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Tafkhīm and tarqīq (heavy and light pronunciation) are among the most important chapters of tajweed. Tafkhīm means “thickening” the sound of a letter so that the mouth fills with its echo; tarqīq means “thinning” it so that the mouth does not fill with it. From this point of view the letters fall into three groups: always heavy, always light, and sometimes heavy and sometimes light.
| Group | Letters |
|---|---|
| Always heavy | The seven elevated (isti‘lā’) letters: خص ضغط قظ |
| Sometimes heavy, sometimes light | Rā’, the lām in the name of Allah, and the madd alif, which follows the letter before it |
| Always light | All the other (lowered) letters |
Degrees of heaviness
The elevated letters are not all equally heavy. Many teachers mention five degrees, from strongest to weakest:
- With fatha followed by an alif: قَالَ.
- With fatha and no alif after it: صَبَرُوا.
- With damma: يَقُولُ.
- With sukūn: يَخْلُقُ.
- With kasra: قِيلَ.
The four adhering (iṭbāq) letters – ṣād, ḍād, ṭā’ and ẓā’ – are heavier than the other elevated letters.
Letters that can be heavy or light
- Rā’: it has detailed rules depending on its vowel and what comes before it – see the rules of rā’.
- The lām in the name of Allah: heavy after fatha or damma, light after kasra – see the rules of lām.
- The madd alif: it follows the letter before it – heavy after a heavy letter, as in قَالَ, and light after a light letter, as in كَانَ.
Common mistakes
- Making lowered letters heavy because they are next to a heavy letter, such as a heavy alif in كَانَ.
- Making elevated letters light, especially when they have kasra.
- Rounding the lips for tafkhīm – tafkhīm comes from raising the back of the tongue, not from rounding the lips.
Related articles: characteristics of the letters, tajweed rules chart.
Learn it in practice with a teacher
Tajweed is learned by listening and reciting to a teacher; reading about the rules is not enough. At Al-Azhar Message Academy you recite to a male or female Al-Azhar graduate who holds an ijazah with a connected sanad, and who listens and corrects you in one-to-one lessons on Zoom or Google Meet. The subscription starts at $40 per month for 8 lessons, and the first trial lesson is free. See our online tajweed course.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Which letters are always heavy?
The seven elevated letters, gathered in “خص ضغط قظ”.
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Is the alif heavy or light?
The madd alif follows the letter before it: heavy after a heavy letter and light after a light one.
Is tafkhīm done by rounding the lips?
No. Tafkhīm comes from raising the back of the tongue towards the roof of the mouth; rounding the lips is a common mistake.
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