Tajweed Tuesday – The Hidden Sound of Ikhfa!

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh!

Welcome back to Be Quranic—it’s Tajweed Tuesday! This week, we’re diving into Ikhfa, one of the biggest Tajweed rules. We’ll also break down the ayat of the week, which is Surah Ar-Rahman, verses 46 to 55. If you missed the recitation, check out Sunday’s post!

Quick Recap of Past Lessons

Before we get into this week’s new rule, let’s go over what we’ve learned so far:

• Tajweed is about perfecting our recitation by understanding letter rules and stopping points.

• Types of errors:

• Major (Lahan Jali) – changes meaning (serious issue!).

• Minor (Lahan Khafi) – affects beauty but not meaning.

• Mad Asli (natural elongation) – Stretching vowels correctly (Alif, Waw, Ya).

• Wajibul Ghunnah – The nasal sound in Nun and Mim Shaddah.

• Nun Sakin & Tanwin rules:

• Idhar (clear pronunciation) – When Nun meets throat letters.

• Idgham (full merging) – When Nun disappears into Yarmaloon letters.

• Iqlab (switching sound to Meem) – When Nun Sakin meets Ba.

New This Week: Ikhfa – The Half-Merger

This week, we focus on Ikhfa, which literally means “hiding.” It happens when a Nun Sakin or Tanwin meets one of 14 specific letters (not Idgham, not Iqlab, not Idhar).

How do you read Ikhfa? Instead of a full merger (where the Nun disappears), you blend the Nun sound into the next letter while shaping your mouth for that letter.

Example:

• Ikhfa with Fa → Nuhasuffala (your mouth is shaped for “Fa,” but the Nun sound is still present).

• Ikhfa with Ta → Tantasiran (your tongue is positioned for “Ta,” but the Nun sound is hidden).

• Ikhfa with Sheen → In sha Allah (the Nun sound is softly blended).

It’s not a full Idgham (merger), but not a clear Idhar either—it’s the in-between!

Tajweed Breakdown of the Ayat

As we recited Surah Ar-Rahman (46–55), we spotted:

✅ Ikhfa in action – Nun Sakin blending into letters like Fa, Kaf, Zay, Ta, Sheen.

✅ Idhar (clear pronunciation) – When Nun meets a throat letter (e.g., Min Istabraq).

✅ Madd rules – Stretching for four harakats where marked.

✅ Iqlaab – Small Meem above a Nun Sakin, meaning it turns into a Meem sound.

✅ Qalqalah (bouncy letters) – The usual suspects: ق ط ب ج د.

Final Thoughts & What’s Next?

We’ve now covered all four of the Nun Sakin & Tanwin rules! 🎉

• Idhar (clear)

• Idgham (merging)

• Iqlab (switching)

• Ikhfa (hiding)

Next, we’ll start diving deeper more advanced Tajweed concepts.

Final Reminder: Keep practicing, especially in Ramadan, the best time to strengthen our Quran recitation. See you on Tafsir Thursday inshaAllah!

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh!

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