What Are The Four Pillars Of Tajweed?

What Are The Four Pillars Of Tajweed? by Afeefa Afraz

Tajweed is the technique of reciting the Quran with proper pronunciation, inflection, and rhythm. This article will go through some of the pillars of tajweed at a broad level. Here, one can use this blog as a guide if they want to learn about the pillars of tajweed.

These pillars ensure that each letter, word, and verse is pronounced accurately, maintaining the integrity and beauty of the Quranic verses.

Following are the four pillars of tajweed:

Makharij Al Huroof
Sifaat Ul Huroof
MakhRules of Tajweed
Pronunciation of Letters

1.Makharij al-Huroof:مخارج الحروف

Makhraj is the place where the sound of a letter starts. There are 17 Makharij for 29 Arabic letters. Furthermore, Makhraj is singular and Makhaarij is plural. This pillar deals with the correct pronunciation and articulation of each letter. It specifies the exact point of articulation for each letter in the mouth or throat.

Al Jawf الْجَوْفُ– The Oral Cavity
Al Halq الْحَلَق – The Throat
Al Lisaan النِّسَانُ – The Tongue
Ash Shafatain الشَّفْتَانِ – The Lips
Al Khayshoom الْخَيْشُومُ – The Nasal Cavity

Explanation of Makhaarij letters:

The Makhaarij of 29 Arabic letters is explained in detail below:

1. إ – Alif sound comes from the emptiness of the mouth.
2. ب – Baa sound comes from the moist part of the lips.
3. ت – Taa sound comes when the tongue tip touches the roots of the upper 2 front teeth.
4. ث – Thaa sound comes when the tip of the tongue touches the edge of the upper 2 front teeth.
5. ج – Jeem sound comes when the middle of the tongue touches the palate.
6. ح – Haa sound comes from the middle of the throat.
7. خ – Khaa sound comes from the top of the throat nearest to the mouth.
8. د – Daal sound comes when the tongue tip touches the roots of the upper 2 front teeth.
9. ذ – Zaal sound comes when the tongue tip touches the edge of the upper 2 front teeth.
10. ر – Raa sound comes when the edge of the tongue touches the gums of the upper 2 front teeth.
11. ز – Zaa sound comes when the tip of the tongue touches the edge of the lower 2 front teeth and lightly touches the edge of the upper 2 front teeth.
12.س – Seen sound comes when the tip of the tongue touches the edge of the lower 2 front teeth and lightly touches the edge of the upper 2 front teeth.
13.ش – Sheen sound comes when the middle of the tongue touches the palate.
14. ص – Suad sound comes when the tip of the tongue touches the edge of the lower 2 front teeth and lightly touches the edge of the upper 2 front teeth.
15. ض – Dhuad sound comes from the upturned, back edge of the tongue when touching the upper molars and premolars.

Note: There are 3 ways of pronouncing Dhuad. a) From the right side. b) From the left side. c) From both sides at the same time. It is easier to pronounce Dhuad from the left side.

16. ط – Taw sound comes when the tongue tip touches the roots of the upper 2 front teeth.
17. ظ – Zaw sound comes when the tongue tip touches the edge of the upper 2 front teeth.
18.ع – Ain sound comes from the middle of the throat.
19. غ – Ghain sound comes from the top of the throat nearest to the mouth.
20. ف – Faa sound comes when the inner portion of the lower lip meets the edge of the upper two front teeth.
21. ق – Qaaf sound comes when the extreme back of the tongue touches the palate.
22. ك – Kaaf sound comes when the back of the tongue (not as far back as of Qaaf but a little forward towards the mouth) touches the palate.
23. ل – Laam sound comes when the edge of the tongue touches the gums of the upper 4 front teeth.
24. م – Meem sound comes when the dry part of both lips meet.
25. ن – Noon sound comes when the edge of the tongue touches the gums of the upper 3 front teeth.
26. و – Waaw sound comes when both lips are made round and meet incompletely.
27. ه – Haa sound comes from the bottom of the throat nearest to the chest.
28. ء – Hamza sound comes from the bottom of the throat nearest to the chest.
29. ي – Yaa sound comes when the middle of the tongue touches the palate

2. Sifaat al-Huroof: صفات الحروف

The way in which a letter is articulated that differentiates it from others. The purpose of these characteristics is to distinguish the letters that share the same articulation points (makhaarij).

This pillar focuses on the characteristics of each letter, such as whether it is heavy or light, aspirated or non-aspirated, and whether it has a nasal sound or not. Sifaat al-huroof are 17 that must be kept in mind to pronounce words correctly .

Parts of Sifaat al-Huroof:

The sifaat al-huroof is further divided into two parts. These are are follows:

1 Sifaat Al Huroof (with opposites)

2 Sifaat al-Huroof (without opposites)

Sifaat Al-Huroof Permanent (with Opposites)

Al Hams – الْهَمْسُ, al Jahr – الجَهْرُ
Ash-shidda (الشِّدَّةُ) -Tawassut The Intensity
Al-istiala (الاِسْتِعَلاءُ)
Al-itbaq (الإِطْبَاق) vs. Al infitah (الإِنْفِتَاح)
Al-idhlaq (الإِذْلاقُ) vs. Al ismat (الإِصْمَات)

Sifaat al-Huroof Permanent (Without Opposites)

As-Safeer (الصَفِير)
Al-Qalqala (القَلْقَلَة)
Al-leen – اللِّيْن
Al inhiraf – الإِنْحِراف
At-takreer – التَّكْرِير
At tafashee – التَّفَشِي
Al istitala – الإِسْتِطَالَة

3. Key Rules of Tajweed:

Mastering Tajweed from the beginning requires auditory guidance and consistent practice to achieve flawless recitation.The guidance below are serve as suplementary explanation,and one should seek expert instruction.Now, let’s analyze into some of the key rules of tajweed:

Arabic Letters and their Makharij:Articulation points of letter understanding the proper pronunciation of each letter is essential. Here, each letter is pronounced from a specific point in the mouth or throat. For example, the letter “baa” is pronounced from the lips, while “jeem” is pronounced from the middle part of the tongue.
Points of Enhancing and Lightening: Some letters are pronounced with more stress, while others are pronounced lightly. For instance, the letter “Qalqalah” (rebound) is pronounced with a slight bounce or echo, while the letter “Laam” is pronounced softly.
Rules of Madd: Madd refers to extending the sound of a letter.

Types of Madd:

Further more, there are different types of Madd. These are as follows:

1 Madd Munfasil (a clear elongation)

2 Madd Mutasil (a connected elongation)

3 Madd Badal (a substitute elongation)

Rules of Tafkheem and Tarqeeq: Tafkheem refers to pronouncing certain letters with a heavier or stronger sound, while Tarqeeq refers to pronouncing certain letters with a lighter or softer sound. Moreover, Understanding these rules helps in achieving proper pronunciation.
Rules of Laam at-Tareef: Laam at-Tareef refers to the pronunciation of the definite article “the” (al) before certain letters. However, Depending on the letter that follows, the pronunciation may differ. For example, if the letter “laam” is followed by a letter with an empty “makhraj,” it is pronounced with a light “l” sound.
Rules of Noon and Meem Mushaddad: Noon and Meem Mushaddad refers to the letters “noon” and “meem” when they have a shaddah (double consonant mark) on them. Also, These letters are pronounced with a doubled sound and require emphasis.
Rules of Idghaam: Idghaam refers to the merging or assimilation of certain letters when they come into contact with one another. This occurs when specific letters follow one another and are pronounced together as one sound.

Rules Enlisted

Noon Sakinah & Tanween
Idhaar (to make clear)
Idghaam (to merge)
Iqlaab (to convert)
Ikhfaa (to hide)
Noon & Meem Mushaddad
Meem Sakinah
Ikhfaa Shafawy
Idghaam Shafawy
Izhaar Shafawy
Qalqalah
Al-Madd
Two Beat Madd
Flexible Madd (two, four, or six)
Four Beat Madd
Six Beat Madd

4. Pronunciation Letters تفخيم, الترقيق

Tafkheem and Tarqeeq categorize Arabic letters based on their heaviness or lightness. Tafkheem, representing heaviness, applies to seven letters consistently, such as Ta’, Dhaad, and Qaf. Moreover, Tarqeq, signifying lightness, applies to all other letters except three (ا – ل – ر). Furthermore, Alif’s heaviness depends on the preceding letter, while laam is usually light except in specific cases. Raa’s pronunciation can be heavy or light based on various rules.

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