بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ

الم

Alif, lām, mīm.

EXPOSITION

The three letters alif, lām, mīm at the beginning of this surah are from the unconnected or disjointed letters (ḥurūf muqaṭṭaʿah) with which twenty-nine surahs of the Quran begin.[1] These same three letters also appear at the beginning of five other surahs (2:1, 3:1, 29:1, 30:1, and 32:1).

The unconnected letters which appear in the Quran at the beginning of these twenty-nine surahs, are alif, lām, mīm, ṣād, rāʾ, kāf, hāʾ, yāʾ, ʿayn, ṭāʾ, sīn, ḥāʾ, qāf, and nūn, occurring singly as well as in different combinations and with repetitions, and they are a distinct feature of the Quran. They are recited separately, where each letter is individually pronounced, but when in combination, they are written as if they were joined. They are treated as independent verses. They are also called fawātiḥ al-suwar (openings of surahs) or awāʾil al-suwar (beginnings of surahs). For more details and suggested meanings for these letters, see the explanation at the beginning of Sūrat al-Baqarah.

[1] These are: 2:1, 3:1, 7:1, 10:1, 11:1, 12:1, 13:1, 14:1, 15:1, 19:1, 20:1, 26:1, 27:1, 28:1, 29:1, 30:1, 31:1, 32:1, 36:1, 38:1, 40:1, 41:1, 42:1, 43:1, 44:1, 45:1, 46:1, 50:1, and 68:1.