Qalqalah, lam and ra
القلقلة وأحكام اللام والراء
Echoing letters, heavy and light lam, and the full rules of ra.
Qalqalah
The letters ق ط ب ج د, when carrying sukun, bounce with a light echo. The echo is stronger when you stop on them (qalqalah kubra) than in the middle of a word (sughra). Never add a vowel — it is a bounce, not an ‘eh’.
Lam of the word Allah
Heavy after fatḥah or ḍammah (نَصْرُ ٱللَّهِ), light after kasrah (بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ).
Ra — heavy or light
Heavy with fatḥah or ḍammah, or sākinah after them. Light with kasrah, or sākinah after a kasrah, or with a ya sākinah before it when stopping.
Examples
قُلْ أَعُوذُ
qul a'ūdh
No qalqalah on ل — only ق ط ب ج د bounce.
وَتَبَّ
wa-tabb
Qalqalah kubra on ب when stopping — a clear, controlled bounce.
ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ
ar-raḥmān
Heavy ra because of the fatḥah on the shaddah.
Interactive practice
Heavy lam in ٱللَّهُ after ḍammah, qalqalah on د when stopping.
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ
qul huwa-llāhu aḥad · allāhu-ṣ-ṣamad · Al-Ikhlas 112:1-2
Quiz
1. Which set is the qalqalah letters?
2. In بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ the lam of Allah is…
Lesson status
Quiz —% · Pronunciation —% · pass mark 80% on both.