Can I Keep Multiple Copies of the Quran?
Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa
Question
What is the ruling on keeping multiple copies of the Quran without reading from all of them?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.
Ruling
There is no legal prohibition against keeping multiple copies of the Quran in the home or in any other place, even if not all of them are read.
In some cases, extra copies of the Quran might be kept for use during gatherings, such as when family members or others come together. In such situations, it is recommended to keep extra copies to ensure easy access when needed.
Assisting Others
It is preferable to use these extra copies for reading and reflection or to distribute them to those who need them, especially in remote villages or places where people may struggle to obtain a copy of the Quran. This aligns with the saying of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace):
“The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it.” [Bukhari]
In our current times, the need for multiple physical copies of the Quran is not as pressing as it once was, particularly with the advent of electronic Qurans, which have made the Quran accessible to anyone with a mobile device.
Piety
Providing the Quran to reciters, memorizers, or those who need it for reflection is one of the greatest acts of piety. Facilitating access to the Quran for those in need helps in spreading the guidance contained within it, as Allah (Most High) says:
“Surely this Quran guides to what is most upright, and gives good news to the believers—who do good—that they will have a mighty reward.” [Quran, 17:9]
May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.
And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Anas al-Musa
Shaykh Anas al-Musa, born in Hama, Syria, in 1974, is an erudite scholar of notable repute. He graduated from the Engineering Institute in Damascus, where he specialized in General Construction, and Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, where he specialized in Hadith.
He studied under prominent scholars in Damascus, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri and Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, among others. Shaykh Anas has memorized the Quran and is proficient in the ten Mutawatir recitations, having studied under Shaykh Bakri al-Tarabishi and Shaykh Mowfaq ‘Ayun. He also graduated from the Iraqi Hadith School.
He has taught numerous Islamic subjects at Shari‘a institutes in Syria and Turkey. Shaykh Anas has served as an Imam and preacher for over 15 years and is a teacher of the Quran in its various readings and narrations.
Currently, he works as a teacher at SeekersGuidance and is responsible for academic guidance there. He has completed his Master’s degree in Hadith and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. Shaykh Anas al-Musa is married and resides in Istanbul.
