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ART OF RECITING
With
Imam Wisam Sharieff
• Recitation, or reading with the rules of Tajweed, is reading the Quran in the way it was
revealed to the Prophet (s)
• An important component of implementing the rules of recitation is the correct
pronunciation of each letter sound
• Applying the rules of recitation brings consistency in your pronunciation and sound
PREREQUISITES
COURSE MATERIALS
COURSE OBJECTIVES
• Pronounce all the Quranic Arabic letters sounds from their correct places of
pronunciation
• Apply all the accent marks correctly
• Gain speed and fluency in reading with correct pronunciation
ر ذ د خ ح ج ث ت ب ا
Awesome Letters
These seven letters are always Awesome (or heavy):
خ غ ق ص ض ط ظ
Happy Letters
All the remaining letters are Happy (or light).
Exceptions
These two letters are exceptions because they are sometimes Awesome and sometimes Happy:
لand ر
ََ
Where a letter lives, or its address, is called �ارِج
The places of pronunciation for all 29 letters fit between the first part of the throat and the
nasal cavity.
HERE
AND HERE
3rd
Closest to your mouth غ خ
2nd
Middle ع ح
1st
Bottom, closest to the chest cavity ا ء ه
• For example, it is a common mistake for people to allow their lips to touch when saying:
صضط
The tip of the tongue (labeled 1), placed behind the top two teeth: تد
2nd part of the tongue, behind the top two teeth: ط
The tip of the tongue, at the edge of the top teeth: ثذ
Bring the top and bottom teeth together, and tongue vibrates behind bottom teeth: ز
The tip of the tongue, behind the bottom teeth: س
2nd part of the tongue, behind the bottom teeth (be sure your tongue is not bending): ص
Dawd
3rd part of the tongue against right or left top molar without moving the tip of the tongue: ض
َّ َ َّ َّ ُ ْ َ
ِ�يل ٱ
ِ ِ ب س ِ�ِين ٱ
ِ د ِ�� ٱ ن
َّ َّ َ
َ�ٱ َ ُ ْ َّ ُ َ
ُوق َدة َّ َ َ ْ َ
بِأن نار ٱ�ِ ٱلم ِ�ت ٱ �ر
َْ َ َ ْ َر
ُ
رِزقه ۥ ف ِْر َع ْون � ُت ُه ۥ
ً ْ ُ َٰ َ ْ ُ ْ َ َ ُ َْْ
ت عرفا ِ �وٱلمرس بِ�ٰ ِد ٍر ٱ�رض
Transitions is moving from one place of pronunciation to another, or from the address of one
letter to the address of another letter. Transitions can be from Awesome to Happy, and from
Happy to Awesome.
Practice moving from Awesome to Happy, and from Happy to Awesome, with the following
sounds:
َاَر َ َ ْ ْ َ َ
لض َ�غ اخ َ� َط ن ْص
َ َط َ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َقُو
ب غش ظف ضل خ َم
َ َ ْ َن َ َْ ََخلَق َ ََ
َط َب ٍق َ� ْطش � َة أرض وقال
Note: the Basic Accent sounds also can be part of the Double Accents:◌ً ◌ٍ ◌ٌ
Pronounce the vowel portion of the sound clearly and fully before adding the “N” ending.
Read the following words, enunciating each Accent fully and clearly. Remember to also apply
what you know about Awesome and Happy letters.
َ ُ
ق ِرئ
َ َ
اذِن
ُ
خل ِ َق َ�َ َو ََر َ�ع ََذ َكر
ع َِن ًبا
ًُ ُ
صحفا َو َس ًطا ًُك ُفوا َ ِ َخ
�
َ ُ
قتِل
َم َس ٍد ُ ُ
� ٌر َط َب ٍق
َ
� َم ٍد ٌا َ َحد ًاَبَدا
ُ
َجا �ِ قوا
ُ
َرا وِى غو
ٰ ُ
ا ا ِى او
َ
ضا ِي ُوو
When a Fat-hah ◌َ is followed by يwith a Sukoon ◌ْ it will sound similar to the name of the
letter “A”.
(Remember to follow the rules of Awesome and Happy in combination with this rule.)
ْ�َ َْ
� ْ�َ ْاَى ْ�َ ْ�َ
When a Fat-hah ◌َ is followed by وwith Sukoon ◌ْ the sound goes around the world. It will
sound similar to the name of the letter “O”.
(Remember to follow the rules of Awesome and Happy in combination with this rule.)
The rules of elongation help us understand how long to stretch a complete sound as well as
how much not to stretch.
1. North to South
OR
2. East to West
North to South
ٰ
ى ٰلَـ ٰو َع ٰـ
ُوۥ ُ
ـهۥ ۧيِٮـ ـهِۦ
ُ َ َ َ ٰ ٰ ُم ْو
د ُاوۥد نب ِ ّيِــ َۧن ذل ِك �
َ�آ ٓ �� َﻚ َدآٓﺑ � ٍﺔ �أ ْوﻟَ �ـ ٓ ِﺌ َﻚ اﻟﺴ َﻤآ ٓ ِء
� َو
ٓع ٓس ٓق ٓ ٓك
ٓهيعص ٓ
حم
ٓ
ق
Miracle Letters
ٓ
● An East to West on a Miracle letter will be stretched for approximately 6 counts: ق
ٱ
The Fish Head Accent is found in any Uthmani script Mus-haf and it is called the Head of ص
• It does look like a fish head!
• ا
When you see this symbol on Alif you do not pronounce the letter, which means that
ا
you cancel the letter Alif .
• The exception to this rule is if you are starting with a word that has a Fish Head Accent
ٱ. For example, you are starting the verse on this kind of word.
Practice reading the following phrases with the Fish Head Accent on Alif ٱand notice how the
letter is canceled:
َ َۡ ّ َ ۡ ۡ ّ َ ّ ب َر
ب ٱلفل ِق
ِ بِر اس َ َ
ِ � ٱلوسو ِ ِ َّ�ب ٱ
اس ِ ِ
َ َج َّ َّ
آء إ ِن َجآن
Here you are stretching the Here you are holding the Stretch the َجcount for 6
complete sound of the َجlike sound of the نlike pressing seconds on your fingers for the
complete sound.
counting seconds with your your fingers together before
fingers. completing the word. Without breaking your breath,
These are the signs for stopping that you will see in your Mus-haf. Different scripts of the Quran
will have some signs that are slightly different.
ۛ�ۛ�
If you stop on one, don’t stop on the other.
ۙ�
Don’t stop.
ۘ�
Must stop.
ۗ�
Better to stop but joining is acceptable.
ۖ�
ۚ�
Stopping and joining are equal.
BASIC ACCENTS: ◌َ ◌ِ ◌ُ
Each of the Basic Accents is stretched for 1 count which is equivalent to one second.
ُ َ ُ َ
ت ت
ِ ت ُب ب
ِ َب ا ِا ا
ُ َ
ُح ِح َح ُج ِج َج ث ث
ِ ث
ُ َ ُ َ ُ َ
ذ ِذ ذ د ِد د خ ِخ خ
ٌ ً ٌ ً
ل ٍل � ن ٍن نا ٌر ٍر
ً ٌ ً
ٍش شا ٌى ٍى يًا ض ٍض ضا
ً ً ٌ
قا ٌك ٍك � ٌج ٍج ًجا ش
ٌ ً ٌ ً ٌ
غ ٍغ � خ ٍخ خا ق ٍق
ً ٌ
ٍه ها ع ٍع �ً ٌح ٍح ًحا
ُ ُ ََْ
ْ�م َ ُُْ َ َُ�ۡ َعلْه
أمثال ت�فرون
ُ ْ ُ َّ ْ َ
من �قول م َِّما
The نwill get cancelled in this case because Take the complete sound of مwith the ◌ِ
the Connect and Hold Accent (Shaddah) is
(Kasrah).
stronger than the Connect Accent (Sukoon).