Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
Welcome to BeQuranic.
Today is Tuesday, the 25th of Ramadan.
As always on Tuesdays, we’ve got Tajweed Tuesday, where we break down the Tajweed rules in the Ayat of the Week.
This week, we are covering ayahs 56 to 61 of Surah Al-Rahman.
Usually, we begin with the theory, and then apply it to the ayat.
But this week, I want to do things a little differently.
Since we’ve now completed the rules of Nun Sakin and Tanwin — which is one of the largest areas of Tajweed (aside from mudūd, or elongation) — I thought we could go straight into the application.
We’ll read the ayat, and then revisit and deep dive into the rules of Ikhfā’, particularly focusing on examples we didn’t fully cover last week.
There are subtle but important differences between types of Ikhfā’ — and these details help us beautify our recitation even more.
So, get your mushaf out.
Let’s open up and read together — Surah Al-Rahman, ayat 56 to 61:
📖 (Recitation)
فِيهِنَّ قَاصِرَاتُ الطَّرْفِ لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنسٌ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلَا جَانٌّ
فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
كَأَنَّهُنَّ الْيَاقُوتُ وَالْمَرْجَانُ
فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
هَلْ جَزَاءُ الْإِحْسَانِ إِلَّا الْإِحْسَانُ
فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
🔎 Tajweed Breakdown
🔸 فِيهِنَّ
• “فِي” is madd aṣlī – elongate 2 harakat.
• “هِنَّ” has nun mushaddadah, so it’s wājib al-ghunnah — a clear nasal sound, held for 2 harakat.
To check your ghunnah, pinch your nose while saying it — if it blocks the sound, you’re doing it right!
🔸 قَاصِرَاتُ
• Heavy letter ص: Remember, heaviness doesn’t come from puckering the lips.
It comes from lifting the back of your tongue.
Don’t say soo-raa, say ṣaa, with that elevation at the back of the tongue.
🔸 يَطْمِثْهُنَّ
• Again, we have nun mushaddadah, so wājib al-ghunnah.
• The letter ط is heavy — hold the ghunnah properly, and avoid pushing it from your lips.
🟡 Examples of Ikhfā’
Now, let’s look at some specific examples of Ikhfā’:
🔹 إِنسٌ قَبْلَهُمْ
• The nun sākinah in “insun” has no visible sukun — and the letter qāf is after it.
• Qāf is not one of the Idghām letters, so this is Ikhfā’.
• Qāf is a deep letter, pronounced from the back of the tongue, so your tongue needs to be lifted for this one.
Hold the ghunnah for 2 harakat, and prepare your mouth for the qāf sound.
“Insun qaablahum”
🔹 Compare that with a lighter Ikhfā’, like:
“Insun sāriqun” – the sīn is a light letter, so your tongue remains flat.
You see? Same rule, but different articulation depending on the following letter.
That’s why we say: there are two types of Ikhfā’ — heavy and light — based on the strength and makhraj of the next letter.
🔸 وَلَا جَانٌّ
• Madd: You see the madd sign (tilde-like wave) + shaddah, which means this is madd lāzim — held for 6 harakat.
• The nun here is mushaddadah again — so ghunnah applies too.
🔸 وَالْمَرْجَانُ
• This word has no shaddah on the nun, so no ghunnah.
• You can read the madd here with 2, 4, or 6 harakat — your choice.
But if you’re stopping on it, keep it consistent.
🔸 إِلَّا الْإِحْسَانُ
• الْإِحْسَانُ ends with a sukun — madd ‘āriḍ līssukūn — so if you’re stopping, read it with 4 harakat.
📌 Quick Recap of Key Tajweed Covered Today:
• ✅ Madd Aṣlī – elongation of 2 harakat
• ✅ Wājib al-Ghunnah – nasal sound with nun/mīm mushaddadah
• ✅ Ikhfā’ – hiding of nun sākinah or tanwīn (we saw both light and heavy)
• ✅ Madd Lāzim – 6 harakat with shaddah after madd
• ✅ Madd ‘Āriḍ līssukūn – when you stop on a word with a temporary sukun
📝 Final Notes:
These ayat are full of beauty and precision in their sound — and Tajweed helps us bring that beauty out.
Be extra careful when applying the Ikhfā’ rules — especially in distinguishing between heavy and light letters. It’s these small differences that make our recitation more melodious and more accurate.
Keep practising. Keep repeating. Listen to reciters and try to imitate their articulation.
I’ll see you this Thursday for Tafsir Thursday, inshaAllah.
Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
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