Alif al-maddألف مَدِّيَّة
Preceded by فتحة (fatḥa)A sukūn-carrying alif preceded by a fatḥa. Elongates the 'a' sound for 2 counts.
Short
بَ
ba
1 count
Long (madd)
بَا
bā
2 counts
Qur’ānic example
قَالَqāla— he said
Qur'ān 2:30
Foundations
Long vowels — Maddحُرُوف المَدّ
Three letters — ا, و, and ي — can act as elongation letters when they carry a sukūn and are preceded by a matching short vowel. Their sound is held for 2 counts in normal recitation (longer in specific tajwīd contexts).
The rule at a glance
فتحة (fatḥa) + اْ
بَا
bā (2 counts)
ضمة (ḍamma) + وْ
بُو
bū (2 counts)
كسرة (kasra) + يْ
بِي
bī (2 counts)
Wāw al-maddواو مَدِّيَّة
Preceded by ضمة (ḍamma)A sukūn-carrying wāw preceded by a ḍamma. Elongates the 'u' sound for 2 counts.
Short
بُ
bu
1 count
Long (madd)
بُو
bū
2 counts
Qur’ānic example
يَقُولُyaqūlu— he says
Yā' al-maddياء مَدِّيَّة
Preceded by كسرة (kasra)A sukūn-carrying yā' preceded by a kasra. Elongates the 'i' sound for 2 counts.
Short
بِ
bi
1 count
Long (madd)
بِي
bī
2 counts
Qur’ānic example
الرَّحِيمar-raḥīm— the Most Merciful
Qur'ān 1:1
Beyond the basic 2-count madd
Quranic recitation distinguishes several advanced types of madd (madd muttaṣil, munfaṣil, ʿāriḍ li-s-sukūn, lāzim, badal) that may be held for 4 or 6 counts. Those rules are covered under tajwīd — outside the scope of this reference page. For now, any madd letter you encounter can be safely held for 2 counts.