Iqlaab

Islam > Quran > Tajweed > Iqlaab

The definition of the iqlaab

In the language: the iqlaab means the turning of a thing on its side. One says: qalabta ash-shay'a, that is: you turned it on its side.

In the terminology: the turning of the noon saakin or of the tanween into a concealed meem accompanied by ghunnah.

The letter of the iqlaab

The iqlaab has a single letter: the ba'. When the ba' follows the noon saakin (in a word or between two words), or follows the tanween (and this occurs only between two words), or follows an annexed noon of the tanween which exists only in لَنَسْفَعًا بِالنَّاصِيَةِ ¹ (the other position of the noon of light strengthening, وَلَيَكُونًا, is followed by a meem, not a ba'), the iqlaab is obligatory, that is: to turn the noon saakin or the tanween into a meem, then to conceal this meem with the ghunnah.

The 3 conditions of the iqlaab

For the iqlaab to be realized, three things are indispensable:

1. The turning of the noon saakin or of the tanween into a pure meem in the pronunciation, not in the writing.
2. The concealment of this meem before the ba'.
3. The manifestation of the ghunnah with the concealment (it is the characteristic of the turned meem, not that of the noon nor of the tanween. Its mark in the mushaf: the apposition of an upright meem thus "ـْمٌ" above the noon or the tanween, to indicate it.)

And it is necessary, at the pronunciation of the iqlaab, to avoid pressing the lips on the turned meem; rather it must be pronounced saakin with gentleness, without heaviness or excess².

Examples of the iqlaab

وَعَلَّمَ ءَادَمَ ٱلْأَسْمَآءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنۢبِـُٔونِى بِأَسْمَآءِ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ

al-Baqarah, 31

وَأَمَّا مَنۢ بَخِلَ وَٱسْتَغْنَىٰ

al-Layl, 8

۞ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تُؤَدُّوا۟ ٱلْأَمَـٰنَـٰتِ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهَا وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُم بَيْنَ ٱلنَّاسِ أَن تَحْكُمُوا۟ بِٱلْعَدْلِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ نِعِمَّا يَعِظُكُم بِهِۦٓ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ سَمِيعًۢا بَصِيرًۭا

an-Nisa', 58

The wisdom of the iqlaab

The noon saakin and the tanween, at the meeting with the letter ba', make the izhaar and the idghaam difficult, because of the heaviness of the pronunciation (due to the difference between the noon, the tanween and the ba' at the level of the point of articulation), just as the ikhfa is difficult because it also carries a certain heaviness, due to the lack of proportion between the two points of articulation. One reaches it therefore by turning the noon or the tanween into a meem, which facilitates the concealment (because of the sharing of the point of articulation and of the characteristics of sonority (jahr), istifaal, infitah and idhlaq with the ba', and of the sharing of the ghunnah, the jahr, the tawassut, the istifaal, the infitah and the idhlaq with the noon (that is, in all the characteristics))).

And to this ruling of the iqlaab refers shaykh al-Jamzuri by his statement:

والثَّالثُ الإقلابُ عند الباءِ ... ميمًا بِغُنَّةٍ مع الإخفاءِ

"And the third is the iqlaab before the ba'... a meem with the ghunnah, together with the concealment"

Additional examples (Qawa'id al-Tajwid on the recitation of Hafs)

ٱلَّذِينَ يَنقُضُونَ عَهْدَ ٱللَّهِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مِيثَـٰقِهِۦ وَيَقْطَعُونَ مَآ أَمَرَ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦٓ أَن يُوصَلَ وَيُفْسِدُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرُونَ

Surah 2, 27: Iqlaab: the noon saakin of من becomes a concealed meem before the ba' of بعد, with ghunnah.

هَـٰٓأَنتُمْ أُو۟لَآءِ تُحِبُّونَهُمْ وَلَا يُحِبُّونَكُمْ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْكِتَـٰبِ كُلِّهِۦ وَإِذَا لَقُوكُمْ قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا۟ عَضُّوا۟ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْأَنَامِلَ مِنَ ٱلْغَيْظِ ۚ قُلْ مُوتُوا۟ بِغَيْظِكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ

Surah 3, 119: Iqlaab: the tanween noon of عليمٌ becomes a concealed meem before the ba' of بذات, with ghunnah.

هَمَّازٍۢ مَّشَّآءٍۭ بِنَمِيمٍۢ

Surah 68, 11: Iqlaab cited by the book: the tanween of مشّاء becomes a concealed meem before the ba' of بنميم, with ghunnah.

ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلذِّلَّةُ أَيْنَ مَا ثُقِفُوٓا۟ إِلَّا بِحَبْلٍۢ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَحَبْلٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَبَآءُو بِغَضَبٍۢ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَسْكَنَةُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ ٱلْأَنۢبِيَآءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّۢ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوا۟ وَّكَانُوا۟ يَعْتَدُونَ

Surah 3, 112: Iqlaab inside the word: the noon of الأنبياء becomes a concealed meem before the ba'.