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Chapter Three: The Noon Sakinah and Tanween Rules (أحكام النون الساكنة والتنوين)
Noon Sakinah (نُون ساكنة) definition: a noon that is devoid of vowels and remains fixed with stopping and continuing, found in nouns, verbs (in the middle or end of a word), and in prepositions/particles at the end of a word.
Tanween definition: an additional noon saakinah not used for emphasis; found at the end of nouns when continuing, not written in the written form, and pronounced but not written; disappears when stopping. Tanween can bear fathah, dhammah, or kasrah.
Four rules of tajweed applied to noon sakinah and tanween:
الإظهار (Ithhar): clear pronunciation of noon when followed by throat letters (six letters: hamzah, ha’, ‘ayn, ghayn, ha’, etc.).
الإدغام (Idgham): merging of noon into a following letter with ghunnah; includes two subtypes:
إدغام بغنة (with ghunnah): four letters that cause the ghunnah to persist during merging.
إدغام بغير غنة (without ghunnah): merging into two letters Y or Ra? (the text mentions two letters that initiate the next word) – the noon merges completely into the following letter, with no ghunnah.
الإقلاب (Iqlaab): changing noon sakinah or tanween into a meem when followed by a ba’ with ghunnah.
الإخفاء (Khafaa’): hiding the noon into a following letter (letters of the throat and elsewhere) with ghunnah preserved in certain cases; there are five to fifteen letters involved depending on whether the noon is in the same word or between words.
Changes in the appearance of tanween with different rules: tanween’s font and diacritics can align differently depending on whether the next word starts with a lām or with a عس? letter; the tanween can align in different ways (directly over the last letter, or offset).
Special cases and exceptions:
There are exceptional cases for إِدْغَام where noon sakinah followed by certain letters happens within the same word or across words, and some exceptions for ya’ (ي) within specific phrases.
When the next word begins with a hamzah and the noon sakinah is followed by a ra’ (or laam), the merging can be completed with delayed timing in some readings.
Examples provided include verses from the Qur’an such as: مُنْ أَيِّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ, وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ, فَقَالَ أَنْبِتُونِي بِأَسْمَاءِ هَؤُلَاءِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَدِقِينَ, and others.
Chapter Four: The Meem Sakinah Rules (أحكام الميم الساكنة)
Definition: The meem saakinah is a meem free from any vowel and fixed sukoon; can be in the middle or end of a word; cannot occur when two saakin letters would clash without vowels, so some adjustments reduce length when necessary.
Three rules of meem saakinah:
الإخفاء الشفوي (Oral Hiddenness)
الإدغامِ الصَّغِير (Small Merging, like إدغام مثْلَين)
الإظهـارِ الشَّفَوِي (Oral Clear Pronunciation)
الإخفاء الشفوي (Oral Khafaa’): If meem sakinah is followed immediately by a letter that would require إخفاء (e.g., a bilabial or labial letter like ب, م, etc.), meem is hidden with ghunnah.
Examples: إِنَّ رَبَّهُم بِهِمْ يَوْمَذٍ لَّخَبِيرُ, ترميهم بحجارة من سجيل.
الإدغام الصَّغِير (Small Merging): If meem sakinah is followed by another meem with a vowel, you merge meem sakinah into the following meem with ghunnah, resulting in a single meem with shaddah and ghunnah.
Examples: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ within phrases where meem saakinah is followed by meem with a vowel.
الإظهار الشَّفَوِي (Oral Clear Pronunciation): If meem sakinah is followed by a letter that is not in the إخفاء group, meem is pronounced clearly from its articulation point.
Notes: 26 letters remain to consider when meem saakinah is followed by letters that cause إظهار; caution to keep lips closed, and avoid pronouncing meem with an extra nasal hum in cases of following letters that require complete seclusion.
Practical caution: when meem saakinah appears at the end of a word and the next word starts with a letter that would cause إخفاء or إدغام, the correct meem saakinah pronunciation applies; ensure correct lip closure for إظهار and that ghunnah is present for الإخفاء.
Chapter Five: The Ghunnah (The Nasal Ghunnah)
Definition:
Linguistic: a nasal sound emitted from the nasopharyngeal area without tongue involvement.
Technical/Applied: An inherent nasalized sound fixed on the noon (and tanween) and meem; ghunnah is a property of noon and meem in recitation, regardless of vowels.
Hums/cores: The ghunnah involves two letters: النون and الميم (noon and meem) and originates in the nasal cavity (الخَيْشُوم).
Ranks of the ghunnah:
أكْمَل ghunnah (the most complete): longest ghunnah; includes noon mushaddadah and meem mushaddadah; occurs when noon sakinah or tanween is followed by a ghunnah-causing letter or when ghunnah is attached to the noon by idgham with ghunnah.
غنّة كاملة (complete ghunnah): slightly shorter than أكْمَل; includes cases with meem or noon in certain contexts.
غنّة ناقصة (incomplete ghunnah): shorter; occurs when following letters reduce the ghunnah length.
أغْلَقْ: أقوى السببين (the stronger of the two reasons) governs the ghunnah duration when two causes compete.
Conditioning rules:
The ghunnah duration is affected by the letter that follows the noon sakinah or tanween if within a word or across words; the strength of the ghunnah is linked to the following letter (heavy vs light letters) and the presence of alif after the following letter.
Practical understanding: The ghunnah is a subtle, audible nasalization; expert reciters distinguish the four levels of ghunnah by timing, and the differences are minute for most listeners.
Chapter Six: The Lam Sakinah Rules (أحكام اللام الساكنة)
The lam in Qur’anic text exists in five categories:
1) Lam of the Definite Article (لام التعريف)
2) Lam in verbs (لام الفعل)
3) Lam in orders (لام الأمر)
4) Lam in nouns (لام الاسم)
5) Lam in particles (LAM الحرف)Lam of the Definite Article (اللام التعريف)
Definition: A lam saakinah added to the noun starting with a definite article; the alif-lam construction is preceded by a fathah when starting, and the noun that follows is read with fathah as the basic pronunciation.
Two possibilities:
الإظهار (Iẓhār): lam of the definite article is pronounced clearly before a lunar letter (حروف القمرية); examples show the lam remains clearly audible before such letters.
الإدغام (Idghām): lam merges with the following letter when the next word begins with a solar letter (حروف شمسية); the merged letter receives shaddah; examples show how الله would merge to form a stronger letter.
Lam in other positions (Lam in the verb, lam in the order, lam in the noun, lam in the particle) follow similar rules but depend on the following letter’s classification:
If the following letter is among the solar letters, the lam merges (إدغام شمسي), often accompanied by a hamzah or other factors; the rule is context-dependent.
If the following letter is among the fourteen letters excluding the sun letters, the lam is pronounced clearly (إظهار قمري) or merged as applicable depending on the letter and context.
Important notes and exceptions:
The Qur’an text contains specific occurrences where the lam of the definite article interacts with following letters in complex ways; there is no general case for merging when the next word starts with a sun letter in every context—merging occurs in specific contexts.
The rule for lam in verbs and nouns is similar: consider the following letter to decide whether إظهار or إدغام is appropriate.
Examples show how the lam interacts with following letters (e.g., Allah) and emphasize careful articulation when lam merges; there is note about a lunar vs solar distinction and its impact on tajweed.
Chapter Seven: The Mudood (Lengthenings)
Definition: Lengthening the sound by extending certain letters (mud) – letters that lengthen include alpha (alif), ya (ya), and waw (wow) when they appear in certain configurations.
The three medd (lengthening letters) are the same in all rules: they are three letters used for madd:
أَلِفْ (alif), ياء (ya), واو (wow) – with conditions on the preceding vowel and following context.
The three groups of Madd ( المَدود) are:
المد الأصلي (Natural Lengthening): the basic madd that cannot be extended beyond its natural length; the sound must be lengthened by two counts; occurs when the medd letter is followed by no hamzah and no sukoon after it, etc. It appears in surahs beginning with these letters and in words where madd letters appear.
المد الفرعي (Secondary Madd): includes several subtypes due to hamzah and/or sukoon, including:
مد بسبب الهمز (Madd due to Hamzah)
مد بسبب السكون (Madd due to Sukoon)
المدود الفرعي (The Secondary Madd – subtypes): includes four groups within المد بسبب الهمز and المد بسبب السكون, plus the مد الصلة الكبرى (the greater connecting mednd) and المد اللين (the leen). The secondary madd is longer than the natural madd due to hamzah or sukoon effects, and the reading tradition (Hafs ‘an ‘Aasim via Shatibiyyah) influences exact counts.
Sub-divisions of المد بسبب الهمز (madd due to hamzah): four states for the hamzah following the madd letter:
1) What is observed when continuing and stopping (both): مد البدل (exchange madd).
2) Observed when continuing but not when stopping.
3) Observed when stopping but not when continuing.
4) Observed only at the beginning of the word (when starting with that word).Sub-divisions of المد بسبب السكون (madd due to sukoon):
مد العارض للسكون (the presented sukoon): lengthens 2, 4, or 6 counts depending on the following context.
مد اللين (the leen): lengthens 2, 4, or 6 counts; stronger or weaker depending on context; followers of the leen medd determine order.
المد اللازم (the compulsory madd): contains two main subdivisions:
المد اللازم الكلمي (in a word) – with four subdivisions: heavy vs light (مثقل vs مخفف) depending on whether the following letter is merged with the next or not; 6 counts in most cases.
المد اللازم الحرفي (in a letter) – letters that begin some surahs; these can be further split into مثقل (heavy) vs مخفف (light).
أقوى السببين (Rule of the Stronger of the Two Causes): If two reasons for lengthening are present in one medd, the stronger governs; the weaker is dropped. Examples illustrate jammed hamzah preceding medd or hamzah after the medd.
Examples and verses illustrate practical Madd rules in various Qur’anic phrases and verses (e.g., Surah An-Nisa, Surah Al-Baqarah, Surah Yunus, etc.).
Chapter Eight: How Letters Are Formed (كيفية حدوث الحروف)
Big picture: The Qur’an consists of 114 surah; each surah has ayat; each ayah has words; each word has letters; letters are formed and pronounced according to their articulation points and characteristics.
Three modes of letter production:
Non-voweled letters (letters with no vowels) are produced by collision of articulation parts; no mouth/jaw movement is required in many cases, except for medd and leen letters and qalqalah letters.
Voweled letters are produced by three steps:
The sound arises from the vibration of the vocal cords when sounding certain letters; but medd/leen involve additional articulation.
The separation of articulation parts when pronouncing vowels is accompanied by mouth/jaw movements: الفتحة (opening of the mouth), الضمة (circling of the lips), and الكسرة (lowering of the jaw).
The lengthened vowels require the mouth to open wider for madd letters and to circle the lips for certain vowels.
Common mistakes and emphasis:
The importance of pronouncing vowels correctly and avoiding placing vowels on saakin letters.
The need to coordinate Arabic articulation with correct mouth and jaw actions to avoid mispronunciations that alter meaning.
Practical takeaway:
A detailed phonetic understanding supports all 29 Arabic letters; accurate articulation improves overall tajweed quality.
Chapter Nine: The Qalqalah Mechanism (القلقلة)
Qalqalah definition: A shaking or disturbance of certain letters when they are saakinah (no vowel) and produced by releasing a strong echo when the two articulation points separate (not by collision).
The five qalqalah letters: ق، ط، ب، ج، د (the standard set).
Three states for qalqalah letters:
متحركة (voiced with vowel): the letter is spoken with a ghunnah or vocalic movement according to context.
ساكنة غير مُدْغِمة (saakinah non-merged): the qalqalah occurs when the letter is saakinah but not merged; there is a visible ringing if pronounced.
ساكنة مُدْغِمة (saakinah merged): when the saakinah is merged with the following letter due to the rules of إدغام, the qalqalah may still be present in the pronounciation depending on the context.
The Lesser vs Greater Qalqalah:
القلقلة الصغرى (Lesser Qalqalah): occurs when the saakinah qalqalah letter is at the end of a word and the reciter is not stopping on that word; the qalqalah rings into the next letter or word.
القلقلة الكبرى (Greater Qalqalah): occurs when the word ends with a qalqalah letter and the reciter stops on that word; there is a stronger ring or echo.
Practical notes and examples: The text provides charts comparing qalqalah letters across states (voiced, saakinah, merged) and explains how qatqa (the echo) changes with the presence or absence of vowels.
A Few Additional Notes on Qur’anic Markings (From Pages 15–16)
Four primary markings discussed:
The round zero (°): a symbol placed over certain letters (e.g., alif, waw, ya’) indicating the letter is not pronounced regardless of stopping or continuing.
The standing oblong zero (the long, rectangular mark): used on final alifs when the next word starts with a vowel; the alif is pronounced when stopping but not when continuing.
The sukoon (the head of the letter without its dot): indicates a lack of vowel on a letter; the sound is pronounced clearly when stopping and not pronounced when continuing in certain contexts.
Small alifs (dagger alifs) inside words: used in Qur’anic writing; the small alif is not pronounced, but can alter the elision of vowels in certain contexts.
Applications: These markings guide reciters to apply tajweed rules correctly during recitation and in the process of connecting to the next word.
Summary of Practical Takeaways
Tajweed is the science of correct pronunciation of Qur’an, preserving articulation points and letter characteristics.
The main callouts of tajweed cover: manners (heart and outward), basmalah handling, prostration of tilawah, seeking refuge, and different recitation levels.
The eight major structural topics (letters, makhārij, noon/ghunnah/madd, lam, meem, and qalqalah) provide a framework for correct recitation.
The system of madd (mudood) covers a spectrum of lengthening forms (2, 4, 6 counts) with numerous subtypes depending on hamzah and sukoon interactions; the rule of the stronger cause guides which form to apply when two possibilities exist.
The Noon and Meem rules (sakinah and tanween) govern how to pronounce noon and meem when followed by specific letters, including الإظهار, الإدغام (with ghunnah and without ghunnah), الإقلاب, and الإخفاء.
The Lam rules center on whether the lam in the definite article interacts with following sun/moon letters and the possibility of إدغام or إظهار.
Qalqalah provides a marked ringing for certain letters when saakinah, with a distinction between lesser and greater qalqalah depending on whether one stops on the word.
The chapter-specific examples and verses illustrate how these rules play out in practice across Qur’an verses (examples included in the text).
Key Formulas and Notation (LaTeX)
Lengthening counts in Madd: the natural lengthening is two counts: counts.
Longer medds: 4, 5 counts; sometimes 6 counts depending on hamzah and sukoon interactions: or more specifics like counts depending on the type.
The four basic tajweed rules for noon sakinah and tanween: .
Qalqalah letters set: $$ ext{Qalqalah} = \