Islam > Quran > Tajweed > Separated and joined words of the rasm
Updated on 04 October 2026 at 11:01 PM
📖 3 min readThe maqtu' (separated word) is every word separated from what follows it in the rasm of the Uthmani masaahif.
The mawsul (joined word) is every word joined to what follows it by the rasm in these same masaahif.
The maqtu' is the original and the mawsul derives from it; for the rule for every word is to be written separately from every other, and joined words are not so, for they are joined in writing while being separated in the language in certain cases. ¹
Separation and joining are among the characteristics of the Uthmani rasm that the scholars of recitation made it binding on the reader to know and follow; so that he stops on each word of the Noble Quran according to its rasm in the Uthmani masaahif, except for what has been excepted from this rule.
If the word is separated from what follows it, stopping on it is permitted in a context of teaching, of examination, or in case of necessity. If it is joined to what follows it, stopping on it is not permitted, but on the second of the two words. And if there is divergence over their separation or joining, stopping on the first is permitted in consideration of their separation, while only stopping on the second is permitted in consideration of their joining.
On this, know that it is not permitted to stop deliberately on one of the separated words, for that is bad; ² and because they are not usually a place of stopping. The permission of stopping remains tied to the context of teaching, of examination, or to the state of necessity, as mentioned previously.
What we shall mention in saying "this is maqtu'" and "this is mawsul" has the following meaning: the maqtu' requires the keeping of the last letter of the word by the rasm when it is merged into what follows, like "أَنْ", a hamza with fathah and a light noon, with "لا", in the words of the Most High: أَنْ لا تُشْرِكْ بِي شَيْئًا ¹. Although the noon is merged into the laam orally, the word is separated in writing.
The mawsul means the dropping of the last letter of the joined word by the rasm when it is merged into what follows, like "إِنْ", a hamza with kasrah and a light noon, with "لا", in the words of the Most High: إِلاّ تَنْصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللَّهُ ², where the word was written without noon. The same applies to everything resembling it; let this be known so as not to have to point it out at every occurrence.
The discourse on the maqtu' and the mawsul comprises three types:
What follows is the detailed discourse on each of the three types.