“Alif. Lam. Mim.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Taberî, in this report, Jewish rabbis attempted to interpret the disconnected letters (hurûf-u mukattaa) using abjad numerology to calculate the duration of the Prophet's community's lifespan or the length of their rule, but when they obtained contradictory results from the letter combinations in different surahs, their minds became confused. Taberî evaluates this report (which comes from Jabir b. Abdullah) as the most appropriate view for interpreting the verse, because he argues that everything revealed in the Qur'an was sent down for the benefit and guidance of people, and therefore these letters must also carry meaning.
وهذا القول الذي ذكرناه عن جابر بن عبد الله أشبه بتأويل الآية، وذلك أن جميع ما أنزل الله عز وجل من آي القرآن على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فإنما أنزله عليه بيانا له ولأمته وهدى للعالمين، وغير جائز أن يكون فيه ما لا حاجة بهم إليه
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
In this report, a Jewish rabbis' interpretation is conveyed regarding the disconnected letters (hurûf-ı mukattaa) showing the duration of the Prophet's community's lifespan through abjad numerology. Hayy b. Ahtab and his companions added together the letters alif-lam-mim, alif-lam-mim-sad, alif-lam-ra, and alif-lam-mim-ra to reach different numbers, and eventually said that the matter became confusing to them. Abu Yasir, on the other hand, proposed that all these letters should be added together and arrived at a period of 704 years, claiming that these verses were revealed about themselves.
فقام حيي بن أخطب وأقبل على من كان معه فقال لهم الألف واحدة واللام ثلاثون والميم أربعون فهذه إحدى وسبعون سنة أفتدخلون في دين نبي إنما مدة ملكه وأجل أمته إحدى وسبعون سنة
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Baydawi, the disconnected letters at the beginning of the basmalah and at the beginning of surahs are the names of the letters from which words are composed; by being mentioned at the surah beginning, they serve to awaken those challenged by the Qur'an and remind them that the essence of what is recited consists of the letters of their own language, and therefore they are unable to produce anything similar. Furthermore, it is noted that the Prophet's pronunciation of these letter names despite being unlettered (ummi) carries a separate miraculous aspect (i'caz), as this would not normally be expected of someone who knows neither writing nor reading. Baydawi emphasizes that the distribution of these letters was done with a balanced and deliberate selection according to the phonetic classes of the Arabic alphabet (emphatic, non-emphatic, heavy, light, velarized, etc.), and he notes that this is a subtlety that even an ordinary orator could not accomplish.
افتتحت السورة بطائفة منها إيقاظا لمن تحدى بالقرآن وتنبيها على أن أصل المتلو عليهم كلام منظوم مما ينظمون منه كلامهم، فلو كان من عند غير الله لما عجزوا عن آخرهم مع تظاهرهم وقوة فصاحتهم عن الإتيان بما يدانيه
Comparison
Common ground
All three exegetes accept that the disconnected letters (hurûf-u mukattaa) are not ordinary, meaningless letters, but rather definitely carry wisdom, meaning, or function; furthermore, Taberî and Ibn Kathir directly transmit the same report tradition (the Jewish rabbis' attempt to calculate the community's lifespan through abjad numerology) and largely overlap on this subject.
Differences
Taberî and Ibn Kathir follow a report-centered methodology, conveying the matter in the context of a narrative or circumstances of revelation; while Taberî grounds this in the report of Jabir b. Abdullah and considers it the most appropriate view for interpretation, Ibn Kathir transmits the report more elaborately with names such as Hayy b. Ahtab and Abu Yasir and in a manner more open to report criticism. Baydawi, however, completely departs from this historical/report-based approach and offers a commentary centered on language and rhetoric; he evaluates the letters not in the context of abjad numerology but in terms of miracle (i'caz), challenge (tehaddî), and phonetic arrangement (classification such as emphatic-non-emphatic, etc.). This difference stems from Taberî and Ibn Kathir's belonging to the report/hadith-weighted exegetical school, while Baydawi belongs to the juristic opinion and rhetoric-weighted, theologian-literary exegetical school.
Historical context
A methodological continuity is observed between Taberî (early period, one of the founding figures of report-based exegesis) and Ibn Kathir (a later representative of report-based exegesis); both convey the same narrative in a similar manner by adhering to the tradition of chain of transmission and transmission, with Ibn Kathir's transmission being somewhat more detailed and name-based. Baydawi, on the other hand, bears traces of the juristic opinion-based exegesis and theologian-literary approach developed in a later period; he reads the disconnected letters not so much as a historical report but as linguistic evidence proving the Qur'an's miracle. This reflects the multilayered structure of the exegetical tradition, which diversifies over time from report-weighted interpretation toward juristic opinion/rhetoric-weighted interpretation; none invalidates the other, showing the coexistence of different exegetical methods. This demonstrates that the tradition of Qur'anic exegesis is not monolithic but rather multifaceted and evolving.