Twenty-nine surahs of the Quran begin with separate letters, such as الٓمٓ, حمٓ and كٓهيعٓصٓ. These are called al-huruf al-muqatta‘at — the "disjointed letters". You don't read them as a word: you read the name of each letter, with special lengths. This guide shows you exactly how, in the recitation of Hafs from ‘Asim.
What are the disjointed letters?
- They appear at the start of 29 surahs.
- They use 14 different letters: ا ل م ص ر ك ه ي ع ط س ح ق ن.
- Their meaning is known only to Allah, according to many scholars. Some scholars mentioned wisdoms, such as showing that the Quran is made of the same letters the Arabs used, yet no one could produce anything like it.
The basic rule: read the letter's name
Each letter is read by its name, not its sound. So الٓمٓ is not read alam, but alif – lam – meem.
How long you hold each name depends on how it is spelled:
Group | Letters | How the name is spelled | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
No madd | ا | alif | Not lengthened |
Two-letter names | ح ي ط ه ر | ha, ya, ta, ha, ra | 2 counts (natural madd) |
Three-letter names | ن ق ص س ل ك م | noon, qaf, sad, seen, lam, kaf, meem | 6 counts (necessary madd) |
The special one | ع | ‘ayn | 4 or 6 counts |
An easy way to remember the 6-count letters is the phrase نَقَصَ عَسَلُكُمْ (naqasa ‘asalukum), which holds all of them plus ‘ayn. The 2-count letters are in حَيٌّ طَهُرَ (hayyun tahura).
Examples, step by step
الٓمٓ (Al-Baqarah, 2:1)
- ا: alif, short.
- ل: laaam, 6 counts. Its last letter (meem) merges into the meem that follows, so you hold a ghunnah: laaam-miiim.
- م: miiim, 6 counts.
طسٓمٓ (Ash-Shu‘ara, 26:1)
- ط: ta, 2 counts.
- س: siiin, 6 counts. Its noon merges into the following meem with ghunnah: siiim-miiim.
- م: miiim, 6 counts.
كٓهيعٓصٓ (Maryam, 19:1)
- ك: kaaaf, 6 counts.
- ه and ي: ha, ya, 2 counts each.
- ع: ‘aaayn, 4 or 6 counts. Its noon is hidden before ص (ikhfa).
- ص: saaad, 6 counts.
حمٓ عٓسٓقٓ (Ash-Shura, 42:1–2)
- حم: ha, miiim — 2 then 6 counts.
- عسق: ‘aaayn (4 or 6), siiin (6, its noon hidden before ق), qaaaf (6, with qalqalah when you stop).
- ya, siiin and nooon. In Hafs, the noon at the end is read clearly before the waw that follows (yasiiin, wal-qur'anil-hakim), not merged. These two places are well-known exceptions.
All 29 surahs and their letters
Letters | Surahs |
|---|---|
الٓمٓ | Al-Baqarah, Al ‘Imran, Al-‘Ankabut, Ar-Rum, Luqman, As-Sajdah |
الٓمٓصٓ | Al-A‘raf |
الٓر | Yunus, Hud, Yusuf, Ibrahim, Al-Hijr |
الٓمٓر | Ar-Ra‘d |
كٓهيعٓصٓ | Maryam |
طه | Ta-Ha |
طسٓمٓ | Ash-Shu‘ara, Al-Qasas |
طسٓ | An-Naml |
يسٓ | Ya-Sin |
صٓ | Sad |
حمٓ | Ghafir, Fussilat, Az-Zukhruf, Ad-Dukhan, Al-Jathiyah, Al-Ahqaf |
حمٓ عٓسٓقٓ | Ash-Shura |
قٓ | Qaf |
نٓ | Al-Qalam |
Common mistakes
- Reading them as words, for example alam instead of alif-laaam-miiim.
- Making all the letters the same length. Ha, ya, ta, ha and ra are only 2 counts.
- Forgetting the ghunnah where a letter's meem or noon merges into the next meem.
- Lengthening the alif. Alif in these letters is not lengthened.
For the rules behind the lengths, see our guide to madd, and for the nasal sounds, ghunnah. All the signs in the Mushaf are explained in the symbols in the Quran. To practise with a teacher, see our online Tajweed course.
FAQ
What are huruf muqatta‘at?
The disjointed letters at the start of 29 surahs, such as Alif-Lam-Meem. They are read by the names of the letters.
How long is the madd in Alif-Lam-Meem?
Alif is not lengthened, and lam and meem are each held for 6 counts in Hafs.
Which letters are lengthened 2 counts?
Ha, ya, ta, ha and ra — gathered in the phrase hayyun tahura.
What do the disjointed letters mean?
Many scholars say their meaning is known only to Allah, though some mentioned wisdoms behind them.
Sources
- Surah Al-Baqarah 2:1 — Quran.com
- Surah Maryam 19:1 — Quran.com
- Surah Ash-Shura 42:1–2 — Quran.com
- Muqatta'at — Wikipedia