[Surat Al-Imran]

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. O Lord, facilitate and assist with Your mercy.

The ascetic Imam, the Hafiz Abu Muhammad 'Abd al-Rahman b. the Imam Abu Hatim Muhammad b. Idris al-Razi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

Interpretation of the Surah in which the family of 'Imran is mentioned:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

His saying, Almighty and Majestic is He: "Alif. Lam. Mim."

There is disagreement regarding its interpretation based on several views. Among them are those who said: "I am Allah, I know best."

3114 - Hajjaj b. Hamzah narrated to us, Yahya b. Adam reported to us, Sharik reported to us, from 'Ata' b. al-Sa'ib, from Abu al-Duha, from Ibn 'Abbas regarding "Alif. Lam. Mim." He said: "I am Allah, I know best." It was narrated from Sa'id b. Jubayr and al-Dahhak similarly.

[The First View]

And whoever interpreted it as being one of the names of Allah:

3115 - Yahya b. 'Abdakah al-Qazwini narrated to us, Makki b. Ibrahim reported to us, 'Ubayd Allah, meaning Abu Ziyad, reported to us, from Shahr b. Hawshab, from Asma', meaning bint Yazid, that she heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: "The Greatest Name of Allah is in these two verses: 'Alif. Lam. Mim. Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence' and 'And your god is one God. There is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.'"

3116 - Al-Hasan b. Muhammad b. al-Sabbah narrated to us, Yahya b. 'Abbad reported to us, Shu'bah reported to us, from al-Suddi, who said: It reached me from Ibn 'Abbas that he said: "Alif. Lam. Mim. is one of the Greatest Names of Allah."

3117 - My father narrated to us, Muhammad b. 'Abd al-'Aziz b. Abi Rizmah reported to us, my father reported to us, 'Isa informed us,