Iqlab is the smallest of the four noon sakinah rules, it only has one letter, but it shows up constantly. مِنْ بَعْدِ alone appears dozens of times in the Quran, and the pair سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ closes many verses.
Why does the noon change?
Noon is made at the tip of the tongue, and ب is made by closing the lips. Going straight from one to the other is awkward and the noon tends to come out muddy. Changing it into a meem, which is a lip letter like ب and also has ghunnah, makes the transition smooth and keeps the nasal sound that noon carries. Tajweed is full of changes like this: they make the recitation flow without losing any letter's character.
How to pronounce iqlab
- Do not let the tongue touch the place of noon at all.
- Bring the lips together lightly, as for a meem.
- Hold the nasal sound for about two counts.
- Open the lips into the ب with its vowel.
The most common error is pressing the lips hard, which cuts the ghunnah and makes it sound like a stutter. The second is forgetting the change entirely and saying a full noon.
Examples from the Quran
| Example | Reference | Type |
|---|---|---|
| مِنْ بَعْدِ | many places, e.g. al-Baqarah 2:27 | noon sakinah, two words |
| أَنْبِئْهُمْ | al-Baqarah 2:33 | noon sakinah, one word |
| لَيُنْبَذَنَّ | al-Humazah 104:4 | noon sakinah, one word |
| سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ | e.g. al-Hajj 22:61 | tanween |
| عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ | e.g. Al 'Imran 3:119 | tanween |
As with the other noon rules, iqlab can happen inside a word or across two words, and with tanween as well as noon sakinah.
The small meem in the mushaf
Most mushafs printed in the Madinah style place a small meem over the noon or in place of the second vowel mark of tanween. It is a reminder, not an extra letter. Older or South Asian prints sometimes do not include it, so it is worth learning the rule rather than relying on the mark.
Iqlab and ikhfa shafawi
They sound the same. In iqlab, a noon becomes a meem before ب. In ikhfa shafawi, a meem that was already there meets a ب. The pronunciation, a light closing of the lips with ghunnah, is identical. Students sometimes find it helpful to practise the two side by side: مِنْ بَعْدِ and هُمْ بِهِ.
A short practice routine
- Read مِنْ بَعْدِ ten times slowly, checking that the tongue never touches for a noon.
- Find every iqlab in Surah al-Baqarah verses 1 to 30 and mark them.
- Read Surah al-Humazah and listen to yourself on لَيُنْبَذَنَّ, which has iqlab and a noon with shaddah close together.
Iqlab is taught together with the rest of the noon sakinah and tanween rules in our tajweed course.
Questions parents and students ask us
What is iqlab in tajweed?
Iqlab is changing the sound of noon sakinah or tanween into a meem when it is followed by the letter ب, while holding a ghunnah for two counts.
What is the letter of iqlab?
Only one letter: ب (ba).
How long is the ghunnah in iqlab?
About two counts.
What is the small meem in the Quran?
The small meem printed above a noon or tanween is a reminder that iqlab applies and the noon should be pronounced as a meem.
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