Lesson 3
Al (ال): making it definite
ال means “the”.
ال at the start of a word makes it definite — like “the” in English.
كِتَابٌ = a book; الْكِتَابُ = the Book.
Sun letters (shamsī): after ال the ل is silent and the next letter is doubled — e.g. الرَّحْمَٰن (ar-Raḥmān).
Moon letters (qamarī): the ل is pronounced clearly — e.g. الْحَمْد (al-ḥamd).
Examples from the Qur'an
Indefinite and definite
- a bookSurah 2:89كِتَـٰبٌۭ
- the BookSurah 2:2ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ
Sun letters — silent ل
- ar-Raḥmān (the Most Gracious)Surah 2:163ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ
- an-nās (the people)Surah 2:13ٱلنَّاسُ