TTSusan 9 Rules of Mim Sakina and Mim al-Jama

Definition and Characteristics of Mim Sakina

Definition of Mim Sakina: A letter Mim ( $\text{م}$ ) that is free from the three primary vowels: Fatha ( $\text{فاؤة}$ ), Kasra ( $\text{كسرة}$ ), and Dhamma ( $\text{ضمة}$ ). It is a quiescent Mim.
State of Quiescence: The Mim remains Sakina regardless of whether the recitation continues into the next word or stops on that specific word.
Nature of Writing and Pronunciation: It is consistently written and pronounced as a Sakina letter.
Similarity to Nun Sakina: The general definition of Mim Sakina is almost identical to that of Nun Sakina.
Parts of Speech: It occurs in nouns, verbs, and prepositions.
Placement within Words:
- It can be found in the middle of a word.
- It can be found at the end of a word.
- It will never be found at the beginning of a word because Arabs never begin a word with a Sakina letter.
Linguistic Status:
- Original Letter: It can be part of the root origin of a word, such as in the word " $alhamdu$ ". If the Mim were removed, the word would cease to be a valid word.
- Extra Letter: It can appear as an additional letter, specifically in the case of the plural Mim (Mim al-Jama).

Mim al-Jama (The Plural Mim)

Definition: This refers to a Mim of plurality added to the end of a word to indicate that the subject involves more than one person (masculine plural).
Classification: It is an extra Mim, not part of the word’s origin. If removed, the basic meaning of the word remains intact.
Preceding Letters (‘Hatak’): This Mim is preceded by one of the following four letters: Hamza ( $ء$ ), Ha ( $ه$ ), Ta ( $ؤ$ ), or Kaf ( $ك$ ).
Positioning:
- Typically found at the end of the word.
- It can occur in the middle of a word if a pronoun is attached to it (e.g., $anulzimukumũhā$ ).

Comparison: Mim Sakina vs. Mim al-Jama

Origin:
- Mim Sakina: Can be part of the origin of the word or an extra letter.
- Mim al-Jama: Always an extra letter.
Plurality:
- Mim Sakina: Does not necessarily indicate a plural.
- Mim al-Jama: Specifically indicates masculine plural.
Letters of Occurrence:
- Mim Sakina: Can be followed by all letters of the alphabet except for Alif ( $ا$ ). This is to prevent the meeting of two Sakinas (the Alif is always Sakina).
- Mim al-Jama: Preceded specifically by the letters in the grouping "Hatak" ( $ء, ه, ؤ, ك$ ).
Placement:
- Mim Sakina: Occurs in the middle and at the end of words.
- Mim al-Jama: Occurs at the end of words, or in the middle if followed by a pronoun.

Resolution of Meeting Two Sakinas

When a Mim Sakina is followed by another letter that also carries a Sukun, certain vowel changes are made to facilitate pronunciation, as two Sakinas cannot follow one another.

Cases for Mim Sakina

Incidental Kasra: Generally, we vowel the Mim with an incidental Kasra to avoid the meeting of two Sakinas.
- Example: $am'irtabu$ becomes $ami'irtabu$ . Here, the Hamzatul Wasl is not counted; since the Ra has a Sukun and the Mim has a Sukun, the Mim takes a Kasra.
Incidental Fatha (Surat Al-Imran): Only in the beginning of Surat Al-Imran, if one decides to continue reading from the Disconnected Letters ( $Alif Lam Mim$ ) into the name of Allah ( $Allah$ ), the Mim takes an incidental Fatha ( $Mima-llahu$ ).

Case for Mim al-Jama

Incidental Dhamma: If a Mim al-Jama is followed by a Sakina letter, it is voweled with an incidental Dhamma.
- Example: $hum + al-muflihun$ becomes $humu-l-muflihun$ .
- Identification: One knows it is Mim al-Jama because it is an extra letter, plural masculine, and preceded by one of the ‘Hatak’ letters (in this case, Ha).

The Three Rules of Mim Sakina

While Nun Sakina has four rules (Ikhfa, Idgham, Izhar, and Iqlab), Mim Sakina has only three rules. It lacks the rule of Iqlab because the Mim is already a labial letter and cannot be "flipped" into a Mim (as happens in Nun Sakina rules).

1. Ikhfa Shafawi (Oral Concealment)

Linguistic Definition: To cover, hide, or conceal.
Applied Definition: Pronouncing the Mim in a state between Izhar and Idgham, without a Shaddah, but with a complete Ghunnah (nasal sound).
Letter: The single letter Ba ( $ب$ ).
Context: It only occurs between two separate words.
Quranic Marking: There is no Sukun written above the Mim, and no Shaddah written on the following Ba.
Reason for Ikhfa: Homogeneity (Tajanus). Mim and Ba share the same articulation point (the lips) but differ in characteristics.
Difference with Iqlab: In Iqlab, the Nun is converted into a Mim. In Ikhfa Shafawi, the Mim is original.

2. Idgham Shafawi (Small Identical Idgham)

Alternative Names: Idgham Mithlayn Saghir (Small Identical Idgham).
Linguistic Definition: Merging something into something else.
Applied Definition: Merging a non-voweled Mim into a subsequent voweled Mim, so they become one Mim with a Shaddah and a most complete Ghunnah.
Letter: The single letter Mim ( $م$ ).
Quranic Marking: The first Mim has no Sukun, and the second Mim carries a Shaddah.
Context: Generally occurs between two words, except for cases in the Disconnected Letters at the start of Surahs (e.g., $Alif Lām Mĩm$ , where the Mim of "Lam" merges into the Mim of "Mim").
Nomenclature:
- Idgham: Due to the merging.
- Mithlayn (Identical): Because the two letters share the same articulation point and the same characteristics (they are the same letter).
- Saghir (Small): Because the first letter is Sakin and the second is voweled, requiring only a minor amount of work to bridge them.

3. Izhar Shafawi (Oral Clarification)

Linguistic Definition: Clear or obvious.
Applied Definition: Pronouncing a clear Mim from its articulation point without an additional Ghunnah, Shaddah, or pause.
Letters: The remaining 26 letters of the alphabet (excluding Mim and Ba).
Context: Can occur within a single word or between two words.
Special Warning (Caution with Waw and Fa): The speaker must be very careful not to hide (Ikhfa) the Mim when it is followed by the letters Fa ( $ف$ ) or Waw ( $و$ ).
- Reason for Danger: The Mim, Fa, and Waw are all articulated from the lips. Because their articulation points are so close (the same "house" but different "rooms"), the tongue or lips may rush to hide the Mim into the next letter by mistake.
Reason for Izhar: For the remaining letters, the articulation point of the Mim is far apart from them.
Nomenclature: Called "Shafawi" (Oral/Labial) because the Mim is pronounced from the lips ( $shafatayn$ in Arabic).

Articulation Points of the Lips (The Same House)

In the study of phonetics (Tajwid), the lips constitute a single "house" of articulation containing four letters:

Mim ( $م$ )
Ba ( $ب$ )
Waw ( $و$ )
Fa ( $ف$ )

Within this house, Mim, Ba, and Waw share one "room" (the same specific portion of the lips), while Fa resides in a separate "room" (the edge of the upper teeth meeting the lower lip). This proximity explains why rules like Ikhfa (with Ba) and the caution for Izhar (with Fa and Waw) exist.