ʿIlm al-Ḥurūf () or the science of letters, also called Islamic letterism, is a process of Arabic numerology whereby numerical values assigned to Arabic letters are added up to provide total values for words in the Quran, similar to Hebrew gematria. Used to infer meanings and reveal secret or hidden messages.
ʿIlm al-Ḥurūf is composed of the two words ʿilm () meaning "knowledge", and ḥurūf (), the plural of the word ḥarf (), meaning "letters".
Table of letter values Arabic alphabet name numerological value ا alif 1 ب bā 2 ج jīm 3 د dāl 4 ه hā 5 و wāw 6 ز zāy 7 ح ḥā 8 ط ṭā 9 ي yā 10 ك kāf 20 ل lām 30 م mīm 40 ن nūn 50 س sīn 60 ع ʿayn 70 ف fā 80 ص ṣād 90 ق q̈āf 100 ر rā 200 ش šīn 300 ت tā 400 ث thā 500 خ khā 600 ذ ḏāl 700 ض ḍād 800 ظ ẓā 900 غ ġayn 1000
See also
Bibliography Bahr al-Karai'b, Tayyeb Zohair, Heravi Mohammad (Thiqatul islam), Islamic Turath, 2024, .