Izhar is the first of the four noon sakinah and tanween rules. The word means 'to make clear'. When a noon sakinah or tanween comes before one of six throat letters, you say the noon clearly. This guide shows the six letters, how to read izhar and a Quran example for each letter. 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 Izhar in Tajweed?
Izhar means 'to make clear'. It is a Tajweed rule for a noon sakinah or tanween. When one of them comes before a throat letter, you say the noon clearly. You do not hide it, merge it or add an extra hum. There are six throat letters.
A noon sakinah is a noon with a sukoon, the sign for no vowel. Tanween is a double vowel sign at the end of a word. It adds a noon sound: -an, -in or -un. Both follow the same four rules. The letter that comes next decides which rule to use.
Izhar works when you read on into the next letter. If the noon sakinah or tanween is at the end of the word you stop on, nothing follows it, so the rule does not apply. Teachers also call this rule izhar halqi, which means the throat izhar.
The Six Throat Letters, With a Quran Example for Each
The classic Tajweed poem lists the six letters in order. It starts at the deepest part of the throat and ends at the part nearest the mouth. Each row below has one example word, and each link opens the ayah on Quran.com:
| Throat letter | Part of the throat | Example word | Ayah |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamza (ء) | Deepest part | kufuwan ahad: tanween, then hamza | Quran 112:4 |
| Haa, the light h (ه) | Deepest part | yanhaa: noon sakinah, then haa | Quran 96:9 |
| 'Ayn (ع) | Middle | min 'alaq: noon sakinah, then 'ayn | Quran 96:2 |
| Haa, the strong h (ح) | Middle | wanhar: noon sakinah, then Haa | Quran 108:2 |
| Ghayn (غ) | Nearest the mouth | ajrun ghayru: tanween, then ghayn | Quran 95:6 |
| Khaa (خ) | Nearest the mouth | man khaffat: noon sakinah, then khaa | Quran 101:8 |
Izhar can happen inside one word or across two words. In yanhaa and wanhar, the noon and the throat letter are in the same word. In the other rows, the noon sakinah or tanween ends one word. The throat letter starts the next word.
Khaa and ghayn are also heavy letters, so say them full and deep. Read more in our guide to heavy and light letters in Tajweed.
How Do You Read Izhar?
Say a clean noon, then go straight to the throat letter. Do not hum through the nose, and do not stretch the noon. The noon is made at the tip of the tongue. The throat letters come from the throat. The two places are far apart, so the noon stays clear.
With tanween, say the -an, -in or -un sound clearly, then say the throat letter. In 'kufuwan ahad', you hear the 'n' of -an, and then the hamza.
A common slip is to hum on the noon before a throat letter. In izhar there is no extra hum. The hum belongs to other rules, such as iqlab, where the noon changes to a hummed meem.
Izhar Inside One Word: Dunya and Three More Words
There is one more place for izhar. A noon sakinah before ya or waw is usually merged into it. But when the noon and the ya or waw are in the same word, you say the noon clearly. The Quran has four words like this. Open each one on Quran.com:
| Word | Meaning | Ayah |
|---|---|---|
| dunya | this world | Quran 87:16 |
| bunyaan | a building | Quran 61:4 |
| qinwaan | bunches of dates | Quran 6:99 |
| sinwaan | palm trees from one root | Quran 13:4 |
Do not merge the noon in these words. A common slip is to read dunya as 'duyya'. Say the noon clearly, then the ya. Our guide to noon sakinah and tanween rules shows why merging needs two words.
How Izhar Differs From the Other Three Rules
Izhar is the only noon rule that leaves the noon fully clear. The other three rules change it or hide it. In idgham, the noon merges into the next letter. In iqlab, the noon changes to a meem before baa. In ikhfa, the noon is hidden before the 15 remaining letters.
Each rule depends on the letter after the noon. Our guide to noon sakinah and tanween rules puts all four side by side.
Next in the series is idgham, where the noon merges into the next letter. Read idgham rules in Tajweed. After that comes iqlab rules in Tajweed, the rule for baa.
Practise Izhar With Your Teacher
Try this plan for one week. Each day takes a few minutes:
- Step 1: Say the six letters aloud in order: hamza, haa, 'ayn, Haa, ghayn, khaa. The first two are the deepest. The last two are nearest the mouth.
- Step 2: Read the six examples in the first table, one at a time, very slowly. Keep the noon clean each time. Then say dunya a few times with a clear noon.
- Step 3: Read Surah Al-Alaq (96) slowly. Find the izhar in ayahs 2, 9, 10 and 16.
- Step 4: Record a short reading on your phone. Does any noon have a hum? If it does, say it again, short and clean.
- Step 5: Read these ayahs to a teacher and ask what to fix.
A qualified teacher can tell if you add a hum, stretch the noon or merge it in dunya. Our free Tajweed rules chart is handy here. Print it and keep it next to your Quran.
Get Your Izhar Checked
In our online Tajweed classes at Salam Campus, lessons are live, 1-on-1 and 30 minutes long. The tutor hears each noon you say and corrects it on the spot. You can choose a male or a female tutor.
Want to know if your noons are clear? Book a free 30-minute trial class, read a short surah, and hear which sound to fix first. You do not need a card.