Ruling on the waaw

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The ruling on the waaw: its 2 states

The third letter: the waaw.

The waaw is either the sign of the singular, and it then belongs to the word's structure, as in يَمْحُو ¹, or the sign of the plural, as in كَاشِفُوا ². It has two states: a state where it is kept in the script, and a state where it is dropped in the script.

The first state: the waaw kept in the script

It comprises two sections:

First section: the waaw kept in the script, when stopping and in wasl. This section is specific to every waaw kept in the script without a sakina after it.

Its ruling: it is kept in recitation when stopping as in wasl, for its keeping in the script, like "nad'oo" in يَوْمَ نَدْعُو كُلَّ أُنَاسٍ بِإِمَامِهِمْ ³ in al-Isra', and "mulaaqoo" in الَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُمْ مُلاقُو رَبِّهِمْ ⁴ in al-Baqarah.

Second section: the waaw kept in the script and when stopping, dropped in wasl. This section is specific to every waaw kept in the script with a sakina after it.

Its ruling: it is kept in recitation when stopping only, for its keeping in the script; as for wasl, it is dropped to free oneself from the meeting of two sakinas, like "tatroo" in وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُوا الشَّيَاطِينُ ⁵ in al-Baqarah, and "jaaboo" in وَثَمُودَ الَّذِينَ جَابُوا الصَّخْرَ بِالْوَادِ ⁶ in al-Fajr.

The second state: the waaw dropped in the script

It also comprises two sections:

First section: the waaw dropped in the script, when stopping and in wasl. This section is specific to every waaw dropped in the script, whether for a reason of the apocopated form (jazm) or of the pattern (bina'), or for another.

The one dropped by the apocopated form: "taqfoo" in وَلا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ ¹ in al-Isra'.

The one dropped by the pattern: "ud'oo" in ادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ ² in an-Nahl.

As for the one dropped for another reason, it is found in four words at five places: three are verbs, "yad'oo", "yamhoo" and "sanad'oo", and one a noun, "Salih".

• "yad'oo", in two places: وَيَدْعُ الْإنْسَانُ بِالشَّرِّ دُعَاءَهُ بِالْخَيْرِ ³ in al-Isra', and يَوْمَ يَدْعُ الدَّاعِ إِلَى شَيْءٍ نُكُرٍ ⁴ in al-Qamar;
• "yamhoo": وَيَمْحُ اللَّهُ الْبَاطِلَ ⁵ in ash-Shura;
• "sanad'oo": سَنَدْعُ الزَّبَانِيَةَ ⁶ in al-'Alaq;
• "Salih": وَصَالِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ⁷ in at-Tahrim, according to the view that it is a sound masculine plural.

Its ruling: it is dropped in recitation in all of this, when stopping as in wasl, following its dropping in the script.

Second section: the waaw dropped in the script and when stopping, kept in wasl. This section is specific to the waaw that serves as the Silah of the Haa of the pronoun of dhammah, by which the third person masculine singular is designated, in wasl, like "takhudhuhu" in لا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلا نَوْمٌ ¹ in al-Baqarah, and "lahu" in لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ² in ash-Shura.

Its ruling: it is kept during the joining of the Haa in wasl; as for stopping, it is dropped for the sukoon of the Haa without joining.

The poem of "La'ali al-Bayan"

To certain rulings of dropping and keeping the author of "La'ali al-Bayan" refers with these verses:

ووارد إثبات يا في الأيدي ... بعد أولي والحذف في ذا الأيد
ووقف معجزي محلي حاضري ... آتي المقيمي مهلكي باليا دُري
والحذف قبل ساكن في اليا رسا ... وقفًا كوصل عند ننج يونُسا
واخشون مع يؤت النسا والواد ... وواد والجوار مع لهاد
وهاد روم صال تغن بالقمر ... يردن مع عباد أوَّلي زُمر
والواو في ويمح ثم يدع ... لإنسانُ والداع كذا سندعُ
وصالح التحريم ثم الألفِ ... في أية الرحمن نور الزخرف
وفي سلاسلا وما آتان قف ... بالحذف والإثبات في اليا والألف
وقف بها في لَيكونا نسفعا ... إذاً ولكنا ونحو رُكَّعا
أنا مع الظنونا والرسولا ... كانت قواريرا مع السبيلا
وحذفها وصلا ومطلقًا لدى ... ثمود مع أخرى قوارير بدا