Why does the fatwa prohibiting the printing of plastic bags bearing the name of Allah or the names of prophets differ from the ruling on newspapers that may be desecrated despite containing Quranic verses or Prophetic hadiths, even though these bags do not contain such things, taking into consideration that thousands of Muslims depend on this industry?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
We do not say that it is forbidden to work in printing newspapers, even though they often contain the name of Allah, unlike plastic bags. This is due to the difference between them: writing the name of Allah on bags is not necessary and can be dispensed with. Whereas newspapers are made for reading and spreading knowledge and information, and they cannot do without writing Islamic topics or sermons. The responsibility for preserving newspapers remains with the reader, unlike plastic bags which are primarily made for degradation.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/83350
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 83350
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy