Wearing amulets and talismans containing Ayahs

Q: What is your opinion regarding wearing an amulet or a Hijab (preserver) containing some Ayahs of the Qur’an? (Part No. 1; Page No. 313) What I mean is: Is it permissible for a Muslim to carry a Hijab that contains some Ayahs of the Qur’an or not?

A: The Salaf (righteous predecessors) disagreed about the ruling on writing an Ayah of the Qur’an or the whole Qur’an and wearing it on the upper arm or elsewhere to protect against feared harm or to remove adversity. Some of them forbade this and judged them to be amulets that are prohibited to be worn for falling under the general prohibition in the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Incantations, amulets, and love-charms are Shirk (associating others with Allah in His Divinity or worship).” (Reported by Ahmad and Abu Dawud) They said that there is no evidence that exempts the wearing of particular amulets that contain Qur’an. They also said that wearing amulets containing Qur’an can lead to wearing other objects that do not contain the Qur’an, so prohibiting them certainly blocks the means that may lead to wearing other things.Thirdly, They are also of the view that the objects containing Qur’anic Ayahs may be worn at improper times like answering the call of nature, performing Istinja’ (cleansing the private parts with water after urination or defecation), having sexual intercourse, and other activities, therefore, are subject to desecration. This view was adopted by `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud, and his students. It was also adopted by Ahmad ibn Hanbal, according to what was reported from him, and also many of his contemporaries favored this view and it was confirmed by the later scholars. On the other hand, some other scholars have permitted the wearing of amulets containing Qur’an or Allah’s Names and Attributes, such as `Abdullah ibn `Amr ibn Al-`As, also Abu Ja‘far Al-Baqir and Imam Ahmad, according to another reported narration. They restricted the prohibition of amulets in the Hadith to those that include Shirk. However, the first scholarly opinion has the stronger argument, and is more protective to the ‘Aqidah (creed) for guarding the private territories of Tawhid (monotheism) and taking precaution. Regarding what was narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Amr, he used to help his children memorize the Qur’an by writing the Ayahs on tablets and letting them wear these tablets around their necks. (Part No. 1; Page No. 314) This was not done with the aim of using them as amulets to ward off harm or bring benefit.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.