What is waqf in the Quran?
Asked by a NurAva community member · 5 November 2026
Answer by Hafiza Rida
Waqf means stopping while reciting, to take a breath at a place that keeps the meaning clear. Since nobody can recite a whole surah in one breath, Tajweed teaches where and how to stop.
How to stop:
Drop the final vowel and stop on a sukoon: الْعَالَمِينَ.
Tanween fatha is read as a long "aa": عَلِيمًا becomes "aleemaa".
The round taa (ة) is read as a haa: رَحْمَة becomes "rahmah".
Common stop signs in the Madinah mushaf:
م: you should stop.
ط: stopping is good.
ج: you may stop or continue.
قلى: stopping is better.
صلى: continuing is better.
لا: do not stop here.
If you run out of breath in a place where you should not stop, go back a few words and begin again from a place that makes sense. Never stop where it changes the meaning of the verse.
When you restart after a stop, check that the words you begin with still make sense.
Learn more: Learn Tajweed online
5 November 2026
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