Question

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

I would to like to know, if there are no signs for stopping within a verse and the verse is quite long, how would you know where it is permissible to stop, if at all.

In Surah Toubah (Chapter 9, verse 34) - starts with Yaa aiyu halla thee na aamanoe - where in this verse can you stop within this verse before it comes to the end of the verse?
 
I have heard many famous reciters stop in places where there are no signs.

What are the rules regarding this issue.
Shukran

 

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

We can always stop on  , or a good stop in which there is completeness in meaning in a statement, but what comes next is linked grammatically to the previous phrase.  What we cannot do, is start on the next word once we have taken a breath.  Instead we need to go back a word or two and repeat once we start to pick up the grammar, in the best possible way, although sometimes we have to go back a few words without being able to start on the verb of the phrase because the aayah is long and the verb is at the beginning.

In the aayah in question:

There are several places that make good stops, and then we need to start by repeating a word or few words after we breathe.  The words: ,    ,  are all places we can stop and take a breath.  We can start after the breath by repeating the word  or  .  If you can’t make it to the word  from the beginning of the aayah in once breath, you can stop on the word  or  , but  you need to start after the breath on: .  This is not as good as the previous examples, but if you have shortness of breath that forces you to stop, it is still acceptable.

Please see the lessons on stopping and starting at the links below:

http://www.abouttajweed.com/the_lessons_on_al-w.htm

http://www.abouttajweed.com/the_ibtidaa'_lessons.htm

‘Afwan.  Wa assalaam alaikum.