The rules for starting and stopping | Tajweed rules

When reading the Holy Quran, you should know that you cannot stop at any moment. It is, therefore, necessary to know the different kinds of stops.

This chapter is one of the most important in reading because it influences the Holy Qu’ran.

Indeed, a poorly evaluated stop can give a bad sense or not give a sense at all, the same for the resumption of reading. So scientists have set up a system of symbols to facilitate reading.

• Al waqf (the pause) is a silence that occurs at the end of a word to catch your breath and continue to read.
• Al-qat’ (the stop) is, as the name suggests, a clear interruption of reading or recitation that will allow the reader or the reciter to do other occupations, such as e.g. tilt if reading occurs during prayer or some other activity.
• As sakt (silence) is a slight vocal pause that lasts a little less than a waqf (a pause), the reciter does not breathe but continues reading.

 

The different stops, al waqf – الْوَقْفُ

 

It’s a short stop at the end of a word in reading the Holy Qu’ran, intending to continue reading.

The specialists have cited 4 types of waqf:

• al waqf al idtirary -the forced break
• al waqf al intidhary – the waiting break
• al waqf ikhtibary – the experimental pause
• al waqf ikhtiyary -the free break

The free break or voluntary stop is a break that the reader chooses to mark without being forced to do so. There are 4 types of free break:

• Full stop
• The sufficient stop
•  The correct stop
•  The bad stop

1. The full stop – الْوَقْفُ التَّام

 

It is a stop whose meaning is complete and does not depend on what follows the meaning or the grammatical link.

It is therefore authorized to stop and resume immediately afterwards.

Example:

 

أُولَـٰئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ 

 

Here you mark a break. Then you continue إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا in Sura al baqara between verses 5 and 6.

 

2. The sufficient stop – الْوَقْفُ الكَافِي

 

This is a stop whose meaning is complete but relates to what follows in the aggregate sense and which is not grammatically related to what follows.

It is therefore authorized to stop and resume immediately afterwards.

Example:  

سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ

Here you make  break, then you continue to start with the next verse:

 خَتَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِمْ ۖ وَعَلَىٰ أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ 

 

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3. The correct stop – الْوَقْفُ الحَسَنُ

 

This is a stop whose meaning is complete but relates to what follows at the grammatical level and the level of meaning.

Example:

 

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ

mark a stop and go back and continue

رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

It is allowed to stop but not to resume immediately after.

Therefore, we must go back and continue unless the stop marked is at the end of the verse because the prophet PBUH stopped at each end of the verse and then continued.

Example:

 

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

stop

 الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

stop

 مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

stop

 إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ 

mark the stop and resume immediately after.  

4. The bad stop – الْوَقْفُ القَبِيح

 

It is a judgment whose meaning is incomplete or which can lead to a distorted or bad meaning.

Example:

 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقْرَبُوا الصَّلَاةَ

stop

وَأَنتُمْ سُكَارَىٰ 

 

It is therefore not allowed to stop except in case of necessity (lack of breath).

At this point, you have to go back to be able to resume and continue.

 

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This tajweed rules lesson is now finished. The next one will be insha’Allah about the rules of the silence.

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