Detailed explaination of the Hamzatul wasl in the Indo Pak copy of the

Quraan
A person cannot start their recitation on a letter without a vowel. Therefore when the first letter of a word does not
have a vowel there will be a hamzatul wasl before it, which will allow the recitor to start their recitation. If a person
is not familiar with the Arabic language they will not recognise hamzatul wasl when it begins a verse or after a
stopping sign as most copies of this Quraan puts the relevant vowel on the hamzah. In the Uthmaani Quraan the
hamzatul wasl will appear as an alif with a small over it. In the Indo-Pak copy of the Quraan hamzatul wasl
when it occurs within a verse will not carry a mark over or under it and is distinguished from the madd alif by the
fact that it will begin a word.

I have put the following table together to aid students of the Indo-Pak copy of the Quraan. It may be useful for them
to memorise the words until they have a good grasp of the Arabic language. They can also take note of the words
that begin with hamzatul wasl within a verse as they can also occur at the beginning of a verse or after a stopping
sign. The words listed below do not contain all the words beginning with the alif-laam tareef (al) as there are so
many. I have just listed some as examples. However, most if not all of the other words that start with hamzatul wasl
that occur after a stopping sign are listed inshaAllah.

the hamzatul wasl the hamzatul wasl the hamzatul

the hamzatul wasl the hamzatul wasl
gets a kasrah the hamzatul wasl gets a fat-hah wasl gets a
gets a kasrah gets a dhammah
gets a dhammah fat-hah
Note: the words in
the line above and
the word to the right
in most of the Indo-
Pak copies of the the hamzatul wasl
Quraan do not have gets a kasrah
the corresponding
vowel on them Remember these ( ra) are read with tafkheem (full mouth)
For those who are curious the alif after the madd wow at the end of some of the words in the table is not hamzatul
wasl as it does not begin a word, nor is it a madd alif as there is no fat-hah before it. It is actually called the
separating alif and is used by Arabs to indicate the end of a word after a wow. This alif is not recited.

It is important to know if a word begins with hamzatul wasl so that people, if they run out of breath can start
correctly on the word that begins with hamzatul wasl and if they continue from one verse to another they can apply
the tajweed rules correctly. Also if the saakinah is preceded by a hamzatul wasl it will always be tafkheem (full
mouth) no matter what vowel is before the saakinah. The vowel the hamzatul wasl gets depends on the make-up
of that word.The hamzatul wasl that stands before the laam of the definite article the alif-laam tareef (i.e. it
begins with al - meaning the word the in Arabic) will always carry a fat-hah. In all nouns and verbs, the hamzatul
wasl will carry a kasrah unless the third letter of the verb (including the hamzatul wasl and two letters for a
shaddah if applicable) carries an original dhammah, in which case it will carry a dhammah. Another way of
looking at it is to remember the hamzatul wasl will always get a kasrah unless hamzatul wasl is part of the alif-
laam tareef (when it will carry a fat-hah) or the third letter carries an original dhammah (when it will carry a
dhammah).

The hamzatul wasl is only recited when starting on that word but dropped when continuing the recitation, i.e. the
last letter of the last word with a vowel joins on to the letter without a vowel.When continuing the recitation from
verse 1 to 2 of suratul Ale Imran, the meem saakinah of the Meem in the first verse acquires a fat-hah and this joins
to the Name of Allah in the second verse.

Note: if the letter after the hamzatul wasl is a hamzah, the maddi badal rules are also applied.

It may seem a little daunting but if a person stops at the end of a verse or just before a stopping sign they generally
when reciting the Indo-Pak copy of the Quraan dont have to worry about what vowel to put on the hamzatul wasl.
For longer verses they may have to stop between the stopping signs and this is why knowledge of the rules
surrounding hamzatul wasl is important. A person may find that it is better not to start on a word beginning with
hamzatul wasl as they cannot stop and start anywhere within a verse, as the meanings can be greatly affected. A
good knowledge of Arabic and tafseer will enable a person to deduce the best places where to stop and start. If they
are not sure, they can listen to the great Qaris and copy their stops and starts or ask a qualified teacher. The same
priniciple applies when a person is not sure what vowel to put on the hamzatul wasl. Dont guess as it can affect the
meaning of word.

For Qiraat and tajweed questions you can contact the following:

http://www.abouttajweed.com/index.php/tajweed-rules - you will see a link on the right to ask questions

I seek Allahs forgiveness for any shortcomings in this booklet. May Allah make it easy for everyone to recite the
Quraan correctly and to a standard that is acceptable and pleasing to Him. Ameen.

Sister Uzma 2017