Question

Assalamu alaykum

At the end of verse 1 of surah Kahf, if we read in continued reading (wasl) you mentioned that there are two ways allowed - with sakt; and without sakt. If you read WITHOUT sakt (ie continue through) do you pronounce the tanween (i'wajan qayyimal...) or not (iwajaa qayyimal)? What about with sakt?

Jazakallahu khayran

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh. 

The sakt that is used when reading, joining the first and second aayah of surah Al-Kahf, is waajib (required) when reading Hafs 'an 'Aasim min tareeq ash-Shaatibiyyah. We must read with the sakt (breathless pause) on the alif substituted for the tanween on the word  when joining the two aayah .  If we do not join the two aayaat and stop on the word  then there would be no sakt. 

There is in Hafs min tareeq at-tayyibah ways that do not have the sakt here; and when reading by joining the two aayaat, the tanween of  is employed with the accompanying ikhfa' before the word .  The different tareeq are each a complete separate way of reading and we have to be reading the complete way with all its accompanying rules and special ways of reading words.  We cannot be reading, for example, the way of Shatibiyyah from the beginning, and when we come to this sakt, change ways and read the two aayaat together with idraaj (no sakt).  This is just to make sure all understand that we cannot mix different turuq together, as each is passed down by authentic transmission from the Prophet, , with its associated rules and ways of reading different words.

Please also see the current tidbit lesson  for the last week of August 2002, which will be found after this week in the tidbit archive files under the subject of "sakt".