Idgham without Ghunnah
إدغام بلا غنّة
Merging, with no nasal sound
Lesson 3.3 · Module 3 · Noon sakinah and tanween
Idgham without Ghunnah (إدغام بلا غنّة): the nūn disappears completely into the lām or rā that follows, with no nasal sound. Between two words: a nūn with no vowel or a tanwīn (final “n”), then lām or rā. The Quran has 1,035 of them, in 95 surahs (Hafs reading).
What does Idgham without Ghunnah mean?
Idgham without Ghunnah (إدغام بلا غنّة): merging, with no nasal sound
The noon sakinah or tanween merges into laam (ل) or raa (ر) with no nasal sound: a complete assimilation.
Idgham without Ghunnah: the 2 letters
How to pronounce Idgham without Ghunnah
Do not say the nūn: go straight to the next letter, doubled, with no nasal sound.
- The gesture
- Skip the nūn position and move directly to the lām or rā articulation, pronouncing the following letter as doubled.
- Avoid
- Do not leave a separate nūn sound or add ghunnah while merging into lām or rā.
- The condition
- Only lām and rā use this rule. Before yā, nūn, mīm or wāw, the merger keeps ghunnah.
Where the letters come from
Each point is shown on the mouth map, and each letter has its own page.
12 examples of Idgham without Ghunnah in the Quran
Short surahs first. Tap ▶ to hear Idgham without Ghunnah in its verse, recited by al-Husary.
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يَكُن لَّهُۥ
yakullahū
The nūn merges into the lām, with no nasal sound: a doubled lām is said.
-
لَئِن رَّجَعْنَآ
la'irrajaʿnā
The nūn merges into the rā, with no nasal sound: a doubled rā is said.
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فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ
fawaylullil-muṣallīn
The nūn of the tanwīn merges into the lām, with no nasal sound: a doubled lām is said.
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أَشْتَاتًا لِّيُرَوْا۟
'ashtātalliyuraw
The nūn of the tanwīn merges into the lām, with no nasal sound: a doubled lām is said.
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وَيْلٌ لِّكُلِّ
waylullikulli
The nūn of the tanwīn merges into the lām, with no nasal sound: a doubled lām is said.
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خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ
khayrullakum
The nūn of the tanwīn merges into the lām, with no nasal sound: a doubled lām is said.
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كَثِيرًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ
kathīrallaʿallakum
The nūn of the tanwīn merges into the lām, with no nasal sound: a doubled lām is said.
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خَيْرٌ لَّكَ
khayrullaka
The nūn of the tanwīn merges into the lām, with no nasal sound: a doubled lām is said.
-
يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّخَبِيرٌۢ
yawma'idhillakhabīr
The nūn of the tanwīn merges into the lām, with no nasal sound: a doubled lām is said.
-
عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ
ʿīshatirrāḍiyah
The nūn of the tanwīn merges into the rā, with no nasal sound: a doubled rā is said.
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مُبَيِّنَـٰتٍ لِّيُخْرِجَ
mubayyinātilliyukhrija
The nūn of the tanwīn merges into the lām, with no nasal sound: a doubled lām is said.
-
غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
ghafūrurraḥīm
The nūn of the tanwīn merges into the rā, with no nasal sound: a doubled rā is said.
Idgham without Ghunnah: common mistakes
What is often heard, and how to fix it. The ▶ plays the right model, recited by al-Husary.
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Keeping a nasal sound before ل or ر: the merging is complete, with no ghunnah.
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Saying “n” then “l”: the nūn disappears; only the next letter is heard, doubled.
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Passing over ل or ر without doubling it: after the merging, it carries the shadda and is held as a doubled letter.
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Merging the nūn into the rā in 75:27: Hafs makes a short breathless pause there (sakt), which prevents the merging.
Idgham without Ghunnah and neighbouring rules
| Rule | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Idgham without Ghunnah | Between two words: a nūn with no vowel or a tanwīn (final “n”), then lām or rā. | The nūn disappears completely into the lām or rā that follows, with no nasal sound. |
| Idgham with Ghunnah | Between two words: a nūn with no vowel or a tanwīn (final “n”), then yā, nūn, mīm or wāw. | The nūn merges into the next letter, with a nasal sound held two counts. |
| Ikhfa | A nūn with no vowel, or a tanwīn (final “n”), before: ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك. | The nūn is not said clearly: it hides in a nasal sound, held two counts. |
| Iqlab | When a nūn with no vowel, or a tanwīn (final “n”), is followed by a bā (ب). | Before a bā, the nūn turns into a mīm, with a nasal sound held two counts. |
By ear: two words that sound alike
Two words that sound alike: one is read with Idgham without Ghunnah, the other with Idgham with Ghunnah. Listen for the difference.
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مَن لَّا
mal lā
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مِن مَّا
mim mā
What I show you when you recite
Your turn: which rule?
By eye
The highlighted letters carry a rule. Which one?
- At-Tahrim 66:6
شِدَادٌ لَّا
shidādullā
- Quraysh 106:4
جُوعٍ وَءَامَنَهُم
jūʿiw̃wa'āmanahum
- At-Tahrim 66:10
مَثَلًا لِّلَّذِينَ
mathalallilladhīna
- Al-'Asr 103:2
ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ
l-insāna
By ear
Listen, then choose the rule you hear. The word appears after you answer.
-
مِن رُّوحِنَا
mir rūḥinā
At-Tahrim 66:12 -
بِحِجَارَةٍ مِّن
biḥijāratim min
Al-Fil 105:4 -
وَٱنْحَرْ
wanḥar
Al-Kawthar 108:2
Idgham without Ghunnah in numbers
1,035times in the Quran
95surahs
| Surah | Verses | Idgham without Ghunnah |
|---|---|---|
| 60. Al-Mumtahanah | 13 | 7 |
| 66. At-Tahrim | 12 | 5 |
| 49. Al-Hujurat | 18 | 5 |
| 64. At-Taghabun | 18 | 4 |
| 90. Al-Balad | 20 | 3 |
Counted on the text of the Madani Mushaf (Hafs reading).
Frequently asked questions
What is Idgham without Ghunnah in tajweed?
Before lām or rā, a sakin nūn or tanwīn merges completely into the next letter, without ghunnah.
Which letters does Idgham without Ghunnah apply to?
Between two words: a nūn with no vowel or a tanwīn (final “n”), then lām or rā. In the Quran, the most frequent is ل (lām): 748 times.
How many times does Idgham without Ghunnah occur in the Quran?
1,035 times, in 95 surahs, according to the text of the Madani Mushaf (Hafs reading). Among the surahs of 20 verses or fewer, Al-Mumtahanah has the most: 7 in 13 verses.
Idgham without Ghunnah or Idgham with Ghunnah: what is the difference?
Idgham without Ghunnah: the nūn disappears completely into the lām or rā that follows, with no nasal sound. Idgham with Ghunnah: the nūn merges into the next letter, with a nasal sound held two counts.
Idgham without Ghunnah: how do I know I apply it correctly?
A rule is learned by ear: recite a surah out loud in the Tilawa app, which follows your recitation word by word and shows you where Idgham without Ghunnah was missed or done wrong, with the word to replay in its verse.
Tilawa editorial team · Updated 2026-10-24 · Report an error