Rules of the Silent Meem in Surah Al-Mulk
Oral Concealment in Surah Al-Mulk
The rule of oral concealment appears in Surah Al-Mulk at only three specific points, which I will outline as follows:
- The first instance is found in the verse: (فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ زُلْفَةً سِيئَتْ وُجُوهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَقِيلَ هَـذَا الَّذِي كُنتُم بِهِ). The oral concealment occurs in the phrase (كُنتُم بِهِ), where the silent meem is followed by the letter ‘ب’, which is the letter of concealment, while a ghunnah (nasal sound) is produced when pronouncing this rule.
- The second occurrence is in the verse: (قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَصْبَحَ مَاؤُكُمْ غَوْرًا فَمَن يَأْتِيكُم بِمَاءٍ مَّعِينٍ). Here, the point of oral concealment is found in (يَأْتِيكُم بِمَاءٍ), where the silent meem precedes the letter ‘ب’, again accompanied by a ghunnah.
- The last instance is in the verse: (إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَيْبِ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ). The oral concealment can be observed in (رَبَّهُم بِالْغَيْبِ), featuring a silent meem followed by the letter ‘ب’.
Oral Merging in Surah Al-Mulk
The rule of oral merging appears in Surah Al-Mulk in only two instances, which are detailed below:
- The first instance is found in the verse: (إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَيْبِ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ). The oral merging occurs in (لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ), where a silent meem is followed by another meem, which signifies the merging rule.
- The second occurrence is in the phrase: (أَأَمِنتُم مَّن فِي السَّمَاءِ أَن يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ الْأَرْضَ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَمُورُ), where the oral merging can be observed in (أَأَمِنتُم مَّن).
Oral Clarity in Surah Al-Mulk
Several examples of oral clarity can be found within Surah Al-Mulk, including:
- In the phrase: (لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ).
- In the verse: (لَهُمْ عَذَابَ).
- In the statement: (بِرَبِّهِمْ عَذَابُ).
- In the line: (سَأَلَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا) and similarly in (أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ) and (يَأْتِكُمْ نَذِيرٌ).
- In the phrase: (بِذَنبِهِمْ فَسُحْقًا).
- In the verse: (يُمْسِكُهُنَّ).
- In the statement: (كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ).
Understanding the Rules of the Silent Meem
First, it is essential to define the rules concerning the silent meem and how to identify them. There are three main rules:
- Oral Concealment
This rule has a single letter, which is ‘ب’. An example is in the verse: (وَمَنْ يَعْتَصِمْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ هُدِيَ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ). Here, the point of oral concealment appears in (يَعْتَصِمْ بِاللَّهِ), featuring a silent meem followed by the letter ‘ب’. This implies that this is a case of oral concealment with a ghunnah, which only occurs in two words.
- Merging of Twin Letters
This refers to oral merging, which also involves a single letter: ‘م’. An example can be found in the verse: (تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُم مَّا كَسَبْتُمْ وَلَا تُسْأَلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ). Here, the merging occurs in (وَلَكُم مَّا), with oral merging only occurring between two words.
- Oral Clarity
This rule derives its name from its clarity of articulation, distinguishing it from vocal clarity. Its letters include all the Arabic alphabet except for ‘ب’ and ‘م’. It can appear within a single word, as in (يَمتَرونَ), or across two words, as in (كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ).