Madd: lengthening just enough

Madd (مَدّ) means "lengthening". In "I read Arabic", you clapped twice for a long vowel: that was already madd.

The three madd letters: • ا after a fatḥa: قَالَ • و sakinah after a ḍamma: يَقُولُ • ي sakinah after a kasra: قِيلَ

1. The natural madd (مَدّ طَبِيعِي): two counts When the madd letter is followed by neither a hamza nor a sukun, we lengthen it by two counts, no more, no less. A "count" (ḥaraka) is roughly the length of a short vowel. Example: مَالِكِ (1:4). To measure, some people fold one finger per count, at a steady pace. The most important thing: all your long vowels have the same length.

2. The longer madds When the madd letter is followed by a hamza or a sukun, we lengthen more. Here are the four basic cases, with the lengths most often taught in the reading of Hafs (ash-Shaaṭibiyya chain), as in the adult course. [À VÉRIFIER : l'imam choisit les durées, cf. note sur le cours 05] • The connected madd (مُتَّصِل): the hamza is in the same word. جَاءَ (110:1), السَّمَاءِ. Required: 4 or 5 counts. • The separated madd (مُنْفَصِل): the madd letter ends a word and the hamza starts the next one. إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ (108:1), يَا أَيُّهَا. 4 or 5 counts by this chain (other chains of Hafs allow 2 counts). • The madd at a stop (عَارِض لِلسُّكُون): we stop, so the last letter takes a sukun. الْعَالَمِينَ (1:2), الرَّحِيمِ (1:3), نَسْتَعِينُ (1:5) at the end of the verse. 2, 4 or 6 counts. • The necessary madd (لَازِم): the madd letter is followed by a shadda or a sukun that never changes. الضَّالِّينَ (1:7). 6 counts.

In short: natural 2; connected 4-5; separated 4-5 (or 2 depending on the chain); at a stop 2, 4 or 6; necessary 6. In the mushaf, a small wavy sign (ـٓ) above the madd letter announces a long madd.

The golden rule: once you have chosen your lengths with your teacher, keep them from the beginning to the end of the recitation. One verse at 6 counts and the next at 2 does not work.

Listen to Al-Fatiha in the recitation block: you will find the natural madd, the madd at a stop at the end of almost every verse, and the necessary madd of الضَّالِّينَ.

Challenge: recite Al-Fatiha counting on your fingers: 2 counts for each long vowel, the length your teacher gave you at the end of each verse, and 6 counts for الضَّالِّينَ.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Length is part of the word: without its two counts, a long vowel becomes short, and the word can change (قَالَ, "he said", read too fast). Why lengthen more before a hamza or a sukun? Hamza is a strong letter, deep in the throat: the lengthening gives the voice time to prepare it properly. Before a sukun, two letters with no vowel would follow each other: the lengthening lets you go from one to the other without crushing them. The lengths of the long madds are not the same in every chain of transmission; the ones in this course are those of the adult course. [À VÉRIFIER : l'imam choisit les durées, cf. note sur le cours 05] A consistency rule is commonly taught: within one recitation, the separated madd is not longer than the connected madd, and each kind of madd keeps the same length from beginning to end.

Lessons to draw from it • Choose your lengths with your teacher, then stick to them: regularity matters more than length. • Before reciting, look for the ـٓ signs in the passage: they announce the long madds. • Anas described the Prophet's ﷺ recitation: he lengthened the long vowels, for example in بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ (Bukhari 5046). [À VÉRIFIER : numéro]

Key points to remember • Three madd letters: ا after fatḥa, و sakinah after ḍamma, ي sakinah after kasra. • Natural madd: two counts, always. • Hamza in the same word: connected madd; in the next word: separated madd; sukun of a stop: madd at a stop; permanent shadda or sukun: necessary madd (الضَّالِّينَ). • The long lengths are set by the teacher, then kept all the way through.

The main message Lengthen just enough, and always the same way: the recitation gains in beauty and stays faithful to what was passed down.