Dāl

Video of the Letter Dāl:

This short video presents the articulation and characteristics of the letter Dāl, demonstrating its correct pronunciation with Qur’anic examples, and highlighting the most common pronunciation errors readers make.

First: The Articulation Point of Dāl:

Dāl is articulated from the tip of the tongue touching the base of the upper incisors. It shares this articulation point with the letters Ṭā’ and Tā’, as shown in the image.

Second: The Main Characteristics of the Letter Dāl:

Shiddah (Intensity), Jahr (Audibility), Qalqalah (Bouncing), and Istifāl (Lowering).

In the image showing Dāl’s articulation point, the tip of the tongue fully closes against the base of the upper incisors, preventing sound from flowing, so the sound is cut abruptly. This instant sound cut-off is known as 'shiddah’(Intensity).

Dāl is an audible letter, meaning its sound is not accompanied by extra breath.

Because Dāl is both strong and voiced—stopping both sound and breath during pronunciation—it must be bounced (Qalqalah) to make its sound clear. Qalqalah is the bouncing of the letter's sound in its articulation point.

Dāl is a letter of Istifāl, meaning the back of the tongue is lowered during pronunciation, resulting in a light (Muraqqaq) sound.

Third: Pronouncing the Letter Dāl in Different States through Qur’anic Examples:

You can click on the word to hear the correct pronunciation.

First: Dāl in the state of non-vowelled (sakin):
أَدْ	أُدْ	إِدْ
﴿وَأَدۡخِلۡنَا﴾	﴿ٱدۡخُلُواْ﴾	﴿ٱدۡفَعۡ﴾

Second: Dāl with short vowels (Harakat):
دَ	دُ	دِ
﴿دَعَانَا﴾	﴿دُرِّيّٞ﴾	﴿دِيَٰرِهِمۡ﴾

Third: Dāl with long vowels (Madd letters):
دا	دو	دي
﴿دَانِيَةٞ﴾	﴿دُونِهِمۡ﴾	﴿دِينِهِم﴾

Fourth: Dāl with shaddah (when it is doubled):
أَدَّ	أَدُّ	أَدِّ
﴿ٱلدَّارُ﴾	﴿ٱلدُّنۡيَا﴾	﴿ٱلدِّينِ﴾

Fourth: Common Mistakes in Pronouncing the Letter Dāl:

1.Whispering it, by releasing extra breath during articulation, which makes it sound close to Tā’, as in: ﴿ٱلدِّينِ﴾. The correct way is to pronounce it audible without extra breath: ﴿ٱلدِّينِ﴾. Allah Almighty says: ﴿مَٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ﴾.
2.Failing to apply qalqalah when it is non-vowelled(Sakin), as in: ﴿أَحَدُ﴾. The correct pronunciation includes Qalqalah: ﴿أَحَدُ﴾. Allah Almighty says: ﴿وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدُ﴾.
3.Making it heavy (Mufakham), especially when adjacent to a heavy letter, which causes it to resemble Ḍād, as in: ﴿ٱلصُّدُورِ﴾. The correct pronunciation is to pronounce it lightly: ﴿ٱلصُّدُورِ﴾. Allah Almighty says: ﴿إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ﴾.

الرعاية (201)، التحديد (105)، نهاية القول المفيد (53)، هداية القاري (1/68)، التجويد المصور (56)، المنير (63).

الرعاية (201)، نهاية القول المفيد (111)، هداية القاري (1/97)، التجويد المصور (97)، المنير (95).

Lesson Content

Lesson questions

1. الحروف العربية

Introductions

Dāl