Is wudu' a condition for touching the mushaf?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Is wudu' a condition for touching the mushaf?
The Shaykh : Yes, it is not permissible for a person to touch the mushaf except with wudu'. However, he may read from the mushaf by placing a barrier between his hands and the mushaf, and he may read as long as he is not in a state of janabah. For the one in a state of janabah is forbidden to recite the Qur'an, whether in a state of wudu' or otherwise.
The questioner : What if one is in a state of dire necessity, O honorable Shaykh?
The Shaykh : There is no dire necessity, my brother. What is the dire necessity?
The questioner : Sometimes one does not find water to perform wudu'.
The Shaykh : I told you now, you have a shemagh. Put your shemagh between you and the mushaf and read. Is this possible or not? Where is the dire necessity? There is no dire necessity.
The questioner : What is the evidence, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Did you understand?
The questioner : The evidence
The Shaykh : The evidence is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Muwatta Malik 15:1 So his saying: Muwatta Malik 15:1 means pure from hadath, because Allah the Exalted said in Surat al-Ma'idah: [Al-Ma'idah 5:6] And the claim that "the pure one" is the Muslim is weak, because we have not found that Allah the Exalted or His Messenger describes the Muslim as "the pure one." However, it is correct that He informs that the Muslim does not become ritually impure. But "the pure one" is the one who has purified himself, as Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah 2:222] So it is more appropriate to interpret the hadith according to what is customary in the language of the Qur'an and the Sunnah than to interpret it in a distant sense. Furthermore, it is better by consensus, meaning that even those who say it is permissible to touch it without a barrier agree with the others that it is better not to touch it except in a state of purity. So if you do not touch it except in a state of purity, that becomes better for you by consensus and more secure for your conscience according to those who say that wudu' is necessary for touching the mushaf.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : The one behind him.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is not permissible for a person to touch the mushaf except with wudu'. However, he may read from the mushaf by placing a barrier between his hands and the mushaf, and he may read as long as he is not in a state of janabah. For the one in a state of janabah is forbidden to recite the Qur'an, whether in a state of wudu' or otherwise.
The questioner : What if one is in a state of dire necessity, O honorable Shaykh?
The Shaykh : There is no dire necessity, my brother. What is the dire necessity?
The questioner : Sometimes one does not find water to perform wudu'.
The Shaykh : I told you now, you have a shemagh. Put your shemagh between you and the mushaf and read. Is this possible or not? Where is the dire necessity? There is no dire necessity.
The questioner : What is the evidence, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Did you understand?
The questioner : The evidence
The Shaykh : The evidence is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
no-one should touch the Qur'an unless he was pure
لا يمس القرآن إلا طاهرno-one should touch the Qur'an unless he was pure
لا يمس القرآن إلا طاهرAllah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you
ما يريد الله ليجعل عليكم من حرج ولكن يريد ليطهركمAnd do not approach them until they are pure. And when they have purified themselves, then come to them from where Allah has ordained for you
فلا تقربوهن حتى يطهرن فإذا تطهرن فأتوهن من حيث أمركم اللهThe questioner : ...
The Shaykh : The one behind him.