Ruling on Touching and Reciting the Qur’an Without Wudu – A Complete Analysis
Source: Fatāwā Rāshidiyyah, p. 243
❖ Question:
Is it permissible to hold the Qur’an in one’s hand and recite it without wudu?
❖ Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله، أما بعد!
The Prophet ﷺ, in the written instruction (maktūb) he gave to ʿAmr ibn Ḥazm رضي الله عنه, included the following command:
"لا يمس القرآن إلا طاهر"
“None should touch the Qur’an except one who is pure.”
✿ Authenticity of the Ḥadīth
- Imām Mālik رحمه الله narrated it as mursal (without Companion link).
- Imām al-Nasāʾī and Ibn Ḥibbān transmitted it as mawṣūl (with Companion link).
- Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله declared the narration of al-Nasāʾī as maʿlūl (defective).
Clarification:
The defect identified was due to the presence of Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd, whom some thought to be Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd al-Yamānī (a weak narrator). In reality, he is Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd al-Khawlānī, a trustworthy narrator endorsed by Abū Zurʿah, Ibn Ḥātim, and other great scholars.
Hence, this weakness does not affect the reliability of the narration, and it remains authentic and dependable.
✿ Status of the Written Instruction to ʿAmr ibn Ḥazm
- Some scholars debated its strength, but many of the great muḥaddithīn considered it valid.
- Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr رحمه الله: “It is near mutawātir, as it was received with acceptance by the Ummah.”
- Yaʿqūb ibn Sufyān رحمه الله: “I do not know of any book more authentic than this, as the Companions and Tābiʿīn referred to it, abandoning their own opinions for it.”
- Imām al-Ḥākim رحمه الله: “ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz and Imām al-Zuhrī both testified to its authenticity.”
These statements show that this document is sound and reliable, and among its rulings is that only a purified person may touch the Qur’an.✿ Supporting Aḥādīth
① Ḥadīth of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"لا يمس القرآن إلا طاهر."
(al-Ṭabarānī, al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr, al-Ṣaghīr; Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid: 1/276)
Al-Haythamī: “Its narrators are trustworthy.”
② Ḥadīth of al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah رضي الله عنه
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"ولا تمس القرآن إلا وأنت طاهر."
(al-Ṭabarānī in al-Kabīr; Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid: 1/277)
Its chain includes Ismāʿīl ibn Rāfiʿ, considered weak by Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn and al-Nasāʾī, while al-Bukhārī described him as “moderate in hadith.” Ibn Ḥajar wrote: “Weak in memory.”
➡ Although this narration is weak on its own, it serves as supporting evidence to the stronger narration of Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه.
✿ Qur’anic Indication
Allah ﷻ says:
﴿يُعَظِّمْ شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِن تَقْوَى الْقُلُوبِ﴾
(al-Ḥajj: 32)
“Whoever honors the symbols of Allah — indeed, it is from the piety of the hearts.”
Since the Qur’an is among the greatest symbols of Allah, its respect demands that it not be touched without purification.
Conclusion
- The hadith “None should touch the Qur’an except one who is pure” is authentic and supported by multiple evidences.
- The written instruction to ʿAmr ibn Ḥazm is reliable, and the scholars of hadith and fiqh have relied upon it.
- Therefore: Touching the Qur’an without wudu is not permissible.
- As for recitation, the stronger opinion of scholars is that one may recite the Qur’an without wudu, but touching the Muṣḥaf requires purification.
