Author:Alawiye Abdul mumin Abdur razzaq
Date: 05/07/2026
The disjointed or incoherent letters (al-Ḥurūf al-Muqattaʿāt) that appear at the openings of a number of select Qur’anic chapters have long occupied a unique and enigmatic position within Qur’anic studies. Thus, this article explores the panorama of the translationality of the disjointed letters, interrogating how the isolated Arabic letters- such as Alif Lām Mīm and Ḥā Mīm – bare being rendered, interpreted, or deliberately left untranslated across diverse linguistic and exegetical dictional practices. By examining classical and modern translations, the study highlights the tension between semantic opacity and interpretive intervention, revealing how translators negotiate fidelity to the sacred scriptural texts with the communicative demands of target audience. The research work adopts a comparative textual approach, analyzing translations in English, and selected African languages such as Yoruba, alongside classical tafsīr literature. It argues that the translational techniques applied to al-Ḥurūf al-Muqattaʿāt- ranging from transliteration and annotation to symbolic interpretation- reflect broader theological, linguistic, and ideological orientations. Furthermore, the study situates these letters within contemporary debates on untranslatability, semiotics, the study of signs and meaning, and the limits of human comprehension of the divine scriptural speech. Ultimately, the study contends that the translational treatment of al-Ḥurūf al-Muqattaʿāt not only exposes the constraints of language, but also emphasizes the dynamic interplay between text, meaning, and reader in the ongoing transmission of the Qur’an.
Keywords: Al-Ḥurūf al-Muqattaʿāt, Qur’an translation, Translationality, Tafsīr, Untranslatability, Semiotics
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