The Lām of al- and the Lām of Allah
Moon and sun letters, heavy and light
Core idea
The lām of al- is pronounced clearly before fourteen letters (the moon letters), and is silent, with the letter after it doubled, before the other fourteen (the sun letters). The lām of Allah is light after a kasra and heavy after a fatḥa or a ḍamma.
Why it matters
al- comes up on almost every page of the Quran. Mistakes come in two forms: sounding a sun lām, or not doubling the letter after it. The name Allah is also very frequent, and the vowel before its lām decides whether it is heavy or light.
Lesson
The lām of al- is the lām in «al-», placed before a definite noun. What decides it is the letter after it: - Moon letter: if the letter after it is a moon letter, the lām is pronounced clearly with sukūn, as in al-qamar. - Sun letter: if the letter after it is a sun letter, the lām is not pronounced and the letter after it is doubled, as in ash-shams and an-nās. The lām is written in the mushaf but not said.
The lām of Allah is the lām in «Allāh». What decides whether it is heavy or light is the vowel before it: - After a kasra it is light, as in lillāh. - After a fatḥa or a ḍamma it is heavy, as in huwa llāhu.
In practice: for «al-», look at the letter after the lām; for the name Allah, look at the vowel before the lām.
In detail, with examples
1. Moon lām — pronounced
Before fourteen letters the lām is said clearly, with sukūn. No colour in the mushaf.
ء ب غ ح ج ك و خ ف ع ق ي م هThe moon letters
Fourteen letters: ʾ b gh ḥ j k w kh f ʿ q y m h. Remember them with the phrase abghi ḥajjaka wa-khif ʿaqīmah. The lām is said clearly: al-qamar.
2. Sun lām — silent
Before fourteen letters the lām is not said, and the letter after it is doubled. Grey in the mushaf.
3. The lām of Allah
Light after a kasra; heavy after a fatḥa or a ḍamma.
In your mushaf
In the app's mushaf the sun lām is grey, because it is not pronounced. The moon lām keeps the text colour. The lām of Allah has no colour of its own; it is read heavy or light as taught here.
Key points
- 1
The lām of al- is said before moon letters; before sun letters it is written but not said.
- 2
The sun letter is doubled: al-shams is read ash-shams.
- 3
There are fourteen of each kind; «abghi ḥajjaka wa-khif ʿaqīmah» lists the moon letters.
- 4
The lām of Allah is light after a kasra, as in lillāh.
- 5
It is heavy after a fatḥa or a ḍamma, as in huwa llāhu.
Glossary
لَام التَّعْرِيف
lām al-taʿrīf
the lām that makes a noun definite: the lām of al-
القَمَرِيَّة
al-qamariyya
the lām pronounced clearly before fourteen letters
الشَّمْسِيَّة
al-shamsiyya
the lām not pronounced; the letter after it is doubled
لَام لَفْظ الجَلَالَة
lām lafẓ al-jalālah
the lām of the name Allah; heavy or light by the vowel before it
التَّفْخِيم
al-tafkhīm
saying the letter full and heavy
التَّرْقِيق
al-tarqīq
saying the letter light and thin
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