Qāf

The letter Qāf Video:

This video demonstrates the Makhraj and characteristics of Qāf, and how to practically pronounce it with Quranic examples and the most common mistakes that reciters make when pronouncing it.

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First: The Articulation Point of the Letter Qāf

The letter Qāf is articulated from the back of the tongue with the opposing soft upper palate (the soft area of the roof of the mouth), as shown in the image.

Second: Main Characteristics of the Letter Qāf

Shiddah (Intensity), Jahr (Audibility), Qalqalah (Bouncing), and Istiʿlāʾ (Elevation of the back of the tongue).

The articulation image of Qāf shows the back of the tongue closing on the upper palate, preventing the flow of sound when pronouncing it , so the sound is cut abruptly, which is the essence of 'Shiddah'(Intensity).

Qāf is a voiced letter, meaning no extra breath accompanies its sound.

Because it is both intense (Shadid) and audible (Majhoor), the sound and breath stop upon articulation, so it must be echoed to make the sound clear. Qalqalah is the vibration of the sound at its point of articulation.

Qāf is an elevated letter which means that the back of the tongue rises during pronunciation, producing a heavy sound (Mufakham).

Third: Pronunciation of Qāf in Different States with Quranic Examples

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

First: Qāf in non-vowelled (Sukūn) state:
أَقْ	أُقْ	إِقْ
﴿وَأَقۡبَلَ﴾	﴿أُقۡسِمُ﴾	﴿ٱقۡتَرَبَ﴾

Second: Qāf with short vowels (Harakat):
قَ	قُ	قِ
﴿قَدِيرٞ﴾	﴿قُلُوبٞ﴾	﴿قِبۡلَةٗ﴾

Third: Qāf with long vowels (Madd letters):
قا	قو	قي
﴿قَالُواْ﴾	﴿قُوتِلُواْ﴾	﴿قِيلٗا﴾

Fourth: Qāf with shaddah (doubled):
أَقَّ	أَقُّ	أَقِّ
﴿فَتَلَقَّىٰ﴾	﴿زَقُّوم﴾	﴿مُعَقِّبَٰتٞ﴾

Fourth: Common Mistakes in Pronouncing Qāf

1. Whispering it (adding extra breath), e.g., ﴿لِقَآءَ﴾. The correct way is to pronounce it voiced without extra breath.
2. Not echoing (qalqalah) it when it is non-vowelled, e.g., ﴿وَيَقۡدِرُ﴾. The correct way is to read it with Qalqalah : ﴿وَيَقۡدِرُ﴾.
3. Pronouncing it lightly (Muraqqaq), e.g., ﴿قَلِيلٗا﴾. The correct way is to pronounce it heavily (Mufakham).
4. Mixing its sound with the letter Ghayn, e.g., ﴿قَالَ﴾. The correct way is Qāf: ﴿قَالَ﴾.
خامسًا: نطقها كحرف (G) بالإنجليزية، هكذا: ﴿قَلِيلٞ﴾، والصواب: ﴿قَلِيلٞ﴾، قال الله تعالى: ﴿وَمَآ ءَامَنَ مَعَهُۥٓ إِلَّا قَلِيلٞ﴾.
5. Pronouncing it like the English letter 'G', e.g., ﴿قَلِيلٞ﴾. The correct way is : ﴿قَلِيلٞ﴾.

الرعاية (171)، التحديد (104)، نهاية القول المفيد (51)، هداية القاري (1/66)، المنير (56).

الرعاية (171)، نهاية القول المفيد (95)، هداية القاري (1/96)، التجويد المصور (98)، المنير (95).

الدرس Content

Lesson questions

1. الحروف العربية

Introductions

Qāf