Lesson 7
Natural Elongation Small Alif, Wāw, Yāʾ
المد الطبيعي
Three letters stretch their preceding vowel to exactly two counts. This is the foundation of all Madd rules in Tajweed.
What Is Madd Ṭabīʿī?
Madd (مد) means elongation. Madd Ṭabīʿī (المد الطبيعي "natural elongation") occurs when a vowel is followed by its matching elongation letter. The vowel is stretched to two counts (harakatayn) exactly double the length of a short vowel.
VowelElongation letterSoundExample
فَـ
ا (Alif)
Long "ā" held 2 counts
قَالَ
فِـ
ي (Yāʾ sākin)
Long "ī" held 2 counts
قِيلَ
فُـ
و (Wāw sākin)
Long "ū" held 2 counts
قُولُوا
Counting Two Beats
A "count" (harakah) equals the time it takes to lightly tap your finger. Two counts = two taps while you hold the sound. Practise by tapping as you read:
نُورٌ
nū (2 taps) run (short)
light the wāw stretches the ū
The Small Alif (الألف الخنجرية)
In some Qurʾānic words, the elongation alif is not written as a full ا but as a tiny vertical stroke above the letter the "dagger alif":
الرَّحْمَـٰنِar-Raḥmāni the alif in "mān" is a small stroke above the mīm
هَـٰذَاhādhā the alif is above the hāʾ
لَـٰكِنlākin the alif is above the lām
It is read the same as a written alif two counts after the fatḥah.
Practice Words
قَالَqāla "he said"
كَانَkāna "he was"
عِيسَىʿĪsā Jesus (peace be upon him)
مُوسَىMūsā Moses (peace be upon him)
يَقُولُyaqūlu "he says"
الدِّينِad-dīni "of the religion"
Key Points
- Madd Ṭabīʿī = vowel + matching elongation letter (no stops, no hamzah between them).
- Always exactly 2 counts not 1, not 3.
- The elongation letter has no vowel of its own (it is sākin).
- Small (dagger) alif is read identically to full alif do not skip it.