Book Three, Section Two: madd conditions, the four subdivisions of lāzim, līn letters and special ʿayn cases Read the bilingual lesson for Types of Madd — Original, Secondary, Connected, Separate, Necessary and Temporary and test your understanding with a focused quiz.
Lesson
1. Madd: the central question
Madd is elongation of a vowel sound. Not every lengthened sound follows the same rule. First find the madd letter; then check whether hamzah or sukūn follows it.
The source begins with two principal categories, aṣlī (original) and farʿī (secondary). This lesson establishes recognition and classification; the next section of the book addresses exact lengths and combinations.
2. Identify the madd letter first
Before applying a madd rule, identify the preceding vowel: a madd alif follows fatḥah, madd wāw follows ḍammah, and madd yāʾ follows kasrah. What follows the madd letter then controls the classification.
Examples such as قَالَ، يَقُولُ، قِيلَ show the three basic vowel extensions. By contrast, the wāw of خَوْف follows fatḥah and is a līn letter, not a madd wāw.
3. Original madd (aṣlī)
Madd aṣlī occurs when the madd letter is followed by neither hamzah nor sukūn. The basic vowel extension comes from the madd letter itself, without an additional triggering cause.
The learner should inspect the letter immediately after the madd. If the conditions for hamzah- or sukūn-based secondary madd are absent, classify the extension as original. Do not confuse recognition of a category with the later question of exact duration.
4. Secondary madd (farʿī)
Madd farʿī is caused when the madd letter is followed by hamzah or sukūn. There is an additional cause beyond the basic vowel extension.
The next question is where the hamzah occurs—in the same word or in the next word—or whether the sukūn is permanent or created by stopping. These distinctions yield the source’s four categories.
5. The four secondary categories
The source lists four kinds of secondary madd: muttaṣil, munfaṣil, lāzim and ʿāriḍ. Use a two-stage decision.
If the trigger is hamzah, check its word: same word = muttaṣil; next word = munfaṣil. If it is sukūn, ask whether it is permanent = lāzim or only arises at a stop = ʿāriḍ.
6. Connected madd: hamzah in the same word
In madd muttaṣil, the hamzah after a madd letter occurs within the same word. The text gives examples such as جَاءَ، جَائِي، سُوءٌ.
To identify it, mark the madd letter and locate the subsequent hamzah without crossing a word boundary. That is what “connected” describes; merely hearing a long vowel does not make a case muttaṣil.
7. Separate madd: hamzah in the next word
In madd munfaṣil, the madd letter ends one word and the triggering hamzah starts the next word. The source includes فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ، قَالُوا آمَنَّا، مَا أَنْزَلَ.
Even if the words are read smoothly together, the hamzah still belongs to a different word. The grammatical word boundary, not the presence of a physical pause, distinguishes munfaṣil from muttaṣil.
8. Distinguish connected from separate
Both جَاءَ and مَا أَنْزَلَ contain hamzah after madd. In the first, the two belong to one word; in the second, two words.
Ask where the hamzah belongs after identifying the word boundary. This is the reliable classification test. Later discussions of possible lengths should not change the underlying category.
9. Necessary madd: permanent sukūn
Madd lāzim follows a madd letter when the subsequent sukūn is intrinsic rather than generated by pausing. The source describes it as a sukūn that does not separate from the madd letter under different reading situations.
The secondary trigger here is permanent sukūn, not hamzah. Identify whether the next silent element is inherent in the form or merely appears because of a stop.
10. Temporary madd: sukūn arising at a stop
Madd ʿāriḍ occurs when the letter after madd is normally vowelled but becomes sākin at a stop. The sukūn is temporary, not part of the word’s permanent pattern.
For example, the ending of رَحِيمٌ is read in connected speech but becomes silent when stopping on the word. Compare the connected and stopped pronunciations rather than treating the written vowel as a permanent sukūn.
11. The source’s three ʿāriḍ examples
The source illustrates temporary madd with رَحِيم، تَعْلَمُون، تُكَذِّبَان. On stopping, the final consonant after the madd letter becomes sākin, producing the temporary cause.
Self-check: first read the word into what follows, then stop on it. Hear the final consonant lose its vowel at the stop. That change, not mere spelling, explains the ʿāriḍ classification.
12. Three permissible degrees for ʿāriḍ
The text permits ṭūl, tawassuṭ and qaṣr for madd ʿāriḍ—longer, middle and shorter degrees. The next section treats amounts and combinations more extensively.
For now, keep the condition attached to the ruling: this three-way allowance is given for the temporary sukūn at a stop. It is not a blanket choice for every type of madd.
13. Four subdivisions of lāzim
Two questions subdivide madd lāzim. First, does the case occur in an ordinary word (kalimī) or in a named opening letter of a sūrah (ḥarfī)?
Second, is the following silent consonant doubled/assimilated (muthaqqal) or not doubled (mukhaffaf)? Combining these dimensions yields four forms: kalimī muthaqqal, kalimī mukhaffaf, ḥarfī muthaqqal and ḥarfī mukhaffaf.
14. Heavy versus light lāzim
Muthaqqal is associated with a doubled (mushaddad) consonant after the madd; its first component is sākin.
Mukhaffaf has a non-doubled sākin after the madd. Both have a permanent sukūn-based cause; the difference is the presence or absence of doubling, not the absence of a cause in mukhaffaf.
15. Kalimī muthaqqal: dābbah
In دَآبَّة, the madd alif precedes doubled بّ. The silent first element of that doubled consonant creates the permanent-sukūn cause in one ordinary word. The classification is kalimī muthaqqal.
The earlier lesson used the same word to show an allowable meeting of two sākin elements. The same example may properly illustrate both that issue and its madd category.
16. Kalimī mukhaffaf: āl-āna
In آلْآنَ, the madd is followed by a sākin lām that is not doubled. It therefore illustrates kalimī mukhaffaf.
Madd lāzim does not require a visible shaddah in every case. “Lāzim” identifies the enduring sukūn cause, while “mukhaffaf” says that the subsequent sākin is not doubled.
17. Ḥarfī lāzim in opening letters
Sūrah openings include sequences and single letters such as الٓمٓ، الٓمٓر، كهيعص، حم عسق، حم، طسم، ن، ص، ق. These are disjointed opening letters, where letter names rather than ordinary words are pronounced.
Some letter names contain a madd letter followed by an inherent silent element. Such cases are treated under ḥarfī lāzim. Do not assign an identical madd rule to every character in an entire opening sequence without inspecting its name.
18. Ḥarfī muthaqqal with assimilation
In الٓمٓ, the spoken name lām ends with a mīm sound, followed by the name mīm. The adjacent mīms assimilate, producing the doubled consonant condition following the madd within the name of lām.
That is an example of ḥarfī muthaqqal. The classification belongs to the affected letter-name junction; it should not be imposed indiscriminately on every letter in the opening sequence.
19. Ḥarfī mukhaffaf without doubling
In letter names such as صٓ، قٓ، نٓ, a madd element is followed by an inherent silent consonant without a subsequent assimilation that would double it. They help illustrate ḥarfī mukhaffaf.
First pronounce the complete letter name, locate its madd and final silent element, and then check whether its junction actually produces doubling. The absence of such doubling distinguishes this category.
20. Letters of līn versus letters of madd
The book also discusses līn letters: a silent wāw or yāʾ preceded by fatḥah, as in خَوْف، بَيْت. These are not the same as madd wāw and madd yāʾ, which require ḍammah and kasrah before them.
This prevents the common error of treating every wāw or yāʾ as an ordinary madd letter irrespective of the preceding vowel.
21. Stopping with līn: three possibilities
When stopping makes the consonant after a līn letter sākin, the source allows qaṣr, tawassuṭ and ṭūl in that stopped form. Stopping on خَوْف makes the relevant silent consonant after the līn wāw audible as a waqf condition.
Retain the distinction between madd and līn letters, and identify the temporary condition at the stop rather than applying a rule without its trigger.
22. Special rule for the letter ʿayn
The name ʿayn in كهيعص (Maryam) and حم عسق (al-Shūrā) contains a medial līn yāʾ. The book mentions short, middle and long possibilities at this particular letter name.
It also states that the short degree is very weak here and the longer degree is preferable. This preference concerns the named special case, not every common word containing a līn letter.
23. The special joining case: alif-lām-mīm Allāh
The source notes a special case at the start of Āl ʿImrān: الٓمٓ اللَّهُ. If the mīm is connected into Allāh, the next hamzat al-waṣl drops and the final mīm receives fatḥah to avoid an impermissible encounter of silent elements.
For this specific liaison, the book mentions both ṭūl and qaṣr for the madd of mīm. Do not generalize that exceptional allowance to all madd lāzim cases; the next section discusses length more fully.
24. Care when stopping on a madd letter
A marginal note warns about stopping on a madd letter: do not exaggerate the madd beyond its proper limit or let an extra hāʾ or hamzah appear at the end when that sound is not part of the word.
For examples such as قَالُوا، فِي، مَالَا, bring the true madd sound to a clean stop. Precision means preserving the original sound and its legitimate length, not adding breathy or glottal sounds.
25. Self-test: classify four cases
For each example, follow madd letter → cause → category. جَاءَ has hamzah in the same word: muttaṣil. فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ has hamzah in the next: munfaṣil. دَآبَّة has permanent doubled sukūn: kalimī muthaqqal. At a stop on رَحِيم, the sukūn is temporary: ʿāriḍ.
Repeat the reasoning for آلْآنَ، قٓ، خَوْف، كهيعص. Sound classification matters more than memorizing labels without their conditions.
Practice questions
Question 1
Which two principal forms of madd does the book give?
- Original and secondary
- Qalqalah and ghunnah
- Jahr and hams
- Iẓhār and ikhfāʾ
Question 2
Which condition defines madd aṣlī?
- Only permanent sukūn follows
- Hamzah is in next word
- Neither hamzah nor sukūn follows
- Next letter is always doubled
Question 3
What causes secondary madd?
- Spelling style
- Hamzah or sukūn after madd
- Only a fatḥah
- Stopping everywhere
Question 4
How many principal secondary categories are listed?
Question 5
What identifies muttaṣil?
- Hamzah after madd in the same word
- Sukūn arises at a stop
- Hamzah in next word
- A līn letter occurs
Question 6
Which kind of madd is جَاءَ?
- Munfaṣil
- ʿĀriḍ
- Muttaṣil
- Ḥarfī lāzim
Question 7
Where is hamzah in munfaṣil?
- Before madd in the same word
- In the next word
- Only in sūrah opening letters
- Always in doubled letter
Question 8
What type is فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ?
Question 9
What is the difference between مَا أَنْزَلَ and جَاءَ?
- First munfaṣil, second muttaṣil
- Both lāzim
- Both ʿāriḍ
- First is līn, second ghunnah
Question 10
What is the trigger in madd lāzim?
- Hamzah next word
- Every temporary stop
- Permanent sukūn after madd
- Only a name for shaddah
Question 11
When does ʿāriḍ arise?
- Hamzah same word
- Stopping makes following consonant silent
- Wāw follows ḍammah
- A letter name is recited
Question 12
Under which madd is stopping on رَحِيم described?
- Muttaṣil
- Munfaṣil
- Necessarily aṣlī
- ʿĀriḍ
Question 13
How many degrees are permitted for ʿāriḍ?
- Three: ṭūl, tawassuṭ, qaṣr
- Long only
- Short only
- None
Question 14
What distinguishes kalimī from ḥarfī lāzim?
- Amount of ghunnah
- Hamzah pronunciation
- Word versus opening letter name
- Only stopping point
Question 15
What chiefly marks muthaqqal lāzim?
- Hamzat al-qaṭʿ
- Doubled consonant after madd
- Tanwīn
- Fatḥah before līn
Question 16
What distinguishes mukhaffaf lāzim?
- No madd
- Without hamzah always aṣlī
- Madd always omitted
- Following sākin is not doubled
Question 17
How is madd in دَآبَّة classified?
- Kalimī muthaqqal
- Munfaṣil
- ʿĀriḍ
- Ḥarfī mukhaffaf
Question 18
Why is آلْآنَ kalimī mukhaffaf?
- Hamzah next word
- It contains līn
- A non-doubled silent lām follows madd
- It is always temporary
Question 19
In opening letters, what is checked for ḥarfī lāzim?
- Only number of printed letters
- Sound structure of the letter name
- Translation of every word
- Verse number only
Question 20
What type does assimilation after lām in الٓمٓ yield?
- ʿĀriḍ
- Munfaṣil
- Kalimī mukhaffaf
- Ḥarfī muthaqqal
Question 21
What type is the name قٓ with permanent sukūn but no doubling?
- Ḥarfī mukhaffaf
- Kalimī muthaqqal
- Muttaṣil
- Munfaṣil
Question 22
What vowel precedes a silent līn wāw or yāʾ?
Question 23
What is the wāw in خَوْف?
- Madd wāw
- Līn wāw
- Hamzah
- Ghunnah mīm
Question 24
What does the source permit when a stop creates sukūn after līn?
- Only deletion
- Idghām everywhere
- Qaṣr only
- Qaṣr, tawassuṭ and ṭūl
Question 25
Which opening letter is treated specially in Maryam and al-Shūrā?
Question 26
Which degree does the book prefer for the special ʿayn?
- Qaṣr
- Remove sukūn
- Ṭūl
- Add hamzah
Question 27
What is given to mīm when joining الٓمٓ اللَّهُ?
- Always sukūn
- Fatḥah
- Tanwīn
- Kāf doubling
Question 28
Which two possibilities are cited for this special liaison?
- Middle and iẓhār
- Idghām and ikhfāʾ
- Shaddah and iqlāb
- Ṭūl and qaṣr
Question 29
Which mistake does the book warn against when stopping on madd?
- Overstretching madd or adding hāʾ/hamzah
- Pronouncing the original madd clearly
- Identifying the letter correctly
- Observing proper length
Question 30
What is the key difference between lāzim and ʿāriḍ?
- One is always kalimī
- One always arises from hamzah
- Permanent vs stopping-created sukūn
- One never has līn
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