Rules of Raa: Emphasis and Lightness
The science of Tajweed is extensive and significant, and the rules concerning the letter Raa are a vital part of this field. This article provides a detailed overview of the rulings related to Raa.
Cases of Raa with Emphasis
The letter Raa is always pronounced with emphasis in the following situations:
- When Raa is open at the beginning of a word, such as رَحيم, or in the middle of a word, such as برَبّكم.
- When Raa is rounded at the beginning of a word, such as رُحْمَة, or in the middle, as in بما تبصِرُون.
- When Raa is in a state of original silence preceded by a rounded sound in the middle of the word, such as قُرْآنًا, or at the end, as in أن اشكُرْ.
- When Raa is in a temporary silence followed by a prolonged Alif, such as الدار, or preceded by a prolonged Waw, as in الشكور.
- When Raa is in original silence and is preceded by an opening in the middle of a word, such as مَرْيم.
- When Raa is in silence, preceded by a temporary Kasrah, as in ارْكعوا, ارْجعي.
- When Raa is in silence with a Kasrah that is separate from it, such as ربِّ ارْحمهما, الذيِ ارْتضى.
- When Raa is in silence, followed by an open letter of elevation within the same word, such as قِرْطَاس، إِرْصَادا، فِرْقَة، لبالْمِرْصَاد.
- When Raa is in temporary silence and preceded by a sound that is open such as العَصْر, or preceded by a rounded sound, as in خُسْر, النهَاْر.
- When Raa is in temporary silence and preceded by an open sound, such as بقدَر, or preceded by a rounded sound, such as نكُر.
Cases of Raa with Lightness
The letter Raa is consistently pronounced with lightness in the following circumstances:
- When Raa is broken at the beginning of a word, as in رِزقا, or in the middle, as in بَرِق, or at the end, as in بالصّبْرِ when connected.
- When Raa is broken temporarily, as in وأنذِرِ الناس.
- When Raa is in a temporary silence due to a pause and preceded by a Kasrah, such as منتشِر.
- When Raa is in original silence at the end of a word, preceded by a Kasrah and followed by an elevated letter, as in أن أنذِرْ قَومك, or followed by a flat letter, as in ربّ اغفِرْ لِي.
- When Raa is silent, preceded by a connected original Kasrah without a subsequent elevated letter, such as الفِرْدوس, شِرْعة.
- When Raa is silent and preceded by a prolonged Yaa, such as قدير.
- When Raa is silent with a preceding silent letter and an earlier Kasrah, as in حِجْر.
- When Raa is slightly elongated, a case that is not prevalent in the Quran according to Hafs, except in one instance in Surah Hud, specifically in the word مجراها in the verse: (وَقالَ اركَبوا فيها بِسمِ اللَّـهِ مَجراها وَمُرساها إِنَّ رَبّي لَغَفورٌ رَحيمٌ).
- When Raa is broken at the end of the word in pause, allowing roming, as in: والعَصرِ, نفخ في الصُّورِ.
Cases of Raa Allowing Both Pronunciations with Emphasis Preferred
In certain instances, Raa can be pronounced with either emphasis or lightness, however, emphasis is preferred in the following words:
- مِصْرْ: In this case, Raa is silent, preceded by an elevated letter that is also silent and followed by a Kasrah. The one who emphasizes Raa considers its movement in connected recitation, which is opening, acknowledging the elevated letter as a barrier that prevents the preceding Kasrah from affecting Raa. Conversely, if one opts for lightness, they ignore its connected movement, focusing solely on the preceding Kasrah. This word appears four times in the Quran as follows:
- In the verse: (أَن تَبَوَّآ لِقَومِكُما بِمِصْرَ بُيوتًا).
- In the verse: (وَقالَ الَّذِي اشتَراهُ مِن مِصرَ).
- In the verse: (وَقالَ ادخُلوا مِصرَ).
- In the verse: (قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ أَلَيْسَ لِي مُلْكُ مِصْرَ).
- فِرْقٍ: In this scenario, the Raa is quiet and preceded by an original Kasrah and followed by an elevated letter that is broken. The individual who emphasizes Raa focuses on the elevated letter, even if its movement is a break, while the one who opts for lightness considers the preceding Kasrah without accounting for the elevated letter that follows.
Instances of Raa Allowing Both Pronunciations with Lightness Preferred
The letter Raa can be pronounced with both lightness and emphasis, however lightness is preferred in the following terms:
- نُذُرْ and يُسْر: The term نذر appears six times in Surah Al-Qamar, and the one who opts for lightness focuses on Raa’s movement in connected recitations, which is a break, accounting for the original sound which is the dropped Yaa for simplicity. In contrast, someone who emphasizes it simply considers the temporary silence.
- فأسْرِ and أن أسْرِ: The individual pronouncing these words with lightness observes Raa’s action while connected, noting its break and the original Yaa removed during construction. The person opting for emphasis neglects the connections and origins and instead regards the temporary silence.
- قِطْرِ: In this case, the person who chooses lightness takes into account the movement of Raa in connected speech, which is a break, along with the prior break preceding the elevated letter. Conversely, the individual emphasizing it disregards the connection, regarding the elevated letter as a barrier to the lightening of Raa.
Method of Emphasizing and Lightening Raa
Emphasizing Raa involves thickening the letter and enhancing its sound by enlarging its acoustic space. Conversely, lightening Raa entails minimizing the sound, slightly inclining it towards the break.