Islamic Manual

The rules for lam, ra, silent (sakin) mim and nun, lengthening (madd) and hamzah

When lam and ra are pronounced heavy or light, how a silent mim and a silent nun behave before the next letter, the letters of prolongation, and two rules for hamzah.

Eight letters have their own special rules in tajweed: lam, ra, mim sakin (a silent mim), nun sakin (a silent nun), and the letters of madd (alif, waw and ya, which stretch a sound out longer) together with hamzah.

Lam and ra: heavy or light?

  1. The lam in the word "Allah" is said heavy if the letter before it has a zabar or pesh (like in "Innal-laha"), and light if the letter before it has a zer (like in "Bismillahi"). Every other lam is said light.
  2. Ra is said heavy when it has its own zabar or pesh, and usually light when it has a zer, with a few extra cases a teacher can show you.

When a nun or a mim has no vowel (is sakin), what happens to its sound depends on the very next letter.

The four rules for a silent nun (nun sakin) or tanween
Rule Letters that trigger itWhat happens
Izhar (clear) ء ہ ع ح غ خThe nun is said plainly, clear and on its own.
Idgham (merging) ی ر م ل و نThe nun's sound blends into the very next letter, so they sound like one.
Iqlab (swapping) بThe nun's sound changes into a hidden "m" sound.
Ikhfa (hiding) The 15 other lettersThe nun is neither said fully nor fully blended away; it's held lightly through the nose instead.

A hafiz or teacher can help you hear each one.

The Prophet’s practice (Sunnah)the Prophet’s way

The letters of madd (alif, waw and ya without a vowel, after a matching vowel) are stretched out when reciting, as the Prophet did, and the stretch becomes longer, about two alifs, when a hamzah comes right after.

Eight letters carry rules of their own, beyond the general makharij and sifat: lam, ra, mim sakin and mushaddad, nun sakin and mushaddad, and the letters of madd (waw, alif, ya) together with hamzah.

Rules for lam

  1. In the word Allah, the lam is pronounced heavy when preceded by a zabar or a pesh, as in "Inna'llaha" or "Nasru'llah", and light when preceded by a zer, as in "Bismi'llahi". The same applies to "Allahumma", since it contains the word Allah.
  2. Every other lam, outside the word Allah, is pronounced light, as in "ma walla-hum" or "kulluhu".

Rules for ra

  1. Ra is heavy in six cases: with a fatha (rabbana); with a dhamma (rusuluna); when sakin and the preceding letter has a fatha (barqun) or a dhamma (turji'u); when sakin and preceded by a temporary kasrah (irji'u); and when sakin, preceded by a permanent kasrah, and followed by a heavy letter (mirsadan).
  2. Ra is light in three cases: with a kasrah (rijalun); when sakin, preceded by a permanent kasrah, and not followed by a heavy letter (wastaghfirhu); and when sakin, preceded by a ya sakin at a stopping point (khayrun).
  3. Where both ra and the preceding letter are silent, the vowel on the letter before that decides it: fatha or dhamma makes ra heavy (sabrun, 'usrin), kasrah makes it light (dhikrun). Where ra carries a shaddah, its own vowel decides: heavy in sirran, light in durriyyun.
The four rules for a silent nun (nun sakin) or tanween
Rule LettersWhat happens
Izhar mutlaq (clear articulation) ء ہ ع ح غ خ, the throat lettersThe nun or tanween is pronounced clearly from its own makhraj, without ghunnah, e.g. an'amta, sawa'un 'alayhim.
Idgham (merging) ر ل م ن و ی, the six letters of یرملونThe nun merges into the following letter so the two become one. With ن م و ی ("namu"), ghunnah is kept: idgham ma'al ghunnah, e.g. man yu'minu. With ر ل, no ghunnah is applied: idgham bila ghunnah, e.g. min ladunhu. This idgham applies only when the nun and the following letter are in different words; within a single word (dunya, qinwanun) there is no idgham.
Iqlab (conversion) بThe nun changes into a hidden mim and is pronounced with ghunnah, e.g. min ba'di, sami'un basirun.
Ikhfa haqiqi (concealment) ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك, the fifteen letters of ikhfaThe nun or tanween is hidden and pronounced with ghunnah, between izhar and idgham, e.g. man taba, qawlan thaqilan.

Where the nun itself is mushaddad, ghunnah is necessary, as with a mushaddad mim, and this is likewise called a harf ghunnah, e.g. inna rabbahum.

A silent mim (mim sakin) before the next letter
Next letter RuleWhat happens
م IdghamThe two mims merge into one, pronounced with a shaddah, e.g. wahum muhtadun.
ب Ikhfa shafawi (with ghunnah)The mim's sound is held lightly through the nose, e.g. man ya'tasim billah.
Any other letter Izhar shafawiThe mim is pronounced clearly from its own makhraj, without ghunnah, e.g. 'alayhim wa la'd-dallin.

A mushaddad mim requires ghunnah for the length of one alif, e.g. lamma, also called a harf ghunnah.

Alif, waw and ya, when sakin and preceded by a matching vowel, are the huruf maddah. If a harf maddah is followed by a hamzah within the same word, the madd is extended to two alifs: madd muttasil (madd wajib), as in sha'a, si'a, su'in. If the harf maddah ends one word and the hamzah begins the next, the madd is likewise extended to two alifs when the words are read joined together: madd munfasil (madd ja'iz), as in inna a'taina, alladhi at'amahum, qalu amanna; where a stop is made at the end of the first word, this madd does not apply.

The Prophet’s practice (Sunnah)the Prophet’s way

The letters of madd (alif, waw and ya, sakin and preceded by a matching vowel) are lengthened in recitation, as the Prophet's recitation was described; when followed by a hamzah in the same word, or in the next word when read joined, the madd is extended to two alifs.

The source's closing words

وَ اٰخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَّ اٰلهٖ وَ أَصْحَابِهٖ أَجْمَعِينَ

Wa ākhiru daʿwānā ani'l-ḥamdu li'llāhi rabbi'l-ʿālamīn, wa ṣalla'llāhu ʿalā sayyidinā Muḥammadin wa ālihī wa aṣḥābihī ajmaʿīn

And our last call is that all praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds; and may Allah send blessings upon our master Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions.

Eight letters carry temporary (occasional) qualities beyond the general makhraj and sifat: lām, rāʾ, mīm sākinah and mushaddadah, nūn sākinah and mushaddadah, and the ḥurūf maddah (wāw, alif, yāʾ) together with hamzah.

Rules for lām

  1. In the ism of Allāh, lām is tafkhīm (heavy) when preceded by fatḥah or ḍammah (Inna'llāha, Naṣru'llāh), and tarqīq (light) when preceded by kasrah: Bismi'llāhi. Allāhumma follows the same rule, being itself built on the ism Allāh.
  2. Every lām outside the ism Allāh is tarqīq, e.g. mā wallāhum, kulluhū.

Rules for rāʾ

  1. Rāʾ is tafkhīm in six cases: bearing its own fatḥah (Rabbanā); bearing its own ḍammah (Rusulunā); sākinah with the preceding letter bearing fatḥah (Barqun) or ḍammah (Turjiʿu); sākinah preceded by a temporary (ʿāriḍī) kasrah (Irjiʿū); and sākinah preceded by a permanent (aṣlī) kasrah while followed by a mustaʿlī (heavy) letter (Mirṣādan).
  2. Rāʾ is tarqīq in three cases: bearing its own kasrah (Rijālun); sākinah preceded by a permanent kasrah and not followed by a mustaʿlī letter (Wastaghfirhu); and sākinah preceded by a yāʾ sākinah at a waqf (Khayrun).
  3. Where rāʾ and the preceding letter are both sākin, the vowel of the letter before that governs: fatḥah or ḍammah yields tafkhīm (Ṣabrun, ʿUsrin), kasrah yields tarqīq (Dhikrun). Where rāʾ is mushaddadah, its own vowel governs directly: tafkhīm in Sirran, tarqīq in Durriyyun.
The four rules for nūn sākinah and tanwīn
Rule LettersEffect
Iẓhār muṭlaq ء ہ ع ح غ خ (the ḥalq letters)Clear articulation from the nūn's own makhraj, no ghunnah: Anʿamta, Sawāʾun ʿalayhim.
Idghām ر ل م ن و ی (the six of یرملون)The nūn merges into what follows. With ن م و ی ("namū"), ghunnah is retained: idghām maʿal-ghunnah, e.g. Man yuʾmin. With ر ل, no ghunnah: idghām bilā ghunnah, e.g. Min ladunhu. This idghām is conditioned on the nūn and the following letter belonging to two different words; within a single word (Dunyā, Qinwānun) no idghām occurs, and iẓhār applies instead.
Iqlāb (also called qalb) بThe nūn is converted to a concealed mīm, pronounced with ghunnah: Min baʿdi, Samīʿun baṣīrun.
Ikhfāʾ ḥaqīqī ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك (the fifteen ikhfāʾ letters)The nūn or tanwīn is concealed, pronounced with ghunnah, at a point between iẓhār and idghām: Man tāba, Qawlan thaqīlan.

A mushaddadah nūn independently requires ghunnah, a ḥarf ghunnah, as with a mushaddadah mīm, e.g. Inna rabbahum.

Mīm sākinah before the following letter
Next letter RuleEffect
م IdghāmThe two mīms merge, pronounced with a shaddah: Wahum muhtadūn.
ب Ikhfāʾ shafawīThe mīm's ghunnah is retained but its full articulation is concealed: Man yaʿtaṣim bi'llāh.
Any other letter Iẓhār shafawīClear articulation from the mīm's own makhraj, without ghunnah: ʿAlayhim wa lā'ḍ-ḍāllīn.

A mushaddadah mīm requires ghunnah for the duration of one alif, Lammā, likewise termed a ḥarf ghunnah.

Alif, wāw and yāʾ, sākin and preceded by their corresponding vowel, constitute the ḥurūf maddah. Madd muttaṣil (also madd wājib) obtains where a ḥarf maddah is followed by hamzah within the same word, extending the madd to two alifs: Shāʾa, Sīʾa, Sūʾin. Madd munfaṣil (also madd jāʾiz) obtains where the ḥarf maddah closes one word and the hamzah opens the next, likewise extended to two alifs, but only on condition that the two words are recited joined (waṣl): Innā aʿṭaynā, Alladhī aṭʿamahum, Qālū āmannā; a waqf at the end of the first word removes the madd's applicability entirely.

The Prophet’s practice (Sunnah)the Prophet’s way

The huruf maddah (alif, waw and ya, sakin and preceded by their corresponding vowel) are lengthened in recitation, following the description of the Prophet's recitation; where a hamzah follows within the same word (madd muttasil) or opens the next word read in wasl (madd munfasil), the madd is extended to two alifs.

The source's closing words

وَ اٰخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَّ اٰلهٖ وَ أَصْحَابِهٖ أَجْمَعِينَ

Wa ākhiru daʿwānā ani'l-ḥamdu li'llāhi rabbi'l-ʿālamīn, wa ṣalla'llāhu ʿalā sayyidinā Muḥammadin wa ālihī wa aṣḥābihī ajmaʿīn

And our last call is that all praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds; and may Allah send blessings upon our master Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions.

This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 1,027 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.

Appendix Temporary Qualities of Letters

These qualities are not found in all letters, but only in eight specific letters, which are:

  • Lām (لام)
  • Rā (را)
  • Mīm Sākin and Mushaddad (میم ساکن و مشدد)
  • Nūn Sākin and Mushaddad (نون ساکن و مشدد)
  • Madd Letters (حروف مدہ) such as Wāw (واو), Alif (الف), Yā (یا), and Hamzah (ھمزہ).

Now, the rules for these letters are explained separately:

Appendix Rules for Lām (لام)

  1. In the word "الله" (Allah), if the Lām is preceded by Zabar (َ ) or Pesh (ُ ), it should be pronounced heavy:
  2. Examples:
  3. — إِنَّ اللهَ
  4. — نَصْرُ اللهIf the Lām is preceded by Zer ) ِ ), it should be pronounced light:
  5. — Example: بِسْمِ اللهِ
  6. The same rule applies to "اَللّٰهُمَّ" (Allahumma) because it also contains the word "Allah."
  7. For all other Lām letters, other than in the word "اَللهُ", they should be pronounced light:
  8. Examples: مَا وَلّٰهُمْ ، كُلُّهٗ

Appendix Rules for Rā (راء)

  1. "ر" will be pronounced heavy in the following six cases:
  2. If "ر" has a Fatha (زبر), e.g., رَبَّنَا.
  3. If "ر" has a Dhamma (پیش), e.g., رُسُلُنَا.
  4. If "ر" is Sukoon (silent) and the preceding letter has a Fatha, e.g., بَرْقٌ.
  5. If "ر" is Sukoon and the preceding letter has a Dhamma, e.g., تُرْجِعُ.
  6. If "ر" is Sukoon, preceded by a temporary Kasra (زیر), e.g., اِرْجِعُوا.
  7. If "ر" is Sukoon, preceded by a permanent Kasra, and followed by a heavy letter, e.g., مِرْصَادًا.
  8. "ر" will be pronounced light in these three cases:
  9. If "ر" has a Kasra, e.g., رِجَالٌ.
  10. If "ر" is Sukoon, preceded by a permanent Kasra, and not followed by a heavy letter, e.g., وَاسْتَغفِرْهُ.
  11. If "ر" is Sukoon, preceded by a Ya with Sukoon in a stop position, e.g., خَیْرٌ.
  12. If both "ر" and the preceding letter are silent, the vowel on the letter before that will determine its heaviness or lightness. If it has a Fatha or Dhamma, "ر" will be heavy, e.g., صَبْرٌor عُسْرٍ. If it has a Kasra, "ر" will be light, e.g., ذِکْرٌ.
  13. If "ر" has a Shadda, its own vowel will determine whether it is heavy or light, e.g., سِرًّا will be heavy, and دُرِّیٌّ will be light.

Appendix 1. Rules for Mīm Sākin (میم ساکن)

  1. If "م" is silent, it depends on the following letter:
  • If followed by another "م", there will be Idgham, meaning both "م" merge into one, pronounced with a Shadda, e.g., وَهُمْ مُّهْتَدُونَ.
  • If followed by "ب", there will be Ikhfa with Ghunnah, where the sound of "م" is slightly held in the nose, e.g., مَنْ يَعْتَصِمْ بِاللهِ. This is called Ikhfa Shafawi.
  • If followed by any letter other than "م" or "ب", there will be Izhar, where "م" is pronounced clearly from its articulation point without Ghunnah, e.g., عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّآلِّین. This is called Izhar Shafawi.
  1. If "م" is Mushaddad, Ghunnah is necessary for the duration of one Alif, where the sound resonates in the nose, e.g., لَمَّا. In this case, it is referred to as a Haraf Ghunnah.

Appendix Rules for Nūn Sākin and Mushaddad (نون ساکن و مشدد)

(Note):

Tanween is also included in the rule of Noon Saakin.

  1. If after Noon Saakin or Tanween, any of the throat letters (ء، ہ، ع، ح، غ، خ) appears, the Noon or Tanween will be pronounced clearly without Ghunnah from its articulation point, e.g., أَنْعَمْتَ, سَوَآءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ. This is called Izhar Mutlaq.
  2. If after Noon Saakin or Tanween, any of the six letters (ر، ل، م، ن، و، ی), collectively known as یرملون, appears, Idgham will occur. This means the Noon merges with the following letter, and they become one. For example, مِنْ لَّدُنْهُ.

Among these six letters, four (ن، م، و، ی), collectively known as نمو, retain Ghunnah, e.g., مَنْ يُّؤْمِنُ, بَرْقٌ يَّجْعَلُوْنَ, which is called Idgham Ma'al Ghunnah. However, with the remaining two letters (ر، ل), Ghunnah is not applied, e.g., مِنْ لَّدُنْهُ, and this is called Idgham Bila Ghunnah. This Idgham only applies when the Noon and the following letter are not in the same word; otherwise, Idgham will not occur, e.g., دُنْيَا, قِنْوَانٌ.

  1. If after Noon Saakin or Tanween, the letter "ب" appears, the Noon will change into a hidden "م" and be pronounced with Ghunnah, e.g., مِنْم بَعْدِ ، سَمِيعٌ م بَصِيرٌ. This is called Iqlab or Qalb.
  2. If after Noon Saakin or Tanween, any of the fifteen remaining letters (ت، ث، ج، د، ذ، ز، س، ش، ص، ض، ط، ظ، ف، ق، ك), known as the letters of Ikhfa, appears, the Noon or Tanween will be hidden and pronounced with Ghunnah, e.g., مَنْ تَابَ, قَوْلًا ثَقِيلًا. This is called Ikhfa Haqiqi.
  3. If Noon is Mushaddad, Ghunnah is necessary, e.g., إِنَّ رَبَّهُمْ, and similar to Mushaddad Meem, this is also referred to as Harf Ghunnah in this state.

Appendix Rules for Alif, Wāw, and Yā (الف، واؤ، یاء)

Alif, Waw, and Ya, when silent and preceded by a corresponding vowel, are called Huroof Maddah. The following are two simple rules regarding them:

  1. If a Harf Maddah is followed by a Hamzah within the same word, the Maddah will be extended by the length of two Alifs. This extension is called Madd Muttasil or Madd Wajib, e.g., شَآءَ, سِيٓءَ, سُوٓءٍ.
  2. If the Harf Maddah and Hamzah are in different words, with the Harf Maddah at the end of the first word and the Hamzah at the beginning of the next, the Maddah will also be extended by two Alifs. This is called Madd Munfasil or Madd Jaiz, e.g., إِنَّآ أَعْطَيْنَا, اَلَّذِيٓ أَطْعَمَهُمْ, قَالُوٓا اٰمَنَّا. However, this Madd applies only when the two words are read together; if a stop is made at the end of the first word, the Madd will not be applied.

Appendix Rules for Hamzah (همزہ)

Here are two simple rules regarding Hamzah:

  1. Near the end of the 24th Juz, in the verse ءَأَعْجَمِيٌّ, the second Hamzah is softened slightly during recitation. This is called Tashil.
  2. In Surah Al-Hujurat, second Ruku, in the phrase بِئْسَ الِاسْمُ الْفُسُوقُ, both Hamzahs in الاسم are omitted, and the Laam is pronounced with a Kasra, reciting it as بِئْسَ لِسْمُ الْفُسُوْقُ.

Conclusion:

Since the primary objective of the science of Tajwīd is the correct articulation of letters (Makharij and Ṣifāt), this marks the end of this explanation.

وَ اٰخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَّ اٰلهٖ وَ أَصْحَابِهٖ أَجْمَعِينَ .

Terms on this page

Ghunnah Idgham Ikhfa Iqlab Izhar Madd

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