The linguistic meaning of the word waqf is to “stop” or “lock-up.” In Tajweed, it means to stop recitation at the end of a word. This is one of the essential areas of knowledge in Tajweed. The time of the waqf should be enough to take a breath, with the intention of resuming after it. The aim shouldn’t be to stop recitation altogether.
The stop must come at the end of a word, not in the middle. As specified, the waqf should be for a period that is enough to take a breath. Shorter than that is defined as a pause, which is different from waqf.
Umm Salamah narrated, “The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to recite: “In the name of Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds; Most Gracious, most Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgment,” breaking its recitation into verses, one after another.” (Sunan Abi Dawud). This Hadith indicates the permissibility, and indeed the requirement for stopping.
There are many different prints of the Quran. Therefore, scholars have defined many different points at which stops are required. The stop signs outlined by them also have various meanings. Here, we will focus on the symbols found in the copies of the Quran from the Madinah Printing Complex.
Signs of stopping in the Quran and their rulings
م – The “meem” sign indicates that stopping at this point is compulsory. Not doing so is akin to breaching the rules. The meaning of the recitation is dependent on that stop. Thus, if you are reciting the Quran to a speaker who understands the Quran, he/she will know the difference in meaning when you stop and don’t stop. Thus, this is an obligatory waqf.
ج – The “jeem” mark of stopping indicates that stopping here is permissible. You can stop if you need to take a breath, or you can continue if you prefer. Both are allowable methods with this waqf.
لا – The “laa” or “laam alif” symbol signifies that stopping here is not allowed. The same ruling for the “meem,” but the opposite is applied here. Stopping here may change the meaning of the recital.
صلي – When you see a stop with the letters “saad, laam, yaa,” it means that stopping at this point is possible. However, it is preferable to continue the recitation. The meaning of the recital will be more complete if you continue upon seeing this mark.
قلي – When you see a pause with the letters “qaaf, laam, yaa,” it suggests that it is better to stop recital if possible. Hence, continuing is not forbidden, and you may pause if necessary. However, it’s preferred to stop.
The pause/stop of as-Sakat
As-Sakat consists of a pause or a stop that is shorter than the period of a waqf. A waqf is to be long enough for a person to take a breath. However, a Sakat is more concise, without taking a break in between. It is signified by a small س (seen) above the word that the pause is required after.
There are four obligatory Sakat stops in the Quran. Two more are optional; in these two cases, either way is permissible.
The four compulsory stops in the Quran are:
- On the last word (عِوَجَا) of the first verse of Surah al-Kahf (18:1)
- After the word (مَّرْقَدِنَا) in the 52nd verse of Surah Ya-seen (36:52)
- Following the word (مَنْ) in the 27th verse of Surah al-Qiyaamah (75:27)
- After the word (بَلْ) in the 14th verse of Surah al-Mutaffifeen (83:14)
The importance of Waqf and other sciences of Tajweed
These are some of the basic rules regarding stopping signs (waqf) in the Quran. These rules show us the importance of learning Tajweed to perfect our recitation of the Quran.
There are many more details regarding the rules of stopping on certain words, after certain verses in the Quran, etc. There are four types of stops: at-Taam (complete), al-Kaafee (sufficient), al-Hasan (good), and al-Qabeeh (bad).
For us to have sufficient knowledge of the science of Tajweed, we must keep learning the Tajweed rules until we have them mastered. It is the meaning of the Holy Book that is at stake. We want to make sure that we do justice to Allah’s word by reciting it in the manner it is meant to be recited, insha’Allah.
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