Many times, we read verses that contain the mark ( ّ ). What is this mark, and what does it indicate? It is called the Shaddah, as you may have heard. Learning how to apply Shaddah Tajweed rules is essential to reciting the Qur’an as it was revealed.

In this article, we will explain what the Shaddah Tajweed rules are and how to pronounce letters carrying shaddah properly

What is Shaddah in Tajweed?

Shaddah is a diacritical mark in the Arabic language that we place above a letter to indicate that the letter is doubled and to clarify its pronunciation. We should lean slightly on the letter to make the doubled sound clear. 

The Mushaddad Letter (Doubled Letter)

In reality, the Mushaddad letter consists of two identical letters:

• The first carries sukoon (consonant)
• The second is vowelled (with a diacritic =harakah). 

They are merged to form one doubled letter. That is why in poetic meter it is counted as two letters. They are written as one letter with the shaddah mark on top, which is represented by this symbol ( ّ ) with one of the basic diacritical marks fathah → ( َّ ), kasrah → ( ِّ ), or dammah → ( ُّ ).

Examples of Shaddah in The Arabic Language:

We have many examples of Shaddah in the Arabic Language. I have chosen simple and common Arabic words that contain shaddah( ّ ) with the basic diacritical marks fathah → ( َّ ), kasrah → ( ِّ ), or dammah → ( ُّ ).

Examples of Shaddah Wtih Fathah 

Examples of Shaddah With Dammah

Examples of Shaddah With Kasrah

How to pronounce Shaddah in Tajweed?

When you see this mark( ّ ) above a letter, you should emphasize this letter. Why?

Since this mark means that this letter is composed of 2 letters, one is silent and the other is a vowel carries one of the Harkat You should not pronounce them as one letter.

To pronounce the Moshdad letter correctly, do the following steps:

1. Pronounce the silent letter:

It is known that pronouncing the silent letter (that carries sukoon)  occurs when the two parts of the speech organ come into contact. That is what you will do in case of Shaddah to pronounce the first silent letter.

2. Keep the sound of the letter short.

Then you hold the two parts of the speech organ at the point of articulation of the doubled letter (Mushaddad) for a short time. The amount of this time is best learned directly from a teacher.

3. Pronounce the vowel letter.

The last step of pronouncing the Mushaddad letter is to apply the Tashkeel.
This means adding one of the three basic diacritics to release the contact between the two parts of the speech organ. In this case, we will have three conditions:

Shadda with Fatḥa ( ـّ + ـَ )

Produces a short ‘a’ sound, like the ‘a’ in cat, by opening your mouth.

Example: بَّ = bba

Shadda with Ḍamma ( ـّ + ـُ )

Produces a short ‘u’ sound, like the ‘u’ in put, by rounding your lips as if you were kissing a baby.

Example: بُّ = bbu

Shadda with Kasra ( ـّ + ـِ )

Produces a short ‘i’ sound, like the ‘i’ in sit, by lowering the lower jaw.

Example: بِّ = bbi

Read Also: Nabr In Tajweed

Common Mistakes When Pronouncing The Shadah:

While pronouncing the Mushaddad letter, you should take care of the following points to avoid making mistakes:

1. The Shadah is not clear or doubled 

It is obligatory to clearly articulate the Mushaddad letter. In other words, the listener must hear it doubled in any position within the word. Remember, if you neglect the doubling, it is as if you dropped one letter from the recitation.

However, stopping on a Mushaddad letter is heavier on the tongue than stopping on a regular vowelled letter. Therefore, be careful to show the doubling clearly when stopping, and give it its due emphasis.

2. Identical letter to the Mushadad Letter

If a letter identical to the Mushaddad follows it, you should give even more attention, because the meeting of three identical letters is heavier than the merging of two. 

3. Two Mushadad Letters consecutively 

If the letter following the Mushaddad is also Mushaddad and identical to it, then even greater care must be taken, because this results in the meeting of four identical letters (each pair forming a Mushaddad). For example:

4. Meem and Noon Mushaddad

If the Mushaddad letter was Meem (م ) and Nun (ن), you should emphasize Ghunna. This characteristic is inherent in the body of these letters (م and ن), but it becomes stronger in the case of Shaddah. 

For example, you can explore the rules of Noon and Meem Mushaddad also.

Read Also: Al Jawf In Tajweed – Full Guide With Examples

How Shaddah Functions in Arabic Words and Sentences?

The Arabic language is rich. You can change the word by changing the diacritical marks. This becomes clear when exploring the uses of Shaddah in Arabic words as follows:

1. Doubling consonants within a word:

This is the common general case. When two identical consonants come together inside one word, we use Shaddah ( ّ ) to merge them into one strong sound.

Here is an example from the Quranic words; you can find more by reading the Quran with our online Quran Recitation Course.

2. Doubling across word boundaries:

When the last letter of one word and the first letter of the next are the same, we join them with a shaddah. This is very famous in Meem rules and Nun sakinteen, but it is also applied to other letters.

3. Doubling with sun letters:

All words that contain sun letters usually contain Shaddah, which is placed instead of the ال. You can find many examples in Surah Al Shams and try to pronounce them yourself. If you need to test your understanding, you can assess yourself in our tajweed test and practice course.

4. Doubling with similar or adjacent consonants

Sometimes two different but similar consonants come together, and they merge with shaddah in recitation. This is called Idgham motaqaribin ادغام متقاربين.

For example:

5. Doubling in verb conjugation

If the verb ends with a Mushdadd letter during conjugation in the past tense; it may be repeated twice, or remains one letter with Shadda.

See this example:

You can find more examples and practice all Arabic grammar with a professional teacher on the Learn Arabic online course provided on the Quranica website.

Learn more about Shaddah Tajweed with Quranica:

Enroll in our Learn Tajweed for Beginners courses to deepen your understanding of Shaddah and its rules. With guided practice on words containing Shaddah, you’ll improve your pronunciation and recitation, mastering the correct articulation as in the Quran.
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Conclusion:

Shaddah Tajweed is a broad concept. The general rule is that when two identical letters appear together—one being silent (sukoon) and the other carrying a vowel—they should be merged and pronounced clearly, so the listener can distinguish them.

Regular practice and understanding of the different cases of Shaddah will help you master Quranic recitation and recite it exactly as it was revealed.