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Playing [a recording of] Quran in an unclean (najis) place

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Publication : 10-09-2019

Views : 11733

Question

The television is in my father and mother’s bedroom, and I want to play Quran on the television, but because my father is elderly, he urinates in a bottle and leaves it in the room. Is it permissible for me to turn on the television and tune into the Quran channels, knowing that the place is regarded as unclean or impure (najis)?

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

Part of the etiquette of interacting with the Noble Quran is not to recite it in filthy places, or in places where people relieve themselves.

Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Fadaa’il al-Quran (p. 149):

With regard to reciting Quran in the lavatory , it is obviously makruh (disliked), and if we say that it is haram, out of respect for the Quran, that would be a sound view. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said, explaining the etiquette of reading or reciting the Holy Quran:

Part of that etiquette is not to read or recite Quran in filthy places, or in gatherings where no one will listen to it, because reciting it in such places is disrespectful towards it. It is not permissible to recite Quran in lavatories and the like, which are prepared for the purpose of urination or defecation, because that is not befitting to the Holy Quran,

End quote from Majmoo‘ Fataawa ash-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (20/277).

Secondly:

This ruling does not apply to a room in which a sick or elderly person urinates into a bottle, because this room cannot be described as being unclean or impure (najis); rather it is pure (taahir), and the impurity is limited to the bottle only.

It is proven in the hadith that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had a vessel that he would keep with him in his room, and urinate into it if he woke up at night. This is similar to the bottle mentioned in the question.

It was narrated by Abu Daawood in his Sunan (24), an-Nasaa’i in his Sunan (32), Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh (1426), and al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak (594) from Hukaymah bint Umaymah bint Ruqayqah from her mother that she said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to have a vessel made of wood under his bed into which he would urinate at night.

This hadith was classed as hasan by an-Nawawi in al-Eejaaz fi Sharh Sunan Abi Daawood (p. 155); it was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Daawood (19).

It is known that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to remember Allah and recite Quran before going to sleep, and he would recite Quran when he woke up, and he would pray in his room. He did not refrain from doing any of those things because of this vessel.

So there is a difference between places that are set up for dealing with impurity, such as lavatories and places where animals are slaughtered, and clean, pure (taahir) places in which there happens to be some transient impurity.

The former are places where the Holy Quran should not be recited; as for the latter, the presence of some transient impurity in them does not mean that Quran cannot be recited there.

Based on that, there is nothing wrong with playing Quran in this room.

And Allah knows best.

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Source: Islam Q&A