هَمْزَةُ الْقَطْعِ Hamza tul Qat'i

Look at the alifs and pronunciations in the sentences below:

1. أَنَا أَحْمَدُ anaa ahmad. I am Ahmad.
2. مِنْ أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟ min aina anta? Where are you from?

Here are the rules for any alif that looks like this أ:

1. It is called هَمْزَةُ الْقَطْعِ Hamza tul Qat'i.
2. It is always pronounced regardless of whether it is preceeded by another word or letter.
3. Nouns, pronouns, and interrogative articles that begin with alif is always this type of alif.