Izhaar (إظهار) literally means "to make clear" or "to reveal." It's the rule of pronouncing a letter openly, without merging it into what follows, without hiding it, and without adding any extra nasal sound. In a way, it's the "default" clean sound against which the other noon sakinah rules are exceptions.

Two Main Types

Izhaar Halqi, "throat Izhaar," applies to noon sakinah and tanween when followed by one of six throat letters. Izhaar Shafawi, "lip Izhaar," applies to meem sakinah when followed by any letter other than meem and ba.

The Six Throat Letters

ء (hamza), ه, ع, ح, غ, خ, when any of noon sakinah or tanween meets one of these, the noon stays crisp and clear.

A Few Examples

• Noon sakinah + 'ayn: "min 'ilmin", the noon is pronounced plainly before the 'ayn.
• Noon sakinah + hamza: "man aamana", the noon stays clear before the hamza.
• Tanween + khaa: "'aleemun khabeer", the tanween ending is voiced clearly before khaa.

Mistakes to Watch For

Adding a nasal ghunnah is the most common slip, Izhaar specifically means no held nasal buzz, the sound should be clean and brief. Pausing too long on the noon is another, it should be clear but not stretched, moving smoothly into the throat letter that follows. And it's easy to misapply this rule when the following letter isn't actually one of the six throat letters, in which case a different rule, Idghaam, Iqlab or Ikhfa, applies instead.

Learning It Properly

Because Izhaar is essentially the "do nothing extra" rule, it can feel deceptively simple, right up until it gets confused with the other three. A teacher listening live is the fastest way to catch when you're accidentally adding a ghunnah that shouldn't be there.