Meem sakinah and qalqalah
The three rules of meem sakinah
| Rule | Next letter | How | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ikhfa shafawi | ب | Lips lightly closed, with ghunnah | تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ |
| Idgham mithlain | م | The two meems merge into one, with ghunnah | لَهُمْ مَا |
| Izhar shafawi | all other letters | A clear m without ghunnah (take care before و ف) | أَلَمْ تَرَ, عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا |
Qalqalah (echo)
Five letters, when they carry sukun, are pronounced with a slight bounce, like an echo. Together they spell:
قُطْبُ جَدٍّqutbu jaddinق ط ب ج د — the five qalqalah letters.
- Inside a word (minor): يَقْطَعُونَ, أَبْصَارَهُمْ
- At the end of a word when stopping (major): الْفَلَقْ, أَحَدْ, مُحِيطْ
Practice
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِقُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ ١ مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ ٢ وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ ٣ وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّٰثَٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ ٤ وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ ٥(1) Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak (2) From the evil of that which He created (3) And from the evil of darkness when it settles (4) And from the evil of the blowers in knots (5) And from the evil of an envier when he envies."Surah Al-Falaq 113:1-5
Every ayah of Al-Falaq ends in ق or ب — listen for the qalqalah when stopping.