Introduction

Allah’s words are beautiful, powerful and strong that there is no comparison to any other, but Allah has essentially made it a lot easier for us to recite, interpret and memorise:

وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ – 54:22

[And We have certainly made the Qur’an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?]

فَإِنَّمَا يَسَّرْنَاهُ بِلِسَانِكَ لِتُبَشِّرَ بِهِ الْمُتَّقِينَ وَتُنذِرَ بِهِ قَوْمًا لُّدًّا – 19:97

[So, [O Muhammad], We have only made Qur’an easy in the Arabic language that you may give good tidings thereby to the righteous and warn thereby a hostile people.]

كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَارَكٌ لِّيَدَّبَّرُوا آيَاتِهِ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ – 38:29

[[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded.]

To be able to feel and understand the full beauty of the Quran through recitation, Allah has created it so that it is easy for us to read, understand and memorise. Since, it is easy to understand the longer ayahs (verses) by dividing it into shorter fragments that is why the Quranic verses are gapped with some necessary stop and pause signs, rules and symbols so that the reader could comprehend its meaning in the rightful manner, learn to recite Quran with correct Tajweed and in the rhythmic and phonetic style. This creates a single universal method of reading between all of the readers, regardless of whether they master the Arabic language or not.

When reading the holy Quran, we are supposed to stop (means the reader takes a breath with the intention of continuing reading) only when it is allowed to do so.

There are different kinds of signs on top of the word to indicate if it is possible to stop or not.

The Stop Signs

The Compulsory Stop – – It is compulsory to STOP at this sign.

The Prohibited Stop – – You must NOT STOP at this sign.

Preferred to Continue – – You MAY STOP but it is preferred to continue.

The Sufficient Stop – – You may continue but it is preferred to stop.

The Equality Stop – – It is the same whether you stop or continue.

The Precautionary Stop – – If you stop at one of the signs, you must not stop at the other.

The Brief Stop – – You stop briefly.

Sajda = Prostration – – This sign means that you have to perform sajda. The line above the words in the ayah indicate the reason for the sajda. You will also see the word ‘sajda’ at the side of the Quran to get your attention.

You may also find other symbols that are related to Tajweed.