Table of Contents
What is Hams Arabic?
Generally, the Arabic word همس (hams) means whisper or soft, subdued, poorly heard speech. In some contexts, it may refer to the sound of air passing, a murmur, or a breath-like sound that occurs when the voice is not fully vocalized.What is Hams in Tajweed?
Hams is a well-known term in the science of Tajweed, but it is originally an Arabic word. So it has two definitions: linguistic and terminological.- In the science of Tajweed, Hams is one of the earliest classified attributes of letters that possess an opposite characteristic.
- It means “The vocal cords remain open when pronouncing the letter, allowing air to pass freely, which results in an audible flow of breath when pronouncing consonant Hams letters.
- The Hams sound is more noticeable when the letter is stressed with shaddah or given a vowel, and it stands out even more when the letter is read with sukoon.
- Because things are distinguished by their opposites, it is important to understand Jahr to compare the two states. See the following table:
| الجهر (Al Jahr) | الهمس (Al Hams) | |
| Linguistic meaning of the word | apparant | Concealment |
| meaning | Blocking the airflow by closing the vocal cords while pronouncing the letter produces a voiced sound. | Allowing airflow by keeping the vocal cords open, producing a whispered or breathy sound. |
| Vocal cords movement | Vocal cords vibrate when pronouncing the letter. | Vocal cords do not vibrate when pronouncing the letter. |
| Flow of breath | No (or minimal) audible breath escapes during pronunciation. | Audible breath flows clearly during pronunciation. |
| letters | All Arabic letters except the 10 hams letters: ف، ح، ث، ه، ش، خ، ص، س، ك، ت | The 10 letters of hams: ف، ح، ث، ه، ش، خ، ص، س، ك، ت |
Hams’ letters in Tajweed:
Hams’ letters are ten, and to make them easier to remember, scholars put them in this phrase: فحثه شخص سكت. Each letter of this phrase should be pronounced with caution, especially when it has a Sukoon. Here is a simple explanation of these letters with examples from the Quran.| Arabic Letter | Example with Sukoon after Hamzah | Transliteration | Notes on Pronunciation |
| ف – fa | أَفْ | ʾaf | Like “af” in “after,” but softer / breathy f |
| ح – ḥaa (deep h) | أَحْ | ʾaḥ | Deep “ḥ” from throat with breath release, No similar in English |
| ث – thaa (like “th” in think) | أَثْ | ʾath | Like “th” in “think,” with airy breath |
| ه – haa | أَهْ | ʾah | Light “h,” open throat, airy. Very weak letter |
| ش – sheen | أَشْ | ʾash | Like “sh” in “ashame” with airflow |
| خ – khaa (kh sound) | أَخْ | ʾakh | Like German “Bach,” airy, from the upper throat |
| ص – ṣaad (emphatic s) | أَصْ | ʾaṣ | Emphatic “ṣ,” still has some breath, but is heavier |
| ك – kaaf | أَكْ | ʾak | Like “c” in “sac,” with a puff of air |
| س – seen | أَسْ | ʾas | Like “s” in “ask,” airy |
| ت – taa | أَتْ | ʾat | Like “t” in “fat,” breath escapes quickly |
Examples from the Quran Contain Hams Letters
Learning how to pronounce Hams letters in Tajweed is not the goal, but the goal is to pronounce them correctly. Below are common Quranic verses. Try to apply the Hams clearly in the underlined words.- يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي – طه
- ﴿وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَمَاتَ وَأَحْيَا﴾ – النجم: 44
- ﴿لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ﴾ – يوسف: 92
- ﴿اهْبِطُوا مِصْرًا﴾ – البقرة: 61
- ﴿شَاهِدٌ وَمَشْهُودٍ﴾ – البروج: 3
- ﴿قُلْ مَنْ يَكْلَؤُكُمْ﴾ – الأنبياء: 42
- ﴿سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى﴾ – الإسراء: 1
- ﴿إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ﴾ – الحجرات: 10
- ﴿إِنَّ مَا تُوعَدُونَ لَآتٍ وَمَا أَنتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ﴾ – الأنعام 134
Notes while applying Hams` Letters:
- You should apply Makhrj El Huruf. For example, you know lip letters and letter ف is articulated from the lower lip touching the upper front teeth.
- You should focus on all letter attributes, for example:
- Most are soft (Rikhwah) → except: ك (kaaf) and ت (taa), which are hard (Shiddah).
- Most are Muraqaqh → except: خ (khaa) and ص (ṣaad), which are Tafkheem letters.
- The characteristic of Hams is most noticeable when the letters are consonant (carry a sukoon), as this requires a flow of breath to facilitate pronunciation. When they have other diacritics (fatḥah, kasrah, or ḍammah), they are pronounced easily through the movement of the tongue or lips.
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