Rules for Stopping at the End of Qur’anic Words

When pausing on Quranic words and verses, it is necessary to ensure the completeness of meaning and grammar. This is assisted by adhering to the pause symbols mentioned in the previous lesson.

Scholars have established a set of rules related to pausing to regulate stops at the ends of words and Quranic verses. They are presented as follows:

First: General Rule Regarding Pausing

Pausing at the end of verses is a Sunnah in an absolute sense according to the more correct opinion of the scholars. This includes pausing at verses that are connected in meaning to what follows, as in the verse: ﴿كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ٢١٩ فِي ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ﴾. The two verses are linked in meaning and grammar, yet pausing at the end of the first is a Sunnah because it is the end of a verse .

There is no obligatory or forbidden pause in the Quran unless the reader intentionally distorts the meaning .

Second: Rule of Connected and Separated Words

When pausing on Quranic words, one must adhere to the Uthmanic script. What is written as a single connected word, although originally two words, is paused upon as one word. For example, the word (ألا) in: ﴿أَلَّا تَتَّبِعَنِۖ أَفَعَصَيۡتَ أَمۡرِي﴾, originally (أن + لا), may not be paused on (أن) because it is written joined to (لا).

Conversely, what is written as separated may be paused upon each part separately, such as: ﴿وَظَنُّوٓاْ أَن لَّا مَلۡجَأَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَّآ إِلَيۡهِ﴾, where (أن) may be paused upon since it is written apart(in case you are forced to stop on it(shortness of breath or coughing etc…) or you were being tested to make sure you know whether they are connected or separated)n

Likewise, (ممّا) from (من + ما), in: ﴿وَإِن كُنتُمۡ فِي رَيۡبٖ مِّمَّا نَزَّلۡنَا عَلَىٰ عَبۡدِنَا﴾, is read as one word. But in: ﴿فَمِن مَّا مَلَكَتۡ أَيۡمَٰنُكُم﴾, one may pause (if forced or tested) at (فمن) because it is separated in script .

Third: Rule of Tāʼ Marbūṭah and Tāʼ Maftūḥah

When pausing on words ending with the tied tāʼ (tāʼ marbūṭah), it should be pronounced as a hāʼ. When pausing on words ending with the open tāʼ (tāʼ maftūḥah), it is pronounced as tāʼ.

For example, in ﴿رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغۡ قُلُوبَنَا بَعۡدَ إِذۡ هَدَيۡتَنَا وَهَبۡ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحۡمَةًۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلۡوَهَّابُ﴾, we pause on (رحمة) as (رحمه) with hāʼ, because it is written with tāʼ marbūṭah. But in ﴿ذِكۡرُ رَحۡمَتِ رَبِّكَ عَبۡدَهُۥ زَكَرِيَّآ﴾, we pause on (رحمت) with tāʼ because it is written with tāʼ maftūḥah.

Similarly, in ﴿وَٱمۡرَأَةٗ مُّؤۡمِنَةً إِن وَهَبَتۡ نَفۡسَهَا لِلنَّبِيِّ﴾, we pause on (امرأة) as (امرأه), but in ﴿ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلٗا لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ٱمۡرَأَتَ نُوحٖ وَٱمۡرَأَتَ لُوطٖ﴾, we pause on (امرأت) with tāʼ .

Fourth: Rule of conforming to script:

When pausing on a Quranic word ending with a deleted vowel letter (alif, wāw, or yāʼ), the pause must conform to the script, meaning the vowel letter is not pronounced. Examples include:

• 1. Alif: (حاشَ) in ﴿ وَقُلۡنَ حَٰشَ لِلَّهِ مَا هَٰذَا بَشَرًا ﴾ – pause on it as (حاشْ)with a sakin shin without the alif.
• 2. Wāw: (يمحُ) in ﴿ وَيَمۡحُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡبَٰطِلَ وَيُحِقُّ ٱلۡحَقَّ بِكَلِمَٰتِهِ ﴾ – pause as (يمحْ) with sakin Ḥā and without waw.
• 3. Yāʼ: (الدّاعِ) in ﴿ يَوۡمَ يَدۡعُ ٱلدَّاعِ إِلَىٰ شَيۡءٖ نُّكُرٍ ﴾ – pause as (الدّاعْ) with sakin ‘Ayn and without ya’.

Exceptions:

• 1. If the alif of tanwīn compensation is deleted in script (in words ending with hamzah), we pronounce the alif when pausing, as in (وأنزل من السماء ماءً فأخرج به من الثمرات رزقاً لكم) becomes (ماءا)with alif after hamzah.
• 2. Several Quranic words ending with a deleted yāʼ are still pronounced with yāʼ when paused upon, e.g., يحيي, محيي, يستحيي, آتاني. In ﴿إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمُحۡيِ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ﴾, (محي)it is written with one ya’ but when stopping on it we pronounce two ya’s (محيي) and the same applies to the rest of words.

Note:

On the opposite side, some letters are written in the script but not pronounced. Scholars of the script indicated these letters with a small circle (sifr mostadeer) above them to show they are never pronounced. Examples: - Alif: ﴿وَثَمُودَاْ﴾, ﴿مِاْئَةَ﴾ - Wāw: ﴿سَأُوْرِيكُمۡ﴾, ﴿أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ﴾ - Yāʼ: ﴿بِأَيۡيْدٖ﴾, ﴿أَفَإِيْن﴾ These letters are written in the script but never pronounced.

Fifth: Rule of the Seven Alifs

When pausing on alif in seven specific words in the Quran, the alif is pronounced during pause and omitted during continuation. These are called 'the seven alifs': ﴿أَنَا۠﴾, ﴿لَّـٰكِنَّا۠﴾, ﴿ٱلظُّنُونَا۠﴾, ﴿ٱلرَّسُولَا۠﴾, ﴿ٱلسَّبِيلَا۠﴾, ﴿سَلَٰسِلَاْ﴾, ﴿قَوَارِيرَا۠﴾.

For instance, ﴿لَّـٰكِنَّا۠﴾ in ﴿لَّـٰكِنَّا۠ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ رَبِّي﴾ [Al-Kahf: 38] is read during continuation without alif as (لكنّ هو), and during pause with alif as (لكنّا).

These words have a hollow rectangular zero symbol (sifr mustatil)(۠) above the alif, indicating it is pronounced during pause and dropped during continuation .

Notes :

• 1. كلمة ﴿سَلَٰسِلَاْ﴾ لها خصوصية من بين كلمات الألفات السبع، ففي حال الوصل تقرأ بحذف الألف كبقية الكلمات، أما في حال الوقف ففيها وجهان: الأول: إثبات الألف كبقية الكلمات، والوجه الثاني حذف الألف والوقوف على لام ساكنة، وهو المقدم في الأداء.

  ونلاحظ أن علامة الصفر المستطيل لم توضع فوق الألف في هذه الكلمة، وإنما وضع الصفر المستدير، الذي يدل على أن الحرف يحذف وصلًا ووقفًا، وذلك مراعاة لوجه الأداء المقدم في هذه الكلمة.

• 2. The word ﴿قَوَارِيرَا۠﴾ appears in two consecutive verses in Surah Al-Insān: ﴿...كَانَتۡ قَوَارِيرَا۠١٥ قَوَارِيرَاْ مِن فِضَّةٖ...﴾ [76:15–16]. The first instance is one of the seven alifs (retaining the alif in pause and omitting in continuation), marked with the rectangular zero (sifr mutatil) symbol. The second instance omits the alif in both cases and is marked with the round zero (sifr mustadeer) symbol, so the pause ends with a silent rāʼ.