Understanding Hamzatul Wasl and Hamzatul Qat’ is crucial for anyone studying Arabic, whether you are a native or non-native speaker. Therefore, in this article, we will delve into recognizing Hamzatul Wasl and Hamzatul Qat’, and discerning the key differences between them.
The features of the joining hamza (همزة الوصل) -Hamzat Al Waṣl: ا ٱ
- The Hamza which attaches, connects or joins, a non-phonemic glottal stop produced automatically only if at the beginning of an utterance, otherwise assimilated. It only comes at the beginning of the word.
- Pronounced only when starting the word, but dropped when joining with the word preceding it and no vowel written over it.
- Hamzat Al wasl is read when the sentence or verse is started by it.
- It is represented by small (sad ص) on top of it in the Qur’an, and without any marks in the usual sentences.
- The hamza in (Al – ال ) for the definition is the hamzat wasl.
- If Hamzat Al wasl comes in the middle of a sentence or verse, then it is silent or ignored and is not read.
- Although the hamzat al-waṣl can be written as an alif carrying a waṣlah sign ٱ (only in the Quran), it is normally indicated by a plain alif without a hamza.
The features of the disjunction hamza (همزة القطع) – Hamzat Al-qaṭ‘: ء ئ ئـ ؤ أ إ
- The letter Hamza (ء) on its own always represents hamzat al-qaṭ‘, “the Hamza which breaks, ceases or halts”, that is, a phonemic glottal stop. Pronounced Hamza with vowel, whether starting on the word or continuing from a previous word.
- If it comes in the middle of the speech, it is called the middle Hamza, and if it falls at the end of the word, it is called the extreme.
- Hamzat Al Kata` is always read, irrespective of its location in the Qur’an or in the usual sentences.
- Hamzat Al Kata is represented by a small ء neck on it. Example: (أكل Akala). This differentiation is generally given in Arabic font in Quran, and usual sentences.
The Joining Hamzat “al-Wasl” examples:
- The ا (hamza) in ال (the definite article) is called Hamzat al wasl. Example: القمر [Al-kamar] – الكتاب [Al-kitab]
- If Hamzat al-Wasl is preceded by another word, it’s not pronounced. Example: المنزل [Al-manzil] is pronounced, but when the word is accompanied by the letter و waw, like “والمنزل” it is pronounced as [wal-manzil] and not [wa-al-manzil].
- Hamzat al-Wasl also appears in words without ال (the definite article). Examples: اسم [ism] – Hamzat Al wasl is pronounced, but in بسم الله [bismiallah] Hamzat al-Wasl is not pronounced. Also, ابن [ibn] – Hamzat Al wasl is pronounced, but in عيسى بن مريم [isa-bn Mariam], Hamzat Al wasl is not pronounced.
The disjunction Hamzat “ Al-qaṭ‘” example:
Hamzatul Qat’ is always pronounced, regardless of its position in a sentence. For instance, consider the examples: أحمد [Ahmad] and أخذ [Akhaza]. Notice that even when preceded by another letter, such as in وأخذ [Wa-akhaza], the Hamza remains pronounced.
