Those who may touch the Books of Allaah

20-4-2005 | IslamWeb

Question:

My question is that can we read Qur'an without Wudu? I mean we are pure but none in the state of Wudu in such a situation can we read Qur'an. Also I want to know that there is one Ayah in Qur'an mentioning that none can touch this book but only the pure one. So I want to know that does this Ayah speak about the Book is Qur'an or Lauh Al-Mahfuz.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

 

We have already issued many Fataawa: 83126, 86207 and 83992 about the ruling of reading the Qur'an without ablution.

As regards the saying of Allaah (which means): {That, this is indeed a Qur'an, most honourable, in a Book well guarded, which none shall touch. But those who are pure.}[Qur'an 56:77-79]; the interpreters of the Qur'an differed in opinion about it, whether it refers to the Preserved Book or the Qur'an. Some of them are of the view that 'a Book well guarded' refers to the Book that is in the heavens. As regards the expression: "Which none shall touch. But those who are pure", this refers to those who are purified from sins, i.e. the angels. This opinion is reported from Ibn 'Abbaas, Anas, Mujaahid, 'Ikrimah, Sa'eed Ibn Jubayr and Adh-Dhahhaak and others.

Some other interpreters of the Qur'an are of the view that the verse refers to the Qur'an and that it is only those who are clean that are permitted to touch it, i.e. who have ablution or who purified themselves with a ritual bath after sexual defilement. This view is the dominant one according to Imaam Al-Qurtubi in his Tafseer (interpretation of the Qur'an).

Allaah knows best.