Holy Quran | Tajweed Rules | Ghunnah: definition, rulings, and degrees

Ghunnah - Definition, Rulings, and Degrees

( ﻭَﻏُﻦَّ ﻣِﻴﻤًﺎ ﺛُﻢَّ ﻧُﻮﻧًﺎ ﺷُﺪِّﺩَﺍ ** ﻭَﺳَﻢِّ ﻛُﻼًّ ﺣَﺮْﻑَ ﻏُﻨَّﺔٍ ﺑَﺪَﺍ ‏)
("Nasalize the Meem, then the Noon, when doubled; and call each a 'letter of ghunnah' when it appears")

This means that the ghunnah (nasalization) of Meem and Noon must be clearly pronounced whenever either is doubled (has a shaddah), such as in: "min al-Jannah" and "anna an-nas", or "thumma" and "lamma" and "malahum". Each of these is called a doubled "letter of ghunnah".

Definition of Ghunnah: Linguistically and Technically

Linguistically: a pleasant sound produced from the nasal passage.

Technically: a pleasant sound built into the very substance of the letters Noon and Meem, produced from the "khayshoom" — the upper part of the nasal passage connected to the throat.

Ghunnah is one of the fundamental rulings in the science of Tajweed. It is an acoustic quality that emerges from the nasal cavity when pronouncing a doubled Noon or Meem. This quality is inseparable from these two letters, and it appears clearly in Quranic recitation, giving words an added acoustic beauty and precision of performance. This article covers the definition of ghunnah, its rulings, its degrees, and its practical applications in Quranic recitation.

Rulings of Ghunnah

Ghunnah accompanies only the letters Noon and Meem, whether they carry a vowel or are silent, doubled or not doubled. The rulings of ghunnah fall into several cases:

1Ghunnah in the Doubled Noon and Meem

A doubled Noon consists of a silent Noon followed by a voweled Noon; a doubled Meem likewise consists of a silent Meem followed by a voweled Meem.

Ruling: the ghunnah must be clearly held for the duration of two counts (the time it takes to raise and lower a finger twice).

Examples — doubled Noon: "inna", "al-Jannah". Doubled Meem: "ummah", "thumma".

2Ghunnah in Idgham (Merging)

Complete Idgham: when Noon or Meem merges into an identical or similar letter, the ghunnah is shown — e.g. "min ni'mah" (Noon merged into Noon), "lakum ma" (Meem merged into Meem).

Incomplete Idgham: when Noon merges into Yaa or Waw, ghunnah is likewise shown — e.g. "man ya'mal", "min waliyy".

3Ghunnah in Ikhfa (Hiding)

True Ikhfa: when a silent Noon or Tanween is followed by one of the fifteen Ikhfa letters, ghunnah is shown while the Noon itself is hidden — e.g. "min tayrin", "'aleeman qadeeran".

Labial Ikhfa: when a silent Meem is followed by Baa, ghunnah is shown while the Meem is hidden — e.g. "tarmeehim bihijarah".

4Ghunnah in Iqlab

When a silent Noon or Tanween is followed by Baa, the Noon is converted into Meem while the ghunnah is shown — e.g. "min ba'd", "anbi'hum".

5Ghunnah in Idhar

When a silent Noon or Tanween is followed by one of the throat letters (Hamzah, Haa, 'Ayn, Ghayn, Haa-heavy, Khaa), ghunnah is shown without any hiding or merging — e.g. "man aamana", "'aleeman hakeeman".

The Degrees of Ghunnah

The degrees of ghunnah, in terms of duration and clarity of sound, fall into four levels:

  1. The most complete degree: occurs in the doubled Noon and Meem (in nouns, verbs, or particles) and in complete Idgham. Its duration is longer than two counts, making it the fullest degree of ghunnah.
  2. The complete degree: occurs in true Ikhfa and labial Ikhfa. Its duration is slightly shorter than the first degree.
  3. The incomplete degree: occurs in the silent Noon and Meem when pronounced with Idhar. Its duration is less than the second degree.
  4. The least degree: occurs in the voweled Noon and Meem. Its duration is the shortest of all four degrees.

Important Notes

  • The duration of ghunnah scales with the speed of recitation (Tahqeeq, Tadweer, or Hadr).
  • The duration of ghunnah is the same whether stopping (waqf) or continuing (wasl).
  • Ghunnah follows the letter after it in heaviness (tafkheem) or lightness (tarqeeq).
  • One must avoid any exaggeration or excessive buzzing when pronouncing the ghunnah.
🇸🇦 اقرأ بالعربية

Tajweed Rules Index

Introduction to Tajweed

Virtue of Reading Quran Science of Tajweed Levels of Recitation Errors in Recitation The Seven Letters Science of Qira'at Etiquette of Recitation Isti'adhah & Basmalah Categories of Surahs

Articulation Points & Qualities

Letter Articulation Points Names of Letters Main Articulation Points Letter Qualities Opposite Qualities Qualities Without Opposite Points & Qualities Table Tafkheem & Tarqeeq

Idgham (Merging) of Letters

Definition of Idgham Categories of Idgham Idgham Mutamathilayn Idgham Mutaqaribayn Idgham Mutajanisayn

Rules of Noon Sakenah & Tanween

Noon Sakenah & Tanween Idhar Idgham Iqlab Ikhfa Ghunnah

Rules of Meem Sakenah

Meem Sakenah Labial Idgham Labial Ikhfa Labial Idhar

Rules of Madd in Tajweed

Categories of Madd Natural Madd Madd Al-Badal Obligatory Connected Madd Permissible Separate Madd Madd Lazim Madd 'Aaridh Lissukoon Madd As-Silah

Rulings of the Letter Raa

Rulings of Raa Tafkheem of Raa Tarqeeq of Raa Both Ways Permissible

Rules of Waqf (Stopping) & Ibtida'

Rules of Waqf As-Sakt Types of Waqf Rawm & Ishmam Hamzat Al-Wasl & Al-Qat' Stop Signs

Tajweed Poems

Al-Jazariyyah Tuhfat Al-Atfal Ash-Shatibiyyah

Qalqalah & Rules of Lam

Qalqalah Rules of Lam