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I was watching TV and a person who was being regarded as scholar said that It's ok to touch Qur'an without wudu.. He quoted an ayah, I guess it was this one;

لَّا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ

Surat Al-Wāqi`ah - 79 translated by Sahih International as;

None touch it except the purified.

And said that this ayah doesn't mention wudu but clean intentions. He said something like this ayah means only the ones with pure heart can benefit from Qur'an. Also said that Muslims are clean (I guess he meant as in good-heartedness). He further explained that there weren't any compiled Qur'an at the time of Prophet (pbuh), so this ayah can't be about physical touching to Qur'an. He advised this (meaning having to do wudu) shouldn't discourage Muslims to read Qur'an.

This is the first time I am hearing such interpretation. Is there any truth in this? If so, why are we told to do wudu before touching Qur'an, is it traditional?

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5 Answers 5

7

Yes the Quran can be touched without Wudu'. It is not compulsory/you do not have to make wudu to read the Quran. Although it is liked to read the Quran on wudu based on the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon Him) saying:

إِنِّي كَرِهْتُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلاَّ عَلَى طُهْرٍ

I disliked remembering Allah except in the state of purification

Sunan Abi Dawood

But it is not compulsory, and there is no Ayah or authentic Hadith that prevents those not on wudu' from reading the Quran. As for the commonly quoted Ayah:

لَّا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ

None touch it except the pure

Surat Al Waqi'ah Ayah 79

This Ayah is quoted out of context, and does not say that one has to be on wudu to read the Quran. Furthermore it is narrated that at times the Prophet used to come out of the toilet and read the Quran, without making wudu, and nothing would prevent him from reading it except for Janaba, Source.

Furthermore Sheikh Al Albani didn't see any harm in reciting the Quran while Junub, the same with Ashawkani, and Ibn Abbas. Furthermore there is no authentic Hadith which prevents those on Janabah or those (women) menstruating from reading the Quran.

Sources: Almeshkat.com

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  • 3
    I think the question was about touching Mushaf, not reciting Quran, without Wudu.
    – Gulshan
    Jul 8, 2014 at 8:06
6

No, a Mushaf of the Quran should not be touched without wudu.

The evidence is the verse of the Quran:

لا يمسه إلا المطهرون

None touch it except the purified.

Quran 56:79

And the saying of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, with which he instructed 'Amr ibn Hazm as governor of Yemen:

لا يمس القرآن إلا طاهر

No-one should touch the Qur'an unless he is pure

Muwatta Malik etc.

There are some disagreements about this, however this is the view of the majority of the Sahaba and is agreed upon by the four Sunni schools of thought:

واختلف العلماء في مس المصحف على غير وضوء ، فالجمهور على المنع من مسه لحديث عمرو بن حزم . وهو مذهب علي وابن مسعود وسعد بن أبي وقاص وسعيد بن زيد وعطاء والزهري والنخعي والحكم وحماد ، وجماعة من الفقهاء منهم مالك والشافعي

The Ulema differed about touching a Mushaf without wudu, and the majority forbid touching it (without wudu) because of the hadith of 'Amr ibn Hazm. And this is the madhab of Ali, Ibn Masud, Saad bin Abi Waqas, Saeed Ibn Zaid, 'Ata, al-Zuhri, al-Nakhai, al-Hakam and Hammad, and of a group of the jurists including Malik and Shafi.

Tafsir al-Qurtubi

اتفق الفقهاء على أنه يحرم مس المصحف لغير الطاهر طهارة كاملة من الحدثين الأصغر والأكبر

The jurists are agreed that it is forbidden to touch a Mushaf without purification, which is absolute and complete, from minor and major impurity.

Encyclopedia of Islamic Jurisprudence (الموسوعة الفقهية)

... يحرم بالحدث الأصغر ثلاثة أمور: الصلاة ونحوها، والطواف، ومس المصحف

مس المصحف كله أو بعضه ولو آية: والمحرم هو لمس الآية ولو بغير أعضاء الطهارة لقوله تعالى: {لا يمسه إلا المطهرون} [الواقعة:79/ 56]، أي المتطهرون، وهو خبر بمعنى النهي، ولقوله صلّى الله عليه وسلم: «لا يمس القرآن إلا طاهر» ، ولأن تعظيم القرآن واجب، وليس من التعظيم مس المصحف بيد حلَّها الحدث

Lesser impurity causes three actions to become forbidden: Prayer, Tawaf and touching a Mushaf ...

Touching a complete Mushaf or some verses: And it is forbidden to touch verses of the Quran. Because of the saying of Allah: "None touch it except the purified." this is a prohibition in the form of news. And the hadith the Prophet ﷺ : "No one should touch the Qur'an unless he is pure". And respecting the Quran is obligatory, and it is against respect for the Quran that it should be touched by a hand that is impure.

Islamic Jurisprudence and its Proofs (الفقه الإسلامي وأدلته)

فالوضوء فرض لازم لأداء هذه الأعمال، فلا يحل لغير المتوضئ أن يفعلها، ومثلها مس المصحف، فإنه يجب له الوضوء، سواء أراد أن يمسه كله، أو بعضه، ولو آية واحدة، إلا بشروط مفصلة في المذاهب

Wudu is obligatory for doing these acts and it is not permitted to do these without wudu, and the same is the example of touching a Mushaf of the Quran, it is obligatory to do wudu for it. Be it intented to touch a whole Mushaf or some of it or just one verse, with some very specific exceptions ...

Islamic Jurisprudence According To The Four Schools (الفقه على المذاهب الأربعة) [English]

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  • In what context a-Shafi'i said that a Mu'amin is tahir then? ... I thought/heard it was in this context
    – Medi1Saif
    Nov 13, 2018 at 13:12
  • @Medi1Saif I have not come across any indication of a disagreement on this specific issue from Imam Shafi. The only disagreement I have come across is one of the multiple views attributed to Imam Abu Hanifa, though it may have been a misunderstanding of his view that touching it indirectly with a pure tool is permitted.
    – UmH
    Nov 13, 2018 at 13:32
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Waqiah 79 is Wrongly Translated

فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِمَوَاقِعِ النُّجُومِ
Then I swear by the setting of the stars,
وَإِنَّهُ لَقَسَمٌ لَّوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ
And indeed, it is an oath - if you could know - [most] great.
إِنَّهُ لَقُرْآنٌ كَرِيمٌ
Indeed, it is a noble kind/generous Qur'an
فِي كِتَابٍ مَّكْنُونٍ
In a Register well-protected;
لَّا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ
None are able to touch it except the purified.
56 . Waqiah 75, 76, 77, 78, 79

In English, when we say Can I touch it?, we understand two different meanings. The first one is Am I allowed/permitted to touch it?, and the other one is Am I able to touch it?.

In Arabic, these two meanings are separately written in text and are very clear to understand. But the problem occurs when the text is translated into some languages like English.

لا يَمْسَسْهُ - la yemseshu - don't let (him) touch
لَّا يَمَسَّهُ - la yemessehu - (he is) not allowed to touch
لَّا يَمَسُّهُ - la yemessuhu - (he is) not able to touch <-- the one in the ayat

Another example:
la yemudduhu : (he is) not able to reach  <-- the form in the ayat
la yemeddehu : (he is) not allowed to reach

The vocalizing signs are too tiny and illegible in the text. I'm adding a larger, image version of it:

yemessehu-yemessuhu

The ayat simply says that "unclean" ones are not able to touch Quran. In other words, they can't touch it even if they want to. This is because it is "well protected". Being well protected is explained in the 22nd ayat of the same sura:

وَحُورٌ عِينٌ
Hoors with big eyes.
كَأَمْثَالِ اللُّؤْلُؤِ الْمَكْنُونِ
The likenesses of pearls well-protected.
56 . Waqiah 22, 23

The word for "well protected" in the ayat is maknoon which literally means protective shell. It is explained in the ayat with the example, shell of a shelled mollusk protecting the pearl inside it.

Mus'haf and Qur'an are Different Things

Mus'haf is a physical book in which Qur'an is written in. Quran is not a physical thing. It is the meaning and data written in mushaf. Quran can not be physically touched, burnt, erased, etc.

Even if the order were "don't touch Quran without wudu" that wouldn't mean that you couldn't touch mushaf without wudu.

Another point is, what if I have Quran installed in my MP3 player, or in my PC/laptop? Will I have wudu everytime before using my computer or carrying my MP3 player? Today't technology is paper & pen, maybe in the future we will give up using paper, and will only use touch screens. Quran will be installed in our electronic devices, and those devices will be the new format of "mushaf". Maybe we will have electronic memory chips installed in our bodies, and Quran will be installed in them. How are we going to understand this ayat when/if that time comes?

"To Be Cleaned" is Not the Same With "To Have Wudu"

"To be Cleaned" or "cleanliness" have a special usage in Quran. Cleanliness and dirt don't always have physical meanings in Quran. Let us see some example usage in ayats.

لاَ تَقُمْ فِيهِ أَبَدًا لَّمَسْجِدٌ أُسِّسَ عَلَى التَّقْوَى مِنْ أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ أَحَقُّ أَن تَقُومَ فِيهِ فِيهِ رِجَالٌ يُحِبُّونَ أَن يَتَطَهَّرُواْ وَاللّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُطَّهِّرِينَ
Do not stand [for prayer] within it - ever. A mosque founded on righteousness from the first day is more worthy for you to stand in. Within it are men who love to purify clean themselves; and Allah loves those who purify clean themselves.
9 . Tawba 108

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يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ إِنَّمَا الْمُشْرِكُونَ نَجَسٌ فَلاَ يَقْرَبُواْ الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ بَعْدَ عَامِهِمْ هَذَا وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ عَيْلَةً فَسَوْفَ يُغْنِيكُمُ اللّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ إِن شَاء إِنَّ اللّهَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
O you who have believed, indeed the polytheists are unclean, so let them not approach al-Masjid al-Haram after this, their [final] year. And if you fear privation, Allah will enrich you from His bounty if He wills. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Wise.
9 . Tawba 28

,

الْخَبِيثَاتُ لِلْخَبِيثِينَ وَالْخَبِيثُونَ لِلْخَبِيثَاتِ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ لِلطَّيِّبِينَ وَالطَّيِّبُونَ لِلطَّيِّبَاتِ أُوْلَئِكَ مُبَرَّؤُونَ مِمَّا يَقُولُونَ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ
Evil words are for evil men, and evil men are [subjected] to evil words. And good words are for good men, and good men are [an object] of good words. The dirty (females) are to the dirty (males), and the dirty (males) are to the dirty (females). The clean (females) are to the clean (males), and the clean (males) are to the clean (females). Those [good people] are declared innocent of what the slanderers say. For them is forgiveness and noble provision.
24 . Nur 26

,

فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ إِلَّا أَن قَالُوا أَخْرِجُوا آلَ لُوطٍ مِّن قَرْيَتِكُمْ إِنَّهُمْ أُنَاسٌ يَتَطَهَّرُونَ
But the answer of his people was not except that they said, "Expel the family of Lot from your city. Indeed, they are people who keep themselves pure clean."
27 . Neml 56

,

هُنَالِكَ دَعَا زَكَرِيَّا رَبَّهُ قَالَ رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِن لَّدُنْكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاء
At that, Zechariah called upon his Lord, saying, "My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good clean offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication.".
3 . Ali Imran 38

There are a lot more examples like this in Quran.

The Verb "Touch" Has a Special Meaning and Usage in the Entire Qur'an

The verb roots for touch are مس and لمس. The verb touch is almost always used in symbolic meaning in Quran (including 6:7). Let us see some examples.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ فاغْسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُواْ بِرُؤُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَينِ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُواْ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَى أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاء أَحَدٌ مَّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لاَمَسْتُمُ النِّسَاء فَلَمْ تَجِدُواْ مَاء فَتَيَمَّمُواْ صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُواْ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ مَا يُرِيدُ اللّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهَّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify clean yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted touched to (made intercourse with) women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.
5 . Maide 6

,

لَّوْلاَ كِتَابٌ مِّنَ اللّهِ سَبَقَ لَمَسَّكُمْ فِيمَا أَخَذْتُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
If not for a decree from Allah that preceded, you would have been touched for what you took by a great punishment.
8 . Anfal 68

,

الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا لاَ يَقُومُونَ إِلاَّ كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُواْ إِنَّمَا الْبَيْعُ مِثْلُ الرِّبَا وَأَحَلَّ اللّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا فَمَن جَاءهُ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ فَانتَهَىَ فَلَهُ مَا سَلَفَ وَأَمْرُهُ إِلَى اللّهِ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَأُوْلَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
Those who consume interest cannot stand [on the Day of Resurrection] except as one stands who is being beaten touched by Satan into insanity. That is because they say, "Trade is [just] like interest." But Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden interest. So whoever has received an admonition from his Lord and desists may have what is past, and his affair rests with Allah . But whoever returns to [dealing in interest or usury] - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein.
2 . Bakara 275

,

وَلاَ تَرْكَنُواْ إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاء ثُمَّ لاَ تُنصَرُونَ
And do not incline toward those who do wrong, lest you be touched by the Fire, and you would not have other than Allah any protectors; then you would not be helped.
11 . Hood 113

,

لاَ يَمَسُّهُمْ فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَمَا هُم مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَجِينَ
No fatigue will touch them therein, nor from it will they [ever] be removed.
15 . Hijr 48

,

وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الْضُّرُّ فِي الْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَن تَدْعُونَ إِلاَّ إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا نَجَّاكُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ أَعْرَضْتُمْ وَكَانَ الإِنْسَانُ كَفُورًا
And when adversity touches you at sea, lost are [all] those you invoke except for Him. But when He delivers you to the land, you turn away [from Him]. And ever is man ungrateful.
17 . Isra 67

In Quran, "hands" symbolize one's deeds. And "to touch something" has the meaning "to make one's deeds interact with something". Therefore, "someone dirty touching to Quran" has a very deep meaning, to understand it one must first understand the true definition of Quran, which is a very wide and deep topic itself.

Wudu is Only Ordered for Salat, There is No Other Practical Usage

Wudu is only required for salat. There is no other practical usage in Islam. There is no other ibadat that requires wudu.

Rewriting 5:6 for convenience:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ فاغْسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُواْ بِرُؤُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَينِ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُواْ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَى أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاء أَحَدٌ مَّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لاَمَسْتُمُ النِّسَاء فَلَمْ تَجِدُواْ مَاء فَتَيَمَّمُواْ صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُواْ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ مَا يُرِيدُ اللّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهَّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify clean yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted touched to (made intercourse with) women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.
5 . Maide 6

Hadiths About This Topic

What prevented rasulullah from reading Quran was only being janabah.

Subnarrator: Ali bin Ebu Talib
Recorded by: Tirmizi
             Abu Davud
             Ibn Mace
             Darul Hutmi
             İbn Huzayma

The list of question one shall ask after hearing this hadith are:

  • How do you know that he was janabah(?)
  • How many times did you observe this situation?
  • How long does he stay janabah at average?
  • If he wasn't reading Quran, then what else he was doing while he was janabah?

If there were a rule that janabahs are not allowed to touch Quran, and the rasulullah was always behaving according to this rule, then why didn't he order us to do so as well?
It is fard for a Muslim to do what rasulullah orders. But there is no rule about immitating what he does. We know that the nabi didn't eat some foods but didn't order us not to eat them, didn't like some scents but didn't orders us to stay away from them, didn't wear some cloths but didn't order us not to wear as well. The nabi was a human like us, he will of course have some personal habbits and behaviors. We are only ordered to submit him and do what he says.

One in menstration and someone jahabah are not allowed to read Quran.

Subnarrator: Abdullah ibn Umar
Recorded by: Tirmizi
             Ibn Mace
             Darul Hutmi
             Beyhaki

This hadith is weak because of Ismail bin Ayyash in its chain of narrators. It is know that Ismail bin Ayyash's reports from Hijaz people are untrustworty (Imam-ı Buhari (master of Tirmizi) also mentions this detail). Behaving according to a hadith like this is wrong according to the hadith technique.

Woman in menstration and someone in postnatal are not allowed to read Quran.

Subnarrator: Cavahir
Recorded by: Darul Hutmi

This hadith is the same with the previous one; only difference is that the word "janabah" is replaced by "postnatal".
This hadith is also weak because of Muhammed bin Fadl in its chain of narrators.


Yes, our topic was wudu, but all these hadiths are about different topics. Why didn't I mention some hadiths directly about wudu? Because there is no hadith in this topic about wudu! These are the only ones those who claim that touching Quran without wudu is haram depend their claims on.

Only books of some fiqh, madhabs, scholars of sects, today's some fatwa sources claim that wudu is required for holding Quran in hand. If you read their explanations you will see sentences like Imam _____ says that..., The famous scholar _____ says that..., The book of _____ explains that.... They have no references from Quran or orders of rasulullah. They are just following the path on which they found their fathers/ancestors on.

Results and Conclusion

I tried to explain that:

  • 56:79 was wrongly translated. There is no order for not to touch mushaf without wudu; it just clarifies the fact that one is not able to touch Quran without being clean.
  • Mushaf and Quran are different things. Mushaf is the physical media in which the text of Quran is written in. So, when we think that we physically touch Quran, actually what we are doing is nothing but touching a physical object, not Quran itself.
  • In Quran, "being clean" is not used in the meaning of "being had wudu".
  • The verb "touch" has a very wide and special usage in Quran.
  • Requirement of wudu is stated only for salat.
  • There is no hadith saying that one must have wudu before touching Quran. Only some fiqh sources make this claim.

This wrong belief is only good for keeping people away from Quran. If one decides to look up a phrase in Quran and then realizes that he didn't have wudu, he will most probably postpone his research to a later time, and maybe will never do that research.
This wrong belief itself is a reason why people keep believing wrong ideas like this. Because, they don't read Quran, they are staying away from it. They think that touching mushaf is haram (forbidden) without wudu, and so they read is less often.

There are two or three hadiths I remember about this matter which says that touching mushaf is haram without wudu. But they are all weak hadiths. I am going to add them in my answer and explain why they are weak later.

As my final words, you can touch mushaf without any worries. Read Quran profusely, learn it, and live according to it.

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    This is a good answer, although it's a bit too long for my tastes. Rather than quoting so many entire ayat, in both Arabic and English, it may be better to briefly quote one (or part of one) that perfectly describes the point you're making in each section, and leaving the rest as links.
    – goldPseudo
    Aug 14, 2012 at 15:30
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    @oshirowanen I added the hadiths about this topic. I can say it is ready now. goldPseudo: And I have just made it even longer... :) Aug 14, 2012 at 19:19
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Allah the Most High says in the Qur’an, surah al-Waqiyah , ayat 77-79, انه لقران كريم في كتاب مكنون لا يمسه الا المطهرون

meaning, in the closest possible translation, Indeed, it surely is Noble Qur'an, in preserved Writing, not touch it except the ones purified

لا يمسه         - “not touch” – here, according to Arabic grammar, may mean either “can not touch” or “may not touch”, i.e., “should not touch” – or both. Similarly, “Qur’an” here may mean any, some or all of the possible meaning of the word: “Recitation”, “the physical words wherein the recitable Word of God is held preserved in writing”, and the “Essence/ Substance of the Word of God held in a protected Writ”, i.e., in the Lawh al-Mahfuz.

Combining the possible meanings of the words “not touch” and “Qur’an” in various possible combinations, the entire portion - انه لقران كريم في كتاب مكنون لا يمسه الا المطهرون would seem to mean any or some or all of the following:

(1) Indeed, it surely is Noble Recitation, preserved in Writing, can not touch it except the ones purified; (2) Indeed, it surely is Noble Recitation, preserved in Writing, should not touch it except the ones purified; (3) Indeed, it surely is Noble words wherein the recitable Word of God is held preserved in writing” can not touch it except the ones purified; (4) Indeed, it surely is Noble words wherein the recitable Word of God is held preserved in writing” should not touch it except the ones purified; (5) Indeed, it surely is Noble “Essence/ Substance of the Word of God held in a protected Writ”, i.e., in the Lawh al-Mahfuz, can not touch it except the ones purified; (6) Indeed, it surely is Noble “Essence/ Substance of the Word of God held in a protected Writ”, i.e., in the Lawh al-Mahfuz, should not touch it except the ones purified.

Obedience to Allah the Most High requires to obey the ayat as much as humanly possible, which, in light of the above, will be to follow in action no. 2, 4, 6, and know and no. 5 as true; no. 1 and 3 are not correct meaning, simply because they are empirically verifiable as incorrect – as recitation can in reality be done if someone wanted to do it, and words f the Qur’an in writing can also be touched. So, the conclusion from the analysis so far shows that, we must believe that the Noble “Essence/ Substance of the Word of God held in a protected Writ”, i.e., in the Lawh al-Mahfuz, revealed through the Qur’an recited or written down, can not be even touched – let alone understood – by anyone except the ones purified physically and spiritually; and also, not recite the Qur’an when not ritually purified as ritually required by ghusl and/ or wudhu; and also not to touch the words of the Qur’an when not ritually purified as ritually required by ghusl and/ or wudhu. Ritual requirement of purification, we know from elsewhere, is ghusl – if one fells in condition of junub, and wudhu, in conditions which break wudhu. However, to the above there is one “istithna” – exceptional concession, established by sunnah: for recitation – one can do it if in a condition that breaks wudhu, as according to a Sahih hadith narrated by Ahmad from ‘Ali radhiyAllahu ‘anhu, the Prophet sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam 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 ayah.”

So, on the issue of touching the written words in which the Qur’an or portion thereof is held preserved – like in a mushaf – the ayat quoted from surah al-Waqiyah mean that none should recite the Qur’an when in junub, and none should touch the written words in which the recited Qur’an is held preserved when in the condition of junub or a condition that breaks wudhu, without first removing that condition: do ghusl, if in junub, or do wudhu if not in junub but also not in wudhu – before touching any word in which anything from the Qur’an is written. This is further directly clarified in a sahih hadith, narrated from ‘Amr ibn Hazm radhiyAllahu ‘anhu, stating that Syyeduna Rasulullah sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, wrote to the people of Yemen: “No one should touch the Qur’aan except one who is taahir (pure).” This is a jayyid hadith which has a number of other isnads which strengthen it. As clarified by Shaykh Bin Baz, Grand Mufti of Sa’udi Arabia, it is known from this hadith that, “it not permissible to touch the Qur’aan 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 Qur’aan 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 Qur’aan, because it was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that nothing ever kept him from reciting Qur’aan except for janaabah … “The point is that the one who is junub should not recite Qur’aan 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 Qur’aan from memory but she should not touch the Mus-haf.”

And this is what the Muslims have always followed and believed for over 1400 years since the times of Syyeduna Rasulullah sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, on the basis of the ayat of the Qur’an and Sunnah as narrated in sahih hadiths.

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Simple answer: If you have any respect or Adab for the Quran, then you do Wudu.

Imam Bukhari (R.A.) mentioned:

I did not write any Hadith in this book before taking a bath and performing 2 rakaats.

Other Fuqaha and Muhadditheen have said they used to take bath, perform Wudu and put scent before studying hadith books.

If such respect is to be given with Ahadith of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, then imagine the deep respect and cleanliness one needs to show before touching or reciting the Quran?

Whether we are command to do Wudu or not is not the issue here. The issue is about respect and state of being pure both physically and spiritually (good intentions etc.) before one can touch the Holy Quran.

Allowing people to touch it without wudu, or worse while in a state of Janabah is utterly disgusting and shows lack of respect for Allah's words and it will lead to a society where the book of Allah will be treated and thrown around like any other book.

In my country in Pakistan, we can't recite the Qur'an without doing wudu, without wearing a hat (or observe full covering of the Awrah for the women) and without facing the Qibla and no one must turn their back towards the Quran or point their feet towards it.

May Allah guide us.

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  • even in pakistan we recite Quran without wudu and without wearing a hat but we cannot touch the book in which it is written without wudu
    – Syed Anas
    Jul 8, 2014 at 9:56
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    I don't know what part of Pakistan you come from or maybe this is a new trend in the next generation. The holy Quran had always been traditionally kept in a covering or clothing in case anyone need to move it without Wudu.But I agree, to touch the Qur'an, one must be in a state of cleanliness but to recite it from memory or looking at it without touching it, then it it desirable to do wudu but is not compulsory.
    – user6819
    Jul 8, 2014 at 14:19
  • I think you just said what i said..The holy Quran had always been traditionally kept in a covering or clothing in case anyone need to move it without Wudu this is what i meant by sayign we cannot touch the book in which it is written without wudu so it is not about the generation or anything .... you maybe misunderstood the first time
    – Syed Anas
    Jul 9, 2014 at 4:22

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