Question

Assalaamu-alaikum,

I have read several times that the "emphatic letters" or tafkheem letters affect the surrounding vowels. When listening to my recordings of Qur'aan recitation, it is obvious that these letters dramatically alter any vowels that might follow. However it is not apparent to my ear, that the preceding vowels are as altered or even affected at all. For instance in the last verse of sooratu-lfaatiHah, the fatHah in the word  sounds unaffected by the following tafkheem letter (ghayn). In this case the fatHah in the definite article of the divine name Allaah (SWT) should be pronounced as a normal tarqeeq fatHah. But it rarely sounds that way when I hear others pronouncing it. 
Also, I am not quite sure how to pronounce the tanween in the first verse of sooratu-lmasad.  Any help with these two issues will be greatly appreciated.
Wa salaam.

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh.

Recording oneself is a very good way of finding ones mistakes and a good tool in learning correct pronunciation of the Qur'an. May Allah increase you in knowledge. Ameen

The vowels should only be affected by a tafkheem letter when it is on the tafkheem letter, the vowels of letters before and/or the tafkheem letters, should not have tafkheem, unless of course, the letters they are voweling also have tafkheem.  In the word  both the and its accompanying  should not have tafkheem, so it is good that you do not hear it in your recording masha’ Allah.  The same holds true when beginning with the Glorious name of , the   and the hamzah when beginning with it should not have tafkheem. 

Imam Ibn Al-Jazaree warned us of this in his poem about tajweed: , when he said:

 Attenuate [make tareeq] of the letters that have
And be careful [not to] of making tafkheem of the alif

And [be careful not to make tafkheem of] the hamzah [in words in red]

also [be careful not to make tafkheem of ] the  [in words in red---the term  refers to being careful not to make tafkheem of the and its  in  ]

And the  [in words in red]

And the  [in words in red]

The  saakinah in the tanween in the first aayah of surah Al-Masad: , is merged into the next letter, a  with the ghunnah (nasalization) of the  remaining.  The  saakinah of the tanween then is not pronounced, instead the reader pronounces the kasrah on the then goes directly to the letter , with an accompanying prolonged ghunnah. 

Wa assalaam alaikum.