Idgham

What is Idgham?

Idgham is the merging of a silent noon (نْ) or tanwin (ــًـ ــٍـ ــٌـ) into a specific letter that follows, so that both are pronounced as a single stressed (mushaddad) letter. Instead of clearly saying the noon and then the next letter, the reciter blends them: the sound of the noon disappears into the following letter, which is then held with a shaddah.

The Six Letters of Idgham

Idgham of the silent noon happens before six letters, gathered by scholars in the mnemonic YARMALUN (ي ر م ل و ن):

• ي و م ن — idgham with ghunnah.
• ل ر — idgham without ghunnah.

Examples: man ya'mal becomes mayya'mal; min waraiihim becomes miwwarā'ihim; min rabbihim becomes mirrabbihim.

Two Types by Degree

• Complete Idgham (kamil) — the noon disappears entirely into the following letter, with no trace remaining.
• Incomplete Idgham (naqis) — some quality of the noon (its ghunnah) is preserved, as in the four letters that take idgham with ghunnah.

The Exception Within One Word

Idgham of the silent noon does not take place when the noon and the following letter are within a single word. In such cases the reciter observes clear pronunciation (izhar) even though the letters are ي و. There are four such words in the entire Quran: dunyā ( دُنْيَا ), bunyān ( بُنْيَان ), qinwān ( قِنْوَان ), and sinwān ( صِنْوَان ). These are memorised by every student as the classic exceptions.

Idgham in Other Contexts

The term idgham is not limited to the silent noon. It also appears in:

• Idgham al-mithlayn — merging identical letters, like ib'athlanā from ib'ath + lanā.
• Idgham al-mutaqaribayn — merging closely related letters (e.g., ذ into ظ in certain places).
• Idgham al-mutajanisayn — merging letters sharing a makhraj but differing in characteristics (e.g., ت into ط).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the wisdom of idgham?

The Prophet ﷺ recited the Quran with elegance, flow, and clarity. Idgham makes the recitation flow smoothly where two similar or connected letters would otherwise sound abrupt. It is the natural, taught way of preserving both beauty and precision in tajwid.

Why is idgham suspended in the four words?

The scholars explain that if idgham were applied inside these words, the resulting shaddah would obscure the word's meaning and make it indistinguishable from another. The Sunnah of recitation is therefore to keep clear pronunciation in these four exceptions, preserving each word's distinct sound.