Madd Al-Badal

Definition of Madd Al-Badal

It occurs when a Hamzah precedes a Madd letter within a single word — the Hamzah meant here being Hamzat Al-Qat' — provided that no further Hamzah or sukoon follows the Madd letter, since if either did follow, the Madd would instead fall under a different category.

Some Tajweed books define Madd Al-Badal simply as "every lengthened Hamzah." This is acceptable figuratively, but strictly speaking, the Madd does not occur in the Hamzah itself — it occurs in the Madd letter that was converted from a Hamzah, or that comes right after a Hamzah.

Examples: aatoo, aamanoo, aamana, Aadam.

Reason for the Name

It is called Madd Al-Badal ("the Madd of substitution") because the Madd letter was, in most cases, originally a substitute for a Hamzah. For instance, the word aamana was originally a'mana, where a fatha-voweled Hamzah met a silent Hamzah. Since two Hamzahs together are difficult to pronounce, the second Hamzah was converted into a Madd letter matching the vowel of the first — and since the first Hamzah was fatha-voweled, the second was converted into an Alif.

Likewise, the word eemaan was originally i'maan. To avoid the difficulty of two adjacent Hamzahs, the second was converted into a Madd letter matching the first — and since the first Hamzah was kasra-voweled, the second was converted into a Yaa, giving eemaan.

A note: some words contain a Madd letter that is original rather than substituted, yet still takes the form of Madd Al-Badal. In this case it is called "similar to Al-Badal" rather than genuine Al-Badal, though it takes the same ruling as Al-Badal.

For example, the word mas'oolan — here the Madd letter is original, not converted from a Hamzah, and so it is called "similar to Al-Badal," while still taking the ruling of Al-Badal.

Its Ruling

Permissibility — that is, the reciter is permitted to either shorten it or lengthen it; some reciters shorten it, while others lengthen it.

All reciters transmitting via Ash-Shatibiyyah shorten it, except Warsh; and via At-Tayyibah, all reciters shorten it except Warsh and Hamzah.

Its Duration

It is lengthened two counts for Hafs and all reciters except Warsh, who has a threefold option: lengthening it two, four, or six counts.

Why does Warsh lengthen Al-Badal two, four, or six counts?

Because he based his reading on the underlying cause — the presence of a Hamzah, whether that Hamzah precedes or follows the Madd letter; for Warsh, the mere presence of a Hamzah is itself a cause for Madd.

When he lengthens it two counts, he follows the practice of all other reciters, since the Madd letter is fundamentally present regardless — dropping it would mean dropping a letter of the recitation itself, which is why certain types of Madd Al-Badal are grouped together with the natural Madd.

When he lengthens Madd Al-Badal four counts, he takes into account the underlying cause: the presence of a Hamzah in the word, even though that Hamzah precedes the Madd letter. On this basis, he distinguishes it from the Obligatory Connected and Permissible Separate Madds, since for Warsh, those two are given the fullest six counts, because in them the Hamzah comes after the Madd letter, whereas in Al-Badal the Hamzah comes before the Madd letter — so he differentiates Al-Badal from the Connected and Separate Madds by giving it fewer than six counts.

When he lengthens Madd Al-Badal the full six counts, equating it with the Connected and Separate Madds, he looks purely to the underlying principle: the presence of a Madd letter adjacent to a Hamzah, regardless of whether that Hamzah precedes or follows it.

Madd Al-Badal, as explained in the introduction, falls under the branching Madd caused by Hamzah. It is divided into:

Original Madd Al-Badal

If two instances of Hamzat Al-Qat' meet within a single word — the first voweled, the second silent — the second, silent Hamzah is converted into a Madd letter matching the vowel of the first.

If the first Hamzah is fatha-voweled, the second is converted into an Alif; if the first is damma-voweled, the second is converted into a Madd Waw; if the first is kasra-voweled, the second is converted into a Madd Yaa.

The duration of the Madd letter substituted for the second Hamzat Al-Qat' is two counts for Hafs via Ash-Shatibiyyah.

This substitution is constant in the script itself, and in continuing, stopping, and beginning.

﴾Fakayfa aasa 'ala qawmin kafireen﴿ (Al-A'raf: 93) — the origin of aasa is "a'sa," where the silent Hamzah was converted into an Alif because the first Hamzah is fatha-voweled. Likewise aadam (originally "a'dam") and aata (originally "a'ta").

﴾Qala hal aamanukum 'alayhi illa kama amintukum 'ala akheehi min qablu﴿ (Yusuf: 64) — aamanukum is originally "a'manukum," the silent Hamzah converted into a Madd Alif.

﴾Innallaha ya'muru bil-'adli wal-ihsani wa'eetaa' dhi-l-qurba﴿ (An-Nahl: 90) — the origin of wa'eetaa' is "wa'i'taa'," but since two instances of Hamzat Al-Qat' met, the second was converted into a Madd Yaa to match the kasra of the first. This Madd Yaa is lengthened two counts. Likewise eemaan (originally "i'maan") and li'eelaaf (originally "li'i'laaf").

◆ ﴾Li'eelafi Quraysh﴿ (Quraysh: 1)

﴾Wama tafarraqa-lladheena ootoo al-kitaba illa min ba'di ma ja'athumu-l-bayyinah﴿ (Al-Bayyinah: 4) — the origin of ootoo is "u'too"; the second silent Hamzah was converted into a Madd Waw of two counts, since the first Hamzah is damma-voweled. Likewise oodheena (originally "u'dheena").

﴾Qaloo oodheena min qabli an ta'tiyana wamin ba'di ma ji'tana﴿ (Al-A'raf: 129)

Madd Similar to, or Attached to, Al-Badal

Scholars have attached to Madd Al-Badal every Madd letter that occurs after a Hamzah without itself being a substitute for a second Hamzat Al-Qat'. This is further divided into several types:

Constant in both continuing and stopping: as in nabbi'oonee in ﴾Nabbi'oonee bi'ilmin in kuntum sadiqeen﴿ (Al-An'am: 143) — here the Madd letter is original, following a Hamzah, and is therefore attached to Madd Al-Badal, lengthened two counts whether continuing or stopping.

Constant only when continuing: as in tasha'oon in ﴾Wama tasha'oon illa an yasha'a-llahu rabbu-l-'alameen﴿ (At-Takwir: 29) — the Madd letter in tasha'oon is original, following a Hamzah, so it must be lengthened two counts when continuing, treated as similar to Al-Badal. When stopping, however, it takes the ruling of Madd 'Aaridh Lissukoon. Likewise ma'ab, yuraa'oon, layoo'oos.

Constant only when beginning: as in i'toonee in ﴾Am lahum shirkun fi-s-samawati i'toonee bikitabin min qabli hadha﴿ (Al-Ahqaf: 4) — when continuing, one reads "as-samawati'toonee" without any Madd; but when stopping on as-samawaat and beginning anew with i'toonee, it is read "eetoonee," the Yaa then taking the ruling of Madd Al-Badal, lengthened two counts for Hafs.

Another example: i'dhan in ﴾Waminhum man yaqoolu i'dhan lee wala taftinnee﴿ (At-Tawbah: 49) — read as "eedhan lee" when beginning with it, with no Madd when continuing from what precedes.

Likewise i'tina in ﴾Waqaloo ya Salihu i'tina bima ta'iduna﴿ (Al-A'raf: 77) — read as "eetina" when beginning with i'tina, but with no Madd when continuing.

And also ﴾Alladhi u'tumina﴿ — read as "ootumina" when beginning with u'tumina.