Level 5 · The Article

Lām shamsiyyah

لَام شَمْسِيَّة

Level 5 · The Article

Sun & moon lām ٱللَّام ٱلشَّمْسِيَّة وَٱلْقَمَرِيَّة

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The idea

The l of the article 'al-' is sometimes silent. Before a 'sun' letter it vanishes and the next letter doubles (ٱلشَّمْس → ash-shams). Before a 'moon' letter it is spoken (ٱلْقَمَر → al-qamar). The muṣḥaf tells you which: a shadda on the next letter means sun; a sukūn on the lām means moon.

Lām shamsiyyah

لَام شَمْسِيَّة
The rule
The لـ of الـ before a sun letter is silent; the next letter doubles (shaddah).
How it sounds
The l is not heard; the following letter is stressed instead.
How often
5,208 occurrences across the Ḥafṣ ʿan ʿĀṣim text of the Qurʾān — mechanically derived from the Uthmani marks, not hand-counted.

Examples in the Qurʾān

  • بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

    Qurʾān 1:1

  • مَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ

    Qurʾān 1:4

  • ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ

    Qurʾān 1:6

Lām qamariyyah

لَام قَمَرِيَّة
The rule
The لـ of الـ before a moon letter is pronounced clearly (sukūn on the lām).
How it sounds
The l is spoken normally: al-.
How often
5,390 occurrences across the Ḥafṣ ʿan ʿĀṣim text of the Qurʾān — mechanically derived from the Uthmani marks, not hand-counted.

Examples in the Qurʾān

  • ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

    Qurʾān 1:2

  • ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ

    Qurʾān 1:6

  • صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ

    Qurʾān 1:7

Rule spans are computed from the Uthmani combining marks on the quran-uthmani text (Tanzil.net) in the recitation of Ḥafṣ ʿan ʿĀṣim. Where to stop (waqf) is interpretive and is taught, never auto-asserted. How we count →

Questions

What is Lām shamsiyyah (لَام شَمْسِيَّة) in tajwīd?

The لـ of الـ before a sun letter is silent; the next letter doubles (shaddah). The l is not heard; the following letter is stressed instead.

How often does Lām shamsiyyah occur in the Qurʾān?

Lām shamsiyyah occurs 5,208 times across the Ḥafṣ ʿan ʿĀṣim text of the Qurʾān (quran-uthmani, Tanzil.net). The figure is derived mechanically from the Uthmani combining marks rather than counted by hand.

What is Lām qamariyyah (لَام قَمَرِيَّة) in tajwīd?

The لـ of الـ before a moon letter is pronounced clearly (sukūn on the lām). The l is spoken normally: al-.

How often does Lām qamariyyah occur in the Qurʾān?

Lām qamariyyah occurs 5,390 times across the Ḥafṣ ʿan ʿĀṣim text of the Qurʾān (quran-uthmani, Tanzil.net). The figure is derived mechanically from the Uthmani combining marks rather than counted by hand.