The letter ل (Lam) is pronounced like the "l" in "light" or "lamp". It is one of the most common letters in Arabic and is essential for the definite article "ال". ☽ MOON LETTER (حرف قمري): Lam is a MOON LETTER. When the definite article "ال" precedes it, the "l" is pronounced fully. Example: اللَّيْل = "al-layl" (the night) - Note: you hear BOTH the "l" from ال AND the ل of the word! LETTER FORMS: - Isolated: ل (when standing alone) - Initial: لـ (at the beginning of a word) - Medial: ـلـ (in the middle of a word) - Final: ـل (at the end of a word) DISTINGUISHING FEATURE: Lam has a distinctive tall vertical stroke that rises above other letters - like a flag pole. In its isolated and final forms, it curves at the bottom. SPECIAL COMBINATIONS: ل forms special ligatures (combined shapes) with certain letters: - لا = Lam + Alif (very common - the "la" combination) - لأ = Lam + Alif with hamza above - لإ = Lam + Alif with hamza below - لآ = Lam + Alif madda These combinations are written as single joined shapes, not separately. THE DEFINITE ARTICLE ال: Lam is half of the definite article "ال" (the). Understanding how this works is crucial: - With MOON letters: ال is fully pronounced → الكِتَاب "al-kitaab" (the book) - With SUN letters: the ل assimilates → الشَّمْس "ash-shams" (the sun) VOWEL MARKS (Harakat): - لَ (with Fatha): "la" - like "la" in "lamp" - لُ (with Damma): "lu" - like "loo" - لِ (with Kasra): "li" - like "lee" - لْ (with Sukoon): just "l" - no vowel sound follows COMMON WORDS: - لَيْل (layl - night) - قَلْب (qalb - heart) - الله (Allah - God) Practice Tips: 1. Notice the tall vertical stroke - Lam stands tall! 2. Learn the لا ligature well - very common 3. Practice reading ال words to master sun/moon rules 4. Common preposition: لِـ (li-) means "to/for"