Lam Qamariya and Lam Shamsiya

Islam > Quran > Tajweed > Lam Qamariya and Lam Shamsiya

The lam of the article al

It is the lam known as the lam of definition (lam at-ta'rif) that enters the nouns, and it is always extra to the structure of the word, whether the word can stand without it as in الْأَرْضِ, or that is not possible as in الَّذِينَ. The addition of the al in this case is indispensable, in the sense that the letter can never leave the word containing it, and this type has obligatory idghaam as its ruling if a lam follows it, as in: الَّذِي, الَّتِي, وَالَّذَانِ, الَّذَيْنِ, الَّذِينَ, اللَّائِي, اللَّاتِي; and obligatory izhaar if a ya or a hamza follows it, as in وَالْيَسَعَ, الْآنَ; and in all of this it never leaves the word¹².

As for the al whose word structure can stand without it, it has, before the letters of the alphabet, two states:

1. The state of izhaar.
2. The state of idghaam.

The state of izhaar: the lam qamariya

The al there is called lam qamariya (lunar), and it is distinguished by fourteen letters gathered in the formula of Sheikh al-Jamzuri: "ابْغِ حَجَّكَ وخَفْ عَقِيمَهُ", and they are: the hamza, the ba, the ghayn, the ha (ح), the jim, the kaf, the waw, the kha, the fa, the ayn, the qaf, the ya, the meem and the ha (ه).

When one of these fourteen letters follows the lam of the al, its izhaar is obligatory and it is called qamari izhaar (lunar), and the lam is called lam qamariya; the sign of it is the appearance of the sukun on the lam.

And the reason for its name qamari izhaar: it is by way of analogy; the lam was compared to the star and the fourteen letters to the moon, by the common feature of the appearance of each with the other and of the non-concealment with it¹.

And the cause of the izhaar of the lam with these letters is the distance of the point of articulation of the lam from the points of articulation of these fourteen letters.

Examples of the lam shamsiya

The state of idghaam: the lam shamsiya

The al there is called lam shamsiya (solar), and it is distinguished by the fourteen remaining letters of the alphabet (which the author of at-Tuhfa gathered in the initials of the words of this verse):

طِبْ ثم صِلْ رَحِماً تفُزْ ضِفْ ذَا نِعَمْ ... دعْ سوءَ ظّنٍ زُرْ شريفاً للكرمْ

and they are: the emphatic ta, the tha, the sad, the ra, the ta, the dad, the dhal, the noon, the dal, the seen, the emphatic za, the zay, the sheen and the lam.

When one of these fourteen letters follows the lam of the al, its idghaam is obligatory and it is called shamsi idghaam (solar), and the lam is called lam shamsiya; the sign of it is the absence of the sukun on the lam and the placing of a shaddah on the letter following it.

And the reason for its name shamsi idghaam: it is by way of analogy: the lam was compared to the star and the fourteen letters to the sun, by the common feature of the concealment of each with the other and of the non-appearance with it¹.

And the cause of the idghaam of the lam into these letters is identity with the lam and closeness with the other letters.

Benefit of the preceding examples

A benefit

Among the preceding examples came the word of Majesty: "Allah", and its derivation as follows: its origin is "ilah"; the al entered it and it became "al-ilah", then the second hamza was removed for lightening and it became "al-lah", then the lam of the al was merged into the second lam by identity and it became "Allah", then the lam was emphasized for veneration after the fatha and the damma, without the kasra, in accordance with the lightening, and it became: "Allah"¹.

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

وَٱلشَّمْسِ وَضُحَىٰهَا

Surah 91, 1: Example from the book: lam shamsiya, the lam of ال merges into the sheen of الشمس with a shaddah.

فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا۟ وَلَن تَفْعَلُوا۟ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱلنَّارَ ٱلَّتِى وَقُودُهَا ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلْحِجَارَةُ ۖ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ

Surah 2, 24: Example from the book: lam shamsiya, the lam of ال merges into the noon of النار.

صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ

Surah 1, 7: Example from the book: lam shamsiya, the lam of ال merges into the dad of الضالين.

سَبَّحَ لِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ

Surah 57, 1: Example from the book: lam qamariya, the lam of ال remains apparent before the ayn of العزيز.

وَهُوَ ٱلْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِۦ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ

Surah 6, 18: Example from the book: lam qamariya, the lam of ال remains apparent before the kha of الخبير.