Al, Sun Letters, and Moon Letters

Know when the lam in al is spoken and when it melts into the next letter.

The Arabic definite article ال means the. Its spelling stays the same, but its pronunciation changes according to the first letter of the word that follows.

With moon letters, you hear the lam. With sun letters, the lam becomes silent and the next consonant is doubled.

Rule 1

Moon letters keep the lam

Before a moon letter, pronounce al clearly.

الْقَمَر

al-qamar

the moon

الْكِتَاب

al-kitab

the book

Rule 2

Sun letters absorb the lam

Before a sun letter, skip the lam sound and double the first letter of the word.

الشَّمْس

ash-shams

the sun

الرَّحْمَٰن

ar-Rahman

the Most Compassionate

Open the ayah

Try it yourself

Pause before revealing the answer

Do you pronounce the lam?

الْقَمَر

Tap to check your answer

Yes. Qaf is a moon letter, so read al-qamar.

Where did the lam sound go?

الشَّمْس

Tap to check your answer

Sheen is a sun letter. The lam is not heard and sheen is doubled: ash-shams.

Keep this one thing

Hear the lam before moon letters. Before sun letters, skip it and double the next consonant.