Basic
Letter Attributes
Surah: Al-Fatiha (1)
Al-Istifal — Opposite of Istila, Letters of Descent and Examples
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
— الفاتحة الآية 1
Definition of Istifal:
Istifal: the lowering of the tongue to the floor of the mouth when pronouncing the letter — the opposite of istila where the tongue rises.
Istifal letters:
All letters except the seven istila letters (خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ) — twenty-one letters.
Istila letters for comparison:
Mnemonic: "khuss daghtin qidh" — these seven are always heavy (or tend toward heaviness).
Istifal and tarqeeq:
Istifal letters are naturally light — with exceptions: alif follows what precedes it (heavy before it = heavy alif), and ra has its own special rules.
Quranic examples of light istifal letters:
— "Bismi" — baa, seen, meem are all istifal and light
— "Al-Raheem" — haa, yaa, meem are istifal; ra has its own ruling
— "La ilaha illa Allah" — laam and hamza are istifal and light
Practical benefit:
Knowing istifal letters prevents the reader from making heavy what should be light — a common error among non-Arabs who tend to heaviness in all letters.
Istifal: the lowering of the tongue to the floor of the mouth when pronouncing the letter — the opposite of istila where the tongue rises.
Istifal letters:
All letters except the seven istila letters (خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ) — twenty-one letters.
Istila letters for comparison:
Mnemonic: "khuss daghtin qidh" — these seven are always heavy (or tend toward heaviness).
Istifal and tarqeeq:
Istifal letters are naturally light — with exceptions: alif follows what precedes it (heavy before it = heavy alif), and ra has its own special rules.
Quranic examples of light istifal letters:
— "Bismi" — baa, seen, meem are all istifal and light
— "Al-Raheem" — haa, yaa, meem are istifal; ra has its own ruling
— "La ilaha illa Allah" — laam and hamza are istifal and light
Practical benefit:
Knowing istifal letters prevents the reader from making heavy what should be light — a common error among non-Arabs who tend to heaviness in all letters.
Source: Matn Al-Jazariyya; Hidayat Al-Qari (1/90); Al-Tamheed (p.93)
Test Yourself
What is the difference between istifal and istila? How many letters are istila?
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