Chapter Three, Section Three: lengths, stopping options, rāwm, ishmām, connected/separate madd and consistent readings Read the bilingual lesson for Madd Lengths and Permissible Combinations — Ṭūl, Tawassuṭ, Qaṣr and Consistency and test your understanding with a focused quiz.
Lesson
1. What this section decides
The previous level identified the kinds of madd. This section asks how long to extend each sound and which readings may be combined within one recitation.
The book uses ṭūl (long), tawassuṭ (middle), qaṣr (short), and wajh (a reading option). A mathematically possible combination is not automatically a valid reading option.
2. The three lengths in order
Ṭūl means the longest extension, tawassuṭ the middle one, and qaṣr the shortest. These are technical lengths, not merely slow, medium, or fast recitation.
The source applies this three-way distinction to both temporary madd and temporary madd of līn; the preferred order and permissible combinations still require separate rules.
3. Two measures reported by the text
Under the book's first reckoning: ṭūl = three alifs, tawassuṭ = two alifs, and qaṣr = one alif. It also reports another reckoning: five, three and one alif respectively.
An alif is the source's traditional measure. These are reported alternatives, not an invitation to switch reckoning inconsistently in the same exercise.
4. Different priorities for temporary madd and līn
For madd ʿāriḍ li-s-sukūn, the source prefers ṭūl, then tawassuṭ, then qaṣr. At a stop on الْعَالَمِينَ, the final nūn becomes silent, creating temporary madd before it.
For madd līn ʿāriḍ, the preference reverses: qaṣr, then tawassuṭ, then ṭūl. Example: stopping on خَوْفٍ. Both offer three lengths, but their preferred orders differ.
5. Length across the four kinds of lāzim
The book's rule is to keep ṭūl broadly equal across the four kinds of madd lāzim. It notes minor comparative descriptions, but the controlling principle is equivalence.
Lāzim involves an original sukūn or shaddah, whereas temporary madd arises from a pause. Do not infer the measure of one category from the other.
6. Why stopping changes the options
When reading through, a final vowel is generally pronounced; a stop often makes the final letter sākin. If a madd or līn letter precedes it, the stopping rule changes its length options.
The text contrasts a madd letter in الْعَالَمِينَ with a līn yāʾ in لَا ضَيْرَ. Identify the underlying letter first, then apply the stopping options.
7. Three choices when stopping with sukūn
At a full stop with sukūn, the source lists:
ṭūl with iskān — long madd, final consonant fully silent.
tawassuṭ with iskān — middle madd, full final sukūn.
qaṣr with iskān — short madd, full final sukūn.
This is a classification, not unconditional permission for every word. The madd/līn letter and other conditions still matter.
8. Rawm and ishmām are not the same
Rawm leaves a slight audible trace of the final vowel: neither a full vowel nor full silence. Ishmām indicates a final ḍammah through the lips without voicing a complete ḍammah.
They are distinct stopping techniques. The book includes them in its option counts; their actual performance requires hearing and guided practice, not spelling alone.
9. Seven options at a suitable ḍammah ending
For a suitable final ḍammah, such as نَسْتَعِينُ under the stated conditions, the source counts seven options: three lengths with iskān, three with ishmām, and qaṣr with rawm.
Remember the grouping: 3 + 3 + 1 = 7. Rawm is a slight audible vowel, unlike the non-vocal lip indication of ishmām.
10. Why not lengthen with rawm?
The book marks ṭūl with rawm and tawassuṭ with rawm as inadmissible combinations in this setting. Rawm retains a trace of the final vowel, so it is not treated like a full stop with sukūn.
Later in this section the author qualifies some uses of 'not permissible' as dispreferred or defective for skilled reciters. Do not erase that terminological nuance.
11. Consistency among repeated lengths
When the same kind of temporary madd recurs, the source asks the reciter to maintain tawāfuq, agreement between selected lengths. Do not arbitrarily switch from ṭūl to qaṣr at equivalent places.
This keeps the chosen reading coherent. Select a valid option and apply the relevant consistency rule across corresponding passages.
12. Fātiḥah combinations: arithmetic versus valid readings
Combining options at the istiʿādhah, basmalah and the end of the opening Fātiḥah passage, the book derives as many as 48 theoretical combinations in one configuration. It does not approve all 48.
The lesson is that a calculable permutation is not automatically a valid wajh. The stops at رَحِيم and الْعَالَمِينَ must still meet the length and rawm consistency tests.
13. Four agreed options with complete separation
Under the book's faṣl al-kull (full separation) analysis, it identifies four universally accepted patterns: matching ṭūl, matching tawassuṭ, matching qaṣr at the corresponding رَحِيم positions, and the appropriately short rawm option where relevant.
Other permutations are discussed as disputed or rejected. Never treat the number 48 as a list of 48 endorsed readings.
14. Joining one boundary and separating another
For joining the first boundary and separating the second, the book calculates 12 theoretical possibilities: four agreed, two disputed, and the remaining combinations excluded.
Changing a boundary from waṣl to faṣl is not merely a pause/no-pause choice. It alters which madd options can coexist. Always identify the junction pattern first.
15. The stopping point matters
The book also works with stops at الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ, يَوْمِ الدِّينِ and نَسْتَعِينُ instead of الْعَالَمِينَ. The same method determines their permissible combinations.
This does not mean every ending has identical rawm or ishmām options. Check the actual final vowel and preceding madd/līn letter at each stop.
16. Temporary madd followed by temporary līn: allowed and excluded pairs
Compare stops at مِنْ جُوعٍ (temporary madd) and مِنْ خَوْفٍ (temporary līn). The source permits six pairs, written as first length–second length:
long–long, long–medium, long–short
medium–medium, medium–short, short–short
The later, weaker līn should not outrank the first, stronger madd.
When temporary madd occurs before temporary līn, the source rejects:
medium–long
short–medium
short–long
All three give the following līn more extension than the preceding stronger madd. Always write the pair in actual recitation order.
17. Temporary līn before temporary madd: allowed and excluded pairs
Reverse the order using the līn in رَيْب and a later suitable temporary madd, as illustrated from لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ. The book approves:
short–short, short–medium, short–long
medium–medium, medium–long, long–long
Here the stronger madd comes second and may equal or exceed the earlier līn.
With līn first and temporary madd second, the text excludes:
long–medium, long–short, medium–short.
In each, the weaker earlier līn receives a greater length than the later stronger madd. To self-check, name each category before comparing the chosen lengths.
18. Connected and separate madd: reported lengths
For connected madd (muttaṣil) and separate madd (munfaṣil), the source reports two, two-and-a-half and four alifs in different recognized measures. It additionally reports qaṣr for munfaṣil.
These are transmitted reading options, not arbitrary numbers to change at will in each āyah. Their combinations are subject to rules.
19. Repeat the same length for comparable muttaṣil cases
When muttaṣil madd repeats, the book urges the same selected length at corresponding occurrences. Practice recognizing connected madd in words such as السَّمَاءِ and جَاءَ.
Choosing four alifs once and then switching arbitrarily to two at an equivalent site mixes the reading options. Preserve the selected measure.
20. Maintain consistency in repeated munfaṣil
The same consistency applies when munfaṣil madd recurs. The book draws on لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا: do not assign unrelated lengths to equivalent separate-madd occurrences.
First identify the cause—a madd letter followed by hamzah in the next word—then keep the chosen valid length consistently.
21. When munfaṣil precedes muttaṣil
If munfaṣil comes first and muttaṣil second, the source treats muttaṣil as stronger.
With two alifs for the first, the second may be two, two-and-a-half or four. If the first is two-and-a-half, the second may be two-and-a-half or four. If the first is four, the second must also be four. The separately transmitted qaṣr option for munfaṣil remains a distinct reported case.
22. When muttaṣil comes first
When muttaṣil comes first and munfaṣil follows, the text gives جَاءُوا وَآبَاءَهُمْ as an example. The subsequent weaker munfaṣil must not exceed the first.
If the first is four alifs, the second may be four, two-and-a-half, two or qaṣr. If the first is two-and-a-half, the second may be two-and-a-half, two or qaṣr. If the first is two, the second may be two or qaṣr.
23. Mixed and repeated madd require a full check
Where connected, separate and repeated madd interact, checking only the final two sounds is insufficient. In its discussion of examples such as هَؤُلَاءِ and جَاءُوا وَآبَاءَهُمْ, the source weighs each madd's category, order, strength and length.
Mark every madd first, then test the proposed sequence. Avoid mixing readings even if individual pairings seem acceptable in isolation.
24. Stopping at a final hamzah after connected madd
If a muttaṣil hamzah is word-final and the reciter stops with iskān or ishmām, the book permits ṭūl on the temporary stopping cause in words such as يَشَاءُ، قُرُوءٌ، النَّسِيءُ; it does not allow qaṣr in this stated case.
With rawm, the source specifies tawassuṭ only. The stopping treatment of the final hamzah changes the ruling.
25. The author's final caution on variant options
The concluding discussion says a reciter need not perform every theoretically valid variant in one reading; adopting a sound transmitted option suffices. Breaking consistency, reversing the stronger/weaker hierarchy and switching unpredictably between options are defective in the skilled tradition.
The author also qualifies some labels 'not allowed' / 'incorrect' as meaning less preferable in this chapter. Practical method: classify each madd, select a recognized option, maintain it and learn subtle variants through oral instruction.
Practice questions
Question 1
Which three length terms structure this chapter?
- Qalqalah, jahr, hams
- Ṭūl, tawassuṭ, qaṣr
- Iẓhār, ikhfāʾ, idghām
- Waqf, waṣl, ibtidāʾ
Question 2
How many alifs is ṭūl in the first reckoning?
Question 3
What length is tawassuṭ in the alternative reckoning?
- Three alifs
- One alif
- Four alifs
- Five alifs
Question 4
Which is preferred for temporary madd?
- Qaṣr
- Tawassuṭ
- All equally
- Ṭūl
Question 5
Which length is preferred first for temporary līn?
- Ṭūl
- Qaṣr
- Tawassuṭ
- Avoiding the stop
Question 6
General rule across the four lāzim forms?
- Qaṣr in all
- Arbitrary differences
- Broadly equal ṭūl
- Lengthen only on stops
Question 7
What does ṭūl maʿa al-iskān mean?
- Long madd with full final sukūn
- Short madd and full ḍammah
- Audible trace of vowel
- Lip rounding
Question 8
Which description identifies rawm?
- Silent lip indication
- Forceful sound
- Full ḍammah
- Slight audible trace of ending vowel
Question 9
Which statement best describes ishmām?
- Pronouncing a full final vowel
- Silent lip indication of ḍammah
- Deleting a madd letter
- Ghunnah on final nūn
Question 10
How many options are counted at a suitable ḍammah ending?
Question 11
Which combination is excluded with rawm here?
- Ṭūl with rawm
- Qaṣr with iskān
- Tawassuṭ with ishmām
- Qaṣr with rawm
Question 12
What does tawāfuq mean here?
- Omit all madd
- Repeat one verse
- Always use qaṣr
- Keep chosen lengths consistent
Question 13
What does the number 48 represent in the Fātiḥah discussion?
- 48 verses
- Theoretical combinations, not all valid
- 48 sūrahs
- 48 mandatory stops
Question 14
How many of the twelve are agreed in the join-then-separate case?
Question 15
Temporary madd first and līn second: which pair is accepted?
- Long–short
- Short–long
- Medium–long
- Short–medium
Question 16
Temporary madd before līn: which is excluded?
- Long–medium
- Medium–short
- Long–long
- Short–long
Question 17
Līn first and temporary madd second: which is valid?
- Long–short
- Short–long
- Medium–short
- Long–medium
Question 18
Which pair is rejected when līn comes first?
- Short–medium
- Short–long
- Long–medium
- Medium–long
Question 19
Which measures are reported for muttaṣil and munfaṣil?
- Two, 2.5 and four alifs
- One alif only
- Seven and nine
- Five everywhere
Question 20
What additional option is specifically reported for munfaṣil?
Question 21
If a muttaṣil is read at four alifs once, what next?
- Always shorten
- Keep consistent recognized length
- Use two alifs instead
- Delete hamzah
Question 22
What identifies munfaṣil madd?
- Two shaddahs
- Tanwīn afterward
- Hamzah in the next word after madd letter
- Sukūn after every alif
Question 23
If earlier munfaṣil is four alifs, what of the later muttaṣil?
- Muttaṣil should be four
- Muttaṣil must be qaṣr
- Muttaṣil must be two
- Change every time
Question 24
With earlier munfaṣil at 2.5 alifs, which subsequent muttaṣil is allowed?
- One alif
- Qaṣr only
- Two only
- Two-and-a-half or four
Question 25
If muttaṣil comes first at two alifs, what of later munfaṣil?
- Four required
- Two or qaṣr
- Only 2.5 or four
- Five only
Question 26
Which ordering does جَاءُوا وَآبَاءَهُمْ illustrate?
- Līn then idghām
- Saktah then waqf
- Muttaṣil first, munfaṣil second
- Ghunnah then madd
Question 27
At a final muttaṣil hamzah stopped with rawm, what does the source state?
- Tawassuṭ only
- Ṭūl and qaṣr
- Qaṣr only
- No madd
Question 28
What is said for stopping on يَشَاءُ with iskān in this discussion?
- Qaṣr is mandatory
- Drop hamzah
- Idghām is mandatory
- Ṭūl is available due to temporary sukūn
Question 29
Must all theoretical options be recited?
- Yes every option each verse
- No, a valid transmitted option suffices
- Only unrecognized variants
- Choose arbitrary lengths without instruction
Question 30
What nuance does the author sometimes attach to “not permissible” here?
- Always obligatory
- Always madd lāzim
- Dispreferred or defective for skilled readers
- Absolute letter deletion
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