Ruling on Stopping at Verse Endings — Is it Sunnah? What is the Evidence?

Definition:
Stopping at verse endings: pausing at the end of each verse (ayah marker) even when the meaning flows into the next verse.

Ruling and Evidence:
The majority of Tajweed scholars hold that stopping at verse endings is a recommended Sunnah, based on:
1. The hadith of Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her): "The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pause verse by verse: 'Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem'... then 'Al-hamdu lillahi rabbil 'aalameen'... then 'Ar-Rahman ir-Raheem'" [narrated by Abu Dawud and Al-Tirmidhi]
2. Pausing at verse endings is among the transmitted characteristics of the Prophet's recitation

Rule:
It is recommended to stop at verse endings even when meaning connects to the next verse — such as stopping at "Ar-Raheem" and beginning with "Maliki yawm id-deen".
This is not classified as an ugly stop — scholars call it "Al-Waqf Al-Sunni" (the Prophetic stop).

Quranic Example:
"Ar-Rahman ir-Raheem" [Al-Fatiha: 3] — stopping here is Sunnah even though it describes the same Subject as "Maliki yawm id-deen" [Al-Fatiha: 4].

Note:
This ruling applies to recitation outside prayer. In prayer, pausing at verse endings is agreed to be Sunnah based on descriptions of the Prophet's prayer.