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Madd Lazim in Tajweed: Four Types, Six Counts & Quran Examples

Madd Lazim in Tajweed showing the four types held for six counts
Jehad Mahmoud - writer at Quran Book Academy
Written by
Published: · Updated: · 22 min read
Madd Rules · The Necessary Madd

Madd Lazim in Tajweed: Four Types, Six Counts & Quran Examples

Quran Book Academy · Quran & Tajweed Library

Four types · Six counts as the general rule · Full-ayah audio by Sheikh Al-Husary · Free rhythm exercise, quiz & game

Madd Lazim (المد اللازم) is the lengthening of a madd letter that is followed by an original sukoon — a sukoon that belongs to the word itself and stays whether you stop or continue, often appearing as a shaddah. As a general rule it is held for six counts. It has four types: Kalimi Muthaqqal, Kalimi Mukhaffaf, Harfi Muthaqqal and Harfi Mukhaffaf.

Every ruling on this page follows Hafs ʿan ʿAsim through Ash-Shatibiyyah. Within that route, a small number of transmitted cases differ from the plain six-count rule; they are listed in Special cases. Madd Lazim is one of the Madd rules, part of the wider chapter of Tajweed rules.

Also written Madd al-Lazim, Madd Laazim, Mad Lazim, the necessary madd or the compulsory madd.

⚡ The 30-second version: a madd letter meets an original sukoon (or a shaddah) · that cause does not depend on stopping · six counts is the general rule in all four types · two types are inside ordinary words, two inside the disjointed letters that open twenty-nine surahs · a few transmitted cases have their own ruling.

Madd Lazim in Tajweed showing the four types held for six counts
Four types, one general length: six counts.

What Is Madd Lazim in Tajweed?

Madd Lazim (المد اللازم) is the lengthening of a madd letter — alif (ا), waw (و) or yaa (ي) — when it is followed by an original sukoon, whether plain or inside a shaddah. In Hafs through Ash-Shatibiyyah it is held for six counts, whether you stop or continue, apart from the few transmitted special cases.

Lazim means necessary or binding, and the books give two explanations for the name. The cause is binding: the sukoon belongs to the word and is present both when you stop and when you continue. And the length is binding: the reciters agree on holding it for one full length, six counts. Shortening it by choice is not permitted.

Compare it with its nearest neighbour. Madd ʿArid lis-Sukoon also has a sukoon after the madd letter — but only while you are stopping; continue reading and that sukoon becomes a vowel again. Unlike Madd ʿArid lis-Sukoon, Madd Lazim is caused by an original sukoon rather than a sukoon introduced by stopping.

One word on the unit: a count (harakah) is a relative unit tied to the reciter’s own steady pace, not a fixed number of seconds. Beginners often feel it by opening or closing one finger at an even pace. Whatever your pace, six counts is three times your Madd Asli.

📖 Riwayah: every count on this page follows Hafs ʿan ʿAsim through Ash-Shatibiyyah. Other turuq and qiraʾat may differ.

The Rules and Conditions of Madd Lazim

The Madd Lazim rules come down to two conditions:

1. There is a madd letter

One of the three huroof al-madd — ا, و or ي — sakin, with the matching vowel on the letter before it.

✅ الضَّالِّينَ — alif with a fathah before it  ·  ❌ خَوْف — a waw with sukoon after a fathah is a letter of leen, not a madd letter; stopping on this word gives Madd Leen.

2. It is followed by an original sukoon (plain or inside a shaddah)

The sukoon belongs to the word, so it is present whether you stop or continue.

✅ الْحَاقَّةُ — shaddah  ·  ✅ آلْآنَ — sukoon on the laam (ibdal reading)  ·  ❌ نَسْتَعِينُ at a stop — that sukoon comes from stopping, so it is Madd ʿArid lis-Sukoon.

If both conditions hold, it is Madd Lazim: six counts, whether you stop or continue. A faster or slower pace changes how long each count lasts, not the number of counts. The few transmitted exceptions are listed under Special cases.

How Many Counts Is Madd Lazim?

Six counts (six harakat) as the general rule, in all four types. Six is the longest length any madd reaches in this route; the difference is that Madd Lazim takes it by rule, where other madds such as Madd ʿArid lis-Sukoon allow it only as one option. Here is where it sits against two madds you already know:

MaddCountsFixed or optional?
Madd Asli2Fixed
Madd Wajib Muttasil4 or 5Choose one, stay consistent
Madd Lazim ← this page6Six by rule — see special cases

Three rows only. The full table of every madd and its length is on the Madd rules hub. Madd Jaiz Munfasil also takes 4 or 5 in this route.

⚠️ Muthaqqal and mukhaffaf describe what happens to the sukoon, not the length. Both are six counts.

Muthaqqal (heavy) refers to assimilation producing a doubled consonant: the sukoon after the madd letter merges into the next letter, which is written with a shaddah. Mukhaffaf (light) means there is no such merging: the sukoon is not doubled into the next letter.

Ghunnah is applied where required by the consonant and its rule; it is not a feature of every muthaqqal example. The doubled lam of الضَّالِّينَ has no ghunnah. The doubled meem produced in الۤمۤ does, because a doubled meem or noon always carries ghunnah.

Light never means shorter. In English the words suggest a difference in length, so it is easy to assume one — but there is none.

Special cases in this route

The general rule is six counts. A few specific cases have a transmitted ruling of their own. These are documented readings — not permission to shorten an ordinary Madd Lazim.

  1. ʿAyn in كۤهيعۤصۤ (Maryam 19:1) and عۤسۤقۤ (Ash-Shura 42:2): in Hafs through Ash-Shatibiyyah it is prolonged for four or six counts, with six preferred. Its middle letter is a letter of leen, not a madd letter — see the explanation below.
  2. الۤمۤ ۝ اللَّهُ at the opening of Aal ʿImran (3:1–2): when you join the two ayat, the meem is given a temporary fatḥah (مِيمَ اللَّهُ) so that two sukoons do not meet. The yaa of meem may then be read with six counts (considering the original sukoon) or two counts (considering the temporary vowel). If you stop on الۤمۤ, it is six as usual.
  3. آلْآنَ (Yunus 10:51 and 10:91): Hafs has two recognised ways of reading the second hamzah. With ibdal it becomes a long alif that meets the sukoon of the laam, giving a six-count Kalimi Mukhaffaf. With tashil — easing it between hamzah and alif — there is no substituted alif, so that six-count madd does not occur. The ibdal way is the one generally given first, and it is the one this page uses as the Kalimi Mukhaffaf example.

Outside these transmitted cases, shortening a Madd Lazim is an error, not an option.

Madd Lazim pronunciation: what six counts should sound like

Six counts is one continuous vowel held for the full length. Keep the vowel’s own quality from start to finish — “aa” stays “aa” — and keep the articulation of the letters around it correct. Two things go wrong most often: rushing the tail, because six counts can feel long in continuous reading, and changing the sound during the hold, for example breaking it into pulses, drifting towards another vowel, or adding a catch or an “h” at the end. Natural variation in the voice is not a fault; distorting or breaking the vowel is.

🎧 Reference recitation · Al-Fatihah 1:7 · full ayah

… وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ

Full ayah — the Madd Lazim is in the last word. Listen for the long alif before the doubled lam.

The settings above apply to every play button on this page. Slow speed and repeat affect playback only; they do not change the ruling.

Tap a play button to hear the full ayah in Al-Husary’s voice.

The Four Types of Madd Lazim

The types of Madd Lazim are the answers to two yes/no questions:

Question 1 — where is it? Inside an ordinary word, or inside a spelled-out letter? → Kalimi (كلمي, word-based) or Harfi (حرفي, letter-based).

Question 2 — is the sukoon merged into the next letter? Yes, producing a doubled letter (shaddah), or no? → Muthaqqal (مثقل, heavy) or Mukhaffaf (مخفف, light).

Two questions × two answers = four types:

Kalimi Muthaqqal

In a word · a doubled letter follows

الضَّالِّينَ

6 counts

Kalimi Mukhaffaf

In a word · a plain sukoon follows

آلْآنَ

6 counts (ibdal)

Only 2 places in Hafs: Yunus 10:51 and 10:91

Harfi Muthaqqal

In a spelled letter · merged into the next

الۤمۤ

The laam: laam’s final meem merges into the meem that follows.

6 counts

Harfi Mukhaffaf

In a spelled letter · no idgham into the next

صۤ · قۤ · نۤ

6 counts

All four cells: six counts as the general rule. The types differ in where they sit and whether the sukoon merges into the next letter — not in their basic length.

Madd Lazim types branching diagram showing Kalimi and Harfi, Muthaqqal and Mukhaffaf
Two questions, four answers — and one general length underneath them.

Madd Lazim Kalimi

Kalimi comes from kalimah (كلمة), a word. In Madd Lazim Kalimi the madd letter and the sukoon that causes it sit inside one single word, so both are visible on the page. It is usually the first type learners meet.

Madd Lazim Kalimi Muthaqqal

A madd letter followed by a doubled letter (shaddah) inside one word — the type you recite at the end of Al-Fatihah in every rakʿah.

The mechanic in one line: a shaddah is really two letters — a sakin one merged into a vowelled one. So the original sukoon required by the rule is there; the shaddah is the result of that merging. Pronounce the doubled letter fully. Whether ghunnah is added depends on the letter: لّ, قّ, خّ, بّ and جّ take none; a doubled مّ or نّ does.

Each button below plays the full ayah. The note under each example tells you where the word falls.

وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ

Al-Fatihah 1:7 · last word of the ayah · alif, then a doubled lam (no ghunnah) · 6 counts

الْحَاقَّةُ

Al-Haqqah 69:1 · the whole ayah is this word · doubled qaaf · 6 counts

فَإِذَا جَاءَتِ الصَّاخَّةُ

ʿAbasa 80:33 · last word · doubled khaa · 6 counts

فَإِذَا جَاءَتِ الطَّامَّةُ الْكُبْرَىٰ

An-Naziʿat 79:34 · third word · doubled meem, so ghunnah applies to the meem · 6 counts

… مِن كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ …

Al-Baqarah 2:164 · a long ayah; the word comes in its second half · doubled baa · 6 counts

قَالَ أَتُحَاجُّونِّي فِي اللَّهِ

Al-Anʿam 6:80 · near the start of the ayah · two Kalimi Muthaqqal in one word: the alif before the doubled jeem (no ghunnah) and the waw before the doubled noon (with ghunnah) · 6 counts each

Madd Lazim Kalimi Mukhaffaf

A madd letter followed by a plain original sukoon inside one word — no doubling, no merging, and still six counts.

📌 The rarest type of Madd Lazim in Hafs

In Hafs, Madd Lazim Kalimi Mukhaffaf occurs in two places only — both the word آلْآنَ, in Surah Yunus 10:51 and 10:91 — and only on the ibdal reading described in Special cases. The madd is the alif of آ, and the sukoon sits on the لْ that follows it.

أَثُمَّ إِذَا مَا وَقَعَ آمَنتُم بِهِ ۚ آلْآنَ وَقَدْ كُنتُم بِهِ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ

Yunus 10:51 · occurrence 1 of 2 · the word comes in the middle of the ayah, after بِهِ

آلْآنَ وَقَدْ عَصَيْتَ قَبْلُ وَكُنتَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ

Yunus 10:91 · occurrence 2 of 2 · the ayah opens with the word

Why only here? الآن (“now”) begins with the definite article, whose laam carries an original sukoon. When the interrogative hamzah is placed before it, the hamzah of ال may be changed into a long alif (ibdal). That alif now stands directly before the laam’s sukoon — a madd letter followed by an original, un-doubled sukoon inside one word.

Madd Lazim Harfi

To see Madd Lazim Harfi you need one prerequisite: the disjointed letters at the start of twenty-nine surahs are pronounced as their full names, not as their sounds. ص is read ṣaad. ق is read qaaf. ن is read noon.

Now look at what those names are made of: three letters, with a madd letter in the middle and a sukoon at the end — ṣ-aa-d. That is a madd letter followed by an original sukoon, so it is a Madd Lazim of six counts, even though no alif is written on the page. These are the huroof muqattaʿat (الحروف المقطعة), also called fawatih as-suwar.

Fourteen letters appear in these openings. They sort into three groups, with ʿayn as a special case inside the first. Two mnemonic phrases cover them:

GroupLettersSpoken nameMadd
نَقَصَ عَسَلُكُمْن ق ص ع س ل ك م3 letters, madd letter in the middle (ʿayn: a leen letter in the middle)Madd Lazim Harfi — 6
ʿayn: 4 or 6, six preferred
حَيٌّ طَهُرَح ي ط ه ر2 letters, no sukoon after the maddMadd Asli — 2
اalif, spoken أَلِفْ3 letters, but the middle letter (laam) is not a madd letterNo madd

⚠️ The special case of ʿayn: ع is spoken عَيْنْ. Its middle يْ comes after a fatḥah, so it is a letter of leen, not a madd letter. In Hafs through Ash-Shatibiyyah, ʿayn in the openings of Maryam and Ash-Shura is prolonged for four or six counts, with six preferred.

This is not the same as ordinary Madd Leen, which appears only when you stop on a word like خَوْف. Here the sukoon after the leen letter is original — it is part of the letter’s name — so it is present whether you stop or continue. That is why ʿayn is listed in نَقَصَ عَسَلُكُمْ but has its own ruling.

Madd Lazim Harfi Muthaqqal

The spelled-out letter ends in a sukoon that is merged (idgham) into the letter that follows, producing a doubled consonant. In the openings read in Hafs, that doubled consonant is a meem, so ghunnah is present in these examples — because the doubled letter is a meem, not because every muthaqqal madd has ghunnah.

This type is easy to miss, because nothing on the page looks like a madd and the merge happens between two separate letter names.

الۤمۤ

Al-Baqarah 2:1 · alif · laaam · meeem — the final meem of laam merges into the meem that follows, so the laam is Harfi Muthaqqal, with the ghunnah of the doubled meem. See rules of Meem Sakinah.

طسۤمۤ

Ash-Shuʿara 26:1 · the final noon of seen merges into the meem (idgham with ghunnah) · the seen is Harfi Muthaqqal, 6 counts

Madd Lazim Harfi Mukhaffaf

The spelled-out letter ends in a sukoon that is not merged into the next letter — no idgham — with the same six counts. The absence of idgham does not switch off other rules: in عۤسۤقۤ, for example, the final noon of seen is pronounced with ikhfa before the qaaf, yet the seen is still Mukhaffaf. Each of these ayat opens with the letter:

صۤ وَالْقُرْآنِ ذِي الذِّكْرِ

Sad 38:1 · ṣaad · 6 counts

قۤ وَالْقُرْآنِ الْمَجِيدِ

Qaf 50:1 · qaaf · 6 counts

نۤ وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ

Al-Qalam 68:1 · noon · in Hafs the final noon is pronounced clearly before the waw · 6 counts

The meem of الۤمۤ is Mukhaffaf too, and so are the kaaf and ṣaad of كۤهيعۤصۤ — which brings us to a useful five-letter example.

Worked example: كۤهيعۤصۤ, letter by letter

Five letters, three different rulings, one ayah — Maryam 19:1. The whole ayah is these five letters, so the button plays all of them in order:

كۤهيعۤصۤ

Maryam 19:1 · listen for the order: kaaf · haa · yaa · ʿayn · ṣaad

LetterRead asRulingCounts
كۤkaafMadd Lazim Harfi Mukhaffaf6
هـhaaMadd Asli2
يyaaMadd Asli2
عۤʿaynLeen letter + original sukoon (special case); its final noon has ikhfa before the ṣaad4 or 6
six preferred
صۤṣaadMadd Lazim Harfi Mukhaffaf6

The same treatment works on حمۤ ۝ عۤسۤقۤ (Ash-Shura 42:1–2): ḥaa is 2, meem is 6, ʿayn is 4 or 6 (six preferred), seen is 6 and qaaf is 6. None of the letters merges into the next, so there is no Muthaqqal here — although the final noon of ʿayn and of seen is pronounced with ikhfa. That makes it a useful contrast with الۤمۤ.

حمۤ

Ash-Shura 42:1 · ḥaa 2 · meem 6 (Mukhaffaf)

عۤسۤقۤ

Ash-Shura 42:2 · ʿayn 4 or 6 (six preferred) · seen 6 (Mukhaffaf, with ikhfa) · qaaf 6 (Mukhaffaf)

الۤمۤصۤ

Al-Aʿraf 7:1 · laam 6 (Muthaqqal) · meem 6 (Mukhaffaf) · ṣaad 6 (Mukhaffaf)

How to Identify Madd Lazim in 2 Steps

Ask two questions, in this order:

1. Is this a spelled-out disjointed letter at the start of a surah?

Yes → check it against نَقَصَ عَسَلُكُمْ. If it is in that list, it is Madd Lazim Harfi: six counts, except ʿayn (four or six, six preferred). Then ask: does its final sukoon merge into the next letter (Muthaqqal) or not (Mukhaffaf)?

No → go to step 2.

2. Is there a madd letter followed by an original sukoon inside the word?

Doubled letter (shaddah) → Kalimi Muthaqqal, six counts. Plain sukoon → Kalimi Mukhaffaf, six counts (in Hafs, only آلْآنَ on the ibdal reading).

Neither → it is not Madd Lazim. If the sukoon only appears because you stopped, it is Madd ʿArid lis-Sukoon.

How to identify Madd Lazim in two steps, original sukoon versus sukoon from stopping
Two questions, and the four types sort themselves.

The key question: is the sukoon original — part of the word — or introduced by stopping? Original → Madd Lazim, six counts as the rule. Introduced by stopping → Madd ʿArid lis-Sukoon, where two, four or six are permitted.

Madd Lazim vs Madd Asli

These two sit at opposite ends of the madd chapter: the two-count baseline with no cause, and the six-count madd with a permanent cause.

FeatureMadd Asli (المد الأصلي)Madd Lazim (المد اللازم)
CauseNone — it is the baselineAn original sukoon (plain or doubled) after the madd letter
Length26 (general rule; see special cases)
RulingFixed, as the natural lengthNecessary — lazim
Where the sukoon comes fromNo sukoon is involvedFrom the word itself, not from stopping — unlike Madd ʿArid lis-Sukoon
Where you find itThroughout the QuranSpecific words, and the disjointed letters that open twenty-nine surahs
Examplesقَالَ · نُوحِيهَا · يَقُولُالضَّالِّينَ · آلْآنَ · الۤمۤ · صۤ
Sub-typesʿIwad · Silah Sughra · TamkeenKalimi Muthaqqal · Kalimi Mukhaffaf · Harfi Muthaqqal · Harfi Mukhaffaf

Your Madd Lazim is three times your Madd Asli, so a steady two-count makes a steady six-count much easier to build. Work on the baseline first.

Madd Lazim Examples in the Quran

Twelve Madd Lazim examples in Quran text, covering all four types, each linked to the recitation of Sheikh Mahmoud Khalil Al-Husary. Every button plays the full ayah; where the ayah is longer than the example, the note tells you where to listen. The madd letter is marked in blue and its cause — the sukoon or the doubled letter — in orange.

وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ

Al-Fatihah 1:7 · Kalimi Muthaqqal · last word · alif, then a doubled lam

الْحَاقَّةُ

Al-Haqqah 69:1 · Kalimi Muthaqqal · the whole ayah · doubled qaaf

الصَّاخَّةُ

ʿAbasa 80:33 · Kalimi Muthaqqal · last word · doubled khaa

الطَّامَّةُ

An-Naziʿat 79:34 · Kalimi Muthaqqal · third word · doubled meem, with ghunnah

دَابَّةٍ

Al-Baqarah 2:164 · Kalimi Muthaqqal · second half of a long ayah · doubled baa

أَتُحَاجُّونِّي

Al-Anʿam 6:80 · Kalimi Muthaqqal ×2 · near the start · doubled jeem (no ghunnah), then doubled noon (ghunnah)

آلْآنَ

Yunus 10:51 · Kalimi Mukhaffaf (ibdal reading) · middle of the ayah · 1 of 2 in Hafs

آلْآنَ

Yunus 10:91 · Kalimi Mukhaffaf (ibdal reading) · first word · 2 of 2 in Hafs

الۤمۤ

Al-Baqarah 2:1 · both harfi types in one ayah — Muthaqqal in the laam, Mukhaffaf in the meem

طسۤمۤ

Ash-Shuʿara 26:1 · Harfi Muthaqqal in the seen (its noon merges into the meem) · Harfi Mukhaffaf in the meem

قۤ وَالْقُرْآنِ الْمَجِيدِ

Qaf 50:1 · Harfi Mukhaffaf · qaaf — madd, then a sukoon that is not merged

كۤهيعۤصۤ

Maryam 19:1 · Harfi Mukhaffaf ×2 (kaaf, ṣaad), Madd Asli ×2 (haa, yaa), and ʿayn at 4 or 6

🎧 Listen to example 9 twice. الۤمۤ holds both harfi types: the final meem of laam merges into the next meem (idgham, with the ghunnah of a doubled meem), while the final meem of meem is not merged into anything. Both are six counts — a clear demonstration that muthaqqal and mukhaffaf describe the merging, not the length.

Madd Lazim Quran examples you already recite

Al-Fatihah ends on one in every rakʿah — وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ. Add the openings of the three surahs that begin with a single letter: Qaf (قۤ), Sad (صۤ) and Al-Qalam (نۤ) — four examples of Madd Lazim, three of them in the first word of a surah.

6 Common Madd Lazim Mistakes

1. Assuming mukhaffaf is shorter than muthaqqal

The English words “heavy” and “light” can suggest a difference in length. There is none: the terms describe whether the sukoon merges into the next letter. Both are six counts.

2. Not stretching the disjointed letters

Reciting صۤ as a clipped sound instead of ṣaaaaaad. This often happens when a learner has not been taught that each letter is read as its full name.

3. Cutting the six counts short

Six counts can feel long in continuous reading, so it is easy to settle at four without noticing. The rhythm exercise below can help you build a steadier feel for the proportion; a teacher listening to your recitation is the reliable check.

4. Not pronouncing the doubled consonant fully

In the muthaqqal types the sukoon merges into the next letter, so that letter is doubled. Reading الضَّالِّينَ with a single, light lam — or releasing the doubled qaaf of الْحَاقَّةُ too quickly — loses the doubling even if the six counts are correct. Do not add ghunnah to letters such as lam or qaaf to make up for it.

A separate error is omitting ghunnah where it does apply: on a doubled meem or noon, as in the merged meem of الۤمۤ, the مّ of الطَّامَّةُ, or the نّ of أَتُحَاجُّونِّي.

5. Confusing it with Madd ʿArid lis-Sukoon

Treating a sukoon created by stopping as if it belonged to the word, and so believing only six is allowed where two, four or six are all permitted — or, the other way round, treating a Madd Lazim as optional. Original or introduced by stopping: that is the test.

6. Letting the vowel change or break during the hold

Filling the six counts by breaking the vowel into pulses, drifting to another vowel, nasalising a vowel that has no ghunnah, or ending with an added catch or “h”. The vowel should stay the same sound, with correct articulation, for the full length. Ordinary variation in the voice is not the issue; a change in the sound itself is.

Practise Madd Lazim

Six-beat rhythm exercise

This is a timing exercise, not a recitation test. Choose a practice tempo, then press and hold the button only while you sustain the madd vowel — for example the long “aa” of الضَّالِّينَ — and release the moment that vowel ends. Do not time the whole word.

The tool measures only how long you hold the button. It cannot hear you, and it does not assess ghunnah, makhraj, pronunciation or whether your recitation is correct.

Round 1 of 10 · Matches: 0

At this tempo one beat lasts 0.5 s, so the two-beat reference is 1.0 s and the six-beat target is 3.0 s.

The tempo exists only for this exercise. It does not define how long a harakah lasts: in real recitation a count follows the reciter’s own steady pace.

Visual rhythm guide

A standalone visual guide at the tempo above. It is not synchronised with any recording. The first two segments mark a two-beat length.

Hold for the length of the madd vowel. The green zone is this exercise’s six-beat target.

Mouse, touch or keyboard: with the button focused, hold Space or Enter. A hold is cancelled, and not counted, if your finger slides off, the page loses focus, or the browser interrupts the touch. The recording is Al-Husary’s natural recitation pace; the exercise tempo is separate from it.

Which Madd Lazim is it?

Ten questions. Each one names a target — a word, or one letter inside a disjointed opening. Play the ayah if you like, then choose the type of Madd Lazim in that target.

Question 1 of 10 Score: 0

Word or spelled letter? Merged into the next letter or not?

Spell the letter: all 14 disjointed letters

Tap any letter to see how its name is pronounced, how many letters that spoken name contains, and what ruling follows. The count is of the letters in the spoken name, not of the symbols printed in the mushaf.

Tap a letter above to reveal its spoken name and its ruling.

Play: Madd Lazim Gates (Free Game)

Spotting a Madd Lazim slowly on a page is one skill; spotting it while the recitation keeps moving is another. Pick the right gate before the word reaches it. The game runs in your browser and needs no account.

Game not loading? Open it in a new tab · or browse all our free Tajweed games · the full madd counts drill is on the Madd rules hub.

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Madd Asli is the baseline at two counts, and Madd Lazim is three of them. Madd Wajib Muttasil and Madd Jaiz Munfasil sit between at four or five in this route — Muttasil obligatory because its hamzah is in the same word, Munfasil permissible because the hamzah is in the next word. Madd Silah is the pronoun’s ha’: two counts in its Sughra form, four or five in its Kubra form when a hamzah follows. Read in that order, the chapter is a scale from two to six.

The rest of the madd family

Madd Badal (2) · Madd ʿArid lis-Sukoon (2 · 4 · 6) · Madd Leen (2 · 4 · 6, when stopping)

The rest of the Tajweed cluster

Tajweed Rules · Rules of Meem Sakinah · Noon Sakin Rules · Qalqalah Letters · Tajweed Game · Tajweed for Adults · Tajweed for Kids

Madd Lazim FAQ

Q1. What is Madd Lazim?
Madd Lazim (المد اللازم) is the lengthening of a madd letter — alif, waw or yaa — when it is followed by an original sukoon, plain or inside a shaddah. In Hafs through Ash-Shatibiyyah it is held for six counts as a general rule, with a few transmitted special cases.
Q2. Why is it called Madd Lazim?
Lazim means necessary or binding. Two explanations are given: its cause is binding — the sukoon belongs to the word and is present whether you stop or continue — and its length is binding, since the reciters agree on holding it for six counts.
Q3. How many beats is Madd Lazim?
Six counts, as the general rule in all four types. In Hafs through Ash-Shatibiyyah a few specific cases have a transmitted ruling of their own: ʿayn in Maryam and Ash-Shura (four or six, six preferred); الۤمۤ joined to اللَّهُ at the opening of Aal ʿImran (two or six); and آلْآنَ read with tashil, which has no six-count madd. Shortening an ordinary Madd Lazim by choice is not permitted.
Q4. How do I identify Madd Lazim?
Ask whether the sukoon after the madd letter is original or only introduced by stopping. If a madd letter is followed by a shaddah or an original sukoon inside the word, or if you are reciting a spelled-out disjointed letter from نَقَصَ عَسَلُكُمْ, it is Madd Lazim (with ʿayn as a special case).
Q5. What are the four types of Madd Lazim?
Kalimi Muthaqqal (in a word, followed by a doubled letter), Kalimi Mukhaffaf (in a word, followed by a plain sukoon), Harfi Muthaqqal (in a spelled-out letter whose final sukoon merges into the next letter) and Harfi Mukhaffaf (in a spelled-out letter, with no such merging). All four are six counts as a general rule.
Q6. What is the difference between muthaqqal and mukhaffaf?
Muthaqqal refers to assimilation producing a doubled consonant: the sukoon after the madd letter merges into the next letter. Mukhaffaf means there is no such merging. Ghunnah is applied where required by the consonant and its rule; it is not a feature of every muthaqqal example — the doubled lam of الضَّالِّينَ has none, while the doubled meem in الۤمۤ has it. The difference is not in length: both are six counts.
Q7. What is the difference between Madd Lazim Kalimi and Harfi?
Kalimi occurs inside an ordinary word, like الضَّالِّينَ. Harfi occurs inside a disjointed letter at the start of a surah, like صۤ or الۤمۤ, where the letter is pronounced as its full name rather than as its sound.
Q8. Where is Madd Lazim Kalimi Mukhaffaf in the Quran?
In Hafs, only in the word آلْآنَ, in Surah Yunus 10:51 and 10:91, when its second hamzah is read with ibdal (changed into a long alif). Read with tashil, the word does not contain this six-count madd.
Q9. What is the difference between Madd Lazim and Madd ʿArid lis-Sukoon?
Both have a sukoon after the madd letter. In Madd Lazim the sukoon is original — part of the word — so the length is six by rule. In Madd ʿArid lis-Sukoon the sukoon exists only because you stopped, so two, four or six are all permitted.
Q10. Which disjointed letters have Madd Lazim?
The letters of نَقَصَ عَسَلُكُمْ (ن ق ص ع س ل ك م), because each spoken name has three letters with a sukoon at the end. Seven of them have a madd letter in the middle and take six counts. ʿAyn has a leen letter in the middle instead: in Hafs through Ash-Shatibiyyah it takes four or six counts, with six preferred. The five letters of حَيٌّ طَهُرَ take two counts, and alif has no madd.

Get Individual Feedback on Your Madd Lazim

Length is hard to judge in your own recitation. In a free trial lesson, a teacher listens as you recite and corrects your Madd Lazim — the length, the doubled letters and the ghunnah where it applies — as you go.

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May Allah beautify your recitation and accept it from you. 🤲

Jehad Mahmoud - Hafidha and Arabic Language graduate, writer at Quran Book Academy

Hafidha of the Quran · Arabic Language Graduate · Writer on Islamic Sciences

Jehad Mahmoud is a graduate of the Arabic Language department and a Hafidha of the Quran who writes the Islamic educational content at Quran Book Academy.

She writes with a focus on Tajweed, Quranic recitation and the sharia sciences, making technical rules accessible to English-speaking Muslim families.

Her articles are educational, not fatwa. For a ruling on a specific personal situation, readers are advised to consult a qualified scholar or mufti.

Tajweed Madd Quranic Sciences Quran Recitation

References & Sources

1. ʿAbd al-Fattah al-Qadi, Al-Wafi fi Sharh ash-Shatibiyyah, chapter on madd and qasr (باب المد والقصر) — Islamweb library. Six counts for a madd before an original sukoon; the four groups of opening letters; ʿayn with four or six counts, six preferred; the two ways for الۤمۤ ۝ اللَّهُ in Aal ʿImran.

2. Muhammad ʿAbd al-Munʿim al-Muslimi, “أقسام المد اللازم” (The Types of Madd Lazim) — Alukah. The four types; آلْآنَ as the only Kalimi Mukhaffaf in Hafs, with ibdal or tashil; the reasons for the name; ʿayn and the opening letters.

3. Sulayman al-Jamzuri, Tuhfat al-Atfal — the madd chapter and its divisions, and the line on the ghunnah of the doubled meem and noon (وغُنَّ ميمًا ثم نونًا شُدِّدا). Classical primer; no online edition linked.

4. Quran text — Yunus 10:51 · Al-Anʿam 6:80 (Quran.com, Uthmani script).

5. Recitation — Sheikh Mahmoud Khalil Al-Husary (Hafs, murattal), full-ayah files via EveryAyah.com.

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