Writing Verses or Divine Names on a Tablecloth or Prayer Mat

Question

Hamid wants to write some Qur’anic phrases on a tablecloth and eat and drink on it; for example these: [ar]كُلُوا حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا[/ar] (“Eat what is lawful and good”), [ar]كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا[/ar] (“Eat and drink, but do not be excessive”), [ar]لَنْ تَمُوتَ نَفْسٌ حَتَّى تَسْتَكْمِلَ رِزْقُهَا[/ar] (“No soul shall die until it has received its provision in full”).

Answer

An act that is impermissible according to the Sacred Law does not necessarily become permissible on account of a good intention. The verses of the Noble Qur’an and the divine names are obligatorily to be revered. If they are written on a tablecloth and such a tablecloth is then used in the ordinary way, reverence for them will not be preserved.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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