Non-Vowelled Meem

Non-Vowelled Meem *- Non-vowelled meem [Meem sakinah] is a meem void of vowels.It precedes all letters of the alphabet except the three letters of lengthening, so as to avoid the meeting of two non-vowelled letters. 1/Labial Manifestation: Labial Manifestation (Iz-haar shafawi) (الشفوي الإظهار) literally means: explanation manifestation and clarification. Technically it means: pronouncing every letter at its point of articulation (makhrag) clearly without ghunnah [nasal twang] in the apparent letter. It is called labial (shafawi) (pertaining to the lips) because the non- vowelled meem, which is the apparent letter is produced from the lips. It is called Labial (shafawi) in attribution to the point of articulation of the articulated letter and because of its distinction and limitations. The Labial manifestation (Iz -haar shafawi), has 26 letters which are these letters of the alphabet excluding the meem and the baa. It is to be observed that at the occurrence of the waaw and the faa after a non-vowelled meem, it must be pronounced with emphatic labial manifestation (Iz-haar shafawi shadeed) so as to avoid concealing it as in the case of the concealed baa because of the overlapping of its point of articulation with the waaw and the proximity of its point of articulation with the faa ( ف ). 2/Labial Concealment: Concealment (Ikhfaa') ( الإخفاء ) literally means: concealment. Technically, it means: pronouncing a letter between manifestation and assimilation without doubling (tashdeed) and while retaining the ghunnah [nasal twang]. It is called labial because the meem and the baa are produced from the lips. Labial Concealment (Ikhfaa' shafawi) has only one letter, the Baa'. 3/Idgam Mithlain Saghir: Assimilation (Idghaam) literally means: placing something into another. Technically, it means: assimilating a non-vowelled letter into a vowel one, whereby they become one doubled letter. It is also called identical letters (mithilayn) because it is composed of two letters having identical points of articulation and qualities. It is also called small (sagheer) because the first is a non- vowelled letter and the second is a vowel. The small assimilation of identical letters [idghaam mithlayn sagheer] has one letter which is the meem.