Question:
A Zakat Committee intends to build a special room to burn damaged copies of the Holy Qur’an and papers that contain the name of Allah, so that the burning place is pure and far from homes. After that, the ashes are buried in another pure place. What is the ruling on this matter?
Answer :
Praise be to God, and may blessings and peace be upon our Master, the Messenger of God.
The nation has unanimously agreed on the sanctity of the Qur’an and the necessity of honoring it and not disrespecting it. Honoring it is part of honoring God Almighty. God Almighty said: {That is so. And whoever honors the symbols of God – indeed, it is from the piety of hearts.} Al-Hajj/32.
Scholars have permitted burning damaged copies of the Qur’an if they cannot be used, or burying them in a clean place to protect them so that they are not trampled underfoot or thrown on the ground. Imam al-Bukhari, may God have mercy on him, narrated that the Companions burned the pages containing the Qur’anic verses after the copying was complete, as it was reported from Uthman that “he sent to every region a copy of the Qur’an from what they had copied, and he ordered that everything else from the Qur’an in every page or copy be burned.” Narrated by al-Bukhari.
Ibn Battel, may God have mercy on him, said: “In the order of Uthman to burn the pages and copies of the Qur’an when he collected the Qur’an, there is a permissibility to burn books that contain the names of God Almighty, and that this is an honor for them, and a protection from being trampled underfoot and thrown into wasteland. Muammar narrated, on the authority of Ibn Tawus, on the authority of his father, that he used to burn the pages if he had letters in his possession that included: In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Urwah ibn al-Zubayr burned books of jurisprudence that he had on the day of al-Harrah, and Ibrahim disliked burning the pages if they contained the mention of God, and the statement of the one who burned them is more correct.” [Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari by Ibn Battal 10/226], and Imam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, may God have mercy on him, said: “This necessitates the prohibition of burning the Qur’an, i.e. for no purpose…, and this purpose is considered as in the story of our master Uthman, may God Almighty be pleased with him” [Tuhfat al-Muhtaj 1/156].
Therefore, it is permissible to burn damaged copies of the Qur’an and papers containing the name of Allah, in order to protect them from being desecrated. This can be done by designating a clean place for burning, and this place should not cause harm to people, while observing safety conditions and regulations related to this, and the ashes should be buried in a clean place. There is nothing wrong with the Zakat Committee building a room for this purpose, provided that it is not from Zakat funds. And Allah knows best.
