Iqlab is one of the four noon sakinah and tanween rules. The word means 'to change'. If a noon sakinah or tanween comes before the letter baa, the noon changes into a hidden meem. Then you hum. This guide shows when iqlab happens, how to read it and four Quran examples. You can open every example on Quran.com.
Our English spelling cannot show every Arabic sound, so check each word with a qualified teacher. Like our other Tajweed guides, this one follows the Hafs reading. For all four noon rules in one place, see noon sakinah and tanween rules.
What Is Iqlab in Tajweed?
Iqlab means 'to change'. It is the Tajweed rule for a noon sakinah or tanween that comes before the letter baa. You change the noon into a meem sound and hide that meem softly. You hum through the nose for about 2 counts. Then you say the baa. Baa is the only letter that starts iqlab.
Two things can start the rule. One is a noon sakinah, a noon with a sukoon (the sign for no vowel). The other is tanween, a double vowel sign that adds a noon sound: -an, -in or -un. Both follow the same four rules, and the next letter decides which one to use.
Like the other noon rules, iqlab works when you read on into the next word or letter. If the noon sakinah or tanween is at the end of the word you stop on, no baa follows it, so the rule does not apply.
Four Quran Examples of Iqlab
Each row shows the word as it is written and how it sounds with the change. The 'm' in the sounded word is a soft, hidden meem with a hum, not a hard 'm'. Each link opens the ayah on Quran.com:
| Written, then sounded | What comes before the baa | Ayah |
|---|---|---|
| layunbadhanna, sounded layumbadhanna | Noon sakinah inside one word | Quran 104:4 |
| min ba'di, sounded mim ba'di | Noon sakinah at the end of a word | Quran 98:4 |
| zawjin baheej, sounded zawjim baheej | Tanween (-in) at the end of a word | Quran 50:7 |
| 'aleemun bi-dhaatis-sudoor, sounded 'aleemum bi-dhaatis-sudoor | Tanween (-un) at the end of a word | Quran 3:119 |
In the first two rows, a noon sakinah changes to a meem. With tanween, the -an, -in or -un sound ends in a meem sound too: -am, -im or -um. Many printed copies of the Quran put a small meem sign on the noon or the tanween. It helps you spot iqlab at a glance.
How Do You Read Iqlab? Three Steps
The classic books say iqlab is read correctly only when all three parts are there:
- Step 1, change: the noon sakinah or the tanween becomes a meem sound.
- Step 2, hide: the meem is hidden softly. Let the lips meet lightly. Do not press them hard to make a full 'm'.
- Step 3, hum: hold the hum (ghunnah) through your nose for about 2 counts. Then open your lips into the baa.
After the change, you have a meem with no vowel before a baa. That sounds the same as the lip rule in our guide to meem sakinah rules, called ikhfa shafawi. Teachers show the lip shape a little differently, so copy your own teacher.
Slips to Watch For in Iqlab
These slips are easy to miss in your own voice. Use this list when you practise:
- Keeping a clear noon. If you say a clean 'n', you have not changed it. Say the meem sound instead.
- Leaving out the hum. Without the ghunnah, iqlab is not complete.
- Pressing the lips hard. This makes a heavy 'mm-b'. Let the lips meet lightly, and let the hum carry the sound.
- Cutting the hum short. Count slowly on your fingers while you hum.
Iqlab Compared With Izhar and Ikhfa
In izhar, the noon stays clear and there is no extra hum. In iqlab, the noon changes to a meem and you hum. In ikhfa, the noon is hidden before the 15 remaining letters. Read the rule for the six throat letters in our guide to izhar rules in Tajweed.
Each rule depends on the letter after the noon, so look at that letter first. If it is baa, you use iqlab.
Next in the series is ikhfa, the rule for the 15 remaining letters. Read ikhfa rules in Tajweed.
Practise Iqlab With Your Teacher
Here is a one-week plan. Spend a few minutes on it each day:
- Step 1: Say the three parts aloud: change, hide, hum.
- Step 2: Read the four examples in the table, one at a time, very slowly. Say each word as it is written, then say it with the change.
- Step 3: Read Surah Al-Humazah (104) slowly. Find the iqlab in ayah 4.
- Step 4: Open your mushaf and look for the small meem sign. Read five of them with the hidden meem.
- Step 5: Record your reading on your phone. Can you hear the hum? Is it about 2 counts? Fix it and record again.
- Step 6: Read these ayahs to a teacher and ask what to fix.
A qualified teacher can tell if the noon is still clear. They can also tell if the hum is missing or the lips are too tight. Our free Tajweed rules chart keeps the four noon rules in view. Print it and keep it next to your Quran.
Get Your Iqlab Checked
Our online Tajweed classes are live and 1-on-1, and each lesson is 30 minutes. Your tutor checks your hidden meem and your hum as you read, then helps you fix them. You can pick a male or a female tutor.
Unsure about your iqlab? Book a free 30-minute trial class. Read a short surah to the tutor and hear which sound needs work first. No card is needed.