Rules of Madd (Elongation): Natural (Tabi’ee) vs Secondary (Far’ee) Lengthening
Qari Muhammad Bilal
Senior Tajweed Tutor • Published by Rahma Quran Academy

Madd means prolongation or lengthening of the sound of a long vowel. Reciting Madd correctly preserves the majestic cadence of Quranic verses and prevents omitting grammatical vowels.
يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ قُمِ اللَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
“O you who wraps himself [in clothing], Arise [to pray] the night, except for a little...” (Surah Al-Muzzammil 73:1-2)
Comprehensive Guidelines & Key Takeaways
1. Madd Tabi’ee (Natural Lengthening)
Held for exactly 2 harakat (counts) with no Hamzah or Sukoon after it (e.g., قَالَ, يَقُولُ, قِيلَ).
2. Madd Muttasil & Munfasil
When followed by a Hamzah in the same word (4-5 counts) or across separate words (4-5 counts).
3. Madd Lazim (Compulsory 6 Counts)
When a Madd letter is followed by an inherent Sukoon or Shaddah (e.g., وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ).
Teacher’s Expert Advice
Count beats by smoothly opening or closing a finger at an even tempo to maintain consistent timing.
Final Reflections
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