Is touching the Mushaf (copy of the Quran) during menses permitted in the Maliki Madhab?
Quran
Hadith
Islamic Text
Touching the Quran during menses is not permitted unless the individual in question is a teacher or student.
بسم الله والحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على أشرف المرسلين وعلى آله وصحبه والتابعين ومن تبعهم إلى يوم الدين
Allah says in the Quran:
إِنَّهُ لَقُرْآنٌ كَرِيمٌ فِي كِتَابٍ مَكْنُونٍ لَا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ
The translation of which is : “This is truly a Noble Qur’an, in a well-preserved Record, touched by none except the purified” [Surah al-Waqi’ah 77-79]
As for the question of touching the Mushaf, the Maliki school is in line with the three other schools in prohibiting it. And Imam Malik narrates in the Muwatta, Kitab al-Qur’an :
حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرِ بْنِ حَزْمٍ «أَنَّ فِي الْكِتَابِ الَّذِي كَتَبَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِعَمْرِو بْنِ حَزْمٍ أَنْ لَا يَمَسَّ الْقُرْآنَ إِلَّا طَاهِرٌ
In the writing the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم wrote to Amr ibn Hazm was : “Only a purified person can touch the Qur’an”
An exception is provided to the one learning the Quran -whether tajwid, memorisation, or revising it- and to the teacher, exactly like it is overlooked for these categories for the one in a state of minor impurity.
Al-imam ad-Dardir says in Aqrab al-masalik and its commentary :
وَمَسُّ مُصْحَفٍ لَا قِرَاءَةٌ
“(It is prohibited) to touch the Qur’an, not (prohibited) to recite it”
Upon which imam as-Sawiy comments:
قَوْلُهُ: [وَمَسُّ مُصْحَفٍ]: أَيْ مَا لَمْ تَكُنْ مُعَلِّمَةً أَوْ مُتَعَلِّمَةً
“Unless she is teaching or studying”
وَيَحْرُمُ عَلَى الْحَائِضِ أَيْضًا دُخُولُ مَسْجِدٍ وَمَسُّ مُصْحَفٍ وَلَا يَحْرُمُ عَلَيْهَا قِرَاءَةُ الْقُرْآنِ إلَّا بَعْدَ انْقِطَاعِهِ وَقَبْلَ غُسْلِهَا، سَوَاءٌ كَانَتْ جُنُبًا حَالَ حَيْضِهَا أَمْ لَا، فَلَا تَقْرَأُ بَعْدَ انْقِطَاعِهِ مُطْلَقًا حَتَّى تَغْتَسِلَ. هَذَا هُوَ الْمُعْتَمَدُ
“And it is impermissible for the one in her period to enter a Masjid or touch the Mushaf (copy of Quran). But it is not forbidden for her to recite the Qur’an except if the blood has stopped flowing and she has not yet performed ghusl, whether she was in a state of major impurity when her menstruation came or not, so she doesn’t recite after the menstruation stopped until she does ghusl, and this is the mu’tamad [relied upon position]” [Ash-sharh as-saghir on Aqrab al-Masalik, with as-Sawiy’s hashiyah – v.1/216]
And Allah Most High knows best.
– Answered by Shaykh Saifullah Abu Muhammad (21.12.2021)
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