Shaikh bin Baz رحمه الله was asked the following question: “Is it permissible to hold the mus’haf with the left hand?”
He replied, “I am not aware of anything regards to this, even though of course holding it with the right hand is better, the right is better generally, the prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم would use his right hand for arranging his hair, giving and taking, shaking hands etc; as for the left then it is for other than that [i.e. cleaning oneself after answering the call of nature etc].
If though there was a need to hold the mus’haf with the left hand [whilst reciting or otherwise] due to the right hand becoming tired, or due to a need whereby the right hand was required to pick something up or do something, or something similar to such needs, then there is no harm in holding the mus’haf in the left inshaa’ Allah. So whether he placed it in the left or right and read would be ok, however no doubt the right is better and superior as the prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم would use the right for the good affairs”.
[Based on a Fatwa from Shaikh bin Baz’s Official Website]
Many people often ask regarding the narration that the Shaytaan is expelled from a home that Surat ul-Baqarah is recited within; whether it is a must to actually have to recite, or if it is possible to simply play a recording of Surat ul-Baqarah on some electronic device?
The following is the response of Shaikh Ibn ul-Uthaymeen رحمه الله تعالى:
“Q: Oh Shaikh, there is a hadith from the prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم that if a person recites Surat ul-Baqarah in his home then the Shaytaan cannot enter, but if the Surah was recorded on a cassette [or any other electronic means, and then played] then does the same still occur? [i.e. is that sufficient to prevent the Shaytaan from entering?]
A: No…no…an audio recording is nothing, it doesn’t benefit [in this regard], it cannot be said he [the house resident in this instance] has recited the Qur’an [since the hadith mentions “the one who recites…”], all that can be said is he has listened to a previous reciter on the recording.
Therefore, similarly if we were to record the adhaan [call to prayer] and then leave it at the microphone to play when the time for adhaan enters, then is that sufficient and fulfilling to the right of the adhaan? It is not fulfilling the right….and similarly if we were to record an inspiring and moving khutba of a khateeb and then when Friday comes we play it on the microphone and so the recording starts, “Assalamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu[!] then the mu’adhin makes the adhaan and then the khutba begins [on the recorder]…then is that fulfilling the obligation? No, it is not.”
[via Sahab]
In other various fataawa the scholars have mentioned that one of the reasons for this is because the recitation of the Qur’an is an act of worship and therefore an intention is required, and clearly the electronic device has no intention, or indeed any ability to make an intention. Similarly the Permanent Committee of Scholars mentioned it is not correct to play a recording of the Qur’an for ruqya purposes, rather it requires intention from the reader which the recorder does not have.
Indeed the Qur’an was sent by Allah as a guidance to creation, it is as the prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم would say in the weekly Friday sermon, “Indeed the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of the prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم and the most evil of affairs are the newly invented, and every innovation is misguidance”. Indeed Allah revealed this Book in order that the people may be removed from darkness to light, from shirk to tawheed. The Qur’an that holds no contradictions but rather all of its information is true and correct, the Qur’an along with the Sunnah that is a clarification and guidance in all affairs.
Upon this point regarding the Qur’an being a guidance for all affairs al-‘Allama ibn ul-Uthaymeen رحمه الله mentioned a story regarding a christian scholar who questioned a muslim scholar whilst in a restaurant upon the specifics pertaining to the cooking of a particular meal! The shaikh mentioned in one of his khutab that a muslim person of knowledge was sat in a restaurant and a christian approached him and stated as a challenge to him, “You say that the Qur’an is a guidance in all affairs, so where in the Qur’an does it tell you how to cook this meal?” Allah سبحانه و تعالى inspired the person of knowledge to have insight in answering the question, and so he called over the chef, once the chef arrived he asked him how to cook the particular meal he was eating, and so the chef explained the process. Thereafter the person of knowledge said to him, “This is what the Qur’an has taught us “فاسأوا أهل الذكر إن كنتم لا تعلمون“….ask the people of knowledge if you do not know. In this way he explained that the manner of discovering the process of cooking the food was indeed taught in the Qur’an!
Shaikh ibn ul-Uthaymeen رحمه الله stated, “In this noble ayat is instruction on the manner of seeking knowledge of an affair that is unkown to you, and that is that you ask the one upon knowledge in that affair”.
This was an example the Shaikh presented to illustrate the point of returning to the people of knowledge in our religious affairs, since without doubt returning to the scholars is a matter of importance, and certainly we speak of the well grounded firm scholars in knowledge the likes of Shaikh al-Fawzan, Shaikh al-Luhaidan, Shaikh Zaid bin Haady, Shaikh Rabee’, Shaikh ‘Ubayd حفظهم الله and many others in our time now and all praise is due to Allah.
