By the end of this lesson
- Name the five pairs
- Know the letters of hams, shiddah and istiʻlāʼ
- Hear how qualities separate similar letters
Two letters can share a point of articulation yet sound different. Their qualities (ṣifāt) are what separate them: ت and ط come from the same place, but ط is heavy and closed.
| Quality | Meaning | Letters | Opposite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hams (whisper) | Breath flows | ف ح ث ه ش خ ص س ك ت | Jahr: breath held |
| Shiddah (strength) | Sound stops completely | ء ج د ق ط ب ك ت | Rakhāwah: sound flows |
| Tawassuṭ (between) | Sound partly flows | ل ن ع م ر | Sits between shiddah and rakhāwah |
| Istiʻlāʼ (rising) | Back of the tongue rises: heavy | خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ | Istifāl: light |
| Iṭbāq (closing) | Tongue covers the palate | ص ض ط ظ | Infitāḥ: open |
| Idhlāq (fluency) | Easily pronounced | ف ر م ن ل ب | Iṣmāt: the rest |
Scholars memorise these with phrases: فَحَثَّهُ شَخْصٌ سَكَتْ for hams, أَجِدْ قَطٍ بَكَتْ for shiddah, لِنْ عُمَرْ for tawassuṭ, and خُصَّ ضَغْطٍ قِظْ for istiʻlāʼ.
PracticeName a quality that separates each pair.
س / صShow answer
ص has istiʻlāʼ and iṭbāq
ت / طShow answer
ط has istiʻlāʼ and iṭbāq; ت has hams
ذ / ظShow answer
ظ has istiʻlāʼ and iṭbāq
ه / حShow answer
Different points: ه is deeper in the throat