What is the ruling on putting the Qur’aan on the prayer mat?

 

What is the ruling on putting the Qur’aan on the prayer mat?.

Praise be to Allaah.

There is no difference of opinion among the scholars
concerning the fact that the Qur’aan must be respected and protected. 

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

The scholars are unanimously agreed that it is obligatory to
protect and respect the Mus-haf. 

Al-Majmoo’ (2/85). 

The Muslim should not go to extremes in respecting the
Qur’aan. People have gone to extremes in this matter and have made it too
burdensome, as it was narrated that one of them said: “For thirty years I
have not entered a room in which there is a Mus-haf without having wudoo’.”
And if one of them is in a room in which there is a Mus-haf he would not
sleep all night lest he break wind in a room in which there is a Mus-haf!  

These actions are clearly contrary to the way of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions (may
Allaah be pleased with them). They lived in small, cramped rooms, but that
did not prevent them from sleeping in their houses, or having intercourse
with their wives, or staying without wudoo’ for a while, even though there
were Mus-hafs in their houses. When the Qur’aan was collected, it was kept
in the houses of many of them. 

There were no shelves in the mosque of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or the mosques of the Sahaabah
on which to place the pages of the Mus-hafs, and papers containing
knowledge. Hence what matters here is whether this is regarded as
disrespectful or not. Hence there is nothing wrong with putting it on clean
ground for one who needs to do that – such as if he wants to do the
prostration of recitation (sujood al-tilaawah). 

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: 

Sincerity towards the Book of Allaah includes not putting it
in places where it will be treated with disrespect, or where putting it
there is a kind of disrespect towards it, such as a place where garbage is
put and the like. Hence it is essential to avoid doing what some children do
when they finish their studies, when they throw their books which may
contain part of the Qur’aan in the streets or in the garbage and so on.
Allaah forbid. 

As for putting the Qur’aan on clean ground, there is nothing
wrong with that, because this is not disrespecting the Qur’aan or
mistreating it. It often happens that a person is praying or reading from
the Mushaf and he wants to prostrate, so he puts it down in front of him.
This is not regarded as disrespect or mistreatment of the Mus-haf, so there
is nothing wrong with it. 

Sharh Riyadh al-Saaliheen
(1/423), Dar Ibn al-Haytham, hadeeth no. 181. 

Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen (may Allaah preserve him) was
asked: 

What is the ruling on putting the Qur’aan on the clean ground
or on the prayer mat? 

He replied: 

It is better to put it in a high place so that it will be
exalted in both the literal and metaphorical sense. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “Exalted (in dignity), purified” [‘Abasa
80:14]. If you need to put it down, then put it down in a place that is
raised up, even if only a little. If that is not possible then it is
permissible to put it on the ground, on a clean carpet and the like. The
Qur’aan should not be put down in a low place or a place that is impure or
on the dirt, because that is showing disrespect towards it. But if a person
needs to put it down on a clean carpet, there is nothing wrong with that, so
long as one is keen to exalt it both literally and metaphorically. 

Fataawa Islamiyyah (4/15). 

Based on that, if the mat is clean and it is unlikely that
children or others will mess about with the Mus-haf, there is nothing wrong
with putting the Mus-haf on it, but putting it in a higher place is better. 

And Allaah knows best.