There are many types of tajweed, and that is why new learners often feel lost. Each book and each teacher seems to list the rules in a new way. So how many rules are there, and where do you start?
This guide is a map. It puts every main rule family on one page. For each one, you get what it means in plain words and when to learn it. If you only want the first few rules, read our guide to tajweed rules for beginners. This page lists them all, so you can see the whole road.
How Many Tajweed Rules Are There? The Honest Answer
There is no single number. It depends on how you count. Some teachers count big groups, and some count each small rule inside a group. Both ways are fine. They teach the same thing.
If you count by family, most books cover about 8 to 10 main groups. If you count each small rule, the list grows to 30 or more. For example, noon sakinah is one family, but it holds 4 rules. Madd is one family, but it holds many types of stretch.
So when someone says there are 4 rules, or 10, or 40, they are not wrong. They are just counting in a different way. What matters is that you learn every family, one at a time.
The Main Types of Tajweed at a Glance
Here are the main families of tajweed rules. The last column shows a good order to learn them. Each family is explained below the table.
What Are the Rules of Noon Sakinah and Tanween?
Noon sakinah is a noon with no vowel. Tanween is the double vowel at the end of a word, which makes an 'n' sound. Both follow the same 4 rules. The rule you use depends on the letter that comes next.
This is the family most people mean when they ask about the 4 types of tajweed. Here they are in short:
- Izhar: say the 'n' clearly. This happens before 6 throat letters.
- Idgham: blend the 'n' into the next letter.
- Iqlab: turn the 'n' into a soft 'm' before the letter Baa.
- Ikhfa: hide the 'n' a little and hum it through the nose. This happens before 15 letters.
What Are the Rules of Meem Sakinah?
Meem sakinah is a meem with no vowel. It has 3 rules, and they look a lot like the noon rules. Before a Baa, you hide the meem with a light hum. Before another meem, you merge the two into one meem with a hum. Before any other letter, you say the meem clearly, with closed lips.
Most students find this family easy once they know the noon rules. We explain it in full, with examples, in our post on meem sakinah rules.
Madd: How Long Do You Stretch a Sound?
Madd means to stretch. Arabic has three long vowels: a long 'aa', a long 'ee' and a long 'oo'. The basic stretch is 2 counts. This is called the natural madd.
Other types of madd are longer. They happen when the long vowel meets a hamzah, a sukoon or a shaddah. Some are 4 or 5 counts long. Some can be 2, 4 or 6 counts. A few must be 6 counts.
Madd has many small types, so it is often the family that makes the count of rules go up. Learn the natural madd early. Learn the longer types after the noon and meem rules feel easy.
Qalqalah, Heavy and Light Letters: Why Some Sounds Change
These rules are about the sound of single letters. They make your reading sound right, not just look right.
Qalqalah is a small echo or bounce. It happens on 5 letters when they have no vowel: Qaaf, Taa (the heavy one), Baa, Jeem and Daal. Many students remember them with the phrase 'qutbu jad'. The bounce is stronger when you stop on the letter at the end of a verse.
Heavy and light letters are about the shape of your mouth. Seven letters are always heavy. You say them with the back of the tongue raised, so the sound is full and deep. Most other letters are light. A few, like Raa and the Laam in the name Allah, can be heavy or light. It depends on the vowel next to them.
Makharij: Where Does Each Letter Come From?
Makharij are the exit points of the letters. Each letter has its own place in the throat, tongue, lips or nose. The common count is 17 points in 5 main areas.
This is the base of all tajweed. If a letter comes from the wrong place, it can turn into a different letter. That can change the meaning of a word. For example, there are two kinds of 'h' sound in Arabic. One comes from deep in the throat, and one from the middle of the throat. Mixing them up changes the word.
Children often learn makharij while they work through the Noorani Qaida. Adults can learn them in the first weeks of a Tajweed course.
Waqf: Where Should You Stop and Start?
Waqf means stopping. When you read a long verse, you need to take a breath. But if you stop in the wrong place, the meaning can break. Waqf rules tell you where it is good to stop, where you may stop and where you should not.
Most printed copies of the Quran have small signs above the lines to help you. A small meem means you should stop. A small 'laa' means do not stop here. Other signs mean stopping is allowed, or that it is better to keep going. Your teacher will show you the signs in your own copy.
Waqf also covers how to start again. If you stop in the middle of a verse, you go back a few words. You start from a place where the meaning is whole.
Which Order Should You Learn the Tajweed Rules In?
You do not need to learn all the types of tajweed at once. Build them up like steps. Each step uses the one before it. Here is a simple plan most students can follow:
- Step 1: Learn the letters and their makharij. Say each one slowly and listen.
- Step 2: Learn heavy and light letters, so each sound has the right weight.
- Step 3: Learn the 4 rules of noon sakinah and tanween, and the hum of ghunnah.
- Step 4: Learn the 3 rules of meem sakinah.
- Step 5: Add qalqalah and sun and moon letters.
- Step 6: Learn the types of madd and how long to stretch each one.
- Step 7: Learn the waqf signs, so you know where to pause.
How Long Does It Take, and Do You Need a Teacher?
Each step can take a few weeks. Some students move fast, and some need more time. The key is to practise a little every day, not a lot once a week.
You can read about tajweed in a book. But you cannot hear your own mistakes well. A teacher listens to each letter and fixes it on the spot. That is why tajweed has always been learned by reading out loud to a teacher.
At Salam Campus, each class is live and 1-on-1, so the teacher hears every word you read. If you are new, start with our Quran classes for beginners. You can book a free 30-minute trial lesson first. You do not have to sign up after it.