Question

My teacher tells me my alifs (alifaat) are too far back. I don’t understand how that can be if the articulation point for the alif is the lowest part of the throat.  Isn’t the lowest part of the throat way back in the mouth?

Answer

The articulation point of the alif is the , which is the empty space in the mouth in the throat.  The alif has a general articulation area and not a specific point of articulation.  The  uses the deepest part of the throat for an articulation point.  The hamzah and the alif are not the same letter.  The hamzah sometimes sits on an alif, but then that letter is a hamzah and not an alif. 

When reciting an alif, which is always a medd letter, we must not rely on any specific point for articulation.  Some mistakenly use the articulation point of the hamzah, or near it, or just make the alif heavy by raising up their tongue in the back, and the resultant sound is not the correct sound for the alif.  Most likely that is what you are doing and the reason for your teacher’s correction.  May Allah make easy for you and all Muslims the correct alif and all Arabic letters.