The Rules of Meem Sakinah in Tajweed (with Examples)

Once you have learned the four rules of noon sakinah, the rules of meem sakinah feel like a welcome relief. There are only three of them, they all involve the lips, and you can hear every one of them in the short surahs most of us recite every day.

This guide explains what meem sakinah is, the three rules with examples, and the one mistake almost every beginner makes.

What is meem sakinah?

Meem sakinah is the letter meem (م) carrying a sukoon — no vowel — like the meem in لَهُمْ (lahum) or أَلَمْ (alam). What happens to it depends entirely on the next letter.

Because meem is pronounced by closing the lips, all three rules are called shafawi — "of the lips". Most of them also involve ghunnah, the nasal sound.

The three rules at a glance

1. Ikhfa shafawi — before ب

When meem sakinah is followed by ba, the meem is partly hidden. Close the lips gently — without pressing them hard — and let the nasal sound (ghunnah) carry for about two counts before releasing into the ba.

Listen for it in Surah Al-Fil: tarmeehim bi-hijaaratim min sijjeel (105:4).

This rule is the "lip" counterpart of iqlab, where a noon sakinah before ba also turns into a hidden meem sound.

2. Idgham shafawi — before م

When meem sakinah is followed by another meem, the two merge into one meem with shaddah, held with ghunnah. You will hear it in Surah Quraysh: allathee at'amahum min joo' (106:4).

This is sometimes also called idgham mithlayn saghir — the merging of two identical letters.

3. Izhar shafawi — before every other letter

Before any of the remaining letters of the alphabet, the meem is pronounced clearly: close the lips, say the meem, move on — no added nasal sound. For example, alam yaj'al (105:2).

The most common mistake

The most frequent error is adding ghunnah where there should be none — turning every meem sakinah into a humming sound. Only two of the three rules (ikhfa and idgham) have ghunnah. In izhar shafawi, the meem is short and clean.

The second common error is pressing the lips together too firmly in ikhfa shafawi, which turns it into a full meem. It should feel lighter than a normal meem.

How to practise

1. Read Surah Al-Fil and Surah Quraysh slowly, and underline every meem with sukoon. Decide which rule applies before you read it.
1. Contrast the pairs: read tarmeehim bi (ikhfa) and then alam yaj'al (izhar) back to back, and feel the difference in your lips.
1. Record and compare with a slow reciter. Our guide on using recordings to improve recitation shows how.

Once meem sakinah feels natural, the next step is usually madd — lengthening. You can follow the whole sequence in our Tajweed guide.