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Arabic Basics
Arabic Basics
Arabic - Sun and Moon Letters - Assimilation
6. The Sun and Moon Letters & the Shadda
Sun - Assimilated = t, th, d, dh, r, z, s, sh, s, d, t, zh, n
Moon - al- definitive = b, j, h, kh, 'a,'gh, f, q, k, l, m, h
There are 2 kinds of Arabic letters. They are moon letters and sun letters. Sun is called male
and moon is called female. This is a mystical understanding why, but that is how it is, and
sometimes you can see why there is a difference.
Shams = sun – never ended by taa marbuta, so it's male.
Qamarat = moon – see that the taa marbuta is on the end, female.
Assimilation
Using the same letters shin and qaf, and using the shadda mark, we can assimilate the letters
with the mark over the definite article, al-.
The lam gets silent, but written with shadda, and carries the letter.
Al-qamarat = qaf is not a sun letter, not shadda, nor assimilated.
Ash-shams = shin is a sun letter, has shadda, don’t say the lam.
Ad-diyn = the daah is assimilated – not al-diyn – incorrect usage.
Nunation Assimilation – to pronounce in flow, slurring together
Between words that end in nun (nunation), it assimilates flow, or skips the nun.
n-w & n-m & n-y
said = ladiydiw wa - written ladiydin wa - with a new, and
said = rusulaam min - written rusulaan min - a messenger from
said = wahiday yawman - written wahidan yawman - a single day
said & written = kufwan ahadun - the same spelling - matchless, singular
The nunation, een,aan,uun; on the indefinite, don’t pronounce the nun, rather on these letters
you get assimilation.
Written = Muhammadan Rasoolallaah
Pronounceded = Muhammadar Rasoolallaah
Transliterated = Muhammad ar-rasoolallaah.
Qur'an
786
#13:38 - Wa la qad ar~sal~na rusulaan min qablilka
“ “ “ “ “ rusulaam min qablika – flow together meem
And in coming Messengers ours, a message from (a time) before you.
Another school of thought says the messengers were before you as examples, like the qibla is
before you, not as God, but an example.
#14:19,20
bi khalqin jadiydin wa maa dhaalika ^alaay allaahi bi ^aziyzan.
Bi khalqi ladiydiw wa – drop nun, flow together waw “ “ “ bi ^aziyzan.
In a creating, with a new. And not this (to) you, upon God by a mighty – keep an, the end
Shadda Note:
the waw has a shadda written over it, the mark that looks like a w above the waw.
Meems, yaws, waws, commonly flow like this.
Nunation is not recited between words in recitation.
As the words flow, you drop the un, an, in; to u, a, i. Just don’t say the nunation unless shadda
or the last word before pause. Then vowel is always dropped at the end of the sentence. Examples
were above.
#112 - Surat al-Ikhlas - the Absolute Sincerity
B’ismillaah ir-Rahman ir-Raheemi (no ei said)
In the name of God, shadda assimilation on rah
the Merciful, the Compassionate
qul huwa allaahu ahadun (stop, no un) (1)
say: He (is) God, He, (is) One (Singular)(Unique)
allaahu samadu (stop, no uu) (2)
God, He (is) eternal, absolute (everlasting support)
lam yalid wa lam yuulad - (no stop) (3)
not having sex and not procreated
(originating from sexual actions or procreative pleasure)
wa lam yakun lahu (written with shadda, no nun)
wa lam yakul lahu (said - lam assimilates nun)
kufwan ahadun. (4)
(no assimilation on alif, keep nun)(nunation at end is kept, and you should pronounce it,
although some don’t)
and not made (are)like a matchless, Unique, Singularity.
Summary of Assimilation and reciting without stops.
1. the end or pause picks up nunation or cancels vowel.
2. Nunation on lam, meem, yaw, waw, etc., flow through in the middle of an ayat, or between
stops.
3. If you don’t stop, then use single vowel at end of ayat, and keep the nunation at the very end
stop only.
4. Arabic reciters just handle the end vowels and nunations without any notation in the text, and
that is why I don’t usually prompt nunation, they don’t see it. They just jump right over it in the
text, stopping at marks or just by the recitation style.
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Sun - Assimilated = t, th, d, dh, r, z, s, sh, s, d, t, zh, n
Moon - al- definitive = b, j, h, kh, 'a,'gh, f, q, k, l, m, h
"Before some consonants, Arabic mutates; the al- turns into the following
consonant. So we have "al-Kitab" ('the book'), but "ad-Din" ('the faith', ie.
(Islam), "ar-Rahman" ('the Merciful'), "an-Nur" ('the light'), and so on. In
all, there are 13 such consonants in the Arabic alphabet ( the sun letters).
I'm pretty sure that this process (I believe it's called "assimilation") occurs
only in speech - such words are written with an al- in Arabic script - in other
words, written "al-nabiy" but pronounced "an-nabiy".
In other places where a doubled letter occurs, the script apparently uses a
symbol called "shadda" which is written above a single copy of the letter,
and is apparently often omitted in contemporary writing, as the author
assumes that the reader knows the sun letters.
Post from Bruce Grant @ voynich,net
There are 2 kinds of Arabic letters. They are moon letters and sun letters. Sun is called male
and moon is called female. This is a mystical understanding why, but that is how it is, and
sometimes you can see why there is a difference.
Shams = sun – never ended by taa marbuta, so it's male.
Qamarat = moon – see that the taa marbuta is on the end, female.
Assimilation
Using the same letters shin and qaf, and using the shadda mark, we can assimilate the letters
with the mark over the definite article, al-.
The lam gets silent, but written with shadda, and carries the letter.
Al-qamarat = qaf is not a sun letter, not shadda, nor assimilated.
Ash-shams = shin is a sun letter, has shadda, don’t say the lam.
Ad-diyn = the daah is assimilated – not al-diyn – incorrect usage.
Nunation Assimilation – to pronounce in flow, slurring together
Between words that end in nun (nunation), it assimilates flow, or skips the nun.
n-w & n-m & n-y
said = ladiydiw wa - written ladiydin wa - with a new, and
said = rusulaam min - written rusulaan min - a messenger from
said = wahiday yawman - written wahidan yawman - a single day
said & written = kufwan ahadun - the same spelling - matchless, singular
The nunation, een,aan,uun; on the indefinite, don’t pronounce the nun, rather on these letters
you get assimilation.
Written = Muhammadan Rasoolallaah
Pronounceded = Muhammadar Rasoolallaah
Transliterated = Muhammad ar-rasoolallaah.
Qur'an
786
#13:38 - Wa la qad ar~sal~na rusulaan min qablilka
“ “ “ “ “ rusulaam min qablika – flow together meem
And in coming Messengers ours, a message from (a time) before you.
Another school of thought says the messengers were before you as examples, like the qibla is
before you, not as God, but an example.
#14:19,20
bi khalqin jadiydin wa maa dhaalika ^alaay allaahi bi ^aziyzan.
Bi khalqi ladiydiw wa – drop nun, flow together waw “ “ “ bi ^aziyzan.
In a creating, with a new. And not this (to) you, upon God by a mighty – keep an, the end
Shadda Note:
the waw has a shadda written over it, the mark that looks like a w above the waw.
Meems, yaws, waws, commonly flow like this.
Nunation is not recited between words in recitation.
As the words flow, you drop the un, an, in; to u, a, i. Just don’t say the nunation unless shadda
or the last word before pause. Then vowel is always dropped at the end of the sentence. Examples
were above.
#112 - Surat al-Ikhlas - the Absolute Sincerity
B’ismillaah ir-Rahman ir-Raheemi (no ei said)
In the name of God, shadda assimilation on rah
the Merciful, the Compassionate
qul huwa allaahu ahadun (stop, no un) (1)
say: He (is) God, He, (is) One (Singular)(Unique)
allaahu samadu (stop, no uu) (2)
God, He (is) eternal, absolute (everlasting support)
lam yalid wa lam yuulad - (no stop) (3)
not having sex and not procreated
(originating from sexual actions or procreative pleasure)
wa lam yakun lahu (written with shadda, no nun)
wa lam yakul lahu (said - lam assimilates nun)
kufwan ahadun. (4)
(no assimilation on alif, keep nun)(nunation at end is kept, and you should pronounce it,
although some don’t)
and not made (are)like a matchless, Unique, Singularity.
Summary of Assimilation and reciting without stops.
1. the end or pause picks up nunation or cancels vowel.
2. Nunation on lam, meem, yaw, waw, etc., flow through in the middle of an ayat, or between
stops.
3. If you don’t stop, then use single vowel at end of ayat, and keep the nunation at the very end
stop only.
4. Arabic reciters just handle the end vowels and nunations without any notation in the text, and
that is why I don’t usually prompt nunation, they don’t see it. They just jump right over it in the
text, stopping at marks or just by the recitation style.
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