Rules of Hamza
Hamza is a consonant letter which represents a glottal stop. Hamza can appear as an initial, middle or final letter of a word.
Hamza written at the beginning of the word is divided into two as Hamzatul Qat’ and Hamzatul Wasl. So, the type of hamza varies depending on its place in the word.
Hamza appears in different forms ء ئ ؤ أ إ depending on its location in the word and its harakah but is pronounced the same way.
It is produced by closing the vocal cords and then opening them. When you pronounce it, try to make the sound of this letter soft as a light sound.
The difference between Hamza and Alif
Alif is a vowel letter and represents a Madd letter, it has the sound of a long /a/. Whereas, Hamza is a consonant letter and as a glottal stop, it is produced by momentarily stopping the airflow, like the words; Octopus, Cooperation, Hawaii.
There are two types of Hamzas that appear at the beginning of words. They are both read and treated differently; Hamzatul Qat’ and Hamzatul Wasl.
Hamzatul Qat’ (The Cutting Hamza)
The first one is Hamzatul Qat’.
The Hamza which is at the beginning of the word and is written in these 3 ways, ء أ إ is Hamzatul Qat’.
Whether you stop and start or keep on reading, you will always pronounce it.
Hamzatul Wasl (The Connecting Hamza)
The second one is Hamzatul Wasl (the connecting Hamza). It is represented by a small Hamzah on top of it which looks like this ٱ
Hamzatul Wasl can be skipped or pronounced according to its position in the sentence we read.
If We Continue Reading, It Will Be Skipped
If the reader continues reading, connecting one word with another starting with Hamzatul Wasl, it is skipped and not pronounced.
If We Start Reading From It, It Will Be Pronounced
If you start reading from the word starting with Hamzatul Wasl, then it should be pronounced.
So how do we know what vowel to start with when reading?
Here are three simple rules:
– If Hamzatul Wasl is followed by a Laam ( ل ) then the Hamza takes a Fatha.
– If the 3rd letter of the word has a Dhamma then Hamzatul Wasl takes a Dhamma.
– Other than these two cases, Hamzatul Wasl always takes a Kasra.
