wrote down on the lawh al-Mahfooz (the Protected Tablet) what has occurred and what will occur till the Day of Judgment. And the Ink is of Light (noor), and the Pen is the pen of Light, and the Tablet is the tablet of light.

And Sufyan (the narrator) said: I said to him: O' son of the Prophet of Allah, explain to me the affair of the Tablet, and the Pen, and the Ink with excess clarification, and teach me what Allah has taught you.

So he replied: O' son of Sa`eed, had you not been worthy of the answer, I would not have answered you. So Noon is an angel that leads to the Pen, who is (also) an angel. And the Pen leads to the Tablet, who is an angel. And the tablet leads to Israfeel, and Israfeel leads to Meeka'eel, and Meeka'eel leads to Jibra'eel, and Jibra'eel leads to the Messengers and the Prophets, blessings of Allah be upon them all.

(The narrator) said: Then he said to me: Get up, O' sufyan, (explaining further is) not safe for you.