Abdul Sattar

In the Name of Allah, The Overwhelmingly Merciful, The Lovingly Merciful

Format
First, I will begin by defining the makharij al huruf. Makharij, the plural of makhraj, means – the
place of exit, and in our topic, the part of the mouth and throat used to pronounce a letter of
the Arabic alphabet. With each makhraj, I will state the letters that come from that makhraj.
Huroof, is the plural of Harf (‫)حرف‬, which refers to a letter of the Arabic alphabet. To maintain
accuracy, I mean the Arabic alphabet as it existed during the time of the revelation of the
Quran. Thus, any modern day additions to that alphabet are not included in our discussion.

Huroof are the letters of the Arabic alphabet which we define as resulting from three things:

1. Breath that can be heard

2. An Obstruction to that breath as it exists the mouth
3. Inherent attributes that describe the nature of the obstruction and the resulting sound
that comes.

Then, I will define the sifaat as they exist in the science of tajwid. Sifaat are the qualities of the
letters which determine how they are pronounced. Together, the makharij and the sifaat of a
letter, when properly used will result in the letter being pronounced correctly. Under each of
the sifaat’s descriptions and explanations, I will list the letters that have that quality and explain
the qualities as taught to us by Sh Uthman in our class studying Muqadimat Al Jazariyyah.

Then, I will list the rules of Nun Sakin and Tanwin, Mim Sakin, and the rules of Madd.

References and Sources:

References for the information below are from Muqadimat al Jazariyyah as well as notes
provided by the Jazariyyah institute’s student portal. Also used is the “Reach the Goal With
Tajwid Rules” summary paper with the summary of the rules of Tajwid. Although these
resources provide easy means to summarize the rules, I have tried to do so using my own words
and understanding.

I have also written a completely original paper in the past myself, detailing the Sifat ul Huruf,
and will be using major portions of it based on my notes from studying Muqadimat al Jazariyyah
with Sh. Uthman.

Makharij al Huruf – The Places of Articulation of the Letters

1. Jawf – this refers to the empty space inside the mouth as well as the throat. The letters
that come from here, come due to the flowing of air inside this empty space without
obstruction, and they are called the Huruf al Maddah or al Hawaiyyah.
a. These letters are Alif, Waw, and Yaa.
 b. Waw – is pronounced by making the lips come forward and shaping them into a
bit of a circle. The exact differentiation of this will be further made clear when
discussing Sifaat
c. It should be noted that the letter Yaa being referred to here is the Yaa
Maddiyyah – which is not mutaharrik (voweled). The Yaa which carries a vowel,
has a different makhraj which we will list below.
2. Aqsa al Halq – This refers to the lowest or farthest part of the throat, hence the qualifier
Aqsa.
a. Hamza and Haa, originate from this makhraj
3. Wasath al Halq – This refers to the middle part of the throat, hence the qualifier Wasat.
a. Ayn and Haa (‫ )ه‬originate from this makhraj.
4. Adna al Halq – this refers to the closest or highest part of the throat before the tongue
begins.
a. Ghayn and Khaa, originate from this makhraj
5. Aqsa al Lisaan – The back/farthest part of the tongue. Sounds are produced when the
back of the tongue makes contact with the part of the roof of the mouth that is
accessible to it.
a. There are two letters that originate here.
i. Qaaf – which originates from the absolute furthest back of the tongue. It
is much closer to the throat, although it is still a lisaani letter.
ii. Kaaf – which originates from the back of the tongue, but slightly more
forward then Qaaf, as mentioned by Imam al Jazari.
6. Wasat al Lisan – This is a makhraj which is articulated from the middle of the tongue.
a. Jeem is articulated here when the middle of the tongue touches the hard upper
portion of the roof of the mouth, but air is not allowed to pass in articulating this
letter. This will be explored in Sifaat.
b. Sheen is articulated from here, when the middle of the tongue touches the hard
roof of the mouth, but air is allowed to pass with the partial obstruction created
by the tongue and roof as they meet, and the incisors are brought close
together without touching.
c. Yaa Mutarrik – that is, a yaa which is vowelled is articulated from here. The
makhraj also the back/middle of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth,
further back from the sheen.
7. Haafat al Lisaan – The side of the tongue as it touches the molar teeth of either the
right or the left side.
a. The letter Dhaad is articulated from here.
8. Adna al Lisan – This includes the very front sides and top side of the tongue including
the tip.
a. Tip of the tongue touching the roof and upper incisor gums.
i. Laam is articulated from here, as the tip and flat front top sides make
contact with the roof of the mouth by touching above the upper incisors.
ii. Nun is articulated from here, except the tongue is sharper with only the
tip against the upper front teeth, instead of the flattened top of the
tongue as well (as in laam).
 iii. Raa is articulated from a similar place as nun, except that air is allowed to
flow through the mouth, leading to a vibration of the tongue. This is
because the tip of the tongue, although touching the gums above the
incisors just like nun, is not so strongly pressed up against it so as to
prevent vibration. This differentiates the lettes.
b. Absolute tip of the tongue touching the incisor gums and the upper part of the
incisors themselves.
i. Thaa ‫ – ط‬the very tip of the tongue, with some flatness using the top of
the tongue to create the thickness of the letter, touches the incisors to
create this sound and the mouth is rounded. A part of the tip makes
contact with extremely forward part of the roof and gums.
ii. Daal ‫ – د‬the very tip of the tongue, touches the upper incisors and the top
makes contact with the extremely forward part of the roof and gums, but
very little of top of the tongue is used and the mouth is left wide.
iii. Taa – ‫ –ت‬the very tip of the tongue touches the upper incisors and the
tongue is much more pointed with only the top of the tongue being used.
c. The tip of the tongue making contact with the incisors such that the incisors
cannot shut completely and must allow a small portion of the tongue to separate
them.
i. ‫ – ظ‬Dhaa – the tip of the tongue comes through the incisors slightly and
makes contact with the edge of the top incisors
ii. ‫ – ذ‬Dhaal – the tip of the tongue comes through the incisors slightly and
makes contact with the edge of the top incisors (sifaat of the letters help
separate this and the Dhaa)
iii. ‫ث‬- Thaa - the tip of the tongue comes through the incisors slightly and
makes contact with the edge of the top incisors (sifaat of the letters help
separate this letter from the above two letters that share its makhraj)
9. Upper incisors plus tip of tongue
a. Seen is articulated from the top and bottom incisors barely touching each other,
while the tip of the tongue is dropped so that air can pass through the incisors.
b. Saad is articulated from the top and bottom incisors barely touching each other,
while the tip of the tongue is dropped, so that air can pass through. It is clearly
differentiated from Seen by its sifaat.
c. Zaa is articulated from the top and bottom incisors barely touching each other,
while the tip of the tongue is dropped, so that air can pass through. It is clearly
differentiated from Seen and Saad by its sifaat.
10. Upper incisors + Batn ash Shafa - this makhraj is the upper incisors making contact with
the inside of the lower lip
a. The letter Faa is articulated from here.
11. Shafatayn – the lips
a. Waw is articulated from here when it is mutaharrik (vowelled), without the lips
fully touching each other.
b. Baa is articulated from here with the lips touching each other, blocking the air.
 c. Meem is articulated from here with the lips touching each other, but air is
allowed to flow through the nose to create the sound.

Sifaat al Huruf – The characteristics of the letters

We have already defined Huruf, so we will describe Sifaat in more detail. Sifaat are the inherent
attributes described above that are critical in defining the letter. Without the correct quality,
the letter cannot exist. It should be clear that we do not mean Sifa as is meant by the scholars
of Nahw.

Each letter can have multiple qualities. Depending on the letter, a given quality can be a haqq
(a compulsory attribute) or a mustahaqq (an important attribute) of the letter. If the quality of
the letter that is a haqq is not followed when the letter is recited by one who is reciting the
Quran, then the letter no longer exists and has not been recited. If the quality of the letter that
is a mustahaqq is not followed when the letter is recited, the letter still exists, but has not been
recited with perfection. The qualities of the letters needed to form the haqq of the letter, are
known as the Sifaat Laazimah – the compulsory sifaat. The qualities of the letters which are
needed for proper pronunciation but are mustahaqq for the letter, are known as the Sifaat
Aaaridah.

The Actual Sifaat

Hams and Jahr

We will begin with Hams and Jahr. Hams literally means “concealment”, while Jahr literally
means “to be apparent”.

Hams: This is the quality of a letter, in which the voice itself is not present in the letter; rather
the voice comes only as a result of a fathah, dhamma, or kasra, that has been placed with the
letter.

The reciter of a hams letter will touch upon the makhraj of the letter, creating its sound, and
then continue with a harakah (vowel) that has sound, or stop due to a sukun (or a pronounced
sukoon due to it being the last letter of a sentence or ayah not ending with a vowel sound).

The letters of Hams are: ‫فحثه شخص سكت‬

These letters have a weaker reliance on their makkharij and in order to be truly complete, their
other sifaat must be present and clear – otherwise there is a great chance for confusion.
Thisdoes not mean the makhraj is not important – it is still critical without which the letter can’t
exist. Rather, than the other sifaat are also very critical for these letters (in relation to Jahr
letters, which rely greatly on their makharij) in order for them to exist.
Jahr: This is the quality where there is voice in the letter itself. The letters of Jahr, are all others
letters other than the Hams letters. This is an example of where qualifying the Sifaat as
opposites is helpful in defining them. Nevertheless, the Jahr quality stands on its own, in that
pronouncing the sound of the letter, comes with the vibration of the vocal cord itself, and a
sound is produced from the voice of the reciter. With Hams, this is not necessary for the
production of the letter.

There are methods that can be used to tell a Hams from a Jahr letter, if one has not memorized
them.

First, one can touch his vocal cords. If they vibrate during pronunciation, this is a jahr letter.
Otherwise, it is a hams letter.

Secondly, one can plug his hears. A jahr letter will cause a vibration in the head, while a hams
letter will not.

Lastly, a male pronouncing a jahr letter will sound different from a female. If they sound the
same, it is a hams letter.

Rikhwah, Shiddah, and Tawassut

Rikhwah literally means softness in the Arabic language. Tawassut means moderation or being
in the middle, and Shiddah means strength.

Shiddah is the sifa in which one’s air flow comes to a stop. This means that the sound is a stop
consonant, in phoentic terms. The sound of the letter is produced by the stopping of air flow.
These letters rely greatly on their makharij in order to produce sound. The letters are
‫ءجدك تقطب‬.

When one pronounces this sound, one can tell that they must pronounce the letter, and then
suddenly cut it, to move forward to the next sound. They cannot carry the sound on and on.

Rikhwah: is the sifa in which one’s air flow keeps flowing normally. In these letters, the sound
continues to go, even if one were to place a sukoon on the sound. The sound of the letter could
continue and reverberate on and on as long as the air is flowing, and the makhraj (place of and
obstruction to the air) are in place.

The letters of Rikhwah are: ‫ث ح ز ذ ز س ش ص ض غ هة و ي‬

If one tries to pronounce these letters and carry the sound itself on and on, one would be able
to do it. For Seen, one could say, hissssssssssssss. For Faa, one could create the obstruction of
Faa where the teeth make contact with the lips, and then push out air, and the faa sound would
continue to come for as long as the air came and the makhraj remained in place. For zaa, one
could create the makraj of zaa, by placing the top and bottom incisors together, and then push
out air along with sound – this would cause the sound of zaa to continue till one stopped
pushing air or stopped making voice. These are all examples of how these are letters of rikhwa.

What is critical to note, is that the air is flowing normally in all these cases AND the letter is
being heard in full, whereas in Shiddah, even if one carried air to pronounce the letter, the
sound of the letter cannot be heard on and on, only the vowel that came after it.

Tawassut: This is a quality that falls between the two. These letters have their sound partially
continued, but also, partially discontinued so that the continuing sound is not of the same
completeness as the original. These letters are ‫لن عمر‬.

The sound doesn’t really cut off, but is also does not continue. We can see this in ‫أنزلنا‬. The noon
at the beginning does not really cut off, but continues throughout its ghunna, but at the same
time, the noon sound is not truly continuing.

Isti’aalaa and Istifaal

Isti’aalaa literally means the raising of a something, or elevation. Istifaal means to lower or drop
something.

Isti’aalaa occurs when the very back of the tongue raises, forming a pipe. This is the elevation
of the back of the tongue towards the soft palate - roof of the mouth when pronouncing a
letter. This gives the letter a full, thick sound, and a heavy feel.

This heavy feel, which exists in other letters as well, is known as tafhkeem. Tafkheem is the
thickness in tajwid, and can also be described as a closed sound where the mouth is not wide
open. As a contrast, the extreme opposite of heavy tafkheem would come if one were to widen
and open their mouth completely and say AAAAA. The opposite of tafkheem is tarqeeq. This
means the thinness or lightness of the letter, which keeps the mouth from being full with the
reverbation of the letter. Letters pronounced with tarqeeq are often referred to as “light”.

The letters of Isti’aalaa are: ‫خص ضغط قظ‬

This quality can be demonstrated in the fact that these letters, when pronounced with a fathah,
will not be pronounced with the same a, as in cat, but rather, the aw sound as in ‘awful’. The
quality is accomplished by raising the back of the tongue up, hence the name of the quality –
Isti’aalaa.

Istifaal, is the lowering of the tongue from the roof of the mouth while pronouncing a letter, or
rather, where isti’laa does not occur. All letters other than the letters of Isti’aalaa are letters of
Istifaal – they are pronounced without the back of the tongue being raised up.

Itbaaq and Infitaah

Itbaaq literally means to adhere or to close, while infitaah literally means to separate.

Itbaaq is where the haatful lisaan rises to the top of the mouth and touches the gums of the
back teeth, thereby forming a pipe. It means the closing of the sides of the mouth so the sides
of the tongue rise up to close the oral cavity so that air cannot go through. In some letters,
when the middle of the tongue becomes round in order to rise and close up the oral cavity, the
back of the the tongue ALSO raises and become round. For this reason – every itbaaq letter is
also a letter of isti’aala, BUT NOT vice-versa.

The itbaaq letters are ‫ ص ض ط ظ‬. These letters are created where the tongue raises to the roof
of the mouth with the mouth closed. Qaaf, ghayn, and khaa, can all be pronounced without this
adhesion and closing – and so they are not Itbaaq letters.

It should be noted that tafkheem is also going to occur in these letters from the thickness
caused by the raising of the tongue. The tafkheem of itbaaq is heavier than the ones that are
isti’aala, and the tafkheem of the isti’aala letters have more tafkheem than the istifaal letters.

Infitaah letters are all letters where Itbaaq does not occur – and is due to the seperation of the
roof of the mouth from the tongue while pronouncing a letter.

We pause here for a moment and focus on the criticality of these sifaat to the letters. Isti’aala
and Itbaaq letters cannot have their tafkheem or tarqeeq fluctuated or changed. This is because
they are sifaat laazimah (compulsary sifaat). Changing the tafkheem is not possible on them.
This is why the alif is dependent on the letter befor eit. If the letter is isti’aala, the alif must be
tafkheem.

Idhlaq and Ismaat

Idhlaq means edge. Ismaat means to keep from doing something, to desist.

Idhlaaq letters are pronounced from the edge of the tongue or the edge of the lips. They can
also be described as being articulated from the sides of the tongue or lips as if they are slipping
away. The letters of Idhlaq are: ‫فر من لب‬.

Ismaat letters are those that are not from the edge of the tongue or edge of the lips and
include all the other letters.

It should be noted that these are more Arabic related qualities. Any Arabic word that has four
or more letters will probably have an idhlaaq letter in it. It would be almost impossible to
pronounce a word that has only ismaat letters.

The Sifaat Without Opposites

Now that we have done an overview of the Sifaat that have opposites, we can go over the
Sifaat ul Huroof, which do not have opposites.

Safeer is the first quality we will examine. Safeer literally means to whistle. It is present in the
letters‫ز س ص‬. Because of the form the tongue takes when positioning itself when pronouncing
these letters, a slight whistling sound is made.

The safeer quality exists as a result of the makharij and other sifaat of these letters and is an
occurrence that happens when they are brought together. The safeer quality is a result of these
makharij and sifaat, and one should not struggle to have to create it. If the other pieces of the
letter are done correctly, the Safeer quality will result naturally.

Qalqalah:

Literally, qalqalah means to shake. A slight bounce is made when this letter is brought to an end
with sukoon. In technical terms however, this sound results from the pronunciation of jahr and
shiddah. That is, when these two sifaat are brought together in a letter, a qalqalah sound will
result.

The letters of qalqalah are ‫قطب جد‬.

Qalqalah is not pronounced equally however on all letters.

When waqf is made on a mushaddad letter of qalqala, this will have the greatest or heaviest
vibration – such as in the word .‫ الحق‬The second strongest weight in qalqala will come for a
word in which there is waqf on a sakin letter of qalqalah, such as ‫الصمد‬. Finall, the weakest
strength of qalqalah comes when there is a sakin letter of qalqalah in the middle of a word,
such as ‫صدرك‬.

Some ulama have mentioned that hamza has a slight qalqalah in it, but it is not added because
hamza can be changed in so many different ways, and sifa laazimah should remain with the
letter throughout any changes it goes through. When tasheel is made of the hamza, it is
pronounced without shiddah, in which case there can be no qalqalah.

Al Leen which literally means softness, is the quality in the letters waw and yaa saakin (with a
fathah before it). These are soft letters. Though some consider this to be a separate sifah, our
teacher Sh. Uthman does not consider it a sifah, and calls it al-Haawi instead.

Haawi letters are any letters pronounced in the air flow without obstructure, just as alif
maddah, ya maddah, and waw maddah.

Inhiraaf which literally means to lean or to deviate from a path, is another quality – in which
laam and raa lean towards the tarf ul lisaan. Zakariyyah Ansari states that these two learn
towards the tarful lisaan but that the ra leans a little less. Some scholars also state that these
letters were originally shiddah letters, because the airflow is being blocked, but due to the
inhiraaf, they lean towards rikhwah. The son of Ibn il Jazariyy says that in laam, the air flow goes
towards the end of tarf ul lisaan. The sound goes straight but then comes out from the sides – it
leans towards the rear. In the raa, the opposite happens, it leans towards the front.

Takreer means to flap or repeat, and is the trilling sound made by the tongue when
pronouncing the raa. This is a quality that we must try NOT to make too evident about when
pronouncing raa. The RRRR sound when pronouncing a double RR in Spanish is an example of
takreer and is not something we want to do too much, as it results in the repetition of the harf
Raa in places in which there is no repetition. It is a sifah laazimah though, and will come out if
the letter is pronounced correctly.

Tafashshee means to spread, and refers to the spreading or echoing of the sound of a letter in
the mouth while pronouncing it. This only happens with the letter sheen.

Istitaalah means to prolong, and is the making long of a letter throughout its makhraj. This only
happens to the letter ‫ ض‬from the beginning of its makhraj till the end, until it connects with the
makhraj of laam.

Classifying A Letter as Strong or Week

The scholars of tajwid classify the sifaat into strong or weak. Based on this, a letter can be
strong or weak depending on whether the majority of its sifaat are strong or weak.

The Strong Sifaat are: Jahr, Shiddah, Isti’aala and Itbaaq.

The Weak Sifaat are: Hams, Rikhwah, Istifaal, and Infitah.

All of the sifaat we have studied so far, are known as the Sifaat Zaatiyyah. This means the Sifaat
which are inherent in the essence of the letters – we may call them permanent qualities. These
are the qualities of the letters which are part of the letters themselves.

Now that we have seen the various qualities of the letters, let us examine some details on
Tafkheem and Tarqeeq.

Details on Tafkheem and Tarqeeq

The heaviest tafkheem comes from the letters of Isti’aala that ALSO have Itbaaq. – Saad, Dhaad,
Thaa, and Dhaa. This is because the tongue from the middle goes up and connects to the top,
causing the back to go up as well, producing a heavy tafkheem sound. The letters of Istifaal on
the other hand, are all tarqeeq (light), but some will sometimes show the quality of tafkheem.
These variant letters are Laam, Raa, and Alif.

Alif is dependent on the letter coming before it. If the letter before Alif is Isti’aalaa, then the alif
will be tafkheem and will follow its lead. If the letter before Alif is Istifaal, then the Alif will be
tarqeeq. Some have said that Waw Maddah is also tafkheem after a mufakhkham letter and
tarqeeq after a muraqqaq letter, but our teacher Sh. Uthman does not agree with this opinion.

Because of the the qualities that make up isti’ala – the thickening of the sound, every letter of
isti’ala is always tafkheem with no exceptions. The highest letters as mentioned before are
Saad, Daad, Tah, and Dhaa, due to the fact that the middle tongue goes up and connects to the
roof of the mouth. Khaa, Ghayn, and Qaf however, do not neccesitate the middle of the tongue
going up, and so the level of tafkheem is less heavy.

The Sifaat Aaridah

Let us now approach the ltters that can be either tafkheem or tarqeeq.

Alif: As we stated previously, Alif is going to be dependent on the letter that comes before it. If
the letter before is isti’aala, the alif will be tafkheem, but if the letter before alif is iftifaal, then
the alif will be tarqeeq.

Ra: Raa has two types of rules. Raa has rules when there is Waqf. Waqf is when one stopps on
the letter Raa, making it saakin.

Raa also has rules when there is Wasl – in which one will recite the Raa, but not stop on it. This
includes Raa Mutharrak (there is fathah, dhamma, or kasra) after the Raa, or Raa Saakin (where
there is a sukoon) but where the next letter is recited.

Rules of Raa in Waqf

Whenever Raa is stopped upon and made saakin, the raa will always be tafkheem except for
four situations:
1. If there is kasra before it, no tafkheem is done on the raa.
2. If there is yaa saakinah before it, no tafkheem is done on the raa.
3. If there is Imaala before it, no tafkheem is done on the raa.
a. As a note, Imaala is when an alif is read and half-YA sound and half ALIF
sound.
b. Lesser Imaala – Imaala Taqleel – can be made where YA is 25% of the sound
and ALIF is 75% of the sound.
4. When there is rawm made on the Raa with a kasra. (Rawm is to drop 2/3 of a vowel,
but keep 1/3 of the sound).

Rules for Raa in Wasl

Raa Mutaharrik

Raa mutaharrik can be made mutaharrk with a fathah, a dhamma, or a Kasrah.

When Raa is maftooha (being made mutaharrik with a fatha) the default rule is that the raa
with be mufakhkham all the time. Imam Warsh disagrees with this and does tarqeeq if the Raa
appears after Yaa Saakin or after a Kasra in the same world. Imam Warsh also does tarqeeq in a
situation in which there are two raas and the second raa has a kasrah.

When Raa is madhmumah (has a dhamma), the default rule is that raa will be mufhakhkham
always. Imam Warsh however, does differ here as well, in that he does tarqeeq if there is a
kasrah before it (if there is sukoon on the letter before then we look for a kasrah on the letter
before that), or if there is a yaa sakin before the raa.

As for Raa maksurah (where there is a kasra on the Raa), the raa will always be tarqeeq.

Raa Saakin

When Raa Saakin is at the beginning of a word, and is coming after a Fathah, dhamma, or kasra
– it will always have tafkheem.

When Raa Saakin is in the middle of a word coming after a fathah, it will always be tafkheem,
except in three words: ‫ المرء‬and ‫ مريم القرية‬. One way of looking at this is is that the raa is
qaryatin and Maryam will be tarqeeq because it is after a yaa sakin. Others, like Abdullah bin
Sufyan, Abu Muhammad Makki, and Abul Abbas al Mahdawi state that this raa is tarqeeq. The
majority of scholars said that these two words, Maryam, and Qaryatin, will be recited with
tafkheem, and our teacher holds this to be the most correct opinion.

The word mar’ee, which occures twice in the Quran, has tafkheem according to the most
correct opinion. Imam Shatibi rejects the idea that it should be recited with tarqeeq due to
ease, and says that in Qiraat, the pronunciation has to be based on what has been related, not
upon the ease of recitation.

When Raa Saakin is in the middle of a word and comes after a dhammah, there is no difference
that raa will be tafkheem. If the Raa Saakin is in the middle of a word and comes after a Kasrah,
there is ijma’ that the letter will be tarqeeq, except that there should not be a letter of isti’la
after it. The reason for this is that isti’ala letters are very strong and isti’ala causes tarqeeq to
break because of its strength.

When raa comes at the end of the word, there are five scenarios. If the letter before the raa has
kasra; a saakin and a kasra before it; a yaa sakin before it; imaalah before it; or a tarqeeq ra
[due to normal reasons] before it – then there will be tarqeeq. If however, there is a fathah or
dhamma before, or a sukoon and fathah/dhamma – there will be tafkheem.

Rules of Laam

There are two types of rules. There are agreed upon places which all the qurra follow, and a
number of disagreed upon places where the qurra differ.
Whenever Laam is in the word Allah – if there is a fathah or dhamma before the word, then
taghleedh will be used, causing the sound to thicken by rounding the mouth. If the word Allah
has kasra before it, the laam will be pronounced with tarqeeq. There is agreement upon these
rules by the qurra.

Summary of Tafkheem and Tarqiq

There are three opinions about the weight of tafhkeem for letters that are isti’ala.

In the first opinion, the scholas said that isti’ala letters have three levels of tafkheem. It is
strongest when there is fathah on it. Medium when there is dhammah on it. Weakest when
there is kasra on the letter.

Ibn ul Jazariyy differs with this and says there are five levels of strength: Strongest when there
is fathah and and alif after, then in order to strength descending – fathah but no alif coming
after, a dhammah on it, a sukoon on it, and a kasra on it.

It makes sense, as kasra is the vowel with the most opposition of the tafkheem quality, and so
the weakest tafkheem would come with this vowel.

Details of Takreer

As we mentioned before, takreer is the trilling sound which comes with the letter raa. If raa has
a shaddah, Ibn ul Jazariy tells us to try and hide this sifah, because with shiddah it comes out
much more.

Our teacher Sh. Uthman tells us that since takreer is a sifah lazimah of the letter, it cannot be
completely hidden, but it should be cut down as much as possible.

Rules of Nun Sakin and Tanwin

1. A nun sakin is a nun that carries a saakin, making it clear that it is not to be vowelled. A
tanwin is brought up by a doubled harakah, and is pronounced as a nun saakin.
2. There are four rules of Nun Sakin and Tanwin
3. Idhar Halqi
a. Idhar Halqi occurs when one of the halqiyyah letters (hamza, haa, ayn, Haa,
ghayn, khaa) come after a nun saakin or tanwin.
b. When this occurs, the halqi letter should be pronounced clearly (that is, with
idhaar which means clear) from its makhraj. Likewise, the nun is pronounced
clearly with its sakin.
c. There should be no ghunnah in this pronounciation.
4. Iqlab
a. Iqlab occurs when Baa, comes after a nun sakin or tanwin.
 b. When Iqlab occurs, the Nun sakun/tanwin is morphed/converted into a Meem
sound which will be pronounced with a ghunnah, that is held for two harakaat.
c. Baa is the only letter where Iqlab occurs
d. Iqlab is named as such due to the conversion into the meem sound, and iqlab
itself means to turn something over – and in this case the Nun sakin/tanwin is
being turned into a meem sound.
5. Idgham – literally means to mix one thing with another and it is named this because the
nun sakin/tanwin is being mixed with a letter following it. There are six letters of
Idghaam, and these are found in the word .‫ يرملون‬That is. Yaa. Raa. Meem. Laam. Waw.
Nun.
a. Idgham Bil Ghunnah – Yaa. Nun. Mim. Waw
i. If any of the above four letters come after a nun sakin/tanwin, the reciter
will pronounce the letter with ghunnah and hold it for 2 harakat.
ii. The nun sakin/tanwin itself is skipped over and combined into the
ghunnah sound that is being pronounced in the following letter.
b. Idgham bi ghayri Ghunnah – Laam. Raa.
i. If either of these two letters come after nun sakin/tanwin, no ghunnah
will be pronounced. Instead, the nun sakin/tanwin will be completely
skipped and the Laam or Raa will be pronounced clearly.
c. Exception – Idhar Mutlaq
i. The rule of Idgham is that the Nun Sakin or Tanwin have to be separated
in two different words. If they are not separated, then instead of
Idghaam, the letters will be pronounced clearly as Idhar, and the Quran
has four examples of this. The words Dunya, Bunyaan, Qinwaan, and
Sinwaan.
6. Ikhfa – from khafa which means to hide. If letters besides the ones mentioned above
come after nun sakin/tanwin, then the nun sakin/tanwin will be “hidden”, and ghunnah
will be held for two harakat.
a. There are two Ghunnahs for Ikhfaa. A light, and heavy.
b. If a heavy letter, that is not one of the other letters mentioned in the rules above
comes after nun sakin/tanwin – and these letters are Khaa, Saad, Dhaad, Ghayn,
Thaa (‫)ط‬, Qaaf, Dhaa (‫)ظ‬, then a heavy ghunnah is made. This means that the
sifaa of tafkhim is present in the ghunnah.
c. If a light letter comes after nun sakin/tanwin, then the ghunnah will also be light.

Rules of Mim Sakin

There are three rules of mim saakin.

1. Ikhfa Shafawi
a. If a Baa comes after a meem sakin, the meem is pronounced with ghunnah for
two harakat and immediately flows into a Baa. The meem is articulated with a
very, very, slight distance between the two lips as it turns into a Baa.
2. Idgham Mutamathiliayni Saghir
 a. This occurs when a meem sakin has another meem coming right after it. When
this occurs, the second meem will be given ghunnah for two harakat.
3. Idhar Shafawi – a clear pronunciation with full contact of the lips as they come together.
a. This is done with any letter that comes after a meem sakin, other than the above
two – that is – other than Baa or Meem.

Rules of Madd

1. Madd Thabi’i
a. This is referring to the Waw, Alif, or Yaa which is coming after a mutaharrik
letter, and is itself not constrained by a hamza or saakin letter coming after it. It
is held for TWO Harakat.
2. Madd al Badal
a. This occurs when a madd letter, comes after a hamza. It is held for TWO harakat.
3. Madd al ‘Iwadh
a. When al alif that has tanwin fathahs comes at the end of a word, and the reciter
means to stop at that word, then the Alif is pronounced as a madd with TWO
harakat of length.
4. Madd ‘Arid Li As Sukun
a. When a letter that is being treated as Saakin, only because it is the last letter in a
word that is being stopped at – comes AFTER a madd thabi’i, that madd thabi’i
receives the option of being left at 2 harakat, or being extended to 4 or 6
harakat.
5. Madd al Leen
a. When
i. a letter at the end of a word which is being pronounced as Saakin
because the reciter intends to stop on it,
ii. comes after a Yaa or Waw,
iii. There is a letter with a fathah before the Waw or Yaa,
iv. THEN: the Yaa or Waw can be left at 2 harakat, or extended to 4 or 6
harakat.
6. Madd Wajib Muttasil
a. If a hamza comes after a waw, alif, or yaa, both letters are part of the same
word, the reciter holds the madd letter for 5 harakat.
7. Madd Jaiz Munfasil
a. If a hamza is starting a word, and is preceded by a waw/alif/yaa, the
waw/alif/yaa can extend to 5 harakat.
8. Madd Lazim – All of these are held for SIX Harakat
a. Kalimi Muthaqqal
i. A letter with Shaddah, comes after alif/waw/yaa. As in Al-Haaaqah.
b. Kalimi Mukhaffaf
i. In the same word, a saakin letter comes after an alif/waw/yaa.
c. Harfi Muthaqqal
 i. A letter with a Shaddah, comes after an alif/waw/yaa. But this category
applies to the huruf al muqatta’aat such as Alif Laam Mim Saad and Alif
Lam Mim. It occurs when the letters being pronounced merge due to
their names, such as Laam-Meem. The end of Laam and Beginning of
Meem are the same sound.
d. Harfi Mukhaffaf
i. A letter with sakin comes after an alif/waw/yaa, inside the letter names.
However, unlike the Harfi Muthaqqal, the letter names do not cause the
sounds to merge. In Ayn. Seen. Qaaf, the names of these letters do not
merge together.