“It is disliked to write it,” meaning the Qur’an… “on a wall,” even if it be of a masjid… “or a turban.” If he had said, “or clothing,” as mentioned in al-Rawdah, it would have been better… “or food,” and so on.

It is also disliked, “to burn wood that has been carved out of it,” meaning the Qur’an. However, if one intends thereby conservation of the Qur’an, then it is not disliked. This is what `Uthman’s burning of the Mus-hafs can be explained as. Ibn `Abdul-Salam said, “Whoever finds a paper wherein bismillah, or similar, is written should not place it in a crack [in a wall], or other such places, because it may fall thereby being trampled on. The method [of dealing with it] is to wash it away with water or burn it with fire, out of conservation of the name of Allah Almighty from facing irreverence.

“It is permissible to demolish it,” meaning the wall… “to wear it,” meaning the turban… “and to eat it,” meaning the food, and there is no harm in having it touch whatever is in the stomach, as opposed to swallowing a paper that contains the name of Allah, for it is impermissible, as the author of al-Anwar has asserted. [Al-Nawawi] says in al-Majmu`, “It is not disliked to write anything of the Qur’an in a container for its water to be drunk for curing with, based on what the madh-hab warrants.” However, in the Fatawa of Ibn `Abdul-Salam, its prohibition has been mentioned, due to what it may touch of najasah (impurity) in the stomach. As for eating the food, it is quite probable that it is not disliked, like drinking the aforementioned. However, there is a probable difference, which is that what is written in the drink is erased before placing it in the mouth, as opposed to the food.

[Asna al-Matalib, Shaykh Zakariyyah al-Ansari al-Shafi`i (1/62)]

كتابة القرآن على جدار أو طعام و غيرهما