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## Chapter Four
### Lesson Eight
# Madd and Qasr (Lengthening and Shortening)
### Madd (Lengthening)
**Linguistically**, *madd* means **prolongation and increase**, as in the verse:
> “And He will increase you in wealth and children.”
> *(i.e., He will give you more)*
The sign of madd is written like this: **(~)**.
**In Tajwīd terminology**, madd means **prolonging the sound by using the three long vowel letters** found together in the word from the Qur’anic phrase:
**(نوحيها)**
These are:
– **Wāw (و)**
– **Yā’ (ي)**
– **Alif (ا)**
These are called **the letters of madd (long vowels)**.
Madd has **two causes**:
– A **vowelled hamzah (ء)**
– A **sukūn (silence)**
—
# Qasr (Shortening)
Qasr means **limiting oneself to the natural lengthening only**, without adding extra prolongation.
Examples:
– **قال** (qāla)
– **يقول** (yaqūlu)
– **قيل** (qīla)
—
# Natural Madd (Al‑Madd al‑Tabīʿī)
This is the **original or inherent madd**.
It occurs when **a letter of madd appears without any additional cause requiring lengthening**, as in the examples:
– قال
– يقول
– قيل
Its length is **two vowel counts (two ḥarakāt)** only, equivalent to **one alif**, and **no madd sign (~)** appears above it.
### Note
The duration of **one vowel count (ḥarakah)** equals the time needed to pronounce **one vowelled letter**, depending on the speed of recitation:
– **Taḥqīq** (slow recitation)
– **Tadwīr** (moderate recitation)
– **Ḥadr** (fast recitation)
—
# Secondary Madd (Al‑Madd al‑Farʿī)
This occurs when **a madd letter is followed by a cause for lengthening**, meaning that **after the madd letter comes either a hamzah or a sukūn**.
It has several types.
—
# 1. Connected Madd and Separated Madd
The reason for both is the **occurrence of a hamzah after the madd letter**.
### Connected Madd (Al‑Madd al‑Muttaṣil)
If the **hamzah occurs in the same word**, it is called connected madd.
Examples:
– شاء
– سيئت
– سوء
Its length is **four counts (moderate length)** according to the recitation of **ʿĀṣim as narrated by Ḥafṣ through al‑Shāṭibiyyah**.
—
### Separated Madd (Al‑Madd al‑Munfaṣil)
If the **hamzah occurs in the next word**, it is called separated madd.
Examples:
– **إنا أعطيناك الكوثر**
– **قال له أسلم**
– **إني آمنت**
Its length is also **four counts**.
The difference between them:
– **Connected madd:** lengthening is **obligatory**.
– **Separated madd:** lengthening is **permissible**.
—
# 2. Necessary Madd (Al‑Madd al‑Lāzim)
This is the madd **followed by a permanent sukūn**, meaning the sukūn remains both in **continuation and when stopping**.
Its length is **six counts**, and it is **not shortened according to the agreement of scholars**.
It has **four types**:
– Word‑based heavy
– Word‑based light
– Letter‑based heavy
– Letter‑based light
—
## 1. Heavy Word Madd (Al‑Kalimī al‑Muthaqqal)
Occurs when the madd letter is followed by a **doubled (shaddah) letter**, meaning assimilation occurs within the same word.
Example:
– **الضالين**
—
## 2. Light Word Madd (Al‑Kalimī al‑Mukhaffaf)
Occurs when the madd letter is followed by a **silent letter that is not doubled**.
Example:
– **آلآن**
—
## 3. Heavy Letter Madd (Al‑Ḥarfī al‑Muthaqqal)
Occurs in the **disconnected letters (ḥurūf al‑muqaṭṭaʿāt)** at the beginning of some Qur’anic chapters.
It appears in a letter whose spelling consists of **three letters**, the **middle one being a madd letter**, and the last one **assimilated into a similar letter that follows it**.
Example:
– **الم** (Alif Lām Mīm)
Also:
– **سم** pronounced *Sīn Mīm*, where assimilation occurs in pronunciation.
—
## 4. Light Letter Madd (Al‑Ḥarfī al‑Mukhaffaf)
Occurs when the letter consists of **three letters**, the middle one is a **madd letter**, and the last letter **is not assimilated (not doubled)**.
Examples:
– **حم** (Ḥā Mīm)
– **ق** (Qāf)
– **ن** (Nūn)
—
### The Disconnected Letters
There are **fourteen letters** in the Qur’an after removing repetition.
They are gathered in the phrase:
**(صراط علي حق نمسكه)**
Some of them consist of **two letters**, gathered in the phrase:
**(حي طهر)**
They are pronounced as:
– **حا ، يا ، طا ، ها ، را**
Others consist of **three letters**, gathered in the phrase:
**(نقص عسلكم)**
They are pronounced like:
– **نون ، قاف ، صاد ، عين ، سين ، لام ، كاف ، ميم**
—
# 3. Temporary Madd (Al‑Madd al‑ʿĀriḍ)
This is madd caused by a **temporary sukūn when stopping at the end of a word**. If recitation continues, the sukūn disappears.
Examples:
– **رب العالمين**
– **الرحمن الرحيم**
(The **nūn** in *al‑ʿālamīn* becomes vowelled when continuing recitation.)
For this type of madd, three options are allowed:
– **Shortening:** 2 counts
– **Moderate length:** 4 counts
– **Long length:** 6 counts
—
**End of the book: “Summary of Tajwīd” (Corrected New Edition).**
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
—
# Index
### Some References
1. *Tajwīd Āsān* — Dr. Hamid Reza Mostafid
2. *Hilyat al‑Qur’an*
3. *The Seven Qur’anic Readings* — Haidar Kasmaei
4. Specialized courses in Qur’anic readings by Dr. Salim Jari — Dar al‑Sayyidah Ruqayyah
5. Special lessons in analytical Tajwīd — Haidar Kasmaei — Dar al‑Sayyidah Ruqayyah
6. Organized Tajwīd notes prepared by Ustadh Haidar al‑Ka‘bi (based on authoritative Tajwīd books)
7. *Amālī al‑Ṣadūq*, transmitted through *ʿUyūn Akhbār al‑Riḍā* (peace be upon him)
