Question

As salaamu alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakatuhu.........Can you tell me what the different marks for continuation that are wajib or recommended. Also which ones represent a stop etc...  May Allaah reward you.   Masalaam

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh. 

There are many symbols in the copies of the Qur'an that denote where stopping is allowed, preferred, required, etc.  These symbols, put in by scholars, may differ from one printing to another, as the study of stops is not a black and white area, and it is not infrequent that the scholars differ as to whether a stop is better, preferred, or not indicated at a certain word. 

We will give a brief summary of the stop marks in the Medinah press copy of the Qur'an (King Fahd Printing Press).  These symbols are small and over and above the word in that the symbol is referring to:

= Al-waqf jaa'iz, it is allowed to stop here.  Example:  

      = Do not stop here, or do not start here.  Example:

 

= Al-waqf laazim, it is compulsory to stop here.  Example:  

= Al-waqf awlaa= stopping is preferred.  As in:

  = Al-wasl awlaa, continuing is preferred. As in:    

 =The pair of three dots is called  or embracing stop.  Here we should stop at one but not the other of the pair of three dots, and the choice is left to us.  Example:
 

Many scholars consider the and  as kaafi, or sufficient stops, as marked in the Medinah press copy of the Qur'an, so prefer to stop at all of these and  marks.  Certainly, this makes it easier for the student of the Qur'an to find where to stop, and we would recommend this approach.   

Another note  is that it is very important to follow the stop marks  that the scholars have put in the Qur'an.  A student of the Qur'an may unknowingly change the meaning of Allah's word (Glorified be He), by stopping or starting at an incorrect place. 

May Allah reward you too for this very important question.