Definition of Madd
The term ‘madd’ refers to the elongation of sound when pronouncing a madd letter. In contrast, ‘qasar’ signifies articulating a letter without any additional length. There are three madd letters: the silent waw, which has a preceding letter that is damm (dotted); the alif, which has a preceding letter that is fatḥah (open); and the silent ya, which has a preceding letter that is kasrah (broken). Additionally, the letters of leniency, ya and waw, can also be elongated when preceded by an open letter.
Rules of Madd
Madd is categorized into two main types: original madd and subsidiary madd. Below is a detailed explanation of each type.
Natural Madd
Natural madd can be divided into two forms: word-related madd and dual madd. The word-related madd occurs when a madd letter appears within a single word, such as in the word “يُنَادُونَكَ” (yoonadunak), thereby earning its designation as ‘word-related.’ This form can be consistent both in halting and in continuation, only in continuation, or only in halting. The length of this elongation is two vowel movements.
Moreover, dual natural madd can be found in the openings of various chapters, known as the disjointed letters, such as in the chapters of Ta-Ha or Maryam. The letters at the beginning of these chapters can be grouped as “حي طهر,” where the letter ḥā denotes the hams, yā represents the chapters Maryam and Yā-Sīn, ṭā symbolizes the chapter Ta-Ha and the three ṭā-sīm letters, ḥā corresponds to the chapters Maryam and Ta-Ha, while rā is associated with the initial letters of the chapters Yunus, Hud, Yusuf, Ra’d, Ibrahim, and Al-Hijr.
An additional aspect of natural madd is the ‘compensation madd,’ which exclusively occurs in a state of halting. It arises when halting on a letter that is marked with tanwīn of nasb. In this case, it is replaced with an elongated alif instead of the tanwīn. Examples include the words “غُزَّىً” (ghuzzan) and “هُدىً” (hudan), also “أَحَدًا” (ahadan).
Subsidiary Madd
Subsidiary madd has three distinct rulings: permissibility, obligation, and necessity. Below is a brief description of each:
- Obligatory Madd: This type occurs when a letter carrying a hamzah follows the madd letter within the same word. Known as ‘connected madd,’ the hamzah is directly connected to the madd letter in the same word. In such cases, the madd letter is elongated for four to five vowel movements if the hamzah is in the middle of the word, and it can extend to six movements if the hamzah is at the end.
- Permissible Madd: This allows for both shortening and elongation. It is defined as occurring when a hamzah follows a madd letter but in two separate words. It is termed ‘permissible’ because pronouncing the letter can be done with either elongation or shortening. There is a subcategory within permissible madd known as ‘intermittent pausing,’ where a temporary pause occurs after the madd letter due to halting, allowing the option of either shortening or elongation.
- Necessary Madd: This involves a pause occurring after the madd letter in both continuation and halting. It is called ‘necessary’ due to its obligatory nature in both circumstances. An example of this is the letter mīm in the word “ألم” (Alif Lam Meem) found at the beginning of the chapter Al-Imran.