Qalqalah is a Tajweed rule in the Quran that creates an echoing sound when one of the five specific letters (ق, ط, ب, ج, د) has a sukoon or when pausing on these letters. The three types of Qalqalah are Kubra (strongest, at the end of a verse with Shaddah), Wusta (middle, at the end of a word within a verse), and Sughra (lightest, anywhere in the word). To master Qalqalah, memorize the letters, understand the types, and practice with a teacher, avoiding common mistakes like adding extra vowels or hamza sounds.
The Holy Quran contains many rules of Tajweed that help us in pronunciation, reading, and understanding meanings accurately, and one of the most important of these rules is Qalqalah.
What is Qalqalah in Tajweed?
Qalqalah is an echoing sound that occurs when we encounter a letter of Qalqalah with a sukoon on it, or when we stop at this letter.
In this case, the letter’s sound is required to come out strongly with a slightly echo in sound
Qalqalah letters:
The letters of Qalqalah in the Holy Quran are 5 letters and they are (ق – ط – ب – ج – د) They can be combined in the word قطب جد to facilitate their memorization.
And these letters have the attribute of Jahr – preventing the airflow when pronouncing them – and Shiddah – preventing the flow of sound when pronouncing them.
Qalqalah is applied to these letters only in the case of sukoon, but in the case of vowels it is not pronounced with Qalqalah or echo.
for example:
The Almighty’s saying
(وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ)
(And We will certainly test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives)
The place of qalqalah came in His Almighty’s saying: (ولنبلونكم), it came in the middle of the word in the letter Ba(ب) .
Types of Qalqalah in Tajweed
In Tajweed, there are three types of Qalqalah, which are essential for correct Quranic pronunciation. The first type is Qalqalah Kubra (قلقلة كبرى), the strongest and most distinct form of Qalqalah. It occurs when one of the five letters (ق, ط, ب, ج, د) appears at the end of a verse with a Shaddah.
In this case, the reader should stop at the letter without linking it to the following word, ensuring that the sound of the letter is echoed clearly. An example of this is in the verse, “وَجَاءَتْ سَكْرَةُ الْمَوْتِ بِالْحَقِّ” (Surah Al-Qamar, 54:19), where the letter ق with Shaddah is pronounced with a distinct echo.
The second type is Qalqalah Wusta (قلقلة وسطى), or middle Qalqalah, which occurs when the Qalqalah letters appear at the end of a word but without a Shaddah. Here, the reader pauses at the word’s end, as seen in the verse, “وَاللَّهُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِمْ مُحِيطٌ” (Surah Al-Buruj, 85:20), where the letter ط at the end of the word “محيط” is pronounced with a moderate echo.
The third type is Qalqalah Sughra (قلقلة صغرى), or light Qalqalah, which is less intense than the other two. It can occur at the beginning, middle, or end of a word, and its pronunciation is softer. An example of this can be found in the verse “وَخَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا” (Surah An-Naba, 78:8), where the letter ق is pronounced with a light echo. Mastery of these three types of Qalqalah ensures proper recitation of the Quran.
Read a full guide on Qalqalah Kubra, Sughra, Wusta With Examples.
Qalqalah examples from Quran
Many examples of Qalqalah appear in the Holy Quran. We will mention some of them:
- Allah almighty in Surah Al-Baqarah:
(وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ)
(And We will certainly test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives.)
The place of the Qalqalah came in His saying – the Almighty -: “ولنبلونكم”
(And We will certainly test you) And here it is a light (Sughra) Qalqalah as it came in the middle of the word on the letter ب.
- Another example his almighty saying
(فَحَقَّ عَلَيْنَا قَوْلُ رَبِّنَا ۖ إِنَّا لَذَائِقُونَ)
(Then the saying of our Lord has become true over us: Indeed, we will taste.)
The point of concern came in his saying: “فحق”(so it came true)
It is a strong (kubra) qalqalah in the letter ق when it stops.
- His saying – the Almighty:
(وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ)
(And We are closer to Him than the jugular vein)
The place of the qalqalah came in His saying: (closer) “أقرب”and His saying: (rope) “حبل” . The type of qalqalah is a Sughra qalqalah, as the letter came silent in the middle of the word.
When to apply Qalqalah?
We apply the Qalqalah rule when we find a one of the letters (ق-ط-ب-ج-د) in a state of sukoon (whether the letter has a sukoon sign on it or a sukoon due to a pause), whether that letter comes in the middle of the word or at the end of it, we stop at it and do not give it the movement that it takes when it doesn’t have sukoon.
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Conclusion:
Qalqalah is an essential Tajweed rule in the Holy Quran that involves creating an echoing sound when encountering specific consonants with a sukoon, or when pausing at these letters. The Arabic term “Qalqalah” means the disturbance or vibration of sound, producing a strong tone whether the consonant is original or incidental.
The five Qalqalah letters are ق, ط, ب, ج, and د, which can be memorized using the mnemonic “قطب جد.” These letters prevent the airflow and sound flow when pronounced and apply the Qalqalah only in the presence of a sukoon.
There are three types of Qalqalah: Qalqalah Kubra (the strongest, occurring at the end of a verse with a Shaddah), Qalqalah Wusta (middle strength, occurring at the end of a word within a verse), and Qalqalah Sughra (the lightest, occurring anywhere in the word).
