Mufti Menk – Can We Hang Qur’an Verses on the Wall

			Assalamu Aleikum, we all want our worlds to look pretty. We all want something good to be on our
walls. So whether it's at home or at your workplace or elsewhere, we'd like to put up some design,
some frames, something, a wallpaper, something that would make the world look good. So what are the
teachings of Islam regarding this design or this frame that I want to put up on my wall? On one
hand, I want it to look beautiful, I want it to really be amazing, stunning, I want it to look
pretty, like I said, and on the other hand, I don't want to earn the displeasure of Allah. And I
wouldn't like to compromise my own protection.
		

			So what is meant by compromising my own protection? I think we should spend a moment just giving a
few words of beautiful guidance. Number one,
		

			if we were to put a chronic verse, calligraphy, something written a do are some of the profits that
are seldom some do are that is there a hadith that is there, and it's written beautifully in lovely
calligraphy, and we want to paste it or post it on the wall. Yes, the scholars have spoken about it.
Some have said it's okay. Some have said it's not okay. The middle path is such that, if you are to
put it up on the wall, make sure you read from it and make sure you're reminded about it and make
sure that you also tell others to read it. In that particular case, it would not just be a
decoration, because those who say it's prohibited, they have a point, the Koran was not revealed in
		

			order to be just a decoration somewhere. No, the Hadith was not sent to us just for it to be
decorating a certain wall. But if you were to use it as a reminder, every now and again, doesn't
have to be every single time but you have a big frame with the 99 Names of Allah for example, and
it's there in your lounge, nobody's ever read it. You don't know these names, and it's been there
for 10 years. Come on, you should know at least some of those names by now. What did you put that
frame up there for? Do you really think the names of Allah are just there for a design and
decoration? You know, when Subhana Allah there is a strong Hadith regarding those who learn these
		

			names, memorize them, understand them, put them into practice, use them to call out to Allah
subhanho wa Taala and so on, they will be getting paradise. Same applies to the verse of the Koran.
Do you really think that these parchments that the Quran was written on all the verses of the Quran
being beautifully written in a lovely calligraphy? The idea was only to post it up in order for it
to look good. Wow, look at this verse. And it's been there for 10 years and you don't even know what
it says. So Han Allah, that is amazing. That is unacceptable. because on one hand, it's amazing
because it looks beautiful, but it's unacceptable because you have not read it. So the Quran was
		

			sent down for us to read for us to look into for us to understand for us to learn lesson from for us
to follow and so on. If you do have these frames,
		

			learn to look at them, decipher them, understand them, let them act as a reminder every so often,
because if you're not going to do that, you'd rather not have that type of a frame. I hope that
clears that air because like I said there are people who say it's totally prohibited and some people
will say it's okay without giving you a word of guidance. Here we are in the middle telling you the
reason why they say it's not okay is because Quran is definitely not revealed for decoration, but if
you are going to write it beautifully, Mashallah there's nothing wrong with writing it in a
beautiful way. But in order for it to be a lesson, people must read it, they can enjoy the
		

			calligraphy and at the same time, they can also read it, understand it, perhaps learn a lesson from
it, put it into practice, when you've written the MOA with that in your lounge, read those who are
with that and when you enter the lounge, it should remind you to read them, you've got ayatul kursi
somewhere you've got a frame of a certain verse or surah somewhere and you never look into it and
try to read it that is going to be a point of question against you on the day of pm on the Day of
Judgment. So let's try and make an effort to read what we have actually posted or pasted or put up
on our walls Mashallah tabarka and by the way, when I say our walls I'm referring to the physical
		

			walls I'm not talking about the Facebook wall. I'm not talking about the virtual walls I'm talking
about the real walls, within our homes within our workplaces and so on.
		

			Right now when it comes to the other things besides colonic verses and Hadith and do AR and so on.
Say for example, something that is picturesque beautiful, amazing something unnatural seen by all
means Mashallah you look at it Subhana Allah, you look at it you're you are wowed. Mashallah, you
know, we say Mashallah tabarrok Allah, we related to Allah, the qudra of another power of Allah.
		

			So on, you have a beautiful design, you have something that looks, you know really nice, Mashallah,
the minute it's an inanimate object, the minute it is an animate object like a human being,
especially, or a portrait a photograph of a human being, avoid hanging that on the walls, and avoid
placing that on display, simply because there is an aeration, where the professor seldom speaks
about it. And he speaks about how it is not permissible to hang the you know, that which is animate
on the walls. So, I recall Subhanallah, you know, we are taught that the angels of mercy, the angels
of protection, they come into the home, they protect people, they protect your property, they would
		

			bless, they would be coming with the blessings of Allah upon you, and your household. And if you
have certain things, they don't come. And the angel of death, the Angel of punishment comes at any
given time, that whether you've hung these things or not, but because there is a huge debate
surrounding this, I personally hold the stricter view because I've seen at times when we're doing
Rokia, it simply doesn't benefit when there are things hanging there or animate.
		

			Then if they were not there, and I'm telling you this from my personal experience, without going
into great detail, if you'd like the protection of Allah, you want the angels to come in freely, and
you want to be granted the mercy then do the right thing. Avoid those. You don't have to. I like to
look at it this way. Am I so desperate to have some portrait on the wall with the risk of not having
the angels of mercy and not having the angels of protection come? Which one would I like? I would
like to have the angels come even if I had nothing on my wards Subhanallah that's the way I look at
it common logic. But you have others who will argue until they go green to tell you there is
		

			absolutely nothing wrong with it. I can tell you yes, it's an opinion, it's an opinion. But
personally, I disagree. I hold the stronger view simply because so many things. One is the evidence.
And two is I've seen it with my own eyes. I know, when we've gone to do some Rokia at a time, we
found that the place where there was these animate things on the walls, we the impact was almost
nil. And then we realize we've got to get these things down the minute we got it down, the impact
was so great. So because I've seen this, I'm passionate about it. And I would tell you, my brother,
my sister, there's no point in doing that. Take it down, keep them in an album, if you really have
		

			some old images and portraits and photos that you'd like to keep, you know, put them in an album,
close it. And actually you can look at it once in a while for memories sake. But let's understand
when it comes to obviously there is a debate about for photographic images, the digital images, and
and all of that, and I'm not going to go into that, although my view is that which is photographic a
photograph, and that which is digital, you're allowed to take that you're allowed to take a
photograph of that which you are allowed to see with your eyes, there is no competition with the
creation of Allah, and there is no chance of it being worshipped. And at the same time, it's simply
		

			a memory and it is a complete identical mirror capture of the creation of Allah itself, so much so
that the likeness of a person with the highest level of identity is confirmed by a simple
photograph. So it's no way the competition in the creation of Allah. And that's why if you're
allowed to see it with your eye, you're allowed to take a photograph of it, that's my view, there is
another opinion that actually says it's totally prohibited I respect that view, they probably, you
know, consider the term this wheel, which is mentioned in the Hadith, which refers to the portraits,
they consider it modern day image imagery as well. So if they were to take it that way, then it's up
		

			to them. I personally think the tempter suite does not include what is modern day photography. But
it does include, you know, the sculpturing, the portraits and so on quite a few other things, but
not this anyway. So we're talking about hanging the things up.
		

			You need to learn to hang good things, sometimes some of the stuff we hang on our walls, for the
very reason that that thing is existing on our walls, we have a lot of chaos in our own homes. And
sometimes it's because the angels of mercy, the angels of blessings are just not in our houses. And
a lot of the times when someone says you know, I feel so claustrophobic I feel this. I asked them
what type of frames do you have on your walls? And they look at me and when we get rid of them or
change them slightly, you know, an Islamic interior designer, you know, where you actually have to
know what to hang, where to hang, why to hang, and so on. And you know what, when we change
		

			everything around Subhanallah and we delete what's supposed to be deleted. Amazing.
		

			teasingly there is a lot of Baraka, I pray and I asked Allah subhanho wa Taala that he bless myself,
yourselves and every one of us. I personally believe I would not want to risk the relationship that
I have with Allah, the free movement of the angels in and out of my rooms, my houses, whatever else
it may be. So I'm not going to risk that because remember, you're going to put up a panic verse,
make sure you read from it, otherwise, you're, you're doing something wrong. If you're not going to
read from it. You've reduced the Quran to something like a declaration which is actually quite
insulting to the revelation of Allah, or the word of Allah subhanho wa Taala. Similarly, if you're
		

			going to put frames of nature and design Alhamdulillah That's beautiful. But if you're going to put
something animate, remember, you're compromising something big. Don't do that. May Allah subhanho wa
Taala bless every one of us. You have the right to disagree with what I've said, I'm telling you
from the knowledge I have, and also from the experience that I have of Guru kolyada sallallahu
wasallam Allah and Amina Mohammed was Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah