Is it sufficient to tear a paper containing a verse or a name of Allah lengthwise to separate its letters, even if the separated letters remain visible?
Scholars have differed on the issue of a paper bearing the name of Allah: Is it sufficient to separate its letters, or must it be completely effaced so that nothing remains visible? Some scholars hold that merely separating the letters is insufficient, because fragmented letters still retain the ruling of a complete, venerated word, and separating them diminishes its reverence. Others, however, believe that separating the letters is sufficient, and that the veneration of a word lies in the assembly of its letters. Ibn Hajar al-Haytami mentioned the various opinions of scholars on this matter, favoring that washing the paper is better, and that tearing it up is impermissible due to the disrespect it entails for what is written. In our view, separating the word into individual letters is sufficient, and it is not necessary to fragment each letter due to the difficulty involved therein.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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