Question
Assalamu Alaikum. Can you please justify your reply that it’s not obligatory to be in wudu to touch the Qur’an? What about the Hadith that refers to the letter from Prophet Mohammad (Sallullahi Alaihis Sallam) to Amar bin Hazm the governor of Yemen.
Regards
Answer
In the referred letter of the Prophet (pbuh) addressed to Amr ibn Hazam (ra), as reported by Imam Maalik, the reported words of the Prophet (pbuh) do not prescribe Wudu as a necessary condition or an obligation for touching the Qur’an. The reported words of the Prophet (pbuh), on the contrary, direct that a person should touch the Qur’an, while he is in a state of cleanness. In other words, the reported words of the Prophet (pbuh) direct people to refrain from touching the Qur’an, while in a state of uncleanness.
Furthermore, Imam Maalik, in his comment on the narrative writes that it is not recommended that the Qur’an be touched, while a person is in a state of uncleanness. This clearly implies that even Imam Maalik does not consider the directive entailed in the narrative as ‘obligatory’. On the contrary, the directive is interpreted as a recommendation.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Moiz Amjad
December 16, 2001