Tajweed Rules

When you see a shaddah (gemination mark) on a meem (م) or a noon (ن).

Close your lips for meem or rest your tongue tip on the upper gum for noon, then hold the nasal hum for two counts before moving on.

When alif (ا) follows a fatha, waw (و) follows a damma, or ya (ي) follows a kasra — without any other tajweed rule overriding it.

Hold the vowel for exactly two counts (about half a second). Not longer, not shorter.

Long vowel directly followed by hamza in the same word.

Hold the long vowel for 4–5 counts before pronouncing the hamza. Practise with a metronome to feel the difference from natural madd.

Long vowel at end of one word, hamza at start of the next word.

Most reciters in the Hafs reading hold for 4–5 counts. Choose one length and stay consistent throughout your recitation.

On the letters ق، ط، ب، ج، د when they have sukoon — either in the middle of a word or at the end of an ayah.

Stronger at the end of an ayah (Qalqalah Kubra), softer in the middle of a word (Qalqalah Sughra). The sound is a clean rebound, not a vowel.

When a noon sakinah (ن with sukoon) or tanween is followed by one of 15 specific letters: ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك.

The tongue does not actually touch the upper gum; instead, it hovers near the next letter's articulation point with a nasal hum, then transitions smoothly into the next letter.

When noon sakinah / tanween is followed by one of 6 letters: ي ر م ل و ن (with ghunnah for ي م و ن; without ghunnah for ل ر).

Pronounce the next letter with a shaddah on it, holding the nasal hum (where applicable) for two counts.

When noon sakinah / tanween is followed by ba.

The noon becomes a meem with ghunnah (held for two counts), then flows into the ba.

When noon sakinah / tanween is followed by one of the 6 throat letters: ء ه ع ح غ خ.

Pronounce the noon clearly and crisply, then move directly to the next letter.

Sun letters (silent lam, doubling): ت ث د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ل ن. Moon letters (clear lam): ا ب ج ح خ ع غ ف ق ك م ه و ي.

Sun: 'al-shams' becomes 'ash-shams' (the lam disappears into the next letter, which gets a shaddah). Moon: 'al-qamar' stays 'al-qamar' (the lam is pronounced clearly).

On verbs in the imperative form ('iqra' — recite), on the definite article 'al-', and on a few specific words (ابن، اسم، امرأة، اثنان، اثنتان، and the word 'allah' itself when joined).

When STARTING fresh, pronounce the hamza with a vowel (usually fatha or kasra). When JOINING from the previous word's vowel, skip the hamza entirely and roll into the next consonant.

On waw-sakinah preceded by fatha, or ya-sakinah preceded by fatha — most prominent when stopping at the end of a word.

Hold the soft 'aw' or 'ay' sound for 2 (no stop), 4, or 6 counts depending on whether you stop on the next letter. Smooth, not harsh.

Always heavy (tafkheem): خ ص ض ط ظ غ ق. Always light: most other letters. Conditional: Lam in 'Allah' (heavy after fatha/damma; light after kasra). Ra (heavy with fatha/damma; light with kasra; mixed at end of word depending on preceding vowel).

Heavy: round the lips slightly, raise the back of the tongue, fill the mouth with sound. Light: keep the mouth flat and the tongue relaxed. The contrast is most audible on Ra and Lam — practise the Allah/Lillah pair to feel it.

Throughout the Quran, between or within verses. The Mushaf marks the most important ones — knowing them prevents accidental wrong pauses that change meaning.

Compulsory stop ﻡ (mim) — stop. Permitted stop ج (jim) — stop or continue, both fine. Continuous preferred ﺻﻠﻰ (sla) — continue if breath allows. Stop preferred ﻗﻠﻰ (qla) — stop is better. Forbidden stop ﻻ (la) — do NOT stop here unless out of breath; if you do, return back. Tied stops ∴ ∴ — stop on either, not both.