Letters of Isti'la
Letters of Istiʿlāʾ (Arabic: حروف الاستعلاء) are letters in the Arabic language whose pronunciation involves raising the tongue towards the roof of the mouth, resulting in a strong and thick (mufakhkham) sound. These letters are: Khāʾ (خ), Ṣād (ص), Ḍād (ض), Ṭāʾ (ط), Ẓāʾ (ظ), Ghayn (غ), and Qāf (ق).
Observing Isti'la' in prayer is recommended. The other letters have the characteristic of Istifal (the articulation of a letter with the tongue lowered).
Definition and Importance
In the science of Tajwid, letters of Isti'la' are letters during the pronunciation of which the tongue rises towards the roof of the mouth.[1] This characteristic increases the volume of the sound and makes it full-bodied.[2]
In jurisprudential discussions, letters of Isti'la' are mentioned in the chapter of prayer.[3]
Which Letters Have Isti'la?
Seven letters possess this characteristic: Khāʾ (خ), Ṣād (ص), Ḍād (ض), Ṭāʾ (ط), Ẓāʾ (ظ), Ghayn (غ), and Qāf (ق). They are called letters of Isti'la'[4] or letters of Tafkhim (thickening).[5] Four letters, Ṣād (ص), Ḍād (ض), Ṭāʾ (ط), and Ẓāʾ (ظ), in addition to the characteristic of Isti'la', also have the characteristic of Iṭbāq (adhesion)[6],[7] which causes more thickening.[8] Among these, the letter Ṭāʾ (ط) has the highest degree of Tafkhīm.[9]
In contrast, there are letters of Istifāl, which are pronounced with the tongue lowered, resulting in a thin and low-volume sound.[10] All letters other than the letters of Isti'la' have the characteristic of Istifal.[11] However, some have also considered Alif (ا) among the letters of Isti'la'.[12]
Characteristics of Isti'la Letters
Letters of Isti'la' have the most Tafkhim when accompanied by Alif (ا) and the least when they have Kasra (are maksūr).[13] Due to creating volume and strength in pronunciation, these letters prevent Imala (inclination),[14] [15] because it contradicts the simplicity and fluidity required in Imāla.[16]
Isti'la', alongside other characteristics such as Hams, Jahr, Itbaq, and Ghunna, is considered one of the pillars of Tartil. Although some scholars have considered observing these characteristics precisely as Mustahabb, others disagree and consider these to be new terminologies for which there is no evidence of recommendation.[17]
Observing Tafkhim and Isti'la' in prayer is mustahabb and contributes to the beauty of recitation and the Tajwid of prayer.[18]
Notes
- ↑ Ṣarrāf, Al-Jadīd fī ʿilm al-tajwīd, 1428 AH, p. 38; Shāfiʿī Ḥafyān, Ashhar al-muṣṭalaḥāt, 1422 AH, p. 251.
- ↑ Ḥabībī & Shahīdī, Ravān-khwānī wa tajwīd-i Qurʾān-i Karīm, 1389 Sh, p. 99.
- ↑ Muʾassisa Dāʾirat Maʿārif al-Fiqh al-Islāmī, Farhang-i fiqh, 1426 AH, vol. 2, p. 558.
- ↑ Āl-Būya, Tarkīb, tarjuma wa talkhīṣ-i maṭālib-i Alfiyya, 1383 Sh, p. 403; Mubarrad, Al-Muqtaḍab, vol. 3, p. 38; Ibn ʿAqīl, Sharḥ Ibn ʿAqīl, vol. 2, p. 524.
- ↑ Muʾassisa Dāʾirat Maʿārif al-Fiqh al-Islāmī, Farhang-i fiqh, 1426 AH, vol. 2, p. 558.
- ↑ Iṭbāq refers to the adhesion of the tongue to the roof of the mouth during the pronunciation of the letter. Its letters are Ṣād, Ḍād, Ṭāʾ, and Ẓāʾ. (Shāfiʿī Ḥafyān, Ashhar al-muṣṭalaḥāt, 1422 AH, p. 252.)
- ↑ ʿAbd, Al-Mīzān fī aḥkām tajwīd al-Qurʾān, 2010, p. 96.
- ↑ Sādāt Fāṭimī, Tajwīd-i ʿumūmī, 1383 Sh, p. 27.
- ↑ Mīrtaqī, Tajwīd wa āwāshināsī, p. 118; ʿAbd, Al-Mīzān fī aḥkām tajwīd al-Qurʾān, 2010, p. 91.
- ↑ Ṣarrāf, Al-Jadīd fī ʿilm al-tajwīd, 1428 AH, p. 39.
- ↑ Shāfiʿī Ḥafyān, Ashhar al-muṣṭalaḥāt, 1422 AH, p. 251.
- ↑ Mīrtaqī, Tajwīd wa āwāshināsī, 1389 Sh, p. 118.
- ↑ Sādāt Fāṭimī, Tajwīd-i ʿumūmī, 1383 Sh, p. 28.
- ↑ Mubarrad, Al-Muqtaḍab, vol. 3, p. 38.
- ↑ Imāla means inclining the pronunciation of Fatḥa towards Kasra and Alif towards Yāʾ to make the pronunciation of words easier. (Mubarrad, Al-Muqtaḍab, vol. 3, p. 38.)
- ↑ For more information, see: Raḍī al-Dīn Astarābādī, Sharḥ Shāfiyat Ibn al-Ḥājib, vol. 3, p. 15.
- ↑ Muʾassisa Dāʾirat Maʿārif al-Fiqh al-Islāmī, Farhang-i fiqh, 1426 AH, vol. 2, p. 444.
- ↑ Muʾassisa Dāʾirat Maʿārif al-Fiqh al-Islāmī, Farhang-i fiqh, 1426 AH, vol. 2, p. 558.
References
- ʿAbd, Firyāl Zakariyyā. Al-Mīzān fī aḥkām tajwīd al-Qurʾān. Alexandria: Dār al-Īmān, 2010.
- Āl-Būya, ʿAlī. Tarkīb, tarjuma wa talkhīṣ-i maṭālib-i Alfiyyat Ibn Mālik. Qom: Nashr-i ʿĀlima, 1383 Sh.
- Ḥabībī, ʿAlī, and Muḥammad Riḍā Shahīdī. Ravān-khwānī wa tajwīd-i Qurʾān-i Karīm. Tehran: Sāzmān-i Tablīghāt-i Islāmī, 1389 Sh.
- Ibn ʿAqīl, ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. Sharḥ Ibn ʿAqīl. 2nd ed. n.p., n.d.
- Mīrtaqī, Sayyid Ḥusayn. Tajwīd wa āwāshināsī. Qom: Mashhūr, 1389 Sh.
- Muʾassisa Dāʾirat Maʿārif al-Fiqh al-Islāmī. Farhang-i fiqh muṭābiq-i madhhab-i Ahl al-Bayt (a). Supervised by Sayyid Maḥmūd Hāshimī Shāhrūdī. Qom: Muʾassisa Dāʾirat Maʿārif al-Fiqh al-Islāmī ʿalā Madhhab Ahl al-Bayt (a), 1426 AH.
- Mubarrad, Muḥammad b. Yazīd al-. Al-Muqtaḍab. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, n.d.
- Raḍī al-Dīn Astarābādī, Muḥammad b. Ḥasan. Sharḥ Shāfiyat Ibn al-Ḥājib. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, n.d.
- Sādāt Fāṭimī, Jawād. Tajwīd-i ʿumūmī. Mashhad: Āstān-i Quds-i Raḍawī, 3rd ed., 1383 Sh.
- Ṣarrāf, Muṣṭafā al-. Al-Jadīd fī ʿilm al-tajwīd. Karbala: Maktabat al-ʿAllāma Ibn Fahd al-Ḥillī, 1428 AH.
- Shāfiʿī Ḥafyān, Aḥmad Maḥmūd ʿAbd al-Samīʿ. Ashhar al-muṣṭalaḥāt fī fann al-adāʾ wa ʿilm al-qirāʾāt. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1422 AH.