علامات الوقف والابتداء

Waqf Symbols in the Quran

Waqf (وقف) means stopping in recitation. The Madīnah Mushaf's official appendix "علامات الوقف ومعانيها" lists seven stop symbols on a graded scale from compulsory stop to compulsory continuation, plus the saktah for brief silent halts. The glyphs, Arabic names and rulings below reproduce that appendix verbatim, nothing else on the page; pagination ornaments and Indo-Pak Sajāwandī marks are intentionally omitted because the Madīnah Mushaf does not print them.

Quick Reference

Lāzim · Compulsory stop

Lā · Forbidden stop

Jāʾiz · Stop or continue (equal)

Waṣl Awlā · Continue preferred

Waqf Awlā · Stop preferred

Muʿānaqah · Stop at one of the pair

Saktah · Silent pause, no breath

Symbol legend

Stop strength

LāzimU+06D8Stop. Continuing is not permitted.
Waqf AwlāU+06D7Stopping is preferred. Continuing is permitted.
JāʾizU+06DAStopping and continuing are equally permitted.
Waṣl AwlāU+06D6Continuing is preferred. Stopping is permitted.
LāU+06D9Do not stop. Continue to a suitable point.

Outside the stop scale

MuʿānaqahU+06DBAlways paired. Stop at one mark or the other, never at both.
SaktahU+06DCBrief silent halt without breathing, then continue.

Waqf Lāzimالوقف اللازمCompulsory Stop

Stopping is compulsory.· يجب الوقف

The Madīnah Mushaf prints a small mīm (مـ) above the word to mark a compulsory stop: continuing across the mark is not permitted because the next phrase, joined to what came before, would change or contradict the meaning of the verse.

If breath fails before reaching the mark, return to a suitable earlier point and resume from there.

Lā (Mamnūʿ)علامة عدم الوقفForbidden Stop

Do not stop here; continuing is required.· الوصل أولى ولا يحسن الوقف

A small lām-alif (لا) above the word. The sentence is grammatically and semantically incomplete at this point, so a deliberate pause is not permitted. If the reciter is forced to breathe, they return to a suitable earlier point and resume from there. When the mark falls at the end of an āyah, the verse-end stop is still permitted on the Sunnah of pausing at each āyah.

If forced to breathe, return and resume from a suitable earlier point. Never deliberately pause at this mark.

Waqf Jāʾizالوقف الجائزPermissible Stop

Either choice is equally valid; neither stopping nor continuing is preferred. Reciter chooses freely.· يستوي الوقف والوصل

A small jīm (ج) above the word. Both options are licensed: the meaning is grammatically complete enough to stop, but the sense also runs on smoothly into the next phrase, so the two readings are weighted equally.

Either reading is correct; choose whichever your breath and rendering allow.

al-Waṣl Awlāكون الوصل أولىContinuing Preferred

Continuing is the better reading; stopping is allowed but is the weaker of the two options.· الوصل أولى من الوقف

The Madīnah Mushaf prints the ligature ﺻﻠﻰ (ṣād-lām-yāʾ, an abbreviation of al-waṣl awlā) above the word. The meaning carries on into the next phrase, so joining is the better reading; a deliberate stop is permitted but is not the preferred choice.

Try to continue; only stop if breath requires it.

al-Waqf Awlāكون الوقف أولىStopping Preferred

Stopping is the better reading; continuing is allowed but is the weaker of the two options.· الوقف أولى من الوصل

The Madīnah Mushaf prints the ligature ﻗﻠﻰ (qāf-lām-yāʾ, an abbreviation of al-waqf awlā) above the word. The meaning is complete enough that pausing is the better reading, though continuing is permitted and not classified as an inadequate stop.

Pause when possible; continue only if a smooth join is needed.

Muʿānaqahعلامة المعانقةEmbracing Stop (paired)

Always paired; stop at one mark or the other, never at both.· إذا وقف على أحدهما لا يصح الوقف على الآخر

Three small dots ( ⁝ ) printed twice within close proximity. The middle phrase belongs grammatically with what comes before OR with what comes after, but not both at once. Stopping at the first mark or the second is permitted in a single reading; stopping at both contradicts the syntactic embrace.

Sūrat al-Baqarah 2:2. Pause once, either at لَا رَيْبَ ۛ or at فِيهِ ۛ.

Saktahالسكتة اللطيفةBrief Silent Pause

Brief silent halt. Do not breathe, then continue.· سكتة لطيفة من غير تنفس

A small sīn (س) above the word marks a saktah: hold the sound for roughly two counts without inhaling, then continue without joining the two words. The four canonical saktahs in the Ḥafṣ ʿan ʿĀṣim recitation are al-Kahf 18:1-2 (between عِوَجَا and قَيِّمًا), Yā-Sīn 36:52 (between مَرْقَدِنَا and هَٰذَا), al-Qiyāmah 75:27 (between مَنْ and رَاقٍ) and al-Muṭaffifīn 83:14 (between بَلْ and رَانَ). The Madīnah Mushaf prints the symbol in additional locations as a recitation aid.

Hold the silence on the saktah without taking a breath, then continue.

General guidance for beginners

The simplest safe approach is to pause at the end of every āyah, following the reported practice of the Prophet ﷺ of pausing at each verse. As tajwīd improves, the graded signs above guide more refined choices about where to stop, continue, or hold a saktah. Where you are unsure, learning under a qualified teacher is more reliable than any written reference.