Every core rule of tajweed, explained simply, each with real examples from the Quran coloured to show the rule and a recitation to listen to.
Colour key
A noon with sukun (نْ) or tanween (ـً ـٍ ـٌ) is read in one of four ways, decided by the letter that comes next.
Before the six throat letters ء ه ع ح غ خ, the noon is pronounced clearly, with no extra nasal sound and no merging.
ٱلَّذِىٓ أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍۢ وَءَامَنَهُم مِّنْ خَوْفٍۭ ﴿٤﴾
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًۭا يَرَهُۥ ﴿٧﴾
Before the four letters of ي ن م و (remembered as yanmu), the noon merges into the next letter, held with ghunnah for about two counts. This applies only across two words. Inside one word, as in دُنْيَا, the noon is read clearly.
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًۭا يَرَهُۥ ﴿٧﴾
ٱلَّذِى جَمَعَ مَالًۭا وَعَدَّدَهُۥ ﴿٢﴾
Before ل ر, the noon disappears completely into the lam or ra, with no nasal sound. The Uthmani text shows this with a shaddah on the next letter.
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًۭى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٥﴾
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًۭى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٢﴾
Before ب, the noon or tanween changes into a hidden meem, held with ghunnah for two counts and the lips lightly closed. The mushaf marks it with a small meem (ۢ).
كَلَّا ۖ لَيُنۢبَذَنَّ فِى ٱلْحُطَمَةِ ﴿٤﴾
Before the remaining fifteen letters ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك, the noon is half-hidden: the tongue does not fully touch, and a nasal sound is held for about two counts while the mouth prepares the next letter.
إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ فِى لَيْلَةِ ٱلْقَدْرِ ﴿١﴾
ٱلَّذِىٓ أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍۢ وَءَامَنَهُم مِّنْ خَوْفٍۭ ﴿٤﴾
تَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍۢ مِّن سِجِّيلٍۢ ﴿٤﴾
A meem with sukun (مْ) has three rules, again decided by the next letter.
Before ب, the meem is said with the lips lightly together and a ghunnah of two counts.
تَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍۢ مِّن سِجِّيلٍۢ ﴿٤﴾
Before another م, the two meems merge into one meem with shaddah and a ghunnah of two counts.
ٱلَّذِىٓ أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍۢ وَءَامَنَهُم مِّنْ خَوْفٍۭ ﴿٤﴾
Before every other letter, the meem is pronounced clearly, without ghunnah. Take extra care before و ف, which are made near the lips, so the meem is not hidden by mistake.
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَٰبِ ٱلْفِيلِ ﴿١﴾
صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ ﴿٧﴾
Ghunnah is the nasal sound from the nose.
Every نّ and مّ with shaddah is held with a full ghunnah of about two counts. It is the strongest ghunnah in the Quran.
إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ ٱلْأَبْتَرُ ﴿٣﴾
ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٤﴾
Five letters, gathered in the phrase قُطْبُ جَدٍّ (ق ط ب ج د), get a slight echo or bounce when they have a sukun.
When one of the five letters has a sukun in the middle of a word or a passage, it gets a light bounce. Do not add a vowel after it: the bounce is a release of the letter, not an extra a, i or u.
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ﴿٣﴾
إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ ٱلْأَبْتَرُ ﴿٣﴾
When you stop on one of the five letters at the end of a word, it becomes sakin and the bounce is stronger. It is strongest when the letter also has a shaddah, as in وَتَبَّ.
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ ﴿١﴾
تَبَّتْ يَدَآ أَبِى لَهَبٍۢ وَتَبَّ ﴿١﴾
Madd is lengthening a long vowel: alif after fatha, waw sakinah after dammah, or ya sakinah after kasrah. One count is about the time it takes to fold or unfold a finger.
The basic long vowel, with no hamzah or sukun after it. It is always two counts. Make it shorter and the word can change.
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ ﴿١﴾
A madd letter followed by a hamzah in the same word. It is wajib to lengthen it beyond two counts: four or five in the narration of Hafs from Asim through ash-Shatibiyyah. The mushaf marks it with a wavy line (~).
إِذَا جَآءَ نَصْرُ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْفَتْحُ ﴿١﴾
A madd letter at the end of one word and a hamzah at the start of the next. In Hafs through ash-Shatibiyyah it is read four or five counts. Be consistent within one recitation.
إِنَّآ أَعْطَيْنَٰكَ ٱلْكَوْثَرَ ﴿١﴾
A madd letter followed by a sukun or shaddah that stays whether you stop or continue. It is always six counts. In a word it is kalimi, as in ٱلضَّآلِّينَ. In the separate letters at the start of some surahs it is harfi: الٓمٓ is read alif, laaaam, miiiim.
صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ ﴿٧﴾
الٓمٓ ﴿١﴾
When you stop on a word whose last letter comes after a madd letter, the last letter becomes sakin, so the madd may be two, four or six counts. Six is the most common in recitation. Keep it the same length each time you stop.
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ ﴿١﴾
A waw or ya with sukun after a fatha (aw, ay), when you stop on the next letter. When you do not stop, it has no madd at all.
لِإِيلَٰفِ قُرَيْشٍ ﴿١﴾
فَلْيَعْبُدُوا۟ رَبَّ هَٰذَا ٱلْبَيْتِ ﴿٣﴾
A hamzah followed by a madd letter, as in ءَامَنُوا. In Hafs it is two counts.
إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ ﴿٣﴾
When you stop on a word with tanween fathah, the tanween is dropped and replaced with a two-count alif: أَفْوَاجًا is stopped as afwaajaa.
وَرَأَيْتَ ٱلنَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِى دِينِ ٱللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًۭا ﴿٢﴾
The pronoun ha (هُۥ, هِۦ) between two voweled letters is lengthened. Before a letter that is not a hamzah it is two counts (sughra). Before a hamzah it follows munfasil, four or five counts (kubra, coloured like munfasil). When you stop on it, there is no silah.
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ﴿٢٥٥﴾
يَحْسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُۥٓ أَخْلَدَهُۥ ﴿٣﴾
The lam of ال is pronounced before fourteen letters: ا ب غ ح ج ك و خ ف ع ق ي م ه (gathered in ٱبْغِ حَجَّكَ وَخَفْ عَقِيمَهُ). The lam has a sukun in the mushaf.
وَٱلْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَىٰهَا ﴿٢﴾
Before the other fourteen letters, the lam is not pronounced and the next letter is doubled, shown by the shaddah: ash-shams, not al-shams.
وَٱلشَّمْسِ وَضُحَىٰهَا ﴿١﴾
The lam of ٱللَّه is heavy (full-mouthed) after a fatha or dammah, and light after a kasrah.
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ﴿١﴾
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ﴿١﴾
Ra is usually heavy (tafkhim). It becomes light (tarqiq) mainly around a kasrah.
Ra is heavy when it has a fatha or dammah, or when it has a sukun after a fatha or dammah.
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿٢﴾
إِذَا جَآءَ نَصْرُ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْفَتْحُ ﴿١﴾
Ra is light when it has a kasrah, or a sukun after an original kasrah in the same word with no heavy letter (such as ق ص ط) straight after it in that word.
إِۦلَٰفِهِمْ رِحْلَةَ ٱلشِّتَآءِ وَٱلصَّيْفِ ﴿٢﴾
وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِى ٱلْأَوْتَادِ ﴿١٠﴾
The small signs above the line tell you where you may, should or must not stop. The circle with a number marks the end of an ayah, where stopping is always allowed.
| Sign | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ـۘ | Lazim You must stop here. Joining would change the meaning. |
| ـۗ | Qili (stop preferred) Stopping is better, though you may join. |
| ـۚ | Ja'iz Stopping and joining are both fine. |
| ـۖ | Wasl awla (join preferred) Joining is better, though you may stop. |
| ـۛ | Mu'anaqah Two sets of three dots: stop at one of them, not both. |
| ـۙ | La (do not stop) Do not stop here. If you must, go back and join. |
| ـۜ | Saktah Pause briefly without taking a breath, then carry on (in Hafs, in four places). |
فَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ ۘ يَوْمَ يَدْعُ ٱلدَّاعِ إِلَىٰ شَىْءٍۢ نُّكُرٍ ﴿٦﴾
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًۭى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٢﴾
وَقِيلَ مَنْ ۜ رَاقٍۢ ﴿٢٧﴾
Every example is cut from the Uthmani text (Tanzil) and coloured here. Press ▶ to hear the whole ayah recited by Mahmoud Khalil Al-Husary, via EveryAyah. The colours follow the common colour-coded mushaf scheme, simplified.
Guide
Tajweed means giving each letter of the Quran its right: saying it from its correct place in the mouth and throat, with its qualities, and applying the rules that change how letters sound next to each other. The rules above cover nearly everything a beginner meets in daily recitation: what to do with noon and meem, when to add ghunnah, the bounce of qalqalah, how long to hold each madd, the heavy and light letters, and where to stop.
Scholars divide mistakes in recitation into two kinds. A clear mistake (lahn jali) changes a letter, a vowel or the meaning, such as reading ح as ه or a short vowel as long. Avoiding these is obligatory on everyone who recites the Quran, in salah and outside it. A hidden mistake (lahn khafi) misses a finer rule, such as the length of a madd or a ghunnah. The scholars of recitation, such as Ibn al-Jazari, held that reciting with full tajweed is required. Many jurists treat the finer rules as strongly recommended for someone still learning, while urging them to keep learning. Either way, no one should stop reciting because their tajweed is not yet perfect: the Prophet ﷺ said the one who recites with difficulty, stumbling over it, has a double reward.1
Tajweed is learned by ear more than from a page. Play each example, listen for the rule in the coloured part, then say it yourself. To drill one ayah, open it in the recitation player and set it to repeat. The Al-Husary teaching recitation (Muallim), which pauses for you to repeat, is in the list of qaris there. A qualified teacher who can hear you is still the best way to learn.
The lengths given here are for the recitation of Hafs from Asim through ash-Shatibiyyah, which is what most printed mushafs and most reciters use. Other turuq of Hafs, and other qira'at, use different lengths for some madds.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
The core rules are the four rules of noon sakinah and tanween (izhar, idgham, iqlab, ikhfa), the three rules of meem sakinah, ghunnah, qalqalah, the types of madd, the heavy and light letters, and the waqf signs.
Qaf, ta (ط), ba, jim and dal, gathered in the phrase qutbu jadd (قطب جد). They bounce when they have a sukun, more strongly when you stop on them.
Izhar (read clearly) before the six throat letters, idgham (merge) before ي ر م ل و ن, iqlab (change to meem) before ب, and ikhfa (hide) before the other fifteen letters.
Natural madd, badal and 'iwad are 2. Muttasil and munfasil are 4 or 5 in Hafs through ash-Shatibiyyah. Lazim is always 6. 'Arid lil-sukun and lin can be 2, 4 or 6 when you stop.
Colour-coded mushafs mark rules in colour: usually reds for the madds by length, green for ghunnah and ikhfa, grey for silent letters, and blue for qalqalah or heavy letters. The key at the top of this page shows the colours used here.
You can learn the rules and train your ear online. Because tajweed is about sound, have a teacher listen to your recitation as soon as you can.