الفتحة والكسرة والضمة

Short vowels are written with small marks above or below the letter. They are called harakat ("movements"). In the Qur'an they are always written, which is a real help for beginners.

• Fatha ( َ ): a small stroke above the letter. Sound "a". بَ is read "ba". • Kasra ( ِ ): a small stroke below the letter. Sound "i". بِ is read "bi". • Damma ( ُ ): a small waw above the letter. Sound "u" (as in "put"). بُ is read "bu".

Read aloud: بَ بِ بُ ; تَ تِ تُ ; سَ سِ سُ ; مَ مِ مُ ; نَ نِ نُ

With the heavy letters, the vowel takes a fuller sound: صَ, طَ, قَ are not said quite like سَ, تَ, كَ. Listen for the difference with your teacher.

Your first words (one vowel on each letter): كَتَبَ ka-ta-ba: he wrote جَلَسَ ja-la-sa: he sat down فَتَحَ fa-ta-ḥa: he opened سَمِعَ sa-mi-ʿa: he heard كُتِبَ ku-ti-ba: it was written

Method: read letter by letter, then join them without a pause. Do not aim for speed; aim for accuracy.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation In Arabic, short vowels are not mere "linking sounds": they are part of the meaning. The same group of consonants changes meaning with its vowels: كَتَبَ (kataba, he wrote) and كُتِبَ (kutiba, it was written). The vowel on the last letter often even shows the word's role in the sentence (the one doing the action, the one receiving it…). That is why the Qur'an is always written with all its vowels: so that everyone reads it exactly as it was revealed.

An example teachers often cite shows what is at stake: in verse 35:28, إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ, the meaning is "among His servants, only those with knowledge [truly] fear Allah". Swapping the two final vowels would make the verse say something else entirely. So we never read "more or less".

Common mistakes: saying damma like the "u" in "but" instead of "u" as in "put"; saying kasra like "e"; lengthening a short vowel, which turns it into a long one; dropping the vowel on the last letter when you keep reading.

Lessons to draw • Read by looking at every mark, even when you think you know the word. • Practise on single syllables (بَ بِ بُ) before reading words. • Prefer accuracy to speed: speed comes by itself, accuracy needs attention. • Remember that every letter read earns a good deed multiplied by ten (Tirmidhi 2910): slow, accurate reading is never wasted time.

Key points • Fatha ( َ ) = a, kasra ( ِ ) = i, damma ( ُ ) = u. • A short vowel lasts one count. • Changing a vowel can change the meaning of a word.

The main message The small marks of the Qur'an are there so that the Word of Allah is read without alteration: respecting them is reading it as it is.