Madd (مدّ) literally means "to stretch" or "to elongate." In Tajweed, it refers to the lengthening of a vowel sound beyond its natural duration. The three letters of Madd are: ا (Alif) preceded by a fathah, و (Waw) preceded by a dammah, and ي (Ya) preceded by a kasrah. The natural length of these letters when no cause for additional elongation exists is called Madd Tabee'ee (المد الطبيعي), and it is held for exactly two counts (harakaat).
When a cause for elongation is present — such as a hamzah or a sukoon after the Madd letter — the elongation increases. Madd Muttasil (المد المتصل) occurs when a hamzah follows the Madd letter within the same word (e.g., جاءَ), and it is obligatorily held for 4-5 counts. Madd Munfasil (المد المنفصل) occurs when the Madd letter is at the end of one word and a hamzah begins the next word (e.g., إنّا أنزلناه), and it is held for 4-5 counts according to Hafs.
Madd Laazim (المد اللازم) is the strongest type of Madd and occurs when a sukoon (permanent, not due to stopping) follows the Madd letter. It is divided into Kalimi (word-level) and Harfi (letter-level), each of which can be Muthaqqal (heavy, with shaddah) or Mukhaffaf (light, without shaddah). Madd Laazim is always held for 6 counts.
Other important types include Madd 'Aarid lil-Sukoon (المد العارض للسكون), which occurs when stopping on a word where a Madd letter is followed by the last consonant, allowing 2, 4, or 6 counts. There is also Madd al-Leen (مد اللين), which involves the letters و and ي when preceded by a fathah and followed by a sukoon due to stopping.
Our platform teaches each type of Madd with clear rules about the required or permissible durations, plenty of Quranic examples, and audio demonstrations. Practice exercises help you train your ear to distinguish between different Madd lengths, which is crucial for consistent, accurate recitation.