Alif Lām Mīm. The sending down of the Book, wherein is no doubt, from the Lord of the Worlds. It has been said that when the Exalted Lord created the light of MuḤammad's innate disposition, He kept it in the Presence of His exaltedness as long as He wanted. It remained before God one hundred thousand years. It has also been said that for two thousand years He was gazing on it 70,000 times a day, and with each gaze He would drape it with a new light and a new generosity. He kept the light of this disposition in His Presence for thousands of years, and each day He would look upon it with the attribute of favor. With each gaze it would gain another secret and mystery, another caress and gentleness, another knowledge and understanding. In those gazes, the secret core of his disposition was told that the level of the Qur'an's exalted- ness would preserve the level of his sinlessness, and this awareness became firmly rooted in his disposition. When his very clay along with the secret core of his disposition was brought into this world, the revelation sent down from the Exalted Threshold turned toward him. He was saying, “I hope that this is the realization of the promise given to me at that time.” In order to soothe his heart and confirm this thought, the Lord of the Worlds sent down this verse: “Alif Lām Mīm.” Alif alludes to God, Lām alludes to Gabriel, and Mīm alludes to MuḤammad. He is saying, “By My divinity, Gabriel's holiness, and your splendor, O MuḤammad, this revelation is the Qur'an that We promised would be the keeper of your prophecy's level and the miracle of your good fortune. “Wherein is no doubt, from the Lord of the Worlds. There is no doubt that it is Our missive to Our servants, Our address to Our friends. In every corner We have someone burning in hope of seeing Us, in every nook someone distracted, his heart tied to Our love and his tongue busy with Our mention and remembrance. The poor are needy for Our threshold, the yearners anxious for Our vision.” In every city You have bondsmen and servants, the whole world is full of Your familiars. Who indeed am I, what service can I render? You have plenty of the burnt in the world.
