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Iqlab

إقلاب

The nūn turned into mīm

Lesson 3.4 · Module 3 · Noon sakinah and tanween

Iqlab (إقلاب): before a bā, the nūn turns into a mīm, with a nasal sound held two counts. When a nūn with no vowel, or a tanwīn (final “n”), is followed by a bā (ب). The Quran has 562 of them, in 83 surahs (Hafs reading).

What does Iqlab mean?

Iqlab (إقلاب): the nūn turned into mīm

Iqlab converts the noon sakinah or tanween into a meem sound when it is followed by the letter baa (ب), with a nasal sound for two counts.

Iqlab: the letter

Iqlab in the Quran, letter by letter: counted on the text of the Madani Mushaf.
Letter Name In the Quran
ب bā 562

How to pronounce Iqlab

A mīm is said in place of the nūn: lips relaxed, not pressed, the nose hums two counts.

The gesture
Keep the tongue away from the nūn position, relax the lips, and let the ghunnah resonate through the nose for two counts before bā.
Avoid
Do not keep a clear nūn, pronounce a fully clear mīm, or lose the ghunnah before the bā.
The condition
Only bā triggers iqlab after a sakin nūn or tanwīn, inside one word or across two words.

The length, by ear

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

مِنۢ بَعْدِ Al-Bayyinah 98:4

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 Iqlab in the Quran

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

Iqlab: common mistakes

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

  1. Saying a clear nūn before the bā: it turns into a mīm, hidden in the nose.

    The right model · Al-Humazah 104:4

  2. Pressing the lips hard on the mīm: they stay relaxed, not pressed.

    The right model · Al-Jumu'ah 62:7

  3. Forgetting the nasal sound: the mīm is held two counts in the nose before the bā.

    The right model · Al-Munafiqun 63:11

Iqlab and neighbouring rules

RuleWhenWhat happens
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.
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.
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 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.

By ear: two words that sound alike

Two words that sound alike: one is read with Iqlab, the other with Ikhfa. 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. فَاسِقٌۢ بِنَبَإٍ

    fāsiqum binaba'in

    Al-Hujurat 49:6

  2. ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ

    l-insāna

    Al-'Asr 103:2

  3. فَإِنۢ بَغَتْ

    fa'im baghat

    Al-Hujurat 49:9

  4. تَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍ

    tarmīhim biḥijāratim

    Al-Fil 105:4

By ear

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

Practise: tajweed exercises with answers

Iqlab in numbers

562times in the Quran

83surahs

Where to practise: the surahs of 20 verses or fewer with the most Iqlab
SurahVersesIqlab
49. Al-Hujurat 18 4
62. Al-Jumu'ah 11 3
61. As-Saf 14 3
64. At-Taghabun 18 3
65. At-Talaq 12 2

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Iqlab in tajweed?

Iqlab changes a sakin nūn or tanwīn before bā into a hidden mīm, with ghunnah for two counts.

Which letters does Iqlab apply to?

When a nūn with no vowel, or a tanwīn (final “n”), is followed by a bā (ب).

How many times does Iqlab occur in the Quran?

562 times, in 83 surahs, according to the text of the Madani Mushaf (Hafs reading). Among the surahs of 20 verses or fewer, Al-Hujurat has the most: 4 in 18 verses.

Iqlab or Ikhfa: what is the difference?

Iqlab: before a bā, the nūn turns into a mīm, with a nasal sound held two counts. Ikhfa: the nūn is not said clearly: it hides in a nasal sound, held two counts.

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

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