The hamza اَلْهَمْزَة: 

(A) For being firm, the hamza اَلْهَمْزَةُ is always accompanied by a short vowel: fatha, as in (1), (2) , (3), (4), and (6); kasra, as in (7) and (3); or dhamma, as in (5).

(B) The hamza اَلْهَمْزَةُ of the definite article اَلْ always has fatha over it when it occurs at the beginning of the sentence, as in (8), (9), and (10). The alif of الْ loses the fatha if it does not occur at the beginning of the sentences, as in (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), and (7). 

(C) The hamza اَلْهَمْزَةُ of اَلْ and the imperative verb اَلْفِعْلُ الْأَمْرُ in (5) and (7) is called alif / hamzat al-wasl. It is alif without the little hamza (ء). 

(D) The alif with the little hamza (ء) above or below it, as in (1) and (3), is called alif / hamzat al-qatˁ هَمْزَةُ الْقَطْعِ.

(1) أَكَلْتُ تُفَاحَةً. I ate an apple

(2) جَاءَ الْطَّبِيبُ. the physician came

(3) أَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَةِ. I go to school

(4) بَدَأَتِ الْمُبَارَاةُ. the match started

(5) اُكْتُبِ الْوَاجِبَ. write the lesson

(6) سَأَلْنَا الْمُدَرِّسَ. we asked the teacher

(7) اِفْتَحِ الْبَابَ. open the door

(8) اَلْمُبَارَاةُ مُمْتَعَةٌ. the match is interesting

(9) اَلْمَدْرَسَةُ كَبِيرَةٌ. the school is big

(10) اَلْبَابُ مَفْتُوحٌ. the door is open

alif al-madd أَلِفُ الْمَدِّ: 

(A) The alif in these words (in blue) is alif al-madd أَلِفُ الْمَدِّ. It is also called alif layyinah أَلِفٌ لَيِّنَةٌ which literally means ‘flaccid alif.’

(B) Since it is flaccid, it does not accept short vowels. So, it is always saakin (i.e.,  accompanied by sukuun). However, the sukuun is not added/written, as it's become a fact that alif al-madd is always saakin. Aslo, alif al-madd is the long vowel aa (ا), which is a prolongation of fatha. 

(1) قَامَ الْوَلَدُ. the boy stood up

(2) صَامَ الشَّيْخُ. the old man fasted

(3) شَاهَدْنَا الْفِيلْمُ. we watched the film

(4) دَعَا مُحَمَّدٌ صَدِيقَهُ. Mohd called his friend

(5) قَالَ إِنَّهُ مَرِيضٌ. he said that he was sick

At the Beginning of the Word:

(A) In these examples, the hamza اَلْهَمْزَةُ (in blue) occurs at the beginning of the word.

(B) In (1) and (2), it is part of the perfective verb root جَذْرُ الْفِعْلُِ الْمَاضِي, so it is an essential hamza. 

(C) In (3) and (4), it occurs at the beginning of the 2nd person masculine singular pronoun (and so is the case with all other 2nd person pronouns) and the 1st person singular pronoun. 

(D) In (5) and (6), it indicates the imperfective form of the verb اَلْفِعْلُ الْمُضَارِع and the 1st person singular subject.

(E) It is used at the beginning of the imperative verb اَلْفِعْلُ الْأَمْرُ, as in (7) and (8). Here it is hamzat al-wasl. It is also used at the beginning of some nouns and particles, as in (9) and (10).

(1) أَغْلَقَ صَالِحٌ الْبَابَ. Saleh closed the door

(2) أَكَلْنَا الْكَعْكَةَ. we ate the cake

(3) أَنْتَ مُشَاغِبٌ. you are mischievous

(4) أَنَا نَعْسَانُ. I am sleepy

(5) أُرِيدُ عَصِيرًا. I want juice

(6) أَعْرِفُ الْإِجَابَةَ. I know the answer

(7) اُكْتُبِ الْوَاجِبَ. write the homework

(8) اِسْمَعْنِي. listen to me

(9) أُخْتِي كَاتِبَةٌ. my sister is a writer

(10) إِنَّهَا جَمِيلَةٌ. she is beautiful

In the Middle of the Word:

(A) In these examples, the hamza اَلْهَمْزَةُ occurs in the middle of the word.

(B) It has different shapes ـأ / أ, ـئـ / ئـ, ـؤ , or ء.

(C) Its shape is determined by the short vowel (i.e., fatha, kasra, and dhamma) over/below it and over/below the letter that precedes it, see below for explanation.

(1) شَرِبْتُ كَأْسًا مِنَ الْعَصِيرِ. I drank a glass of juice

(2) هُوَ جَائِعٌ. he is hungry

(3) سَأَلْنَا اَلْمُدَرِّسَ. we asked the teacher

(4) رَأْسِي يُؤْلِمُنِي. my head aches

(5) فِي الصَّحْرَاءِ بِئْرٌ. there is a well in the desert

(6) هَذَا كِتَابُ الْقِرَاءَةِ. this is the reading book

At the End of the Word:

(A) In these examples, the hamza اَلْهَمْزَةُ occurs at the end of the word.

(B) It has the following shapes: ء, أ, ؤ and ئ.

(C) The shape of the hamza at the end of words is determined by the short vowel (i.e., fatha, kasra, and dhamma) over/below the letter that precedes it, see below for explanation. 

(1) جَاءَ الْوَزِيرُ. the minister came

(2) بَدَأَ السِّبَاقُ. the race started

(3) أَنْتَ بَطِيءٌ. you are slow

(4) لَمْ يَتَنَاوَلِ الدَّوَاءَ. he did not take the medicine

(5) هَذَا لُؤْلُؤٌ جَمِيلٌ. this is beautiful pearl

(6) هُوَ قَارِئٌ جَيِّدٌ. he is a good reader

  أَ ....؟

  هَل ...؟ 

  أَأَنْتِ نَادِيَةُ؟

  هَلْ أَنْتِ نَادِيَةُ؟ are you Nadia  

  أَهَذَا كِتَابُكَ؟

  هَلْ هَذَا كِتَابُكَ؟    is this your book

  أَذَهَبَ إِلَى الْمُؤْتَمَرِ؟

  هَلْ ذَهَبَ إِلَى الْمُؤْتَمَرِ؟ did he go to the conference

  أَيُحِبُّونَ الْفَاكِهَةَ؟

  هَلْ يُحِبُّونَ الْفَاكِهَةَ؟ do they like fruit

  (أَاْ) آلْكِتَابُ مَعَكَ؟

  هَلِ الْكِتَابُ مَعَكَ؟ is the book with you (m, s)

At the Beginning of the Word:

(A) If the hamza (ء) اَلْهَمْزَةُ has fatha or dhamma over it, it is always placed over the alif, as in (1) and (3).

(B) If the hamza (ء) اَلْهَمْزَةُ has kasra below it, it is always written below the alif, as in (2).

(1) أَكَلَ  he ate - أَغْلَقَ  he closed - أَكْتُبُ   I write - أُرِيدُ أَنْ ... I want to - أَنْتُم  you (m, p) - أَعْتَقِدُ أَنَّ ... I believe that

(2) إِلَى  to - إِذَا  if - إِغْلَاق  closing - إِسْلَام  Islam

(3) أُغْلِقُ  I close - أُشَاهِدُ  I watch - اُكَلِّمُ  I talk to

In the Middle of the Word:

(A) If the letter before the hamza has fatha or sukuun over it, the hamza is placed over the alif, as in (1), (2), and (3). In this case, the diacritical mark over the hamza can be fatha or sukuun. 

(B) If the letter before it has kasra below it or is alif al-madd, the hamza is placed on the line (also called nebra) ـئـ, as in (4) and (5). The diacritic over/below it is either sukuun or kasra. Also, if the letter before it has fatha over it, and it has kasra below it, then it is written on the line/nebra ـئِـ, as in (6). 

(C) If the letter before it has dhamma over it and the hamza has sukuun, dhamma, or fatha over it, then it is placed on و , i.e. ـؤ, as in (7), (8), and (9).

(D) If the letter before it has sukuun over it or is alif al-madd, the hamza is written on the line by itself ء, as in (10) and (11), and the diacritic that goes with it is the fatha. 

(1) رَأْسٌ  a head - كَأْسٌ  a glass

(2) سَأَلَ  he asked - رَأَى he saw

(3) فَجْأَةً suddenly - يَسْأَلُ he asks - مَرْأَةٌ a woman 

(4) بِئْرٌ  a well - جِئْتُ  I came

(5) حَائِطٌ a wall - أَصْدِقَائِهِ his friends

(6) لَئِيمٌ wicked - يَئِسَ he despaired

(7) مُؤْلِمٌ  painful -  مُؤْمِنٌ  a believer

(8) رُؤُوسٌ heads - شُؤُونٌ affairs

(9) سُؤَالٌ a question - مُؤَلِّفٌ an author

(10) تَوْءَمٌ  a twin - نُبُوءَةٌ prophecy

(11) قِرَاءَةٌ reading - كَفَاءَةٌ capability

At the End of the Word:

(A) If the letter before the hamza has fatha over it, the hamza is placed over the alif, as in (1) and (2). 

(B) If the letter before it has sukuun over it or is alif al-madd, the hamza is placed by itself on the line, as in (3) and (4). 

(C) If the letter before it has dhamma over it, the hamza is placed on و, i.e. ـؤ, as in (5). 

(D) If the letter before it has kasra below it, the hamza is written like this ئ, as in (6).

(1) بَدَأَ  he started - قَرَأَ he read

(2) مَلْجَأٌ  a shelter -  يَقْرَأُ he reads

(3) جَاءَ  he came - اَلْمَاءَ the water

(4) شَيْء  a thing - عِبْء a burden

(5) لُؤلُؤٌ  pearl - بَطُؤ it became slow

(6) شَاطِئ a beach ، قَارِئ a reader