Usage of Alif Maqsuura (ى و ئ) اهلا و سهلا، شكراً for considering my question. I am a new leader of Arabic, and I have come across words using Alif Maqsuura, but I don't understand it's usage. My understanding is that it is simply Alif (ا), but at the end of a word like (حاوى). My question is: is there any difference in pronunciation or meaning, or is it only a difference in style of the letter? Also, in some words (I don't have an example), I have seen what looks to me like a "short" Alif with Hamza (ئ alone) in the middle of a word (لئل). I can't find any information on what this is. Can anyone help me with this? Thank you in advance! شكراً جزيلاً