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130chapter threeArabic signs which are there for no apparent function. Instead, weshould regard them as expressing the chapter’s message, in a differentlinguistic format.If we count the number of letters in these seven combinations, wearrive at the number eleven:1- Alif 2- ‘§d 3- K§f 4- Y§" 5- •§" 6- •§" 7-\§" 8-MÊm 9-R§"10-H§" 11-SÊnOur thesis is that these eleven letters are not just letters of the Arabicalphabet, or any other alphabet, but are rather graphemes of phoneticutterances that can be found in all other languages that existon earth. Human language, in general, is based on eleven basic formsof laryngeal or labial sounds that human beings can utter. As pureutterances they do not carry a specific meaning; hence, the exclusionof the letter D§l which, at least in Arabic, is not meaningless if utteredbut, because it is homonymic to d§ll, may connote ‘significant’. Ifthese utterances were letter combinations of the Arabic language, wewould surely find among the many million Arabic native speakers atleast one who could provide us with an explanation of them. But thetruth of the matter is that they do not mean anything in Arabic orany other language since they are simply utterances of the humanvoice. Strictly speaking, one should change their transcriptions: from,for example, Alif-L§m-MÊm (for امل ) to Aa-Ll-Mm, since Alif-L§m-MÊm still associates a combination of alphabetical characters of theArabic language (that connote verbal meaning). But this associationis, as we have shown, unfounded.The Explanation of the Book (tafßÊl al-kit§b)We have said that the ‘explanation of the book’ refers to a thirdcategory of verses: those that are neither ambiguous nor definite.These verses were revealed directly from Allah and, because of theirin-between status, they transcend the division between ‘definite’ and‘ambiguous’. The following verses show how this category is connectedto the other parts of the book:This qur"an is not such as can be produced by other than God; on thecontrary it is a confirmation of (revelations) that went [with] it, and afuller explanation of the book [tafßÊl al-kit§b]—wherein there is nodoubt—from the Lord of the worlds. (Yånus 10:37)