Indispensable Madd (Prolongation)

Type: indispensable prolongation is a subordinate prolongation and its cause is a main, constant and changeless non-voweled letter (Sukun).

Definition: It is when a non-voweled letter with a main non-vowelness (Sukun) or an accentual letter come after a prolongation within a word. (because the accentual letter is originally two same letters, the first non-voweled and the second voweled.)

Prolongation Duration: All Qari (Quran readers) agree on a full prolongation of six counts.

Why is it called Indispensable?

It is called an Indispensable prolongation for its urgent cause or necessity in stretching it for six counts (by common consent).

It has two kinds: lexical and literal.

1. Lexical Indispensible Prolongation: if the indispensible prolongation is within a word. In the following ways:

§ HEAVY: when there is an accentual letter after the prolongation in a word:

- ﴿وَلاَ الضَّـالِّـينَ﴾ (Al-Fatihah: 7) (example 1) an accentual "ل" follows the prolongation.

- ﴿الْحَـاقَّـةُ﴾ (Al-Haqqah: 1) (example 2)

- ﴿قُلْ آللّهُ أَذِنَ لَكُمْ أَمْ عَلَى اللّهِ تَفْتَرُونَ﴾ (Yunus: 59) (example 3)

- ﴿قُلْ آلذَّكَرَيْنِ حَرَّمَ أَمِ الأُنثَيَيْنِ أَمَّا اشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَرْحَامُ الأُنثَيَيْن﴾ (Al-An'am: 143) (example 4)

§ LIGHT:

It comes when a non-voweled and not accentual letter (with a main non-vowelness (Sukun)) follows the prolonged letter. Like ﴿ءالئن﴾ in two places in chapter Yunus.There are no other examples of this kind in Quran:

- ﴿آلآنَ وَقَدْ كُنتُم بِهِ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ﴾ (Yunus: 51) (example 5) a main non-voweled and not accentual letter comes after the prolonged "ا".

- ﴿آلآنَ وَقَدْ عَصَيْتَ قَبْلُ وَكُنتَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ﴾ (Yunus: 91) (example 6)

Note: The Lexical Indispensible Prolongation resulted by a question Hamzah is called "Distinction Prolongation". It comes in these words: ﴿ءالئن﴾, ﴿ءالله﴾ and﴿ءالذكرين﴾. This is because of the distinction we make between those question words and similar words with the usage of prolongation. For example, the distinction between question form of(ءالئن) that is mentioned twice in Yunus chapter and the word (الآن) which is affirmative is made by a prolongation.

2. The Literal Indispensible Prolongation:

It happens where the indispensible prolongation comes on one of the (Fawatih) letters. Fawatih are three letters with the prolonged or soft (Layen) (which are:نقص عسلكم ) middle letter. This prolongation could be divded into these two kinds:

§ HEAVY: when a merged letter comes after the prolonged letter:

- ﴿الـم﴾ (Al-Baqarah: 1) (example 7) after the prolonged "ا" in the word " لام ", letter " م " is merged in the second "" that follows it. The prolongation is heavy.

- ﴿طسم﴾ (Al-Shuara: 1) (example 8) the "ن" which follows "ی" in "سین" is merged in its following "م". The prolongation is heavy.

§ LIGHT: When a non-voweled letter comes after the prolonged letter and there is no merger on that letter:

- ﴿ق وَالْقُرْآنِ الْمَجِيدِ﴾ (Qaaf: 1) (example 9) After the prolonged "ا" in " قاف ", letter " ف " is non-voweled and not merged in its following letter. The prolongation of "ا" is light.

- ﴿ص وَالْقُرْآنِ ذِي الذِّكْرِ﴾ (Saad: 1) (example 10)

- ﴿الـمـر﴾ (example 11), letter "ا" in " لام " will have a heavy prolongation because of the merger of letter "م" of " لام " in the first "م" in the word "میم". But the prolonged "ی" in " ميم " has a light prolongation for being its next letter a non-voweled letter without merger in its following letter (the second "م" of the word "میم").

Attention: The Fawatih letters came in the phrase " سنقص لكم " are prolonged six counts. But the prolongation of "ع" in the beginning of chapter Maryam ﴿كهيعص﴾ (example 12) and beginning of chapter Shura﴿عسق﴾ (example 13)can be stretched four counts (because it is connected to a Layen prolongation) or be full (six counts for its being indispensible prolongation). The six count prolongation is more common.

Note: If the beginning of chapter A—Emran ﴿ألم﴾ is connected to its following words, letter "م" gets vowel "َ" (fathah) and then the "ی" of "میم" can be prolonged two or six counts. But in the case of stopping on "میم", it must be stretched six counts, not less.

Reminder

The indispensible prolongation is a فيعي prolongation; its cause is an original non-voweled letter.