Learning how to pronounce al Quran al Kareem correctly is one of the fundamentals in learning the Quran as a whole. Allah SWT ordered us to recite it in the correct measured way not to be considered sinners. However, some non-Arabic speakers and children can struggle at first when learning the right pronunciation of the Quran.
Noor Academy presents you with a simple guide to understanding some Tajweed matters that can help you pronounce correctly. Read on to know more.
How To Pronounce Quran Correctly?
Learning how to correctly pronounce Quran requires a lot of learning and practice. The learning part is guaranteed by Tajweed. Learning tajweed is step one in learning how to Quran pronounce.
What is Tajweed?
Tajweed means “to make better,” and it is the correct pronunciation of Arabic words. People who learn how to read and recite the Quran with Tajweed pronunciation are able to enunciate the Arabic words correctly.
Imam Abu Ubaid al-Qasim bin Salam was the first to introduce the science of Tajweed (774 – 838 CE). He developed a documented science for tajweed in the third century of Hijrah, building the tajweed foundation and assigning names to its laws, and he collated all of this in his book named “al-Qiraat.”
It acquired popularity throughout the third century of Hijrah due to the development of the Islamic State, which resulted in numerous non-Arabs embracing Islam. Tajweed was developed to educate them on how to recite the Quran like Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
Tajweed’s goal is to teach the Quran correctly while adhering to the standards of the Arabic language grammar. al Quran al Kareem is said to be recited with Tajweed when every letter of the Quran is spoken correctly, without exaggeration or deficiency.
There are two popular rules in Tajweed that make your Quran pronunciation more accurate; Idghaam and Ikhfa.
What Is Idghaam?
Idghaam is a rule in Tajweed. It happens when we merge two letters together and sound out the one with the more dominant characteristic. Idghaam is used to make al Quran al Kareem pronunciation easier for us when there are two similar sounds coming next to each other.
The common/general idghaam is to sound the first of two letters as the second, hearing the two letters as one with a shaddah on it. This popular idghaam has two branches: kabeer (big) and sagheer (small).
Al-Idghaam Al-kabeer
Al-idghaam al-kabeer happens only when two voweled letters meet within a word. Both letters are voweled and must be pronounced as one letter with a shaddah (ّ) on it.
Examples:
- لا تأمنّا – la ta’mannaa
- مامكنّي – ma makannee
- تأمرونّي – ta’muroonnee
All these words were supposed to have an extra ‘ن’ or ‘n’ sound. Instead, it was eliminated and replaced with shaddah (ّ) on it.
Al-Idghaam Al-sagheer
happens when a saakin letter comes before a voweled letter, resulting in a single letter with a shaddah on it. Al-idghaam al-sagheer is divided into three categories:
Mutamaathil: when the letters being merged come from the same makhraj (point of articulation), and have the same characteristic.
Example:
- إذ ذهب – Ith-thahaba
- قل لا – Qul laa
Mutajaanis: when the combined letters are from two makhraj that are close in proximity and have different yet comparable characteristics
Example:
- من يومهم – miyyawmihim
- نخلقكم – nakhlukkum
Mutaqarib: when the letters being combined originate in the same makhraj but have distinct characteristics.
Examples:
- أثقلوا دعوا – athqalad-da’awaa (read: أثقلدَّعَوَا)
- ودت طائفة – waddat taa’ifatun (read: ودطّائفة)
- إذ ظلموا – Ith-thalamoo (read: إظَّلموا)
- اركب معنا – Irkamma‘anaa (read: اركمَّعنا )
What Is Ikhfa?
The literal meaning of ikhfa in Arabic is to conceal something. It’s one of the Tajweed rules that should be considered when you’re reciting the Quran.
The rule listed six letters that follow the noon al-saakinah. In that case, it must be pronounced clearly. Of the remaining letters in the Arabic alphabet, ikhfaa applies.
Letters of Ikhfa: ت، ث، ج، د، ذ، ز، س، ش، ص، ض، ط، ظ، ف، ق، ك،
The noon saakinah ‘نْ’ or tanween is buried in the nose at this when these letters take place. The lips should be formed in such a way that it is “prepared” for the following letter.
For example, if the following letter is a taa with dhamma ‘تُ’, the mouth prepares to speak it by forming a little “o” shape, and the tongue places itself within the mouth. This might happen over two words or inside one.
Examples:
- فريقًا تقتلون – fariqqan-taqtulun
- قنوانٌ دانية – Qonqanun-daniya
What Is A Pronoun In Arabic?
Arabic pronouns are essential in learning how to pronounce al Quran al Kareem correctly. An Arabic pronoun is categorized into two types:
Object Pronouns (me, you, us, him, her, them)
Object pronouns are utilized when you do something to someone or something else directly. These pronouns are suffixes that are appended to the verb in Arabic.
Examples:
- يشكروني – yash kuruni: they thank me.
- يسألونك – yasaalunaka: they ask you.
- يخلقهم – yakhliquhum: He creates them.
Subject Pronouns (I, you, we, he, she, we, they)
Subject pronouns function as the subject of a sentence in place of a word.
Examples:
The verb ‘say’ in the past form in Arabic (common in Quran)
I said | Qultu – قلتُ |
He said | Qala – قالَ |
She said | Qalat – قالت |
You said | Qulta – قلتَ |
We said | Qulna – قلنا |
They said | Qalu – قالوا |
How To Pronounce “Quran”?
How To Pronounce Quran In Arabic
Watch this video on how to pronounce Quran in Arabic to learn the right way to pronounce al Quran al Kareem in Arabic. It’s simply pronounced “Al-Quran ul Kareem”.
How To Pronounce al Quran al Kareem In English
Below is the English transcription for Quran:
- Modern IPA: koːrɑ́ːn
- Traditional IPA: kɔːˈrɑːn
- 2 syllables: “kaw” and “RAAN”
How To Pronounce Quran Words?
Do you want to know how to pronounce every word of the Quran? Sign up for the Noor Academy online Quran classes for kids course to learn how to pronounce Quran online.
This step is also crucial to your kids if you want them to grow up understanding Quran and knowing how to recite it correctly. Enroll them in Noor Academy’s courses with native Quran tutors who are specialized in teaching how to pronounce Quran for kids.
Noor and Nora ( House of Quran ) will be their friends during this amazing journey.
As a starter, learn how these common words are pronounced:
How to Pronounce Zakat
Zakat is pronounced Zah-kat in English /zəˈkɑːt/
Yathrib Pronunciation
Yathrib in English is pronounced Yath-reb: ˈjæθrɪb.
How To Pronounce Surah Kahf
Surah Kahf is pronounced in English: ˈsʊərə ka: hf
How To Pronounce Hamza In Quran?
Hamza (ء) is a letter in the Arabic alphabet, representing the glottal stop (ʔ). Watch HAMZA – Correct Pronunciation to understand how it’s pronounced. Quran has many forms of Hamza that you need to be familiar with.
Hamzah-Wasl
The connecting hamza, or hamzat al-Wasl, is a transitory hamza that is only spoken when the word containing the hamza is the first word read in a phrase or after a pause. It’s also used in names.
Example:
- اكشف – ‘ekshef
- فاكشف – fakshef
- ابن مريم – ibn maryam
- الرحمن – arr-Rahman
Hamzah-Qata’
The cutting hamzah cuts the sound of the word whether it’s in the first, middle, and end of a word. Its three categories are:
Initial Hamza
It is usually put above (أ for ‘a- or u-) or beneath (إ for i-) an alif.
- أمر – amra
- إذن – izn
Medial Hamza
It will have a seat or be written alone. The position of the hamza is determined by the surrounding vowels, with preceding long vowels and diphthongs (such as aw or ay) being disregarded. If there are two competing vowels that count, i- (ئ) takes precedence over u- (ؤ) and a- (أ) takes precedence over i- (ء).
- تؤتوه -tou’tohu
- يأكلون – yakul
- بإذن – be-izn
- مشيئة – mashi’aat
Final Hamza
It will either have a seat or be written on its own. When followed by a long vowel or a final consonant, it stands alone on the line. Words that finish with a short vowel have a seat that matches the last short vowel. It is never permitted to have two adjacent alifs. Replace the combination with a single alif maddah if the rules require it.
Example:
- ماء – maa’
- شاء – shaa’
How To Pronounce Stops In Quran?
There are many types of stops (waqf) in Al Quran Al Kareem. Here’s a list of their types in order to understand how to pronounce it:
Perfect stop
It is simply symbolized by a circle at the end of an ayah. Before continuing to read, the reciter must pause and take a breath. It also demonstrates the entire delivery of the content in that sentence.
The Compulsory Stop (مـ)
The sign “Waqf Laazim” binds the reader to stop reading at this point. It is so because if a pause is not taken here, the entire meaning of the phrase would drastically change.
- The Absolute Pause (ط)
“Waqf Mutlaq” is a stop indication that instructs the reader to pause in reciting the long ayah by taking a breath and stopping the recital for a moment. It is preferable to stop here since it facilitates the reading process by completely grasping the meaning of previously read text.
The Permissible Stop (ج)
“Waqf e Jaaiz” indicates the conclusion of the matter discussed in that fragment of the Ayah, thus one should pause here, though it is not compulsory, to absorb the meaning stated in the previous section and prepare to learn about the new matter in the following part of the same ayah.
The Licensed Pause (ص)
“Waqf Murakh-khas” is a sign that allows the reader to take a breath if the passage is too long for them, although it is strongly recommended that they continue reading.
The Permissible Pause (صل)
“Qad Yowsal” grants permission to continue reading, but one should stop here.
The Silence Symbol (س)
“Saktah” is a hint that the reader should take a brief pause without breaking their breath before continuing to read.
