Why reading the Quran Without Covering the Head is Halal in Islam
C.J Ahmed-13.05.2023
There is an extremely ignorant opinion among those who blindly follow the madhhabs and deviant Sufi sects like the tabligh jamaat and the deobandi that you have to cover your head when reading or reciting the Quran. There is no evidence from the Quran or the authentic Sunnah of the prophet (sal) where it is an obligation to cover the head whether you are reading or reciting the Quran or even in your daily life.
Hadiths ProvingThat Touching the Quran is Halal Even With Junub
It is narrated in Baihaqi that Umar ibn Al-Khattab (rali) disliked reciting Qur’an while in the state of janabah (Narrated in Baihaqi in his Khilafiyyat and graded it Sahih (authentic))
There is a clear hadith which states that a person who is Junub is still pure and is not impure. The hadith is as follows,
Abu Hurayrah said: “I was met by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and I was junub. He took my hand and I walked with him until he sat down. Then I slipped away and washed myself (ghusl), then I came to where he was sitting. He said, ‘Where were you, O Abu Hurayrah’? I told him, and he said, ‘Subhan-Allaah, O Abu Hurayrah!, the believer does not become impure.” (Bukhari -276 and Muslim-556)
The above hdith prove that even junub will no mae a Muslim impure and this hadith clearly proves that touchingthe Quran even with junub is not haram. Imam Malik and his companions held the view that touching the Quran even if a woman is menstruating as mentioned in “ Majmu’”of Imam An-Nawawi Vol -2-387.
If touching theQuran even with junub is not haram, then clearly reading the Quran online or using your phone isalso not haram.
Some scholars argue that even touchingthe Quran without wudu is haram. This wrong opinion is based on the following hadiths,
Abdullah ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “No one should touch the Quran unless they are pure.” (Muhjam al Kabir-Graded Hasan Sahih by Imam Suyuti)
In al-Istidhkār 2/372 it is mentioned based on this hadith , Al-Shafi’i, Al-Awza’i, Abu Thawr, and Ahmed said the written Quran should not be touched by a person with major impurity, nor a menstruating woman, nor a person without ablution but this is only the opinion of these scholars. We need to understand that the meaning of this hadith is for the person who is in Junud (sexually defiled) and not for the person who has not done wudu. This is explained in the following two hadiths,
Abil Gharīf who said ‘Ali (rali) made wuḍu’ by rinsing the mouth and cleaning out the nose with water three times each, then he washed his face three times, then he washed his hands and his forearms three times each, then he wiped his head and then washed his feet then he said, “This is how I saw Rasūlullah (sal) making wuḍu’. Then he recited some [verses] from the Qur’an and then said, “This is to be done [i.e. the recitation] for the one who is not Junub, but as for the one who is Junub then he is not to do it, not even a verse!”(Narrated in al Haythami in Majma al Zawaid-and Graded Sahih by Imam Haythami)
There is another similer hadith as well,
Ali (rali) said,
“Recite the Qur’an as long as you have not entered janaba (sexual defilement), and when you are in the state of janaba, do not, not even a single letter!” (a Darqutni who graded it as sahih (authentic)
The above two hadiths prove that wudu is not required when touching the Quran but now the question could arise for the reader on wether it is haram to touch the Quran when you had a wet dream, had masturbated or have had sexual intercourse.
There is no evidence to prove that touching,reading or reciting the Quran is haram without covering the head.
There is an extremely ignorant opinion among those who blindly follow the madhhabs and deviant Sufi sects like the tabligh jamaat and the deobandi that you have to cover your head when reading or reciting the Quran. There is no evidence from the Quran or the authentic Sunnah of the prophet (sal) where it is an obligation to cover the head whether you are reading or reciting the Quran or even in your daily life.
Hadiths ProvingThat Touching the Quran is Halal Even With Junub
It is narrated in Baihaqi that Umar ibn Al-Khattab (rali) disliked reciting Qur’an while in the state of janabah (Narrated in Baihaqi in his Khilafiyyat and graded it Sahih (authentic))
There is a clear hadith which states that a person who is Junub is still pure and is not impure. The hadith is as follows,
Abu Hurayrah said: “I was met by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and I was junub. He took my hand and I walked with him until he sat down. Then I slipped away and washed myself (ghusl), then I came to where he was sitting. He said, ‘Where were you, O Abu Hurayrah’? I told him, and he said, ‘Subhan-Allaah, O Abu Hurayrah!, the believer does not become impure.” (Bukhari -276 and Muslim-556)
The above hdith prove that even junub will no mae a Muslim impure and this hadith clearly proves that touchingthe Quran even with junub is not haram. Imam Malik and his companions held the view that touching the Quran even if a woman is menstruating as mentioned in “ Majmu’”of Imam An-Nawawi Vol -2-387.
If touching theQuran even with junub is not haram, then clearly reading the Quran online or using your phone isalso not haram.
Some scholars argue that even touchingthe Quran without wudu is haram. This wrong opinion is based on the following hadiths,
Abdullah ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “No one should touch the Quran unless they are pure.” (Muhjam al Kabir-Graded Hasan Sahih by Imam Suyuti)
In al-Istidhkār 2/372 it is mentioned based on this hadith , Al-Shafi’i, Al-Awza’i, Abu Thawr, and Ahmed said the written Quran should not be touched by a person with major impurity, nor a menstruating woman, nor a person without ablution but this is only the opinion of these scholars. We need to understand that the meaning of this hadith is for the person who is in Junud (sexually defiled) and not for the person who has not done wudu. This is explained in the following two hadiths,
Abil Gharīf who said ‘Ali (rali) made wuḍu’ by rinsing the mouth and cleaning out the nose with water three times each, then he washed his face three times, then he washed his hands and his forearms three times each, then he wiped his head and then washed his feet then he said, “This is how I saw Rasūlullah (sal) making wuḍu’. Then he recited some [verses] from the Qur’an and then said, “This is to be done [i.e. the recitation] for the one who is not Junub, but as for the one who is Junub then he is not to do it, not even a verse!”(Narrated in al Haythami in Majma al Zawaid-and Graded Sahih by Imam Haythami)
There is another similer hadith as well,
Ali (rali) said,
“Recite the Qur’an as long as you have not entered janaba (sexual defilement), and when you are in the state of janaba, do not, not even a single letter!” (a Darqutni who graded it as sahih (authentic)
The above two hadiths prove that wudu is not required when touching the Quran but now the question could arise for the reader on wether it is haram to touch the Quran when you had a wet dream, had masturbated or have had sexual intercourse.
There is no evidence to prove that touching,reading or reciting the Quran is haram without covering the head.