الإدغام

Idgham (إِدْغَام) means "making something enter". The "n" of the noon sakinah or tanwin is no longer pronounced on its own: it enters the next letter, which becomes as if doubled (with a shadda).

The six idgham letters are gathered in the word يَرْمَلُونَ: ي ر م ل و ن.

There are two kinds of idgham:

1. With ghunnah (a nasal sound of about two counts), before four letters: ي ن م و. They are gathered in the word يَنْمُو. • مِن مَّسَدٍ (111:5): noon sakinah then م. We say "mim-masad", with the nasal sound. • حَبْلٌ مِّن (111:5): tanwin then م. • مَن يَقُولُ: noon sakinah then ي. Notice the shadda placed on the following letter in the mushaf: it signals the idgham.

2. Without ghunnah, before two letters: ل and ر. The "n" disappears completely into the next letter. • مِن رَّبِّهِمْ (2:5): we say "mir-rabbihim". • غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ: we say "ghafuurur-raḥiim".

One important exception: idgham only happens between two words. When the noon sakinah and the letter ي or و are in the same word, the "n" stays clear. This happens in four words of the Qur'an: دُنْيَا, بُنْيَانٌ, قِنْوَانٌ, صِنْوَانٌ. Above all remember الدُّنْيَا, which you will meet often.

A note on the chains of reading: in the reading of Hafs, idgham before ل and ر is done without ghunnah through the most taught chain; other chains exist. Follow what your teacher lets you hear.

Exercise: in Surah Al-Masad (111), find the two idgham in the last verse.

Understanding the lesson: idgham

1. Explanation Why does the "n" merge? The idgham letters are close to the noon, either in their point of articulation (ل and ر, pronounced with the tongue right next to it) or in their qualities (ن and م, nasal like it; و and ي, smooth). Pronouncing two such close sounds one after the other would be heavy; Arabic joins them into a single doubled sound. Before ن and م, the merging is complete, and the ghunnah is that of the doubled letter. Before و and ي, the merging is called incomplete: the noon's ghunnah remains, although the noon itself disappears. Before ل and ر, the merging is complete and without ghunnah. Common mistakes: • Making a ghunnah before ل or ر (in the chain followed here). • Still pronouncing a small "n" before the next letter, instead of doubling that letter. • Applying idgham in الدُّنْيَا and the three other words where the noon and the letter are in the same word. • Forgetting that, if you stop on the word ending with the noon, there is no longer any idgham. The reading of Hafs also has a few special cases (for example at the start of Surah Ya-Sin and Surah Al-Qalam) that your teacher will show you. [À VÉRIFIER : liste des cas particuliers à mentionner]

2. Lessons to learn • A beautiful voice is encouraged, but it comes after correctness: "Beautify the Qur'an with your voices." (Abu Dawud 1468, Nasa'i 1015) [À VÉRIFIER : numéros] • Look at the mushaf: the shadda on the next letter signals the idgham. Learning to read these signs makes you more independent. • Practise 111:5 and 2:5 until the merging becomes natural.

3. To remember • Six letters: يَرْمَلُونَ. With ghunnah: يَنْمُو; without ghunnah: ل ر. • Only between two words; no idgham in الدُّنْيَا. • The ghunnah lasts about two counts (to be demonstrated by the teacher).

4. The message of the lesson Idgham shows that the Qur'an is recited as a flowing whole, where each sound prepares the next, according to a precise transmission that we receive and respect.

Source: rules according to the reading of Hafs from 'Asim (ash-Shatibiyya chain), as set out in standard tajwid manuals; the meaning of the verses from Al-Mukhtasar fi tafsir al-Qur'an.