Practice qalqalah

Qalqalah is the slight bounce of a letter when it is sakinah (no vowel) or when you stop on it. Five letters: ق ط ب ج د. Without the bounce the word collapses; with too much bounce you invent a vowel. Tilmidh makes you repeat the word until the mic recognizes it — practice, not a diploma.

قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

In Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad (Ikhlāṣ 112:1), the ق of qul carries qalqalah ṣughrā: the letter is sakinah in the middle of the word. You do not lengthen. You do not vote an extra u after the qāf. You release the articulation, a short click, then continue huwa.

Qalqalah kubrā appears when you stop on the letter, for example the د of aḥad in waqf. The bounce is a little more audible, still without an invented vowel. Articulation points stay qāf (uvula), ṭāʾ (tongue tip), bāʾ (lips), jīm (mid-tongue), dāl (dentals).

Common mic mistake: swallowing the qāf (it becomes kul) or turning it into a hard g. Tilmidh colors tajwid from Quran.com and only advances when the consonant skeleton matches. Recite slowly. If the box stays grey, repeat that word only.

Next, open Falaq (surah 113): another qul, then the qāf of al-falaq if you stop. Alternate Ikhlāṣ and Falaq until the bounce is the same gesture. Beginners who already pray: see best tajwid app for beginners.