Jahr, hams, shiddah, rikhāwah, istiʿlāʾ, iṭbāq, qalqalah, takrīr, ṣafīr and source notes Read the bilingual lesson for Ṣifāt al-Ḥurūf — Opposing Qualities and Strength Grades and test your understanding with a focused quiz.
Lesson
1. Section Three: Qualities of letters
In the preceding section, makhraj answered “where does the letter emerge?” This section on ṣifāt asks “what quality does its sound have?” Letters with nearby articulation points may still sound quite different because of their qualities.
The author first discusses jahr/hams, shiddah/tawassuṭ/rikhāwah, istiʿlāʾ/istifāl, and iṭbāq/infitāḥ, then names qalqalah, takrīr, tafashshī, istiṭālah, ṣafīr and ghunnah. Finally come grades of strength and weakness. Memorization must be linked to audible practice.
2. Jahr: firm voice production
The book describes jahr in terms of strength and firmness, opposing it to hams. In articulation, a jahr letter does not let breath escape in the same unrestricted way as a hams letter.
Jahr does not instruct a reader to shout. The point is to preserve the consonant’s intrinsic quality while reciting at a measured volume. The easiest way to classify the group is to memorize the ten hams letters and recognize that the others have jahr.
3. Hams and its ten letters
Hams is opposed to jahr. The book associates it with a softer pronunciation; escaping breath is characteristic. Its mnemonic is:
فَحَثَّهُ شَخْصٌ سَكَتَ
These are the ten letters ف ح ث ه ش خ ص س ك ت. The line is a mnemonic, not a Qur’anic verse. For practice, articulate أَفْ، أَسْ، أَتْ at a slow pace and attend to the escaping breath.
4. Separating jahr and hams
Ten letters have hams; the remaining nineteen have jahr. Compare the hams letter س with ز: their places are close, but airflow and sound quality differ.
Importantly, ص is one of the hams letters and also has higher-tongue and iṭbāq qualities. Thus hams does not automatically mean a thin or feeble consonant. A letter possesses several qualities simultaneously.
5. Shiddah: sound stopping at the point
In the book, shiddah means that the letter's sound stops or is held at its articulation point. Its mnemonic is أَجِدْ قَطْ بَكَتْ, yielding the eight letters ء ج د ق ط ب ك ت.
Compare أَتْ and أَقْ slowly: the closure belongs to the consonant. Shiddah does not mean unnaturally lengthening or forcing it. Some shiddah letters also possess qualities such as qalqalah, which must be considered separately.
6. Tawassuṭ: between stoppage and flow
Tawassuṭ stands between complete closure (shiddah) and free continuation (rikhāwah). The five letters are grouped as لِنْ عُمَرْ: ل ن ع م ر.
Try أَلْ، أَنْ، أَعْ، أَمْ، أَرْ slowly. Here “intermediate” concerns the nature of the sound’s continuation. It must not be confused with the later strength-grade called mutawassiṭ; the two classifications answer different questions.
7. Rikhāwah: continued sound
Rikhāwah refers to sound that can continue at the articulation point. After setting aside the eight shiddah letters and five tawassuṭ letters, sixteen letters are rikhāwah in the author's grouping.
Compare the flowing quality of سْ with the stoppage of تْ. Rikhāwah never licenses arbitrary elongation. Its character should remain perceptible without disturbing the measured flow of Qur’anic recitation.
8. Comparing the three sound-flow classes
Ask three questions: does the sound stop completely (shiddah), continue partway (tawassuṭ), or remain able to flow (rikhāwah)?
Contrast أَتْ (tāʾ: shiddah), أَلْ (lām: tawassuṭ), and أَسْ (sīn: rikhāwah). These are practice syllables, not Qur’anic quotations. Do not distort the makhraj simply to make a quality conspicuous.
9. Istiʿlāʾ: raising the back of the tongue
Istiʿlāʾ is the raising of the back of the tongue toward the upper palate. Its seven letters are remembered by خُصَّ ضَغْطٍ قِظْ: خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ.
Compare قَ with كَ, or صَ with سَ. This is about a tongue posture, not shouting or producing an artificially harsh voice. The quality must be present without excessive physical force.
10. Istifāl: lowered tongue posture
Istifāl is opposed to istiʿlāʾ. The book assigns it to the twenty-two letters other than the seven istiʿlāʾ letters. Their pronunciation lacks the special raised-back-tongue posture.
Examples include س and ك, as contrasted with istiʿlāʾ letters ص and ق. Lowering should not become forced depression of the tongue or reduced audibility. Preserve the actual point and quality.
11. Istiʿlāʾ versus istifāl in practice
The previous lesson grouped س and ص among neighboring articulations. Yet they are not the same sound: ṣād has istiʿlāʾ, while sīn has istifāl. Iṭbāq will provide another distinction.
Pronounce سَ / صَ and سِ / صِ. Changing the vowel does not erase the consonant’s inherent quality. If the two sounds merge, review both articulation point and quality rather than simply adding force.
12. Iṭbāq: the four letters
Iṭbāq involves a close tongue-palate posture. The book assigns it to just four letters: ص ض ط ظ. They have a characteristic fuller quality.
Compare ص with س and ط with ت. Do not interpret iṭbāq as forcibly fixing the entire tongue against the palate. The true articulation point still matters, especially the side-of-tongue articulation of ḍād.
13. Infitāḥ: opposite of iṭbāq
Infitāḥ is opposed to iṭbāq. The book assigns it to the twenty-five letters other than ص ض ط ظ. They lack the distinctive iṭbāq closure or near-contact.
An important contrast: خ، غ، ق have istiʿlāʾ but not iṭbāq, and therefore have infitāḥ. This prevents the false assumption that every elevated-tongue consonant must also be a muṭbaq letter.
14. Four pairs and one middle category
The conceptual map is jahr ↔ hams, shiddah ↔ rikhāwah (with tawassuṭ between them), istiʿlāʾ ↔ istifāl, and iṭbāq ↔ infitāḥ. Each letter has the relevant classification in every opposition.
For example, ص combines hams, rikhāwah, istiʿlāʾ and iṭbāq; س combines hams, rikhāwah, istifāl and infitāḥ. Their contrast shows why makhraj alone is not enough.
15. Qalqalah and its five letters
The five qalqalah letters are gathered as قُطْبُ جَدٍّ: ق ط ب ج د. In a sākin state they exhibit a recognizable release or rebound at the articulation point.
Try the instructional syllables أَقْ، أَطْ، أَبْ، أَجْ، أَدْ. Qalqalah must not create a new full vowel after the consonant. Its release is part of the consonant's prescribed quality.
16. The book’s special discussion of qāf
After listing five qalqalah letters, the author uses a distinct “obligatory/permitted” wording for qāf versus the other four. The accompanying note discusses the more forceful nature of qāf’s qalqalah, connected with istiʿlāʾ and strength. The marginal discussion also reports differences in scholarly wording.
For practice, retain the qalqalah identity of all five sākin letters, and observe the particular strength of qāf. The note should not be used to erase qalqalah from the other four letters.
17. Takrīr of rāʾ without exaggeration
The book associates takrīr with rāʾ: the tongue-tip articulation has a potential for repetition. The important practical caution is to prevent exaggerated repeated trilling.
In أَرْ, produce one clear rāʾ without making it sound like a series of new rāʾ consonants. Recognize the quality while controlling it.
18. Tafashshī of shīn
Tafashshī belongs to shīn (ش). The book explains it as the spread of sound through the mouth. It is a quality produced with the consonant's articulation, not a reason to prolong the sound indefinitely.
Contrast أَشْ and أَسْ. Both letters share hams and rikhāwah, but shīn has tafashshī. Keep the appropriate tongue-palate configuration while making the distinction.
19. Istiṭālah of ḍād
The book assigns istiṭālah to ḍād (ض), referring to its distinctive extension during side-of-tongue articulation near the molars. This depends on the ḥāfah (side of tongue) point studied previously.
Substituting a plain d, z or ẓ sound does not preserve ḍād's identity. Practise أَضْ against a reliable recitation or direct instruction rather than relying only on the descriptive term.
20. Ṣafīr of ṣād, zāy and sīn
Ṣafīr belongs to ص ز س. The book identifies a distinctive sharp, whistle-like quality. These letters share ṣafīr but differ in other properties: ṣād has istiʿlāʾ and iṭbāq, while sīn has istifāl and infitāḥ.
Practise صَ، زَ، سَ separately. Ṣafīr does not make them interchangeable, and no artificial high-pitched whistle should be added. Retain each consonant's whole set of qualities.
21. Ghunnah associated with nūn and mīm
At the end of the section the author refers to the nasal sound associated with nūn and mīm, known as ghunnah. The previous lesson placed this resonance at the khayshūm; here consider it a sound quality.
Nūn has a tongue-related base articulation and mīm a lip-related one, while nasal resonance comes through the nasal passage. Do not assume identical prominence or duration for all appearances; the detailed rules will follow in later chapters.
22. The book’s five grades of strength
The author explains that jahr, shiddah, istiʿlāʾ and iṭbāq are strong qualities, and that the combination of qualities affects how a letter is ranked. The section gives five grades:
Qawī: ج د ص غ ر ب; Aqwā: ط ض ظ ق; Mutawassiṭ: ء ا ز ت خ ذ ع ك; Ḍaʿīf: س ش ل و ي; Aḍʿaf: ث ح ن م ف ه.
These are the book's phonetic classifications, not a ranking of religious value or importance. “Weak” must never mean inaudible or omitted. Every letter must still be pronounced correctly.
23. Three cautions and final practical check
The book closes this discussion with three practical cautions. 1. Hamzah has strength through jahr and shiddah, but its firmness must not be exaggerated into an unnatural forced sound. 2. Fāʾ and hāʾ should be pronounced gently. 3. ʿAyn and ḥāʾ should not be strangled in the throat: articulate them gracefully at the middle throat.
Review the mnemonics: فحثه شخص سكت (10 hams); أجد قط بكت (8 shiddah); لن عمر (5 tawassuṭ); خص ضغط قظ (7 istiʿlāʾ); ص ض ط ظ (4 iṭbāq); and قطب جد (5 qalqalah). The next lesson follows the book into the per-letter table and fuller treatment of non-opposed qualities.
Practice questions
Question 1
What is the basic difference between makhraj and ṣifah?
- Place versus sound quality
- Both mean loudness
- Makhraj only means a vowel
- Ṣifah means spelling
Question 2
Which quality opposes jahr?
- Istiʿlāʾ
- Hams
- Qalqalah
- Tafashshī
Question 3
How many hams letters are in فحثه شخص سكت?
Question 4
How many jahr letters does the book count?
Question 5
Is ṣād one of the hams letters?
- Yes; it also has other strong qualities
- No, it has only jahr
- It is only a madd letter
- It is one of tawassuṭ letters
Question 6
Which mnemonic identifies shiddah letters?
- لن عمر
- أجد قط بكت
- خص ضغط قظ
- قطب جد
Question 7
How many shiddah letters are listed?
Question 8
Which set contains all tawassuṭ letters?
- ق ط ب ج د
- ف ح ث ه ش
- ص ض ط ظ
- ل ن ع م ر
Question 9
What characterizes rikhāwah?
- Sound can continue at the point
- Complete closure
- Back of tongue must rise
- Only nasal resonance
Question 10
How many letters are rikhāwah in this grouping?
Question 11
What is the sequence for ت، ل، س?
- Rikhāwah, shiddah, tawassuṭ
- Tawassuṭ, rikhāwah, shiddah
- Shiddah, tawassuṭ, rikhāwah
- Iṭbāq, hams, tafashshī
Question 12
How many istiʿlāʾ letters?
Question 13
Which group contains istiʿlāʾ letters?
- خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ
- ل ن ع م ر
- ف ح ث ه ش
- ص ز س ب م
Question 14
How many istifāl letters are there?
Question 15
Which four letters have iṭbāq?
- خ غ ق ك
- ط د ت ث
- ص ض ط ظ
- ف ح ث ه
Question 16
How many infitāḥ letters?
Question 17
Which distinction is correct?
- خ غ ق have istiʿlāʾ without iṭbāq
- All istiʿlāʾ letters have iṭbāq
- Only infitāḥ letters have istiʿlāʾ
- Iṭbāq has seven letters
Question 18
Which set of opposing-type qualities applies to ṣād?
- Jahr, shiddah, istifāl, infitāḥ
- Hams, rikhāwah, istiʿlāʾ, iṭbāq
- Hams, tawassuṭ, istifāl, iṭbāq
- Jahr, rikhāwah, istifāl, infitāḥ
Question 19
Which mnemonic is for qalqalah?
- لن عمر
- أجد قط بكت
- قطب جد
- فحثه شخص سكت
Question 20
What must be avoided in qalqalah practice?
- Clarifying the articulation point
- Identifying the sākin state
- Remembering the five letters
- Adding a whole new vowel
Question 21
Which letter is singled out in the qalqalah note?
- قāf (ق)
- Bāʾ (ب)
- Jīm (ج)
- Dāl (د)
Question 22
Which letter has takrīr?
Question 23
Which letter has tafashshī?
Question 24
Which letter has istiṭālah?
Question 25
Which letters have ṣafīr?
Question 26
What is ghunnah associated with?
- Qāf/kāf and palate
- Nūn/mīm and nasal passage
- Ṣād/sīn and teeth
- Rāʾ/lām and tongue alone
Question 27
How many strength grades does the book list?
Question 28
What strength grade is assigned to ط ض ظ ق?
Question 29
What guidance does the book give for fāʾ and hāʾ?
- Pronounce gently but clearly
- Shout them
- Turn both into madd
- Make them inaudible
Question 30
Which mistake does the book warn against for ʿayn and ḥāʾ?
- Using the middle throat
- Strangling the throat
- Pronouncing gently
- Distinguishing the letters
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