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May 23, 2009

Wudu And Touching Books Of Knowledge

Salam.  Some brief notes, once again those with expertise in fiqh please send in any corrections.  Related to this, one of the scholars of the past during his study during the course of the night made wudu a dozen or so times because of stomach problems!  All of this due to his Adab with the books of knowledge despite his knowing it was not necessary to do so.

Perhaps this was one of the reasons for their tawfiq and success as opposed to our state.  I think the incident is in Shaykh Abu Ghuddah’s ‘Safahat min Sabr al-Ulama’.  Those who may have across this incident please kindly share. Ws

A Person Not in Wudu Touching Islamic Works

With regards to the books of Tafsir the generality of the Hanafi scholars are of the view of it being unlawful to touch the actual script of the Noble Quran in a book of Tafsir. The author of al-Siraj said quoting from al-Idah: It is not permitted to the touch the place of the Quranic script in it. As for other than it from the tafsir and the other books of sacred law the verification is that there are 3 opinions in regards to it: The opinion that it is disliked, that it is not (disliked) and the third: Disliked for tafsir but not others.

Ibn Abidin said: The third opinion is more apparent (azhar) and precautionary due to evident difference (between them), for the Quran in works of Tafsir is more than in others. [Hashiyah Ibn Abidin (1/119)]

Touching Books of Fiqh, Hadith and Works Containing Verses of Quran by A Person Not in Wudu

Some of the Hanafi’s permitted, and this was declared correct by Abu Hanifah the one not in wudu to touch and carry the books described above, even if they contain verses of the Quran. The evidence for this view is that: The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) wrote a letter to Herqal containin a verse. [Al-Bukhari (al-Fath 1/32). And also because the term of copy of the Quran (Mushaf) is not used for these works, and thus the sanctity of them is not established to the same level as that of the Quran.

Some of the Hanafi’s, amongst them being Imams Abu Yusuf and Muhammad were of the view that it is disliked to touch the books of hadith, fiqh for the one not in a state of purity because these works are not free of verses of the Quran. But it has been previously mentioned that Ibn Abidin gave preference to the view of it being disliked for the books of Tafsir only. [Badai a-Sanai (1/33-34) Dur al-Mukhtar with Hashiyah Ibn Abidin (1/118)]

Faidah: Previously Revealed Divine Books

There is some difference of opinion amongst the Hanafi’s in regards to this. In the Hashiyah of Ibn Abidin it is mentioned: Shaykh Ismaeel said: In al-Mubtaghi: It is not permitted to touch the Torah, Injil and al-Zabur. Some of the Hanafi jurists reasoned this as in the sharing of all of the divinely revealed books in the necessity of being honoured, but he said: yes, it should be specified to that which has not been altered.

Another view of the Hanafi’s is that it is permitted to touch these books without wudu. In Dur al-Mukhtar it is mentioned: The apparent view (al-Zahir) is that it is permitted to touch. He said in al-Nahr: His (Most High’s) words: ‘It is not touched except by the purified’ is based on the sentence being a description (sifah) of the Quran and necessitates the specifying of prohibition to it (alone). [Hashiyah Ibn Abidin (1/119)]

Source: Mawsuah (34/182)

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  1. “Related to this, one of the scholars of the past during his study during the course of the night made wudu a dozen or so times because of stomach problems! ”

    I think the story you are referring to is in “The instruction of the Student – The Method of Learning” by Imam Zarnuji

    Chapter 4

    Imam Al-Sarakhsi had abdominal issues and it was his wont to incessantly recite the Quran at night. So he purified himself seventeen times [out of bodily need] in order not to resue recitation without being pure. He did this since learning is light and purification is light; thus the light of learning is increased by [purification].

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