Farsh al-Huruf

Farsh is the counterpart of usul. Where the usul give rules, farsh gives the individual words — a different vowel, a different letter, a singular where another reads a plural.

A well-known example is the opening of al-Fatihah, recited both as maliki yawm al-din and as maaliki yawm al-din. Both are established readings, and each carries a sound meaning.

Farsh is learned surah by surah and verse by verse. There is no shortcut: it is memorised with the text and checked against a teacher.