The Alif of ANA and LAKINNA in Qalun Recitation: Rules in Wasl and Waqf

The final alif of أَنَا in Qalun recitation changes according to stopping, joining, and the first sound of the following word. In wasl, the reciter must distinguish three rules: retaining the alif, allowing either retention or omission, and omitting it.

This guide covers all 68 occurrences of أَنَا, وَأَنَا, and فَأَنَا, plus the single occurrence of لَٰكِنَّا. The complete rule therefore applies to 69 locations.

How is this related to the seven alifs?

أَنَا and لَٰكِنَّا belong to the traditional chapter of the seven alifs. However, the detailed rules are not identical in every riwaya. A familiar Hafs rule should not be transferred automatically to Qalun recitation.

For the seven categories and the signs ۠ and ْ, see the guide to the seven alifs in Hafs recitation. This article focuses on أَنَا, its prefixed forms, and لَٰكِنَّا according to Qalun.

General rule for the alif of ANA in Qalun

The alif of أَنَا is therefore neither always retained nor always omitted in continuous recitation. The following word determines the rule.

All 69 Qalun passages

The following list gives all 69 occurrences across 67 ayahs, since Surah Yusuf, ayah 108 and Surah Ta-Ha, ayah 13 each contain two occurrences. They are grouped by rule and rendered from the exact vocalized Qalun corpus. The small high upright rectangular zero ۠ appears inside the 47 passages that carry it. Its absence in retention cases, in the preferred form before kasra hamza, and before hamzat al-wasl reflects the corpus itself; it is not a display omission.

Rule in waqf

When stopping on أَنَا, وَأَنَا, فَأَنَا, or لَٰكِنَّا, the alif is retained and pronounced as a natural two-count madd.

Rule in wasl

The rule depends on hamzat al-qat at the beginning of the following word. When the alif is retained before that hamza, it forms a madd munfasil, read with qasr or tawassut according to the reciter’s path and consistent choice. When omitted, the reciter moves directly from the fatḥa of the nūn to the following sound.

Retaining the alif before fatḥa or ḍamma hamza

If the following word begins with a hamza carrying fatḥa أَ or ءَ, or a hamza carrying ḍamma أُ, Qalun transmits one form for the alif: retention. أَنَا is pronounced with its complete alif in wasl.

This rule occurs in twelve passages, all listed above with a relevant excerpt from the āya.

Two forms before a hamza with kasra

In three passages, أَنَا is followed by إِلَّا, beginning with a hamza carrying kasra. These are the passages in Al-Araf, Ash-Shuara, and Al-Ahqaf reproduced in the exhaustive list.

First form: retain the alif

Qalun permits retaining the alif before the hamza with kasra, and this is the preferred form. The long vowel followed by a hamza in the next word creates madd munfasil, performed according to the selected path.

Second form: omit the alif

The alif may also be omitted in wasl. The reciter then moves directly from the fatḥa of the nūn to the hamza with kasra without elongating the alif. In waqf on أَنَا, the alif is always retained.

Both forms are valid, but they must be combined consistently with the other choices of the learned transmission path.

Omitting the alif in all other contexts

In 54 passages, the next word does not begin with hamzat al-qat carrying fatḥa, ḍamma, or kasra. Qalun then transmits one form in wasl: omit the alif.

Examples include:

• أَنَا۠ بِبَاسِطٖ يَدِيَ in Al-Maida;
• أَنَا۠ خَيْرٞ مِّنْهُ in Al-Araf;
• أَنَا۠ رَبُّكَ in Ta-Ha;
• وَأَنَا۠ بَرِےٓءٞ in Yunus and Hud;
• لَٰكِنَّا۠ هُوَ اَ۬للَّهُ رَبِّے in Al-Kahf.

Before hamzat al-wasl

Seven occurrences are followed by hamzat al-wasl. They do not carry the upright rectangular zero in the corpus, but the alif is omitted in continuous recitation:

• وَأَنَا اَ۬لتَّوَّابُ in Al-Baqara;
• أَنَا اَ۬لْغَفُورُ and أَنَا اَ۬لنَّذِيرُ in Al-Hijr;
• وَأَنَا اَ۪خْتَرْتُكَ and أَنَا اَ۬للَّهُ in Ta-Ha;
• أَنَا اَ۬للَّهُ in An-Naml and Al-Qasas.

In wasl, hamzat al-wasl drops and the alif of أَنَا is not elongated. The fatḥa of the nūn remains before the reciter moves to the next consonant.

Rules for WA-ANA, FA-ANA, and LAKINNA

وَأَنَا

The initial wāw does not create a separate rule. This form occurs 18 times: its alif is retained in four passages before a hamza with fatḥa and omitted in the remaining fourteen.

فَأَنَا

This form occurs once, in فَأَنَا أَوَّلُ اُ۬لْعَٰبِدِينَ (Az-Zukhruf, 43:81). Because the next word begins with a hamza carrying fatḥa, Qalun retains the alif in wasl.

لَٰكِنَّا

Its single occurrence is in Al-Kahf: لَٰكِنَّا۠ هُوَ اَ۬للَّهُ رَبِّے. The alif is omitted when joining to هُوَ and retained when stopping on لَٰكِنَّا.

The upright rectangular zero ۠ in the Qalun text

The small high upright rectangular zero ۠ is present in the Qalun text as it is in the Hafs text. The Qalun corpus studied contains 47 such signs across 46 verses. They mark places where the alif of أَنَا, its prefixed forms, or لَٰكِنَّا is omitted in one transmitted form during wasl.

The sign does not appear in the twelve cases before a hamza carrying fatḥa or ḍamma because Qalun retains the alif there. It also does not appear in the preferred written form of the three cases before a hamza with kasra, where retention is preferred.

The sign therefore helps identify omission, but one symbol alone cannot explain the two forms before kasra or the complete relationships between recitational choices.

Differences between Qalun and Hafs

Both riwayat retain the alif in waqf and omit it before ordinary consonants and hamzat al-wasl in wasl. The main difference appears before hamzat al-qat:

Hafs therefore omits the alif of أَنَا in every instance of wasl. Qalun retains it before a hamza with fatḥa or ḍamma and transmits two forms before a hamza with kasra.

For a broader overview, see the Qalun and Hafs comparison and the index of Qalun recitation rules.

Common mistakes

Omitting the alif in every wasl

That is the Hafs rule, not the complete Qalun rule. Qalun retains the alif before fatḥa or ḍamma hamza and allows two forms before kasra.

Retaining the alif in every wasl

The reverse is also incorrect. Before other letters and hamzat al-wasl, the alif is omitted.

Omitting the alif in waqf

The omissions described here apply to continuous recitation. When stopping on أَنَا, وَأَنَا, فَأَنَا, or لَٰكِنَّا, the alif is retained.

Deriving the whole rule from ۠

The sign is present in the Qalun mushaf, but it cannot by itself explain the two forms before kasra or their relationship to other reading choices.

Summary

• In waqf, the alif is retained in all 69 locations.
• Before a hamza with fatḥa or ḍamma, Qalun retains the alif in 12 passages.
• Before a hamza with kasra, 3 passages have two forms, with retention preferred.
• In the remaining 54 passages, the alif is omitted in wasl, including before hamzat al-wasl.
• The sign ۠ occurs 47 times in the Qalun corpus studied.
• Hafs omits the alif of أَنَا in every wasl, whereas Qalun distinguishes the vowel on the following hamza.