Question

Assalamu alaikom  

I would like to know please, when teaching tajweed to non Arabs, is it better to start the course with each letter in detail (articulation and characteristics), or is it better and easier to start directly by the different tajweed rules; noon sakinah and tanween, meem sakinah etc.

 

Jazakallah khair

 

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

 

It is necessary to give detailed lessons in the articulation points to beginning non-Arab students so they can understand where their tongue should be or what part of the throat, teeth, lips should be used in pronouncing the Arabic letters.  The detailed characteristics can be taught later, but the teacher should correct the student if there is a mistake in the characteristic which changes the sound of the letter, for example, if the student pronounces a  without , it will sound like a .  This is a major mistake when reading the Qur’an and the teacher should correct the student and explain how to make  on the .  The details of the definitions of the characteristics and the timings of the saakin letters based on their characteristics though is too much for a new student to absorb, and is best left for later after the rules of the saakinah,  saakinah,  saakinah, the mudood, and the qalqalah are taught and applied by the student.  It is important that not only the teaching is done, but the application of the rules is employed by the student before moving on to the detailed study of the characteristics. 
Allah knows best.  Wa iyyaakum.