Fatwa ID: 09421
Answered by Muftiyah Maryam Badshah
Question:
I keep on stressing. I know we have to pick up papers that have reference to Allah. However my question is, I have noticed on all of the gordon alcohol cans and cabdury sweet wrappers- some of the cadbury sweet wrappers , that they have a phrase ” Dieu et mon droit” which is the same phrase on the british passport which translates to God and my right. Do I need to pick these cans and wrappers up from the streets as i have been doing this for the last 6 months?
Also if I find any islamic or christian pamphlets that has references to Allah, the angels or the prophets on the street or in the bin and if it is covered in dirt do I need to wash it off or can I just dispose it via shredding, burning, recycling?
I just want some ease as I have been having ocd about this for the last few months to the point where I was scared I was going to die due to a smoke in my flat as a result of this extreme ocd.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
When a person comes across items which contain the Name of Allah ﷻ, His Prophets ﵈ or His angels, the general rule for these items is to either erase or shred the names so that they no longer present or legible, bury the item in a clean secluded place where it will not be disrespected, dispose of it in a river or the sea where the words will either dissolve or be erased by the water, or burn it and bury the ashes. Burning the words should be a last resort, and burying is more preferable.[1]
In the UK, it is illegal to dispose of anything in the sea or rivers, and neither is it legal to burn or bury items in public places. Also, wrappers and cans can be extremely toxic and dangerous when burned, and doing so in a place like a flat could lead to other people being harmed. A Muslim should never put themselves or others in danger to fulfill an act of goodness, and you should not be burning such items in your apartment where it will cause a fire hazard. Instead, you should either shred or erase the words yourself, or see if anyone else can dispose of such items for you.[2]
The statement “Dieu et mon Droit” is part of the UK royal coat of arms, which is used on royal warrants. The statement is often printed in minuscule or illegible writing on the items which have obtained a royal warrant. Over 600 companies hold a royal warrant in the UK (of which Cadbury’s no longer holds a warrant), and to collect and correctly dispose of all items with the crest is unfeasible and would cause an individual difficulty. In addition, the statement is not a quote from the Qur’an and therefore the requirement would only be to erase the word “Dieu” if it is actually legible, rather than trying to dispose of the entire item. Whilst your actions are well intentioned, I advise that you refrain from actions which cause you distress and harm. Know that it is the responsibility of those who owned these items to dispose of items in a proper manner when needed and you are not required to actively look for or obtain objects that contain such references in bins or places of disposal.[3]
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Muftiyah Maryam Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
الْمُصْحَفُ إذَا صَارَ بِحَالٍ لَا يُقْرَأُ فِيهِ يُدْفَنُ كَالْمُسْلِمِ…
–
قَوْلُهُ: يُدْفَنُ) أَيْ يُجْعَلُ فِي خِرْقَةٍ طَاهِرَةٍ وَيُدْفَنُ فِي مَحَلٍّ غَيْرِ مُمْتَهَنٍ لَا يُوطَأُ. وَفِي الذَّخِيرَةِ وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُلْحَدَ لَهُ وَلَا يُشَقُّ لَهُ؛ لِأَنَّهُ يَحْتَاجُ إلَى إهَالَةِ التُّرَابِ عَلَيْهِ، وَفِي ذَلِكَ نَوْعُ تَحْقِيرٍ إلَّا إذَا جُعِلَ فَوْقَهُ سَقْفٌ بِحَيْثُ لَا يَصِلُ التُّرَابُ إلَيْهِ فَهُوَ حَسَنٌ أَيْضًا اهـ. وَأَمَّا غَيْرُهُ مِنْ الْكُتُبِ فَسَيَأْتِي فِي الْحَظْرِ وَالْإِبَاحَةِ أَنَّهُ يُمْحَى عَنْهَا اسْمُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَيُحْرَقُ الْبَاقِي وَلَا بَأْسَ بِأَنْ تُلْقَى فِي مَاءٍ جَارٍ كَمَا هِيَ أَوْ تُدْفَنُ وَهُوَ أَحْسَنُ. اهـ
Raddul Muhtār (Vol.1, pg.177, Dār Al-Fiqr)
[2]
١٥ – اَلْقَاعِدَةُ الثَّالِثَة : [ لَا ضَرَرَ وَلَا ضِرَارَ ] م/ ١٩
۲۳ – ح – [ دَرْءُ الْمَفَاسِدِ أَوْلَى مِنْ جَلْبِ الْمَنَافِعِ ] م/ ٣٠
Qawaa’id Fiqhiyyah (pg.28 & 34, Darul Tirmizi)
[3]
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0lg9y791kyo
٣٢ ـ هـ ـ [ اَلْحَاجَةُ تُنَزَّلُ مَنْزِلَةُ الضَّرُوْرَةِ ، عَامَّةً كَانَتْ أَوْ خَاصَّةً فِيْ إِبَاحَةِ الْمَحْظُوْر ] م/ ٣٢
Qawaa’id Fiqhiyyah (pg.45, Darul Tirmizi)
… إذَا أَصَابَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ غَنَائِمَ، وَكَانَ فِيمَا أَصَابُوا مُصْحَفٌ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ مِنْ كُتُبِ الْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى لَا يَدْرِي أَنَّ فِيهِ تَوْرَاةً أَوْ زَبُورًا أَوْ إنْجِيلًا أَوْ كُفْرًا، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَنْبَغِي لِلْإِمَامِ أَنْ يُقَسِّمَ ذَلِكَ فِي مَغَانِمِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَلَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُحَرِّقَ بِالنَّارِ وَإِذَا كَرِهَ إحْرَاقَهُ يَنْظُرُ بَعْدَ هَذَا إنْ كَانَ لِوَرِقِهِ قِيمَةً، وَيُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ بَعْدَ الْمَحْوِ وَالْغَسْلِ بِأَنْ كَانَ مَكْتُوبًا عَلَى جِلْدٍ مَدْبُوغٍ أَوْ مَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ، فَإِنَّهُ يُمْحَى وَيُجْعَلُ الْوَرَقُ فِي الْغَنِيمَةِ، وَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ لِوَرِقِهِ قِيمَةٌ، وَلَا يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ بَعْدَ الْمَحْوِ بِأَنْ كَانَ مَكْتُوبًا عَلَى الْقِرْطَاسِ يُغْسَلُ وَهَلْ يُدْفَنُ وَهُوَ عَلَى حَالِهِ إنْ كَانَ مَوْضِعًا لَا يُتَوَهَّمُ وُصُولُ يَدِ الْكَفَرَةِ إلَيْهِ؟ يُدْفَنُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ مَوْضِعًا يُتَوَهَّمُ وُصُولُ يَدِ الْكَفَرَةِ إلَيْهِ لَا يُدْفَنُ وَإِنْ أَرَادَ الْإِمَامُ بَيْعَهُ مِنْ رَجُلٍ مُسْلِمٍ، فَإِنْ كَانَ الَّذِي يُرِيدُ شِرَاءَهُ مِمَّنْ يُخَافُ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَبِيعَهُ مِنْ الْمُشْرِكِينَ رَغْبَةً مِنْهُ فِي الْمَالِ يُكْرَهُ بَيْعُهُ مِنْهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ مَوْثُوقًا بِهِ، وَيَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ لَا يَبِيعَهُ مِنْ الْمُشْرِكِينَ، فَلَا بَأْسَ بِبَيْعِهِ مِنْهُ
Al-Fatāwa al-Hindiyyah (Vol.2, pg.215, Dār Al-Fiqr)