Free printable and practice

Madd Rules Chart: Types and Counts

Natural, connected, separated and necessary madd, with how to recognise each, the counts commonly taught for Hafs and a short practice. Print it for revision.

A madd lengthens a long vowel. Use the chart to look up a rule, then test yourself with the practice below it.

Madd rules chart (أحكام المد)

One count is about the time to say one short vowel. Examples are read on without stopping.

The types of madd with how to recognise each, its length and examples
Type	How to recognise it	Length	Examples
Madd tabii (natural) مد طبيعي Also called madd asli, the "original" madd.	A madd letter (alif after fatha, waw sakinah after damma, ya sakinah after kasra) with no hamzah and no sukoon or shaddah straight after it.	2 counts	قَالَ يَقُولُ قِيلَ
Madd muttasil (connected) مد متصل The madd letter and the hamzah are joined in one word.	A madd letter followed by a hamzah in the same word.	Commonly taught as 4 or 5 counts	السَّمَاءِ جَاءَ
Madd munfasil (separated) مد منفصل The madd letter and the hamzah sit in two words.	A madd letter ending a word, with a hamzah starting the next word. It is only lengthened when you read on.	Commonly taught as 4 or 5 counts	إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ يَا أَيُّهَا
Madd lazim (necessary) مد لازم The longest madd.	A madd letter followed by a letter with a permanent sukoon or a shaddah in the same word.	6 counts	الضَّالِّينَ الْحَاقَّةُ
Madd arid lil-sukoon مد عارض للسكون Appears only when you stop.	A madd letter in front of the last letter of a word, when you stop on that word.	2, 4 or 6 counts	الْعَالَمِينَ الرَّحِيمِ
Madd leen مد لين A soft madd on ya or waw.	A ya or waw sakinah after a fatha, in front of the last letter, when you stop.	2, 4 or 6 counts	خَوْفٍ قُرَيْشٍ
Madd badal (substitute) مد بدل The hamzah comes first.	A hamzah followed by a madd letter in the same word.	2 counts	آمَنُوا أُوتُوا

Length at a glance

2 counts: Madd tabii and madd badal
4 or 5 counts (commonly taught for Hafs): Madd muttasil and madd munfasil
6 counts: Madd lazim
2, 4 or 6 counts, when stopping: Madd arid lil-sukoon and madd leen

Learn with a teacher. Counts for some madd types differ slightly between teachers and recitation methods. Follow your teacher and keep the same length throughout a recitation.

How to recognise a madd in four steps

1. Find a madd letter.

Look for an alif after a fatha, a waw sakinah after a damma or a ya sakinah after a kasra. If there is none, there is no madd to apply.
2. Look at what comes straight after it.

A letter with a normal vowel: natural madd, 2 counts. A hamzah in the same word: madd muttasil. A hamzah at the start of the next word: madd munfasil. A permanent sukoon or a shaddah in the same word: madd lazim, 6 counts.
3. Check whether a hamzah comes before it.

A hamzah followed by a madd letter in the same word, such as آمَنُوا, is madd badal, 2 counts.
4. If you stop on the word, check the end.

A madd letter just in front of the last letter becomes madd arid lil-sukoon (and a ya or waw after a fatha becomes madd leen).

Recognise the madd

Each round has 10 words or phrases. Choose the madd you can see, assuming you read on without stopping.

Understanding madd

Madd is one of the first things that makes recitation sound like recitation. Whenever a long vowel is read, it is stretched, and the length depends on the situation: two counts when nothing special follows, more when a hamzah or a heavy stop follows. Getting these lengths right makes recitation smooth, and getting them wrong is one of the most common tajweed mistakes, so the chart on this page puts the types and their counts on one sheet.

How to use the chart. Learn the natural madd first, because every other madd builds on it. Then add the connected (muttasil) and separated (munfasil) types, which are both about the hamzah, and then the necessary madd (lazim), which comes before a shaddah or a permanent sukoon. Leave the stopping rules (arid lil-sukoon and leen) until you are comfortable with the first four. The four-step method above is the same one a teacher uses: find the madd letter, then ask what follows it. Practise on a page of the Quran, marking each madd with a pencil, and then check your marking in the practice on this page.

Common mistakes. Beginners often stretch a natural madd too long, which blurs the difference between it and the longer types. Others rush the necessary madd, which is the longest. Mixing up muttasil and munfasil is common: remember that the hamzah in muttasil is in the same word, while in munfasil it begins the next word. Some learners also forget that the madd of a munfasil only appears when they read on, and that a madd letter before the last letter of a word changes its length when they stop.

When a live teacher helps. The chart gives you the rule and the count, but the feel of a count and the right pace of a recitation can only be corrected by ear. A teacher will tell you at once whether your two counts are two or three and whether your lazim is long enough. That is what our live, one-to-one Tajweed classes are for. Combine this page with the tajweed cheat sheet for the other rules, the tajweed quiz for more questions and the makharij chart for the places letters come from. See pricing, or book a free trial.

Frequently asked questions

What is madd in tajweed?

Madd means lengthening. When one of the three madd letters (alif after a fatha, waw sakinah after a damma, ya sakinah after a kasra) is read, the sound is stretched for a set number of counts. How long depends on what follows the letter.

What is a "count"?

A count (harakah) is about the time it takes to say one short vowel. A natural madd is two counts, so you hold the sound for about the time of two short vowels. Counts are a guide, so keep your steady pace and let a teacher show you the timing.

Why are madd muttasil and munfasil given as 4 or 5 counts?

Both are lengthened beyond the natural two counts, and four or five counts is the length commonly taught for Hafs an Asim. Some teachers and recitation methods differ slightly, so follow your teacher and stay consistent through a recitation.

What changes when I stop on a word?

If you stop on a word and a madd letter sits just in front of the last letter, the madd called arid lil-sukoon appears and may be held for 2, 4 or 6 counts. The same applies to madd leen on ya or waw after a fatha. Which length to use is decided by your teacher.

How can I tell madd muttasil from madd munfasil quickly?

Look at the hamzah. If the hamzah is in the same word as the madd letter, the madd is muttasil (connected). If the madd letter ends one word and the hamzah starts the next word, it is munfasil (separated).

Learn with a teacher, one-to-one

A chart or a planner helps, but correct pronunciation comes from a teacher who can hear you. Book a free trial class (no card required) or message us with any question. Paid classes are settled by bank/wire transfer after the free trial.

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