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Practice ikhfa
مِنmin شَرِّsharri مَاmā خَلَقَkhalaqIkhfa · hidden nūn
Ikhfa — hidden nūn, word validated. Ikhfāʾ is the “hiding” of nūn sakinah or tanwīn before fifteen letters (the ones that are neither iẓhār throat letters nor idghām letters). The tongue approaches the next letter without full contact; a light ghunnah stays in the nose. Clear nūn = wrong. Full merge = wrong. Soft nasal near the next makhraj = right direction.
The fifteen letters, grouped by sound
Family Letters Dentals and sibilants ت ث د ذ ز س ص ط ظ Palatals ج ش Labial and velars ف ق ك Emphatic ض The example in Al-Fātiḥah
عَن صِرَاطٍ
Patterns like ʿan ṣirāṭ in Al-Fātiḥah are where beginners feel ikhfāʾ in real prayer. Tilmidh will not grade your ikhfāʾ quality like a teacher; it will confirm you recited the right words in order. Use the colors as a map, then refine with a human ear.
The question to ask, verse by verse
The fifteen letters appear everywhere in the muṣḥaf, and reciting them as a magic list on day one helps nobody. Take one verse, find the nūn sakinah, then ask: is the next letter in yanmū, in lām/rāʾ, is it bāʾ, or one of the six throat letters? If none of those, it is ikhfāʾ. That single question resolves every case you will meet.
What breaks the word on the mic
Common errors: turning ikhfāʾ into iẓhār (hard nūn), or into idghām (dropping into the next letter too far). Another: holding ghunnah so long you break the rhythm of the āyah. Start word by word on Fātiḥah, then Falaq and Nās. If you cannot read Arabic letters yet, use a qaʿidah first; if you already pray and want mic practice, best tajweed app for beginners explains why Tilmidh fits that niche.
Open the mic near ṣirāṭFrequently asked questions
How many letters trigger ikhfa?
Fifteen: ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك. They are what remains once you remove the six iẓhār letters, the six idghām letters and the bāʾ of iqlāb.
What is the difference between ikhfa and idgham?
In idghām the nūn disappears into the following letter. In ikhfāʾ it neither disappears nor sounds clearly: a nasal is held for two ḥarakāt with the mouth already shaped for the letter that follows.
Where can I find an ikhfa in a short surah?
An-Nās 114:4, in min sharri: nūn sakinah followed by shīn. Al-Falaq 113:2 has the same sequence, which makes the two a good practice pair.