Hamzat al-Wasl and Hamzat al-Qat’: How to Read the Connecting Alif in the Quran

Many beginners see a plain alif at the start of a word and are not sure whether to say it. The answer depends on which kind of hamza it is. This short guide shows how to tell the two apart, gives examples from the Quran, and explains the vowel you use when you have to start on a connecting hamza.

The difference at a glance

	Hamzat al-qat’ (cutting)	Hamzat al-wasl (connecting)
Pronounced when starting	Yes	Yes
Pronounced when joining the previous word	Yes, always	No, it disappears
How it is usually written	With a hamza sign (أ or إ)	As a plain alif, often with a small mark
Where it appears	Many nouns, particles and verbs	Mostly in ال, some verbs and a few nouns

The easy test: ask whether the hamza is still heard when you read on from the word before. If it is, it is a cutting hamza. If it vanishes, it is a connecting one.

Examples from the Quran

• Connecting: in بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ you do not say the alif of ٱللَّهِ, but you do say it when you begin with ٱللَّهُ. At the end of Al-Fatiha 1:5 and start of 1:6, reading on gives “nasta’inu-hdina”, while starting at the verse gives “ihdina”.
• Cutting: أَنزَلْنَاهُ (97:1) and أَحَدٌ (112:1) are always pronounced, whether you start on them or join them to the previous word.

What vowel do I use when I have to start on hamzat al-wasl?

If you start reading on a word with a connecting hamza, you need a short vowel to begin it. The usual pattern is:

• With the definite article ال: start with a fatha, as in ٱلْحَمْدُ (al-hamdu).
• In many verbs: look at the third letter of the verb. If it carries a damma, start with a damma, as in ٱنظُرْ (unzur). Otherwise start with a kasra, as in ٱهْدِنَا (ihdina).
• In many nouns: start with a kasra, as in ٱبْنَ (ibna).

There are exceptions, so confirm the pattern with your teacher on the words you actually read.

Common mistakes

• Pronouncing the connecting alif in the middle of a sentence, for example saying an extra “a” in bismi-llah.
• Dropping a cutting hamza because it looks like an ordinary alif.
• Using a fatha for every start. The vowel depends on the word.

A short practice

1. Open a page and underline every word that starts with a plain alif.
2. For each, check whether the previous word is joined to it.
3. Read the line once starting on the word, and once reading on from the line before.

Doing this on a page you know well makes the difference clear. When you pause or stop at a verse end and restart, you will meet this rule often, so it pairs well with our guide to stopping signs.

Notes and sources

This is the standard overview in the Hafs recitation. Rules for the starting vowel have more detail than shown, and the rare case where a cutting hamza follows a connecting hamza is best learned with a teacher.

• Quran Sheikh Institute: Hamzatul Wasl
• Quran Sheikh Institute: Hamzatul Qat’
• About Tajweed: Hamzah al-Wasl