Tafkheem and tarqeeq

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Updated on 04 October 2026 at 11:01 PM

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The letters whose ruling varies between tarqeeq and tafkheem

What is lightened in some cases and emphasized in others are the three letters excepted from the letters of istifaal: the alif, the lam and the ra. Here are their rulings in detail.

The ruling of the alif

The alif follows what precedes it in tafkheem and tarqeeq, unlike the ghunnah, which follows what follows it. The author of "La'ali al-Bayan" said:

................ وتتبع الألف ... ما قبلها والعكس في الغن أُلف

"... and the alif follows what precedes it... and the opposite for the ghunnah: the alif".

If the letter preceding the alif is a letter of isti'aalah or its equivalent, such as the emphasized ra, then the alif is emphasized, as in قَالَ ¹, التَّرَاقِي ².

And if what precedes it is a letter of istifaal whose tarqeeq is agreed upon, it is lightened, as in الْكِتَابِ ³. This follows from the fact that the alif involves no action of the organs, so that it cannot be described as tafkheem or tarqeeq by itself⁴.

The ruling of the lam

The lam of the Noble Quran is at times sakin, at times mutaharrik.

The sakin lam falls under izhaar or idghaam, and this has already been dealt with in the ruling of the sakin lam.

As for the mutaharrik lam, its ruling varies between tafkheem and tarqeeq, and here is the exposition:

The basic rule in the lam is tarqeeq, for it is a letter of istifaal, whether it carries a fatha as in لَكُمْ ⁵, a kasra as in ذَلِكَ ⁶, or a damma as in قُلُوبُهِمْ ⁷. It is emphasized only in the word of Majesty (lafz al-jalalah), in two situations:

And to this Imam Ibn al-Jazari refers with his words:

وفخِّم اللام من اسمِ اللهِ ... عن فتح أو ضم كعبدُ الله

"And emphasize the lam of the name of Allah... after a fatha or a damma, as in Abd Allah".

When it follows a kasra, its ruling is tarqeeq in absolute terms, whether the kasra is attached to it or separated from it, and whether it is original or secondary, as in لِلَّه ¹, بسمِ الله ², قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ ³, أَحَدٌ، اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ ⁴.

The ruling of the ra

The ra of the Noble Quran has four states:

Here is the detailed exposition of these states:

The first state: the ra lightened by unanimous opinion

It covers eight cases:

  1. The ra carrying a kasra, whether at the beginning of the word as in رِجَال ⁵, in the middle as in مَرِيئًا ⁶, or at the end, which occurs only in connected speech (wasl), as in لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ ⁷. And whether the kasra is original, as established above, or secondary, as in وَاذْكُرِ اسْمَ ⁸, وَذَرِ الَّذِينَ ⁹, and whether the letter following it is a letter of istifaal, as mentioned, or a letter of isti'aalah, as in وَرِضْوَانٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ ¹.
  2. The mumala ra (inclined), which is attested for Hafs in only one place, in the words of the Most High: مَجْرَاهَا ², in Surah Hud.
  3. The ra carrying a kasra, in connected speech or at a stop with rawm, as in وَالْعَصْرِ ³, وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ ⁴, for the ruling of rawm is that of wasl.
  4. The ra sakin with an original sukun in the middle of the word, after an original kasra, with no letter of isti'aalah in its word, as in فِرْعَوْنُ ⁵.
  5. The ra sakin with an original sukun at the end of the word, preceded by a kasra, whether the letter following it is a letter of istifaal as in رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي ⁶, or a letter of isti'aalah as in فَاصْبِرْ صَبْرًا ⁷, وَلا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ ⁸, أَنْ أَنذِرْ قَوْمَكَ ⁹; there is no fourth in the Quran.
  6. The ra sakin with a secondary sukun for the stop, after a kasra, whether it had a fatha as in لِيُنْذِرَ ¹⁰, carried a damma as in مُنتَشِرٌ ¹¹, or carried a kasra as in مُنْهَمِرٍ ¹²; and whether the kasra preceding it is on a letter of istifaal, as mentioned, or on a letter of isti'aalah, as in فَإِذَا نُقِرَ ¹³.
  7. The ra sakin with a secondary sukun for the stop, after a firm sakin preceded by a kasra, as in الذِّكْرَ ¹, السِّحْرَ ².
  8. The ra sakin with a secondary sukun for the stop, after a ya of madd or of leen, whether it had a fatha as in وَالْحَمِيرَ ³, لا ضَيْرَ ⁴, carried a damma as in وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ⁵, ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ ⁶, or carried a kasra as in مِنْ بَشِيرٍ ⁷, كَهَيْئَةِ الطَّيْرِ ⁸.

The second state: the ra in which tarqeeq is preferable

The ra whose ruling varies between tarqeeq and tafkheem, but in which tarqeeq is preferable; it has four types:

The first type: the ra at a stop (sakin), followed by a ya erased for lightening (takhfif), which appears in the Noble Quran only in two words:

The first: وَنُذُرِ, preceded by a waw; the second: يَسْرِ.

As for نذر preceded by the waw, it occurs in six places in Surah al-Qamar: four in the words of the Most High فَكَيْفَ كَانَ عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ ⁹ and two in فَذُوقُوا عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ ¹⁰. As for يَسْر, it is in Surah al-Fajr, in the words of the Most High وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَسْرِ ¹¹. The one who lightens the letter in these two words considers the origin, which is the ya erased for lightening, and the wasl, since the ra there is light because of its kasra: he then applies at the stop the treatment of wasl.

And the one who emphasizes it considers neither the origin nor the wasl, but takes into account the incidental element, which is the stop with the sukun and the erasure of the ya.

The second type: the ra at a stop, followed by a ya erased for the construction (bina'), which appears only in the word أَسْرِ, whether with the particle fa or with an.

As for أَسْرِ, it occurs in three places:

As for أَنْ أَسْرِ, it occurs in two places:

This word is an imperative formed on the erasure of the weak letter, which is the ya. The one who lightens it considers the origin, which is the ya erased for the construction, and the wasl, since the ra there is light because of its kasra: he then applies at the stop the treatment of wasl. And the one who emphasizes it considers neither the origin nor the wasl, but takes into account the incidental element, which is the stop with the sukun and the erasure of the ya.

The third type: the ra at a stop, preceded by a sakin carrying isti'aalah, itself preceded by a kasra, and which, in wasl, carries a kasra. This type appears in the Noble Quran in only one place: الْقِطْر, in the words of the Most High وَأَسَلْنَا لَهُ عَيْنَ الْقِطْرِ ⁶, in Saba'.

The one who lightens it considers its tarqeeq in wasl, and the fact that what precedes the sakin carrying isti'aalah is a kasra, which brings about the tarqeeq of the ra independently of the intermediate sakin. The one who emphasizes it takes into account the incidental element, which is the stop, without considering the wasl, and he regards the intermediate sakin as a solid barrier preventing the tarqeeq, for the ta is a strong letter of isti'aalah.

The fourth type: the ra sakin in the middle of the word after an original kasra, followed in its word by a letter of isti'aalah carrying a kasra.

This type appears in the Noble Quran in only one place: the word فِرْقٍ, in the words of the Most High فَكَانَ كُلُّ فِرْقٍ كَالطَّوْدِ الْعَظِيمِ ¹, in al-Shu'ara'.

The one who lightens it considers the kasra preceding it, without considering the letter of isti'aalah that follows it because of its kasra; and the kasra places it at a weak degree of tafkheem with which the tarqeeq of the ra is fitting.

The one who emphasizes it considers the letter of isti'aalah that follows it, without considering the kasra that precedes it, nor the kasra of the letter of isti'aalah, and he relates it to قِرْطَاسٍ and its like.

And to the preference for tarqeeq in these words the author of "La'ali al-Bayan" refers with his words:

........................ ... ورق فرق أعلى
ورق را يسر وأسر أحرى ... كالقطر مع نذر عكس مصر

"... and lighten firq and a'la / lighten the ra of yasr and of asr, that is safer... like al-qitr with nudhur, the opposite of Misr".

And this is what Imam Ibn al-Jazari, may Allah have mercy on his soul, chose in an-Nashr.

The third state: the ra in which tafkheem is preferable

The ra whose ruling varies between tafkheem and tarqeeq, but in which tafkheem is preferable; it has two types:

The first type: the ra at a stop, preceded by a sakin carrying isti'aalah, itself preceded by a kasra, and which, in wasl, carries a fatha.

This type appears in the Noble Quran in only one word: مِصْرَ without tanween, which occurs in four places:

The one who emphasizes it considers its state in wasl, where tafkheem is obligatory, without taking into account the kasra preceding the letter of isti'aalah that separates the kasra from the ra, and he regards the letter of isti'aalah as a solid barrier preventing the tarqeeq.

And the one who lightens it does not consider its state in wasl; he takes into account the incidental element, which is the stop, and regards the kasra preceding the letter of isti'aalah as the cause of its tarqeeq, without concern for the letter of isti'aalah.

The second type: the ra at a stop, preceded by a fatha, a damma, or a sakin preceded by a fatha or a damma, and which, in wasl, carries a kasra.

This type is abundant in the Quran: what precedes it is a fatha, as in الْبَشَرِ ⁵; what precedes it is a damma, as in بِالنُّذُرِ ⁶; what precedes it is a sakin preceded by a fatha, as in وَالْعَصْرِ، وَالْفَجْرِ ¹; and the sakin preceded by a damma, as in الْعُسْرِ ².

The one who emphasizes it does not consider its state in wasl, but considers the incidental sukun and relies on it, since there is before it no cause of tarqeeq.

And the one who lightens it considers the obligation to lighten it in wasl, because of its kasra: he then applies at the stop the treatment of wasl. And to this the scholar al-Mutawalli refers with his words:

والراجح التفخيم في للبَشَرِ ... والفجرِ أيضًا وكذا بالنذرِ

"And the preferable is tafkheem in bil-bashar... and in al-Fajr as well, and likewise bil-nudhur".

As the author of "La'ali al-Bayan" said:

........................ وفُخِّمَت ... في الوقف وهو راجح إذا كسرت

"... and it was emphasized... at a stop, and that is preferable when it carries a kasra".

The fourth state: the ra emphasized by unanimous opinion

It is the one found outside the cases already mentioned, and it mostly reduces to the following:

  1. The ra with a fatha, whether at the beginning of the word as in رَبِّي ³, in the middle of the word as in بِرَبِّكُمْ ⁴, or at the end of the word, provided it is in wasl, as in لَيْسَ الْبِرَّ ⁵.
  2. The ra carrying a damma, whether at the beginning of the word as in رُزِقُوا ⁶, in the middle of the word as in يُبْصِرُونَ ⁷, or at the end of the word, provided it is in wasl as in الْكَذَّابُ الأَشِرُ ⁸, or at a stop with rawm as in the preceding example, and likewise هُوَ الأَوَّلُ وَالآخِرُ ⁹, for rawm has the ruling of wasl.
  3. The ra sakin with an original sukun after a fatha, whether in the middle of the word as in مَرْيَم ¹, or at the end of the word as in لا يَسْخَرْ قَومٌ ².
  4. The ra sakin with an original sukun after a damma, whether in the middle of the word as in وَقُرْآنًا ³, or at the end of the word as in فَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ ⁴.
  5. The ra sakin with an original sukun after an original kasra attached to it, followed in its word by a letter of isti'aalah with a fatha; this appears in the Quran in five words: قِرْطَاسٍ ⁵, in al-An'am; فِرْقَةٍ ⁶ and إِرْصَادًا ⁷, in at-Tawba; مِرْصَادًا ⁸, in an-Naba'; لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ ⁹, in al-Fajr.
  6. The ra sakin with an original sukun after an original kasra separated from it, as in الَّذِي ارْتَضَى ¹⁰, وَقُلْ رَبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا ¹¹.
  7. The ra sakin with an original sukun after an attached secondary kasra, as in ارْجِعِي ¹².
  8. The ra sakin with an original sukun after a separated secondary kasra, as in ارْتَبْتُمْ ¹³, أَمِ ارْتَابُوا ¹⁴.
  9. The ra sakin with a secondary sukun for the stop, preceded by a fatha, whether it had a fatha as in وَمَنْ كَفَرَ ¹⁵, carried a damma as in إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْبَرُّ ¹⁶, or carried a kasra, provided it is preceded by what requires its tafkheem, as in بِشَرَرٍ ¹⁷, since the first ra is emphasized and that calls for the tafkheem of the second.
  10. The ra sakin with a secondary sukun for the stop, preceded by a damma, whether it had a fatha as in وَيُوَلُّونَ الدُّبُرَ ¹, or carried a damma as in فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِ ².
  11. The ra sakin with a secondary sukun for the stop, preceded by a sakin itself preceded by a fatha, and which in wasl carries a fatha, as in إِنَّ الأَمْرَ ³, or carries a damma, as in إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ ⁴, or the sakin is an alif, as in فَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ ⁵. Excepted from this is the ya of leen, as in السَّيْرَ ⁶, for it implies tarqeeq, as established above.
  12. The ra sakin with a secondary sukun for the stop, preceded by a sakin itself preceded by a damma, and which in wasl carries a damma, as in سُندُسٍ خُضْرٌ ⁷, or carries a fatha, as in الْيُسْرَ ⁸, or the sakin is a waw, as in تُرْجَعُ الأُمُورُ ⁹, أَنْ لَنْ يَحُورَ ¹⁰.

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

فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْهِ ٱلَّيْلُ رَءَا كَوْكَبًۭا ۖ قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَبِّى ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَفَلَ قَالَ لَآ أُحِبُّ ٱلْـَٔافِلِينَ

Surah 6, 76: The ra of رأى carrying a fatha is emphasized (tafkheem), a variable case from the book.

وَنَضَعُ ٱلْمَوَٰزِينَ ٱلْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌۭ شَيْـًۭٔا ۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍۢ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَـٰسِبِينَ

Surah 21, 47: The ra sakin of خردل, after a fatha, is emphasized (tafkheem).
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