The qualities of the letters (sifat)
17 qualities · the table of the 29 letters · one Quran word per quality · صفات الحروف
Lesson 1.4 · Module 1 · The letters and where they come from
A quality (sifah) is the way a letter leaves its point: the breath that flows or is held, the sound that stops short or runs on, the tongue that rises or stays low. Two letters from the same point differ only by their qualities, like س and ص. Each letter has five, six or seven, out of 17.
The table of qualities, letter by letter
Every letter takes one quality from each of the five pairs, and sometimes one or two more. What each quality changes is explained below the table.
| Letter | Its qualities | Number |
|---|---|---|
| ء |
| 5 |
| ا |
| 5 |
| ب |
| 6 |
| ت |
| 5 |
| ث |
| 5 |
| ج |
| 6 |
| ح |
| 5 |
| خ |
| 5 |
| د |
| 6 |
| ذ |
| 5 |
| ر |
| 7 |
| ز |
| 6 |
| س |
| 6 |
| ش |
| 6 |
| ص |
| 6 |
| ض |
| 6 |
| ط |
| 6 |
| ظ |
| 5 |
| ع |
| 5 |
| غ |
| 5 |
| ف |
| 5 |
| ق |
| 6 |
| ك |
| 5 |
| ل |
| 6 |
| م |
| 5 |
| ن |
| 5 |
| ه |
| 5 |
| و |
| 5–6 |
| ي |
| 5–6 |
* Waw and ya have leen only without a vowel after a fathah.
The qualities, one by one
Five pairs of opposites, then seven qualities with no opposite. For each: what it changes, its letters, and a Quran word to hear it in, preferably with the letter vowelless: that is where the quality is heard best.
The breath: hams or jahr
Say س then ز without a vowel: with س the breath keeps flowing; with ز it is held. Both come from the same point: only this quality changes.
-
Hamsالهمس
Al-hams (whisper): the breath keeps flowing as the letter is said. Ten letters: ت ث ح خ س ش ص ف ك ه.
- ت
- ث
- ح
- خ
- س
- ش
- ص
- ف
- ك
- ه
A Quran word
-
بِسْمِ
bismi
In (the) name
-
JahrالجهرStrong
Al-jahr (voicing): the breath is held back as the letter is said. These are all the letters without hams.
- ء
- ا
- ب
- ج
- د
- ذ
- ر
- ز
- ض
- ط
- ظ
- ع
- غ
- ق
- ل
- م
- ن
- و
- ي
A Quran word
-
وِزْرَكَ
wizrak
your burden
The sound: shiddah, tawassut or rakhawah
Stop on the letter: with د the sound stops short; with ف it keeps running; with ن it does neither fully.
-
ShiddahالشدّةStrong
Ash-shiddah (strength): the sound stops completely at its point of articulation. Eight letters: ء ب ت ج د ط ق ك.
- ء
- ب
- ت
- ج
- د
- ط
- ق
- ك
A Quran word
-
يَدْخُلُونَ
yadkhulūna
entering
-
Tawassutالتوسّط
At-tawassut (in-between): the sound neither stops fully nor flows fully. Five letters: ر ع ل م ن.
- ر
- ع
- ل
- م
- ن
A Quran word
-
أَنْعَمْتَ
'anʿamta
You have bestowed (Your) Favors
-
Rakhawahالرخاوة
Ar-rakhawah (softness): the sound keeps flowing with the letter. These are the letters with neither shiddah nor tawassut.
- ا
- ث
- ح
- خ
- ذ
- ز
- س
- ش
- ص
- ض
- ظ
- غ
- ف
- ه
- و
- ي
A Quran word
-
أَفْوَاجًا
'afwājā
(in) multitudes
The rising tongue: istiʿla’ or istifal
With ق the back of the tongue rises to the palate and the letter comes out heavy; with ك the tongue stays low and the letter stays light.
-
Istiʿla’الاستعلاءStrong
Al-istiʿla’ (elevation): the tongue rises toward the palate, and the letter comes out heavy. Seven letters: خ ص ض ط ظ غ ق.
- خ
- ص
- ض
- ط
- ظ
- غ
- ق
A Quran word
-
خَلَقْنَا
khalaqna
We created
-
Istifalالاستفال
Al-istifal (lowering): the tongue stays low, away from the palate. These are the letters without istiʿla’.
- ء
- ا
- ب
- ت
- ث
- ج
- ح
- د
- ذ
- ر
- ز
- س
- ش
- ع
- ف
- ك
- ل
- م
- ن
- ه
- و
- ي
A Quran word
-
ذِكْرَكَ
dhikrak
your reputation
The tongue against the palate: itbaq or infitah
With ط a large part of the tongue presses against the palate: it is the heaviest letter. With ت, from the same point, nothing presses.
-
ItbaqالإطباقStrong
Al-itbaq (adhesion): much of the tongue presses against the palate. Four letters: ص ض ط ظ.
- ص
- ض
- ط
- ظ
A Quran word
-
أَطْعَمَهُم
'aṭʿamahum
feeds them
-
Infitahالانفتاح
Al-infitah (openness): the tongue does not press against the palate; air passes between them. These are the letters without itbaq.
- ء
- ا
- ب
- ت
- ث
- ج
- ح
- خ
- د
- ذ
- ر
- ز
- س
- ش
- ع
- غ
- ف
- ق
- ك
- ل
- م
- ن
- ه
- و
- ي
A Quran word
-
وَٱلْفَتْحُ
wal-fatḥ
and the Victory
Ease: idhlaq or ismat
These two qualities do not change how a letter is said: they only tell which letters are said with ease, from the tip of the tongue or the lips.
-
Idhlaqالإذلاق
Al-idhlaq (fluency): the letter is said with ease, from the tip of the tongue or the lips. Six letters: ب ر ف ل م ن.
- ب
- ر
- ف
- ل
- م
- ن
-
Ismatالإصمات
Al-ismat (restraint): the opposite of idhlaq, the letter is not said with the same ease. These are the letters without idhlaq.
- ء
- ا
- ت
- ث
- ج
- ح
- خ
- د
- ذ
- ز
- س
- ش
- ص
- ض
- ط
- ظ
- ع
- غ
- ق
- ك
- ه
- و
- ي
Seven qualities with no opposite
Each belongs to only one, two, three or five letters, and is clearly heard.
-
SafirالصفيرStrong
As-safir (whistling): a sharp, whistle-like sound goes with the letter. Three letters: ز س ص.
- ز
- س
- ص
A Quran word
-
وَٱلْعَصْرِ
wal-ʿaṣr
By the time
-
QalqalahالقلقلةStrong
With no vowel, five letters do not stay blocked: they give a clear bounce. When qāf, ṭā, bā, jīm or dāl (ق ط ب ج د) has no vowel, or when you stop on it at the end of a word.
- ب
- ج
- د
- ط
- ق
A Quran word
-
بِٱلصَّبْرِ
biṣ-ṣabr
to [the] patience
-
Leenاللين
Al-lin (softness): wāw (و) and yā (ي) without a vowel, after a fatha, are said without effort.
- و
- ي
A Quran word
-
عَلَيْهِمْ
ʿalayhim
on them
-
InhirafالانحرافStrong
Al-inhiraf (deviation): as it comes out, the sound leans from its point toward a nearby one. Two letters: ر ل.
- ر
- ل
A Quran word
-
ٱلْحَمْدُ
al-ḥamdu
All praises and thanks
-
TakrirالتكريرStrong
At-takrir (repetition): the tongue tends to vibrate on rā (ر); in recitation, this vibration is held back.
- ر
A Quran word
-
ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ
r-raḥmāni
the Most Gracious
-
TafashshiالتفشّيStrong
At-tafashshi (spreading): the air spreads through the mouth as shīn (ش) is said.
- ش
A Quran word
-
نَشْرَحْ
nashraḥ
We expanded
-
IstitalahالاستطالةStrong
Al-istitalah (extension): the sound of ḍād (ض) stretches along the side of the tongue, from back to front.
- ض
A Quran word
-
تَضْلِيلٍ
taḍlīl
astray
Strong qualities, weak qualities
The teachers sort the qualities into strong, weak and middle. The more strong qualities a letter gathers, the stronger it is, and the heavier it will be if it rises.
| Strong |
|
|---|---|
| Weak |
|
| Middle |
|
Ṭa (ط) has no weak quality; ha (ه) has no strong quality; lam (ل) and ghayn (غ) mix both.
Some books add two qualities: the ghunnah of noon and meem, strong, and khafa’ (the faint sound) of the long vowels and ha, weak. The table follows the count of al-Jazariyyah, without them.
Qualities that change with the position
The qualities in the table never leave their letter. Others come from a rule, depending on the vowel or the next letter: each has its lesson.
Frequently asked questions
How many qualities do the letters have?
Al-Jazariyyah counts 17: five pairs of opposites (the sound has three options: shiddah, tawassut or rakhawah), and seven qualities with no opposite. Each letter takes one quality from each pair, and sometimes one or two of the other seven.
Which letter has the most qualities?
Ra (ر), with seven: jahr, tawassut, istifal, infitah, idhlaq, inhiraf and takrir. No letter has fewer than five.
Why do س and ص not sound the same?
They come from the same point and share the breath and the whistle. But ṣad (ص) has istiʿla’ and itbaq: the tongue rises and presses against the palate, and the letter comes out heavy. Seen (س) has the opposites: it stays light.
Does takrir mean rolling the ra?
No. Takrir says the tongue tends to vibrate on ra: it is learned in order to avoid it. Ra is said with a single tap, especially when it carries a shaddah.
How can I check my tajweed when I recite?
Tajweed is learned by ear: you need to hear yourself. Recite out loud in the Tilawa app, on iPhone or Android. It follows your recitation word by word and shows you the rules you missed or got wrong, with the correct recitation to replay.
Tilawa editorial team · Updated 2026-10-25 · Report an error