Question

Dear Bro,

I am confused in regards to the levels of Ikhfa'. I understand that there are 3 levels, Kubro, wustho and sughro.

Can you clarify these levels.

jazakallah.  

Answer

Assalaam alaikum.

The idea that the ikhfa’ has three levels is not one found in the early books of tajweed written by famous scholars, nor could we  find it in any of the modern books that we looked at either.  The terms ikhfa’ kubraa, sughraa, and wustaa, are unknown to us.  The only thing we could think of us that because there is a difference in sound of the ikhfa’ when the letter causing the ikhfa’ is close in articulation point to the letter  and when it is far, that someone may have made the terms in the question.  The truth though is there is no such division, and although the sound is slightly different when the next letter is close to the  and when it is far, this is a natural occurrence since we position our mouth so we are close to the next letter when making the ikhfa’, and there are no sub-categories and no need for them.

Wa iyaakum.

Wa assalaam