Rules for handling the Quran
This is indeed a noble Qur'an ... Which none toucheth save the purified. -- Quran 56:77-79
From this passage, Muslims have developed a set of rules about how to handle the Quran. Here are some of them.
- Make formal acts of cleaning yourself (ablutions) before touching the Quran.
- Don't touch the Quran when you are unclean (like after touching a dog, going to the bathroom, having sex, or while menstruating).
- Don't touch the Quran (in Arabic) unless you are already a Muslim.
- If you do have to touch it for some reason (and you're unclean or a non-Muslim), then wear gloves or use a cloth to keep your filthy fingers off the sacred text.
- Never let the Quran touch the floor.
- Don't take it into a bathroom.
- Don't place anything else on top of it.
These rules are based on the idea that the Quran is the literal word of God, revealed to the angel Gabriel and delivered to the prophet Muhammad — none of which is true, of course.
