Free quiz
Tajweed Quiz: Test Your Rules
Multiple-choice questions on noon and meem sakinah, madd, qalqalah and heavy letters. Every answer is explained, and you get a score for each topic.
Study list: every question and answer
Read through the questions before you take the quiz, or use this list if you cannot run the quiz. The right answer is shown first and then the explanation.
Noon sakinah and tanween (8 questions)
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A noon sakinah or tanween is followed by one of the throat letters ء ه ع ح غ خ. Which rule applies?
Answer: Izhar (clear)
Izhar means "clear". Before the six throat letters the noon is said clearly, with no merging and no nasal hum. Example: مِنْ هَادٍ.
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Which is the only letter that causes iqlab?
Answer: ب
Before ب the noon sakinah or tanween changes into a hidden meem sound with ghunnah (a nasal hum), lips lightly closed. Example: مِنْ بَعْدِ.
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A noon sakinah meets ر or ل at the start of the next word, as in مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ. What happens?
Answer: Idgham without ghunnah
ل and ر are the two letters where the noon merges completely into the next letter with no nasal hum (idgham without ghunnah).
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Which of these is NOT one of the letters of idgham with ghunnah (ي ن م و)?
Answer: ل
The four letters of idgham with ghunnah are ي ن م و. The letter ل belongs to idgham without ghunnah, together with ر.
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How many letters cause ikhfa after a noon sakinah or tanween?
Answer: 15
Ikhfa has 15 letters: ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك. The other letters are covered by izhar (6), idgham (6) and iqlab (1).
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In مِنْ قَبْلُ, which rule applies to the noon sakinah?
Answer: Ikhfa (hiding)
ق is one of the 15 ikhfa letters, so the noon is half-hidden with ghunnah and the tongue does not touch its usual place.
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In the word دُنْيَا the noon sakinah is followed by ي inside the same word. How is the noon read?
Answer: Clearly (izhar)
Idgham of noon into ي ن م و only happens when the noon and the letter are in two different words. In the same word, as in دُنْيَا and بُنْيَانٌ, the noon is read clearly.
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Tanween (the doubled marks ـً ـٍ ـٌ) is pronounced like:
Answer: A noon sakinah added at the end of the word
Tanween adds an "n" sound at the end of a word (ban, bin, bun). It is not written as a letter, which is why the same rules apply to it as to a noon sakinah.
Meem sakinah (6 questions)
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A meem sakinah is followed by ب, as in تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ. Which rule applies?
Answer: Ikhfa shafawi
Before ب the meem is hidden with ghunnah, the lips lightly closed. This is ikhfa shafawi ("shafawi" means of the lips).
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A meem sakinah is followed by another م, as in لَهُمْ مَا. Which rule applies?
Answer: Idgham shafawi
The two meems merge into one, with ghunnah. This is idgham shafawi.
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In لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ the meem sakinah is followed by د. Which rule applies?
Answer: Izhar shafawi
Before every letter except ب and م, the meem sakinah is read clearly. This is izhar shafawi.
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After a meem sakinah, which pair of letters needs extra care so the meem is not hidden or merged?
Answer: و and ف
Because و and ف are close to the lips, learners often hide or merge the meem before them by mistake. Say the meem clearly, then the next letter.
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Why are the meem sakinah rules called "shafawi"?
Answer: The meem is pronounced from the lips
Shafawi comes from shafatayn, "the two lips", the place the meem (and ب و) are pronounced from.
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How long is the ghunnah normally held in idgham shafawi and ikhfa shafawi?
Answer: About 2 counts
Ghunnah, the nasal hum, is held for about two counts: about the time of two short vowels.
Madd basics (8 questions)
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How many counts does a natural madd (madd tabii) last?
Answer: 2 counts
The natural madd is the shortest lengthening: 2 counts, about the time it takes to say two short vowels.
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Which are the three madd letters?
Answer: ا و ي
The three madd letters are alif, waw and ya, when they are long vowels: alif after a fatha, waw sakinah after a damma and ya sakinah after a kasra.
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Which pair makes a correct natural madd?
Answer: Alif after a fatha
A madd letter needs the matching vowel before it: alif after fatha, waw sakinah after damma, ya sakinah after kasra. The other pairs do not match.
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In السَّمَاءِ the alif is followed by a hamzah in the same word. Which madd is this?
Answer: Madd muttasil (connected)
A madd letter followed by a hamzah in the same word is madd muttasil, "connected". It is longer than the natural madd.
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In إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ the alif ends a word and a hamzah starts the next word. Which madd is this?
Answer: Madd munfasil (separated)
When the madd letter ends one word and the hamzah begins the next, the two are "separated": madd munfasil.
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In الضَّالِّينَ the alif is followed by a shaddah in the same word. Which madd, and how long?
Answer: Madd lazim, 6 counts
A madd letter followed by a permanent sukoon or shaddah in the same word is madd lazim ("necessary"), the longest madd: 6 counts.
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Reading on without stopping, which word has a natural madd of 2 counts?
Answer: قَالَ
In قَالَ the alif is followed by a lam with a vowel: no hamzah and no sukoon, so it stays natural. جَاءَ and السَّمَاءِ have a hamzah after the alif, and الضَّالِّينَ has a shaddah.
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Compared with the natural madd, the connected madd (muttasil) is:
Answer: Longer: commonly taught as 4 or 5 counts
Madd muttasil is lengthened beyond the natural 2 counts. Four or five counts is the commonly taught length for Hafs; your teacher will tell you which to use, and to stay consistent.
Qalqalah (6 questions)
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Which of these is a qalqalah letter?
Answer: ق
The five qalqalah letters are ق ط ب ج د, remembered as قطب جد. The other three options are not among them.
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How many qalqalah letters are there?
Answer: 5
There are five: ق ط ب ج د.
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Qalqalah happens when a qalqalah letter carries:
Answer: A sukoon, or you stop on it
Qalqalah is the slight echo given to ق ط ب ج د when they are sakin, that is with a sukoon, or when you stop on them.
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Where is qalqalah strongest and clearest?
Answer: When you stop on the letter at the end of a verse
The echo is lightest in the middle of a word, for example اقْرَأْ, and strongest when you stop on the letter at the end of a verse, for example أَحَدْ.
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You stop on the end of أَحَدٌ and read it as أَحَدْ. Which letter has qalqalah?
Answer: د
The final د is a qalqalah letter, and stopping makes it sakin, so it is released with an echo.
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What should qalqalah sound like?
Answer: A light echoing bounce, without adding a vowel
Qalqalah is a small release of the letter. It must not turn into a vowel (a, i or u), and it is not a nasal sound.
Heavy and light letters (7 questions)
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How many letters are always heavy (tafkhim)?
Answer: 7
The seven always-heavy letters are خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ, often remembered as خُصَّ ضَغْطٍ قِظْ.
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Which of these is a heavy letter?
Answer: ص
ص is one of the seven heavy letters. Its light neighbour is س, a different sound made with a thinner mouth.
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Which of these is NOT a heavy letter?
Answer: ك
ك is a light letter. خ ض ظ are all among the seven heavy letters.
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What does the tongue do for a heavy letter?
Answer: The back of the tongue rises towards the roof of the mouth, making a full sound
Raising the back of the tongue towards the roof of the mouth is what gives heavy letters their full, deep sound.
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What are light (thin) letters called?
Answer: Tarqiq
Tafkhim is heaviness and tarqiq is lightness or thinness. Most letters are light.
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Which of these letters is sometimes heavy and sometimes light, depending on the vowels around it?
Answer: ر
The letter ر follows detailed rules: it is heavy in some places and light in others. The lam in the name Allah and the alif also change, so learn these with a teacher.
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The lam in the name of Allah (الله) is read light when it comes after which vowel?
Answer: A kasra
After a kasra, as in بِسْمِ اللَّهِ, the lam is light. After a fatha or damma, as in قَالَ اللَّهُ, it is heavy.
How to use the tajweed quiz
Tajweed means giving every letter of the Quran its proper sound, length and place. Rules are easy to read and surprisingly easy to forget, so testing yourself is one of the best ways to make them stick. The quiz asks one question at a time, tells you straight away whether you were right and explains the rule, so even a wrong answer teaches you something. At the end you see a score for every topic, which shows where to revise.
A good routine. Take the mixed quiz first to see the whole picture, then repeat the topic where you scored lowest until you reach full marks twice. Short sessions of ten minutes, several times a week, work better than a single long one. Keep our tajweed cheat sheet beside you while you learn, and use the madd rules chart and the makharij chart to look up what you miss.
Common mistakes. Many learners mix up the noon sakinah rules because the names sound alike: remember that izhar is “clear”, iqlab is “changing” (only before ب), idgham is “merging” (before ي ر م ل و ن) and ikhfa is “hiding” (before the other 15 letters). Another frequent error is treating every madd as the same length, when a natural madd is two counts and some others are longer. Learners also add a vowel to a qalqalah letter instead of a light echo, and read the heavy letters as if they were light.
When a live teacher helps. A quiz can check that you know the rule, but it cannot hear you apply it. The step from knowing a rule to reciting it correctly happens when a teacher listens to your recitation and corrects it as you read. That is exactly how our live, one-to-one Tajweed classes work. If you are still learning the letters, start with the Noorani Qaida; if you are memorising, see the Hifz classes. You can read about pricing or book a free trial to have a teacher hear you recite.
The questions follow the standard textbook teaching for Hafs an Asim. Exact counts and some details can differ between teachers and recitation methods, so when your own teacher says something different, follow your teacher.
Frequently asked questions
What does the tajweed quiz cover?
Five beginner topics: noon sakinah and tanween, meem sakinah, the basics of madd, qalqalah, and heavy and light letters. These are the rules most students meet first when they begin reading the Quran with tajweed.
Which recitation do the questions follow?
They follow the standard textbook teaching for Hafs an Asim, the recitation most widely read today. Where teachers commonly differ, for example in the exact count of some madd types, the question says "commonly taught" and your own teacher's guidance comes first.
Is the quiz scored for each topic?
Yes. After each round you see your total and a score for every topic in it, plus every question you missed with the right answer and a short explanation, so you know exactly what to revise.
Are my results saved?
Only your best score for each quiz is remembered, and only in your own browser. Nothing is sent to us, no account or email is needed, and you can clear it any time by clearing your site data.
Can a quiz teach me tajweed?
A quiz is good for testing what you have learned and finding gaps. Tajweed itself is learned by listening and being corrected, because the sounds cannot be fully written down. A teacher who hears your recitation can fix small mistakes you cannot hear yourself.
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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