Touching the Qur'aan without Ablution

Questioner: What is the intended meaning of this aayah: “None touch it except the purified.” Does the word al-Mutahharoon (the purified) refer to the believers or those who have ablution?

Shaykh al-Albaanee:  The intended meaning of it is neither this nor that. Rather it refers to the angels and it is a statement from Allaah the Mighty and Majestic concerning the angels; and it does not refer to this Qur’aan [in our midst]. It refers to that which is in the Preserved Tablet. So none can touch the mus-haf, which is in the Preserved Tablet except the purified and they are the angels brought near [to Allaah]…

As regards the mus-haf that is in our midst [today], it can be touched by the righteous and the evil doer, the believer and the disbeliever. Therefore, our Lord is not referring to mankind absolutely regardless of whether they are righteous or evil doers. Rather, what He meant, as we have stated, is the angels….

There are narrations from some of the Companions that they used to avoid touching the Qur’aan without ablution. This action of theirs indicates that what is best for someone who intends to touch the Qur’aan or read the Qur’aan [is to perform ablution]. However, to assert that it is prohibited for a woman who is not in the state of purity, not to speak of a man, to touch the Qur’aan, then there is no proof for that at all.

Source: Silsilah al-Huda wan-Noor, Tape 001, fatwa no. 08