BA - THE ARABIC LETTER
The Arabic letter Ba ( 
) is equivalent to the letter 'B' in the English alphabet. It is the second letter in Arabic. Ba in Arabic numerology which is known as Abjad, has the value of 2. This article is about the spiritual meaning of the letter Ba.
THE LETTER BA
INTRODUCTION
In the first Revelation received by Muhammad 
from Allah through Jibraeel (
) was
Read what? Read Bismi Rabbik. The verse points to the letter Ba ( ). Read: Ba (), Seen (
), Meem (
), Bismi. The letter Ba is the first letter in the verse Bismillah, which is shown at the top of this page. Bismillah is the first verse in the Quran. Every chapter in the Quran starts with the verse Bismillah except chapter 9 Tawba. Why is it missing at the start of chapter 9?
SEARCH FOR BISMILLAH
Why search for Bismillah? If Bismillah had not been missing from one of the chapters, no one would look deeply at the verse Bismillah. It would be overlooked by every reader of the Quran. At the start of chapter 9 the reader is being told by Allah, Look!, The opening verse Bismillah is missing. Go and look at the verse Bismillah. The reader has got so used to reading every chapter of the Quran starting with Bismillah. Now the reader needs to be awakened. Secondly, in all the previous chapters 1 to 8 the first letter is Alif (
) or Ya (
) as follows:
Chapter 1 : Al Fatihah: Al Hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen
Chapter 2: Al Baqara: Alif Laam Meem
Chapter 3: Al Imran: Alif Laam Meem
Chapter 4: An Nisaa: Ya Ay Yuhan Nas Sut Takoo Rabbakum...
Chapter 5: Al Maida: Ya Ay Yuhal Lazeena Amanu...
Chapter 6: Al Anaam: Al Hamdu Lillahil Lazee....
Chapter 7: Al Aaraf: Alif Laam Meem Saad
Chapter 8: Al Anfal: Yas Aloo Naka Aanil Anfaal...
Chapter 9: At Tawba: Baraa atum Min Allahi Wa Rasoolih
Please do not take my word for it. You owe it to your self to check the above quotes are correct. Allah will reward you for it.
FOUND BA INSTEAD
Chapter 9 does not start with the verse Bismillah. It does not start with the letter Alif (). It does not start with the letter Ya (). Chapter 9 starts with the letter Ba (). Which again tells the reader Look!, Bismillah is missing and the first verse of the chapter starts with the letter Ba. If that does not mean anything, then look at the names of the first 9 chapters. There are only two chapters in the first nine chapters with the letter Ba in their name. They are chapters 2 and 9. Chapter 9 is the second chapter which has the letter Ba in its name. The second can be translated as 2 which is the numerical value of the letter Ba. Why Chapter 9? Why not Chapter 2 which is called Baqara, the only chapter out of the first 9 chapters whose name starts with the letter Ba?, Why not chapter 90 which is called Al Balad?
If we look at the our number system, the numbers are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Then we need to repeat the numbers again to make 10's, 100's, 1000's. For example, to make the number 10, we need to select 1 and 0 from the single digits. Therefore, number 9 is the last single digit number. The normal numbering system is infinite. We hear people talk about hundreds, thousands, millions, billions, and on and on. There is no "one large number" which can be called as the final number beyond which there is no other number. Hence the number 9 being used as the final digit, without repetition, makes sense. Chapter Tawba could have been placed in any position from one to eight in the Quran other than in the ninth position. But it was not. It had to be placed in the ninth position. Why?
The first chapter is a prayer to seek guidance from Allah. The second and third chapters are guidance from Allah. They both start with Alif Laam Meem 
.
Alif () - Believe in Allah, Laam (
) - say La ilaha ill Allah and Meem () - Muhammadur Rasool Allah. Chapters 4 to 8 are further guidance and nourishment. Then chapter 9 is a warning. It is like the creation of a human being. Nine months are required for development. After nine months the baby has to leave the comfort of the mothers womb and face the world. The baby starts to learn from that point onwards.
After testifying the Kalima without a shadow of doubt, Allah then hints the seeker to look at the letter Ba. Because it is missing and a hint has been given, now look for it. When you find it look at it. After you have understood the letter Ba then you have the key to heaven.
THE MEANING OF THE LETTER BA
Since there is no number after 9, it is the last stage. In any competition, or sports, people usually praise those who come first, second or third. No one cares about those who come fourth to last. Except Allah, He turns towards His servants time and time again, with Mercy and Compassion, Caring and Forgiving. He is showing us, at the last stage (which is 9 or chapter 9) look at Ba. He has created everything from a dot or clot. That dot of creation is represented under the letter Ba. He has created us from a dot which is impure. Nine in Abjad numerology represents the Arabic letter Toin (
). Toin represents purity, hence the Arabic word Tayyab - which is spelt in Arabic Toin, Ya and Ba (). The Arabic letter Ya represents knowledge. Allah has already taught us how to purify ourselves. Allah taught Adam (every human being) all the names, which is what is meant by the Hadees:
said, "Every child is born with a true faith (a Muslim) but his parents convert him to Judaism or to Christianity....
Allah has sent the Quran and His Messengers () as a reminder to show His servants how to purify themselves. Physically we can never be pure no matter how much we wash and scrub ourselves. But we must try to purify ourselves to the best of our ability. The biggest obstacle in physical purity is the last drop of urine. We must cleanse ourselves (with Allah's Guidance) free from that drop or dot, whatever you want to call it. This is mentioned in the Quran:
NUMERICAL VALUE OF THE LETTER BA
Everything in Islam has an outer ordinary meaning and an inner spiritual meaning. Both meanings apply but most Muslims are only aware of the outer meaning. The spiritual meaning of the verse 4 chapter 74 is:
When we try to remove the last drop of urine outwardly, inwardly we are removing the stain of Satan from our hearts. Then we can perform Wudu.
The spiritual side of Wudu is explained by a well known saint Ali bin Usman al Hujwiri (may Allah bless him). Ali bin Usman (also known as Datta Ganj Baksh) was sent to India by his Master and he remained at Lahore (now Pakistan) until his last breath which is stated as 1064-5 (456 AH) or 1071-2 (464 AH). He converted countless Hindus to Islam. He has written in his book Kashf Al Mahjub in the chapter on Purification:
Notice we are still talking about Ba or 2, or outward and inward. Outward purity is useless without inner purity. They both have to be combined to attain real purity. This is achieved when the heart and mind are purified of all evil thoughts and desires by keeping Allah in mind always. Know that Allah Sees our every action, and Allah Listens to our every word and Allah Knows our every thought. If we can attain that stage of being conscious of Allah's Presence, we will keep away from sin. After purifying our outer and inner garments we can approach Allah. He then raises us in superiority above the angels and makes them bow down to Adam. Therefore Tayyab is Toin () for - purification, Ya () for - with the knowledge we are always in the presence of Allah, Ba () for - of the dot or clot or heart.
THE HIDDEN NUMERICAL VALUE OF BA
Looking at the letter Ba in another way. If we write the letter as it is pronounced, it is written . Ba, Alif and Hamza 
. The numerical value then becomes ( Ba = 2, Alif = 1, Hamza = 1) 1+1+2 = 4. Looking at the verse Bismillah, there are 3 Meems from BisM Allah Ar RahMan Ar RaheeM. Allah transforms the dot of Ba or the clot into a being with 3 elements, Earth, Fire and Water. After birth the new born if destined to live is given the Breath of Allah which is represented by the letter Ha (
) from the name AllaH in the verse Bismillah. That adds the fourth element Air. With that final element Allah completes the creation. If the new born is not destined to live, then the fourth element is withheld. Similarly at the time of death, Allah removes the fourth element from a being through the angel Azraeel ().
Bismillah contains 19 letters which represent the 1 Creator who creates a human being over 9 months and the first sound that should reach the ears of the new born baby is the Azan. This informs the new arrival:
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, (Allah is Great, Allah is Great)
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar,
I testify there is no god only Allah,
I testify there is no god only Allah,
I testify Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,
I testify Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,
Come to prayer, Come to Prayer,
Come to goodness, Come to goodness,
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
La ilaha ill Allah (There is no god only Allah)
Looking at the Azan, Allahu Akbar is said four times initially. This is to inform the new arrival that he / she has been created by Allah from the four elements. This is equal to the hidden numerical value of Ba . After that every sentence is repeated twice which is the normal value of Ba (). At the end La ilaha ill Allah is said once. This is to emphasise that although you, the new born, are created from Ba, your Creator is Allah the One. The Azan is said in the right ear. After completing the Azan in the right ear, it is said again in the left ear. Therefore the Azan is said two times in total. This balances with the new creation from the dot of Ba and its numerical value.
That dot under the Ba () also represents the circle of Messengers before the arrival of Muhammad . And Muhammad being the finality of the Messengers is represented at the end of the Bismillah verse with the letter Meem (). The verse Bismillah was given to every Messenger of Allah from Adam () to Isa (Jesus ()). But, Bismillah was taken away from the other communities when their Messengers of Allah left them. Finally Bismillah was given to Muhammad and his community. The Muslims are the only community that have retained this verse. Why?
The reason behind it is that Meem is needed at the end of this verse to complete it. After Muhammad the door of the Messengers of Allah has been closed. Muhammad sealed the circle of the Messengers of Allah. Therefore Muhammad and his community the Muslims, are the rightful guardians and owners of this verse.
DELIBERATE USE OF LETTER BA IN THE QURAN
Let us look at another example of the letter Ba from the Quran.
Taking the example of the Hajj, Pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca), if looked at in this context represents a circle or dot. The Kaaba (the Cube) is the centre, and the people perform Tawwaf, or circulate, the Kaaba. Notice the name Kaaba has the letter Ba towards the end.
But the name Kaaba is not used in the above verse. Because the letter Ba is towards the end of the word Kaaba. To point out the letter Ba first Bayt is used to refer to the Kaaba. If that is not a clear hint then it is further emphasised by the word first which precedes Bayt. First what? First Ba! The word Bayt brings the letter Ba at the start of the word Bayt or in the first place. Even if that clue is missed, there is a third hint. Makkah is written as Bakkah. The letter Ba () appears four times in verse 96 above. As mentioned earlier, there are four elements, Earth, Fire, Water and Air used in creation. If we place a '0' or 'dot' after 4 we get 40 which is the numerical value of Meem (). If the letter Ba in Bakkah is replaced with Ma or Meem, the name of the city becomes Makkah.
Allah did not use the word Kaaba but the word Bayt instead. Allah did not use the word Makkah but the word Bakkah instead preceded by Bi. Then the word MuBaraka 
is used to hint yet again, LOOK! Meem has been replaced by Ba. LOOK! Meem and Ba are shown here together. Meem could have been used, but it is not. Therefore, Look at Ba!
LOOK AGAIN AT THE LETTER BA AND LEARN
Chapter 3 verse 96 ends with guidance for all kinds of beings and the next verse, verse 97 starts with In it are signs manifest, meaning apparent, evident, obvious, plain, unmistakable. What is the manifest, apparent, evident, obvious, plain, unmistakable sign? Allah is showing us the construction of an Atom before the nuclear physics scientists came on the scene.
The definition of an atom:
An atom consists of the smallest indivisible particle. It consists mostly of space. At the centre of this space is an extremely small core called the nucleus. The mass is concentrated in the nucleus. Satellites called electrons travel in orbits around the nucleus.
The pilgrims orbiting the Kaaba is a visual representation of an atom on a large scale. The Kaaba is the nucleus and the people orbiting are the electrons. The Christian nuclear scientists may claim to have discovered the atom. In fact Allah had told us to look at the letter Ba 1400 years ago. Unfortunately no Muslim scientist came along up to the point of the discovery of the atom to prove that what the Quran reveals is the Truth. We Muslims are always relying on Non-Muslims to prove the Word of Allah is the Truth. I know verse 96 says guidance for all kind of beings, but it would be excellent if Muslims discovered some of the signs of Allah in this day and age. It is not good enough living on past glory. The operative word is past. The majority of the Muslims of today are lagging behind in science and technological discoveries. While other Muslims see science and technology as enemy of Islam. The latter ones are completely misguided. One should seek refuge with Allah from these misguided ones, because all knowledge comes from Allah whether it is spiritual or scientific. Both spiritual and scientific knowledge go hand in hand.
Yet another way of looking at it. Bismillah, starts with the letter Ba. This letter represents the creation. Allah created everything from a dot. Humans, animals, plants, they are all created from dots or seeds. Even the seeds themselves are created from dots which we call atoms. Then if we apply this to gases, minerals and light, it still applies. Even the atoms if broken down further to electrons, protons, neutron and photons they all spin in circular motion around the nucleus, giving the effect of a dot. If we turn towards the sun, moon, earth and all the other planets, even they are like dots. Even the orbits of the planets are circular, representing a dot. Therefore everything we see can be interpreted as a shape, body or form, or it can be seen as a lot of dots or atoms clinging together to produce a pattern. They all have one thing in common. All these, animals, plants, minerals, in fact the entire cosmos is created by only One Being who is the Creator, Who is not created.
IS THE DOT CLOCKWISE OR ANTI-CLOCKWISE ?
Another analogy of Tawwaf (pilgrim circling the Kaaba) is that the Earth rotates on its axis east to west. Since the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. This movement is counter clockwise. So is the Tawwaf, taking the Kaaba as the axis. The pilgrims circulate the Kaaba counter clockwise. The earth itself orbits around the sun in a counter clockwise direction. There was a fifty-fifty chance of being right. Equally, there was a fifty-fifty chance of being wrong. Since the guidance was from Allah the Tawwaf is in perfect harmony with Allah's creation of night and day. The Tawwaf is in perfect harmony with Allah's creation of seasons of the sun.
Now, if we look at the clocks and watches, their movement is clockwise, which is left to right as the English language for example. Had the inventor of the clock been a Muslim we would today have clocks with movement from right to left. Which is in counter clockwise direction with numbers also increasing in counter clockwise direction. Then the counter clockwise direction would have been clockwise direction. Therefore the inventors of the present day clocks were sub-consciously trying to master time by designing the clocks that go in the opposite direction to the rotation of the earth and its orbit. All this in order to avoid their meeting with their Maker. They overlooked two things. One, time waits for no man. Two, even if time went backwards, they would still meet their Maker. Because He existed at the beginning, He exists now. And He will exist always. Muhammad said: "Allah was and there was nothing besides Him". And Ali ibn Talib (ra) replied: "And Allah is now as He was before".
Which means 'This moment is that same moment'
Now that we have seen the Tawwaf in macrocosm. Let us look at it in microcosm. Every atom of a body, whether human, plant, stone and even the hardest substances diamond and tungsten are performing continuous Tawwaf, day and night, night and day. They all have particles orbiting about an axis. The discovery of the atom was the scientific advancement in our time.
Continued to Next Blog. Don't mind to Check please.