اَلْمِنْدِيل (al-mindīl : handkerchief) and the Definite Article اَلْ in Arabic: اَلْحُرُوف الشَّمْسِيَّة (al-ḥurūf al-shamsiyyah : sun letters) vs اَلْحُرُوف الْقَمَرِيَّة (al-ḥurūf al-qamariyyah : moon letters)
This session covers the Arabic definite article اَلْ (al- : the) and how its pronunciation changes depending on the first letter of the word it precedes. When preceding اَلْحُرُوف الشَّمْسِيَّة (al-ḥurūf al-shamsiyyah : sun letters), the lām of اَلْ is assimilated (e.g., اَلشَّمْسُ — ash-shamsu : the sun). When preceding اَلْحُرُوف الْقَمَرِيَّة (al-ḥurūf al-qamariyyah : moon letters), the lām is pronounced clearly (e.g., اَلْقَمَرُ — al-qamaru : the moon).
Original Recording
Original class recording
Key Points
- 1اَلْحُرُوف الشَّمْسِيَّة (al-ḥurūf al-shamsiyyah : sun letters) cause the lām of اَلْ to assimilate into the following letter (e.g., اَلشَّمْسُ — ash-shamsu : the sun, اَلنُّورُ — an-nūru : the light).
- 2اَلْحُرُوف الْقَمَرِيَّة (al-ḥurūf al-qamariyyah : moon letters) allow the lām of اَلْ to be pronounced clearly (e.g., اَلْقَمَرُ — al-qamaru : the moon, اَلْبَيْتُ — al-baytu : the house).
- 3اَلشَّمْس (al-shams : the sun) itself begins with a شَمْسِيَّة (shamsiyyah : sun letter), demonstrating the assimilation rule.
- 4Recognizing sun and moon letters is essential for correct recitation of the Qurʾān and proper Arabic pronunciation.
Quiz
What are حُرُوفٌ شَمْسِيَّةٌ (ḥurūf shamsiyya)?
Quranic Examples
وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا
wa-l-shamsi wa-ḍuḥāhā
By the sun and its morning brightness
Surah al-Shams 91:1 ↗ — A direct example of a shamsiyya letter in the Qur'ān: شِين (shīn) is a sun letter, so الشَّمْسِ is pronounced ash-shamsi — the lām is silent and the shīn carries a shadda. The teacher used اَلشَّمْسُ in class as the paradigm shamsiyya example.