Letter 23 of 29
Lam
Transliterated “l”
ل
Its four forms
An Arabic letter changes shape depending on where it sits in a word. All four are the same letter.
- Isolated
- ل
- Initial
- لـ
- Medial
- ـلـ
- Final
- ـل
Where it comes from
Side of the tongue against the gum ridge
Light in almost every case. Heavy only in the name Allah after a or u.
More on this articulation point →Qualities
- Tawassut
- Jahr
- Inhiraf
Joining: Joins to the letter that follows it.
Common mistakes
- Making every lam heavy
- Thinning the lam in "Allah" after a fathah
In the Quran
- 1:2لِلَّهِLight lam after kasrah