Rumooz Awqaaf Qur’aan Majeed
Rumooz Awqaaf Qur’aan Majeed
(The rules and signs of stop and pause in the Holy Qur’aan)
Native speakers of a language pause at some points of their speech and do not pause at all at some other points; sometimes they make a short pause and sometimes they make a slightly longer pause. It is indeed important to make a pause and not make it at different stages of speech in order to convey and draw the intended messages correctly. The transcript of the Holy Qur’aan is in the form of speech, hence the Islamic Scholars have established the signs for pausing and not pausing accordingly which are called Rumooz Awqaaf Qur’aan Majeed. It is essential to abide by these signs during the recitation of the Noble Qur’aan. They are described below:
- A small circle is shown wherever a verse completes. This sign is in fact a circular م which is written as . It is the symbol of وقف تام (a complete stop) and one should pause at it. Nowadays, is not written; instead, a small circle is shown. This symbol is termed as an Ayah (verse).
- م This is the sign of وقف لازم (a necessary stop), one should pause at it; otherwise, there is a risk that the message might alter altogether.
Rumooz Awqaaf (Stopping Signs) Continued
- س or سكتہ – Both of these are the signs of ‘halt’. One should make a short pause at the sign, stopping the voice but not the breath.
- وقفة – This is the sign of a ‘longer halt’. One should pause at it a little longer than سكتہ. But the breath should not break here too. The difference between سكتہ and وقفة is that in the case of وقفة, the pause should be a little longer than in سكتہ.
- لا – It is the sign of negation. At some places, the sign is shown upon the symbol of a verse and sometimes within the text. If it is present within the text, one should never pause at it. In case it is present above the symbol of the verse (), there is a difference of opinion; some scholars advise pausing and some advise otherwise. However, it does not affect the meaning whether one pauses or not in this case. But the pause should be omitted when this sign is within the text.
- اك – It is the sign for كذلك, which means that the preceding sign shall also apply here.
- ۞۞ – If a text lies within the set of the three dots, the reader is allowed to pause at the first sign of the three dots and continue without pausing at the next three dots or vice versa. This type of text is called Mu’aanaqah or Muraaqabah.
Other Signs of Stop and Pause
- ط – This is the sign of وقف مطلق (a general stop). It is better to pause at it. This sign is shown where one’s message is not yet complete and he is about to say more.
- ح – This is the sign of وقف جائز (a permissible stop). It is better to pause here, but omitting the pause is also permissible.
- ز – This is the sign of وقف مجوز. Not pausing at it is preferable.
- ص – This is the sign of وقف مرخص. One should continue recitation without interruption; however, if someone pauses due to being exhausted, he is exempted. It should be noted that omitting the pause is more preferable in the case of ص as compared to ز.
- صل – This is the short form of الوصل اولی. It is preferable to continue reciting without a pause.
- ق – This is the short form of قيل عليه الوقف; one should not pause at it.
- صل – This is the sign of تجبير صل. Sometimes a pause is made at it, and sometimes not. However, it is preferable to pause at it.
- قف – It is the word وقف. It means ‘stop’. This sign is used where there is a risk that the reciter will continue to recite at the same place.
This text explains the different stopping and pausing signs in the Qur’an, guiding reciters on where to pause, continue, or avoid stopping for better understanding and correct pronunciation.
