Question

As Salaamu 'alaikum warahmatullahi wa Barakaatuh.

Ma sha Allah, what a beautiful site.

I am a student of tajweed, who can only afford one lesson a week (i.e. from a financial point of view).  

My greatest challenge thus far has been the dhaad. At times like this, you wish you had a teacher who lived with you, who could teach you what you were doing wrong each time you practised. 

I have no idea what the makhraj of dhaad is - and looked at your site in an effort to understand. However I found the explanation itself extremely challenging, complicated, technical and difficult to understand. 

How does one pronounce a letter from the back side of the tongue, and touch the gums, and raise the tongue at the same time...it's all too confusing for me.

Please explain as you would to a child who has a limited vocabulary.

Also, is there a tajweed learning video available for sale?  Perhaps you should consider compiling one. 

jazakumullahu khayran was salaam.

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

Jazakum Allahu khairan. 

Teachers of the tajweed should not take more than a minimum fee for their services.  The early scholars of tajweed never took money for teaching, but earned their living through other trades, then taught Qur’an in their free time.  Scholars have indicated it is allowed to take a fee for teaching Qur’an, but it should not unreasonably tax the students, and certainly allowances should be made for those in financial difficulties.  We urge all teachers of the Qur’an to follow the ways of our righteous predecessors and to fear Allah in cases of students eager to learn, but unable to pay what is being asked.  Imam Ash-Shatibiyy in his poem on the seven qir’aat, wrote a line about this in the introduction part of the poem describing all the different scholars and their two narrators in the seven qira’aat.  He said, may Allah be pleased with him: .  Meaning, “and he [the scholar] did not make a living off of the Qur’an”.  More literally it means “his Qur'an was not a source of food”.

The articulation point of the letter  is hard for many to understand, since the letter is unique to the Arabic language.  The tongue is a long body part and can be separated into sections, one section of the tongue can be one place and another doing something else when a letter is being pronounced.  If we divide the visible part of the tongue in two thirds, it may help you.  The  uses the side or sides of the tongue, but the last 2/3 of the side considering the tip of the tongue the front part of the tongue.  The letter  uses the front third of the sides until the sides end at the tip. 

In the above picture we can see the visible part of the tongue.  The last 2/3 thirds of the side (or sides) of the tongue moves up in a vertical motion and hits the molar area that is directly above this part of the tongue, when pronouncing the letter . One side of the tongue can be used-either right or left- or both sides can be used at the same time.  The first thing to work on is getting this portion of the tongue used to going up and hitting the molar area without the tip of the tongue coming in to play.  This takes some time and dua’.  Some find it easier to start practicing with a  saakinah or a  with a shaddah to “feel” the sides of the tongue go up.  The deeper part of the tongue raises up because the  has the characteristic of  (elevation).  This is not the same part that causes the sound of the , but is necessary for the  to sound correct. 

Insha’ Allah this helps, but of course practicing and trying in front of your teacher is the best way to perfect it. May Allah grant you perfectly pronounced  and grant you recitation that is pleasing to Him.  Ameen. 

We have seen some online tajweed videos, but they did not appear clear.  We have no plans to develop a video at this time, but one never knows what the future may hold. 

Wa iyyaakum.