Abjad Calculation Rules

1. What is Abjad Calculation?

✨ Quick Introduction

Abjad calculation is a historical method of assigning numerical values to Arabic letters. Each letter in the Arabic alphabet has a specific number, and by adding these numbers together, you can calculate the total value of any word or name.

This system has been used for centuries in Islamic scholarship for:

  • Dating historical events
  • Organizing manuscripts and texts
  • Linguistic analysis
  • Educational purposes

Why Learn These Rules?

Understanding Abjad calculation rules helps you:

  • Verify calculations: Check if online calculators are accurate
  • Understand the system: Learn the historical and cultural significance
  • Calculate manually: Perform calculations without tools
  • Avoid mistakes: Recognize common errors and edge cases

2. Basic Calculation Steps (5-Step Process)

1

Write the Text

Write the Arabic word or name you want to calculate in Arabic script.

Example: محمد

2

Remove Non-Letters

Remove numbers, punctuation, spaces, and diacritical marks (harakat).

Keep only: Core Arabic letters

3

Look Up Each Letter

Find the Abjad value for each letter using the reference table.

Use: Mashriqi (Eastern) system

4

Add All Values

Sum the numerical values of all letters together.

Formula: Letter₁ + Letter₂ + ... = Total

5

Get Your Result

The final sum is the Abjad value of your word or name.

Done! You have your calculation

3. Detailed Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Understanding the Abjad Letter Values

The Mashriqi (Eastern) Abjad system assigns values as follows:

Letters Values Category
ا ب ج د ه و ز ح ط 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Units (1-9)
ي ك ل م ن س ع ف ص 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 Tens (10-90)
ق ر ش ت ث خ ذ ض ظ غ 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000 Hundreds (100-1000)

💡 Memory Tip

The traditional mnemonic phrase to remember the order is:

أَبْجَدْ هَوَّزْ حُطِّي كَلَمُنْ سَعْفَصْ قَرَشَتْ ثَخَذْ ضَظَغْ

Abjad Hawwaz Hutti Kalamun Sa'fas Qarashat Thakhadh Dazagh

Step 2: Identifying Letters to Calculate

✓ DO Count These:

  • All Arabic consonant letters
  • Alif (ا), even without Hamza
  • Ya (ي) and Waw (و)
  • Ta Marbuta (ة) - count as Ha (5)
  • Alif Maqsura (ى) - count as Ya (10)

✗ DON'T Count These:

  • Diacritical marks (َ ُ ِ ّ ْ ً ٌ ٍ)
  • Numbers (1, 2, 3... or ١ ٢ ٣...)
  • Punctuation marks (. , ! ? 😉
  • Spaces between words
  • Latin letters (A, B, C...)

Step 3: Performing the Calculation

📝 Complete Example: Calculate "محمد" (Muhammad)

م = 40
ح = 8 +
م = 40 +
د = 4 +
Total: 92

Verification: 40 + 8 + 40 + 4 = 92 ✓

4. Special Rules for Edge Cases

4.1 Hamza Handling

Rule: All Hamza forms = Alif (value 1)

Character Name Value
ء Hamza alone 1
أ Alif with Hamza above 1
إ Alif with Hamza below 1
آ Alif Madda 1
ؤ Waw with Hamza 1 (not 6)
ئ Ya with Hamza 1 (not 10)

4.2 Ta Marbuta (ة)

Rule: Ta Marbuta = Ha (value 5)

Example:

فاطمة

ف (80) + ا (1) + ط (9) + م (40) + ة→ه (5) = 135

4.3 Alif Maqsura (ى)

Rule: Alif Maqsura = Ya (value 10)

Example:

موسى

م (40) + و (6) + س (60) + ى→ي (10) = 116

4.4 Diacritical Marks

Rule: Completely ignore all diacritics

These marks have NO value:

  • Fatha (َ), Damma (ُ), Kasra (ِ)
  • Sukun (ْ), Shadda (ّ)
  • Tanween (ً ٌ ٍ)

Example:

مُحَمَّدٌ = محمد = 92

(All diacritics are removed before calculation)

4.5 Lam-Alif Ligature (لا)

Rule: Separate into two letters

The ligature لا counts as:

ل (30) + ا (1) = 31

Example:

الله

ا (1) + ل (30) + ل (30) + ه (5) = 66

5. More Calculation Examples

📝 Example 1: "علي" (Ali)

ع = 70
ل = 30 +
ي = 10 +
Total: 110

📝 Example 2: "عائشة" (Aisha)

ع = 70
ا = 1 +
ئ = 1 + (Hamza)
ش = 300 +
ة = 5 + (Ta Marbuta)
Total: 377

📝 Example 3: "إبراهيم" (Ibrahim)

إ = 1
ب = 2 +
ر = 200 +
ا = 1 +
ه = 5 +
ي = 10 +
م = 40 +
Total: 259

6. Common Mistakes to Avoid

⚠️ Mistake #1: Counting Diacritical Marks

Why it's wrong: Diacritical marks (harakat) are NOT part of the original Abjad system.
✓ Correct: Remove ALL diacritical marks before calculating.

⚠️ Mistake #2: Counting Hamza on Carriers as Carrier Letter

Why it's wrong: ؤ is NOT Waw (6), and ئ is NOT Ya (10).
✓ Correct: Count all Hamza forms as Alif = 1

⚠️ Mistake #3: Forgetting to Convert Ta Marbuta

Why it's wrong: Ta Marbuta (ة) is a variant of Ha (ه).
✓ Correct: Always convert ة to ه (value 5)

⚠️ Mistake #4: Not Separating Lam-Alif Ligature

Why it's wrong: لا is TWO letters, not one.
✓ Correct: Count as ل (30) + ا (1) = 31

⚠️ Mistake #5: Mixing Mashriqi and Maghribi Systems

Why it's wrong: Different systems have different values for 6 letters.
✓ Correct: Use ONE system consistently (Mashriqi is standard)

7. Practice Exercises

🎯 Test Your Knowledge

Try calculating these names yourself before revealing the answers:

Exercise 1: Calculate حسن (Hassan)

Answer: 108

ح (8) + س (60) + ن (50) = 108

Exercise 2: Calculate خديجة (Khadijah)

Answer: 622

خ (600) + د (4) + ي (10) + ج (3) + ة→ه (5) = 622

Exercise 3: Calculate يوسف (Yusuf)

Answer: 156

ي (10) + و (6) + س (60) + ف (80) = 156

Exercise 4: Calculate مريم (Maryam)

Answer: 290

م (40) + ر (200) + ي (10) + م (40) = 290

Exercise 5: Calculate إسماعيل (Ismail)

Answer: 212

إ (1) + س (60) + م (40) + ا (1) + ع (70) + ي (10) + ل (30) = 212

Exercise 6: Calculate رؤيا (Ruya)

Answer: 212

ر (200) + ؤ→ء (1) + ي (10) + ا (1) = 212

Note: ؤ is Hamza = 1, NOT Waw (6)

💡 Pro Tip

Practice with family and friends' names. Compare your manual calculations with our online calculator to verify accuracy!