In the Arabic language, we have two kinds of the letter LAAM, and it’s called Laam Shamsiya and Laam Qamariya. The difference between Laam Shamsiya And Laam Qamariya is the pronunciation of the letter (Lam) in Arabic.
In this article, we will explain Laam Shamsiya and Laam Qamariya, how to differentiate between them, and illustrated examples from the Holy Quran that show the difference between the two.
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What is the Laam Shamsiya?
“Laam Shamsiya” is an Arabic term that translates to “Sun Letter” in English. In Arabic grammar, it refers to the phenomenon where the definite article “Al” assimilates with the following letter if it is a “Shamsi” letter.
Laam Shamsiya is a defining lam “the” in English. Laam Shamsiya is added to the nouns of things to be a Definite noun, and it is the lam that is written in the word and we do not pronounce it during the reading.
The name Laam Shamsiya is taken from the word “sun” in Arabic because the word sun “shams” is actually an example of the Laam Shamsiya Rule. Laam Shamsiya refers to the word that has a Lam that would not be pronounced.
For example, the word sun in Arabic is “Shams” when you add the “the” to it (ال – Alif and Lam) the word would not be pronounced as “alshams” but rather “ashams” without pronouncing the lam letter.
The Laam becomes laam shamsiya when comes before one of the following 14 letters that are called the Laam Shamsiya letters:
- In Arabic (ت ، ث ، د ، ذ ، ر ، ز ، س ، ش ، ص ، ض ، ط ، ظ ، ن ، ل)
- The Transliteration of these letters in English are: (t / th / d / y / r / g / s / sh / r / z / i / y / n / l)
When the letters alf Lam come before these letters, the lam would on be pronounced, and the letter that follows it comes with stress or Shadah ( ّ ).
Example of laam Shamsiya: (وَالتِّينِ وَالزَّيْتُونِ)
Did you notice how these two words were pronounced? You will find yourself not pronouncing the “lam” in them despite its presence as clear as the sun, and you will find that the letter that came after it in the first word is the letter “t” and the second word is the letter “Z” and you will find the two letters stressed.
You can now identify the shamsiya lam if you find any of these letters after it.
Laam Shamsiya Letters (Sular Letters):
The term “Laam Shamsiya” refers to the Arabic definite article “Al” (ال) and its assimilation with the following letter if it is a “Shamsi” letter. Shamsi letters are those with a solar or sunny nature. When “Al” precedes a word that starts with one of these letters, the “L” sound in “Al” assimilates into the following letter. Here is the list of Shamsi letters:
- ت (taa)
- ث (tha)
- د (dal)
- ذ (dhal)
- ر (ra)
- ز (za)
- س (sa)
- ش (sha)
- ص (sad)
- ض (dad)
- ط (taa)
- ظ (zha)
In the context of “Laam Shamsiya,” it’s specifically about the assimilation of the “L” sound in “Al” with these Shamsi letters when they occur at the beginning of a word. This assimilation is a pronunciation rule in Arabic grammar.
Laam Shamsiya examples:
Here are examples of “Laam Shamsiya” in Arabic:
الشمس (Al-Shams) – The sun
In pronunciation, you say “Ash-Shams” because the “L” sound assimilates into the following “Sh” sound.
الزهراء (Al-Zuhraa) – The planet Venus
In pronunciation, you say “Az-Zuhraa” because the “L” sound assimilates into the following “Z” sound.
السماء (Al-Samaa) – The sky
In pronunciation, you say “As-Samaa” because the “L” sound assimilates into the following “S” sound.
الشجرة (Al-Shajarah) – The tree
In pronunciation, you say “Ash-Shajarah” because the “L” sound assimilates into the following “Sh” sound.
الدرس (Al-Dars) – The lesson
In pronunciation, you say “Ad-Dars” because the “L” sound assimilates into the following “D” sound.
الصحراء (Al-Sahraa) – The desert
In pronunciation, you say “As-Sahraa” because the “L” sound assimilates into the following “S” sound.
These examples demonstrate how the “Laam Shamsiya” rule applies when the definite article “Al” precedes words starting with the specified Shamsi letters in Arabic.
What is Laam Qamariya?
“Laam Qamariya” or “lunar laam” refers to another pronunciation rule in Arabic grammar similar to “Laam Shamsiya.” It involves the assimilation of the definite article “Al” (ال) with the following letter if it is a “Qamari” letter. Qamari letters are those with a lunar or moon-like nature.
Laam Qamariya is the definition of lam, which is added to the noises of things to be Definite nouns in Arabic. Laam Qamariya is written at the beginning of the and is clearly pronounced with the following letter.
The name of Lam Qamariya is taken from the Arabic word for the moon “Qamar”. Because the word moon in Arabic “shams” is actually an example of the Lam Qamariya Rule. Lam Qamariya refers to the word that has a Laam Qamariya that would be pronounced.
For example, the word moon in Arabic is “Qamar” when you add the “the” to it (ال – Alif and Lam) the word would be pronounced as “al-Qamar” with the pronunciation of the lam letter.
You can recognize it by the sukoon on it when you read the Quran.
The Lam becomes a laam Qamariya when comes before one of the following 14 letters, and they are called Lam Qamariya letters:
- Laam Qamariya letters in Arabic (أ ، ب ، ج ، ح ، خ ، ع ، غ ، ف ، ق ، ك ، م ، هـ، و، ى)
- Laam Qamariya letters in English (a / b / c / h / k / p / g / q / s / k / m / e / f / j)
Lam Qamariya Example (تِلكَ الجَنَّةُ & عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ)
Again, you’ll find yourself pronouncing the letter lam and the letter that follows it as well and you will find the letters that came after the letter lam, which are the jim and the meem( ج،م), and they are one of the letters of the Lam Qamariya letters.
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Laam Qamariya Letters (Lunars Letters):
In Arabic grammar, “Laam Qamariya” refers to the assimilation of the definite article “Al” (ال) with the following letter if it is a “Qamari” letter. Qamari letters are those with a lunar or moon-like nature. Here is the list of Qamari letters:
- ب (ba)
- ج (ja)
- ح (ha)
- خ (kha)
- ع (ain)
- غ (ghain)
- ف (fa)
- ق (qaf)
- ك (kaf)
- م (meem)
- ه (ha)
- و (waw)
- ي (ya)
These letters are characterized by having a softer and more resonant sound. When “Al” precedes a word that starts with one of these Qamari letters, the “L” sound in “Al” assimilates into the following letter during pronunciation. This assimilation is a phonological feature in Arabic and is known as “Laam Qamariya.”
For example, if you have the word القمر (Al-Qamar), meaning “the moon,” you pronounce it as “Al-Qamar” because the “L” sound assimilates into the following “Q” sound.
Examples Of Laam Qamariya:
here are some examples of words where the “Laam Qamariya” phenomenon occurs, with the assimilation of the definite article “Al” into the following Qamari letter:
- القمر (Al-Qamar) – The moon
- In pronunciation, you say “Al-Qamar” because the “L” sound assimilates into the following “Q” sound.
- الحرية (Al-Hurriya) – Freedom
- In pronunciation, you say “Al-Hurriya” because the “L” sound assimilates into the following “H” sound.
- الجمال (Al-Jamal) – Beauty
- In pronunciation, you say “Al-Jamal” because the “L” sound assimilates into the following “J” sound.
- العقل (Al-Aql) – The intellect
- In pronunciation, you say “Al-Aql” because the “L” sound assimilates into the following “A” sound.
- الوقت (Al-Waqt) – Time
- In pronunciation, you say “Al-Waqt” because the “L” sound assimilates into the following “W” sound.
What is the difference between Laam Shamsiya and Laam Qamariya?
The main difference between Laam Shamsiya and Lam Qamariya is the pronunciation of the letter Lam; the Lam of Laam Shamsiya is not pronounced, and the Lan in Lam Qamariya is pronounced.
There are other Several points that explain the difference between the two lam:
1. Pronunciation and effect on the next letter.
We can say that the difference between Laam Shamsiya and Lam Qamariya is in the pronunciation of the word, as it affects the letter that comes after it and makes it appear in a clear voice (Mushadad).
Laam Shamsiya is not pronounced, as we skip it while pronouncing the letter after it is the one that is pronounced and the intensity is on it, such as (وَالسَّمَاءِ وَالطَّارِقِ).
Read and try to pronounce it, you will find yourself not pronouncing the lam and pronouncing the next letter.
Lam Qamariya is pronounced with full clarity, and the letter that follows it is also pronounced in the word like (وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا عَسْعَسَ، الْيَاقُوتُ وَالْمَرْجَانُ). Read the lam and try to pronounce it. Did you notice the effect?
2. Diacritics
The Other difference between Laam Shamsiya and Lam Qamariya is the presence of diacritics on the lam.
Al-Lam al-shamsiya: You found nothing of the diacritic letter above, but you will find the letter that follows it with a shadda. Example the Shadah “ ّ ” on the letter ن and ث in the following example: (النّجْمُ الثّاقِب).
Did you notice the lam? Indeed, you did not find anything of the diacritical letter above it, and the letter “Nun” after it is stressed
Lam Qamariya: You will just find the sukoon above the letter lam. Example, the Sukoon “ ْ ” on the lam in the following example: (يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ).
What is the Importance of learning Laam Shamsiya And Lam Qamariya?
Recognizing the Laam Shamsiya and Lam Qamariya helps you in two important things:
- First, the correct pronunciation of words as they are repeated in almost all the nouns in Arabic.
- The second thing is writing correctly when you hear Arabic statements.
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What are the conditions of Laam Shamsiya & Lam Qamariya?
- Laam Shamsiya & Lam Qamariya only come in the beginning words.
- Laam Shamsiya & Lam Qamariya comes in nouns only, so it may come in verbs or letters, but it is not classified as Laam Shamsiya or Lam Qamariya, like the verb (التصق،التقى).
- There is no hamza on the letter alif that precedes the alif, such as (ألبان أو ألحان), they are not classified as shamsiya and qamariya.
- To be superfluous to the word, in the sense that if it is removed, the meaning of the word is clear, as in (الكتاب: كتاب ،سماء: السماء ) Did you notice the word kept its meaning even after removing the two letters.
Conclusion
In the end, we can sum it up as that Laam Shamsiya and Lam Qamariya.
It is a lam used to define nouns. For the shamsiya lam, it is written and not pronounced, and the letter that comes after it is stressed, but the qamariya lam is written and pronounced, and it has soukoon diacritics, and the letter that follows it is non-diacritics.
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