Nun Sakin and Tanwin
Types of Letters
Elongations
Misc.
100

Give any 5 letters that apply to Ikhfā.

The letters of Ikhfā’ (الإخفاء) are 15 in total:

ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك

100

How many Arabic letters are considered heavy (mufakhkham) in all cases? List them.

What are 7 letters? (خ، ص، ض، غ، ط، ق، ظ)

100

How do you identify Madd Munfasil? How long is it? Is it optional or obligatory?

Occurs when Madd letters (ا، و، ي) are at the end of one word, and the Hamzah (ء) appears at the beginning of the next word. 5 Harakaat long. Optional.

100

What rule is being applied here? Indicate the letters that justify the rule being applied.

'لَهُمْ مَّغْفِرَةٌ 

Idghām Mīm Sākin 

There is a Mīm Sākin followed by a Mīm.

200

How many letters belong to the rule of Ith-hār? What are they? What is the nickname given to these letters? Why does it have the nickname?

What are six letters? ("ء، ه، ع، ح، غ، خ") 

The Throat Letters because all these letters originate from the throat.

200

Is Laam generally heavy or light? In which condition does Laam become a special letter.

Laam is typically pronounced lightly. However, in the word Allah (Lafẓ al-Jalālah), it becomes a special letter where it can be light or heavy, depending on the circumstances.

 

200

قَالُوا إِنَّا 

 What type of madd is shown here and give a quick justification

Madd Munfasil - because harf a madd, which is Waw, is followed by a Hamza, but in the next word separately.

200

In waqf, you have 3 dots that appear in a triangular form. What is the rule when you come across this? Give an example and demonstrate.

The reciter must stop at one of the two marked places but not both. The reciter should not skip through them.

ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًۭى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ

300

What is the difference between Idghām with Ghunnah and Idghām without Ghunnah in terms of pronunciation? Give the letters and an example of each.

Idghām with Ghunnah (ي، ن، م، و) merges the sound with nasalization, while Idghām without Ghunnah (ل، ر) merges without nasalization.

Ex: مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ 

Ex: عَذَابٌ وَاصِبٌ 

300

What is the specific Tajweed rule applied when the letter 'Ra' appears after a Kasrah but before a heavy letter? Give an example.

What is Tafkhīm or heavy? 

Ex: مِرْصَاد 

Ex: قِرْطَاسٍ 

300

How do you identify Madd Muttasil? How long is it? Is it optional or obligatory? Give an example.

Occurs when Madd letters (ا، و، ي) are directly followed by a Hamzah (ء) in the same word. 5 Harakaat long. Obligatory.

Ex: جَاءَ

300

How does a Saktah differ from a normal stop (Waqf)? Give an example and demonstrate.

In Saktah, there is a slight break in sound without taking a breath, while in Waqf, the reciter stops completely and may take a breath before continuing.

Ex: مَنْ ۜ رَاقٍ  

400

What are the English meanings of Ikhfā’, Iḍhār, Iqlāb, and Idghām, and how do their names relate to their application in Tajweed?

  • Ikhfā’ (إخفاء) means "concealment" – The sound of نْ (Noon Sakin) or Tanween is partially hidden and blended into the next letter with a light nasal sound.
  • Iḍhār (إظهار) means "clarity" or "manifestation" – The نْ or Tanween is pronounced clearly without merging or nasalization.
  • Iqlāb (إقلاب) means "conversion" or "changing" – The نْ or Tanween is changed into a م (Meem) sound when followed by ب (Ba), with nasalization.
  • Idghām (إدغام) means "merging" – The نْ or Tanween is completely merged into the next letter, either with Ghunnah (nasal sound) or without it, depending on the letter.
400

This is at the end of a verse. Is the Ra heavy or light? Why? Explain in detail. This is a 400 level question.

إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ فِى لَيْلَةِ ٱلْقَدْرِ ١

The Ra is heavy. The kesrah under the Ra is not considered because we are stopping at the letter. Therefore, Ra has a sakin on it. To determine if it's heavy or light, the preceding letters have to be considered. It's heavy because Qaf has a fatha.

400

How do you identify Madd Lazim Kalimi Muthaqqal? How long is it? Is it optional or obligatory? What does Muthaqqal mean and why is it called that? Give an example.

Occurs when a Madd letter (ا، و، ي) is followed by a sukoon in Shaddah form in the same word. 6 Harakaat. Obligatory. Muthaqqal means heavy. It's called Muthaqqal because it has a Shaddah.

الصَّاخَّةُ

400

What are the letters of Qalqalah and when do they exhibit its effect? Discuss the ways these letters can exhibit sukoon.

Qalqalah happens when one of these letters has a Sukoon, whether naturally or due to stopping forcefully.

ق، ط، ب، ج، د 


500

Why is it called Nun Sakin AND Tanwin? How is a نْ and  ً  ٌ ٍ related? 

 

Nun Sakin and Tanwin both exhibit the "N" sound at the end of their pronounciation, such as "an", "in", "un". That's why they're categorized together for the same rules, because they have the same sound. For their connection with the letter after it, they follow the same considerations.

500

What are the three exceptions to the rules of Ra, and what are their examples? Explain the determining factor behind each exception. In other words, explain why the letter is an exception.

  • Irḥamū (اِرْحَمُوا) – The Ra (ر) is pronounced heavy (Tafkhīm) even though it is preceded by a Kasrah.

    • Determining Factor: The Kasrah is not permanent because the Alif (Hamzah al-Wasl) at the beginning is temporary.
  • Rabbirḥamhumā (رَبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا) – The Ra (ر) in ارحم is pronounced heavy (Tafkhīm) despite following a Kasrah.

    • Determining Factor: The Hamzah al-Wasl (ا) is temporary.
  • Mirṣād (مِرْصَاد) – The Ra (ر) is pronounced heavy (Tafkhīm) even though it follows a Kasrah.

    • Determining Factor: The Ra is followed by a heavy letter (Ṣād - ص), which causes it to be pronounced heavy instead of light.
500

Ḥurūf Muqaṭṭaʿāt, how do you say طسم, do you say each letter separately or connect them? If you're connecting, what rules are implemented during the connection?

Ta is separate. Seen and Meem are connected through idgham, because Seen has a nun sakin at the end and is followed by Meem. Ta is 1 harakah long. Seen and Meem are 6 harakaat long.

500

What happens to a Qalqalah letter when it has a Shaddah on it? Compare it to a qalqalah letter without a Shaddah. Give an example of each to demonstrate the difference.

The Qalqalah effect of bouncing/echoing is stronger with the shaddah.

Ex: وَتَبَّ vs كَسَبَ