al-Waqf wal-Ibtida fi Kitab Allah
- Author died
- 231 AH
- Editions
- مركز جمعة الماجد للثقافة والتراث
al-Waqf wal-Ibtida fi Kitab Allah (Pausing and Resuming in the Book of Allah) is an early treatise on Quranic recitation and Arabic grammar by the Kufan grammarian and reciter Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Sadan al-Darir (d. 231 AH / 846 CE) .
Transmission and Overview
The work is recorded among the foundational texts composed on Quranic pauses and starts in early bibliographical registers, including the Fihrist of Ibn al-Nadim . It has been transmitted through a chain of narration stemming directly from Ibn Sadan via his student Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Sulayman al-Marwazi, from whom it was narrated by Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Miqsam al-Attar, and subsequently preserved through chains of traditional scholars .
Content and Methodology
The treatise opens with traditions emphasizing the excellence of the Quran, the necessity of correct grammatical pronunciation (i'rab), and the prohibition of solecisms (lahn) in recitation, citing reports from figures such as Umar ibn al-Khattab, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, Abdullah ibn Masud, and A'ishah . Ibn Sadan defines the mastery of pausing and resuming as an integral element of grammatical vocalization, dividing pauses into those on complete speech (al-waqf 'ala al-tamam) and those on incomplete speech (ghayr al-tamam), stating that pausing on complete meaning is superior . He also notes that pausing at each individual verse or across pairs of verses constitutes an acceptable and commendable practice (waqf hasan) .
The author approaches the subject through both grammatical analysis and recitational traditions:
- Recitation rulings and hamza: He records the stopping practices of prominent early reciters, noting that Hamza al-Zayyat (via Sulaym ibn Isa) omitted the glottal stop (hamza) when pausing, whereas Nafi al-Madani (via Ishaq al-Musayyabi) retained the hamza, which Ibn Sadan himself favored .
- Rules of commencement: He details the pronunciation of initial connective alifs, such as starting nouns with the definite article al- with an open vowel (fatha), or beginning imperative verbs such as اهْدِنَا with a broken vowel (kasra) determined by the vocalization of the verb's third radical .
- Disconnected letters (huruf muqatta'ah): The text explains the orthography and vocalization of opening letter combinations (such as Alif Lam Mim and Ha Mim), as well as the rules for connecting or pausing between them and subsequent verses .
- Particles and syntax: He outlines pause rulings across specific Quranic particles, including the negative la denoting categorical negation (tabri'ah), explaining whether a pause is permissible on the particle itself or on its dependent noun . In other rulings, such as the syntactical function and pausing upon the particle kalla, Ibn Sadan followed the positions of the Kufan grammarian al-Farra .
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