Question

Assalaamu alaikum.  Could you please tell me when a tajweed teacher tells someone that they have lahn ( ) this refers to the pronunciation of fat-ha in a wrong way.  Does it mean that they are pronouncing it with "imaalah" or can it also mean that they are pronouncing it with tafkheem?  Your help is appreciated and may Allah reward you.

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh.  The word   means error, or deviation from that which is correct, so any of the examples you gave would be correct to be called a .  For some reason though, it has become common to call an incomplete vowel sound as a    , and many times it is used instead of the more correct phrase, “incompletion of the vowel” ( ).  An incomplete vowel sound would be, not opening the mouth enough for the fat-h, not completing the circling of the mouth for the dhammah, or not lowering the jaw enough for the kasrah. The imaalah should be called imaalah, since it is a sideways opening of the mouth instead of a vertical opening.  

You are welcome and may Allah reward you and all Muslims with great goodness.