Lam Ta'rif (Alif Lam)

Alif Lam Syamsiyah

The lam merges; the next letter is doubled.

الشَّمْسِيَّة
▶ Open the full lesson + audio in the app

What is this rule?

Alif Lam ( الْ ) meeting one of the syamsiyah letters: the lam is NOT pronounced but merges into the following letter, which is then read doubled.

How to read it

Don't say 'al'. Go straight into the following letter with emphasis. For example: asy-syams (not al-syams).

Trigger letters

14 syamsiyah letters — the letter after the lam always carries a shadda ( ّ ).

تثدذرزسشصضطظلن
NoteSyamsiyah = like 'asy-syams' (the sun): the lam disappears into the next letter.

Examples of Alif Lam Syamsiyah in the Qur'an

Surah Al-Fatihah 1:3
ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

ar-raḥmānir-raḥīm

"The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,"

Surah Al-Fatihah 1:6
ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ

ihdinaṣ-ṣirāṭal-mustaqīm

"Guide us to the straight path -"

Surah An-Nas 114:1
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ

qul a'ūżu birabbin-nās

"Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,"

Surah Ash-Shams 91:1
وَٱلشَّمْسِ وَضُحَىٰهَا

wasy-syamsi wa ḍuḥāhā

"By the sun and its brightness"

Surah At-Takathur 102:1
أَلْهَىٰكُمُ ٱلتَّكَاثُرُ

alhākumu t-takāthuru

"Competition in [worldly] increase diverts you"

Surah At-Tariq 86:3
ٱلنَّجْمُ ٱلثَّاقِبُ

al-najmu th-thāqibu

"It is the piercing star"

Surah Al-Infitar 82:15
يَوْمَ ٱلدِّينِ

yawma d-dīni

"They will [enter to] burn therein on the Day of Recompense,"

Surah Al-Layl 92:3
خَلَقَ ٱلذَّكَرَ

khalaqa dh-dhakara

"And [by] He who created the male and female,"

Surah Al-'Alaq 96:18
سَنَدْعُ ٱلزَّبَانِيَةَ

sanad'u z-zabāniyata

"We will call the angels of Hell."

Surah At-Tariq 86:9
تُبْلَى ٱلسَّرَآئِرُ

tub'lā s-sarāiru

"The Day when secrets will be put on trial,"

Surah Al-Fatihah 1:7
وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ

walā ḍ-ḍālīna

"The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have earned [Your] anger or of those who are astray."

Surah At-Tariq 86:2
مَا ٱلطَّارِقُ

mā ṭ-ṭāriqu

"And what can make you know what is the night comer?"

Surah Ali 'Imran 3:57
يُحِبُّ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

yuḥibbu ẓ-ẓālimīna

"But as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, He will give them in full their rewards, and Allāh does not like the wrongdoers."

Surah Al-Ikhlas 112:2
ٱللَّهُ

al-lahu

"Allāh, the Eternal Refuge."

Frequently asked questions

What is Alif Lam Syamsiyah in tajwid?

The lam merges; the next letter is doubled. Alif Lam ( الْ ) meeting one of the syamsiyah letters: the lam is NOT pronounced but merges into the following letter, which is then read doubled.

How do you pronounce Alif Lam Syamsiyah?

Don't say 'al'. Go straight into the following letter with emphasis. For example: asy-syams (not al-syams).

Which letters trigger Alif Lam Syamsiyah?

There are 14 letters: ت ث د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ل ن. 14 syamsiyah letters — the letter after the lam always carries a shadda ( ّ ).

What is an example of Alif Lam Syamsiyah in the Quran?

One example is in Surah Al-Fatihah 1:3: "ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ" (ar-raḥmānir-raḥīm) — "The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,".

Other rules in Lam Ta'rif (Alif Lam)

Alif Lam Qamariyah
The lam is pronounced clearly.
الْقَمَرِيَّة

See all Lam Ta'rif (Alif Lam) rules → · Complete list of rules →