Is it permissible to bring a tape containing a recording of the Qur'an into the toilet and treat it with the same respect as the mushaf, or is it not?

The questioner : ... Is it treated with the same respect as the mushaf, in terms of honoring it and not bringing it into the bathroom?

The Shaykh : It should be treated with the same respect as the Qur'an, in terms of honoring and respecting it within the limits of the Shari'ah. But is it established in the Shari'ah that it is not permissible for a Muslim to enter to relieve himself while the mushaf is in his pocket? That is something that has not been established. What is observed regarding the exaltation of the Qur'an is keeping the Qur'an from being dishonored by something that is clearly a dishonor to it. This is different from the scenario presented, based on the idea that it is not permissible to enter the bathroom with the mushaf, as you say here. By analogy, it would not be permissible to enter the bathroom with a tape recorded with the Qur'an. The first scenario is not established in the Shari'ah; that is because when the young Muslim enters the bathroom, the mushaf is in his pocket, so it is not visible, and it cannot be said: "He dishonored the Qur'an!" This is different from if it were visible and the mushaf was in his hand, and he placed it on a spot in the bathroom; this is, of course, a lack of respect, as we said regarding this Qur'an. This scenario is treated like the recorded tape. But if the recorded tape is in the pocket and not visible, there is nothing in it that contradicts the exaltation of the Qur'an, its honor, and proper conduct toward it.