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Lesson 10: Mushaddad — Shaddah (ّ) Next

The Shaddah (ّ)

Shaddah is one of the most powerful signs in Arabic. A tiny ّ above a letter doubles it completely — giving words more weight, deeper meaning, and a distinct rhythm in recitation.

حروف المُشَدَّدَة Mushaddad Letters Tajweed Rule

1. What is Shaddah?

The Golden Rule

Shaddah (ّ) = Two Identical Letters Merged

The first letter carries a Sukun (ْ) and the second carries a vowel. They merge into one letter written with a Shaddah on top.

رَبْ
Ra + Ba (Sukun)
+
بَ
Ba + Fatha
=
رَبَّ
His Lord (Rabba)

Written as One

The two identical letters are written as a single letter with ّ on top.

Held for 2 Counts

Linger on the letter for 2 full beats — feel the tension and release.

Changes Meaning

Adding or removing Shaddah can completely change a word's meaning.

ّ
The Shaddah Sign

It looks like a small شـ (Shin without dots) — the first letter of the word شَدَّدَ (to strengthen).

Held for 2 counts
How to Pronounce a Shaddah Letter:
  1. Prepare the letter — close your mouth/tongue as if you are about to pronounce it silently (the Sukun part).
  2. Feel the pressure — hold that position for a moment, building up tension in the sound.
  3. Release with a vowel — let the letter go with its Fatha, Kasra, or Damma. The sound "pops" out strongly.

2. Breaking It Down

Every Shaddah letter is really two letters compressed into one. Tap each card to see the decomposition.

رَبَّ
رَبْ + بَ
Fatha → Rabba
His Lord
مَكَّة
مَكْ + كَة
Fatha → Makkata
Makkah
الحَجُّ
حَجْ + جُ
Damma → Al-Hajju
The Pilgrimage
إِنَّ
إِنْ + نَ
Fatha → Inna
Indeed/Verily
أَمَّا
أَمْ + مَا
Fatha → Amma
As for…
الجَنَّة
جَنْ + نَة
Fatha → Al-Jannata
The Garden (Paradise)
النَّار
نَارْ + نَ
Fatha → An-Naaru
The Fire (Hell)
قُوَّة
قُوْ + وَة
Waw Fatha → Quwwata
Strength
حَقٌّ
حَقْ + قٌ
Tanwin → Haqqun
Truth/Right
مُحَمَّد
مَحْ + حَمَّد
Fatha → Muhammad
Prophet's name ﷺ
الضَّالِّين
ضَلْ + لِّ
Kasra → Ad-Daalleen
The misguided
اللَّه
لَّ + هُ
Kasra → Allaahu
Allah

3. One Letter Changes Everything

This is why Shaddah matters so much. Removing or adding a Shaddah creates a completely different word. These minimal pairs appear throughout the Quran.

Minimal Pair
Without Shaddah
كَفَرَ
Kafara
He disbelieved
With Shaddah (ّ)
كَفَّرَ
Kaffara
He expiated (wiped away sin)
One Shaddah on ف changes the verb form entirely (Form I → Form II)
Minimal Pair
Without Shaddah
عَلِيم
Aleem
All-Knowing
With Shaddah (ّ)
عَلَّمَ
Allama
He taught
علّم (to teach) vs عليم (attribute of Allah — different root form)
Minimal Pair
Without Shaddah
ذَهَبَ
Dhahaba
He went
With Shaddah (ّ)
ذَهَّبَ
Dhahhaba
He gilded (coated with gold)
The Shaddah on ه intensifies the action (Form II = intensive/causative)
Minimal Pair
Without Shaddah
كَسَبَ
Kasaba
He earned
With Shaddah (ّ)
كَسَّبَ
Kassaba
He caused someone to earn
Form II (with Shaddah) often makes a verb causative in Arabic morphology

4. Shaddah in the Quran

Shaddah appears hundreds of times in the Quran. Here are verses you already know — now identify the Shaddah letters as you read.

Al-Fatihah 1:2
Shaddahs
الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
"Praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds"

Shaddahs here:
لِلَّهِ (لّـ) and رَبِّ (بّـ)
Two Shaddahs in the very first verse you recite in every prayer!
Al-Fatihah 1:7
Shaddahs
وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ
"Nor of those who have gone astray"

Shaddahs here:
الضَّالِّينَ has TWO: ضّـ and لّـ
This is why the word sounds so heavy and emphatic — both key letters are doubled.
Al-Baqarah 2:20
Shaddahs
إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
"Indeed, Allah has power over all things"

Shaddahs here:
إِنَّ (نّـ), اللَّهَ (لّـ), كُلِّ (لّـ)
Three Shaddahs in one ayah — practice each one clearly.
Al-Fath 48:29
Shaddahs
مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّهِ
"Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah"

Shaddahs here:
مُحَمَّد (مّـ), رَّسُول (رّـ), اللَّه (لّـ)
The blessed name of the Prophet ﷺ itself carries a Shaddah — مُحَمَّد means "the greatly praised one."

5. Practice Drill

Each word below carries a Shaddah. Tap the card to see which letter is doubled, what vowel it carries, and the meaning.

رَبَّنَا
بَّ ← Shaddah
Vowel: Fatha
Our Lord
إِنَّا
نَّ ← Shaddah
Vowel: Fatha
Indeed We…
الجَنَّة
نَّ ← Shaddah
Vowel: Fatha
Paradise
النَّبِيّ
بِيّ ← Shaddah
Vowel: Kasra+Shaddah
The Prophet
هَمَّ
مَّ ← Shaddah
Vowel: Shaddah on م
He intended/worried
صَلَّى
لَّ ← Shaddah
Vowel: Fatha
He prayed
كُلَّ
لَّ ← Shaddah
Vowel: Fatha
Every/All (acc)
الحَقُّ
قُّ ← Shaddah
Vowel: Damma
The Truth
تَمَّ
مَّ ← Shaddah
Vowel: Fatha
It was completed
أَلَّا
لَّ ← Shaddah
Vowel: Fatha
That not…
وَأَحَلَّ
لَّ ← Shaddah
Vowel: Fatha
And He made lawful
ضَلَّ
لَّ ← Shaddah
Vowel: Fatha
He went astray

Double Power — Shaddah Mastered!

Incredible! You have unlocked the power of Shaddah (ّ). You can now correctly double letters and hold them for 2 full counts — a skill that changes the entire meaning of words!