Lesson 11: Important Notes

  1. Wasl: continuing, proceeding with reading; Waqf: stopping at the end of a word. When stopping (Waqf), all vowels and Tanwin are dropped and become Sukun. Fatha Tanwin is pronounced with Alif elongation. Example: [عالَمينَ] [أَحَدٌ] [فَلَقِ] [أَفْواجاً] [تَوّاباً] [أَبَداً] [جَمْعاً] [لِباساً]

  2. An Alif is placed after every letter with Fatha Tanwin. Only Ta Marbuta and Hamza-Alif are not written with Alif; when stopping, Ta Marbuta becomes a silent Ha; Hamza-Alif is pronounced like an elongation. Example: [قِي مَةً] [سَكينَةٌ] [ثَناءً] [بِناءً] [هَباءً] [بَرِيَّةُ]
    If the last letter of a word with Fatha Tanwin is [ل], then [لا] is written: عَمَلاً رَسولاً شَكْلاً قَوْلاً جِبِلاًّ

  3. In the Quran, under some words [مد] (elongation) and under some [قسر] (shortening) appear as small text. These indicate that the writing and pronunciation differ. Under words written with elongation letters but not pronounced with elongation, [قسر] always appears. For words written with elongation but read short, we have written the vowel before the elongation to indicate short reading.
    [أَنَا] [أُولِ] [أُولاءِ] [أُولٰئِكَ] [لاَتَّخوَ] [لاَتَّبَعْتُمْ] [أَفَائِنْ] [مَلاَئِه۪] [ثَمودَا] [يَايْءَسُ] [نَدْعُوَا] [لِشَايْءٍ]

  4. In cases where a single Waw or Ya is written and serves as both a letter and an elongation, [مد] appears below; when it should not be elongated, [قصر] appears. Of these, we have marked those with shortening using only the vowel and those with elongation using hidden elongations.
    [يُبْدِؤ۫نَ] [جاؤُكَ] [نَبِيّ۪نَ] [يَسْتَهْزَؤ۫نَ] [داو۫دَ] [يَشاؤُ] etc.

  5. The following words are pronounced short when continuing (Wasl) and with elongation when stopping (Waqf):
    [أَنَا] [لٰكِنَّا] [الظُّنونَا] [رَسولاَ] [سَبيلاَ] [قَواريرَا] [سَلاسِلاَ]

  6. In Arabic, there are two types of Alif regarding strength: Fixed Alif: It always takes a vowel and is pronounced. Wasl-Alif: (connecting Alif) It is pronounced when vowelized. In certain cases it is unvoweled and not pronounced. In Braille, the Wasl-Alif is written with Fatha without a vowel even in cases where it is pronounced.
    [الْحَمْدُ] [الرَّحْمٰنُ] [الَّذي] [الَّتي] [اُنْظُرْ] [اِقْتَرَبَ] etc.

  7. Alif Za’id: After the Waw at the end of some words there is an unpronounced Alif. This is called Alif Za’id; it indicates that the word is a plural verb.
    [قالوا] [عَمِلوا] [يُؤْمِنوا] [يَكونوا] [كُلوا] [يَرَوْا] [دَعَوْا] [مَشَوْا] [فَأْو۫ا] etc.

  8. The following words are pronounced with elongation both when continuing (Wasl) and when stopping (Waqf):
    [يُحْي۪] [يَسْتَحْي۪] [وَلِيّ۪] The endings of the following words also transform into an elongation when stopping:
    [هُوَ] [هِيَ] [فَنَسِيَ] [مَثانِيَ]

  9. Huruf al-Muqatta’a: At the beginning of 29 suras there are verses consisting of one or more letters. In these, instead of a vowel there is a straight line above.
    This straight line indicates that we pronounce these letters elongated by four Alif measures.
    [ا - ل - م] [ن] [حٰـم] [ع - س - ق] [طٰ - هٰ] [يٰ - س] [ق] [ا - ل - رٰ] etc.

  10. If after an elongation a word beginning with [ا] (Wasl-Alif) follows, the elongation becomes a vowel. [إلى اللّٰهِ] [في الدّينِ] [إِلاّ امْرَأَةٍ] [عيسى ابْنِ] [ذو انْتِقامٍ] [قالوا ادْعُ]

  11. If after a Tanwin a word beginning with Wasl-Alif follows, the Nun of the Tanwin is pronounced with an assumed Kasra. [عاداً الْأولى] [صِراطاً الْمُسْتَقيمَ] [مُحَمَّداً الْمُصْطَفى] [رَجُلٌ افْتَرى] [لوطٍ الْمُرْسَلينَ] [خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ] etc.