Episode Details

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Welcome back to Be Qur’anic. Today is Tuesday, and that means it’s Tajweed Tuesday.

Every Tuesday during the term, we’ll break down the tajwīd rules found in the Ayat of the Week. For Term 2, we’re exploring Surah al-Wāqi‘ah. This week, we’re focusing on verses 1 to 9.

Let’s begin.

1.

Isti‘ādhah and Basmalah

A‘ūdhu billāhi min ash-shayṭānir-rajīm

Don’t rush through isti‘ādhah. This is a direct command from Allah: “When you recite the Qur’an, seek refuge in Allah.”

Say it with presence, intention, and correct articulation.

Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm

Many rush through the basmalah, but according to some scholars — like Imam al-Shāfi‘i — it is part of the Qur’an. Recite it properly, honouring each rule.

2.

Verse 1 – إِذَا وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ

* Iẓā – contains a mad aṣlī (natural elongation), read it with 2 harakāt.

* Waqa‘ati-l-Wāqi‘ah – notice the bouncing of the letter qāf and the correct emphasis on ‘Ayn. Maintain equal length in iẓā and wāqi‘ah.

3.

Verse 2 – لَيْسَ لِوَقَعَتِهَا كَاذِبَةٌ

* Laysa li-waqa‘atihā – contains a mad aṣlī.

* Qaf is a bouncing letter, qalqalah.

* Kādhibah – the letter dhāl should have the tip of your tongue touch the edges of your front teeth, not the flat part. Don’t confuse it with zāl (ز).

4.

Verse 3 – خَافِضَةٌ رَافِعَةٌ

* The tanwīn at the end of khāfiḍah meets the letter rā – and rā is part of Yarmalūn. This is idghām bilā ghunnah – a full merge without nasal sound.

* Read it: khāfiḍatur rāfi‘ah, not khāfiḍatun rāfi‘ah.

5.

Verse 4 – إِذَا رُجَّتِ الْأَرْضُ رَجًّا

* Iẓā – again, mad aṣlī.

* Rujjatil-arḍu – the ḍād with ḍammah causes the lips to round forward, not because of the letter itself, but due to the vowel.

* Rajja – ends with tanwīn followed by shaddah. This is a mad ‘iwāḍ — elongate it two harakāt when stopping.

6.

Verse 5 – وَبُسَّتِ الْجِبَالُ بَسًّا

* Bussat – pay attention to the shaddah on the sīn. Pronounce both sīn with clarity.

* Jibāl – elongate the alif for 2 harakāt.

* Bassā – another mad ‘iwāḍ, elongate 2 harakāt when stopping.

7.

Verse 6 – فَكَانَتْ هَبَاءً مُنْبَثًّا

* Kānat – the tā is an aspirated letter, release a slight puff of air without turning it into a sīn.

* Habā’an – look out for the mad followed by tanwīn.

* Habā’am munbaththā – this is idghām bi-ghunnah: the tanwīn is merged with mīm, resulting in a nasal sound (ghunnah) and read with 2 harakāt.

* Munbaththā – the thā should be light and pronounced with the tip of the tongue just between the teeth.

8.

Verse 7 – وَكُنتُمْ أَزْوَاجًا ثَلَاثَةً

* Kuntum