Letters always emphasized

Islam > Quran > Tajweed > Letters always emphasized

The letters that are always emphasized

What is always emphasized concerns the seven letters of isti'aalah (elevation), gathered in the formula of Imam Ibn al-Jazari: خص ضغط قظ.

These letters vary in strength and weakness according to the strong or weak characteristics with which they are endowed. That is why you find that the four letters of itbaq are the strongest of the letters of isti'aalah in emphasis, and about them Imam Ibn al-Jazari says:

وحرفُ الاستعلاءِ فَخِّمْ واخصصا ... الإطباقَ أقوى نحو قال والعصا

That is: distinguish the letters of itbaq by a stronger tafkheem.

The order of these 7 letters by strength and weakness

1. the emphatic ta: the strongest of them;
2. then the dad;
3. then the sad;
4. then the emphatic za;
5. then the qaf;
6. then the ghayn;
7. then the kha¹.

The degrees of tafkheem

The degrees of emphasis are five, according to the choice of Imam Ibn al-Jazari in "at-Tamhid":

1. The first: the letter with a fatha followed by an alif, as in قَالَ ²;
2. The second: the letter with a fatha not followed by an alif, as in خَلَقَكُمْ ³;
3. The third: the letter carrying a damma, as in يَقُول ⁴;
4. The fourth: the sakin letter, as in فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ ⁵, اقْرَأْ ⁶;
5. The fifth: the letter carrying a kasra, as in قِيلَ ⁷.

And to this the author of "La'ali al-Bayan" refers with his words:

أعلاه في كطائفٍ فصَلَّى ... فالغُرُفات فاقْترِب فَظِلا

"The highest of them in ka-ta'ifin, fa-salla... fa-l-ghurafat, fa-qtarib, fa-zhila".