1) It is not permissible to physically touch the Qur'aan if the person is unclean and in need of Wudhu. However according to Imam Abu Haneefa (RA) it would be permissible to touch the Sleeve (or covering) which is not permanently attached to the Qur'aan but Imam Malik (RA) & Imam Shaf'ae (RA) don't permit this.
2) It is permissible to recite the Qur'aan from memory (without Wudhu).
2) It is not permissible to physically touch or recite the Qur'aan if the person is unclean and in need of Ghusl, whether the state of uncleanliness is due to sexual defilement (Janabah), Menustral bleeding or post-partum bleeding.
3) If the woman is a Hafidfha of the Qur'aan and there is a danger that she may forget the Qur'aan if she doesn't recite (during her menstrual periods) then Mufti Ibraheem Desai (DB) recommends the following two methods:
a) She may use a cloth to hold the Qur'an and look inside while reciting in the mind. She should not move her lips.
b) She can sit next to someone who is reciting and listen to that person.
4) It is also not permissible to touch the translation ONLY of the Qur'aan in the state of impurity. [Mufti Hussain/ www.sunniforum.com/forum/ ].
From Qur'aan :
)إِنَّهُ ۥ لَقُرۡءَانٌ۬ كَرِيمٌ۬ (٧٧) فِى كِتَـٰبٍ۬ مَّكۡنُونٍ۬ (٧٨) لَّا يَمَسُّهُ ۥۤ إِلَّا ٱلۡمُطَهَّرُونَ (٧٩
It is surely the Noble Qur'an (recorded already) in a protected book [the Preserved Tablet] that is not touched except by the purified ones [the angels] .... 77-79)
From Sunnah:
عن حکیم بن حزام ان النبی لما بعثہ والیاً الی الیمن قال لا تمس القرآن الا وانت طاھر
(مستدرک حاکم)
Sayydina Hakim Ibn Hizam (RA) narrates that I was deputed as a Wali towards Yemen by the Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) and he said, "Don't touch the Quraan unless you are Taahir (clean from impurity)." [Mustadrak]
عن عبداللہ بن عمر ان رسول اللہ قال لا یمس القرآن الا طاھر
(رواہ الطبرانی)
Sayydina Abdaullah Ibn Umar (RA) narrates that the Prophet of Allah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) said, 'Don't touch the Qur'aan except in the state of purity.' [Tabarani]
عن عبداللہ بن ابی بکر بن حزم ان فی کتاب الذی کتبہ رسول اللہ لعمرو بن حزم لا یمس القرآن الا طاھر
(موطا امام مالک)
Abdullah Ibn Abi Bakr Ibn Hazm (RA) narrates that the Prophet of Allah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) wrote in a letter to Sayyidina Amr Ibn Hazm (RA) that the Qur'aan should not be touched except in the state of purity. (Muwatta Imam Malik)
عن انس بن مالک قال خرج عمر متقلد السیف فقیل لھ ان ختنک واختک قد صبوا فاتاھما عمر و عندھما رجل من المھاجرین یقال لھ خباب و کانو یقرون طھ فقال اعطونی الکتاب عندکم اقراہ و کان عمر یقرا الکتاب فقالت لھ اختھ انک رجس ولا یمسھ الا المطھرون فقم فاغتسل او توضا فقام عمر فتوضا ثم اخذ الکتاب فقراطھ (دارقطنی)
The story of Sayyidina Umar (RA) is well known that when he asked for the Quraan, his Sister (RA) insisted for him to purify himself and he then did Wudhu before touching the Quraan. The version from Dar-Qutni is narrated above.
(It is surely the Noble Qur'an (recorded already) in a protected book [the Preserved Tablet] that is not touched except by the purified ones [the angels] ....[ 77-79)
Verses [75-76] constituted oath and the current set of verses is the subject of the oath (jawab-ul-qasam]. The Qur'an is a noble and glorious Book. The verse refutes the assumption of the pagans that this Book has been forged by a human being or that [God forbid!] it is a speech inspired by the devil.
The phrase كِتَـٰبٍ۬ مَّكۡنُونٍ۬ 'a protected book' refers to lawh mahfiiz [Le. the Preserved Tablet]. لَّا يَمَسُّهُ ۥۤ إِلَّا ٱلۡمُطَهَّرُونَ (that is not touched except by the purified ones ... 56:79). Two issues require clarification here. The commentators have different views about them, because the structure of verse 78 and 79 has two possibilities grammatically: The first possibility is that the phrase 'that is not touched except by the purified ones' is the qualification of the Preserved Tablet referred to in the previous verse. In this case, 'the purified ones' can refer only to angels, and the phrase 'not touched' cannot be taken in its literal sense of physical touch; it would rather mean 'being aware of'. The sense of the verse would be that no one is aware of the Preserved Tablet and its contents except the purified angels. (Qurtubl) This interpretation is adopted in Bayan-ul-Qur'an as well. The second possibility is that the phrase 'that is not touched except by the purified ones' is taken as a qualification of the Qur'an referred to in the previous verse. In this case the word Qur'an would refer to the scrolls or scripts in which it is written, and 'not touched, will remain in its literal sense of referring to physical touch by hand etc. The sense would be that the Script of the Qur'an is not touched by anyone except by the purified angels who bring revelation to the Prophet . Since this interpretation does not need to take the word 'touch' in its figurative sense, Qurtubi and some other commentators have preferred this interpretation. Imam Malik (RA) says, 'The best interpretation of verse [77 and 78] I have ever heard is what is mentioned in Surah 'Abas (80) verses [13-16]: فِى صُحُفٍ۬ مُّكَرَّمَةٍ۬ (١٣) مَّرۡفُوعَةٍ۬ مُّطَهَّرَةِۭ (١٤) بِأَيۡدِى سَفَرَةٍ۬ (١٥) كِرَامِۭ بَرَرَةٍ۬ (١٦)
(It is [recorded] in those scripts [of the Preserved Tablet] that are honoured, exalted, purified, in the hands of those scribes who are honourable, righteous.)
The second issue that requires consideration in this verse is what is meant by the phrase 'the purified ones'. A large group of the Companions, their followers and leading authorities on Qur'anic commentary think that the referent of 'the pure ones' are the angels who are purified of the dross and adulteration of sins, and who are innocent. This is the view of Sayyidna Anas (RA), Sa'id Ibn Jubair (RA) and of Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas (RA) Imam Malik (RA) has also adopted this view .
Some of the commentators think that Qur'an refers to the copy of the Holy Book that is in our hands, and the referent of the word 'mutahharun' ('purified ones) are people free from minor impurity and major impurity. Minor impurity means to be without Wudhu and minor impurity can be cleansed by making Wudhu' or tayammum [cleaning with dust]. Major impurity refers to the state of impurity which is caused by sexual intercourse, lustful discharge of semen during sleep, and menstrual and postpartum discharges. Ghusl (having bath) is the only means of achieving purity from this state. This interpretation is placed on the text by 'Ata' (RA), 'Taus (RA), Salim (RA) and Muhammad Baqir (RA). In this case, although verse "that is not touched except by the purified ones ... 56:79) is a declarative sentence, it is in fact used in the sense of prohibiting human beings to touch the Qur'an without being free from the minor and major impurities: The person who wishes to touch the Qur'an needs to be purified of the visible as well as the invisible impurities by taking Wudhu', tayammum or ghusl, as required. Qurtubi and Mazhari prefer this interpretation.
In the incident of Sayyidna 'Umar's (RA) embracing Islam, we come across the part of the story where he asked his sister to give him the pages of the Qur'an, she recited verse [79] of this Surah, refused to give him the pages and said 'only the pure ones can touch it'. As a result, he was forced to take a bath, and then recite the contents of the pages. This incident also lends support to the last interpretation. The versions of the Tradition that prohibit the impure people from touching the Qur'an are put forward by some authorities to argue in favour of the last interpretation.
However, since Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas (RA), Anas (RA) and others have a different view about the interpretation of this verse, as mentioned above, many scholars did not base the prohibition of touching the Qur'an without ablution on verse [79]. Rather, the prohibition is established by the following Traditions:
Imam Malik cites, as evidence, the Holy Prophet's letter in his Muwatta' which he wrote to 'Amr Ibn Hazm. It contains the following statement: لا یمس القرآن الا طاھر "Only a clean one may touch the Qur'an". Ruh-ul-Ma'ani gives the following references: Musnad of 'Abdurrazzaq, Ibn Abi Dawud and Ibn-ul-Mundhir, Tabarani and Ibn Marduyah record a Tradition on the authority of 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar & that the Messenger of Allah (salallahu 'alayhi wasallam) said: لا یمس القرآن الا طاھر (Only a clean one may touch the Qur'an.)
Some Rulings about touching the Holy Qur'an
(1) On the basis of the foregoing Prophetic Ahadith, the overwhelming majority of the 'Ummah and the four major schools concur that 'purity' is a condition for the permissibility of touching the Holy Qur'an and it is not allowed to touch it in a state of impurity. It means that before touching the Holy Qur'an, one must make sure that no najasah (i.e. things declared by Shari'ah as filth) is attached to one's hand, and that he or she is in the state of Wudhu' and is not in the state of Janabah. (the state in which it is obligatory to take bath.) .The divergence of interpretation referred to earlier is only in connection with whether or not verse [79] can be the basis of such a prohibition. Some jurists think that the verse as well as the relevant Traditions bear the same sense, hence they use them as supportive of each other in evidence of their ruling. Others, on account of divergence of interpretation among the Companions, exercised precaution in using the Qur'anic text as evidence in support of their ruling. But because of the Traditions, they ruled that touching the Qur'an without ablutions is impermissible. In sum, there are no differences in their rulings. The differences are only in supportive evidence of these rulings.
(2) If the Qur'an is in a cover which is sewn or permanently attached to it in some way, it is not permitted - according to the four major schools - for an unclean person to touch it without ablutions. If however the Qur'an is covered in something that is not permanently attached to it, an unclean person may, according to Imam Abu Hanifah, touch it without ablutions. However, according to Imams Malik and Shafi'i, an unclean person is not permitted to touch it before taking ablutions. [Mazhari]
(3) If a person is wearing a garment, it is not lawful for him to touch the Qur'an with his sleeves or skirt if he is unclean. However, he may touch it with a handkerchief or-a sheet. [Mazhari]
(4) Scholars have ruled it which is proved by this very verse with grater force that a person in the state of janabah (sexual defilement) and a woman in the state of menstruation or postpartum bleeding cannot recite it, even from memory until bath has been taken, because if it is obligatory to honour the written letters of the Holy Qur'an by touching them only in the state of purity, its spoken words deserve the same honour with greater importance. The requirement of this honour should have been that even in the state of minor impurity a person should not be allowed to recite the Holy Qur'an. But Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas and 'Ali (RA) report that the Holy Prophet ii recited the Qur'an without Wudhu. On this basis, the jurists have ruled that it is permissible to recite it without Wudhu, (But in the case of major impurity the rule will remain intact.). [Mazhari]
The scholars have differed on the matter of touching the (Mushaf of) Qur'aan without Wudhu with the Jamhoor (Majority) prohibiting the touching due to the Hadeeth of Amr Ibn Hazim (RA) and this was the Madhab of Ali (RA), Ibn Masud (RA), Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqas (RA), Saeed Ibn Zaid (RA), Ata (RA), Zahri (RA), Nakhai (RA), Hakam (RA) and Hammad (RA). And from the group of Fuqaha amongst them Malik (RA) & Shafi'ee (RA); a differing opinion has been narrated from Abu Haneefa (RA).
Note: See Summary 1 about the opinion of Imam Abu Haneefa (RA).
Issue: A person is not Taahir (clean) and he holds the (Musah of) Qur'aan with a sleeve (external) and reads from it and he moves the Mushaf from place to place, is there any Karahah in it? And a young boy passed away without being circumcised, should he be circumcised after death?
Answer: If a person holds the Mashaf with a sleeve there is nothing wrong with it but he shouldn't touch it with his hands. There is no circumcision of a person after death.
I have read in one of the answers that you had given to someone that a woman in her menses is neither allowed to touch nor recite quran. I have learning quran by heart and according to my muallima it is allowed under such circumtances to recite listen and recite quran without touching its letters? please reply to me as soon as possible as i will have to miss my tajweed classes.
A) It is not permissible for a woman to touch the Qur'an or recite it during her menstrual cycle. If she is a hafiza of the Quran and is afraid that she will forget if she doesn't recite, then the scholars have stated two methods to be saved from this harm.
1. She may use a cloth to hold the Quran and look inside while reciting in the mind. She should not move her lips.
2. She can sit next to someone who is reciting and listen to that person.
It is not permissible to touch or recite the Quran in the state of menses.
Dar al-Mukhar (1:1720174)
Fatawa Raheemiya (4:49) Darul Ishaat
( و ) يحرم به ( تلاوة القرآن ) ولو دون آية على المختار ( بقصده ) فلو قصد الدعاء أو الثناء أو افتتاح أمر أو التعليم ولقن كلمة كلمة حل في الأصح ، حتى لو قصد بالفاتحة الثناء في الجنازة لم يكره إلا إذا قرأ المصلي قاصدا الثناء فإنها تجزيه ؛ لأنها في محلها ، فلا يتغير حكمها بقصده ( ومسه )...(ولا يكره النظر إليه ) أي القرآن ( لجنب وحائض ونفساء ) لأن الجنابة لا تحل العين (در المختار)
Verdict of Shaykh Bin-Baaz (RA): It is not permissible for a Muslim to touch the Qur'aan when he does not have wudoo, according to the majority of scholars. This is the view of the four imaams (may Allaah be pleased with them), and this was the view expressed in the fatwas of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). A saheeh hadeeth concerning that has been narrated from 'Amr ibn Hazm (may Allaah be pleased with him), stating that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wrote to the people of Yemen: 'No one should touch the Qur'aan except one who is taahir (pure).' This is a jayyid hadeeth which has a number of other isnaads which strengthen it. Hence it is known that it not permissible to touch the Quraan except in a state of purity from both major and minor impurity. The same applies to moving it from place to place, if the person who is moving it is not taahir. But if he touches it or moves it with something in between, such as picking it up in a wrapper, then it is OK. But if he touches it directly when he is not taahir, this is not permitted according to the saheeh view of the majority of scholars, for the reasons stated above. With regard to reciting it, it is OK for him to recite it from memory when he is without wudoo, or for him to read it if the Quraan is held by someone who asks him to correct or prompt him.
But the person who is junub, i.e., in a state of major impurity, should not recite Quraan, because it was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that nothing ever kept him from reciting Quraan except for janaabah (major impurity). Ahmad narrated with a saheeh isnaad from 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out from the toilet and recited something from the Qur'aan. He said, 'This is for the one who is not junub; but the one who is junub should not do this, not even one aayah.'
The point is that the one who is junub should not recite Quraan either from the Mus-haf or from memory, until he has taken a bath (ghusl). But the one who has broken his wudoo and is impure in the sense of minor impurity may recite Quraan from memory but she should not touch the Mus-haf.
Source: Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 10/150
Verdict of Shaykh Salih Al-Munajjid:
Q) I know that it is not permissible to touch the Mus-haf (copy of the Quraan containing Arabic text only) unless one has wudoo', but does this ruling apply to single verses or books of Tafseer (Quraanic commentary) or books of Seerah (Prophet's (salallahu 'alayhi wasallam) biography) etc?
Praise be to Allaah.
It is not permissible for a person who is in a state of impurity to touch a single aayah because the ruling on that is the same as the ruling on the Mus-haf. But if there are other things written alongside the aayah, as in books of Tafseer and Fiqh, then the ruling depends on which is the greater; if there is more Quraan than anything else, then it is haraam to touch it without wudoo, but if there is more of writings other than Quraan, then it is permissible to touch it.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 'Anything on which there is Quraan comes under the same rulings as the Mus-haf if there is only Quraan on it, but if other things are written on it as well as Quraan, then the ruling depends on which is the greater. It is permissible to touch books of tafseer, hadeeth, fiqh and essays in which there is some Quraan.' (Sharh al-'Uddah, 1/385).
Fatwa of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen رضي الله عنه
The Qur'an should not be touched except in a state of ritual purity. This is because the Qur'an should not be touched except by a ritually pure person. It is mention in the hadeeth of 'Amr Ibn Hazm, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) sent him a letter in which he said: "None should touch the Qur'an except one who is purified." (Reported by Ad-Darimi in the Book of Divorce, in Chapter 3, and by An-Nasa'i (5718).)
One who is purified here means one who has removed impurity from himself; and the evidence for this is in the words of Allaah, the Most High in the Verse of ablution, bathing and Tayammum: "Allaah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you, and complete His Favour to you that you may be thankful." (al-Ma'idah 5:6)
And in His Words: "to purify you," there is proof that before cleansing himself, a person has not attained purification, and based upon this, it is not permissible for anyone to touch the Qur'an unless he is in a state of ritual purity achieved by performing ablution. (Fatawa Arkaan al-Islaam, Volume 1, pp 350-351)
Touching an iPhone or PC which has Qur'an stored on its Memory without Wudu
Question:
I recently downloaded the Quran application onto my iPhone and have the entire Qur'an saved both in audio and digital forms. I have two questions: Firstly, do I need to have Wudu in order to touch my iPhone, or is wudu required only when the app is open? Secondly, would it be impermissible to take the phone to the lavatory given that the entire Qur'an is stored in digital form on its memory?
Answer:
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
1)The position of all four Sunni schools of Islamic law is that it is unlawful (haram) to touch any part of a textual copy of the Qur'an (mushaf) without being in a state of minor ritual purity (wudu), as a way of honouring the book of Allah. The majority of the Imams of Qur'anic exegesis (mufassirun) state that the verses: 'It is surely the Noble Qur'an, (recorded already) in a protected book (i.e. the Preserved Tablet) that is not touched except by the purified ones (the angels). A revelation from the Lord of the worlds' (Qur'an: 56/77-80) refers also to physically touching the Qur'an. Moreover, Imam Malik (Allah have mercy on him) relates in his Al-Muwatta that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) wrote a letter to Amr ibn Hazm (Allah be pleased with him), in which he said, 'None should touch the Qur'an except one who is in a state of purity.' (Al-Muwatta no: 534)
Apart from the Mushaf, if a complete verse of the Qur'an is written or inscribed on something else such as a wall, piece of paper, slate or coin [m: and by extension, if the Qur'an is stored electronically in a digital format on an iPhone, PC or some other device, since it can not be classed a Mushaf], there are two opinions of classical Hanafi jurists (fuqaha) regarding its ruling:
Some jurists are of the view that in addition to the Mushaf itself, it is not permitted to touch an item on which a complete verse of the Qur'an is inscribed. It is stated in Maraqi al-Falah: 'Likewise Wudu is mandatory in order to touch a Mushaf, and even [to touch] a verse inscribed on a coin or wall due to the statement of Allah Most High, 'it is not touched except by the purified ones' whether [to touch] the inscribed part or the blank space. Some of our [Hanafi] scholars, however, stated that what is prohibitively disliked for the ritually impure is to touch the actual area where the text is written and not the blank space because one is not touching the Qur'an literally. The correct position is that touching the blank space is akin to touching the text itself [in that both are not permitted].' (See: (Maraqi al-Falah with the commentary of Tahtawi P: 82)
Acknowledging that some Hanafi jurists limit the prohibition of touching to the actual area where the Qur'anic text is inscribed, Imam Shurunbulali in the above passage explains that the correct position is that if a verse is written on anything besides the Mushaf, on a slate for example, then not only is it prohibited to touch that part of the slate where the verse is inscribed but the whole slate itself. Based on this, if the Qur'an application is activated and the verses appear on the screen of an iPhone, PC or other electronic devices, it is not permitted to touch the device without Wudu.
The second opinion within the Hanafi School is that if Qur'anic verses are inscribed on something other than a Mushaf, then it is only impermissible to touch that part of the item where the verses are inscribed and not the whole item. Imam Ibn Abidin (Allah have mercy on him), quoting Halabi and Al-Bahr al-Ra'iq, states:
'... It is not unlawful in other than a Mushaf [to touch] except the area where the verses are inscribed.' (Radd al-Muhtar ala 'l-Durr al-Mukhtar 1/173)
This position, chosen by Imams Ibn Abidin, Ibn Nujaym and others, can be acted upon given the need and widespread usage of digital forms of the Qur'an. It is, however, superior and closer to propriety when possible to take precaution and act upon the first position. Based on this, once the verses of the Qur'an appear on the screen, it will not be permitted to touch the area where the actual text appears without Wudu. Touching other parts of the iPhone or device, however, will be permitted.
Note that if the Qur'an application is not activated and hence the verses do not appear on the screen, then it is totally permitted to touch the device including the screen without Wudu.
2) As for taking to the lavatory/toilet a phone which has Qur'anic verses, Hadiths, Prophetic supplications, etc stored on its memory, if the application is not running and the text is not visible on the screen, then it is permitted. However, taking the phone into the lavatory with the text visible on the screen is highly disrespectful and blameworthy. It is stated in Al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya:
'It is [prohibitively] disliked to enter a lavatory with a finger ring on which the name of Allah Most High or some part of the Qur'an is inscribed.' (Al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya 1/50)
And Allah Knows Best
[Mufti] Muhammad ibn Adam
Darul Iftaa
Leicester , UK
How to Handle the Qur'an and its Translation, Touching the Qur'an without Wudu
Question
I. Can I touch a translation of the Qur'an without wudu?
II. Can we give a Qur'an that is Arabic w/ English translation (and has more English than Arabic), i.e. the Majestic Qur'an.
Can we give a Qur'an that is only in English?
Does a non-Muslim have to have wudu b4 touching the Arabic part?
If we give him a Quran w/mostly English, and he touches the Arabic script w/o wudu do we get the sin for it?
Can we give non-Muslims books that have portions of the Qur'an in it in Arabic (like a book discussing certain topics via the Qur'an and uses the Arabic script sometimes), can he (or for that we as Muslims) touch the Arabic w/o wudu?
Answered by:Mufti Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf
Assalamu alaykum
In the name of Allah, the Inspirer of truth.
I.
It is not permissible to touch a translation of the Qur'an even if it does not have the Arabic Qur'anic script in it. However, any book that contains Qur'anic verses in it such as a book on tafsir or fiqh, it would be permissible to touch it as long as the tafsir or fiqh is more than the verses of the Qur'an in it. If the verses of the Qur'an are more, it would not be permissible to touch it except with wudu. (Radd al-Muhtar, 1:119)
However, it is always best to undertake the study of the Din and handle its literature in the state of wudu. There is more blessing derived this way.
II.
It would be permissible to give copies of Qur'ans to non-Muslims if:
1. their guidance is intended thereof,
2. and a person is reasonably confident that they will not disrespect the copy.
If the non-Muslim person does not understand Arabic then it would be better to provide just a copy of the translation of the Qur'an rather than one with the Arabic text. If they have to be given a copy with the Arabic text, then they should be advised to purify themselves first before handling the Qur'an.
According to some scholars, they are technically not responsible for performing ablution and ghusl for touching it (see Ahkam al-Dhimmi in al-Ashbah wa 'l-Naza'ir and Radd al-Muhtar 5:248), since they are not responsible for the extended laws of Islam until they embrace the faith. It is still best, when possible and appropriate, to advise them to do so even according to this opinion.
However, the opinion taken by Ibn 'Abidin in his in depth commentary of the al-Durr al-Mukhtar and Tahtawi in his commentary of the Maraqi al-Falah is that non-Muslims are also obligated to perform the ritual bath for touching it (Radd al-Muhtar 1:119, Tahtawi 94). Fatima, the sister of 'Umar (Allah be pleased with him), instructed him to purify himself before she would allow him to touch the sheets that had portions of the Qur'an inscribed upon them. (Hayat al-Sahaba)
If a person gives a copy of the Qur'an to a non-Muslim after advising him and teaching him, to the best of his ability, the conditions and etiquette of handling it, then he should not be blameworthy thereafter if there is any neglect.
A book with quotes of verses from the Qur'an can be held without ablution even by Muslims as long as the verses constitute only a small percentage of the contents of the book. However, as regards to touching the actual verses of the Qur'an, ablution would be necessary for both Muslims and non-Muslims.
An individual (non-Muslim) in my Islamic Civilization course was asking whether it was permissible for non-Muslims to attain an electronic copy of the Qur'an (I think he has it on CD).
He does not read/speak Arabic, and just has it on his hard drive. The question was brought up in reference to a ruling that one must be purified to hold the Qur'an. So would it hold in this circumstance as well? Is it the actual touching of the Qur'an that is implied or the possession of the Qur'an in general?
Answered by:Mufti Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf
Assalamu alaykum
As regards to this question, it is actually the touching of the Qur'an which is prohibited without purity. As far as the possession of it is concerned, it would not be impermissible for a non-Muslim to possess it and benefit from it as long as its sanctity is preserved and it is not disrespected in any way.
If the colleague is open to advice then it would be best advised that rather than keep it on the hard drive, where other types of information is stored, it would be best kept on a separate CD, and the CD handled with respect.
Shaykh ul Islaam Ibn Taymiyya رحمه الله said: "None but the pure can touch the mus-haf, as is established from the Companions such as Sa'd, Salman, and Ibn 'Umar رضي الله عنهم, and the majority of the Salaf and Khalaf: the four A'imma and others رحمة الله عليهم
This was the Sunnah implemented by the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم and stated in his letter sent to 'Amr Ibn Hazm رضي الله عنه; there is no doubt that he did actually write it.
It is also proven by the Book of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى
Likewise the ritually impure (junub) cannot recite the Qur'aan in the view of the majority of scholars; the four a'imma and others, and this is proven by the Sunnah."
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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