What is the difference between Alif and Hamzah?

Votes: 2

Question
What is the difference between Alif and Hamzah? Can you please explain the differences and their usage model?
Jazak Allah

Answer
The true alif is a saakin letter after a fathah

, as in the word

: Some list the letter alif as

in the Arabic alphabet as to make clear that it is always preceded by a fathah and is always saakin.

The regular hamzah

is a letter that looks like the head of the letter

and is pronounced from the deepest part of the throat. It can be written over or below different letters as a holding place for the hamzah, not part of the letter. One of the letters the hamzah can "sit" on is the alif, such as in:

, or it can be written on a ya':

, or a

as in:

. It can be written on a "tooth" demonstrated in the word:

, or have no particular place to rest:

.

Please also see: http://www.abouttajweed.com/q240601.htm
Wa iyyaakum

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