Tajweed · Lengthening
Madd Rules in Tajweed: Every Type of Lengthening, With Counts and Examples
Much of a good reciter's rhythm comes from madd. Once you see why a vowel is stretched, the counts stop being a list and start to feel obvious.
By Hafiz Furqan, Head of Teachers at Online Study Quran · Reviewed on November 10, 2026
Short answerMadd means stretching a vowel on one of the three madd letters (ا و ي). The natural madd is 2 counts. It gets longer when a hamza or a sukoon follows: 4–5 counts for a hamza (muttasil and munfasil, in Hafs via ash-Shatibiyyah), 2, 4 or 6 when you stop on a word (madd 'arid), and a fixed 6 counts for madd lazim, as in الضَّالِّينَ.
What are the three madd letters?
A madd happens on one of these only when it has no vowel of its own and the letter before it carries the matching vowel:
قَالَAlif after a fatha
يَقُولُWaw sakinah after a dammah
قِيلَYa sakinah after a kasrah
What is a "count", and how do you keep it steady?
A count (harakah) is the length of one short vowel at your normal reading speed. Teachers often fold one finger per count. Try it: pick a madd and tap a steady beat along with the dots.
قَالَ
1. What is the natural madd (madd tabi'i)?
Natural madd 2 counts
When nothing special follows the madd letter, stretch it two counts. It's the most common madd and the base for the others.قَالَنُوحِيهَايَقُولُ
Also two counts:- Madd badal: a hamza comes before the madd letter: آمَنُوا، إِيمَانًا، أُوتُوا (two counts in Hafs).
- Madd 'iwad: stopping on fathatayn turns the tanween into a two-count alif: عَلِيمًا is read 'alīmā at a stop.
- Silah sughra: the pronoun ـهُ / ـهِ between two voweled letters: إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ.
2. How long is a madd caused by hamza?
Madd muttasil (connected) 4–5 counts
The madd letter and the hamza are in the same word. Called wajib (obligatory) because every reciter lengthens it beyond two counts. In Hafs via ash-Shatibiyyah it's 4 or 5; stopping on a final hamza, as in السَّمَاءْ, it can go to 6.جَاءَالسَّمَاءِسُوءَجِيءَ
Madd munfasil (separated) 4–5 counts
The madd letter ends one word and the hamza starts the next. Called ja'iz (permissible) because the recitations differ: in Hafs via ash-Shatibiyyah, the most widespread practice, it's 4 or 5; Hafs via the Tayyibah route also allows 2.بِمَا أُنْزِلَيَا أَيُّهَاقُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ
Whatever length you choose, use it consistently. Reading one munfasil at 4 and the next at 2 is a mistake.
Silah kubra 4–5 counts
The pronoun silah followed by a hamza is treated like munfasil: عِنْدَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ (Ayat al-Kursi, 2:255).3. How long is a madd caused by sukoon?
Madd 'arid lis-sukun 2, 4 or 6 counts
The sukoon isn't originally there; it appears because you stop, most often at the end of a verse. Choose 2, 4 or 6, and stay consistent within a recitation.الْعَالَمِينْالرَّحِيمْنَسْتَعِينْ
Madd leen 2, 4 or 6 at a stop
A waw or ya with sukoon after a fatha, when you stop on the next letter: خَوْفْ, الْبَيْتْ (Quraysh 106:3–4). In continuous reading it isn't stretched.Madd lazim always 6
The sukoon or shaddah after the madd letter is permanent, so the length is fixed at six. Four kinds:| Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Kalimi muthaqqal | In a word, followed by a shaddah | الضَّالِّينَ، الطَّامَّةُ، الْحَاقَّةُ |
| Kalimi mukhaffaf | In a word, followed by a plain sukoon | آلْآنَ (Yunus 10:51, 10:91) |
| Harfi muthaqqal | In a surah's opening letters, with merging | الٓمٓ, read alif lāāām mīīīm |
| Harfi mukhaffaf | In the opening letters, without merging | صٓ، قٓ، نٓ |
How do all the madd lengths compare?
Tabi'i, badal, 'iwad, silah sughra
Muttasil
Munfasil, silah kubra
'Arid lis-sukun, leen
Lazim
Each segment is one count. Striped areas show optional lengths (Hafs via ash-Shatibiyyah).Where do people go wrong with madd?
Stretching short vowels. A fatha with no alif after it is one count; new learners sometimes stretch everything.
Cutting madd lazim short. وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ in al-Fatiha needs a full six counts, including in prayer.
Inconsistent lengths: 4 for one munfasil and 5 for the next.
Stretching madd leen mid-reading. خَوْفٍ is only stretched when you stop on it.
Counts are hard to judge in your own voice. Let a teacher listenTajweed course
Madd questions
What is madd in tajweed?
Madd is the lengthening of a vowel on one of the three madd letters: alif after fatha, waw sakinah after dammah and ya sakinah after kasrah.
How many counts is madd tabi'i?
Two counts.
How long is madd muttasil and munfasil?
In Hafs 'an 'Asim via ash-Shatibiyyah, both are 4 or 5 counts. Muttasil can be 6 when stopping on a final hamza. Munfasil may be 2 in the Tayyibah route of Hafs.
What is madd lazim?
Madd lazim is a madd followed by a permanent sukoon or shaddah, such as الضَّالِّينَ. It is always lengthened 6 counts.
Which reading these counts follow
All lengths on this page are for the narration of Hafs 'an 'Asim via ash-Shatibiyyah, the most widely printed mushaf. Other narrations and routes differ in places; where Hafs itself allows options, we say so. Written by Hafiz Furqan, Head of Teachers at Online Study Quran.
All lengths on this page are for the narration of Hafs 'an 'Asim via ash-Shatibiyyah, the most widely printed mushaf. Other narrations and routes differ in places; where Hafs itself allows options, we say so. Written by Hafiz Furqan, Head of Teachers at Online Study Quran.
Reviewed November 10, 2026.