Tajwid rule
Ikhfa (concealment)
الإخفاء
Transliteration: Ikhfāʾ
What it is
Ikhfa means hiding the noon sound — pronouncing it partially, without full articulation, while adding a nasal ghunna. It applies when a noon sakinah or tanwin is followed by one of fifteen 'ikhfa letters'.
When it applies
A noon sakinah or tanwin comes before any of the fifteen letters that are neither idgham, iqlab nor izhar letters — the remaining fifteen letters of the alphabet.
How it sounds
The tip of the tongue no longer touches the roof of the mouth firmly — the noon is 'shadowed'. A ghunna (nasal hum) is held for about two counts as the mouth prepares for the next letter.
Examples from the Mushaf
أَنْتَ
aṅta
Al-Baqarah 2:32
كُنْتُمْ
kuṅtum
Al-Baqarah 2:31
Practice with surahs that use this rule
Practise this rule with the SABR coach
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