Tajweed Guide

What is tajweed?

التَّجْوِيدat-tajweed means "to make something excellent"

Tajweed means "to make something excellent". It is the set of rules for reading the Qur'an the way it was revealed to the Prophet ﷺ and the way he taught his companions to recite it.

Each rule is about giving every letter its right: where it comes from in the mouth, whether it is heavy or light, and how long to hold it.

Allah tells us to recite slowly and beautifully.

Don't let it stop you

You do not need to know every rule before you start reading. Learn a little, listen a lot, and read every day.

The Prophet ﷺ said that the one who is skilled in the Qur'an will be with the noble, righteous angels, and the one who reads it and stumbles, finding it hard, gets a double reward (Sahih Muslim 798).

The best way to learn tajweed is to read to a teacher who can listen and correct you. Use this guide alongside that.

How to use the colours

Each rule in this guide has its own colour. In the examples, the words where the rule happens are coloured, so you can see it. Tap Listen to hear the full ayah recited by Sheikh al-Minshawi.

The five places

مَخَارِجُ الْحُرُوفmakhaarij al-huroof means "the exit points of the letters"

There are five main areas: the empty space of the mouth and throat, the throat, the tongue, the lips and the nose. Here they are as nine points, from the deepest part of the throat to the lips.

Heavy and light letters

التَّفْخِيمُ وَالتَّرْقِيقat-tafkheem wat-tarqeeq means "making heavy and making light"

Seven letters are always heavy (tafkheem). Say them with a full, deep mouth: خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ. They are gathered in the phrase "خُصَّ ضَغْطٍ قِظْ".

Most other letters are light (tarqeeq). Keep your mouth relaxed. Compare the heavy ص with the light س.

Idh-haar: say it clearly

الْإِظْهَارal-idh-haar means "to make clear, to show"

When noon saakinah or tanween comes before one of the six throat letters ء ه ع ح غ خ, say the noon clearly, with no humming.

Idghaam with ghunnah: merge and hum

الْإِدْغَامُ بِغُنَّةal-idghaam bi-ghunnah means "merging, with a humming sound"

Before ي ن م و (gathered in the word "يَنْمُو"), the noon merges into the next letter with a humming sound held for two counts. This only happens between two words.

Idghaam without ghunnah: merge, no hum

الْإِدْغَامُ بِلَا غُنَّةal-idghaam bilaa ghunnah means "merging, without a humming sound"

Before ل and ر, the noon disappears completely into the next letter, with no humming.

Iqlaab: change it to meem

الْإِقْلَابal-iqlaab means "to change, to turn into something else"

Before ب, the noon changes into a meem sound, said with a light humming. Look for the small meem (ـۢ) written above or below.

Ikhfaa: hide it

الْإِخْفَاءal-ikhfaa' means "to hide"

Before the other 15 letters, the noon is "hidden": not fully said and not merged. Your tongue gets ready for the next letter while you hum through the nose for two counts.

Ikhfaa shafawi: hide it on the lips

الْإِخْفَاءُ الشَّفَوِيّal-ikhfaa' ash-shafawi means "hiding, with the lips"

Before ب, close your lips lightly and hum for two counts.

Idghaam shafawi: merge into meem

الْإِدْغَامُ الشَّفَوِيّal-idghaam ash-shafawi means "merging, with the lips"

Before another م, the two meems join into one, with humming for two counts.

Idh-haar shafawi: say it clearly

الْإِظْهَارُ الشَّفَوِيّal-idh-haar ash-shafawi means "making clear, with the lips"

Before every other letter, say the meem clearly, with no humming. Take extra care before و and ف, which are also made with the lips.

Noon and meem with shaddah

الْغُنَّةal-ghunnah means "a humming sound from the nose"

Whenever ن or م has a shaddah (ـّ), hold a humming sound through the nose for two counts.

The bouncing letters

الْقَلْقَلَةal-qalqalah means "to shake, to make an echo"

The five letters ق ط ب ج د (gathered in "قُطْبُ جَدٍّ") bounce with a small echo when they have a sukoon.

The bounce is lighter in the middle of a word, and stronger when you stop on one at the end of an ayah.

How to count

الْحَرَكَةal-harakah means "one count, literally "a movement""

Madd is measured in counts (harakaat). One count is about the time it takes to bend or straighten a finger at a steady pace.

Natural madd: 2 counts

الْمَدُّ الطَّبِيعِيّal-madd aṭ-ṭabee'i means "the natural stretch"

Any long vowel, ا after a fatha, و after a damma or ي after a kasra, is held for two counts. This is the basic madd.

Connected madd: 4 or 5 counts

الْمَدُّ الْوَاجِبُ الْمُتَّصِلal-madd al-waajib al-muttasil means "the required, connected stretch"

When a long vowel is followed by a hamzah (ء) in the same word, stretch it for 4 or 5 counts. Look for the wavy madd sign (ـٓ).

Separated madd: 4 or 5 counts

الْمَدُّ الْجَائِزُ الْمُنْفَصِلal-madd al-jaa'iz al-munfasil means "the allowed, separated stretch"

When a long vowel ends one word and the next word starts with a hamzah, stretch it for 4 or 5 counts. Pick a length and keep it the same all the way through your reading.

Necessary madd: 6 counts

الْمَدُّ اللَّازِمal-madd al-laazim means "the necessary stretch"

When a long vowel is followed by a letter with a shaddah or a fixed sukoon in the same word, hold it for a full six counts. This also happens in some of the opening letters of surahs.

Madd when stopping: 2, 4 or 6 counts

الْمَدُّ الْعَارِضُ لِلسُّكُونal-madd al-'aariḍ lis-sukoon means "the stretch that comes from stopping"

When you stop on a word that has a long vowel just before its last letter, you may stretch it for 2, 4 or 6 counts. You will hear this at the end of most ayat.

Madd leen: the soft madd

مَدُّ اللِّينmadd al-leen means "the soft stretch"

A و or ي with a sukoon after a fatha, as in "aw" and "ay", can be stretched for 2, 4 or 6 counts when you stop on that word.

The sun letters: laam is silent

اللَّامُ الشَّمْسِيَّةal-laam ash-shamsiyyah means "the sun laam"

In "al-" (ٱل), the laam is silent before 14 "sun letters". You go straight to the next letter, which has a shaddah. Think of "ash-shams", the sun.

The moon letters: laam is clear

اللَّامُ الْقَمَرِيَّةal-laam al-qamariyyah means "the moon laam"

Before the other 14 "moon letters", the laam is said clearly with a sukoon. Think of "al-qamar", the moon.

The laam in the name of Allah

لَامُ لَفْظِ الْجَلَالَةlaam lafdh al-jalaalah means "the laam in the name of Majesty, Allah"

The laam in "Allah" is heavy and full after a fatha or damma, as in "qul huwa-llaah" and "naṣru-llaah".

It is light after a kasra, as in "bismi-llaah" and "lillaah".

Heavy raa

تَفْخِيمُ الرَّاءtafkheem ar-raa' means "making the raa heavy"

Raa is heavy when it has a fatha or a damma, or when it has a sukoon and the letter before it has a fatha or a damma. If the letter before is also silent, look one letter further back.

Light raa

تَرْقِيقُ الرَّاءtarqeeq ar-raa' means "making the raa light"

Raa is light when it has a kasra, or when it has a sukoon and the letter before it has a kasra.

The stopping signs

عَلَامَاتُ الْوَقْف'alaamaat al-waqf means "the signs for stopping"

• مـ You must stop here, or the meaning could change.
• لا Do not stop here.
• ج You may stop or carry on.
• صلى Better to carry on.
• قلى Better to stop.
• ـۛ ـۛ Three dots in two places: stop at one of them, not both.
• ۝ The end of an ayah. It is good to pause here.

How to stop on a word

الْوَقْفal-waqf means "stopping, pausing"

• When you stop, end the last letter with a sukoon (no vowel).
• If the word ends with ة (taa marbutah), stop with an "h" sound.
• If it ends with a double fatha (ـًا), stop with a long "aa".