Iẓhār
Introduction:
First: Nūn sākinah is the known letter 'nūn' in the Arabic alphabet that has no vowel and is pronounced both when words are recited in continuation and also paused upon
It can occur in the middle or end of a word, but never at the beginning since Arabic words do not start with a non-voweled letter.
It appears in nouns, e.g., ﴿ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُ﴾, verbs, e.g., ﴿أَنۡعَمۡتَ﴾, and particles, e.g., ﴿مِنۡ﴾.
Second: Tanwīn is an extra, non-voweled 'nūn' that appears at the end of nouns in the form of double fatḥah (ــــــًــــ), double ḍammah (ــــــٌــــ), or double kasrah (ــــــٍــــ).
There are four rulings for nūn sākinah and tanwīn: iẓhār (clarification), idghām (assimilation), iqlāb (conversion), and ikhfāʼ (concealment). The ruling depends on the letter that follows.
The details of these four rulings will be detailed in this lesson and the following ones inshAllah.
First: Iẓhār and Its Letters
Iẓhār means to pronounce the nūn sākinah or tanwīn clearly from its articulation point without any extra ghunnah (nasalization), silence, or doubling (shaddah), if followed by one of the iẓhār letters.
The six iẓhār letters are: hamzah (ء), hāʼ (هـ), ʿayn (ع), ḥāʼ (ح), ghayn (غ), and khāʼ (خ). They are grouped for easier memorization in the phrase (first letter of each word): **“Akhi Hāka ʿIlman Ḥāzahū Ghayru Khāsir”**
All these letters originate from the throat; therefore, the iẓhār of nūn sākinah and tanwīn with them is called **iẓhār ḥalqī (throaty clarification)**.²
Second: Examples of Iẓhār
Iẓhār can occur within one word or between two words. Example within a word: ﴿يَنۡهَوۡنَ﴾. Examples between two words: ﴿مِّنۡ غِلّٖ﴾, ﴿وَجَنَّٰتٍ أَلۡفَافًا﴾.
Here are examples showing the different iẓhār letters:
| Letter | Nūn in One Word | Nūn Across Two Words | Tanwīn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamzah | ﴿وَيَنَۡٔوۡنَ﴾ | ﴿مَنۡ ءَامَنَ﴾ | ﴿وَجَنَّٰتٍ أَلۡفَافًا﴾ |
| Hāʼ | ﴿يَنۡهَوۡنَ﴾ | ﴿مَنۡ هَاجَرَ﴾ | ﴿قَوۡمٍ هَادٍ﴾ |
| ʿAyn | ﴿أَنۡعَمۡتَ﴾ | ﴿إِنۡ عَلَيۡكَ﴾ | ﴿حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٞ﴾ |
| Ḥāʼ | ﴿وَتَنۡحِتُونَ﴾ | ﴿فَمَنۡ حَآجَّكَ﴾ | ﴿حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٖ﴾ |
| Ghayn | ﴿فَسَيُنۡغِضُونَ﴾ | ﴿مِّنۡ غِلّٖ﴾ | ﴿لَعَفُوٌّ غَفُورٞ﴾ |
| Khāʼ | ﴿وَٱلۡمُنۡخَنِقَةُ﴾ | ﴿مِّنۡ خَيۡرٖ﴾ | ﴿عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٞ﴾ |
Nihāyat al-Qawl al-Mufīd (p. 155), Hidayat al-Qari (1/157), Al-Muneer (p. 135).
Ibid.
Nihāyat al-Qawl al-Mufīd (p. 156), Hidayat al-Qari (1/159), Al-Muneer (p. 136).
Ar-Riʿāyah (p. 262), At-Taḥdeed (p. 113), Nihāyat al-Qawl al-Mufīd (p. 156), Hidayat al-Qari (1/159), Al-Muneer (p. 137).
Ar-Riʿāyah (pp. 262–263), At-Taḥdeed (pp. 113–114), Nihāyat al-Qawl al-Mufīd (pp. 156–158), Hidayat al-Qari (1/160–161), Al-Tajweed al-Musawwar (p. 129), Al-Muneer (pp. 137–138).