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Waqf (Stopping)

الوقف

“waqf” means holding back, stopping

Lesson 10.2 · Module 10 · Stopping (waqf) and starting again

Waqf (Stopping) (الوقف): stopping is cutting the voice at the end of a word to take a breath, intending to carry on: the last letter loses its vowel. At the end of a verse, at a stop sign that allows it, or when breath runs out; never in the middle of a word.

What does Waqf (Stopping) mean?

Waqf (Stopping) (الوقف): “waqf” means holding back, stopping

Stopping is cutting the voice at the end of a word to take a breath, intending to go on reciting. The last letter loses its vowel; a tā marbūṭah becomes a vowelless hā; a tanween with fathah becomes a long “ā”.

When stopping: the end of the word, case by case

At the end of a verse, at a stop sign that allows it, or when breath runs out; never in the middle of a word.

Each verse ending, what stopping does to it, and how often it occurs in the Quran (calculated by Tilawa)
End of the wordWhen stoppingRawm, ishmamIn the Quran
A dammah no vowel rawm, ishmam 313
A tanween with dammah no vowel rawm, ishmam 579
A kasrah no vowel rawm 574
A tanween with kasrah no vowel rawm 444
A fathah no vowel — 2,844
A tanween with fathah “ā” — 903
A tanween with fathah on alif maqṣūrah “ā” — 8
A tā marbūṭah hā — 122
The pronoun “-hu” or “-hi”, long vowel no vowel debated 28
A letter already without a vowel unchanged — 100
A long vowel unchanged — 301

When a long vowel comes before the last letter (“-īn”, “-ūn”), stopping holds it two, four or six counts: this is madd ʿarid. A noun ending in alif maqṣūrah with tanween is also said with “ā”.

How to stop

Cut the voice on the last letter, with no vowel. Tā marbūṭah becomes a vowelless hā; tanween with fathah becomes “ā”; tanween with dammah or kasrah drops.

The gesture
The voice stops cleanly on the consonant, with no added vowel; take a breath, then carry on.
Avoid
Stopping with the full vowel (“al-ʿālamīna”): one never stops on a complete vowel.
The condition
On a dammah, three ways: sukoon, rawm or ishmam; on a kasrah, sukoon or rawm; on a fathah, sukoon only.

Three ways to stop

Sukoon
The vowel drops entirely. This is the basic way, allowed everywhere.
Rawm
Part of the vowel is voiced, very softly: only a listener close by hears it. On the dammah and the kasrah, never on the fathah.
Ishmam
Right after the sukoon, the lips are rounded, with no sound, leaving a gap for the air: it is seen, not heard. On the dammah only.

Never rawm or ishmam on a tā marbūṭah said as hā, nor on a fathah. On the pronoun “-hu”, “-hi”, teachers hold three views. Rawm is learned by ear, ishmam by watching a teacher.

Where the letters come from

Each point is shown on the mouth map, and each letter has its own page.

12 examples of Waqf (Stopping) in the Quran

Short surahs first. Tap ▶ to hear the end of the verse, said when stopping by al-Husary.

Waqf (Stopping): common mistakes

What is often heard, and how to fix it. The ▶ plays the right model, recited by al-Husary.

  1. Keeping the vowel at the end (“al-ʿālamīna”): when stopping, the last letter loses its vowel.

    The right model · Al-Kawthar 108:1

  2. Saying tā marbūṭah as “t” or “tun” when stopping: it is said as hā, with no vowel.

    The right model · Al-Bayyinah 98:1

  3. Keeping the tanween with dammah or kasrah (“ʿalīmun”): when stopping, it drops.

    The right model · Al-Ikhlas 112:1

  4. Cutting the tanween with fathah (“kabīr”) or saying “-an”: when stopping, it becomes “ā”, two counts.

    The right model · An-Nasr 110:2

  5. Saying the long vowel of the pronoun when stopping (“rabbahū”): it drops, and the hā is said with no vowel.

    The right model · Al-Bayyinah 98:8

Waqf (Stopping) and neighbouring rules

RuleWhenWhat happens
Waqf (Stopping) At the end of a verse, at a stop sign that allows it, or when breath runs out; never in the middle of a word. Stopping is cutting the voice at the end of a word to take a breath, intending to carry on: the last letter loses its vowel.
Waqf Signs Six signs: the small mīm (stop required), qalā (stop better), jīm (stop allowed), ṣalā (joining better), the three dots in pairs (stop at one of the two places only) and lā (no stop). Stop signs are small markers above the line: they show where to stop, where to carry on and where to choose, to keep the meaning.
Madd 'Iwad When stopping on a word that ends with a tanween with fathah, except on a tā marbūṭah (ة): it is said as a vowelless “h” when stopping. Madd ʿiwad is the alif said when stopping, in place of a tanween with fathah: “-an” becomes “-ā”, two counts.

By ear: two words that sound alike

The same word twice: in the middle of a verse, joined to the next word (you hear “t” and its vowel), then at the end of a verse (you hear “h”). Listen for the difference.

Sakt: the short pauses of Hafs

Sakt is a short pause, about two counts, shorter than a stop and without taking a breath, then one carries on. By the way of the Shatibiyyah, that of the Madinah Mushaf, Hafs makes four, when joining; at 69:28, two ways are transmitted.

A pause of this kind is also allowed between the end of surah al-Anfal and the start of surah at-Tawbah, among other ways. Other routes of Hafs read these sakt differently; this site follows the Shatibiyyah.

Your turn: how does the word end when stopping?

By eye

Each verse is read in one go, stopping at its end. When stopping, is the highlighted ending said with no vowel, as hā, or as “ā”?

  1. ٱلصَّمَدُ

    ṣ-ṣamad

    Al-Ikhlas 112:2

  2. مُّطَهَّرَةً

    muṭahharah

    Al-Bayyinah 98:2

  3. تَوَّابًۢا

    tawwābā

    An-Nasr 110:3

  4. قُرَيْشٍ

    quraysh

    Quraysh 106:1

By ear

Listen to the end of the verse, then choose what you hear: no vowel, a hā or an “ā”. The word appears after you answer.

Practise: tajweed exercises with answers

Waqf (Stopping) in numbers

6,216times in the Quran

114surahs

Calculated by Tilawa on the text of the Madinah Mushaf (Hafs reading): every verse ending, where one stops, without the verses made only of the opening letters of some surahs, whose names are said as they are.

Frequently asked questions

What is Waqf (Stopping) in tajweed?

When stopping, the last letter loses its vowel; tā marbūṭah is said as hā; tanween with fathah is said as “ā”.

When does Waqf (Stopping) apply?

At the end of a verse, at a stop sign that allows it, or when breath runs out; never in the middle of a word. On a dammah, three ways: sukoon, rawm or ishmam; on a kasrah, sukoon or rawm; on a fathah, sukoon only.

How many times does Waqf (Stopping) occur in the Quran?

6,216 times, in 114 surahs, as computed by Tilawa on the text of the Madani Mushaf (Hafs reading).

Waqf (Stopping) or Waqf Signs: what is the difference?

Waqf (Stopping): stopping is cutting the voice at the end of a word to take a breath, intending to carry on: the last letter loses its vowel. Waqf Signs: stop signs are small markers above the line: they show where to stop, where to carry on and where to choose, to keep the meaning.

Waqf (Stopping): how do I know I apply it correctly?

A rule is learned by ear: recite a surah out loud in the Tilawa app, which follows your recitation word by word and shows you where Waqf (Stopping) was missed or done wrong, with the word to replay in its verse.

Tilawa editorial team · Updated 2026-10-24 · Report an error