فَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ
So leave them, [O Muḥammad]. The Day the Caller calls to something forbidding,
Stopping & starting (waqf)
عَلَامَات الْوَقْف
Small signs above the line in the mushaf show where to stop, where to continue and where a stop is not allowed.
Waqf (“stopping”) is pausing to take a breath at a place where the meaning is complete enough. The Madani mushaf marks the places with the signs below. They guide you but do not replace a teacher; the signs used in South-Asian mushafs differ a little.
Learn the seven signs in the table and find them in the examples below.
At every ayah end you may stop; when you stop, a vowel becomes sukun (with the usual rules for ta marbuta, tanween and madd).
If you must stop at a place where stopping is not preferred, go back a few words when you resume.
Only the letters that follow this rule are coloured. Press play to hear the ayah, or open it for the full page.
فَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ
So leave them, [O Muḥammad]. The Day the Caller calls to something forbidding,
لَّعَنَهُ ٱللَّهُ
Whom Allāh has cursed. For he had said, "I will surely take from among Your servants a specific portion.
فَلَا يَحْزُنكَ قَوْلُهُمْ
So let not their speech grieve you. Indeed, We know what they conceal and what they declare.
وَبِٱلَّيْلِ
And at night. Then will you not use reason?
ذُرِّيَّةَۢ بَعْضُهَا مِنۢ بَعْضٍ
Descendants, some of them from others. And Allāh is Hearing and Knowing.
أَفَمَن يَخْلُقُ كَمَن لَّا يَخْلُقُ
Then is He who creates like one who does not create? So will you not be reminded?
ذَٲلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ
This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allāh -
قَالَ فَإِنَّهَا مُحَرَّمَةٌ عَلَيْهِمْ
[Allāh] said, "Then indeed, it is forbidden to them for forty years [in which] they will wander throughout the land. So do not grieve over the defiantly disobedient people."
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْۖ قَالُواْ بَلَىٰ
And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam - from their loins - their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], "Am I not your Lord?" They said, "Yes, we have testified." [This] - lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, "Indeed, we were of this unaware."
إِلَّا ٱمْرَأَتَهُۥ قَدَّرْنَآ
Except his wife." We [i.e., Allāh] decreed that she is of those who remain behind.
وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ ٱلْبَنَـٰتِ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ
And they attribute to Allāh daughters - exalted is He - and for them is what they desire [i.e., sons].
وَٱلَّذِى جَآءَ بِٱلصِّدْقِ وَصَدَّقَ بِهِۦٓ
And the one who has brought the truth [i.e., the Prophet (ﷺ)] and [they who] believed in it - those are the righteous.
وَقِيلَ مَنْ
And it is said, "Who will cure [him]?"
مَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنِّى مَالِيَهْ
My wealth has not availed me.
كَلَّاۖ بَلْ
No! Rather, the stain has covered their hearts of that which they were earning.
Small signs above the line in the mushaf show where to stop, where to continue and where a stop is not allowed.
It is the meem of waqf lazim: stopping is necessary here so that the meaning is not confused.
It stands for “la” (do not stop here), unless it comes at the end of an ayah.
Permanent link: https://holy-quran-noor.vercel.app/learn/tajweed/waqf-signs