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You are here: BDIslam Home > Learn Quran >  Lesson 36 : Sefaat  

Lesson 36 : The Sifaat of the letters

Sifaat refers to the characteristic(s) of the letter

Definition :The way in which a letter is articulated that differentiates it from others. The purpose of these characteristics is to distinguish the letters that share the same articulation points (makhaarij).

But why do we need sifaat when we already know the origin of the letter (makhraj)?

Makhaarij only provides information as to where the sound of the letter comes from, whereas sifaat provides extra information with regards to the characteristics of the letter in order to produce the correct sound.

This section will further explain this :

Sifaat is of two types:
a. Sifaat WITH opposite (complement)
b. Sifaat WITHOUT opposites (non-complement)

SIFAAT WITH OPPOSITES

	Opposite
Hems (whispered)	Jahr (voiced)
Shiddah (explosive) INBETWEEN Tasawwut	Rakhaawa (softness)
Itbaaq (closed)	Infitaah (opened)
Ithlaaq (flowing, ease of exit)	Ismaat (sharply pronounced)
Istalaa / Tafkheem (elevated)	Istifaal /Tarqeeq (depressed, low)

1.a Hems (whispered) : Weak or slight continuation of breath (whispering, expulsion of air) upon pronunciation of the letter when it carries a SUKOON

1.b Jahr (Opposite of Hems) : The stoppage of breath upon pronunciation of a letter when it carries a SUKOON

2.a Shiddah (Explosive/Strength) : Strong stoppage of the sound upon pronunciation of the letter when it carries a SAKOON

2.b Rakhaawa (Opposite of Shiddah) : The continuation of sound upon pronunciation of the letter when it carries a SAKOON, in a soft and gentle manner

3.a Itbaaq (closed) : Contact between the back of the tongue and the upper palate of the mouth.

3.b Infitaah (Opposite to Itbaaq) : Separation of the tongue from the upper palate, thus pronouncing in an opened manner.

4.a Ithlaaq : The speed of which the letters are pronounced because of the ease of the makhraj.

4.b Ismaat (opposite to ithlaaq) : To pronounce in a heavy manner.

5.a Ista'ala / tafkheem (elevated) : The elevation of the back of the tongue to the back roof of the mouth upon pronunciation of the letter, no matter what harakaat.

5.b Tarqeeq (opposite to Tafkheem) : The lowering or depressing of the back of the tongue away from the roof of the mouth upon pronunciation of the letter.

SIFAAT WITHOUT OPPOSITES

1. Safeer (whistling sound) : It is a sound similar to that of a bird, bee which can be described as either a buzzing or whistling sound

2. Qalqalah (echoing / bouncing sound) : to pronounce with an echoing or bouncing sound when the letter carries a SUKOON only.

3. Leen (soft sound) : A manner of articulation that seeks an easy pronunciation.

4. Inhiraaf (inclined sound) : The leaning of the tongue away from its makhraj until it nears another makhraj.

5. Takreer (repeated sound) : The quality of takreer is to pronounce in a repeated manner

6. Tafsh-shee (spreading sound) : To pronounce a letter with the filling of the mouth with air allowing the sound to spread greatly over the mouth.

7. Istitaalah (elongated sound) : The quality of istitaalah is to pronounce a letter in a slow and elongated manner. When pronounced, the sound of the letter will remain from the beginning of the makhraj till the end (the extension of the sound covers the entire sound of the tongue)

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1. Click here to view a printable chart depicting the qualities of SIFAAT WITH OPPOSITES

2. Click here to view a printable chart depicting the qualities of SIFAAT WITHOUT OPPOSITES

3. Click on the 'Summary Chart' link to view an abbreviated chart of Sifaat

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