What efforts and resources are necessary to preserve ancient and dust-covered copies of the Holy Qur’an found in libraries and homes, and how should one act to protect them from damage?

Respecting and caring for copies of the Qur’an is a glorification of the rituals of Allah, and revering His words is a duty upon Muslims. Every possible effort must be made to preserve old copies of the Qur’an, especially if the editions are few, or are suitable for reading, or can be sent to impoverished countries.

If there is no need to preserve the old copies, they can be disposed of by methods including:

1. Burning: Gently burning the old copies of the Qur’an in a pure and safe place, ensuring that their words disappear and their pages change. Scholars find solace in what Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) did. 2. Burying: Choosing a pure and safe place away from tampering, and digging a deep hole to ensure that the buried copies remain for a long time. 3. Shredding and Perforating: Using machines that shred paper into fine particles so that the words are no longer readable. This is an easy, pure, and safe method.