Understanding the Rules of Noon Saakinah and Tanween
Noon Saakinah refers to a silent noon that is pronounced and written, both in connection and at the end of a phrase. It can be found in nouns, verbs, and letters. On the other hand, Tanween is an additional silent noon that appears at the end of nouns in pronunciation but is absent in writing, except for emphasis. The rules governing Noon Saakinah and Tanween are categorized into four sections, detailed as follows:
1. Izhhar (Clear Pronunciation)
This rule involves clearly articulating the Noon Saakinah or Tanween when pronouncing any of the throat letters. The throat letters comprise: Alif, Ha, Ain, Ha, Ghayn, and Kha. They can be remembered with the phrase: “Akhī Hāk Al-Manḥa Ghayr Khāsir.” Izhhar occurs when Noon is in a single word, as in the phrase from Surah Al-Fatiha: (أَنْعَمْتَ), or when it appears over two words, for example, (مِن هادٍ). However, Izhhar with Tanween occurs only in two-word phrases, such as (عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ).
2. Idghaam (Merging)
Idghaam, linguistically, means to insert one thing into another. In terms of tajweed (the art of reciting the Qur’an), it is the merging of a silent letter into a pronounced one, making it into a single, stressed letter. There are six letters of Idghaam: Ya, Ra, Meem, Lam, Waw, and Noon. They can be grouped under the acronym (Yarmaloon). Idghaam itself is divided into two categories:
Idghaam with Ghunnah (Nasalization)
This category comprises four letters: Ya, Noon, Meem, and Waw, which can be remembered with the word (Yanmū). For it to apply, Noon Saakinah or Tanween must be at the end of the first word, followed by a letter of Idghaam with Ghunnah at the beginning of the next word. For instance, Allah states in Surah Az-Zalzalah: (وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ) and (وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ). If a Noon Saakinah is followed immediately by an Idghaam letter within the same word, Izhhar is necessary, specifically with letters Waw and Ya, which is referred to as absolute Izhhar. This scenario appears in only four words in the Holy Qur’an: صنوان، قنوان، الدنيا، بنيان.
Idghaam without Ghunnah
This category contains two letters: Lam and Ra. The rationale for omitting the Ghunnah is to enhance the ease of pronunciation since retaining the Ghunnah could add a heaviness to the speech. Examples from the Qur’an include: (وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ) and (أن لَّن يَنقَلِبَ).
3. Iqlaab (Conversion)
In linguistic terms, Iqlaab denotes transforming something from its original form. Technically, it refers to converting the Noon Saakinah or Tanween into a hidden Meem accompanied by Ghunnah when followed by the letter Ba. The only letter applicable for Iqlaab is Ba, marked in the Qur’anic text with a symbol resembling a Meem (م) to indicate this transformation. An example is in the phrase: (سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا).
4. Ikhfaa (Concealment)
Ikhfaa, in its simplest form, means to conceal. In terms of tajweed, it involves pronouncing a letter in a manner that is between Izhhar and Idghaam, without stressing it, while still noting the occurrence of Ghunnah. This applies when Noon Saakinah or Tanween is followed by one of the letters of Ikhfaa. There are fifteen Ikhfaa letters: Sad, Dhal, Thaa, Kaf, Jim, Sheen, Qaf, Seen, Dal, Ta, Zaa, Fa, Ta, Dhad, and Dhaa. Allah states in Surah Aal Imran: (يَنصُرْكُمُ) and (سَمِيعٌ قَرِيبٌ). Ikhfaa has three levels of execution:
- Uppermost level: This result appears with Ta, Dal, and Ta, where Ikhfaa is closest to Idghaam.
- Lowest level: This appears with Qaf and Kaf, where Ikhfaa is closest to Izhhar.
- Intermediate level: This occurs with the remaining Ikhfaa letters, representing a balance between the upper and the lower levels.
The distinction between Ikhfaa and Idghaam is important; Ikhfaa does not involve stressing the letter at any point, while Idghaam occurs within one word rather than between two separate ones. This is notable in expressions such as “Ikhfaa of Noon with Seen,” and “Idghaam of Noon with Lam.”
Exercises on the Rules of Noon Saakinah and Tanween
Below are applications of the rules of Noon Saakinah and Tanween found in various verses of the Qur’an:
In Surah Al-An’am, Allah says: {وَهُمْ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ وَيَنْأَوْنَ عَنْهُ ۖ وَإِن يُهْلِكُونَ إِلَّا أَنفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ}.
| Verse | Izhhar | Idghaam | Iqlaab | Ikhfaa |
| يَنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ | The Noon Saakinah appears with Ha which is one of the Izhhar letters. |
In Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah states: {آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ ۚ وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ}.
| Verse | Izhhar | Idghaam | Iqlaab | Ikhfaa |
| كُلٌّ آمَنَ | The Tanween appears followed by one of the Izhhar letters, which is the Alif. |
In Surah Ta-Ha, Allah mentions: {وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الصَّالِحَاتِ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَا يَخَافُ ظُلْمًا وَلَا هَضْمًا}.
| Verse | Izhhar | Idghaam | Iqlaab | Ikhfaa |
| ظُلْمًا وَلَا هَضْمًا | The Tanween is followed by the letter Waw, which is among the Idghaam letters with Ghunnah. |
In Surah Al-Kahf, Allah reiterates: {قَيِّمًا لِّيُنذِرَ بَأْسًا شَدِيدًا مِّن لَّدُنْهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا حَسَنًا}.
| Verse | Izhhar | Idghaam | Iqlaab | Ikhfaa |
| قَيِّمًا لِّيُنذِرَ | The Tanween is followed by the letter Lam, which is one of the Idghaam letters without Ghunnah. |
In Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah states: {قَالَ يَا آدَمُ أَنبِئْهُم بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ ۖ فَلَمَّا أَنبَأَهُم بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَأَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ}.
| Verse | Izhhar | Idghaam | Iqlaab | Ikhfaa |
| أَنبِئْهُم | The Noon Saakinah is followed by the letter Ba, which indicates Iqlaab. |
In Surah Al-Isra, Allah professes: {وَكُلَّ إِنسَانٍ أَلْزَمْنَاهُ طَائِرَهُ فِي عُنُقِهِ ۖ وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ كِتَابًا يَلْقَاهُ مَنشُورًا}.
| Verse | Izhhar | Idghaam | Iqlaab | Ikhfaa |
| مَنشُورًا | The Noon Saakinah is followed by the letter Sheen, which is one of the Ikhfaa letters. |
In conclusion, it becomes evident that the letters in Tajweed do not share a uniform point of articulation as classified by Islamic scholars. Each rule—whether it be Izhhar, Idghaam, Iqlaab, or Ikhfaa—comes with its respective letters.