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Is ignorance an acceptable excuse regarding the nullifiers of Islam? And what is the validity of the saying that whoever sees a name of Allah Almighty, or a verse, or a hadith in a dirty place and does not remove it, has exited the fold of Islam? What is the ruling on dealing with newspapers that contain the names of Allah, whether by buying and selling them, or by throwing them away? What is the ruling on writing an old date in administrative work? And what are the nullifiers of the two testimonies, in brief?

2 min readAlso available in العربية

It is clear that the questioner is suffering from waswasah (whispers of Satan), and they should disregard them. A person does not disbelieve unless they hold a disbelief-inducing belief, or say or do something that is disbelief-inducing with knowledge and intention. Allah overlooks the forgetful, the mistaken, and the unwitting. As long as you adhere to the principle of Tawhid (monotheism) and have not committed an act that nullifies it, do not pay attention to waswasah. You should frequently engage in the remembrance of Allah, seek forgiveness (istighfar), and send blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Papers containing the name of Allah, the Qur'an, or Hadith must be protected from disrespect. Anyone who leaves something containing the remembrance of Allah in a place of filth while being able to remove it, commits an act of disbelief. This act is generally considered disbelief, but not everyone who commits it becomes a disbeliever unless the Hujjah (proof) is established against them.

If you find a desecrated paper containing the remembrance of Allah or the Qur'an, you must protect it by burning or burying it. You are not required to search papers in the streets to ensure they do not contain the name of Allah, as that falls under the burden disallowed in Islamic law. Vendors should be careful not to use newspaper sheets that contain respected words.

Disrespecting the names of prophets and angels does not apply to those who are named after them, though it is disliked. Names dedicated to Allah Most High have the sanctity of His name. Changing the date of publication of books is a forbidden lie, and its sin increases if it results in injustice to others, but it is not considered disbelief. To learn about the nullifiers of the Shahadatayn (the two testimonies of faith), you can search for fatwas related to the nullifiers of faith. The questioner is advised to seek help from Allah and medical treatment to overcome waswasah.

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

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