Surah Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas are short, but together they contain many of the core rules of tajweed: qalqalah, the heavy and light lam in the name of Allah, ikhfa, izhar, idgham without ghunnah, ghunnah on a doubled noon, heavy and light ra, and madd at the stop. Studying tajweed in Surah Al-Ikhlas and the two surahs after it is one of the best ways to practice these rules, because you recite them every day in salah and in your morning and evening adhkar. This ayah-by-ayah breakdown follows the recitation of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim, the same reading taught in our one-to-one Tajweed lessons.
Keep your mushaf open as you read, and say each word aloud. Tajweed is learned with the tongue and ear, not only the eyes.
Key takeaways
- Every ayah of Al-Ikhlas ends in dal and every ayah of Al-Falaq ends in qaf, ba or dal, so qalqalah appears at almost every stop.
- “Min sharri” appears in both Al-Falaq and An-Nas and is always ikhfa with a two-count ghunnah.
- Joining ayah 1 and 2 of Al-Ikhlas changes the lam of Allah from heavy to light.
- In An-Nas, every ayah ends in -ās, so each stop is madd ‘arid lissukun: choose 2, 4 or 6 counts and stay consistent.
Why These Three Surahs Are Worth Studying Closely
These surahs carry great virtue. The Prophet ﷺ described Surah Al-Ikhlas as equal to a third of the Quran (Sahih al-Bukhari), and he would recite the three surahs, blow into his hands and wipe over his body before sleeping (Sahih al-Bukhari). Because you recite them so often, any mistake in them is repeated thousands of times over a lifetime.
They are also short enough to analyze completely, which makes them a natural next step after practicing tajweed on Surah Al-Fatiha.
Surah Al-Ikhlas (112)
Ayah 1: قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
- قُلْ: the qaf is a heavy letter, so give it a full, deep sound even with a damma.
- هُوَ ٱللَّهُ: the hamzat al-wasl of the name Allah is dropped when you join, and the lam is heavy because it follows the damma of هُوَ.
- أَحَدٌ: the ح comes from the middle of the throat; do not let it become a light ه. If you stop here, the tanween drops and the final dal takes qalqalah.
Joining to ayah 2: when you continue without stopping, the tanween meets hamzat al-wasl, so the hidden noon takes a kasra: aḥaduni-llāhu. Because the lam of Allah now follows a kasra, it becomes light. This is one of the most frequently missed points in the whole surah.
Ayah 2: ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ
- Starting the ayah, the hamzat al-wasl is pronounced with a fatha and the lam of Allah is heavy.
- ٱلصَّمَدُ: a lam shamsiyyah. The lam is not pronounced and merges into the doubled ص. Keep the ص heavy and clear, not a light س.
- Stopping gives qalqalah on the dal.
Ayah 3: لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ
- لَمْ يَلِدْ and وَلَمْ يُولَدْ: meem sakinah followed by ya is izhar shafawi. Close your lips on the meem cleanly with no nasal hold.
- يَلِدْ وَ: a dal with sukun in the middle of the ayah gets a light qalqalah.
- يُولَدْ: the waw after damma is a natural madd of two counts, and the final dal has qalqalah at the stop.
Ayah 4: وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ
- لَمْ يَكُن: izhar shafawi again.
- يَكُن لَّهُۥ: noon sakinah followed by lam is idgham without ghunnah. The noon disappears completely into the lam.
- لَّهُۥ: the small waw marks silah sughra: the pronoun ha sits between two voweled letters, so it is stretched for two counts.
- كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ: Hafs reads kufuwan with a waw. The tanween meets a hamza, a throat letter, so it is izhar halqi: a clear noon sound with no ghunnah.
Parents teaching young children may find our guide to teaching kids Surah Al-Ikhlas a gentler starting point.
Surah Al-Falaq (113)
| Ayah | Key word | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | بِرَبِّ | Ra with fatha: heavy |
| 1 | ٱلْفَلَقِ | Lam qamariyyah (pronounced), qalqalah on qaf at the stop |
| 2 | مِن شَرِّ | Ikhfa with ghunnah; ra with kasra: light |
| 2 | مَا خَلَقَ | Natural madd (2 counts); qalqalah on qaf at the stop |
| 3 | غَاسِقٍ إِذَا | Izhar halqi (tanween before hamza) |
| 3 | وَقَبَ | Qalqalah on ba at the stop |
| 4 | ٱلنَّفَّٰثَٰتِ | Lam shamsiyyah; ghunnah on the doubled noon |
| 4 | فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ | The ya of فِى is not pronounced when joined; qalqalah on dal at the stop |
| 5 | حَاسِدٍ إِذَا | Izhar halqi; ح from the middle of the throat |
| 5 | حَسَدَ | Qalqalah on dal at the stop |
Two details deserve extra attention. First, the ra in بِرَبِّ is heavy while the ra in شَرِّ is light; reciting both the same way is a common slip. Second, every ayah of Al-Falaq ends in a qalqalah letter, so your stops should bounce lightly without adding an extra vowel. Our full guide to qalqalah in tajweed explains the levels.
Surah An-Nas (114)
The repeated ending: ٱلنَّاسِ
Ayahs 1, 2, 3 and 5 end in ٱلنَّاسِ, ayah 6 ends in وَٱلنَّاسِ, and ayah 4 ends in the similar-sounding ٱلْخَنَّاسِ. Each time you meet ٱلنَّاسِ, three rules come together:
- Lam shamsiyyah: the lam merges into the noon.
- Ghunnah: the doubled noon carries a full two-count ghunnah.
- Madd ‘arid lissukun: when you stop, the alif may be stretched 2, 4 or 6 counts. The same applies at the stop on ٱلْخَنَّاسِ. Pick one length and keep it for the whole surah.
Ayah by ayah
- Ayah 1, قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ: heavy qaf, natural madd on the waw of أَعُوذُ, heavy ra in بِرَبِّ.
- Ayah 2, مَلِكِ: short and light; there is no madd on the meem in this surah.
- Ayah 3, إِلَٰهِ: the small dagger alif after lam is a two-count natural madd.
- Ayah 4, مِن شَرِّ ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ ٱلْخَنَّاسِ: ikhfa in مِن شَرِّ; lam qamariyyah in both words (the lam is pronounced before و and خ); natural madd in ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ; ghunnah on the doubled noon of ٱلْخَنَّاسِ, with a heavy خ.
- Ayah 5, ٱلَّذِى يُوَسْوِسُ فِى صُدُورِ: natural madd in ٱلَّذِى, فِى and صُدُورِ; heavy ص; the ra in صُدُورِ has a kasra, so it is light.
- Ayah 6, مِنَ ٱلْجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ: lam qamariyyah before ج, ghunnah on the doubled noon of ٱلْجِنَّةِ, then the familiar ending.
Test Yourself on the Three Quls
Now that you have worked through all three surahs, try the short quiz below to check which rules have stuck.
Three Quls Tajweed Quiz
Test what you learned about the tajweed of the last three surahs
Common Mistakes in These Surahs
- Reading the lam of Allah heavy in aḥaduni-llāh when joining ayahs 1 and 2 of Al-Ikhlas.
- Turning ح into ه in أَحَدٌ and حَاسِدٍ.
- Adding a ghunnah to yakun lahu.
- Making the ra in شَرِّ heavy.
- Changing the madd length at each stop in An-Nas.
- Dropping the ghunnah on the doubled noon in ٱلنَّاسِ.
Most of these are invisible to the person reciting. A teacher who hears you live, as in our Tajweed rules course, can correct them in a single session. If you are wondering how long it takes to fix habits like these, see our article on how long it takes to learn tajweed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tajweed rules are in Surah Al-Ikhlas?
Surah Al-Ikhlas contains qalqalah on the dal at every ayah ending, the heavy and light lam in the name of Allah, a lam shamsiyyah in ٱلصَّمَدُ, izhar shafawi in لَمْ يَلِدْ, idgham without ghunnah in يَكُن لَّهُۥ, silah sughra in لَّهُۥ and izhar halqi in كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ.
Why is the lam of Allah light when joining the first two ayahs of Al-Ikhlas?
When you join أَحَدٌ to ٱللَّهُ, the tanween’s noon takes a kasra to avoid two consecutive sukuns. The lam of the name Allah is light after a kasra, so it is read aḥaduni-llāh with a light lam.
How many counts is the madd at the end of each ayah of An-Nas?
When you stop on ٱلنَّاسِ, the madd becomes madd ‘arid lissukun, which may be read with 2, 4 or 6 counts. Whatever length you choose, keep it consistent throughout the surah.
Is it kufuwan or kufu’an in Surah Al-Ikhlas?
In the recitation of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim, the word is read kufuwan with a waw. Some other recognized readings pronounce it with a hamza, but if you follow a standard Hafs mushaf, read it with the waw as written.
Can I learn the tajweed of these surahs online?
Yes. Because they are short, these surahs are ideal for live correction, and a teacher can work through all three in a few lessons. Our online Tajweed classes start with a free level assessment so you begin exactly where you need to.
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