Qalqalah in Tajweed: the five letters that echo

In short: Qalqalah is a slight echo or bounce on five letters, qaf, ta (ط), ba, jim and dal (remembered as "qutbu jad"), only when they carry a sukun. It has two levels: minor (sughra) and major (kubra).

Listen to a skilled reciter end Surah Al-Ikhlas on ahad, or Surah Al-Falaq on hasad, and you will hear the last letter ring with a slight echo. That echo has a name: qalqalah. It is short, it is subtle, and when it is missing the letter is swallowed. When it is overdone, a vowel creeps in that changes the word. This article explains it as read in the recitation of Hafs from 'Asim.

What is qalqalah?

The word qalqalah means shaking or stirring. In Tajweed it is a slight vibration or bounce at the place where a letter is produced, heard when that letter has a sukun, so that it comes out clearly.

The reason lies in two qualities these letters share. They are shadid, meaning the sound is completely blocked at its point of articulation, and majhur, meaning the flow of breath is held back too. With both sound and breath locked, a letter with no vowel after it would barely be audible. The small release of qalqalah is what lets it be heard. Other letters with a sukun do not need this, because either their sound runs on or breath escapes with them.

What are the five letters?

The scholars gathered the letters of qalqalah in the phrase qutbu jad:

• Qaf (ق). The deep, heavy qaf, as in al-falaq.
• Ta (ط). The heavy ta, not the light ta (ت), as in muhit.
• Ba (ب). As in lahab.
• Jim (ج). As in al-buruj.
• Dal (د). As in ahad.

No other letter takes qalqalah. Kaf and the light ta (ت), for example, can sound similar to beginners, but they are whispered letters released with a little breath, not with a bounce.

What are minor and major qalqalah?

Qalqalah only happens when the letter has a sukun. That sukun can be part of the word, or it can come from stopping at the end of a word. This gives two main levels.

Minor qalqalah (sughra) is when the letter has a sukun in the middle of a word, or at the end of a word that you join to the next. The bounce is light and quick. Examples are yadkhuluna in Surah An-Nasr, yaj'aluna in Surah Al-Baqarah, at-taqwa, matla'il-fajr in Surah Al-Qadr, and qad aflaha when read without stopping.

Major qalqalah (kubra) is when you stop on a word ending in a qalqalah letter, so the sukun comes from stopping. The bounce is clearer and stronger. Examples are al-falaq, ahad, lahab, al-buruj and muhit.

Many teachers describe one further degree: stopping on a qalqalah letter that carries a shaddah, as in al-haqq or wa tabb in Surah Al-Masad. Here the letter is held a moment longer before the release, and the echo is at its fullest. Scholars count the levels in slightly different ways, but they agree on the principle: the more the letter is a resting point, the more clearly the qalqalah is heard.

How should it sound?

Qalqalah is a release, not a vowel. The tongue or lips close firmly at the point of the letter, then part quickly, and a short echo escapes. It should be just enough to make the letter clear and no more.

The heaviness of the letter carries into its echo. Qaf and ta (ط) are heavy letters, so their qalqalah is full and deep. Ba, jim and dal are light, so their qalqalah is light too. Scholars differ slightly over which vowel colour the echo leans towards. The safe course is to follow the recitation of a qualified teacher, and above all never let the echo turn into a full fathah, kasrah or dammah.

What are the common mistakes?

• Adding a vowel. Stopping on ahad as "ahada", or on al-falaq as "al-falaqa". This is the most common error, and it adds a letter's worth of sound that is not there.
• Swallowing the minor qalqalah. In the middle of a word, as in yaj'aluna, learners often let the jim disappear. It should still be clearly heard, only lighter.
• Bouncing a voweled letter. There is no qalqalah on qul, because the qaf has a dammah. When you join Surah Al-Ikhlas verse 1 to verse 2, the dal of ahadun carries a vowel, so the echo is not added.
• Bouncing a letter that has merged. In qad tabayyana the dal merges into the ta that follows, so there is no qalqalah on the dal at all.
• Overdoing it. A jolt of the jaw, a burst of air, or an echo that sounds like a hamzah. Qalqalah should be crisp and small.
• Losing the heaviness. Pronouncing the echo of qaf or ta (ط) as if they were kaf or the light ta (ت).

How do you practise it?

The short surahs at the end of the Qur'an are full of qalqalah, which makes them ideal for practice.

• Surah Al-Falaq. Every verse ends on a qalqalah letter: falaq, khalaq, waqab, al-'uqad, hasad. Our free Surah Al-Falaq sheet is a good place to begin.
• Surah Al-Ikhlas. Major qalqalah on ahad and as-samad, and minor qalqalah on lam yalid when joined to what follows.
• Surah Al-Masad. Major qalqalah at the end of every verse, including the doubled ba of wa tabb.
• Record yourself. Listen back at the end of each verse. If you hear an extra vowel, shorten the release.

Qalqalah is usually learned early, alongside the rules of noon sakinah and tanween. For the bigger picture, see our Tajweed rules for beginners.

Sources

1. Ibn al-Jazari, al-Muqaddimah al-Jazariyyah: the letters of qalqalah, "qutbu jad", and the qualities of the letters.
2. Al-Qasim ibn Firruh al-Shatibi, Hirz al-Amani (al-Shatibiyyah): the way of Hafs from 'Asim followed in this article.
3. The Qur'an, Surah Al-Muzzammil (73), verse 4: "and recite the Qur'an with measured recitation (tartil)."