Learn about the most basic Tajweed rules you need to know to perfect your recitation of the Holy Quran, with this very beginner-friendly explanation of the rules.

2. H U R O O F M A D D
• Three letters
• ‫ا‬
‫ي‬
‫و‬
• Alif Madd: has a Fathah/ Zabar
before it
• Ya Madd: has a Kasrah/ Zair
before it
• Wow Madd: has a Dammah/
Paish before it
• Huroof Madd will be elongated to
TWO HARAKATH/COUNTS

3. H U R O O F M A D D E X A M P L E S :

4. Huroof
Leen
Two letters
‫ي‬
‫و‬
Both letters have a fatha/zabar
before it

5. H U R O O F L E E N E X A M P L E S

6. Heavy Letters
‫خ‬
‫ص‬
‫ض‬
‫غ‬
‫ط‬
‫ق‬
‫ظ‬ ْ
‫ص‬ُ‫خ‬
ْ
‫َط‬‫غ‬َ‫ض‬
ْ
‫ظ‬ِ‫ق‬

7. Qalqalah
• Five letters
• ‫ق‬
‫ط‬
‫ب‬
‫ج‬
‫د‬
• ُْ‫ب‬ُ‫ط‬ُ‫ق‬
ْ
‫د‬َ‫ج‬
• When any of the these five letters
has a sukoon, they will be read with
a bouncing sound.

8. Q A L Q A L A H E X A M P L E S

9. Ghunnah
If Noon or Meem have a shaddah on
them, we will read them with Ghunnah

10. G H U N N A H E X A M P L E S

11. Rules of
Noon
Sakin or
Tanween
(Any letter that has a sukoon on it
is called sakin. Eg: ْ
‫ب‬: Ba sakin; ْ
‫ن‬
: Noon sakin)
Tanween: ْ
ً
ْ
ً
ْ
ً
Four rules: Idhaar, Idghaam, Iqlab,
Ikhfa

12. Idhaar:
Meaning: to show
Six letters
‫ء‬
‫ه‬
‫ع‬
‫ح‬
‫غ‬
‫خ‬
If any of these letters follows a Noon sakin or
Tanween, we will read it by clearly by expressing
the sound of the Noon WITHOUT GHUNNAH

13. I D H A A R E X A M P L E S

14. Idghaam
• Meaning: to join
• ‫ي‬
‫ر‬
‫م‬
‫ل‬
‫و‬
‫ن‬
• (‫ن‬‫و‬ُ‫ل‬َ‫م‬‫ر‬َ‫ي‬)
Two types of Idghaam based on Ghunnah:
• Idghaam with Ghunnah
• Idghaam without Ghunnah
Two types of Idghaam based on joining:
• Complete Idghaam
• Incomplete Idghaam

15. Complete
Idghaam
with
Ghunnah:
‫م‬
‫ن‬
If Noon sakin or tanween is followed by
noon or meem, these letters will be
completely merged with Noon sakin and
the sound of the noon sakin is completely
hidden.

16. Incomplete Idghaam with Ghunnah
‫ي‬
‫و‬
If noon sakin or
tanween is followed by
ya or wow, these letters
are joined with the
noon sakin only
partially.

17. Complete
Idghaam
without
Ghunnah
‫ل‬
‫ر‬
If noom sakin or tanween is followed
by ra or laam, these letters will be
completely merged with the noon
sakin and read without Ghunnah

18. I D G H A A M W I T H G H U N N A H

19. I D G H A A M W I T H G H U N N A H

20. I D G H A A M W I T H O U T G H U N N A H

21. I D G H A A M W I T H O U T G H U N N A H

22. Iqlab:
Meaning: to change
One letter
‫ب‬
If noon sakin or tanween is followed by ba, the
sound of noon will be changed to meem and
read with Ghunnah

23. I Q L A B E X A M P L E S

24. Ikhfa:
Meaning: to hide
15 letters
‫ت‬
‫ث‬
‫ج‬
‫د‬
‫ذ‬
‫ز‬
‫س‬
‫ش‬
‫ص‬
‫ض‬
‫ط‬
‫ظ‬
‫ف‬
‫ق‬
‫ك‬
If noon sakin or tanween is followed by
any of these letters, it will be read with a
Ghunnah by hiding the sound of the Noon.

25. I K H F A E X A M P L E S

26. Rules
of
Meem
Sakin:
1. Ikhfa Shafawi
2. Idghaam Al-Mithlayn
3. Idhaar Shafawi

27. Ikhfa
Shafawi:
One letter
‫ب‬
If meem sakin is followed by ba, it
will be read with ghunnah, by
hiding the sound of the meem

28. E X A M P L E S :

29. Idghaam Al-Mithlayn:
• One letter
•‫م‬
• If meem sakin is followed by a
meem, it will be merged with the
meem sakin and read with Ghunnah

30. E X A M P L E S

31. Idhaar
Shafawi
If meem sakin is followed by any
letters except ‫ب‬or ‫م‬, it will be read
without Ghunnah

32. Madd
Madd due to Hamza
Madd due to Sukoon

33. Madd due to Hamza
Madd Wajib
Mutassal
Madd Jaiz
Munfassal

34. Madd
Wajib
Mutassal
Huroof Madd is followed by a
Hamza in the same word
Continuous Recitation: 4/5
harakath
Stopping on it: 6 harakath

35. M A D D W A J I B M U TA S S A L :

36. Madd Jaiz
Munfassal
• Huroof Madd is followed by a
Hamza in the next word
• Continuous recitation: 4/5
harakath
• Stopping on it: 2 harakath

37. E X A M P L E S :

38. M A D D J A I Z M U N F A S S A L E X A M P L E S :

39. Madd due to sukoon:
Madd Lazim
If Huroof Madd is followed
by a Shaddah, it will be
elongated to six harakath

40. E X A M P L E S :

41. Tafkheem
and
Tarqeeq
The seven letters ( ‫خ‬
‫ص‬
‫ض‬
‫غ‬
‫ط‬
‫ق‬
‫ظ‬ )
are always heavy irrespective of the
harakah (zabar/zair/paish) on them.
But, three letters will heavy or light
sometimes depending on the
Harakah on or before it
‫ا‬, ‫ر‬and the ‫ل‬of Allah

42. Alif Maddiyah
If Alif Madd follows a heavy letter, it
will be read with Tafkheem (heavy)
and if it follows a light letter, it will also
be read with Tarqeeq (light).

43. E X A M P L E S :
The Alif is heavy:
The Alif is light:

44. Laam
of Allah
• If the Laam of Allah follows a
Fathah/ Zabar or Dammah/ Paish,
it will be heavy
• If the Laam of Allah follows a
Kasrah/ Zair, it will be light

45. E X A M P L E S :
The laam is heavy:
The laam is light:

46. Rules of Ra:
Ra is heavy (tafkheem) when:
1. If Ra has a Fathah/ Zabar or Dammah/
Paish on it, it will be heavy
2. If Ra sakin has a Fathah/ Zabar or
Dammah/ Paish before it, it will be heavy
3. If Ra is Sakin and the letter before it has a
sukoon, and the letter before it has a
Fathah/ Zabar or Dammah/ Paish

47. R A I S H E AV Y :
1. Ra has a Fathah/ Zabar or Dammah/ Paish:
2. Ra sakin has a Fathah/ Zabar or Dammah/ Paish before it
3. (Rule applies only when stopping on the Ra)

48. Rules of Ra:
Ra is light (tarqeeq) when:
1. If Ra has a Kasrah/ Zair below it, it will
be light
2. If Ra sakin has a Kasrah/ Zair before it,
it will be light
3. If Ra is Sakin and the letter before it
has a sukoon, and the letter before it
has a Kasrah/ Zair

49. R A I S L I G H T:
3. (Rule applies only when stopping on the Ra)
1. Ra has a Kasrah/ Zair:
2. Ra sakin has a Kasrah/ Zair before it:

50. E X C E P T I O N S F O R T H E R U L E O F R A :
If the Ra is sakin, and before it is a Kasrah/ Zair, and after the Ra is a heavy letter
that has a FATHAH/ ZABAR, then the Ra will be heavy. This appears in only five
places in the Qur’an: