Why does my child skip the alif at the start of some words? What is hamzat al-wasl?
Bloomtivo answers
Some words start with a “joining” alif (hamzat al-wasl), which is pronounced only when you start reading from that word, and skipped when joining from the word before. For example, “bismi-llah”, not “bismi Allah”. In many Mushafs it is shown by a small ṣād-shaped mark on the alif (ٱ). Your child is often right to skip it.
Reviewed by Sondos Hassan, Bloomtivo teacher · Updated
↓ The full answer
Children who learn carefully notice that the alif at the start of words like الله, اسم and ابن is sometimes read and sometimes not. That is hamzat al-wasl, the “connecting” hamzah.
The rule
Situation
What happens
Example
Starting to read from this word
The alif is pronounced with a vowel
اللّٰهُ → “Allahu”
Joining from the word before
The alif is silent; the words link
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ → “bismi-llahi”
How to spot it
Many Mushafs mark it with a small sign like the head of the letter ص on top of the alif: ٱ.
It appears at the start of “al-” (the), and in words like ٱسْم، ٱبْن، ٱهْدِنَا.
Start with 2 free trial lessons. If your child does not get on with the teacher, we change the teacher and the trial lessons stay free until your child is comfortable. After that, you choose a paid plan that fits your child.
A quick question about cookiesWe'd like to use analytics cookies to see which pages help parents most. Nothing is used for ads, and you can say no. Analytics cookies, only if you agree. Cookie policy
