In الْأَرْضُ, the article lām is pronounced, as hamzah is a lunar letter.
The rāʾ is sākin after fatḥah, so it is heavy. Ḍād is also an emphatic letter, but its quality is its own.
Across «زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ», the initial hamzat al-waṣl of the article is dropped in connected reading while the true hamzah of «أَرْضُ» remains pronounced.
In الْإِنْسَانُ, sākin nūn meets sīn and therefore requires ikhfāʾ with ghunnah.
The initial article lām remains clear before hamzah. The same word thus contains a lunar article and a later ikhfāʾ.
Contrast:
الْإِنْسَانُ — nūn sākin + sīn = ikhfāʾ.
الْأَرْضُ — no sākin nūn; focus instead on rāʾ and ḍād.
Opening interactive controls...
Two contrasting words: al-arḍ and al-insān
Al-Qāriʿah and Az-Zalzalah — Comparative Tajwīd Practice
In الْأَرْضُ, the article lām is pronounced, as hamzah is a lunar letter.
The rāʾ is sākin after fatḥah, so it is heavy. Ḍād is also an emphatic letter, but its quality is its own.
Across «زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ», the initial hamzat al-waṣl of the article is dropped in connected reading while the true hamzah of «أَرْضُ» remains pronounced.
In الْإِنْسَانُ, sākin nūn meets sīn and therefore requires ikhfāʾ with ghunnah.
The initial article lām remains clear before hamzah. The same word thus contains a lunar article and a later ikhfāʾ.
Contrast:
الْإِنْسَانُ — nūn sākin + sīn = ikhfāʾ.
الْأَرْضُ — no sākin nūn; focus instead on rāʾ and ḍād.