Letters Accepting Both Tafkhīm and Tarqīq

In the previous lesson, we mentioned that there are letters that may exhibit Tafkhīm (heaviness) or Tarqīq (lightness). These are: the elongated Alif (ا), the Lām in the word Allah (ٱللَّه), and the rāʼ (ر). Ghunnah is also considered among them. In this lesson, we will detail the cases of the elongated Alif and the Lām in the word Allah, while the rāʼ will be discussed in a dedicated lesson. As for the Ghunnah, its cases in Tafkhīm and Tarqīq will be addressed in the lesson on Ikhfaʼ ḥaqīqī, InshAllah. ¹

First: The Elongated Alif (Alif Maddiyyah)

The elongated Alif follows the attribute of the preceding letter with respect to Tafkhīm or Tarqīq, as follows:

A - If the Alif comes after a heavy (Mufakham)letter, it is pronounced with Tafkhīm, e.g.: ﴿ٱلطَّآمَّةُ﴾, ﴿ٱلظَّآنِّينَ﴾, ﴿رَابِيَةً﴾.

B - If the Alif comes after a light (Muraqqaq)letter, it is pronounced with Tarqīq, e.g.: ﴿ٱلسَّمَآءِ﴾, ﴿وَكَانَ﴾, ﴿دَارُ﴾.

Second: The Lām of the Word Allah

اللام في أصلها حرف مستفل مرقق، ولكنّها تفخم في لفظ الجلالة في أحوال خاصة، وإليك التفصيل:

A - Cases of Tafkhīm for the Lām in Allah:

1 - When it comes after a Fatḥah (a), e.g.: ﴿شَهِدَ ٱللَّهُ﴾, ﴿تَٱللَّهِ﴾, ﴿هُدَى ٱللَّهِ﴾. This also includes beginning with the word Allah (ٱللَّه), as the lām is preceded by a Fatḥah on the hamzah.

2 - When it comes after a ḍammah (u), e.g.: ﴿رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ﴾, ﴿أَعۡبُدُ ٱللَّهَ﴾, ﴿قَالُواْ ٱللَّهُمَّ﴾.

B - Cases of Tarqīq for the Lām in Allah:

تكون لام لفظ الجلالة مرققة إذا جاءت بعد كسرة؛ سواء كان كسرًا حقيقيًّا أو كسرًا عارضًا، وإليك الأمثلة:

1 - After an original Kasrah, e.g.: ﴿لِلَّهِ﴾, ﴿أَفِي ٱللَّهِ﴾, ﴿ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ﴾.

2 – إذا جاءت بعد كسر عارض such as: ﴿قُلِ ٱللَّهُمَّ﴾، ﴿يَفۡتَحِ ٱللَّهُ﴾، حيث إن أصل الحركة التي سبقت لام لفظ الجلالة هي السكون، وحركت بالكسر منعًا لالتقاء الساكنين، ومن الأمثلة على هذه الحالة كذلك: ﴿أَحَدٌ ٱللَّهُ﴾ فإن التنوين يُحرك بالكسر منعًا لالتقاء الساكنين، فتقرأ هكذا: (أحَدُنِ ٱللَّهُ).

Note: In cases of Tarqiq of Lam after incidental Kasrah, when joining the two words, the Lām is light, but when starting with the word Allah, the Lām is heavy as previously mentioned.