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Madd Munfasil

مدّ منفصل

The stretch across two words

Lesson 5.3 · Module 5 · Madd

Madd Munfasil (مدّ منفصل): a long vowel ends a word and a hamzah opens the next: four or five counts. When a word ends with a long vowel and the next one begins with a hamzah. The Quran has 3,172 of them, in 101 surahs (Hafs reading).

What does Madd Munfasil mean?

Madd Munfasil (مدّ منفصل): the stretch across two words

An elongation of four or five counts when a madd letter ends one word and the next word starts with a hamza.

Madd Munfasil: when does it apply?

When a word ends with a long vowel and the next one begins with a hamzah.

The three madd letters

How to pronounce Madd Munfasil

Between the two words, hold the vowel four or five counts without a break, then say the hamzah.

The gesture
Carry the vowel across the join on one breath, then pronounce the next word’s hamzah clearly.
Avoid
Do not pause between the words or shorten the taught length. The next word must begin with a hamzah.
The condition
The madd sound ends the first word, and the hamzah begins the next word. If both are in one word, it is Madd Muttasil.

The length, by ear

Four or five counts: one length, chosen at the start and kept to the end of the recitation.

إِنَّآ أَعْطَيْنَـٰكَ Al-Kawthar 108:1

One count is the length of a short vowel.

Where the letters come from

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

12 examples of Madd Munfasil in the Quran

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

Madd Munfasil: common mistakes

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

  1. Cutting it to two counts: that length comes from another chain of transmission; in the one of the Madinah Mushaf, it is held four or five counts.

    The right model · Quraysh 106:4

  2. Changing the length from one madd munfasil to the next: the chosen length is kept to the end of the recitation.

    The right model · Al-Qadr 97:1

  3. Breaking between the two words, or keeping the long length when stopping: when joining, the voice passes from one word to the next; stopped on the first word, the madd becomes natural again.

    The right model · Al-Qadr 97:2

  4. Holding the munfasil longer than the muttasil: both are held the same length, four and four, or five and five.

    The right model · Al-Masad 111:1

Madd Munfasil and neighbouring rules

RuleWhenWhat happens
Madd Munfasil When a word ends with a long vowel and the next one begins with a hamzah. A long vowel ends a word and a hamzah opens the next: four or five counts.
Madd Muttasil When the long vowel and the hamzah are in the same word. Inside one word, a long vowel followed by a hamzah is held four or five counts.
Madd Tabee'ee An alif, wāw or yā extending the vowel before it, and no hamzah or vowelless letter after. A long vowel with no hamzah or sukoon after it is held two counts.
Madd 'Aarid Li-Sukun When you stop on a word ending in a long vowel and then one letter. The same goes for “ay” and “aw” (yā or wāw with no vowel after a fatḥa): this is madd līn. When you stop, a long vowel placed just before the last letter may last two, four or six counts.
Madd Lazim Before a doubled or always-vowelless letter, and in some opening letters of surahs. A long vowel, then a doubled or always-vowelless letter: it is held six counts.

By ear: two words that sound alike

Two words that sound alike: one is read with Madd Munfasil, the other with Madd Tabee'ee. 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. فِىٓ أَحْسَنِ

    fī 'aḥsani

    At-Tin 95:4

  2. جَآءَ

    jā'a

    An-Nasr 110:1

  3. وَمَآ أُمِرُوٓا۟

    wamā 'umirū

    Al-Bayyinah 98:5

  4. ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ

    l-insāna

    Al-'Asr 103:2

By ear

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

Practise: tajweed exercises with answers

Madd Munfasil in numbers

3,172times in the Quran

101surahs

Where to practise: the surahs of 20 verses or fewer with the most Madd Munfasil
SurahVersesMadd Munfasil
60. Al-Mumtahanah 13 23
49. Al-Hujurat 18 17
66. At-Tahrim 12 15
65. At-Talaq 12 11
61. As-Saf 14 11

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Madd Munfasil in tajweed?

Madd munfasil: a long vowel ends a word and a hamzah opens the next. It is held four or five counts, the same length as madd muttasil. The small wāw or yā after the pronoun hā follows the same rule before a hamzah.

When does Madd Munfasil apply?

When a word ends with a long vowel and the next one begins with a hamzah. The madd sound ends the first word, and the hamzah begins the next word. If both are in one word, it is Madd Muttasil.

How many times does Madd Munfasil occur in the Quran?

3,172 times, in 101 surahs, according to the text of the Madani Mushaf (Hafs reading). Among the surahs of 20 verses or fewer, Al-Mumtahanah has the most: 23 in 13 verses.

Madd Munfasil or Madd Muttasil: what is the difference?

Madd Munfasil: a long vowel ends a word and a hamzah opens the next: four or five counts. Madd Muttasil: inside one word, a long vowel followed by a hamzah is held four or five counts.

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

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