purposes that contain Quranic verses. Itis likely that many of them
will end up on the streets or bins after being distributed. Isnt this
wrong and should this discourage us givingout such material? Also, is
this ok, considering that the targeted recipients are non-muslims who
are impure?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
Distributing leaflets and pamphlets for da'wah purposes is a good deed
and is calling people to Allah. It is something from which many
peoplebenefit, especially non-Muslims. It is a means of spreading the
religion of Allah, establishing proof for them and leaving no excuse
for them, and conveying to them the message of their Lord. But this
work should be done in a thoughtful manner, following guidelines and
methods through which the aim may be achieved in an appropriate manner
without going against the rulings of Islam.
Secondly:
Leaflets and pamphlets for da'wah purposes that contain Qur'anic
verses do not come under the same rulings as the Mushaf, and the one
who touches them cannot be said to have touched the Mushaf, because
the Qur'anic material in them is mixed with other material. So they
come under the same ruling asthe ruling on books of fiqh, tafseer and
the like,and it is permissible for a non-believer or one who is in a
state of impurity to touch them.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to the verse that the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) wrote – i.e., to Heraclius – his intention thereby
was to correspond, and a verse in a letter or a book of fiqh and the
likedoes not come under theprohibition on touching it, and the book or
letterdoes not become a Mushaf.
End quote from al-Mughni, 1/109
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Some of the scholars are of the view that it is permissible for a
non-believer to touch the Mushaf if there is thehope that he will
become a Muslim. They quoted as evidence for that the fact that the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) wrote to Heraclius,
the ruler of Byzantium, (a letter containing) the verse in which
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning): "Say (O Muhammad SAW): 'O people of the Scripture (Jews and
Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you" [Aal
'Imraan 3:64]. They said: This verse is a verse of the Book of Allah
that he wrote to Heraclius. But the correctview is that this is not
proof; rather it only indicates that it is permissible to write one or
two verses of the Book of Allah. As for handing over the entire Mushaf
(to a non-Muslim), it is not proven that the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) did that.
End quote from Majmoo'Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 24/340-341
Thirdly:
If these books or leaflets are translated into another language,
otherthan Arabic, then the matter is easier. It does not matter if the
non-believer touches a translation of the meanings of the Holy Qur'an
into a language other than Arabic, even if it is a translation of an
entire soorah, because the translation is an interpretation of the
meanings of the Qur'an, and it does not come under the same rulings as
the Qur'an. The non-believer is not forbidden to touch books of
tafseer or Islamic knowledge, unless he is doing so by way of
mishandling them or showing disrespect. See the answer to question no.
119323 .
To sum up:
There is nothing wrong with distributing these leaflets and pamphlets
for da'wah purposes, even if they contain some verses of the Holy
Qur'an or hadeeths of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him), and there is nothing wrong with allowing the non-believer
to touch them and read them, because of the great interests that are
served by that, of acquainting him with the religion of Allah, and
establishing proof for him and leaving him with no excuse by conveying
the message. The interests ofconveying the message to him in the hope
that he might become Muslimtake precedence over the possible negative
consequences of allowing him to touch them and handle them.
Disallowing the printing of these books and leaflets that are aimed
atnon-Muslims would cancel out a great deal of good and impose
restrictions on the means of calling non-Muslims to Allah.
With regard to throwingthese leaflets into the trash, it is not
permissible according toIslam, but it is only haraam for the one who
does that action himself. As for the one who prints and distributes
these leaflets and spendson that, he will have (thereward of) his good
deeds and is not responsible for the actions of others.
See the answer to question no. 39376
If it is possible to write on them a request not tothrow them on the
ground or the like, or asking the reader to leave them in an
appropriate place, that would be a good idea.
And Allah knows best.
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