Tajweed : Makhraj al-Jawf

مخرج الجوف

Makhraj al-Jawf

Translated by: Reza Ervani bin Asmanu

This article, “Makhraj al-Jawf,” is included in the English Article Category.

Imam Ibn al-Jazarī states in Al-Manẓūmah al-Jazariyyah:

١٠ – فَألِفُ الْجَوْفِ وَأُخْتَاهَا وَهِي # حُرُوْفُ مَدٍّ لِلْهِوِاءِ تَنْتَهِ

Thus, the alif emerges from al-Jawf, as do its two sister letters, namely the letters of madd. Their sound ends when the breath ends, or when it reaches the open air after leaving the mouth.

Makhraj al-Jawf encompasses the cavity of the throat, continuing through the oral cavity, until the sound reaches the open air outside the mouth.

Makhraj al-Jawf is the broadest articulation area. It is not confined to one specific point of articulation, nor is there a clearly defined point at which the sound is concentrated.

All letters that originate from al-Jawf may also be connected with any of the Arabic letters bearing a vowel movement (ḥarakah).

For this reason, this articulation point is called al-Makhraj al-Muqaddar, meaning an estimated or non-specific articulation point.

One of the common mistakes made by beginners in Taḥsīn al-Qur’an is failing to produce these letters completely from al-Jawf. Instead, part of the sound enters al-Khayshūm, the nasal cavity, causing the recitation to sound nasal.

This usually occurs for several reasons: imitating a melodic style that does not suit the natural character of one’s voice, raising the voice excessively while reciting the Qur’an even though one naturally has a lower vocal range, or failing to open the mouth properly.

Imam Ibn al-Jazarī states in An-Nashr:

الْمَخْرَجُ الْأَوَّلُ – الْجَوْفُ – وَهُوَ لِلْأَلِفِ وَالْوَاوِ السَّاكِنَةِ الْمَضْمُومِ مَا قَبْلَهَا وَالْيَاءِ السَّاكِنَةِ الْمَكْسُورِ مَا قَبْلَهَا، وَهَذِهِ الْحُرُوفُ تُسَمَّى حُرُوفُ الْمَدِّ وَاللِّينِ، وَتُسَمَّى الْهَوَائِيَّةَ وَالْجَوْفِيَّةَ.

The first articulation point is al-Jawf. It is the articulation point of the alif, the sakin wāw preceded by a letter bearing a ḍammah, and the sakin yā’ preceded by a letter bearing a kasrah.

These letters are called Ḥurūf al-Madd wa al-Līn — the letters of prolongation and softness. They are also known as al-Ḥurūf al-Hawā’iyyah and al-Ḥurūf al-Jawfiyyah.¹

1. Ibn al-Jazarī, An-Nashr fī al-Qirā’āt al-‘Ashr, Dār Ibn al-Jawzī, Egypt, 2014, p. 161.