Question

As-Salaamu alaykum,

I had asked about alif at-tafkheem.  I found an explanation on the site tadjweed.com in the kitaab at-tamheed fii 3ilm tajweed by Imaam al-Jazaree under the twenty second section of al-7aroof al-mashrabah.

It said that alif mufakhkhamah is when the sound of alif becomes close to the sound of waaw and that it is used in the recital of Warsh.

Jazakumullah

As-Salaamu alaykum

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh.

We chose to reply to your feedback on the site instead of in an email, so all can benefit from the knowledge. 

Imam Ibn Al-Jazaree, may Allah be merciful to him, wrote at-tamheed earlier in his life.  As is known, often scholars may have a theory or a practice, or promote an idea that later they find is not correct, and change their position.  Imam Ibn Al-Jazaree did this with the concept of alif that follows a letter of tafkheem or in the case of Warsh, following the that has taghleeTH, being called alif tafkheem.  Warsh does not have a special way of tafkheem different from other recitations, but does have some special rules for the letter . He later he changed to saying the alif follows that which precedes as to tafkheem and tarqeeq.

A poem on tajweed written by Al-Imam Shihaab Ad-Deen Ahmed AT-Tayyibee (died 979 Al-Hijarah) called "Manthoomah Al-Mufeed fi-t Tajweed", makes clear to us Imam Ibn Jazaree's position in the following lines:

 

And tarqeeq was named for it [the alif] by Al-Ja3baree and Ibn Al-Jazaree answered him in his Nashr,

And he in his "Tamheed" made it required; that it have tarqeeq after a laam with tafkheem

But he turned back from that later; and said its rule is following [that which is before it]

So it was not characterized with tafkheem; and not tarqeeq in the divisions.

Please see also An-Nash fi-l qira'aat al-3ashr, by Imam Ibn Al-Jazaree, volume one, Sifaat al-Huroof  (page 203 in our copy of this book).

 We previously mentioned that it is not correct to make a dham or circle of the mouth with tafkheem (the mouth should not be in the shape of the letter ).

The follow up here gives us a good example of the place of our scholars in the different fields of Islamic study.  One can read a book and find that a famous imam made a statement and presume that is the final word on the matter; but those who have great knowledge, as our scholars do, have read all the works and know and understand all the background and timings of different writings and can give us the proper conclusive statement.

You seem to be keen to learn about the Arabic language and tajweed, and we ask Allah to grant you the knowledge you seek, and to purify all our intentions.  May Allah increase us all in knowledge.

Wa iyyaakum wa-l-muslimeen

Wa assalaam alaikum wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh.