Back to search

What is the ruling on continuing a recitation after a necessary stop (waqf lazim) in the Hafs recitation from Asim?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

There is no prescribed stop in the Quran whose omission or commission would render a person sinful. The intent of permissible performance refers to what is considered good in recitation, not to prohibition or dislike. Imam Al-Suyuti highlighted the importance of the science of waqf (وقف - stopping) and ibtidāʾ (ابتداء - starting) in mastering the art of recitation. The imams divided waqf into categories: Tām (تام - complete), Ḥasan (حسن - good), and Qabīḥ (قبيح - bad). Tām is that upon which it is good to stop and also good to start with what follows it. Ḥasan is that upon which it is good to stop, but it is not good to start with what follows it. Qabīḥ is that which is neither Tām nor Ḥasan, such as stopping on a muḍāf (مضاف - first term of an iḍāfah construction) without its muḍāf ilayh (مضاف إليه - second term). Others have divided waqf into four categories: Tām Mukhtār (تام مختار - chosen complete), Kāfin Jāʾiz (كافٍ جائز - sufficient permissible), Ḥasan Mafhūm (حسن مفهوم - good understandable), and Qabīḥ Matrūk (قبيح متروك - bad abandoned). Therefore, it is not obligatory to stop at a specific word or phrase, and continuous recitation is permissible as long as it does not lead to a distortion of the meaning.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy