The [Ultimate] Guide to Qalqalah: Examples, Rules, and Letters

Al-Qalqalah is one of the easy tajweed rules that any Muslim should learn and understand how to pronounce it. And it’s so important because it maintains the original voice of the sound, and stops it from flowing into other voices.

Qabala has three levels: Big, medium, and little, and this type is determined based on its place in the word

In this article, you’ll learn how to pronounce the Qalqalah sound and its letters, and what rules you should follow, Besides we’ll show many examples that’ll surely help you learn this rule particularly.

What Is Qalqala Meaning in Tajweed?

It’s one of the terms in tajweed science that means a slight trembling or shakiness in the Sakin letter, resulting in an echo, strong sound.

To make it clear to you, listen to this video for surah al-Iklas and focus your attention on the letter (د) at the end of its four verses., and notice.

Do you hear it like a double د.?

listen again and notice that each د at the end of the verses has a Sukoon ( ْ ) or a small round shape on it.

What Are the Qalqalah Letters (echo)?

There are five letters for Qalqalah which are ق، ط، ب، ج، د (All are combined in this phrase قطب جد)

And those letters are chosen especially because they have two traits: strength and loudness. strength stops the flow of breath, and loudness stops the flow of sound).

Remember this rule can’t be applied to those five letters except in two case

1. they are at a Sakin state, or there is a Sucoon sign over them, as the following:” قْ ، طْ ، بْ ، جْ ، دْ”. for example, لقْد
2. They come at the end of the word and the reciter stops at it, for example, قل أعوذ برب الفلق

What Are the Different Types of Qalqala?

There are three types that vary in their degree

1) the tensest degree: When the Qalqala letter is at end of a word and has a shadda ( ّ) on it, and you stop reciting at it.

for example the letter ب at the end

 تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ

2) the middle degree: When the Qalqala letter comes at the end of a word without a shadda ( ّ) on it, and you stop reciting at it

for example, the letter ط at the end

وَاللَّهُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِمْ مُحِيطٌ 

3) the slightest degree: When the Qalqala letter is in the middle of a word and Sakin.

for example, the letter ق in the verse

وَخَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا

What Are the Rules of Qalqala?

Here are some considerations you should stick to when applying this rule

1) Avoid merging the Qalqalah sound into the three movements (Fatha, Dumma, Kasra), for this may reduce the intensity of the echoing sound.

Read this example:

إِبْراهيم, If the reciter isn’t attentive, he may not read ب is a Maqlqal letter and read it something between Sucoon and kasra

2)Avoid ending the Qalqalah sound with a sakin loud hamza, for example, turning the sound أحدْ as أحدء or كسبْ as كسبء.

3) Don’t stretch the Qalqala sound for a longer time than it should be.

4) Avoid hiding the Qalqala sound when it’s preceded by a Sakin letter like in فِسْقْ or vowel litter القَدْرْ

5) Don’t lighten the Qalqalah  sound when there are two Qalaqla letters in Sakin state following each other such as

ْرطْب“،

What Are Some Examples of Qalqala?

Below are examples of the Quranic verses, Notice that the five letters of Qalqala should be Sakin to apply the rule, except if they’re at the end of the verse, where the reciter shops reciation at it.

Now, it’s your role to read and listen to those verses, extract the word that includes Qalqalah letter and write it down, noted that you can notice two or three words that have those letters. (Below, you’ll see the answers).

1)وَفِي أنفسكم أفلا تبصرون

2)فَرَاغَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ فَجَاءَ بِعِجْلٍ سَمِينٍ

3)اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ

كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ فَكَذَّبُوا عَبْدَنَا وَقَالُوا مَجْنُونٌ وَازْدُجِرَ4

5)فِي مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِندَ مَلِيكٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍ

6)فَمَن لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ شَهْرَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَتَمَاسَّا فَمَن لَّمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَإِطْعَامُ سِتِّينَ مِسْكِينًا

7)قَد مَكَرَ الَّذينَ مِن قَبلِهِم فَأَتَى اللَّـهُ بُنيانَهُم مِنَ القَواعِدِ فَخَرَّ عَلَيهِمُ السَّقفُ مِن فَوقِهِم وَأَتاهُمُ العَذابُ

8)فَلَا تَتَنَاجَوْا بِالْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَمَعْصِيَتِ الرَّسُولِ وَتَنَاجَوْا بِالْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى

The answeres

1. تبْصرون
2. عجْل
3. اقْتربت/ انشقّ
4. قَبْلَهُمْ/ عَبْدَنَا/ مَجْنُونٌ
5. مَقْعَدِ/ صِدْقٍ/ مُّقْتَدِرٍ
6. يَجِدْ/ قَبْلِ/ فَإِطْعَامُ
7. قَد/ قَبلِهِم/ القَواعِدِ/ السَّقفُ/ العَذابُ
8. وَالْعُدْوَانِ/ وَالتَّقْوَى

How to Teach Qalqala for Your Kids?

Qalqala is one of the tajweed rules or Noorani Qaida, and teaching it for your kids requires the assisance of a native Quran tutor who’ll show your children how to detect and apply Qalqalah rule in the verses and pronounce it particulary during their reciation for the holy book.

We’re sure that we can help you. By enrolling in Noorani Qaida for kids Course, your child will learn Qalqala and other tajweed rules, including idgham, ikhfaa, Izhar, and Medd letters. Read more about this course and the features you’ll have by enrollmen here and have a free trial right now.