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Is one who is in a state of major ritual impurity (janabah) sinful if his eyes fall upon the beginning of a verse, or he hears it from television, or someone mentions it to him, or he says it forgetfully and not intentionally?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is permissible for a person in a state of major ritual impurity (junub) to listen to the Qur’an, look at it, and ponder its meanings in his heart, without touching the Mus'haf or reciting with his tongue. This is by agreement among the scholars. However, it is forbidden for him to recite the Qur’an, even a single verse, according to the majority of scholars. But if he recites out of forgetfulness, there is no sin upon him, based on the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "Indeed, Allah has pardoned for my Ummah their mistakes, their forgetfulness, and what they are coerced into."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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