Is the pause after the word "fighting" in the verse: "And mentioned in it was fighting, you would see those in whose hearts is a disease" obligatory or optional, given the variation in pause marks in different copies of the Qur’an?
The stop signs in the Qur'ans are a matter of scholarly discretion (ijtihadiyya) and not legally obligatory, unless the stop corrupts the meaning. Therefore, the imams do not prohibit stopping at a noun without its genitive annex (mudaf ilayh) or at a verb without its doer (fa'il), as long as it is not intended to distort the meaning, and this is if the stop is out of necessity. Following the stop signs in the Qur'ans is more preferable than adopting the practice of some reciters. The word (القتال) "fighting" is not a place to stop; rather, it should be connected to what follows it, and the word (رأيت) "I saw" is also not a place to stop; rather, it should be connected to its object, because stopping at them is considered an ugly stop (waqf qabih).
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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