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Ikhfa Shafawi

إخفاء شفوي

The mīm hidden at the lips

Lesson 4.1 · Module 4 · Meem sakinah

Ikhfa Shafawi (إخفاء شفوي): before a bā, the mīm is not said clearly: it keeps a nasal sound for two counts. When a mīm with no vowel ends a word and the next word begins with a bā (ب). The Quran has 496 of them, in 75 surahs (Hafs reading).

What does Ikhfa Shafawi mean?

Ikhfa Shafawi (إخفاء شفوي): the mīm hidden at the lips

Ikhfa Shafawi hides the meem sakinah when it is followed by the letter baa (ب). The meem is concealed, with a nasal sound.

Ikhfa Shafawi: the letter

Ikhfa Shafawi in the Quran, letter by letter: counted on the text of the Madani Mushaf.
Letter Name In the Quran
ب bā 496

How to pronounce Ikhfa Shafawi

Keep the lips relaxed, not pressed: the sound flows through the nose two counts, then the bā.

The gesture
Keep the lips relaxed without forcing a gap or a hard closure, and let the ghunnah resonate through the nose for two counts.
Avoid
Do not pronounce the mīm fully, merge it into the bā, or lose the ghunnah between them.
The condition
Only bā triggers it after a sakin mīm. Before another mīm there is idgham; before other letters the mīm is clear.

The length, by ear

Two counts: the nasal sound is held, and the vowel before it stays short.

تَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍ Al-Fil 105:4

One count is the length of a short vowel.

Two counts is the measure of al-Marsafi (Hidayat al-Qari) and of most textbooks. Other teachers do not count the ghunnah in beats: its length is learned by ear, by listening to a reciter.

Where the letters come from

Each point is shown on the mouth map, and each letter has its own page.

12 examples of Ikhfa Shafawi in the Quran

Short surahs first. Tap ▶ to hear Ikhfa Shafawi in its verse, recited by al-Husary.

Ikhfa Shafawi: common mistakes

What is often heard, and how to fix it. The ▶ plays the right model, recited by al-Husary.

  1. Pressing the lips hard on the mīm before the bā: they stay relaxed, not pressed.

    The right model · Al-Jumu'ah 62:8

  2. Saying the mīm with no nasal sound, as before another letter: before the bā, it hides with a nasal sound of two counts.

    The right model · Al-'Adiyat 100:11

  3. Merging the mīm into the bā and doubling the bā: the mīm stays, hidden, and the bā is not doubled.

    The right model · At-Talaq 65:6

Ikhfa Shafawi and neighbouring rules

RuleWhenWhat happens
Ikhfa Shafawi When a mīm with no vowel ends a word and the next word begins with a bā (ب). Before a bā, the mīm is not said clearly: it keeps a nasal sound for two counts.
Idgham Shafawi When a mīm with no vowel is followed by another mīm. A mīm with no vowel, then another mīm: they become one doubled mīm, with a nasal sound of 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 Ikhfa Shafawi, the other with Izhar Shafawi. Listen for the difference.

What I show you when you recite

Your turn: which rule?

By eye

The highlighted letters carry a rule. Which one?

  1. فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا

    fayunabbi'uhum bimā

    Al-Mujadila 58:6

  2. أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن

    'aṭʿamahummin

    Quraysh 106:4

  3. يُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا

    yunabbi'uhum bimā

    Al-Mujadila 58:7

  4. مِنۢ بَعْدِ

    mim baʿdi

    Al-Bayyinah 98:4

By ear

Listen, then choose the rule you hear. The word appears after you answer.

Practise: tajweed exercises with answers

Ikhfa Shafawi in numbers

496times in the Quran

75surahs

Where to practise: the surahs of 20 verses or fewer with the most Ikhfa Shafawi
SurahVersesIkhfa Shafawi
60. Al-Mumtahanah 13 4
61. As-Saf 14 2
49. Al-Hujurat 18 2
105. Al-Fil 5 1
62. Al-Jumu'ah 11 1

Counted on the text of the Madani Mushaf (Hafs reading).

Frequently asked questions

What is Ikhfa Shafawi in tajweed?

Ikhfa Shafawi hides a sakin mīm before bā, with a ghunnah held for two counts.

Which letters does Ikhfa Shafawi apply to?

When a mīm with no vowel ends a word and the next word begins with a bā (ب).

How many times does Ikhfa Shafawi occur in the Quran?

496 times, in 75 surahs, according to the text of the Madani Mushaf (Hafs reading). Among the surahs of 20 verses or fewer, Al-Mumtahanah has the most: 4 in 13 verses.

Ikhfa Shafawi or Idgham Shafawi: what is the difference?

Ikhfa Shafawi: before a bā, the mīm is not said clearly: it keeps a nasal sound for two counts. Idgham Shafawi: a mīm with no vowel, then another mīm: they become one doubled mīm, with a nasal sound of two counts.

Ikhfa Shafawi: 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 Ikhfa Shafawi was missed or done wrong, with the word to replay in its verse.

Tilawa editorial team · Updated 2026-10-24 · Report an error