Where to Stop in the Quran
A simplified guide to Waqf (stopping rules) and daily reading plans.
Waqf (Stop) Symbols Explained
Waqf Lāzimالوقف اللازمU+06D8
Stopping is compulsory. Continuing would change the meaning of the verse.
Lā (Mamnūʿ)علامة عدم الوقفU+06D9
Do not stop here. If forced to breathe, return and resume from a suitable earlier point.
Waqf Jāʾizالوقف الجائزU+06DA
Either choice is equally valid; neither stopping nor continuing is preferred. Reciter chooses freely.
al-Waṣl Awlāكون الوصل أولىU+06D6
Continuing is the better reading; a deliberate stop is allowed but is the weaker of the two options.
al-Waqf Awlāكون الوقف أولىU+06D7
Stopping is the better reading; continuing is allowed but is the weaker of the two options.
Muʿānaqahعلامة المعانقةU+06DB
Always appears as a pair; stop at one mark or the other, never at both (e.g. al-Baqarah 2:2).
Saktahالسكتة اللطيفةU+06DC
Brief silent halt without breathing, then continue. Canonical Ḥafṣ saktahs: 18:1, 36:52, 75:27, 83:14.
Simple rule for beginners
If you're reading transliteration and unsure where to stop: stop at the end of each ayah. Each ayah number marks a complete thought. You can always stop there and resume from the next ayah. The Quran Reader on Qaari highlights good stopping points for you automatically.
Daily Reading Plans
1 Juz/day~207 ayahs
Full Juz - use Juz boundariesComplete Quran in 30 days (common in Ramadan)
½ Juz/day~103 ayahs
Half a Juz at a timeComplete in 60 days
1 Surah/dayVaries
Start from An-Nas (114) upwardOne surah per day, smallest to largest
20 Ayahs/day20 ayahs
Stop at nearest natural breakComplete in ~1 year. Consistent and manageable.
10 Ayahs/day10 ayahs
Stop at paragraph breaksComplete in ~2 years. For beginners.
Suggested Stop Points
These suggestions are drawn from actual waqf marks in the Madīnah Mushaf (Waqf Lāzim and al-Waqf Awlā only).
2. al-Baqarah
286 ayahs · 90 stops
Ayah 13, 26, 61, 74, 85, 87, 91, 95, 96, 104, 105, 106, …
3. Āl-ʿImrān
200 ayahs · 65 stops
Ayah 4, 7, 11, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 28, 29, 30, 31, …
4. al-Nisāʾ
176 ayahs · 36 stops
Ayah 11, 12, 16, 17, 23, 25, 26, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, …
5. al-Māʾidah
120 ayahs · 22 stops
Ayah 1, 2, 3, 5, 17, 19, 38, 39, 40, 49, 51, 64, …
6. al-Anʿām
165 ayahs · 35 stops
Ayah 14, 20, 21, 32, 36, 39, 46, 53, 58, 65, 70, 71, …
7. al-Aʿrāf
206 ayahs · 17 stops
Ayah 3, 10, 27, 28, 30, 32, 54, 65, 73, 85, 131, 148, …
8. al-Anfāl
75 ayahs · 14 stops
Ayah 29, 36, 41, 42, 43, 44, 49, 52, 66, 67, 70, 71, …
9. al-Tawbah
129 ayahs · 26 stops
Ayah 3, 11, 15, 19, 24, 27, 34, 37, 39, 40, 44, 47, …
10. Yūnus
109 ayahs · 11 stops
Ayah 2, 23, 35, 49, 54, 55, 60, 65, 66, 68, 87
11. Hūd
123 ayahs · 10 stops
Ayah 7, 8, 20, 54, 60, 66, 68, 95, 116, 119
12. Yūsuf
111 ayahs · 3 stops
Ayah 76, 109, 111
13. al-Raʿd
43 ayahs · 12 stops
Ayah 1, 5, 6, 7, 11, 16, 27, 28, 31, 33, 38, 42
14. Ibrāhīm
52 ayahs · 8 stops
Ayah 2, 22, 25, 30, 34, 38, 44, 47
15. al-Ḥijr
99 ayahs · 1 stop
Ayah 85
16. al-Naḥl
128 ayahs · 16 stops
Ayah 5, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 25, 30, 44, 56, 59, 67, …
17. al-Isrāʾ
111 ayahs · 9 stops
Ayah 8, 15, 17, 33, 39, 44, 55, 93, 105
18. al-Kahf
110 ayahs · 6 stops
Ayah 17, 22, 45, 49, 50, 86
19. Maryam
98 ayahs · 1 stop
Ayah 76
20. Ṭā-Hā
135 ayahs · 5 stops
Ayah 54, 73, 114, 128, 132
21. al-Anbiyāʾ
112 ayahs · 9 stops
Ayah 3, 24, 26, 35, 42, 44, 47, 74, 112
22. al-Ḥajj
78 ayahs · 21 stops
Ayah 18, 30, 34, 37, 38, 40, 41, 52, 53, 54, 59, 60, …
24. al-Nūr
64 ayahs · 14 stops
Ayah 21, 22, 30, 32, 33, 35, 38, 39, 40, 41, 58, 59, …
25. al-Furqān
77 ayahs · 7 stops
Ayah 20, 21, 29, 31, 54, 55, 70
26. al-Shuʿarāʾ
227 ayahs · 3 stops
Ayah 139, 158, 227
27. al-Naml
93 ayahs · 8 stops
Ayah 44, 52, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64
28. al-Qaṣaṣ
88 ayahs · 3 stops
Ayah 8, 68, 88
29. al-ʿAnkabūt
69 ayahs · 3 stops
Ayah 26, 45, 52
30. al-Rūm
60 ayahs · 2 stops
Ayah 4, 8
31. Luqmān
34 ayahs · 4 stops
Ayah 20, 22, 27, 28
33. al-Aḥzāb
73 ayahs · 11 stops
Ayah 1, 6, 36, 39, 40, 50, 52, 55, 59, 71, 73
34. Sabaʾ
54 ayahs · 3 stops
Ayah 8, 21, 31
35. Fāṭir
45 ayahs · 3 stops
Ayah 18, 28, 31
36. Yā-Sīn
83 ayahs · 2 stops
Ayah 52, 76
37. al-Ṣāffāt
182 ayahs · 1 stop
Ayah 138
38. Ṣād
88 ayahs · 2 stops
Ayah 24, 44
39. al-Zumar
75 ayahs · 8 stops
Ayah 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 15, 37, 63
40. Ghāfir
85 ayahs · 5 stops
Ayah 20, 33, 50, 65, 78
41. Fuṣṣilat
54 ayahs · 7 stops
Ayah 6, 40, 44, 45, 46, 53, 54
42. al-Shūrā
53 ayahs · 12 stops
Ayah 5, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 44, 45, 46, 48, 53
43. al-Zukhruf
89 ayahs · 2 stops
Ayah 20, 32
47. Muḥammad
38 ayahs · 2 stops
Ayah 4, 19
48. al-Fatḥ
29 ayahs · 4 stops
Ayah 4, 17, 19, 29
54. al-Qamar
55 ayahs · 1 stop
Ayah 6
57. al-Ḥadīd
29 ayahs · 2 stops
Ayah 23, 24
58. al-Mujādilah
22 ayahs · 1 stop
Ayah 4
61. al-Ṣaff
14 ayahs · 1 stop
Ayah 13
63. al-Munāfiqūn
11 ayahs · 2 stops
Ayah 1, 7
64. al-Taghābun
18 ayahs · 3 stops
Ayah 9, 11, 16