Duas from the QuranHow to read the transliteration
A short guide to the English-letter transliteration used on this site: long vowels, the sounds that do not exist in English and how to read the doubled letters.
The transliteration under each verse is a help for people who cannot yet read Arabic script. It is not a replacement: the sounds of Arabic cannot be fully shown in English letters. Here are the main points.
- A doubled vowel such as aa or AA may stand for a long vowel or for the Arabic letter ayn, a sound made deep in the throat; in this transliteration the capital AA usually marks the ayn.
- kh is like the "ch" in Scottish "loch"; gh is a gargling "g" like a French "r"; q is a "k" made further back in the throat.
- th is either as in "think" or as in "that", depending on the Arabic letter.
- h in Arabic can be a clear breath (as in "hat") or a deeper breath from the throat; the second is often written as h again.
- A doubled consonant (for example bb, mm) is pronounced for a little longer.
The best way to learn the right sounds is to hear them from a teacher or a good reciter and to repeat. If you are learning to read Arabic, start with the shorter duas such as Rabbi ighfir warham.
The notes on this page are in our own words and are not a ruling or a commentary (tafsir). For questions of practice, please ask a trusted scholar or your local imam.