Tajweed rules chart

1. Noon sakinah (نْ) and tanween (ـًـٍـٌ)

Look at the letter AFTER the noon or tanween.

• Izhar — clearمَنْ آمَنَ

  ء ه ع ح غ خ

  Say the noon clearly, no extra nasal sound

• Idgham with ghunnah — mergeمَن يَقُولُ

  ي ن م و

  Merge into the next letter, hum for 2 counts

• Idgham without ghunnah — mergeمِّن رَّبِّهِمْ

  ل ر

  Merge fully, no humming

• Iqlab — changeمِنۢ بَعْدِ

  ب

  Change to a hidden meem, hum for 2 counts

• Ikhfa — hideمِن قَبْلِ

  ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك

  Partly hide the noon, hum for 2 counts

2. Meem sakinah (مْ)

• Ikhfa shafawi — hideتَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍ

  ب

  Lips lightly closed, hum for 2 counts

• Idgham shafawi — mergeلَهُم مَّا

  م

  Merge the two meems, hum for 2 counts

• Izhar shafawi — clearلَمْ يَلِدْ

  All other letters

  Say the meem clearly — take care before و and ف

3. Ghunnah and qalqalah

• Ghunnah — nasal soundإِنَّ — ثُمَّ

  نّ مّ

  Noon or meem with shaddah: hum for 2 counts

• Qalqalah — bounceلَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ

  ق ط ب ج د

  With sukoon: a light bounce; stronger when you stop

4. Madd — lengthening (in Hafs)

1 count ≈ the time to fold one finger.

• Natural madd (tabi‘i)قَالَ

  ا و ي

  2 counts

• Connected madd (muttasil)جَاءَ

  Madd + hamza in the same word

  4 or 5 counts

• Separated madd (munfasil)بِمَا أُنزِلَ

  Madd + hamza in the next word

  4 or 5 counts

• Necessary madd (lazim)الضَّالِّينَ

  Madd + shaddah or fixed sukoon

  6 counts

• Madd when stopping (‘arid)الْعَالَمِينَ

  Madd before the last letter, when you stop

  2, 4 or 6 counts

• Madd badalآمَنُوا

  Hamza, then a madd letter

  2 counts

5. The lam of “al” (ال)

• Moon letters — lam is heardالْقَمَرِ

  ا ب غ ح ج ك و خ ف ع ق ي م ه

  Say the lam with sukoon

• Sun letters — lam is silentالشَّمْسِ

  ت ث د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ل ن

  Skip the lam, double the next letter

6. Heavy and light letters

• Always heavyقَالَ — صِرَاطَ

  خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ

  Back of the tongue raised, full sound

• Lam of Allahقَالَ اللَّهُ — بِسْمِ اللَّهِ

  اللَّه

  Heavy after fatha or damma; light after kasra

• Raرَبِّ — رِجَالٌ

  ر

  Heavy with fatha or damma; light with kasra

7. Stopping on a word

• Tanween fathaعَلِيمًا ← عَلِيمَا

  ـًا

  Becomes a long a (2 counts)

• Other vowels and tanweenالرَّحِيمِ ← الرَّحِيمْ

  ـَ ـِ ـُ ـٍ ـٌ

  Stop with a sukoon

• Ta marbutahرَحْمَةٌ ← رَحْمَهْ

  ة

  Read as h when you stop