Question
I just want to know about the Abjad letters where it came from. Is there a hadith in which Nabi sallallahu alaihi wa sallam has mentioned that alif = 1 and baa = 2 and so on?
Answer
Abjad means the numerical value of letters in the Arabic alphabet. This has got nothing to with astrology. Instead, long before Jahiliyya, the Arabs had a value for each letter. Ulema use this when writing Arabic words for ta’weez; instead of writing the Arabic, they write the total value of all the letters in that word. In that way there won’t be any be adabi or disrespect to the Arabic writing especially if one is writing a dua or a word from the Holy Quran.
You must bear in mind that if Ulema do something, it won’t be against Quran and Sunnah, insha Allah. The Ulema are the guardians of Shariah. We who are ignorant must have confidence in the Ulema and not just object through our jihaalat or ignorance. We can’t just assume something is wrong and then start objecting against the Ulema. They have knowledge which we don’t have.
Allah knows best
Mufti Siraj Desai
Darul-Uloom Abubakr