How should old copies of the Qur'aan be disposed?

**Dr.Trax** · 08-23-2008

Dear brothers and sisters I have a question:

I came across some video and heard that if the quran is too old it shoud or can be burned.
Is this true???
The guy said also that we can find it in the Quran(means that the burning of an old Quran is permissible).
I am confused now.........
Please if some one can explain this,if it is true!

Thanks!

**'Abd al-Baari** · 08-23-2008

Respecting and taking care of Mus-hafs (copies of the Qur’aan) is part of venerating the symbols of Allaah and the word of Allaah which He revealed as guidance to mankind. This is a duty upon all Muslims, who should make whatever efforts they can to achieve that.

How great these efforts should be differs according to the need to preserve ancient Mushafs. Copies of the Mus-haf may be few and the people may need all that they have, or these old copies may still be in good condition and people can still read them, or it may be possible to send them to some poor Muslim countries where the people still copy the Qur’aan by hand because they are so poor, and other cases which dictate keeping these old copies and taking proper care of them.

If there are no such cases where it is necessary to preserve old copies, then there is nothing wrong with disposing of them in respectful ways which achieve the desired purpose. The scholars have mentioned three ways of doing that:

1-

Burning, i.e., burning old copies of the Mus-haf in a careful and respectable manner, in a clean and safe place, whilst ensuring that the words are consumed by the fire and the pages are changed.

The scholars based this view on what ‘Uthmaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) did with the Mus-hafs that differed from what the Sahaabah were unanimously agreed upon. Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated (hadeeth no. 4987) from Anas ibn Maalik that ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) ordered Zayd ibn Thaabit, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Zubayr, Sa’eed ibn al-‘Aas and ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn al-Haarith ibn Hishaam to make copies of the Mus-hafs. ‘Uthmaan said to the three Qurashi men: If you differ with Zayd ibn Thaabit concerning anything of the Qur’aan, then write it in the dialect of Quraysh, for it was revealed in their tongue. They did that, then when they had copied the pages in Mus-hafs, ‘Uthmaan returned the pages to Hafsah, and he sent to each country one of the Mus-hafs that they had copied, and he ordered that all other copies of the Qur’aan on pages or in books be burned.

**Dr.Trax** · 08-31-2008

Jazakallah khair Brother!

**------** · 08-31-2008

Isn't 1 of them burying the Qur'aan?

Edit: Kool, burning, burying and shredding

**'Abd al-Baari** · 08-31-2008

WaAlaykumus Salaam Warahmatullahi Wabarakaatuh,

Yeh it is,

Burying, for which a place that is clean and safe from tampering should be chosen. A deep hole should be dug in which it is thought most likely that the buried copies will disappear for a long time.

**Fazl Ahmad** · 08-31-2008

I was wandering also that if for some reason a Muslim acquires a copy of the Quran or other literature with the name of Allah in it published by deviant groups like Qadianis or Shias, should they also be disposed by fire?

**islamirama** · 09-02-2008

Regardless of who prints the literature or where it comes from. If it is in arabic and has quranic verses or Allah's name on it then it has to be disposed of in the manner acceptable in Islam.

**'Abd al-Baari** · 09-02-2008

A sufficient answer has been given, and to prevent it from going off topic, [which it has and posts have been deleted] it is best to close this thread Insha'Allah.