Joining Group - Alef

Alef is a joining group that represents the Arabic letter alef, which is typically written as a vertical stroke and does not connect to following letters in cursive script, instead only joining from the right side. In Arabic text shaping, this group includes variants like alef with hamza above or below, alef madda, and alef wasla, all of which share the same behavior: they have a right joining form but no left joining form, creating a visible break in the connected word flow. This characteristic affects how adjacent letters, especially those to the left, must be rendered as isolated or final forms, ensuring proper visual representation in scripts like Arabic, Persian, and Urdu.