The Abjad value of Meem (م) is 40, the thirteenth letter of the Abjad. Meem opens and closes the name Muhammad and begins words and names of majesty and mercy such as Malik (king) and the divine name Al-Malik (the King).
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Diacritics | اعراب
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Meem is the thirteenth letter of the Abjad, worth 40. It is the letter that opens the name Muhammad, and it begins some of the great words of kingship and mercy.
What Is the Arabic Letter Meem (م)?
Meem is the thirteenth letter in the Abjad order and a moon letter. It is drawn as a small round head that sits on the line with a short tail, and it connects on both sides.
It stands for the sound “m” and is one of the letters that open several chapters of the Quran as a disconnected letter.
- Abjad Position: 13th, value 40
- Modern Alphabet Position: 24th
- Type: a moon letter (huruf qamariyya)
- Origin: the Phoenician Mem, meaning “water”, ancestor of Hebrew Mem and Greek Mu
- Dots: none
- Joining: connects on both sides, with four forms
- Opens: Muhammad, Malik (king), Maryam, Musa
What Is the Abjad Value of Meem?
In the Abjad system the value of Meem is 40. It follows Lam (30) and keeps its value in any position.
Meem is 40 in both the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems. See the Abjad Calculation Rules, or total any name in the Abjad Calculator.
| System | Meem value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mashriqi (Eastern / Standard) | 40 | Used across the Arab world and South Asia |
| Maghribi (Western) | 40 | Used in North Africa; unchanged for Meem |
Meem: The Letter of Muhammad
Meem both opens and closes the name محمد (Muhammad, value 92), which is one reason the letter holds such a place of honour. This is a fact of spelling, not a property of the number 40.
Meem also begins words of kingship and mercy: ملك (malik, king), رحمة (rahma, mercy, which carries a meem), and ماء (ma, water), fitting for a letter whose ancient name meant water.
Names of Allah That Begin With Meem
| Name | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| الملك | Al-Malik, the King | 121 |
| المؤمن | Al-Mumin, the Giver of Faith | 167 |
| المجيد | Al-Majid, the Glorious | 88 |
For the full set of divine names, see the 99 Names of Allah.
Words of Majesty and Mercy
| Word | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| ملك | Malik, king | 90 |
| رحمة | Rahma, mercy | 253 |
| ماء | Ma, water | 42 |
Names That Contain Meem
Meem sounds in many of the most honoured names. The totals below are plain letter sums, shown for study only.
Prophets and Companions
| Name | Who they were | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| محمد | Muhammad, the final Prophet | 92 |
| موسى | Musa (Moses), a prophet | 116 |
| معاذ | Muadh ibn Jabal, a companion | 811 |
Other Names
| Name | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| مريم | Maryam (Mary), mother of Isa | 290 |
| مالك | Malik, “master, owner” | 91 |
Everyday Words That Contain Meem
Meem is one of the most common letters in Arabic. Here are a few familiar words.
| Word | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| ماء | Water (ma) | 42 |
| قمر | Moon (qamar) | 340 |
| علم | Knowledge (ilm) | 140 |
How to Write Meem (م)
Meem connects on both sides and has four shapes. Its round head stays the same while the tail changes: it drops straight down when the letter stands alone or ends a word, and tucks in when it joins forward.
| Position | Form | Example | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isolated | م | علم | Ilm (knowledge) |
| Initial | مـ | ملك | Malik (king) |
| Medial | ـمـ | عمر | Umar |
| Final | ـم | اسم | Ism (name) |
Meem, Water and the Disconnected Letters
The old name Mem meant water, and the flowing shape recalls it. Meem is also one of the disconnected letters that open some chapters of the Quran, as in Alif-Lam-Meem, where the letters are simply named, not read as a word.
اردو میں حرف م (م)
حرف م ابجد کا تیرہواں حرف ہے اور اس کا عدد (adad) 40 ہے۔ یہ ایک قمری حرف ہے۔
یہی حرف اسمِ محمد کا پہلا اور آخری حرف ہے، اور ملک (بادشاہ) اور رحمة (رحمت) جیسے الفاظ کی بنیاد بھی ہے۔
یہ عدد صرف حساب اور مطالعے کے لیے ہے۔ کسی مذہبی فیصلے کے لیے مستند عالم سے رجوع کریں۔
Meem Across Ancient Alphabets
Meem carries the value of the thirteenth letter in the older alphabets. It descends from the Phoenician Mem, meaning “water,” which gave 40 to Hebrew Mem and Greek Mu.
| Tradition | Letter | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic Abjad | م | 40 | Meem, the thirteenth letter |
| Hebrew Gematria | מ | 40 | Mem, also the thirteenth and also 40 |
| Phoenician | 𐤌 | n/a | Mem, the original “water” symbol |
| Greek | Μ (Mu) | 40 | Greek Mu is also 40 |
Frequently Asked Questions
The letter Meem (م) has an Abjad value of 40 in both the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems. It is the thirteenth letter in the Abjad order.
The name Muhammad (محمد) both begins and ends with Meem, so the letter has long been associated with the Prophet in the tradition of naming and calligraphy.
The name comes from the Phoenician Mem, meaning water, and the flowing curve of the letter is often linked to that origin.
Meem is a moon letter, so the lam of the article al- is pronounced clearly before it, as in al-malik.
The name Muhammad (محمد) has an Abjad value of 92: Meem 40, Haa 8, Meem 40, Dal 4.
Al-Malik (the King), Al-Mumin (the Giver of Faith), and Al-Majid (the Glorious) all begin with Meem.
At the start of some Quranic chapters, letters such as Alif, Lam, and Meem are named one by one rather than read as a word. Meem is one of these opening letters.
No. It is a fixed number used to add letters, with no predictive or hidden meaning.
✓ Key Takeaways
- Meem (م) has an Abjad value of 40, the thirteenth value in the table
- It is a moon letter with no dots and four forms
- Meem opens and closes the name Muhammad (92)
- Its ancient name meant water, and it is a disconnected Quran-opening letter
- It begins the divine names Al-Malik, Al-Mumin, Al-Majid
- Meem, Hebrew Mem, and Greek Mu all descend from “water” and all equal 40
- The value is plain arithmetic, for study and reference only
Sources & Further Reading
- Encyclopaedia Iranica: Abjad for the letter order and traditional values.
- Unicode Arabic Block (U+0600) for the letter and its code point (U+0645).
- Eastern vs. Maghribi Abjad for how the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems compare.