Opposite Qualities

The Essential Opposite Qualities

1. Shiddah, Rakhawah, and Bayniyyah
2. Hams and Jahr
3. Isti'la and Istifal
4. Itbaq and Infitah
5. Idhlaq and Ismat
6. Verses of Al-Jazariyyah on the Opposite Qualities

Hams

Linguistically: concealment.

Technically: the breath flowing while pronouncing the letter, due to weak reliance on the articulation point.

Its letters: ten letters, gathered in Ibn Al-Jazari's phrase: "Fahathahu shakhsun sakat".

Jahr

Linguistically: proclamation.

Technically: the breath being partially blocked while pronouncing the letter, due to strong reliance on the articulation point.

Its letters: the remaining nineteen alphabetic letters (other than the Hams letters), gathered in the phrase: "'Azhima waznu qari'in dhee ghaddi jiddi talab" (meaning: the scale of a reciter who lowers his gaze and strives in seeking knowledge outweighs).

Shiddah

Linguistically: strength.

Technically: the sound being blocked and unable to flow while pronouncing the letter, due to complete reliance on the articulation point.

Its letters: eight letters, gathered in Ibn Al-Jazari's phrase: "Ajad qatin bakat".

Rakhawah

Linguistically: softness.

Technically: the sound flowing while pronouncing the letter.

Its letters: sixteen letters, being all letters other than the Shiddah and Tawassut letters: th, h, kh, dh, z, s, sh, s(sad), d(dad), zh, gh, f, h, w, y, a (the Alif).

Tawassut or Bayniyyah

Technically: the sound being moderate while pronouncing the letter — a quality between Shiddah and Rakhawah, where the sound is neither fully blocked as with Shiddah letters, nor fully flowing as with Rakhawah letters.

Its letters: five letters gathered in the phrase: "Lin 'umar".

The Difference between Shiddah and Jahr:

In Shiddah there is complete reliance on the articulation point; in Jahr there is strong (but not complete) reliance on it.

In Shiddah the sound is blocked; in Jahr the breath is blocked.

Six letters combine both Shiddah and Jahr: Qutb Jad and the Hamzah. In these, both sound and breath are blocked when pronounced.

Isti'la

Linguistically: elevation.

Technically: the back of the tongue rising towards the upper palate when pronouncing the letter.

Its letters: seven letters, gathered in Ibn Al-Jazari's phrase: "Khussa dagtin qizh".

Istifal

Linguistically: lowering.

Technically: the back of the tongue staying low, away from the upper palate, when pronouncing the letter.

Its letters: twenty-two letters, being the remaining alphabetic letters that do not carry Isti'la: ', b, t, th, j, h, d, dh, r, z, s, sh, ', f, k, l, m, n, h, w, y, a.

Itbaq

Linguistically: adhesion.

Technically: the greater part of the tongue pressing up against the upper palate when pronouncing the letter.

Its letters: four letters: Saad, Ddaad, Ttaa, and Zhaa (s(sad), d(dad), tt, zh).

The Itbaq letters are the strongest letters and the heaviest in Tafkheem.

Itbaq is more specific than Isti'la: Itbaq necessarily implies Isti'la, but Isti'la does not necessarily imply Itbaq. So all Itbaq letters carry Isti'la, but not every Isti'la letter carries Itbaq.

Infitah

Linguistically: separation.

Technically: the tongue, or most of it, staying apart from the upper palate when pronouncing the letter.

Its letters: twenty-five letters, being the rest of the alphabet, gathered in the phrase: "Man akhadha wajada sa'atan fazaka haqqun lahu shurbu ghayth".

Idhlaq

Linguistically: speed, lightness, sharpness of tongue — i.e. its keenness, fluency, and eloquence.

Technically: speed in pronouncing the letter, due to its articulation from the tip of the tongue or the lips.

Its letters: six letters — some articulated from the tip of the tongue: Lam, Noon, and Raa (l, n, r); others from the lips: Faa, Meem, and Baa (f, m, b).

These six letters are gathered in Ibn Al-Jazari's phrase: "Firra min lubb".

Due to their lightness, the reciter must pay careful attention to these letters during recitation.

Ismat

Linguistically: prevention.

Technically: heaviness in pronouncing the letter.

Its letters: twenty-three letters, gathered in the phrase: "Jazza ghushsha sakhitin sayyid, thiqatan idh wa'zhuhu yahduka" (meaning: stay away from the deceit of one angered at the truth, and seek out someone trustworthy, for his admonition guides you towards good).

These letters are called "Musmatah" because they cannot, by themselves, make up a native four- or five-letter root; such words must contain at least one Idhlaq letter whose lightness balances the heaviness of the Musmatah letters. If this is not found, the word can be judged to be a foreign loanword into Arabic — such as the word "'asjad" (gold), which is an Arabized Persian word.

 صِفَاتُهَا جَهْرٌ وَرِخْوٌ مُسْتَـفـِلْ     مُنْفَتِحٌ مُصـْمَتَـةٌ  وَالـضِّـدَّ قـُلْ

مَهْمُوسُهَا (فَحَثَّهُ شَخْصٌ سَكَتْ)     شَدِيْدُهَا  لَــفْـظُ (أَجِدْ قَطٍ بَكَـتْ)

وَبَيْنَ رِخْوٍ وَالشَّدِيدِ ( لِنْ عُمَرْ)     وَسَبْعُ عُلْوٍ (خُصَّ ضَغْطٍ قِظْ) حَصَرْ

وَصَادُ ضَادٌ طَاءُ ظَاءٌ مُطْبَـقَهْ     وَ (فِرَّ مِـنْ لُبِّ) الـحُرُوفِ المُذْلَقَهْ

Its qualities are Jahr, Rakhw, Mustafil, Munfatih, Musmatah — and say the opposite

Its Mahmoos letters ("Fahathahu shakhsun sakat"); its Shadeed letters, the wording ("Ajid qatin bakat")

And between Rakhw and Shadeed ("Lin 'umar"); and the seven of elevation ("Khussa dagtin qizh") confined

Saad, Ddaad, Ttaa, Zhaa are Mutbaqah; and ("Firra min lubb") are the Mudhlaqah letters