Writing verses and hanging them on the wall
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Fatwa number ( 2078 ):
Q: The bearer, Abdullah Muhammad al-Batuto , has with him a sample of wall hangings written with Qur'anic verses and images of the Prophet's Mosque, the Ka'bah, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque to inspire people toward them. They have been in circulation for two years and are found in many homes. It is mentioned that customs seized them from him at the direction of a representative of the Commission. Oh, the glory of Allah! How is it permitted for indecent images to enter, which fill the markets, while such things are prohibited? I see this as insinuation, defamation, and putting things out of place. Therefore, I hope you will look into it, your esteemed body, and order what is necessary regarding it. May Allah preserve you and protect you?
A: First: Allah the Exalted revealed the Qur'an as a reminder and a healing for what is in the breasts, and as guidance and mercy for the believers, and to be a proof against people, and a light and insight for whoever opens his heart to it, to recite it and worship through it, to reflect upon it, and to learn from it the rulings of Islamic beliefs, acts of worship, and transactions, and to hold fast to it in
all his circumstances. It was not revealed to be hung on walls as decoration for them, nor to be made into amulets and talismans hung in homes or commercial establishments or the like, to protect and preserve them from fire and thieves, and the like of what some of the common people believe, especially the innovators—and how many of them there are. Whoever benefits from the Qur'an in what it was revealed for is upon clear proof from his Lord, and guidance and insight. And whoever writes it on walls or on rags that are hung up or the like, as decoration or as a protection and safeguard for the residents, furniture, and other belongings, has deviated the Book of Allah, or a verse or a surah from it, from the path of guidance, and strayed from the straight path and the right way, and has innovated in the religion what Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not permit, in word or deed. And the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the rest of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) did not act upon it, nor did the Imams of Guidance in the three centuries that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) testified to as the best of centuries. And with that, he has exposed the verses of the Qur'an or its surahs to insult when moving from one home to another by throwing these rags into the accumulated furniture, and likewise when they become worn out and are thrown here and there, which is not appropriate. It is befitting for the Muslim to care for the Qur'an and its verses, and to preserve its sanctity, and not to expose it to what may be a humiliation of it. Second: The Committee reviewed the three rags (hangings) and found that one of them had the Basmala written on it, and the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:144]
And His saying:[An-Naml 27:19] , and it contains an image of the Ka'bah and images of men and women in the Tawaf area. And in the second: the Basmala, Surat al-Fatihah, a supplication, the Name of Allah, the name of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and the names of the Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them) opposite the Name of Allah, and an image of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. In application of what preceded in number (1), it is not permissible to take these rags or hang them in homes, schools, clubs, commercial establishments, or the like, as decoration for them or seeking blessing from them, for example, for the following reasons: (a) Because of the deviation of the Qur'an from what it was revealed for, namely guidance, good reminder, and worship through its recitation and the like. (b) Because it contradicts what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them) were upon, for they did not do that, and all good is in following them, not in innovation. (c) Blocking the means to shirk (associating partners with Allah) and eliminating its means, such as amulets and talismans, even if they are from the Qur'an, due to the generality of the hadith prohibiting that. And there is no doubt that hanging these rags and their like leads to taking them as amulets;
to protect what they are hung in, as experience and the reality of people indicate. (d) What is in writing on them is taking the Qur'an as a means to promote trade in them and increase their earnings, for they are rags that are worth only a trivial price, but if the Qur'an is written on them, they become popular and their price rises. And the Qur'an was not revealed to be taken as a tool and means for commercial promotion and price increases, so it must be elevated above that. (e) In that is the exposure of the verses of the Qur'an and its surahs to humiliation and harm when moving from one home to another, where they are thrown with the accumulated furniture of the home of various types, and likewise when they become worn out, this rag with what is in it of the Qur'an is thrown in what is appropriate and what is not appropriate. In summary: closing the door to evil and proceeding in the way of the Imams of Guidance in the early centuries to which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) testified to their excellence is safer for Muslims in their beliefs and the rest of the rulings of their religion than innovating bid'ah (religious innovations) whose extent of evil is unknown. Third: It is not permissible for inspiring people to good to be through innovations that lead to shirk, and exposing the Qur'an to humiliation and taking its writing on rags hung on walls as a means for commercial profit and increasing its price. And the caller to good does not lack other prescribed and successful means.
Fourth: The abundance of such rags (hangings), and their spread since a long time ago, and their presence in the homes of many people and the filling of markets with them, is evidence of weakness and lethargy, and the indifference of those who take them or trade in them to committing what is wrong or ignorance of it, and it is not evidence of the permissibility of taking them. The innovators and the corrupt are many, and those who defend innovations are more. There is no power nor strength except in Allah. Rather, what has occurred from some people of taking them is a wrong that the scholars must cooperate to deny and eliminate, in terms of import and use. But the religious monitor who gave the direction to seize these rags (hangings) did what was within his jurisdiction—may Allah thank him for his effort—as for what exceeded that of the wrongs that spread and overflowed, he is like others in denying what is wrong within the limits of his knowledge and ability. And it is not considered from him as one of the insinuating and defaming, rather he presented a good to the Ummah for which he is praised, and he performed the duty of his mission that was assigned to him as it appeared to him from the rulings of the Shari'ah, and the good direction of his president for him. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and his family and his companions.
Q: The bearer, Abdullah Muhammad al-Batuto , has with him a sample of wall hangings written with Qur'anic verses and images of the Prophet's Mosque, the Ka'bah, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque to inspire people toward them. They have been in circulation for two years and are found in many homes. It is mentioned that customs seized them from him at the direction of a representative of the Commission. Oh, the glory of Allah! How is it permitted for indecent images to enter, which fill the markets, while such things are prohibited? I see this as insinuation, defamation, and putting things out of place. Therefore, I hope you will look into it, your esteemed body, and order what is necessary regarding it. May Allah preserve you and protect you?
A: First: Allah the Exalted revealed the Qur'an as a reminder and a healing for what is in the breasts, and as guidance and mercy for the believers, and to be a proof against people, and a light and insight for whoever opens his heart to it, to recite it and worship through it, to reflect upon it, and to learn from it the rulings of Islamic beliefs, acts of worship, and transactions, and to hold fast to it in
all his circumstances. It was not revealed to be hung on walls as decoration for them, nor to be made into amulets and talismans hung in homes or commercial establishments or the like, to protect and preserve them from fire and thieves, and the like of what some of the common people believe, especially the innovators—and how many of them there are. Whoever benefits from the Qur'an in what it was revealed for is upon clear proof from his Lord, and guidance and insight. And whoever writes it on walls or on rags that are hung up or the like, as decoration or as a protection and safeguard for the residents, furniture, and other belongings, has deviated the Book of Allah, or a verse or a surah from it, from the path of guidance, and strayed from the straight path and the right way, and has innovated in the religion what Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not permit, in word or deed. And the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the rest of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) did not act upon it, nor did the Imams of Guidance in the three centuries that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) testified to as the best of centuries. And with that, he has exposed the verses of the Qur'an or its surahs to insult when moving from one home to another by throwing these rags into the accumulated furniture, and likewise when they become worn out and are thrown here and there, which is not appropriate. It is befitting for the Muslim to care for the Qur'an and its verses, and to preserve its sanctity, and not to expose it to what may be a humiliation of it. Second: The Committee reviewed the three rags (hangings) and found that one of them had the Basmala written on it, and the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram
فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِAnd His saying:
My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to do righteousness of which You approve. And admit me by Your mercy into [the ranks of] Your righteous servants."
رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَى وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَدْخِلْنِي بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِي عِبَادِكَ الصَّالِحِينَto protect what they are hung in, as experience and the reality of people indicate. (d) What is in writing on them is taking the Qur'an as a means to promote trade in them and increase their earnings, for they are rags that are worth only a trivial price, but if the Qur'an is written on them, they become popular and their price rises. And the Qur'an was not revealed to be taken as a tool and means for commercial promotion and price increases, so it must be elevated above that. (e) In that is the exposure of the verses of the Qur'an and its surahs to humiliation and harm when moving from one home to another, where they are thrown with the accumulated furniture of the home of various types, and likewise when they become worn out, this rag with what is in it of the Qur'an is thrown in what is appropriate and what is not appropriate. In summary: closing the door to evil and proceeding in the way of the Imams of Guidance in the early centuries to which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) testified to their excellence is safer for Muslims in their beliefs and the rest of the rulings of their religion than innovating bid'ah (religious innovations) whose extent of evil is unknown. Third: It is not permissible for inspiring people to good to be through innovations that lead to shirk, and exposing the Qur'an to humiliation and taking its writing on rags hung on walls as a means for commercial profit and increasing its price. And the caller to good does not lack other prescribed and successful means.
Fourth: The abundance of such rags (hangings), and their spread since a long time ago, and their presence in the homes of many people and the filling of markets with them, is evidence of weakness and lethargy, and the indifference of those who take them or trade in them to committing what is wrong or ignorance of it, and it is not evidence of the permissibility of taking them. The innovators and the corrupt are many, and those who defend innovations are more. There is no power nor strength except in Allah. Rather, what has occurred from some people of taking them is a wrong that the scholars must cooperate to deny and eliminate, in terms of import and use. But the religious monitor who gave the direction to seize these rags (hangings) did what was within his jurisdiction—may Allah thank him for his effort—as for what exceeded that of the wrongs that spread and overflowed, he is like others in denying what is wrong within the limits of his knowledge and ability. And it is not considered from him as one of the insinuating and defaming, rather he presented a good to the Ummah for which he is praised, and he performed the duty of his mission that was assigned to him as it appeared to him from the rulings of the Shari'ah, and the good direction of his president for him. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and his family and his companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.