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Opening Letters in the Readings — How "Alm", "Alr", and "Hm" Differ

readings Level: advanced fawatih rdg-061
الٓمٓ — ذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبُ لَا رَيۡبَۛ فِيهِ
— البقرة 1
Opening letters (fawatih) in the readings:
The readings differ in several aspects of the fawatih performance:

1. Imala in "Alr" and "Hm":
  • The ra in "Alr" (Yunus, Hud, Yusuf, Ibrahim, Al-Hijr): Hamza, Al-Kisa'i, and Khalaf applied imala — others read with fath.
  • The ha in "Hm": all read with fath — no disagreement.
2. Madd in "N", "Q", "S":
  • Single madd letters (n, q, s, l, m, r...): obligatory madd (lazim) — measured at 6 counts.
  • The hamza articulation in "Alm" varies between readers.
3. Idgham in "Alm":
The nun-sound in "Ayn-Sin-Nun" may be assimilated in certain readings when followed by appropriate letters — specific to particular narrations.

4. Tahqiq and tashil in "Alm Allah":
At the start of Ali Imran: "Alm — Allahu" — some read with full hamza of "Allah," others with tashil when connecting the mim to "Allah."

Ibn Al-Jazari: "Reciting the opening letters according to the transmitted method is the correct way — departing from mutawatir performance is not permitted."
Source: Al-Nashr (2/207-214); Al-Itihaf (p.140-145); Ibn Al-Qasih, Siraj Al-Qari
Question: Among the Ten readers, who applies imala to the ra in opening letters like "Alr"?
Answer: Hamza, Al-Kisa'i, and Khalaf — the rest read with fath.
Printed from quran.zayenha.com — 6/13/2026