What Is the Ruling on Touching the Holy Qur'an Without Wudu?

Question

What is the ruling on touching the Holy Qur’an without wudu? A certain person claims that the verse [ar]لَّا يَمَسُّهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱلْمُطَهَّرُونَ[/ar] “None touch it except the purified” (Surah al-Waqi’a, 56:79) does not establish the ruling of touching [the Qur’an] with wudu, since “al-mutahharun” (the purified) refers to the angels. Is this correct? Please give the answer with reference to tafsir and hadith.

Answer

If the phrase "he does not touch it" (لا يمسه) is taken as a statement of fact (khabar), then "the purified" (المطهرون) refers to the angels, and the pronoun refers back to "a well-guarded Book" (كِتَابٌ مَّكْنُونٌ), by which the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz) is meant. If, however, it is taken as a prohibition (nahy)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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