Characteristics of the Letters (Ṣifāt) · Tajweed

Why characteristics matter

The letters ط, د and ت all come from the same point: the tip of the tongue against the roots of the upper front teeth. What makes them three different letters is their ṣifāt (صِفَاتٌ, singular ṣifa), the qualities of the sound. Learning the ṣifāt lets you hear the difference between a heavy and a light letter, know which letters bounce when they carry sukūn, and understand why many later rules behave as they do. Most characteristics come in opposing pairs; every letter has exactly one from each pair.

The paired characteristics

Each letter has one quality from every row. The mnemonic words collect the letters of the first quality in the pair.
Quality	Meaning	Letters	Opposite
Hams (whisper)	Breath keeps flowing while the letter is said	ف ح ث هـ ش خ ص س ك ت (فَحَثَّهُ شَخْصٌ سَكَتَ)	Jahr (voice): breath is held back; all other letters
Shidda (strength)	The sound stops completely	ء ج د ق ط ب ك ت (أَجِدْ قَطٍ بَكَتْ)	Rikhwa (softness): the sound runs on; all letters except shidda and tawassuṭ
Tawassuṭ (between)	The sound neither stops nor runs freely	ل ن ع م ر (لِنْ عُمَرْ)	(the middle of the shidda–rikhwa pair)
Istiʿlāʾ (elevation)	The back of the tongue rises to the palate; the letter is heavy	خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ (خُصَّ ضَغْطٍ قِظْ)	Istifāl (lowering): the tongue stays low; the letter is light
Iṭbāq (closure)	The tongue is pressed up against the roof of the mouth; the heaviest letters	ص ض ط ظ	Infitāḥ (openness): a gap remains between tongue and palate; all other letters
Idhlāq (fluency)	Pronounced quickly from the tip of the tongue or the lips	ف ر م ن ل ب (فِرَّ مِنْ لُبٍّ)	Iṣmāt (restraint): all other letters

Rule 1: Heavy and light letters (tafkhīm and tarqīq)

The seven letters of istiʿlāʾ (خُصَّ ضَغْطٍ قِظْ) are always pronounced heavy (tafkhīm): the back of the tongue rises and the mouth fills with the sound. The four letters that also have iṭbāq (ص ض ط ظ) are the heaviest of all. Every other letter is light (tarqīq), except ر, ل in the name of Allah and the alif, which follow what is around them (see lesson 12). A common beginner error is to make the light letters heavy by imitation; ت, د, س and ك must stay thin.

اَلصِّرَاطَ
aṣ-ṣirāṭa
the path
ص and ط are heavy with iṭbāq; the س-like sound must be full and dark (1:6).
اَلْمَغْضُوبِ
al-maghḍūbi
those who earned anger
غ (istiʿlāʾ) and ض (iṭbāq) are both heavy (1:7).
وَالطَّارِقِ
waṭ-ṭāriqi
and the night-comer
ط with iṭbāq, ق with istiʿlāʾ: a heavy word (86:1).
خَلَقَ
khalaqa
He created
خ and ق heavy, ل light between them (113:2).
اَلتَّكَاثُرُ
at-takāthuru
rivalry in increase
ت, ك and ث are all light and whispered; keep them thin (102:1).

Rule 2: The unpaired characteristics

Some qualities belong to a few letters and have no opposite. Ṣafīr (whistle): ص س ز. Qalqala (bounce): ق ط ب ج د, an echo heard when the letter carries sukūn. Līn (softness): و and ي with sukūn after a fatḥa, as in خَوْفٍ. Inḥirāf (deviation): ل ر, where the sound slips to the side of the tongue. Takrīr (repetition): ر, a natural flutter that must be kept to a single tap. Tafashshī (spreading): ش, the air spreads across the mouth. Istiṭāla (extension): ض, the sound runs along the side of the tongue.

نَسْتَعِينُ
nastaʿīnu
we ask for help
ṣafīr: the س whistles (1:5).
قُلْ
qul
say
ق is heavy; when it carries sukūn, as in اقْرَأْ, it bounces with qalqala (112:1).
خَوْفٍ
khawfin
fear
līn: the و after fatḥa is soft, not a full ū (106:4).
اَلشَّمْسِ
ash-shamsi
the sun
tafashshī: the air of ش spreads over the whole tongue (91:1).
اَلضَّالِّينَ
aḍ-ḍāllīna
those who go astray
istiṭāla: the ض is held along the side of the tongue before the ل (1:7).

Same point, different letters: ط د ت

Three letters from the roots of the upper front teeth, separated only by their qualities.
Letter	Voice	Stop	Weight	Example
ط	jahr (voiced)	shidda (stops), with qalqala when sākin	istiʿlāʾ and iṭbāq: heaviest	مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ
د	jahr (voiced)	shidda (stops), with qalqala when sākin	istifāl: light	اَلْقَدْرِ
ت	hams (whispered)	shidda (stops), no qalqala	istifāl: light	أَنْعَمْتَ