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Bismillahi Al-Rahmani Al-Rahim
Disposing Of Publications Q Salaam 'Alaikum What should we do with all of the newspapers and magazines that contain the name of Allah? I don't just mean Islamic newspapers or magazines, but if one just picks up the regular ol' Arabic language dailies, well, there are always stories about politicians and even celebrities whose names are "Abdullah," "AbdurRahman," and so on. Should we leave it in a cafe / someplace where someone else might pick it up for reading? Should we burn the entire newspaper or magazine? Should we keep it? If so, can one use it for lining drawers and things like that? A wa `alaykum al-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu When it becomes necessary to dispose of a mushaf, it is best to put it in water until the ink dissolves or has become so smeared that it no longer can be read. If this does not work, such as with modern inks, the mushaf can be buried in the ground in a clean spot where people will not walk over it. And if this does not work it can be burned. Other religious materials should be treated similarly if possible. All of this should be done out of respect for the Qur'an and out of respect for religious knowledge. As for materials which are not religious yet contain words which should be respected, such as the word Allah and the names of the Prophets (peace be upon them), the practical thing to do is to either burn them or run them through a paper shredder. This should be done so that we do not treat these words in a disrespectful manner--even when taken out of a religious context. It should be enough to separate the letters enough that they no longer form the words. wa al-salamu `alaykum --musa |