Waqf & ibtida — stopping and starting
الوقف والابتداء
Reading the stop marks and choosing a place to pause that preserves meaning.
The mushaf symbols
مـ compulsory stop; لا do not stop; ج permissible; صلى continuing is better; قلى stopping is better; ∴ ∴ stop at one of the two, not both.
How to stop
When stopping, the final letter takes sukun; tanween fatḥ becomes a long alif; ta marbutah becomes ه. Never stop in the middle of a word or on a word whose meaning is incomplete.
Starting again
Resume from the start of a phrase that carries complete meaning — usually the beginning of the ayah or the sentence you stopped in, not the word after your pause.
Examples
رَحْمَةً
raḥmatan → raḥmah (when stopping)
Tanween fatḥ on ta marbutah becomes a silent ه at a stop.
عَلِيمٌ
'alīmun → 'alīm
The final ḍammatayn is dropped and the letter takes sukun.
Interactive practice
A clean stop on ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ with madd 'aridh and sukun.
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
al-ḥamdu lillāhi rabbi-l-'ālamīn · Al-Fatihah 1:2
Quiz
1. The mark لا means…
2. When stopping on a word ending in tanween fatḥ, you…
Lesson status
Quiz —% · Pronunciation —% · pass mark 80% on both.