Source: Fatāwā Shaykh al-Ḥadīth Mubārakpūrī, Vol. 1, p. 180
Is it ḥarām to touch the Qur’ān without wuḍū (ablution)?
In some books it is written that touching the Qur’ān without wuḍū is ḥarām, and as proof, the following verse of Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah is presented:
﴿لَا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ﴾ [al-Wāqiʿah: 79]
“None touch it except the purified.”
Some translators and scholars interpret this to mean that touching the Qur’ān without wuḍū is ḥarām. Is this the correct meaning, or does the verse only mean that none touch it except the purified ones (angels)?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
◈ Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, Imām Mālik, Imām al-Shāfiʿī, and Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (رحمہم اللہ) all hold that:
◈ According to Imām Dāwūd al-Ẓāhirī and ʿAllāmah Ibn Ḥazm (رحمہم اللہ):
They support this interpretation with Sūrat ʿAbasa:
﴿كَلَّا إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌ ﴿١١﴾ فَمَن شَاءَ ذَكَرَهُ ﴿١٢﴾ فِي صُحُفٍ مُّكَرَّمَةٍ ﴿١٣﴾ مَّرْفُوعَةٍ مُّطَهَّرَةٍ ﴿١٤﴾ بِأَيْدِي سَفَرَةٍ ﴿١٥﴾ كِرَامٍ بَرَرَةٍ ﴿١٦﴾ [ʿAbasa]
Meaning: This (Qur’ān) is a reminder, so whoever wills may remember it. [It is] in honored sheets, exalted, purified, carried by the hands of scribes, noble and righteous.
Imām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (رحمه الله) explains:
He further strengthens this by the report that the Prophet ﷺ wrote to ʿAmr ibn Ḥazm:
«لَا يَمَسُّ الْقُرْآنَ إِلَّا طَاهِرٌ»
“None should touch the Qur’ān except one who is pure.”
Thus, the verse can validly be interpreted in this way, and this is the preferred opinion.
Imām al-Bājī (رحمه الله) also mentioned both interpretive possibilities in Sharḥ al-Muwaṭṭaʾ.
✔ The stronger opinion is that it is not permissible to touch the Qur’ān without wuḍū.
✔ This view is supported by:
Question:
Is it ḥarām to touch the Qur’ān without wuḍū (ablution)?
In some books it is written that touching the Qur’ān without wuḍū is ḥarām, and as proof, the following verse of Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah is presented:
﴿لَا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ﴾ [al-Wāqiʿah: 79]
“None touch it except the purified.”
Some translators and scholars interpret this to mean that touching the Qur’ān without wuḍū is ḥarām. Is this the correct meaning, or does the verse only mean that none touch it except the purified ones (angels)?
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Position of the Four Imāms
◈ Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, Imām Mālik, Imām al-Shāfiʿī, and Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (رحمہم اللہ) all hold that:
- It is not permissible to touch the Qur’ān without wuḍū.
- They interpret ﴿لَا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ﴾ to mean that the Qur’ān should only be touched by those in a state of ritual purity (i.e., with wuḍū).
- Thus, in their view, touching the Qur’ān without wuḍū is prohibited (ḥarām).
Position of Imām Dāwūd al-Ẓāhirī and Ibn Ḥazm
◈ According to Imām Dāwūd al-Ẓāhirī and ʿAllāmah Ibn Ḥazm (رحمہم اللہ):
- Touching the Qur’ān without wuḍū is permissible.
- They explain the verse differently, saying it refers to the Qur’ān preserved in al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ (the Preserved Tablet).
- The phrase “al-muṭahharūn” refers to the angels who touch it, not humans.
They support this interpretation with Sūrat ʿAbasa:
﴿كَلَّا إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌ ﴿١١﴾ فَمَن شَاءَ ذَكَرَهُ ﴿١٢﴾ فِي صُحُفٍ مُّكَرَّمَةٍ ﴿١٣﴾ مَّرْفُوعَةٍ مُّطَهَّرَةٍ ﴿١٤﴾ بِأَيْدِي سَفَرَةٍ ﴿١٥﴾ كِرَامٍ بَرَرَةٍ ﴿١٦﴾ [ʿAbasa]
Meaning: This (Qur’ān) is a reminder, so whoever wills may remember it. [It is] in honored sheets, exalted, purified, carried by the hands of scribes, noble and righteous.
The Stronger (Rājiḥ) Opinion
Imām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (رحمه الله) explains:
- If the verse is taken as information (khabar), then it refers to the Qur’ān with Allah ﷻ, touched only by the angels.
- However, if the verse is understood in the sense of a prohibition (nahy), though phrased as information, then it applies to humans also — that the Qur’ān should not be touched without purity.
He further strengthens this by the report that the Prophet ﷺ wrote to ʿAmr ibn Ḥazm:
«لَا يَمَسُّ الْقُرْآنَ إِلَّا طَاهِرٌ»
“None should touch the Qur’ān except one who is pure.”
Thus, the verse can validly be interpreted in this way, and this is the preferred opinion.
Imām al-Bājī (رحمه الله) also mentioned both interpretive possibilities in Sharḥ al-Muwaṭṭaʾ.
Conclusion
✔ The stronger opinion is that it is not permissible to touch the Qur’ān without wuḍū.
✔ This view is supported by:
- The Qur’ānic verse [al-Wāqiʿah: 79],
- The ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ,
- And the consensus of the majority of jurists (jumhūr fuqahāʾ).
