Foundations
Sifaat al-Huruf صِفَات الحُرُوف
The attributes of the letters — voice, breath, strength, softness.
Where makhraj answers "from where," sifaat answers "in what manner." Each letter carries a fixed set of attributes — some paired and opposite (e.g. hams/jahr — whispered vs. voiced), some unpaired (e.g. safir, the whistling quality of س ص ز). Two letters can share a makhraj but be distinguished entirely by their sifaat — ت and د both leave from the same point on the gum-line, but ت is whispered while د is voiced.