Question
Assalamoalaikum,
Thank you so much for such prompt replies to my previous questions. Jazakallah. I understand that alif is always sakin and that alif with a harakah is actually hamza. Am I correct? Is there a rule for the different pronunciation of an alif which comes in the middle of a word (last word in 105:3) and a hamza with a sukoon which comes in the middle of a word (last word 105:5).I went through your complete site but I did not find any information on this. If you do have something on it please tell me how to get there. I must tell you that you have a very interesting and informative site.
Jazakallah,

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh.

You are correct.  If you are using the type of printing that does not use the actual hamzah symbol, then if there is a vowel or a sukoon on the alif, you pronounce a hamzah. If there is no symbol on the alif, then it is an alif, and is given two vowel counts if there is no hamzah or sukoon afterwards. In surah Al-Feel,the word has an alif in the middle, and we should lengthen it two vowel counts.  We do this by holding the fat-hah on the  .   Click here to listen to the aayah. The first letter of that same word is a hamzah, and that should be pronounced as a hamzah with a fat-hah.  

In the last word of surah Al-Feel, there is a hamzah saakinah, which is not at all the same as an alif.  Click here to listen to the aayah. This hamzah with no vowel, is articulated from the deepest part of the throat, but we stop the sound quickly because of the sukoon.  There are no special rules for these two letters in these words in the recitation of Hafs ‘an ‘Aasim, except the stated two count lengthening for the alif in the first word. 

To listen to the complete surah read slowly by Sheikh Al-Husary, please click on the following link, then save the file of Al-Feel to your computer, then listen to it.  http://www.islaam.net/display/display.php?id=787&category=49

Jazakum Allahu khairan for the comments.  May Allah make easy for you the study of tajweed and recitation of the Qur’an.