Online Tajweed courses are getting more and more popular these days, as more Muslims become aware of the importance of proper pronunciation when reading the Quran. These classes will usually teach you the rules and sounds of proper tajweed, as well as give you plenty of opportunities to practice and apply what you’ve learned. This article covers all the basics you need to know about online tajweed courses, Understanding the Quran and helps you find the perfect one for your own needs.
The Difference Between ‘S’ and ‘D’
Properly pronouncing a letter can make or break your dua (invocation). For example, when asking Allah for something, it’s imperative that you say سبحانك اللهم و بحمدك instead of سبحانك اللهم و دباغ. That’s because there are multiple ways of pronouncing words and phrases in Arabic. If you don’t learn how to pronounce them correctly, your dua might not be accepted. And trust us—you’ll know right away if it wasn’t accepted because your heart will feel empty afterward.
The Difference Between ‘F’ and ‘Q’
One of the biggest issues with online recitation is mispronouncing sounds. We’ve all encountered someone who cannot differentiate between ف and أ or someone who pronounces letters in Arabic as they are pronounced in English. For example, pronouncing ص as s, which is common among beginner students. The best way to address these pronunciation issues is with a tajweed course that covers all of the sounds present in Arabic and what their corresponding letter looks like on paper. Using an online course also makes it easy for students to learn about tajweed at their own pace and from anywhere—they don’t have to be physically enrolled in a class.
The Difference Between ‘Z’ and ‘KH’
One of these is not like the other. The letter zayn and khaf both sound similar when they are being recited with tajweed. However, if you listen carefully, you will hear a slight difference between them; it’s subtle but significant. Zayn has a short i vowel (like in kit) whereas khaf has a short e vowel (like in meet). When listening for these differences, be sure that your tongue is curling as it would for any other vowel. Sometimes it can be hard to distinguish between letters that have identical vowels such as yaa and yeh, so try to focus on one distinction at a time!
The Difference Between ‘TH’ and ‘DH’
There are many Arabic letters that can be difficult for non-native speakers to pronounce. One of those letters is ذ (dh). It’s easy to pronounce if you know a simple rule: If there’s a ‘t’ or ‘d’ sound after it, treat it like a regular D and say th. So words like ظل [zol] and نطق [naTHQ] would be pronounced with a ‘th’. If there is no sound after it, then read it as an extra ‘d’ in your pronunciation. This means that words like دهليز [dayli:s] should have an extended D sound rather than an extended th sound.
The Use of the Taqseer (Glottal Stop)
The use of ʾalif maqṣūrah (the glottal stop) in our speaking should be replaced with a sukūn. For instance, when one says ʾāllimuhum jālīʿan and makes a sukūn over jālīʿ, it would mean that he wants something from them. However, if we read it as ʾāllimuhum jālīqan without using a sukūn, it would mean that they are scholars. Do you see how different meanings can be obtained from these readings?
How to Use Short Consonants in Our Recitation
The term tashkeel refers to pointing or marking letters. In Arabic grammar, it indicates that a letter is short (usually a vowel) and should be pronounced as such. For example, in Arabic, when a word begins with one of these five letters (alif, ya’, wa’, ha’, or kha’), it is written as a single letter but pronounced with a short vowel sound. For example, if we wanted to write out Yasser Arafat’s name in Arabic script it would be written سعيد عرفات (Sa’id ‘Arfaat), Quran Memorization but it is pronounced as Sa-eed ‘Er-ra-fat.
