Is it permissible to recite the Qur'an without performing wudu'?
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The questioner : A question from a listener, F.R.J. from Syria, says: "O honorable Shaykh, is it permissible to recite the Qur'an without performing wudu'? We hope for a reward-worthy answer from you."
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. Yes, it is permissible to recite the Qur'an without performing wudu'. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would remember Allah in all his states", and reciting the Qur'an is a form of remembering Allah. However, it is not permissible if a person is in a state of major ritual impurity until he performs the full ritual bath, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would teach his Companions the Qur'an as long as they were not in a state of major ritual impurity, as reported from Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him).
As for touching the mushaf, it is not permissible except with wudu', because in the hadith of Amr ibn Hazm, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:Muwatta Malik 15:1 Although this hadith is a report missing the Companion link, the Muslim community accepted it with approval, and a report missing the Companion link becomes valid if the community accepts it with approval. Here, "the pure one" refers to the one who is pure from a state of minor or major ritual impurity, not the believer, because it was not the custom of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to refer to the believer as "the pure one."
The statement of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) in the verse of wudu', in which He combined wudu', the full ritual bath, and dry ablution with clean earth, indicates that "the pure one" is the one who has performed wudu':[Al-Ma'idah 5:6] Therefore, it is not permissible for a person who is not in a state of wudu' to touch the mushaf except through a barrier, such as placing a handkerchief on his hand, wearing a glove, or turning the pages of the mushaf with a miswak or something similar. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. Yes, it is permissible to recite the Qur'an without performing wudu'. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would remember Allah in all his states", and reciting the Qur'an is a form of remembering Allah. However, it is not permissible if a person is in a state of major ritual impurity until he performs the full ritual bath, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would teach his Companions the Qur'an as long as they were not in a state of major ritual impurity, as reported from Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him).
As for touching the mushaf, it is not permissible except with wudu', because in the hadith of Amr ibn Hazm, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
no-one should touch the Qur'an unless he was pure
لا يمس القرءان إلا طاهرThe statement of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) in the verse of wudu', in which He combined wudu', the full ritual bath, and dry ablution with clean earth, indicates that "the pure one" is the one who has performed wudu':
Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you
ما يُريدُ اللَّهُ لِيَجعَلَ عَلَيكُم مِن حَرَجٍ وَلكِن يُريدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمThe questioner : May Allah bless you.