Question

Jazaakumu Allahu khair for your site.  I have a question about listening to recordings of the recitation along with my reading to check my tajweed.  I find that sometimes the lengthenings are different lengths than what I have learned;  it seems that some of the 4 or 5 count lengthenings (mudood) are made about 2 counts.  Could you please explain this difference?  Assalaamu alaikum.

Answer

Wa iyyakum.  It seems you are listening to an accomplished reader who is reading the allowed lengthening with two vowel counts.  This recitation is Hafs ‘an Aasim but not by the way of Shatibiyyah, instead it is one of around 50 ways of what is called “tareeq at-tayyibah”.  In this one way, the or allowed separated lengthening (the medd letter is the last letter of one word, and the first letter of the next word is a hamzah) gets two vowel counts, but the required joined medd (the medd letter and the following hamzah are within one word) receives four vowel counts.  Only those that know the full rules and complete way of reading this way can decrease the allowed lengthening to two vowel counts.  Wa alaikum assalaam