Ṣifāt Lāzimah (Permanent Characteristics) in Tajweed: Complete Guide

We already studied Ṣifāt al-Ḥurūf (the characteristics of Arabic letters) generally, and then took a brief look at their two types:

• Ṣifāt Lāzimah (Permanent Characteristics)
• Ṣifāt 'Āriḍah (Temporary Characteristics)

Now, as planned, we're diving deeply into Ṣifāt Lāzimah — the permanent traits that belong to each letter, no matter what word or position it's in.

What are Ṣifāt Lāzimah?

We already know that makhārij tell us where a letter is produced and ṣifāt tell us how it is produced. Today we concentrate on Ṣifāt Lāzimah — the qualities that are intrinsic to a letter and do not disappear with context. These are the "built-in" traits of letters. Mastering them is essential because a correct makhraj with a wrong sifat still makes pronunciation incorrect.

We will:

• Define each permanent sifat in Arabic and English
• Give precise articulation cues (how to feel/do it)
• Provide multiple Arabic examples (with transliteration)
• Explain each example so there is no ambiguity
• Give practice drills and common mistakes/fixes

Note: We will briefly mention Tafkhīm/Tarqīq, Qalqalah, Tafkhīm of Rā' and Tafkhīm of Lām in Allāh here only because we already have full detailed lessons for those.

Main Permanent Characteristics

1 — الهَمْس (al-Hams) — Whisper / Breathy Sound

What it is (in plain words):

When a letter is hamis, the sound comes out mostly as escaping breath — the vocal cords don't vibrate. It's like a whisper blended into the consonant. The sound is airy rather than full-bodied.

How to test / feel it:

Put your fingertips lightly on your throat (over the larynx) and say the letter in a short syllable (for example سَ). You should feel little or no vibration but feel air on your face or hand. If there is significant throat vibration, it's not hamis.

Examples & explanation:

• سَمَاء — samāʼ → the س is hamis: say /sa/ and notice the breathy hiss without throat vibration.
• فَرْد — fard → ف is hamis: lips nearly meet and a puff of air escapes.
• شَجَر — shajar → ش is hamis: the sound is breathy with sibilant hiss.

Why these show hams: in each case the consonant is produced with airflow and without vocal-cord vibration; the sound is thin/air-like.

Drill:

Contrast minimal pairs: say سَ / زَ, فَ / بَ, شَ / جَ — emphasize the breath on hamis and the throat vibration on the other.

Common mistake & fix:

Mistake: Pronouncing hamis letters as voiced (e.g., saying ز instead of س).
Fix: Use the throat-finger test and exaggerate the breath for hamis letters until your ear and throat distinguish them.

2 — الجَهْر (al-Jahr) — Voiced / Full-bodied Sound

What it is:

Jahr is the opposite of hams: the letter is produced with vocal-cord vibration, so the sound is fuller and clearer — not a whisper. Think "voiced" consonant.

How to test / feel it:

Place your fingertips on your throat and say a voiced letter (like بَ). You should feel vibration in the throat as the sound is produced. If you feel nothing and only air, it is not jahr.

Examples & explanation:

• بَاب — bāb → ب vibrates the vocal cords; no breath hiss.
• دِين — dīn → د is voiced; the sound is direct and vibratory.
• زَيْت — zayt → ز vibrates; contrast س which would be breathy.

Why these show jahr: the vocal cords actively vibrate, producing a resonant quality rather than a breathy hiss.

Drill:

Repeat pairs: بَ / فَ, دَ / تَ, زَ / سَ and feel vibration only on the voiced member.

Common mistake & fix:

Mistake: Learners sometimes whisper voiced letters.
Fix: Put fingers on throat, exaggerate vibration by humming a vowel then add the consonant (hum→ba).

3 — الشِّدَّة (ash-Shiddah) — Firmness / Doubled Quality (Shaddah)

What it is:

Shiddah is the quality of tightness and holding: when a letter carries shaddah (ّ) it is produced twice practically — first held (no vowel) and then released — but both parts belong to one syllabic moment. It's not a long vowel; it's a hold + release of the same consonant.

How to test / feel it:

Say a word with and without shaddah (for example دَرَسَ vs دَرَّسَ). In the shaddah word you will feel a momentary hold at the letter's articulation point — the tongue or lips stay in contact and then release — creating a double but immediate sound.

Examples & explanation:

• مَدَّ — madda → the doubled د is held then released: /mad-da/ (feel the hold on د).
• اللَّه as pronounced in many contexts → لّ is held before moving to the following vowel: the lam is doubled in articulation.
• أُمَّة — ummah → the مّ carries a nasal hold (ghunnah + shaddah interplay).

Why these show shiddah: each example requires holding contact and then releasing without inserting a vowel between the two identical consonantal articulations.

Drill:

Take a list of words with and without shaddah and read them alternately: دَرَسَ — دَرَّسَ, قَوْل — قَوَّلَ, holding the doubled sounds briefly.

Common mistake & fix:

Mistake: Omitting the hold (saying darrasa as if single d) or making the hold too long.
Fix: Practice rhythmic timing: treat shaddah as a "hold for one beat, release on the next half-beat" — use a small metronome or clap.

4 — الرَّخَاوَة (ar-Rikhāwah) — Softness / Free Flow

What it is:

Rikhāwah is the relaxed or flowing quality: a letter with rikhāwah does not demand a tight hold; the air flows smoothly. Most Arabic letters in their plain form are rakhī (soft).

How to test / feel it:

Say سَ or مَ and hold the sound: it continues without the closure/pressure felt in shaddah letters. If the sound can be prolonged without a trapped feeling, it is rikhāwah.

Examples & explanation:

• سَلَام — salām → س allows the sound to flow; nothing stops the airflow harshly.
• فِيهِ — fīhi → ف is relaxed and breathy but not held.

Why these show rikhāwah: they permit continuity of sound; the articulators do not close tightly.

Drill:

Alternate words: رَحْمَة vs رَّحْمَة (if the latter existed) to sense the difference — focus on letting rikhāwah letters flow.

Common mistake & fix:

Mistake: Making soft letters too abrupt (over-stopping).
Fix: Practice stretching the consonant slightly (without adding vowel) to feel flow.

5 — التَّوَسُّط (at-Tawassuṭ) — Middle / Balanced Quality

What it is:

Tawassuṭ letters are between shiddah and rikhāwah. They have partial hold and partial flow — neither fully closed nor fully free. They behave in a balanced manner; some pressure is present but not as forceful as shaddah letters.

How to test / feel it:

Say لَ or نَ and observe: there is a slight point of contact (tongue, lip, or nasal resonance) but the sound is not fully trapped. You'll feel slight resistance but still continuous sound.

Examples & explanation:

• لَهُ — lahu → ل sits between hold and flow; it is not a hard stop like ت, nor fully flowy like س.
• مَنْ — man → ن exhibits slight hold/nasal quality yet flows.

Why these show tawassuṭ: articulators meet with gentle contact allowing a controlled but not rigid production.

Drill:

Practice sequences: لَ — رَ — سَ to feel the middle nature of ل and ر versus the lightness of س.

Common mistake & fix:

Mistake: Treating these as either very hard or very soft.
Fix: Aim for gentle contact — not tight clasp, not free flow.

6 — الاسْتِعْلَاء (al-Isti'lāʼ) — Elevation / Raised-back Articulation

What it is:

Isti'lāʼ is when the back of the tongue rises toward the soft palate or upper throat, producing a thicker, fuller sound. Letters with isti'lāʼ are typically perceived as heavier and deeper.

How to test / feel it:

Say قَ or خَ and feel the back of your tongue lift up and move toward the soft palate; you'll sense a deep resonance at the back of the mouth/throat.

Examples & explanation:

• قَلْب — qalb → ق requires back-tongue raising; the resulting sound is dense and deep.
• خَيْر — khayr → خ is a guttural friction with the back of tongue lifted.
• صَبْر — ṣabr → ص is also produced with back-tongue effect, giving a fuller tone.

Why these show isti'lāʼ: their production uses the dorsal part of the tongue and the oral cavity's posterior area, generating a heavy resonance.

Drill:

Compare قَ / كَ, صَ / سَ: exaggerate back-tongue lift for the first of each pair.

Common mistake & fix:

Mistake: Pronouncing isti'lāʼ letters too front (as if they were soft letters).
Fix: Practice exaggeration initially: intentionally lift the back tongue higher until the feel is learned, then normalize.

7 — الاسْتِفَال (al-Istifāl) — Lowered / Front Articulation

What it is:

Istifāl is the low/toward-front tongue quality. Letters with istifāl are produced with the tongue low or at the front, giving a lighter, thinner sound.

How to test / feel it:

Say تَ or سَ and notice the tongue tip/blade near the teeth or alveolar ridge and the mouth feeling open; no back-lift is present.

Examples & explanation:

• تِلْكَ — tilka → ت is front-produced and light.
• سَمَاء — samāʼ → س is front and breathy, not raised-back.

Why these show istifāl: these sounds are articulated in the anterior oral cavity, not by the back of the tongue.

Drill:

Contrast طَ / تَ, قَ / كَ to feel front versus back production.

Common mistake & fix:

Mistake: Pushing front sounds back under the influence of nearby heavy letters.
Fix: Practice isolated articulation at the tip of the tongue (touch points).

8 — الإِطْبَاق (al-Iṭbāq) — Compression / Closing (Strong Contact)

What it is:

Iṭbāq is a forceful closing or compression of the oral cavity at the time of articulation — the tongue presses up and the sound becomes compact, intense and resonant. Letters with iṭbāq feel "full" and closed.

How to test / feel it:

Say صَ or طَ and sense a broad contact between the tongue and the roof of mouth — the oral cavity feels compressed.

Examples & explanation:

• صَبْر — ṣabr → ص is not just heavy but has a compressed, dense quality.
• طَالِب — ṭālib → ط has a strong closed contact and a penetrating tone.
• ظَلَمَ — ẓalama → ẓ combines heavy and compressed qualities.

Why these show iṭbāq: their tongue/palate contact traps and compresses the sound, making it concentrated.

Drill:

Practice صَ / سَ, طَ / تَ to contrast compression vs openness.

Common mistake & fix:

Mistake: Treating these as open (saying س for ص).
Fix: Use deliberate broad tongue contact and feel the "press" at roof of mouth.

9 — الانْفِتَاح (al-Infitāḥ) — Opening / Free-lipped Articulation

What it is:

Infitāḥ is the open counterpart to iṭbāq: the articulators leave the cavity open so the sound spreads out. The tone is freer and less concentrated.

How to test / feel it:

Say سَ or زَ and feel the air and sound move freely without a pressing contact to the palate.

Examples & explanation:

• سَمَاء — samāʼ → س is open; the sound is airy and spreads.
• زَهْرَة — zahra → ز vibrates openly.

Why these show infitāḥ: no compressed contact, sound is unconstrained.

Drill:

Alternate iṭbāq/infitāḥ pairs: صَ — سَ, طَ — تَ.

Common mistake & fix:

Mistake: Over-compressing open letters due to nearby heavy letters.
Fix: Isolate and produce the open letter in initial position to free the articulation.

10 — الإِذْلَاق (al-Idhlāq) — Fluidity / Smooth Flow

What it is:

Idhlāq describes letters that are naturally smooth and mobile in speech — they move and connect easily to neighboring letters.

How to test / feel it:

Say فَرَح or مَلِك — notice how the tongue/lips move freely between the consonants without resistance.

Examples & explanation:

• فَرَح — farah → ف and ر are fluid, allowing smooth transitions.
• مَلِك — malik → م and ل flow together.

Why these show idhlāq: they are produced at places and with manners that facilitate swift movement.

Drill:

Read a short phrase with many fluid letters and aim for connectedness: قَلْبُ الرَّحْمَن (then compare with a phrase heavy with compressive letters).

Common mistake & fix:

Mistake: Trying to force movement artificially fast — causing sloppiness.
Fix: Slow practice with focus on clear contact then speeding up while maintaining clarity.

11 — الغُنَّة (al-Ghunna) — Nasal Resonance (Brief Overview)

What it is (brief):

Ghunna is a nasal, humming resonance associated primarily with ن and م, especially when doubled (ّ) or in specific tajwīd contexts (Idghām, Ikhfā', etc.). For permanent sifat we note that ن and م inherently allow nasal resonance, though its length and application depend on context.

How to test / feel it:

Hum a nasal sound like "mmm" and feel resonance behind the nose. Produce مّ or نّ and hold the nasal hum for the required counts (we'll detail rules in the ghunnah lesson).

Examples & explanation:

• مّ in أُمَّة → there is a clear nasal hold.
• نّ in مِنَّ → nasal vibration is sustained briefly.

We will study ghunnah length, where to hold it, and rules of merge and concealment in the focused ghunnah lesson.

12 — القَلْقَلَة (al-Qalqalah) — Brief Overview

Short note (as requested):

Qalqalah is a small "bounce" or echo heard on specific letters when they have sukoon (ق ط ب ج د). The letters themselves are listed as having a tendency for this property, but the audible bounce depends on stopping/pausing context. We will cover qalqalah fully in its own detailed lesson.

Practical Integration — How We Learn These Sifāt Together

Common Errors Specifically Related to Ṣifāt Lāzimah & Fixes

Short Practice Plan (10 minutes daily for 2 weeks)

Recommended Learning Path

Frequently Asked Questions